Halfway!

so, here's my recap of day 5. then we'll get into my thoughts now that i'm halfway there.

i'm back to working nights..so my meal organization seems a little screwed up. i track what i eat in a 24 hour period.

day 5...wasn't pretty:
coffee with french vanilla creamer
entemann's donut (I DON'T EVEN LIKE DONUTS!!)
..ok, now that we've moved on from my big cleanse f**k up :)
salad with 1/2 avocado & chicken
spark
venison roast, baby carrots & red quinoa (husband had potatoes and crescent rolls)
side note: my baby loves quinoa! it makes a damn mess but she lovvvvesss it! :)

today (day 6) so far:
oatmeal with 1 tbsp natural pb (forgot the flax seed)
banana
tuna with olive oil mayo & 1 cup pineapple
pumpkin seeds & spark
planned for dinner: chicken, homemade baked sweet potato fries & cauliflower

ok. now that i've got my screw up out on the table, let's discuss how i feel about the cleanse so far.

i will admit, i feel great besides being tired but that's a direct result of night shift. my gut has been a little on the fritz lately but since on the cleanse, i haven't had any issues. no bloating, no stomachache etc. I'm not really sure how much of me feeling great is the cleanse and how much of it is me eating clean (staying away from carbs, dairy, sugar & caffeine).

since we're going there, we might as well go THERE. full disclosure, right? nothing really overly eventful, scary,  or frequent to report here. normal poops. once a day. no running to the bathroom sort of thing AT ALL.

favorite part of the cleanse? spark! i seriously look forward to it. i feel like it's my little treat in the afternoon. i put it in my blender bottle and add 10-12 ounces of water. the package says 8 oz but it was a little too sweet for me. i will definitely be buying more of the mango strawberry. however, i've heard the other flavors are bangin' too.

my spark and some good ol h2o

5 down, 5 to go :) and yes, i remembered to measure. day 11 will be a recap of the cleanse with before and after weight and measurements...and maybe even pics! :-0

blender bottle and spark all ready for tomorrow and my checklist. i love checklists :)

in other news, Avery and i went shopping for produce today. i have to say, it makes me feel so good to have a kitchen full of healthy options for me and my family.  makes me feel like a good mama.

my fridge looks like a damn mess. lol. bowls contain cut up pineapple & sweet potatoes cut for dinner tonight.

i'm running out of time! nap time is almost over! just one more thing. wanted to updated you on how my feb workout schedule went. drum roll plleeaassseeee....

total of 19 out of 28 days. not too shabby. 

i had planned on more but things such as sickness, lack of babysitters & weather came up. i also made it to the gym on the 1st of march so i've been hitting the 5 day/week mark for the past 2 weeks. i also went to kickboxing 4 times this month so there's another goal checked off the list. long runs were a different story. only managed to complete 2. 

i have a mental block when it comes to long runs. i go to kickboxing and spinning a few days per week which is some serious cardio...so, that days i don't do those things, i feel like i need more weight training. most times, i don't have enough time for a long run (>5 miles) AND weight training. that's something i need to work on this month. 

i have my march schedule all planned out. i'll share that...and what's stressing me out next time :)

Day 3 & 4

Two more days down! Almost half way :)

Day 3:
Whole grain toast with 1 tbsp natural pb
Banana
Turkey burger, red quinoa & broccoli
Spark, pumpkin seeds
5 slices turkey, 20 grapes
Apple with pb, 20 grapes

Felt pretty good today until the afternoon. Full disclosure: my stomach wasn't feeling great. No, I wasn't stuck in the bathroom...in case you were wondering. Lol. I thought maybe going to the gym would make me feel better.. 5 miles later, still not good. So I had some fruit and went to bed.

Day 4:
Oatmeal with 1 tbsp pb, 1 tbsp flax seed
Animal crackers 8 (again, whoops!)
1/2 avocado, turkey, 20 grapes
Multi-grain brown rice, chicken & broccoli
Grapes
Cheesecake ball (shouldn't have....but SOO worth it)

Day 4 was fine..except for my 8 animal crackers and cheesecake ball. Lol. I felt much better though. Tonight I head back to work (nightshift). Now is when the real test begins. We'll see how I do without my caffeine.

