The Dentons

Well...

2012-02-15T09:24:00.000-08:00

I freakin' passed the PACT! Holy cow I've never been more nervous for something in my life. I sent the results over to the school and will hopefully find out whether I've been accepted or not by the middle of next week. If I am, then classes start March 1st and I should be done with them sometime in May, I believe.

Things are finally happening and I can see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Update on Everything

2012-02-14T08:17:00.000-08:00

Well, I took the PACT yesterday for my admission into the Alternative Teaching Program and I'm awaiting my score. I need at least a 240 to pass and I just don't know how to feel about it. It's really hard to tell how I did on it, because it's not the type of exam I'm used to. it had 140 questions and took me about 3 hours. I was mentally exhausted when I left. I'm so scared about the results but just want to see them already so I can take the next step, whatever it may be...

Today is Valentines day. What? You weren't aware? We usually never do anything this day because our birthdays are the week after and our anniversary is a month later. But today my husband put in some effort and really surprised me with his cuteness this morning. I found a card that was all mushy and sweet and at the bottom it said "I bought you some flowers, but seem to have misplaced them" I then found sets of roses throughout the house, in places he knows I look in daily. Very cute! The kids got some candies and a bear from us.

This week will be spent gathering all the things to prepare for our Birthday Bash this weekend. We're setting up games throughout the house; Ring of fire, catch phrase, beer pong (in the garage), darts, and poker. There will be appetizers and a drink station. The decoration will be low key - I'm thinking just some teal and purple balloons filled with glitter...like these found on pinterest

And I'll be attempting to make these super cute and yumnmy (made with cake flavored vodka) cupcake jello shots

{Recipe found here}

I have found some fun little experiments for the kids and I to try out this week to get them busy and entertained and if they are pretty low maintenance and cheap, I'll be sharing them with you all. You.Are.Welcome.

Happy V-Day! Hope it's full of candy and flowers!

Fitness Friday - Biceps Baby

2012-02-10T09:15:00.000-08:00

I am such a huge fan of toned arms on women. They are beautiful ladies, and make just about any top look fantastic!

{images via pinterest}

I tend to work a little harder to tone my arms and shoulders. Here are some of my go to bicep/shoulder exercises:

Hammer Curl - I do 3 sets of 12 with 15 lb weights for all biceps

Cross Body Hammer Curl

Concentration Curls - 12 reps EACH arm

Single or Double Clean Arm Press - I use 10 lb weights for shoulders

Lateral Raise

Alternating Shoulder Press

These should be a good start to your Bicep and Shoulder building if you haven't incorporated them yet. I would suggest taking one day a week to do biceps/triceps - circuit training - meaning do 3 different exercises without stopping 3 times each and then do another circuit of bicep/triceps, again 3 different exercises, 3 times through, no stopping. And then have another day when you do shoulders and back together through circuit training. It gets your heart rate up and blasts calories.

And in some non-related bomb ass news....I finally upgraded my iphone 3GS to the iphone 4s! Siri and I have been getting along wonderfully :)

Happy Weekend!

Anniversary Plans

2012-02-06T08:12:00.001-08:00

I can not believe that my husband and I are coming up on our 5 year wedding anniversary. Pretty crazy and boy how time flies.

We have always said we would like to take a little vacation for our 5 years {March 10th} and with me graduating college as well as both of our birthday around the same time as our anniversary, we decided to do it! I am pretty sure we are going to make plans for March 9th-11th and I have already discussed with my mom about keeping the kids that weekend.

It took us about a month to finally decide where we would go and we have chose Sedona, AZ (or a very nearby town). Arizona is just breathtaking. I went with my family when I was 12 and I can't wait to go back and fully appreciate it for what it is. We plan on going to the Grand Canyon - which is about 2 hours away, as well as going to a winery, going hiking, possibly horseback riding through the desert, and going on a segway tour. I just imagine us sitting on our hotel balcony in the early evening, with a warm, cozy blanket and a glass of wine, watching the sunset over the mountains. Ahhh. Heaven.

We are very excited and looking forward to an intimate weekend, just the two of us.

Now, onto mommy duties...I cut Adalyn's bangs this weekend, we just had to do something about her hair. I think they turned out so cute {these pics were taken after bath time, before I brushed them or anything}. Gosh I love this munchkin!

We have a project coming up...we will be remodeling our master bath shower! We are shopping around for tile now. I can't wait to share the transformation with you guys!

Hope you all had a great weekend.

Fitness Friday - Recipes

2012-02-03T07:49:00.001-08:00

I wanted to share with you guys two of my go to meals. I will be sharing more with you over time! Enjoy and get your HEALTH on today! You deserve it.

