Who doesn’t love Monday?

Well, look who’s decided to write a blog post finally?? Life has been a little busy (who’s isn’t?!?) but I’m starting to get in the swing of things and have been dying to have some time to sit down and write. I am deciding to post at least 2x a week (maybe 3) but if I don’t, well then, I don’t.  I feel like I am always thinking of things to write about but I never actually get around to writing the post.  Life comes up and we can’t do everything. Right?!? But here’s to making a better effort!

So, Monday doesn’t seem to be everyone’s favorite day, but for me it is a chance to start something new.  I think that it might have to do more with the fact that I am a “Monday starter.”  I hate to start a new activity or better yet my diet during the middle of the week.  I can’t ever seem to stick with it.  I don’t know what it is about starting on ‘not a Monday’ but it just never works out. 

Which brings me to my next point, I have GOT to lose these last 25 pounds!! Ever since my surgery in June, I have totally slacked.  I started working out here and there a couple of weeks ago but never fully committed.  It’s the same with my eating.  I would do great for a few days but never fully committed. Then, you know what I would do?? I would feel like I should reward myself when we went out to eat.   I would get a drink, then load up on some carbs and top it all of with a dessert.  What?!?! That’s not how this works.  At least not for me at this point in my life. It’s okay to have cheat days (or meals), just not every other day.  I really am trying to make lifestyle changes.  For me, that means working out on a regular basis and eating well (overall). 

So here we go again on getting down to the business of losing the last bit of weight and getting in shape.  Here are my 3 goals for the rest of the year:

1. Be at my goal weight by the time my son turns one. So that means I have 3 months exactly to get there.  If I can lost 2 pounds a week then it is a totally attainable goal. Go!

2. Complete the Tampa Tough Mudder in December.  Notice that I didn’t say compete because I am not actually thinking of it as a competition.  I just want to have physical goal for myself. Something to work towards. Something to say that I have accomplished. Something to do for myself.  We are putting together a girls team and hope to just go down there and have fun!! Even if that means we have to skip a few obstacles, then so be it. Not to mention, this mama isn’t going under any water.  I will get in water, but I’m not swimming underneath anything. No way.

3. To eat in a more healthful way.  I really think that once you begin to eliminate the sugar and carbs then you won’t have the cravings for them.  I usually turn to carbs or sugar when I am having a bad day or stressed about something.  This is a habit that I need to cut out IMMEDIATELY. I know it will take a real effort on my part to improve this area of my diet but I am making it a priority right now.  Now, does this mean that I won’t have them every now and then? Of course I will, but at this point in my “journey” (I hate that word. So cliché) I need to leave them behind. If you are ever around me and see me going for a piece of cake or pizza- slap me! Or just politely remind me that I will not see my weight loss goal if I eat it. 

I am going to take a picture of me today and then on November 13th.  I will post pics then. Let’s be honest, I am way to insecure to post my “before” picture without having an “after” picture. It ain’t happening.

Between now and then, I will post the ups and downs of my journey (there’s that dumb word again) and everything in between.  I’ll leave with a Someecard that I came across.  Totally sums up my feelings the past 2 months.

Please tell me I am not the only one who does this?!?

Olivia the Pig Birthday Party

The time had come again to plan Brooklyn’s birthday.  I love doing this! I seriously start thinking about it every January (her birthday is not until May) and gathering my ideas.  I do not know why I feel it necessary to start panning so early other than the fact that I just plain enjoy doing it! Although, this year I did have the excuse that I had a new baby and would need all of the extra time I could get.

I knew that Brooklyn just LOVES Olivia the Pig.  This was more than a phase too.  She has every book, every DVD, watched it on Nick Jr. a thousand times and she was even Olivia for Halloween.  Brooklyn had talked about having an Olivia birthday party for a while but I was sure that she would grow out of it or change her mind eventually. Nope. I was wrong.

So here it is January and I began to go Pinterest crazy.  Pinning away all of the ideas I saw and keeping my eyes peeled for anything Olivia (there is not a lot out there).  Then, Brooklyn decides one day to tell me that she wanted a Rapunzel party.  Then it was a Cinderella party.  Then a Belle party.  Oh Lord have mercy. I had already started looking into everything Olivia and was actually excited about it! I had to find a way to convince her to back to Olivia. I had found this adorable invitation on Etsy and decided to pull it up to show her.  Guess who was on the front of it?!? Princess Olivia. Worked like a charm!! Honestly, nowadays if it has anything to do with any princess, she’s in. She even had her eyes glued to the tv when I told her that a real queen and princess were coming on during Queen Elizabeth’s jubilee celebration.

Anyways, I digress.  The Olivia birthday party is back on!