So far, I don't feel amazingly better or worse. I'm going to trust it. There's a reason that the cleanse is 10 days...just trusting. Almost half way :)

Can't there be a coffee and candy cleanse??

it's all i can think about. i'm on day 2 of the advocare herbal cleanse. and i want chocolate. and caffeine. and refined sugar. uggghhh..

yes, please!

so, basically...you're supposed to eat clean. limit caffeine, refined sugar, dairy and carbs. whole grain carbs are ok. doesn't sound very difficult...but it's going to be a long 10 days.

there is a fiber drink in the morning of the first and last couple of days. i read lots online about how horrible it tastes. i don't think the taste is that bad. the texture on the other hand- WOOF! i just choke it down and move on with my day. There are also pills to take in the evening. they're huge. 

Three parts of the cleanse and when to take them.

i hate big pills. hate.

i miss my coffee in the morning. and of course, because i can't have junk, i want it. 

Day 1: pretty uneventful. i spent most of the day trying to get my head in the game. also, Avery and i went grocery shopping. it was torture. never go grocery shopping when you can't have most of what's in the store. ps. i also miss cheese. i weighed myself in the morning on day 1. forget to measure- i'll do that tomorrow. 

Day 1 meals: 

oatmeal with 1 tbsp pb

carrots and a small apple

big ass salad with chicken

pumpkin seeds & spark

taco salad (no shell)

Day 2: going well until this evening...i'm not feeling that hot this evening. not sure if it's related or not. i will admit, there's plenty to eat. it's more a mind over matter thing at this point. i get so accustomed to my habits..certain meals, etc. so now that my routine is changed up a bit, i'm out of whack. 

Day 2 meals:

oatmeal with 1 tbsp pb and 1 tbsp flax seed

3/4 banana

chicken (2 servings) & tomato slices

animal crackers *rule breaker, whoops* & spark

turkey burger (no bun), broccoli & homemade baked sweet potato fries

i did invest in spark, advocare's energy drink. i bought the mango strawberry flavor and man is it delicious! it's probably something that i'll continue to drink once this is over. 

wish me luck- i'll keep you updated.

Tomorrow never comes...

This post was supposed to be tomorrow's post a few days ago. whoops!

anyway, been busy with the baby and other obligations. so, i know you'll all dying to know how February's workout plan is going!

well, lets just say, not as well as i had hoped :-/

the good news is, i've been getting to the gym 4-5 days a week which is excellent but falling a little short of my goals. The first week i blame on weather. snow caused me to miss a day and miss my once a week kickboxing goal. oh well, some things you can't control.

This week i'm on track: kickboxing tomorrow morning with will make my 5th day at the gym and today i managed my longest run in awhile, 3.5 miles. not exactly where i want to be...but better than lately so i'll take it. hubby is working tomorrow so i secured pop-pop to babysit A. She loves to say "pop-pop". lol.

anyway, back at you in a couple days will a full recap of feb...and details on the cleanse coming up in my future! :-0

WET NOODLE.

i feel like a wet noodle. i could slide right off this chair.

i just had a hot stone massage. bliss. heaven on earth. i could have kissed the women when she was finished. I got a gift card for the spa TWO Christmases ago. yes, that's right. I finally decided to make the appointment...what better time than my staycation? my mil volunteered to watch the baby while i go which was awesome. my husband took her out this morning so i spent the morning getting everything ready for my Stampin' Up class this week, hit the gym then showered and headed to my massage. 

don't you feel relaxed just looking at this?? :)

yes, i love crafts. yes, i'm a Stampin' Up demonstrator. i love it but these days it gets put on the back burner more than i'd like. Funny the things that happen when your craft room turns into a nursery. lol. 

anyway, this past weekend my husband and i spent the day out. 

my outfit: skinny jeans for tj maxx ($17), boots and top from kohls

scarf from kikilarue <3

We saw Identity Thief? Theft? i don't even know what the name of the movie was. can you tell that i was more excited about the popcorn?? haha. i didn't even feel guilty about it. i kicked ass at kickboxing that morning and ate my little heart out. i go to the movies like twice a year. i'm.eating.the.popcorn. movie was ok. 

after that we did a little produce shopping at aldi's & bought curtains for my bedroom which we renovated almost 2 years ago. yup. dropped the ball on that one. 