Shell-Less Taco Bowl - Dinner

1 lb ground turkey
Bell pepper, diced
onion, diced
cilantro
can of diced tomatoes
low fat, shredded cheese
low sugar salsa

1. mix ground turkey, bell pepper, onion, cilantro, and tomatoes together until cooked thoroughly

2. Add salsa and shredded cheese - I add mine to my individual bowl instead of in the skillet

Egg Whites Omelet - Lunch or Breakfast

carton of egg whites
turkey lunch meat
bell pepper
shredded cheese

1. I make 4 servings of egg whites, which I equate to being about 3 scrambled eggs (regular eggs) - 4 servings is 100 calories

2. I add one or two slices of turkey lunch meat (I tear into pieces) - 35 calories total

3. and I dice up a little bit of bell pepper and it to the egg whites, once they are almost done

4. Sprinkle a tad bit of shredded cheese and you have yourself a very yummy and healthy omelet! All under 150 calories!

Birthday WISH List

2012-02-02T10:19:00.005-08:00

It's that dreaded, yet lovely time again, when I turn a year older. 25. Yikes, kinda hard to swallow. It sounds so much older than 24 for some reason.

With a Birthday comes a wish list of all the things I dream of receiving. I usually don't have one of these {Ok, I do, but I never tell anybody unless they ask. And nobody ever asks!} But my husband has asked me for a list this year. Our birthdays are 2 days apart. His being February 20th and mine the 22nd. So we never get each other anything because we generally spend that money on going out or doing something special just the two of us.

This year we will be having a party at our house and I'm pretty excited about it!

Since my husband asked me for my "list" it really got me thinking and now I can't stop! I pile things on daily to it.

So here it is! My Birthday wish list this year.

John Mayer tickets - He's playing at the Winstar casino in Oklahoma March 15th. I'm pretty sure if we don't receive these tickets, we will be buying them anyways. We LOVE him.

Naked 2 eyeshadow pallet - I reallllllly want this. I have the original Naked pallet and I am in love with it. This stuff is tha bomb.

Shark Vac then Steam - Maybe I'm a nerd, I don't know. But I am dying for this. It's a vacuum cleaner AND steam mop and I think it even cleans carpets and rugs. I could probably start a collection of vacuum cleaners, that's how much I love them. Weird obsession?

Bed pillow - I have so many knots in my neck and shoulders, mostly due to lifting weights, and I need a really good pillow to help me out.

Kitchen Utensils - We've had ours for years and it's definitely time for new ones.

Drop in Vegetable Steamer - I eat veggies probably 5 to 6 nights a week, and this little steamer would help me out a ton!

And last, but I'm sure not least....

Hair chalk - Cannot wait to do this to mine and Addy's hair!

Obviously, I know I won't be getting all this lovely stuff at once, but if I had it my way I would wake up to all of this on my birthday!

David is wanting some new running shoes, workout gear, work clothes, and trimmers so he has a long list too! I hope to surprise him with a few things that he is wanting for his birthday as well.

Fitness Friday - What Motivates Me

2012-01-26T10:13:00.000-08:00

Everybody needs some kind of motivation to actually make the dedication to work out and being fit. You just have to, if not, well that is a recipe for disaster and results in you not meeting your fitness goals.

I am no different. I have to remind myself some days what I'm wanting to work towards.

First and foremost, my kids motivate me. I want to show them how to live a healthy lifestyle and I want to be able to run around and play with them. I enjoy being able to go to the park and slide down the slide with them, and I know they enjoy it too! I love being able to play chase out in the yard and running after the soccer ball with Hayden. They are wonderful memories as well as motivators.

One of my biggest motivations is having some kind of event to go to or a night out. This doesn't happen too often and has actually been pretty non-existent for a few months...which sucks! I love getting dressed up, doing my hair and makeup and trying on a hundred outfits. That is actually my favorite part of the whole "going out process" - I love it when the kids are at their grandparents house and it's just me and my husband, and usually my best friend at the house, sipping on a beer or wine and getting ready to some music. Makes me feel like I'm in high school again :)

And then you have Bikini season. I tend to slack off more than usual once summer ends and pick back up hardcore once the new year rolls around. I know I'm not alone ladies! With big sweaters and coats, we kind of just loosen the reigns a bit during this time. But with warm weather right around the corner and bribing myself with a new bikini, which I buy a new one every year, it helps to motivate me. Gives me a reason to push forward when I want to just sit on my ass and eat a whole pint of ice cream.

And then there's the skinny jeans. Yes. The oh-so-tight-I-have-to-jump-up-and-down-to-pull-them-up skinny jeans. I am bidding on a pair of white ones on eBay right now...and I've never had white ones, BUT they are motivating me. Who wants to squeeze into a pair of jeans when they feel gross and pudgy? Not me.

Another HUGE motivator for me is that I don't want to get diabetes. Believe it or not I had it while pregnant with both kids and it runs in my family. My sweet Mimi just passed away from going into a diabetic coma in September and my Bema has just been diagnosed with it. I love my sweets and most of the time a little too much. I'm working on it.

So what motivates YOU?

Vacationing on a Budget

2012-01-23T16:18:00.000-08:00

Today, I have a guest blogger who would like to share with you some great places as well as tips for honeymooning or, like what I'm currently looking for, a place to get away to for my husband and my 5 year anniversary coming up in March.

Here is Christina Johnson sharing Honeymoon's that Won't Break the Bank

While the beaches of Hawaii or a Caribbean cruise may be the honeymoon location you desire, your bank account may prevent such a lavish honeymoon. However, a small budget does not have to prevent you from taking a romantic honeymoon. There are many destinations throughout the US and Canada that offer inexpensive, romantic honeymoon options.

