Well One good thing about the upcoming Labor Day holiday for our family is a 3 day weekend in store!
My dad and step mom are coming in from New Jersey and will be spending the weekend with us! We're also going to Justin's aunt and uncle's house for a cookout while his cousins are here from Washington D.C. and Ohio. We are very much looking forward to a weekend of family time!
This means yummy food, lots of hugs and LOTS of laughs! Don't worry, I'll be sure to write about it and share with you all next week!
***On another note, I took yesterday off with the work out routine. I was SO SORE from the last 3 days, but in a good way. A friend of mine from elementary school (yes, WAY long ago), Kayla who writes at Tiny Inklings, recommended to me a home work out called Body Rock TV. I did this for 25 minutes on Tuesday and boy did I feel the burn! It's a blog website with a bunch of physical trainers from different countries that post videos on YouTube of their high intense workout routines. I am really starting to like working out because it makes me feel mentally great! Physically...not so much yet but I know that part is right around the corner! :) Today Justin and I start the gym! I'm lucky he's so supportive of me and is joining me on my journey to get fit and be healthy! I've been eating Greek vanilla yogurt in the morning with granola, a salad for lunch and a balanced dinner. Almonds or a fruit or some veggies for a snack. I've also been remembering to drink more water as much as possible.
ALSO on another note...food tastes SO much better now that I've quit smoking! Justin and I both downloaded an app onto our phones that shows us how many cigarettes we have NOT smoked, how much money we have saved from not smoking and what processes our body is doing to self heal right now. It's amazing! I know in my heart we should've done this a long time ago. I should've never started back up again after Annaliese was born, but I am happy that today I can say I'm smoke free!
So today for Sarah's link up, at the Little White Whale One Good Thing Thursday, I bring to you a few good things because I can't just pin point one today. Every day is a good day because I woke up. Head over to Sarah's blog and link up One Good Thing in your life today.
Count your blessings and give a friend a call today.
Annaliese is teething. I'm not really sure if she's ever stopped since she started, which was at about age 4 1/2 months. She currently has 4 teeth that are out on the bottom row and the 2 front top teeth are soooo close to coming out! But until then....she still wakes up 1-2 times a night cause her teeth hurt. Justin and I try not to go get her the moment she cries, but sometimes she gets herself hysterical and then there is NO HOPE in getting her to go back to sleep. Or we sometimes try to let her cry and her stubbornness has led her to cry for 3 HOURS one night, and finally we gave up and went and got her. We thought that this cannot possibly be good for our child. It wasn't good for US. It's truly mind boggling!
Sleep training a baby is not an easy task, and especially when they're teething. Then I came across this on Facebook. Things like this remind me that we're not alone. Although I know we never are because all babies go through certain things and on the other hand every baby is different.
Ironically, Justin and I were watching the Back To The Future movies this weekend. Seeing as how the movies were made in the 80's it was fun to watch the "special effects" that was used to indicate time travel. Things definitely aren't like they used to be!
Well today for the weekly Monday Listicles we bring to you 10 Clues You're Living in 2012.
1. Every home has at least 2 flat screen TVs in them.
2. People don't have a land line telephone, and use their cell phones as their primary phones.
3. You can go months without actually speaking to someone but still email, text and Facebook them.
4. There is no more Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, or Dick Clark.
5. Kids as young as age 6 or 7 have their own cell phones.
6. I'm willing to bet that MOST people do not print every digital picture they take and don't actually put pictures in photo albums anymore. I know I don't.
7. Most of what you see on television are reality shows...stupid reality shows.
8. Newspapers hardly exist. People use the internet to learn of current events. A tornado hits and we check Twitter!
9. A whole family can be famous and have their own reality show just from being rich. (The Kardashians)
Wow. I did it. Pop open the champagne and celebrate with me!
100 blog posts.
I am quite shocked and proud of myself for hitting the 100 mark inside of a year of blogging.
Granted, some posts are just pictures or silly videos, but still 100 posts!
So many things I've learned about myself and about the blogging world. So much more to learn about both.