$74 and i got A LOT of produce.

last, we went to Lornhorn Steakhouse for dinner. my husband got a huge steak. i got chicken which was delish. 

it was so nice to have a day baby free...even though i talked about how much i missed her like a million times. 

tomorrow: update on my February workout plan!

Happy Valentines Day...and my reality.

Happy Valentines Day! Hope everyone is having a wonderful day. I'm spending the day with my sweet love, Avery Della Rose. This morning we attempted to make heart shaped cinnamon rolls...a special, not so healthy breakfast for a special day. Later, we'll be reading "Happy Valentines Day, Little Critter."

yes, that's what i look like at 6:30 am. Ben should have told me that i had hair sticking out. lol.

yes, please.

As far as the hub goes, we're waiting until saturday to celebreate. my in-laws are graciously watching Avery for the day so my husband and i can get out for the day. This will be the third time in over a year...and yes, i'm counting. i can't wait. We're probably going to do a little shopping, hit a movie (i don't even know what's playing these days) and dinner. Ben requested Longhorn Steakhouse for dinner.. fine by me.

i think i'm mostly excited about getting to wear some of my new clothes. let's face it. this is my reality...

most days, i'm in sweats or pajamas. getting a shower is out of the question unless i waste precious nap time...and i usually go to the gym when my husband gets home from work. who needs to shower to go to the gym? not this girl. especially when that time could be used to go to the bathroom in peace. :)

but on occasaion, i do my hair. and wear real clothes....

first time using my curling wand!

new levi's from kohls & clearance top from target

yay! can't wait for saturday! :)

coming up soon:

what's currently perplexing me about working out

my thoughts on brady bands & flipbelts

My life is over.

Well, that's what I thought yesterday when I realized that by updating my iPhone, I had somehow lost all of my contacts and my entire calendar.

At first, I wasn't sure which was a bigger deal. Then slowly, the answer became clear. The calendar!!

Sure, it sucks that my contacts are gone but anyone who I really need to get in touch with, I can.

Losing my calendar is as shitty as losing my right hand. Seriously.

I first decided on getting a calendar app cause lets face it, the iPhone one doesn't cut it for those as anal as i. i need things to be color coded and be able to take one glance at and see exactly what I'm doing. After I committed to the new app, it was seriously 6 months before I purged my paper calendar. Weird, I know. But I just couldn't do it...and now I'm kicking myself.

I have a list if people to call and find out when my obligations/appointments etc are... And everytime I think im going to freak out, I tell myself "you're not going to die over your calendar being lost." Lmao.

Dear apple,
Next time, take my right hand.

Xoxo.

Recipe for bad blogging & Pity party for one

i feel like i've already been slacking on the blog front. It's just been the perfect recipe for disaster lately and for that i apologize....to my 2 readers. 

anyway, my schedule has been crappy, i've been so busy and haven't been feeling well. The days that i'm off, i'm home with my 1 year old...going on 15. keeping her occupied enough to write a post is impossible. i can't even keep her occupied long enough to go to the bathroom in peace. plus, the second she sees that you're at the computer, she automatically wants to get on your lap and pound on the keys like wack-a-mole. so that's out. 

then there's nap time. i've had so much to catch up on during nap time that i go nonstop for the 30-45 minutes that she's down...assuming that actually happens. a little husband help would solve this problem but no way that's going to happen during ice fishing season. 

that brings us to bedtime. by this time, usually 7pm, i'm so flipping exhausted that all i want to do is take a shower and go to bed...assuming that i still don't have to make dinner. mehhh. 

i wish i could blog in the shower. i get some really awesome ideas in the shower.

but don't worry, i've been jotting down ideas of things to  blog...when i find the time. 

as for right now? have to address the thank you notes that have been sitting on my desk for 2 weeks. whoops!