Williamsburg, VA
Colonial Williamsburg offers multiple quaint bed and breakfasts and inns that offer the perfect escape for honeymooners. Newlyweds may stroll hand-in-hand as they explore some of the area's museums and galleries or enjoy a fun day together at Busch Gardens amusement park. Only 150 miles away, a day trip to Washington DC is also an option. The town of Williamsburg offers a quiet, romantic place for newlyweds to spend some time together.

Pocono Mountains
Located in Pennsylvania, the Pocono Mountains offer a secluded location for newlyweds to honeymoon. Known for skiing in the winter and panoramic mountain views in the summer, newlyweds will enjoy spending time together in an inexpensive rented cabin taking romantic hikes on the mountains.

Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls offers one of the most popular honeymoon destinations in the US and Canada. Hotels on the US side of the falls are typically less expensive than the hotels on the Canadian side of the falls. If you prefer to experience the beauty of Niagara Falls without the multitude of tourists, stay at the nearby town Niagara-on-the-Lake for a quieter honeymoon experience and take a day trip or two to the falls instead.

Kiawah Island, SC
Kiawah Island, located near Charleston, South Carolina, offers a secluded beachfront area for honeymooners. Rent a villa that is part of one of Kiawah's world-class resorts or choose a house right on the beach for a week-long honeymoon. Newlyweds will enjoy biking around the island, lounging on the beach and taking a day trip or two into nearby Charleston.

Other Tips
Look for home shares and private home rentals when you are choosing a place to stay. Many of these areas have homeowners who regularly rent out their homes to tourists for a few nights or a week at a time for less than a room at a local hotel or bed and breakfast. Search calendars in local newspapers or magazines to find free parks, concerts and other attractions to help save money on entertainment costs.

What are some of your vacation spots that are fun and cost effective? I will be sharing with you all soon, where we will be spending our Anniversary!

{A special thanks to Christina Johnson, with Elliman Prudential , for sharing her great article!}

No Sew Pillows

2012-01-21T15:13:00.000-08:00

The easiest craft I've ever done! I found this on pinterest here

These were fun and easy and with us getting new bedroom linens, it was the perfect way to incorporate some color. There will be more pillows being added, but they will be done my my grandmother.

Here my pillows are

And, because this is way awesome and I had to share, my mother and I are taking sewing classes! We had our first one today and go back for the next one Tuesday where we will be starting our first project, a sewing bag. I will be getting my grandmother's sewing machine and with learning how to sew, I will definitely be creating my own little craft area in the garage. My own little haven where I can craft my heart away!

Happy Weekend All!

Fitness Friday - ABS

2012-01-20T08:37:00.000-08:00

While getting yourself a 6-pack of abs is primarily done with watching what you put in that beautiful body of yours, there are some great exercises I'd like to share to help you achieve that rock hard stomach that you drool over

Here are 5 of my faves:

Vertical Leg Crunch

Lie on the floor and extend the legs straight up with knees crossed.
Place your hands behind the head for support, but avoid pulling on the neck.
Contract the abs to lift the shoulder blades off the floor, as though reaching your chest towards your feet.
Keep the legs in a fixed position and imagine bringing your belly button towards your spine at the top of the movement.
Lower and repeat for 1-3 sets of 12-16 reps.

Reverse Crunch

Lie on the floor and place hands on the floor or behind the head.
Bring the knees in towards the chest until they're bent to 90 degrees, with feet together or crossed.
Contract the abs to curl the hips off the floor, reaching the legs up towards the ceiling.
Lower and repeat for 1-3 sets of 12-16 reps.
It's a very small movement, so try to use your abs to lift your hips rather than swinging your legs and creating momentum.

V-Up

Sit with your hands just behind your hips and your legs extended in front of you
Lean back on your hands and lift your legs off the ground about six inches, keeping them straight and together. You should be balancing on your butt.
Keeping your back straight and your chin lifted, curl your knees in toward your chest. Slowly return to the start position and repeat.
Do 3 sets of 12 reps

Bicycle Crunch

Lie on your back on a mat with your hands beside your head and knees bent, keeping your lower legs parallel to the floor
With your right hand over your right ear, use a pedal motion to bring your right elbow to your left knee contracting the oblique muscles on your side. Hold for a few seconds, then return to the start position
Crunch to the other side, left elbow to right knee
Do 3 sets of 12 - each knee

Plank with side leg crunch

Assume a plank position: forearms and hands on mat, body lifted, holding body weight between arms and toes. Do not lock knees. Keep abs pulled toward spine, shoulders down and back, and head in line with spine. Avoid arching back, lifting butt, or dropping hips to one side.
Lift right leg out to right side, and touch floor with toe. Bring leg back to center, then move left leg out to left side. This equals one rep.
Perform two sets of six to eight reps with one minute of rest between sets.

And here are some of the abs I drool over! Courtesy of Pinterest

And here I am, my first week of eating a high protein diet and eating around the clock. Not where I want to be ultimately, but I'm getting there! (Taken from my iphone)

Now work out that CORE ladies and get those rockin' abs you've been wanting!