I have always enjoyed writing, ever since my 9th grade English teacher introduced me to the great William Shakespeare and poetry. I discovered I had a knack for writing AND that I really enjoyed putting my thoughts and feelings on paper. It was a great release for me. It was a way that I could attempt to have others understand me all while I'm learning to understand myself.
After about a year of writing, I started to notice that my work was getting dark and gloomy. I was very depressed. Being bullied in school, still not getting over my parents divorce, struggling with self image issues and "boy problems" led my writing to be anything other than fun. So I stopped. I began to become more depressed by writing my depressed thoughts and feelings on paper and thought it would be better if I just stopped releasing my feelings and hold it in.
This of course, was not a good idea because I learned how to hide my feelings instead of feel them. After a long time, I slowly became better at speaking my feelings to my close friends and family. Almost to the point where some things were probably better left UNsaid, but I'm not sorry I said them. I'm not sorry for the way I feel. I'm done hiding my feelings. I let a decade pass before I wanted to write again.
A few years ago a friend introduced me to her blog. She blogged about her family and events they went to and activities they did. She told me that to start a blog is free! So about halfway through my pregnancy, I joined Blogger (Blogspot) and created this blog. I was disappointed in myself for not starting sooner at the beginning of my pregnancy so I could document my progression weekly. So I didn't start writing at all. I thought it would be a little weird to start documenting my pregnancy mid way through. I pushed it off to the back burner and thought to myself that I would blog when the baby came.
Well who the heck has time to blog (and LEARN blogging) with a newborn!? What was I thinking? If I had already gotten into the swing of blogging and understood it by starting it when I first created it, I probably would've been better at doing some blogging with a newborn. So I wrote my first post I think when Annaliese was just under 2 months old.
It took some time to get into a writing groove. I held myself back from writing because I didn't really like the look of my blog. I became more obsessed with the look of my blog than the actual content IN IT. I knew there were a lot of features I wanted to have, but had no idea how to get them. I had chosen a template that looked pretty but didn't allow me to reply to comments (not that there were any at the time). I also didn't know much at ALL about blogging and setting up a blog. But with a little experience and getting some tips and tricks from some bloggers I've come across, I like how my blog looks now! It's been a working progress! Someday I'm sure I will change the look/layout, but that will be far down the road.
So now I think it's safe to say that "I'm a blogger." I blog about my thoughts, my feelings, my family, my growth. Me. It's a place where I feel I can express myself all over again. I have people who encourage me and support me just by commenting. I really enjoy link ups because they direct me to read other blogs and stories! My blog is something that I can say I created (with the help of my husband- the html code master) and I take great pride in. :)
So thank you blog, for bringing back the side of me that I thought was gone and lost forever. And thank you to my 19 followers for showing even a tad bit of support just by following alone.
Whew! That was beyond tough...BUT I ran/jogged/walked almost the same amount of mileage in almost half the amount of time from yesterday! Already making progress! :)
Here I sit, dripping sweat from every pore in my body. Yuck! I feel gross but SO accomplished!
Hacking up a lung from being out of breath.
So sore ... And craving a shower.
I've realized that I think I would enjoy running the more and longer I do it. I don't like feeling so physically weak while I'm running, but that's why I am here to change!
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My random thoughts during my run:
Man this could very well be the death of me.
My lungs are going to burst! I am definitely regretting ever smoking.
When an older man walking by in opposite direction says to me "It's a tough work out", he's probably just making a quick casual comment and trying not to be concerned at the sight of me gasping for air, dripping in sweat and looking like I could collapse in the nearest lawn. yes, that really did happen
I definitely need to start taking glucosamine pills because my knees are bad and hurt so bad.
I need new headphones cause my SkullCandy ear buds don't stay in my ears. GRRR!
I should've picked a cooler day to start running, but ...why wait?! That's what I've been doing!
Oh man, what's that sm--- AW MAN! I forgot to put on deodorant! Note to self! Do NOT forget deodorant!
How do people run when it's so hot outside? Or wait... When its really cold outside? Yikes! But I'm gonna do it!