What's in a name?

first link-up! w00t! Head over to Amanda's blog to catch up with everyone else.

This link-up is all about our babies (fur babies included) and how they got their names.

My daughters name is Avery Della Rose. Here's the story...

My husband and i never...i mean NEVER EVER...agree on anything. i swear, he'd tell me that the sky is purple just to be a pain in the ass. so when it came to naming our child, i figured it would be world war 3.

in true type A fashion, i had to make a list:

Emma

Hannah

Avery

Mackenzie

Sawyer

Bella 

Reagan

we showed the list to my parents...my dad's only comment was how trendy all the names were. What did he expect us to name her? Ethel? Delores? 

anyway, to my surprise, we actually came to an agreement on Avery. 

that was the easy part. 

we kept the name a secret that way there was some sort of surprise when she was born...but we could not..i mean, could not...even come up with a list of possible middle names. we wanted cute and meaningful. 

we tossed around Rose. My Poppy had flower beds full of different types of roses...so obscure but meaningful to me. ...but we weren't sold. 

close to the 9 month mark, i was filling our Avery's family tree and my husband was calling around to find out his grandparent's full names. His grandmother's middle name was Della. Her grandmother's middle name was Della. now, we liked Della. 

Avery Rose...Avery Della. hmmm...ok, but not perfect. 

I'm sure that she'll hate us later for this but we decided to go with both. Avery Della Rose. Perfect :)

I'm never going to be a tall drink of water.

ok. lets face it. i'm 5'1 and have big bone structure. i'm never going to be a tall drink of water.

i think throughout my life and even now that's some of my issue. my expectation for what i would like to see in the mirror is unrealistic.

sure, as women, we have a thing with body image. i'm not sure there are many women out there that aren't extra critical of themselves...even the most perfect looking people see things about themselves that they don't like.

we have crazy expectations throughout life: We grow up thinking that we're going to have tons of money. We get married expecting "The Notebook".

We have kids expecting our houses to stay cleaned.

as far as getting healthy is concerned, i think that this is a major cause of stress and ultimately failure. "i'm going to work out and eat healthy so that i can look like Heidi Klum!" guess what? ain't.going.to.happen.

take a good look at yourself in the mirror. point out the things that you like. start to accept your body the way that it is. We all have imperfections. Learn to love it- it's a part of who you are.

maybe getting healthy won't make you look like Heidi Klum...but it will make you look like the best version of you. :)

Living the dream...and playing catch up.

The past few days have been the same old routine. work, sleep, eat, work, sleep, eat....rinse, repeat. i'd have to say that this is the one major downfall to 12 hour shifts. it really leaves little to no time for other things unless you're willing to compromise sleep.

i've worked the past 3 nights so nothing has gotten done around here in days. Avery just went down for her nap so now is my time to play catch up! on the list of to-do's are: pay bills, address the thank you cards that have been sitting on my desk for a week, update the blog :), and order Avery's one year pictures.

seriously. we have the best photographer. her ability to catch the perfect image is amazing...plus, she's fun to work with and so cute and stylish. obvious criteria for someone who's documenting your life :)

check her out here

here are some of my favs...

next on my list, scheduling a massage. have had the giftcard for over a year...keeping myself toward the top of the list :0

**update: kid didn't sleep. didn't get anything done besides this post. such is life. i'll try again tomorrow. off to the gym then taco night!**

Working the nightshift...

I'm doing squats in the bathroom at work. I'm thinking about putting some gloves on and moving on to burpees :)

a side note: just got a fun package from think thin! Will be reviewing these bars soon! Stay tuned- there may be a giveaway in the near future :)

weekend in review

so, the events of saturday i already covered. here's some pics of my loot....

don't you just LOOOVVEE when clothes fit? and are on sale? 

$60 dress for $15. tons of weddings this year. this dress will be perfect.

one of the cute outfits for my babes..never mind the toes in the pic :)

new boots! my old boots were like 7 years old...and it showed.

jeans that fit?!?! sooo excited for these and my new colored skinny jeans!

this was BY FAR my deal of the day. nike running skirt...marked down to $4.80 plus i got an additional discount. i payed less than $3. retails for around $50. 