All about FOOD

2012-01-16T08:26:00.000-08:00

I have had quite a few questions on my daily eating routine and what all I include in my "diet." So this post will be what I'm currently eating, how often and how much, and other great foods that are good for you and your body, especially if you're into lifting weights.

I am no nutritionist or Health expert. I am still learning along the way, so this will get updated every so often

MY MEAL ROUTINE:

Low sugar oatmeal before the gym
Right after the gym I eat lots of PROTEIN! This is a must if you have just done some strength training. Today I ate Turkey pepperoni and a Luna protein bar. Sometimes I do a protein bar and a banana, apples and peanut butter, or a protein shake Around 12:00/1:00 I will eat a salad with or without fish or chicken, a bowl of special K cereal, egg white omelets with veggies, or a few boiled eggs (believe it or not, I am stuffed after 2 or 3 of these) -Around 4:00 is when I have my dinner
I try to do either fish and veggies or chicken and veggies every other day. My favorite veggies are broccoli, squash, zucchini, green beans, corn, peas, and carrots. The nights I don't eat these things, I just make a regular meal, but make it as healthy as possible and have no more than two servings of it.
I try to eat my last snack/meal no later than 7:00 and this usually is yogurt with fruit and granola or fruit and low fat cheese (You should always pair your fruit with protein)

I consume between 1200 and 1500 calories a day. I try to have one or two cheat days a week. This week it was low fat frozen yogurt with chocolate candy and I also had a soft serve ice cream dipped in chocolate from McDonalds.

So that's what I eat pretty much, although I do try to switch it up from day to day so I don't get bored with it.

If you are doing strength training, foods that are your best friends are PROTEIN enriched foods. Here is a list of foods high in protein for you to start incorporating in your diet:

Soy Beans - 11.1 grams of protein
Low Fat Cottage Cheese - 16 grams of protein - I put a serving of this in my egg whites
Egg - 6.3 grams of protein
Nonfat Yogurt - 13 grams of protein
Tuna - 16 grams of protein - I will make two cans of tuna, with an egg a dash of mayo, mustard, and onion and just eat it out of the bowl
Salmon - 16.9 grams of protein
Sardines - 22 grams of protein
Oatmeal - 6-9 grams of protein depending on the kind you buy
4 oz of chicken breast no skin - 35.1 grams of protein
Turkey, no skin - 33.9 grams of protein
Turkey pepperoni - This is one of my favorite snacks to pair with fruit - 9 grams of protein, no carbs and no sugars!!

So why is protein so important in your diet you ask? It is the single most important calorie that influences your metabolic rate, it also helps you to maintain muscle during weight loss as well as improve muscle fitness and immunity. Eating a sufficient amount of protein daily is the key to preserving muscle and burn fat. You should try and eat 1 gram of protein per your body weight a day. So if you weigh 150 pounds you should be eating about 150 grams of protein a day. Protein also helps you to feel fuller longer; out of carbs, calories, fat, etc...it is by far the most fulfilling. And lastly (well last on my list for the day) protein is the macronutrient with the largest thermic effect. In English, that means some foods cause you to burn MORE calories during the digestion process, PROTEIN enriched foods being the largest ones. So protein allows for your body to burn the most calories naturally, pretty awesome, huh?!

A Pictorial Weekend

2012-01-15T09:38:00.000-08:00

Saturday my grandmother (Bema) wanted to get pictures of all of her grandchildren and her two great grandchildren -my kids-which she has been wanting for months. My Bema is the most wonderful woman I know. She is everything, and more, I aspire to be. She is the most giving, loving, and caring person I know. A wonderful wife, mother, friend and grandmother. She is my role model and has always been. If I can even be a fraction of the person she is I would be doing well.

So when she wanted the pictures that would mean so much to her, we all obliged. Minus my sister, I won't even get started on that one.

So here they are...I am the oldest grandchild by 7 years. I think they turned out great!

We had a low key weekend, and it was fabulous!

Fitness Fridays - Weights are the new Cardio!

2012-01-13T07:39:00.000-08:00

Well here we are, the first installment, to what I hope to be many, of Fitness Fridays!

I wanted to start off with sharing a few fun and interesting facts I have recently learned about Health.

Fun Facts:

1. If you eat every 3 hours, your body won't have the chance to turn on the "hunger hormone" - this, of course, does NOT mean to pick unhealthy snacks that are high in fat, sugar, and carbs.

2. You need at least 7.5 hours of sleep a night. Anything less is simply not enough. Getting the proper amount of rest will help rather than hinder your weight loss.

3. Eggs are one of the BEST fat burning foods

4. Fiber enriched food keeps you satisfied throughout the day making you feel fuller for longer amounts of time, which is extremely helpful in weight loss. Rasberries have 8 grams of fiber per serving.

Now onto a blog post I recently read by a figure and bikini competition coach that opened my eyes. Her website is so great and informational. I highly recommend checking it out!

