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?