Lola checking out my new running socks and chevron eye mask. yes, i wear an eye mask when i sleep during the day. (working nights blows)

so. that was my saturday. pretty good haul, huh? sunday my husband spent ice fishing and i did the usual weekend stuff with the babe. 

Ben looks less than thrilled..i think that had more to do with the temperature- around 10 degrees.

Last thing before i call it a night. BIG PLANS FOR FEB!

i'm anal, i know...but prior to every month i fill out a calendar with what particular activity i'm going to do each day and i also use this to schedule my days off. i work 12 hour night shifts and work an hour away from my job so my rest days are usually in between nights of working. if i go right to bed when i get home, i have 7 hours of sleep before getting up, hanging with the baby, making dinner and heading back to work for another 12 hours...sooo..it makes the most sense for those days to be rest days.

 sleep is important in your overall health too! :)

**disclaimer: i usually don't follow my schedule exactly. however, it sets up a good framework for the month. i LOVE having a plan. i tend to overdo it on my schedule a litte bit but that's totally intention. things always come up. this way, i'm prepared and still get enough workout days in**

the following is my feb schedule:

2 rest days this month. i know what you're thinking. 

like i mentioned, i'm sure things will come up..but this is my guideline. plus, i scheduled a staycation in February so i have less rest days this month than usual because i'm working less. 

GOALS FOR FEBRUARY

1. workout at least 2o times (5x a week)

2. attend kickboxing at least once a week

3. one long run per week

i think that those are some pretty hefty goals for one month so we'll leave it at that for now :)

Back to my Carrie moment....

so, you know how carrie is always typing something deep and meaningful on her mac during episodes of sex and the city? that's been me for the past couple of days...except not nearly as funny or witty. let's be honest- i always wanted to be carrie...but i'm actually charlotte. i digress....

so. you can read the first part of my carrie moment here.

disclaimer: i in NO way have all of this "making yourself a priority" mess figured out. i'm not professionally trained but the following is what i do know. 

so, lets go back about a year. my daughter was born. i spent 3 months at home taking care of her. my body was a mess. my hormones were a mess. i didn't have time for a dentist appointment or a shower. In those early days, i made the goal for myself this: SHOWER EVERY DAY. pathetic, huh? it's was 10 minutes of me time per day. sometimes it happened at the end of a long day but i made sure it happened. it gave me a little time to clear my head and well, clean myself. lol. 

a few weeks went by and i felt like i needed something more. i needed to leave the house.

i found a gym membership special: $100 for 3 months. bam. SOLD. i joined the gym. I'll be honest. at first, it was hard to commit to going. i felt guilty about leaving the baby. i was tired at the end of the day. i had to make dinner. i was missing out on family time. the baby neeeeedddssss me. all of that was true. and still is true but that was my first step at making myself a priority. first step at taking care of myself so i could take better care of my family. 

good start, right?

fast forward to friday. i still go to the gym 4-5 times a week. i haven't been to the dentist in months. i've been to the hairdresser one time in the past year. can't tell you the last time that i look a day to myself or spent money on myself. don't have any clothes that fit cause i don't go shopping. and now i'm in.a.rut.

i'd venture to say that going to the gym is what keeps my stress level down (read: prevents me from burying my hubby in the backyard...just kidding. kinda) but i still need to make me time. my husband has no problem taking days for fishing, hunting, football, laying on the couch, etc. it this particular instance, i wish i had more of a man brain. he doesn't think twice about going and doing things for himself. heh. 

i had a breakdown expressed my need for time away..and he gave me yesterday, Saturday, as my day. 

me?! a day?! i get a whole day?! 

i took yesterday for myself. i went to the gym in the morning. after my shower, the baby was napping. i quickly ran out of the house. i knew if she was up it would be 1,000 times harder for me to leave. i won't lie...as i was driving down the road, i was seriously thinking about going back home. for about 10 miles. i figured there was only one solution: turn up the music so damn loud that i drown out my inner thoughts. and drive. and that's exactly what i did.

i didn't even know where i was going. but i was going. me. alone. doing whatever i wanted. on my schedule. 

i know that you're all dying to know what i did....