I am really about being fit and seeing my body change, therefore I tend to switch things up at the gym and at home from time to time. What I was not aware of is that lifting light weights is a waste of time if I'm wanting to see my body morph and change. It is really only good for muscular endurance. If you are wanting to be leaner, lifting heavy is mandatory. So for those of you to lazy to go to Jill's post....here it is for you, taken directly from her blog:

Lifting light weights in almost every case is a waste of time for women who are seeking body change. Exceptions to this rule may include pregnant women, those recovering from injury, in rehab, beginners (and even they should be adding weight quickly) or those who are giving their body a rest from the intense stuff. If you are a woman, who wants body change/to get leaner, you should be lifting heavy. “Heavy” is a relative term as it will be different for every woman, and that is fine. At the LIGHTEST, you should be using a 15 rep max on whatever exercise you are doing. In other words, you can complete 15 reps with clean, good form, but not 16. More advanced trainees will even use closer to a 10 rep max in their circuits and just take more rests.

Reasons Lifting Light Weights is a Waste of Time

If you are lifting light weights, you are training for one thing: muscular endurance. You might be able to do 100 body weight lunges, but add a few dumbbells held in your hands and you can’t do any. What about strength? What about power? What about hypertrophy? Building muscular endurance is really only good for…building more muscular endurance.
You are not applying enough stimulus to elicit a physique-changing response. The exception here is the beginner, with whom ANY consistent muscle contraction will elicit a response. But after time has gone by and you are no longer a beginner, you better start adding some plates if you want to keep seeing physique changes.
The more weight you lift, the more your body will change, period. The amount your shape changes is directly proportional to how heavy the weights are. Light weight=very little change. Heavier weights, intense workouts and achieving failure in your workouts are all correlated with increased release of testosterone (don’t get scared) and growth hormone, muscle-building & fat-burning hormones. Yes, women need testosterone too. But don’t worry, natural levels of testosterone released as a result of weight training cannot make you look like a man (more below). And growth hormone is anti-aging.
You will get more bang for your physique buck spending that time in the kitchen prepping clean eats. Dietary adjustments have way more of an impact on weight loss than exercise anyway, especially light weight training.

The Real Deal with Bulking Up

Ok, I am going to let you in on a little secret: bulking up does happen, BUT it’s not what you think it is. Essentially, when people bulk up, they are add lean muscle UNDERNEATH layers of fat and not solving the fat-burning part of the equation. Adding muscle itself is beneficial. In fact, muscle is more metabolically active than fat, so it is extremely advantageous to exchange fat for muscle. Building muscle + burning fat = smaller, leaner and more defined. So that is why the nutrition piece is so important, that is where most of your fat burning will happen. A clean nutrition plan made up primarily of lean protein, fibrous veggies, fruit and some select clean carbs will help shed inches. The way you train is important too–avoid taking super-long rests like a power lifter. Instead, go with circuit training, moving quickly from exercise to exercise, resting as needed.

Women who successfully build muscle and burn fat end up smaller overall, shed inches, and do not bulk up. Their body fat percentages go down and their amount of lean muscle mass increases.

However, regardless of bulking up, I guarantee you WILL NOT ever look like a man How could you, if you are not using anabolic steroids, sex hormone supplementation in the supra-physiological range or other performance-enhancing drugs? Practicing good, old-fashioned heavy weight training along with a clean diet will do nothing but enhance your feminine look. Muscles, curves, strength, oh my!

Here are some pictures of where my body is at right now, taken this morning. I have indulged the past 4 months and can definitely tell a difference, although some may not. I have started "Operation Bikini Season" this week and have upped my protein, lowered my carbs and have been eating every 3 hours. I have also upped the weight training and will continue it. Once I see more of a difference I'll post some pics. I'm excited about this adventure! I love me a challenge!

I hope this was just as informative for you as it was for me! Now get to lifting heavy weights ladies!

Coming Up or Coming to an End?

2012-01-10T08:40:00.001-08:00

I was thinking that I would start a weekly post on Fitness and call it "Fitness Fridays"

It can be anything from fun facts, what I'm doing, what I want to do (health wise), what I'm eating, best foods for the type of workout you're doing...etc.

Would anybody be interested in this? If so, reply with what kinda stuff you'd like the posts to be about and include.

This is kinda my last ditch effort in the blog world. I don't have any wonderful, amazing, or heart wrenching story to tell. I'm just a normal person. Mom, wife, soon to be Teacher. That's me. And lately it seems like I don't have anything worth blogging about. So if the one thing that I feel I have a great grasp on (other than loving my munchkins and being a mom) doesn't seem to be of interest to anybody out there...then I give up! My blogging days will be coming to a screech. It almost seems silly to be blogging now, when the whole reason I started to blog was so my Mimi (who has recently passed) and David's Nana, who has been very sick lately and I don't think has been able to get on and read- would be able to stay updated on our lives as a family.

So, if "Fitness Fridays" would be worth reading and be worth my time to even make such a post, holla!

Some updates

2012-01-08T09:18:00.001-08:00

As you all know I have recently graduated and I have a little bit of time off before I start up my Teaching Program in March. What I did not know is that along with the application and all that jazz I also have to take the PACT which is a pre-admission content area exam. It's about 3 to 4 hours long with 145 questions. People study for months for this exam and I have about 3 weeks until I need to take it and pass. I am very scared about this, it's not easy at all from what I've heard from others. I have ordered a study guide for it that I will hopefully be receiving early this week and I am wanting to read through ALL of it and take a couple practice exams before I take the real one. If I don't pass it, I not only will have to pay another $120 to take it again, but I have to wait 2 months which means I won't be able to start the Teaching Program in March. I feel like there is so much riding on this and I am beyond stressed.