I decided that instead of doing a bounce house this year that I would hire a clown to entertain and play games with the kids (wonderful idea!). I actually used a business in town that the owner had come to 2 of MY birthday parties when I was little and performed.  We discussed that there was going to be a lot of kids with a wide variety of ages so sticking with games would be best- no face painting or balloon animals.  Besides, Brooklyn is only turning 3.  We just didn’t need all of that, even though I would have booked like 5 of them and had stations for face painting and a whole freakin’ carnival going on if I could have.  And it just so happens that they had an ‘entertainer’ that dressed up like a fairy that somewhat resembled Tinkerbell. Sounded great to me so I booked it!

Every year I have made her cake and I was SO CLOSE to just buying one because I was just so busy and getting overwhelmed.  I always said though that I wanted to make her cakes each year because I love to bake and decorate cakes (I wish I had time to do it more). So I put my big girl panties on and cranked one out.  It took me all week but it was so worth it! I think it turned out great though!

 

 

I searched for a long time to find the right Olivia the Pig shirt.  Some of the appliques just looked really weird but I finally found what I was looking for.  It even had a matching bow which was one less thing off of my list to find.

 

The invitations and party favor tags can be found here. The shop is Sweet Bambinos and she was wonderful to work with!

Mommy and Daddy with the birthday girl!!

 

Brooklyn and “Tinkerbell”- she wasn’t too sure about her at first! Haha!

 

 

 

 

Overall, that party was a total success even though there is always something I would do different or add on or whatever.  The whole point is to celebrate Brooklyn and for her to have fun with her friends. Mission accomplished! Now to start on Cash’s first birthday party!

Time just keeps on flying by!

Wow! I just went back to visit this blog after 2 months of no posts!! I can’t believe it has been that long.  So much has happened and my life has been constant since April (who’s isn’t though) but I finally feel like things are slowing down, for the time being, and I can get back to doing a little writing.

These past few months have been filled with birthdays, Brooklyn’s 3rd birthday party, dance recitals, community commitments, anniversaries, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, end of the school year, Disney trip, beach trip, surgeries, and one little boy that is growing faster than a weed! So much to do and so little time, right?

At first I felt bad not keeping up with my blog but I knew that in order to stay sane I needed to take a little break and enjoy what was going on in my life and just come back to catch up when I can. So here I am!! I will be posting over the next few some catch up post from the past few months.

I also remember reading a friends beautiful post with her daughter’s birth story.  I decided that that is something I really needed to write down about Cash before I forget all of those precious details, so that will also be coming up soon.  Have a great day!

My Life in Pictures

Good morning! Wow, I can’t believe its been almost 3 weeks since I have posted.  Things have just been super busy and with a toddler and an infant at home.  Cash has moved out of the sleeping all day phase so it is harder to get anything done now.  Spending time with the family, keeping the house clean, cooking meals, Jr. League commitments and trying to make a little time for myself have kept me on my toes!

I’m also trying to plan 3 year olds birthday party! I went to order invitations on etsy today and the girl’s shop is closed while she is on vacation.  Great!! At least she will be back on Friday.  The party is the beginning of next month and I have got to get a move on! Brooklyn is set on having an Olivia the Pig party so that’s what it is.  Now, to think of what to do at the party! Haha!  I have some ideas but you’ll see when I do a party wrap up post later!

So it has been beautiful weather here lately!  We had a our neighborhood Spring Fling, visited my mother in law at the beach, went to some tennis matches, and celebrated Easter with my family.  I have been practicing with my camera some and playing around in photoshop.  Here are a few pics of what we have been up to!

 

Just a little catching up!! Got some projects that I am working on- slowly but surely!! Be back soon!

Weight Loss Update

Well, it has been a month since I updated about losing the baby weight!  There is a reason for that.  I was going though a period where I just felt stuck.  I felt as if I could just eat carrots all day and run 5 hours a day and I would still weigh the same- WTH?!?!  It was A LOT easier to get the weight off after my first child.  On top of it being my second child, I had a c-section and that’s just a joy to try to fix.  Anyways, it was time to pull the trigger on Healthy Solutions.  Ahhhh……This place is amazing!! Last time I got stuck on the last 10-12 pounds (mind you I gained 80 lbs pregnant!) and it totally helped me shed that quickly. So, here I am again.  I’m stuck- but at the last 30 lbs. Ugh. 

If you don’t know what Healthy Solutions is, it’s a medical weight loss clinic.  I know that some people think that weight loss should happen the old fashion way (and I do too) but sometimes you need a little extra help.  I do not do the actual “medical” weight loss but I do an options program using an appetite suppressant and fat burner.  I also get B6/B12 injections each week to help with my energy (Lord, I could use help with that!)

So, since starting 3 weeks ago, I have lost 15 more pounds!  I am so close to finally being able to fit back into my clothes that I can taste it!!  It’s hard when you only have work out pants, maternity jeans and a pair of maternity shorts to wear, oh and tennis t-shirts from my husband tennis program.  Really stylish huh.  Another reason I can’t wait to lose all of the weight- to actually wear cute and stylish clothing again!!!!

Here is a video that I came across the other day and it totally re-charged me on running.  I have never been a runner.  In fact, I used to hate it but this is great encouragement to anyone who thinks that they can’t.