Man, I hope I don't see anyone I know from high school...O_o
(With every step) Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow.
I'm proud of myself! I'm doing it! I'm running! Go Me!! :)
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We did good, my friends.
This week Justin and I are starting the gym. Due to our limited source of babysitters we are starting by going 3 nights a week. We would like to begin by going together so that we can help each other get into the swing of going. Maybe after a few days/weeks going 3 days a week, we can also go separately and each take turns watching Annaliese. Right now, my mom, his mom and his brother & sister in law are all taking a night to watch Annaliese. It's nice to have help, because this will surely help Justin and I get in shape like we both would like.
Also, since I don't think that I am ready to (successfully) take on 3 classes in college for financial aid to cover my tuition and I can't pay out of pocket for 1-2 classes a semester, I am just going to start with Non-Credit courses. I want to get back into the swing of going to school again. I have researched a local community college and found that they have an online writing course. I think this would be great for me because it's only 6 weeks, I will be able to write more AND it will help me become a better blogger! :) I am hoping to begin the next class that starts in September. :)
Thank you to all of you for your kind comments and support that you've given me. Everyone needs a little help sometimes, and I greatly appreciate you having faith in me, a "stranger". It means a lot.
Sometimes all we need is a little push to get going, right? A little inspiration.
Whether it be coffee or a Redbull to jump start your morning...
OR friends and family who care enough for you to encourage you to follow your goals...
OR complete strangers who unintentionally inspired you by deciding to live a healthier lifestyle and document their success in the process.
I can remember being a teenager, probably 14-15 years old and noticing that with my womanly body changes, I could no longer eat what I wanted and not participate in gym class and not see the negative effects on my body. My mid section has never showed that I have any muscles, my thighs used to be very strong and shapely from my earlier days of dance class, but now they just jiggle and have no definition. I am sore almost daily and I used to think that this was normal. Getting older involves more pains in places you didn't know could hurt and stiff and sore more often than not. Well allowing myself the time to research and speak with some online friends and some "real life" friends, I've learned that this is not the case. This is not "the normal" This is just a result of not taking care of myself! There are people in their 60's who don't wake up with as much pain as I do on a daily basis. Something has to give!
Well ladies and gents, today is a new day and it's time for ME to turn over a new leaf! Shortly after my 27th birthday, I got my 3rd tattoo. It's on my foot, it's a picture of 3 butterflies and it has one of my favorite quotes (and songs) ever. It's a quote from the Broadway musical RENT. A quote that was to be my daily reminder to live everyday like it's my last, to not procrastinate on my self and life goals because tomorrow is never promised.
"No Day But Today"
Sadly I have been procrastinating and not been living by my own motto. Well this changes today. For the longest time I have had every intention to slowly work my way toward my goals of quitting smoking (yes it's a bad habit, I've been on and off from since I was 15) losing weight, getting into shape, have a healthy lifestyle, finish my college degree and write again. I have been mentally ready, but never put the hard work into it. I'm not saying I'm never going to eat another cupcake again in my life, but I am just going to make better eating decisions and really take control on what I put into my body. I have always started and stopped. Started and stopped. And frankly I am tired of the vicious 'starting and stopping' cycle, so I am going to stop stopping! One week ago I quit smoking again (I did NOT smoke while I was pregnant) and this time for good. I have not had hardly any cravings because I believe I am mentally beyond ready to be QUIT FOREVER. Now that I've quit smoking, I feel like I can finally put my lungs to GOOD use and start running, like I've wanted to do for 3 years now. I have a treadmill, I bought fancy running shoes and have only gone running maybe a handful of times. Not Good. But today...I started. I have made progress. I wanted to actually run, but because I was on "baby duty" while Justin was working overtime and I don't yet have a jogging stroller...I used my motivation and walked. I walked 2.27 miles while pushing a stroller! That is a great start for me! Yeah it took me awhile, but with neighborhood traffic and Annaliese dropping her sippy cup often it was hard to keep a steady pace, but I did it! I just need to keep up that momentum and finally do what I've been wanting to do!