Is there anyone out there that has taken this? If so PLEASE shoot me an email with any tips or advice you have, it would be much appreciated.

Other than all that going on, I am trying to potty train Adalyn and it is not going well at all. I have tried everything, no joke! And she just doesn't seem the least bit interested so I am going to wait until February to start trying again. I am at a loss for why it doesn't bother her to have a wet or poopy diaper on. She will literally run away from me when I try to change her. Weird? Yes, I think so. She is by far the most stubborn headed child I have ever encountered and I'm sure it's Karma for how I was as a child. Awesome.

We just finished up our last Christmas celebration with David's sister and we stayed the night at her house last night. It was very fun and we got some stemless wine glasses that I've been wanting! Should be great for my upcoming wine night I'll be hosting this week!

I have been really slacking with what I've been eating over the past few months and I'm ready to make a serious change. I went to the grocery store yesterday and loaded our house with tons of fruits, veggies, peanuts, yogurt and eggs! So here's to a new week of being HEALTHY!

Some of my favorite Christmas presents

2012-01-03T09:26:00.001-08:00

I know I'm a tad late, but thought I'd share some of my favorite things I received this Christmas

We were given some gift cards from Old Navy where we went yesterday and hit up their clearance sells. We got the kids, mainly Adalyn because they literally were out of everything, some clothes. I got a Dicks Sporting Good gift card and bought this Nike pullover hoodie (LOVE)

It's dri-fit so I can even do my cardio in it and it dries up my sweat pretty much (attractive, huh?!)

My Dad got me this Keurig coffee maker - you can make it all...tea, fraps, hot drinks, etc...

He also got me the Chi curling iron (AMAZING)

and this awesome professional blow dryer - Rusk CTC 7500

He also got me some makeup, all different brands...Lorac, Bare Minerals, Ulta, etc...

My grandmother is making me some curtains for our Master Bedroom and she put a note in one of the wine glasses she got for me that said, "Coupon for your choice of a new Comforter" - awesome!

A few other things I got were a gift card to Academy, Target, Red Lobster, and Starbucks.

That pretty much sums it up.

David got lots of gift cards to Home Depot and money, so he got himself a nice cordless drill set and I bought him a nice BKE sweater. He got a few other tools as well and a new wallet and bottle of Jack Daniels!

I will update about NYE soon! Hope you all started off the new year right!

Welcoming 2012

2011-12-30T09:28:00.001-08:00

Another year is coming to an end. This past year has meant so much to me. I accomplished my last New Year's Goal of graduating and I will now be moving forward with my plans to become a Teacher. So this next year's goal will be just that, getting a Teaching position at an Elementary School. So many new and exciting changes will be happening, Hayden will be starting Tee-Ball in the Spring, Addy will be put in Dance in the fall and Hayden will also be starting Kindergarten. I swear it was just yesterday when I gave birth to my BIG boy. He has grown into the most amazing little man ever. He is so respectful, loving, and caring. God sure has blessed our family with so much love and he has held our hands through some pretty tough times.

This New Years Eve will be spent at our friend's house playing games and just relaxing. We will be staying the night over there and the kid's will be staying the night with their G-Pa for the first time. The plan was to have them with us, but my Dad begged me and he has been on my butt about having them over for months. I've got to loosen the reigns at some point.

I hope you all have a Wonderful and Safe NYE and ring in the New Year with the ones you love!

A Quick Christmas Recap

2011-12-27T08:40:00.000-08:00

This year Christmas just didn't feel the same. It was the first Christmas without my Mimi and I could tell it was really affecting my mom. I did last minute shopping and wrapping as usual...when will I ever be better prepared?!

We were so busy and I am still exhausted. I am Christmassed out. I'm so glad it's all over actually. I ate entirely too much, the children are spoiled rotten with toys coming out the wazoo and I am just so happy to be back to my routine.

So here's the run down of our Christmas.

Friday (the 23rd) we went out to eat and to look at lights with my parents. The kids didn't get in bed until 10:00

Saturday - we had breakfast and opened presents at David's mom's at 10:00 AM and then we laid the kids down for a nap at his mom's while we ran some errands and got ready for that evening. We headed over to my Aunt's house to celebrate with my Dad's side of the family around 4:00 PM and were over there until 8:00. The kids didn't get in bed until 10:00 again. We set up all the Santa stuff and didn't get in bed until almost midnight. I was pooped.

Sunday (Christmas) - We woke up about 7:50 and the kids went crazy over all the Santa stuff and opened their presents from us. We let them play for a couple hours and then put them down for a nap. I baked and took a shower and got ready for my mom's. We headed over there around 12:30 and were there until about 9:00 PM. Again, the kids didn't get in bed until 10:00.

Monday - Adalyn and David slept in until 9:20 while I headed to the gym to try and work off some of the thousands upon thousands of calories that I indulged in over the past 4 days. We took all of our Christmas stuff taken down, I cleaned and organized and then David's Dad came over so we could do our Christmas with him.