This is awesome!!

My goal is to be back to pre-preggo weight by my daughter’s birthday (May 16th).  I am back running and had taken 2 weeks off. worst. idea. ever. Now I’m getting ready to do the Warrior Dash this Saturday!!! I am really excited to do this.  I have never done one of these but I am super pumped to try.  Plus, you get to have beer and turkey legs after the race- count me in!!

Here is my visual motivation! We have to have a goal, right?!?

DIY Stacked Potted Plants

Happy Friday everyone! I finally finished Phase 1 of our front porch makeover and gave you a sneak peak on Tuesday.  I had been thinking about painting our front door for a while but I had no idea what color I was going to do.  Our house is yellow so I wanted a fresh, bright color. 

Last week I was in line at Target (shocker) and saw the new cover of Southern Living and I was totally inspired!

I LOVED this front door! I decided right then and there that was the color and bought the magazine. Of course, when I got home, I could not find the name of the color. Ugh! Anyways, later that night I was on Pinterest (another shocker) looking for front porch ideas and came across Amy from Positively Splendid.  She had made tiered potted plants and they were absolutely adorable!! She even used the turquoise color that I was planning to paint the door.  The project looked super easy so I thought that we would give it a shot.

So this past weekend we headed to Home Depot to try to match the front door color. They were unable to color match from the magazine so I had to pick out the color from the samples.  I am SUPER picky when I pick out paint colors and it usually takes me forever. Plus, this was our front door- what everyone will see first thing when they come to our house.  It had to be the right shade of blue/turquoise.  I am sure I drove my husband crazy because I narrowed it down to 2 colors and couldn’t pick.  So, I did the only thing I could think of and I just mixed them together! It worked out great and the color was perfect.  Here is the color.

We threw up some primer on the door before we left.  I did tape off around the edges and the handle because I can be a messy painter and I would rather be safe than sorry.  The door was really easy to paint and it only took a couple of coats.  It dried super quick too (maybe because it feels like it’s the middle of summer here)!

Here is what you will need for the tiered potted plants:

- 6 clays pots (3 different sizes, 2 of each)

-paint of whatever colors you would like to use (we used rolling paint)

-a large bag of potting soil

- 8 bricks or cheap pavers

- plants of choice

I decided that I was going to do the turquoise and red just like Amy did.  I thought that the red would really pop with our house color (yellow) and would incorporate the new color of the front door really well.  Plus, red is a little different for me to do- I am a pink, green, blue kind of girl.  So I enlisted the help of the hubby (and my 2 year old) to start painting the pots while I worked on the front door.  They did not take as much paint as I thought they would.  They were really easy to paint and it covered the pots well.

Once all of the pots were painted, I put potting soil about 4-5 inches in the bottom of the pot. (Make sure the pots are placed where you want them because they are heavy and hard to move once you are done.) I then placed two of pavers in the pot and a circle paver on top.

**Note: I sent my hubby back to Home Depot to get the pavers because, of course, we forgot them.  He came back with some regular rectangle pavers and also some circle things ( I have no idea what they are or where he found them, haha). You can see them in the picture above. So, I had to make it work and I did.

Place the next pot of top and evaluate whether it is the height you want.  You can add more soil under the pavers if you would like it higher.

Next, follow the same steps as above for the middle pot.  Then put only potting soil in the top pot (although, I am quite sure you figured that part out ).    

 

All that is left to do is to plant your plants and give them a good watering then step back and admire!

Please excuse all of the dirt around the planter- had to get the picture before I got Cash up and didn’t have much time!

Here is the before and after one more time!

This completes Phase 1 of the front porch makeover and Phase 2 will be done this weekend (hopefully)!!  By the way, is it really Friday already?? I feel like this week went by really fast.  Anyways, I’m off to Michaels to get more project materials!!

Sneak Peek at Front Porch Makeover

Hey everyone!! I am guest posting today over at All in a Day for Amy! She had her wisdom teeth out on Monday and is recovering!

All of this warm weather here has made me want to get outside and start sprucing things up for spring! Every year I get into this spring cleaning mode about right around this time.  I keep seeing things around the house to fix, clean, or clean out.  I am going to be making a spring cleaning list soon to share with you! As, for now, I am working the outside on the front porch.  We started this weekend by painting the front porch door over and making some really cute tiered planters.  I will also be giving a tutorial tomorrow on how to make them.

For now though, here is a sneak peak!!

What do you think so far?? I still need to do a little adjusting of the planters, get a new mat, and repaint the porch lights (they are off white- how did I not notice that in Home Depot??).  Oh, and by the way, I will also share my story about my experience at Lowe’s yesterday.  Not very happy and I probably will never buy flowers from there again.  Their corporate office will also be getting an email from me today.  That story will be a little bonus with the planter tutorial tomorrow, hehe!

What are you doing around your house for any spring projects? I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday!!