And let me tell you I didn't get to this point by myself. I had help. There have been a few inspirations lately that have given me the will power to finally do it. I guess I'll start with thanking NIKE - "Just Do It". Haha! Ok but jokes aside I have learned a few good lessons in the last few weeks. I plan to gather all the information and inspiration I have come across and use it to my advantage.
My daughter, Annaliese. She is always my first and foremost inspiration. I want to do everything for her and better myself for her. I, of course, want to accomplish my goals for myself as well, but she is my world and I'd do anything for her.
Here are some of my other recent inspirations:
Earlier this month while I was lost in the blogging abyss, I came across a catchy blog name of Tatter Scoops. Maureen wrote a post titled 5 Reasons Why Being Fit Rocks. She truthfully and jokingly stated how she no longer struggles to "hover" over public toilet seats anymore and how she is able to have a playful exercise with her son. Seeing this post, I left her a sincere comment of how I admire her dedication. Soon after reading my comment, she wrote another post with inspiration from ME titled My Five Fitness Motivations. She is a single mom who works from home and wants to do everything in her power to be physically and mentally stronger for herself and her son. She meets with a group of friends and attends a gym and has been doing Chalean Fitness routine. She has also been sugar free since October (I couldn't do it, I love my sweets!) and has completed a carbohydrates free for 3 months! Nothing is going to keep this girl down! How can you not admire someone like Maureen? Keep up the good work girl! You look great! Check out her current stats in her most recent post here.
My friend from high school Kyra, who in the last few months started writing at Nine Months, tells her story of always struggling with her weight. She lost a good bit of weight in her early-mid 20's and since having her little bundle of joy in Sept 2011, Royce, she was the highest she had ever been in weight and has been determined to get the weight off again. She has been measuring herself every week. She started out with the Couch 2 5k walking/running 1-2 times a day, eating healthy, and doing Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. I am inspired by her dedication being a work at home mom and still finding time for her job, family and work out time. Keep going, Kyra! You've done it before and you can do it again!
My sister-in-law Jenn, who is a beginner blogger, writes at Jenn I Am and is also a runner. She has been in the Army reserves for over 10 years and has pretty much been in shape since deciding on her military career path. In the last few years she has taken up running as a hobby and loves it. She has done 5ks for charities (one of which I joined her on) and hopes to someday do a half marathon and maybe even a marathon. I believe she can do it because she is determined enough! She lives at home with her husband (Justin's brother) and their 4 dogs and a cat. Life is busy between their daily Monday - Friday jobs, her Army life, chores, and attending to 4 dogs, but she still finds time to keep up with her hobbies and do the things she enjoys such as running, crafts and cooking. I really admire this about her because there are things that I love to do and don't because I have made excuses that I don't have time, or I don't have energy.
Allie, who writes at A Couple. A Dog. A Baby. Their Blog. is a photographer and is able to be a work at home mom who loves to blog about her darling little boy and her husband. Allie's husband has recently wanted to get on the train to lose weight and Allie, being the supportive wife that she is, has decided to join him. They are both making healthier decisions in the kitchen and Allie has even provided a yummy recipe for us to try! She is also doing the 30 Day Shred and posts pictures of her more defined muscles on Instagram. I am really amazed at how well this woman looks after having a baby. There is no reason I can't push myself to do the same!
Jen, who writes at Runner Mom, is a mom to 4 kids and has a deep passion for running and photography. She writes blog posts of how relaxed she is during a run and how inspired she is after a run. A recent post titled A Thought For Every Mile expresses this. She writes of how she ran a 10 mile run on a day that she didn't even really feel like running...but did it anyway. Now that is dedication! I want to be that way. I want to push myself to do the things I love and do the things I want to do because I know the great feeling of reward will be there after it's all said and done. Very inspiring, Jen!
Lastly another fellow blogger, Ado who writes at The Moma Log, told us of her amazing 7 year old daughter, Ella. On the way home one day, Ella decided in the moment that she wanted to run the rest of the way home...and she did. Please watch this short inspirational video (with a great song choice) of Ella, being young, free and finding her love for running.