We just have one Christmas left to celebrate and that's with David's sister in two weeks. Boy am I tired and ready to start a new year!

Here are the pics from our Holiday. Hope you all enjoyed yours!

The gift baskets (I did put pictures in the frames)- They were a BIG hit!!

And a couple pictures from the Ugly Christmas Sweater Party we attended a few weeks ago

DIY Chirstmas Gift - Numero Tres

2011-12-22T09:28:00.000-08:00

Things are coming together nicely with the gift baskets. There will be 10 total. 5 for me and 5 for my friend. In the wrapped gift boxes we will have a wreath, a frame (maybe two in some) coasters, and two wrapped containers of baked goods. Tonight we will be finishing up the back of the burlap wreaths, and a few frames {we are doing very girly and glittery ones for the teenage girls in the family) and then Friday we will be baking and organizing all of the gift baskets.

So here are some of our coasters we did.

Price Breakdown:

Tile - FREE - David had a ton from a job site
Scrapbook paper - 1 sheet did 4 coasters, which is a set and we used two designs per set - so about $1.00 per set of coasters
Modge Podge - Homemade, FREE
Ribbon - already had, FREE

Total of these bad boys - $1.00 a piece, if even that!

And here is a picture of one of the girly frames we did for the teens

Official UTD Alumni!

2011-12-18T12:15:00.000-08:00

I am so happy to say that I am a GRADUATE! I did it and I am done with my Bachelors. It is such a wonderful feeling and I have an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and achievement.

Saturday morning was a busy one. We got up early and got ready. The graduation ceremony started at 10 and we had to be there by 9:15, meaning we had to leave at 8:30. My best friend came over and rode with us. We arrived and I put on my cap and gown and headed to my designated area before the ceremony began.

The ceremony took about an hour and a half, it went by rather quickly. I had 10 guests that I invited, all family except my best friend.

It was so wonderful. Walking the stage was an experience I'll never forget.

After the graduation we headed home where the kids were napping and I packed their bags up and got us all ready for my "surprise" celebration! I knew something was being done for me, but didn't know the logistics including what time it was at or where it was. We arrived at our destination and I was greeted with a huge "Congratulations!" I had so many people come out to celebrate this joyous occasion and I am just so grateful for it all. I can't believe that all of it was for me! It was humbling. My husband had been planning this celebration for a couple months and he pulled it all together. He is amazing and so wonderful. As much as this was my accomplishment, it was his too. I could not have done it without him. He has always loved and supported me tremendously through this journey and without him I may have given up. I love him and am one very lucky woman.

Later that night, after all my family left and headed home, we cleaned up at the place we had the party and my parents took the kids home with them so we could go out with our friends. We had a great night!

Now onto the fun stuff...Pictures! And lots of them! These pictures are out of order...I just don't have the time or patience to rearrange. Sorry!

DIY Christmas Gift - Numero Dos

2011-12-15T09:41:00.000-08:00

Another one of the gifts that will be put into the gift baskets are frames. They were super cute, easy, and cheap to make. What's better than that?! We did many different designs, these are just a few of them.

Price Break Down:

Frames: $1.00 (at Michael's)
Scrapbook Paper: .29 to .99
Homemade Modge Podge: Free (elmers glue and water)
Paint - we bought about 3 different colors each .59 each

Grand Total - Roughly $2.50 to $3.00

ZBB Concert

2011-12-13T09:40:00.000-08:00

About a month ago we were invited to the Zac Brown Band concert. My very best friend Emily and her husband Calvin were taking some of his customers and it turned out that two of them couldn't make it. The concert started at 7:00 PM and I get a call at 5:15 PM from Emily saying, "Find a sitter NOW and get your butt here!" So we did just that. We got the kids ready and packed as well as ourselves in about 30 minutes and headed to my Aunt's house to drop them off (we stayed the night at her house after the concert) and we rushed to the concert, making it there at 7:30.

OHMYGOSH! I love me some ZBB and they did not disappoint. Such a great concert and such a great time.

And here are the pics from the end of the night....they may speak for themselves for what an awesome time that was had by all :)

The Beginning of the End

2011-12-12T08:17:00.000-08:00

Well folks, I did it! I finished up my Bachelors degree. Saturday was my very last exam. Yep, on a Saturday...at 5 PM! It took me about 45 minutes and I was outta there. It was a pretty difficult exam, but I really believe I pulled a passing grade out of it.

We had quite a lot going on over the weekend. We did graduation photos Saturday afternoon, my final exam that evening, and then we had an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party to attend which was a blast, pictures of that to come.

Sunday, I began {yes, I said BEGAN} the Christmas shopping for the kids. I was gone for 4 hours! I also picked up the Elf on the Shelf, which we have named Arnie {Arnold}. He is so cute and the kids absolutely love him. Adalyn even went over to him and said bye this morning.

This week will be spent Christmas shopping, wrapping gifts, finishing up my 5 gift baskets and gifts, Thursday my best friend Jaclyn is coming in town and her and another one of our friends is taking me out somewhere {probably a nice dinner} for my graduation, Saturday is graduation and all the festivities surrounding that!

And for your viewing pleasure! Lots more of these coming this week as well!!!