SHOPPING! duh!!

I honestly had the best day. going at my own pace. no sippy cups and snacks in my purse. no husband following me around the stores like a lost puppy. 

i missed my daughter all day. i bought her things everywhere i went. but i needed yesterday for me. 

here's my advice: if you're in a rut, like me, take time for yourself. take a bath, read a book, shop til you drop, go to a spinning class. whatever you need to do to make yourself a better person, mommy, friend..whatever. trust me, i know how crazy schedules get...but fit it in where you can. 

someone please keep reminding me of this so i don't go another year without a "me day" :0)

on the agenda for tomorrow's post: my shopping loot & workout plan for February!

what do you guys do for you? to keep sane? 

My Carrie Bradshaw Moment...

So, yesterday (while in the shower...don't laugh) it occurred to me how quickly I let myself slip down on my list of priorities.

Prior to having my daughter, I think I did a pretty good job of keeping myself somewhere toward the top of the list. Today I would not say that is the case.

Thinking back as to why: after my daughter was born I went into full mommy/wife/provider mode. My main (and sometimes only) priority is Avery. I also blossomed into housewife of the century. Thanks to Pinterest, my husband now thinks I'm a domestic goddess. Shhh...it's our little secret.

So, after meeting the baby's needs, keeping her occupied, cleaning, laundry, bills, grocery shopping, making dinner & working a full time job....I'm exhausted just thinking about all of that.... When is there time left for me?

The short answer is: there's not.

Stay tuned for how I decided to rectify this situation.....

Totally having a moment.

I had all these thoughts going through my head during spinning tonight. Totally weird cause it usually clears my head.

This blogger app is bogus. Fill you all in on my thoughts tomorrow- feeling a little under the weather. Couldn't possibly have been the Chinese that I had for dinner :-X

Leaving you hanging for the night!!

:0)

We've all heard it before...

You can't out train a bad diet.

So, my batteries died in my scale last week. Wasn't overly concerned about it bc I try not to weigh everyday anyway.

Well, my daughters first birthday, her party, having friends over for the weekend & party leftovers in the house did me in.

Put new batteries in my scale this morning...up 5 lbs! Ughh. I know that some of that has to be water weight but it was a smack in the face to see on the scale this morning.

I hit the gym hard 5 times last week. Twice so far this week...but it doesn't matter bc you can't out train a bad diet. Mehhh.

I need to remind myself that this is a process..there's good days and bad days. And most importantly: the scale is a lying whore.

It's a lifestyle.. Not a diet.

Time for a protein shake & an apple :)
Happy Wednesday!

Full disclosure

So..there's something that I've been thinking about all day...

I haven't told my family about this blog and I can't exactly put my finger on why.

I'm not sure that I feel totally comfortable with them reading all my thoughts...and I'm questioning whether or not I could be totally honest and really open up knowing that my family was reading.

Bloggers, I need help! Any advice in this department???

Weekend review

This weekend was sooo much fun! (i lead a boring life...but this weekend was the exception! haha)

Saturday was Avery Della Rose's first birthday party. i've been planning...and stressing...about this party for weeks. Right after the holidays were over, i went into full birthday party mode since her birthday is a mere 3 weeks after christmas.

My friends were reminding me that it was silly to stress over it. i mean, come on...she's 1. she's not going to remember it anyway. true! but in full jess fashion, if i'm doing something, i'm doing it all the way.

60 guests, a few hundred dollars, lots of food, presents and good conversation later, the party went off without a hitch. take a peek...

do i not have the most precious girl EVEERRRR?!

her favorite gift: minnie mouse vacuum cleaner

My cake! 

friends from out of town stayed at our place on saturday night. it was great getting to sit around and chat while the kids played. Avery also had her first co-ed bath with her friend, Brayden. There were pictures taken which WILL be used for embarrassment when they're teens. 

Today was a day of relaxing, destressing and cleaning. living far from friends is such a bummer...but it makes getting together for special occasions like this even more special! i love that!