I want to take a piece of all of these ladies and their stories with me on the road when I run, when I cook healthier, eat healthier and write more. I will also think of you all when I walk across stage to get my college degree. It's not about just running, or losing weight, or writing. It's about accomplishing my goals. I have gotten to the point in my life where I don't want to start over again, I want to keep going. Maybe it's because I am months away from turning 30, but I'm not afraid of that number. I just want to do what I want to do and have wanted to do. Reading these blogs and hearing their stories is for me, like watching one of those movies that makes you want to get up and change the world. I am getting up and changing me.
Thank you ladies, from the bottom of my heart. It may not be much to you, but it means so much to me.
You may have realized by now that Justin and I, we don't just have an "Anniversary day", we celebrate the whole week! "Anniversa-week!" So this week's One Good Thing Thursday link up is in honor of my two year wedding anniversary - I know...you're surprised. :)
This past Tuesday was Justin and I's first wedding anniversary when it wasn't just the two of us.
Last year was our official 1st anniversary. It was the only anniversary we spent just us two before having a family. We didn't exchange gifts, only cards, because we were going away for the weekend and that was our gift to each other. We spent the Saturday down at the Inner Harbor, walked around a lot and went to the Baltimore Aquarium. It was a beautiful day despite the summer heat.
The view from our room
We had plans to go out to a nice fancy dinner but because I was 7 months pregnant and we had just walked around all day in the blazing sun, my feet were beyond killing me and I could barely finish the walk back to our hotel room. We decided to improvise and order room service, which was exceptionally delicious and stayed in for the evening and watched Bridesmaids. That movie isn't for everyone, but Justin and I thought it was hilarious to the point where we thought we were disturbing other guests in other rooms! We never got any complaints, so that was nice. :)
I had an east coast favorite Maryland crab cakes and Justin had yummy steak. And yes both desserts of ice cream and cheesecake were mine...and I ate them both. Don't judge, I was pregnant ;) hehe
The next morning (On the actual date of our anniversary) we had an appointment outside of Baltimore to have a non-medial ultrasound done. We did this so we could get a video of our baby moving in the womb and boy was it amazing. We have the video on a DVD and it's about 30 mins long so I'll just share with you a couple pictures.
Her beautiful face with daddy's nose.
An arm over a foot.
It was a great way to spend the 1 year celebration of our wedding day. We got to see our unborn daughter and say a quick "hello"! ...And emotional mommy got to shed a few happy tears on the way home too! :)
Fast forward a year and Justin and I happily got to share our two year anniversary with our daughter present again! This time in our arms! I have to admit, the day felt just like any other ordinary day. Justin came home from work, I made dinner ok, that's not so ordinary, and Annaliese fought sleep until midnight. Luckily she did sleep through the night for 8 1/ hours that night, so I count my blessings, but it was rough getting her there!
Justin and I exchanged gifts this year. I got him a nice card, a pair of white sneakers that he wanted, an iTunes gift card to purchase the new Jim Gaffigan album coming out next week, book 3 of The Game Of Thrones series and a special edition of Rolling Stones Magazine. He came home with a dozen beautiful red roses for me, a really sweet card, book 2 of Fifty Shades of Grey, the movie The Vow, and the promise of a personalized with photos iPhone case (which still needs ordered) from Erin Condren! I am so excited to get this case, but I might wait until we get our family pictures taken on Sept 24 to order it. We don't have many pictures together as a family and I would want my case to have my little family. :)
My mom was nice enough to watch Annaliese last night so Justin and I could go out to eat and have some alone time together for our Anniversary. It was very nice. Candlelight. Frank Sinatra. Yummy food! I had crab cakes again...I'm starting to see a trend here...and Justin got a famous Greek dish called Pastitsio.
It was a great "Anniversa-week" we shared together. It was different this year, but we wouldn't trade it for the world. We hope that possibly on our next Anniversary we will be in our OWN home and perhaps baking a little sibling for Annaliese ;)
Hope you all have a great evening! Happy Friday tomorrow!
Today marks the two year anniversary of one of the best days of my entire life.
The day that I had dreamed about since I was a little girl.
The day that I woke up next to my best friend, put on pretty make up, got my hair done, and wore a beautiful ivory dress all day long.
The day that Justin's father would get to live out one of his dreams of being able to marry his eldest son after a bad health scare 2 months prior.
The day that came and went in the blink of an eye after a year and a half of preparing the silly details that no one really ever cares about.
The day that tons of family from across the country and our closest friends gathered to celebrate the joining of two hearts.
The day that Justin and I both gained a brother.
The day that my dad gave away his baby girl.
The day that my talented brother sang a beautiful song that is dear to me for everyone to hear.
The day that Justin who HATES sweets actually ate some cake for tradition's sake.
The day that I got to slow dance to Bruce Springsteen's "Jersey Girl" with my father.
The day we read to each other our vows and my last name changed forever.
The day I was a bride and became a forever wife.
I remember it like it was yesterday. Our wedding day was more than I had ever expected. The abundant feeling of love from our guests, the many smiles and tears of happiness shared, the butterflies surrounding our outside guests as we stood at the alter...after all of the hard work we spent putting into the day, it had finally paid off and it was PERFECT. Some things went wrong but we brushed it off and laughed about it. Nothing was going to ruin our day. Nothing did.
The past two years being married (and almost 6 years of being together) have been the best years of my life. The day after our wedding, I was ecstatic! We got to travel to Jamaica to spend a week alone after all the hustle and bustle of preparing for our big day. I was immediately relieved that the nervousness and stress of the wedding day was put behind us and SO excited for my lifelong future with my best friend. I can't wait to grow old with this man.
I know that no marriage is perfect, including ours. We all have our flaws and room for improvement, but I know that he and I are compatible and can make marriage work. We do not believe in divorce. I still feel like I did the day that we got married and I am still excited for my future with my best friend.
This one's for you, honey! Hehe! It's our Anniversa-week!
It's Monday Listicles time again! I believe this weeks topic was chosen by Stasha herself in memory of her minivan that recently left to go to minivan heaven. Don't worry...she's since bought a nice replacement.
So today's topic is: 10 Things About My Car. Well my husband and I collectively have 2 vehicles, but the car that is referred to as ahem...mine is what I'll be talking about ;)
My car is new to us as of August 2011. It's a 2012 Ford Explorer Eco boost.
I've always wanted an SUV, but used to want a Jeep Cherokee or Jeep Wrangler.
It's white and can hold 7 passengers, which I've needed to do twice so far.
Both rows of the backseats can lay down flat and makes it great for towing around all the baby stuff that we need to travel out of town for a few days. Even with just the very back row laying down there's a lot of space. (of course because we need room for the baby seat)
I love the mommy-friendly automatic lift gate.
It averages about 28 mpg in the city and 33 on the hwy, which isn't too bad for a full sized SUV.
I was 8 months pregnant when we bought this and getting in and out with a huge belly wasn't easy.
It has a rear view camera, which is AWESOME for me because I suck at parallel parking and this makes it so much easier!
It also has a touch screen interface with My Ford Touch. I'm able to speak and tell my car to change the thermostat to 73 degrees and also use the built in navigation. I love that! *Geek Alert*
It always smells good thanks to my small addiction to air fresheners. Thank you Yankee Candle
And there you have it! I liked this week's topic because I don't really take time to think about my car much anymore because the new-ness has worn off. But we still love this car and are so glad we bought it!
Here it goes again. Need to clear some space from my phone AND our camera...so I'm sharing some pictures (and video) to hopefully bring you even a little smile in the process :)
Crawling to her pal, Mickey
My handsome hubby courtesy of the CamWow app
Me with a "nose job" via CamWow app
A relaxed Sammie
Apparently the strawberries were sour in her mesh teether
Snoozing on mommy
Playing with her blankie
Mid-yawn...hehe
Tickling the ivories with daddy
Looking like she's up to no good
Lazy Sunday with mommy
Hope you have a great Friday and a great weekend! xo