The Kids' Christmas Program

2011-12-03T10:42:00.000-08:00

Hayden and Adalyn's daycare holds an annual Christmas Program and it was held today. They were so stinkin cute and adorable, as were all the other little munchkins.

Here are the pictures from the program!

You've gotta see this!!!

2011-12-02T07:54:00.000-08:00

So at the gym I go to there are twin guys that workout there as well. They are Kray!! I have never seen anybody do what they do. Every day is something different and wild. For instance this morning as I'm doing walking lunges with weights I all of a sudden see this body jumping over me. "What the hell" I thought....it was one of the twins jumping over these long benches that I was right next to and while jumping over them doing some kind of boxing moves in the air.

They are on fire! If I could just have even a little bit of the energy they have I'd take it!

Which brings me to this video I secretly took! They tend to dance in between sets and it's hilarious! They are so fun to watch, you never know what you're gonna get next!

Graduation Announcement!!

2011-11-30T08:50:00.000-08:00

My graduation announcements arrived Friday and I got to work addressing them and sent them out the following day.

Here it is! So surreal!

We have such a busy month in December. Ugly Christmas sweater party, David's company Christmas party {haven't heard the details of this yet}, my graduation and graduation party, my friend Jaclyn will be in town, and of course all the Christmas festivities. What a wonderful month! I have a week and a half left of school. Woohoo! Time sure does fly.

David's brother, wife and their son are in town for two short days and today is actually Gavin's 3rd birthday so my mother-in-law is throwing a big party for him tonight at the club house David and I were married at! Should be a lot of fun.

And one last thing....Look at this guy!

Hayden is such a ham!!! He dresses up like this at home all the time. He is very eccentric sometimes, it cracks me up! He came in the living room looking like this and wanted to dance {to do the 'dougie' to be exact}LOL! He is growing up too fast, he has begun to tell me that I can't give him hugs and kisses in his class anymore so he makes me give them to him outside the classroom door before I drop him off. Really?! I thought that wouldn't start for another 2 years. Dang.

Little Loves

2011-11-26T14:47:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving was a blast this year! We visited my Dad's side of the family first, the kids played with their cousins, we ate a ton {duh} and then we played some catch phrase. Afterwards, we headed to my mom's where we ate again and then we all ended up playing catch phrase as well! Such a great game when you have a big group or want to get people loosened up. We didn't make it home until after 10 and we were pooped as were the kids. All in all, it was a wonderful day and so good to be with family.

I Hope your day was filled with as much great food, fun, and laughter as ours was!

Chicken & Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

2011-11-23T08:41:00.000-08:00

Who is in need of a new, fast, and easy recipe? I'm sure every single mother out there! Here is one yummy meal I have put on rotation! By the way, I LOVE casseroles so get ready for all the new casserole recipes to come!

What you'll need:

2 cups diced or shredded chicken breast meat (or for extra lazy days use a rotisserie chicken)- I used 3 boiled chicken breast
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander - I did not use
½ teaspoon garlic powder
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro - I did not use
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (4.5 oz) can diced green chili peppers, drained
1 (10 oz) can red enchilada sauce
8 (6 inch) corn tortillas
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 (8 oz) container sour cream

To Make:

Preheat the oven to 375°. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and spray with vegetable cooking spray. Sauté chicken with cumin and coriander until chicken is cooked through. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in the cilantro, black beans, sour cream and green chili peppers.

Spread half of the enchilada sauce over the bottom of an 11x7 inch baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Place 4 tortillas over the sauce, overlapping if necessary. Spoon half of the chicken mixture over the tortillas, and sprinkle with half of the cheese.

Spoon the remaining enchilada sauce over the cheese, and make another layer of tortillas. Layer the remaining chicken mixture over the tortillas.

Cover dish with a lid or aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven.

Remove the cover, and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. Continue cooking, uncovered, for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese melts.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

And there you have it! Found HERE on pinterest

Stuff

2011-11-22T10:33:00.001-08:00

Clever title, huh?

That is just what this post is though, all the stuff and updates in the Denton Family's life.

For starters, I have finished two of my classes and have only two left and also only two weeks left of school!! I have done the calculations and it looks like I will be ending my last semester with two A's and two B's. Lots of two's!

I picked up the tickets for graduation, which is December 17th at 10 AM and the announcements and my cap and gown have been ordered.

The plan is to start the alternative teaching program in March {that's when it begins for the Spring}. I will have 5 courses to complete and then I will be doing 30 hours of observation as well as looking for an intern for next school year. This will be a paid teaching position, meaning I will practically be a teacher, have my own class, and get paid a teacher's salary. After I finish my first year I will then take the TExES exam to become a certified teacher.

I have been making so many new recipes that I have found on pinterest, all of which have been amazing! I will be sharing those here soon.

I have been brainstorming what to get the kids for Christmas and have come up with one thing I will definitely be getting Hayden. The Vtech Innotab! AWESOME!!!! It's like an ipad for kids and it comes with apps on it and you can also buy separate games and learning software for it.

I am also considering wrapping Hayden's leapster game and giving it to Adalyn along with a Dora game for it so she won't have a cow when her brother gets the Innotab. She will also be getting a doll with a ton of accessories that we saved from her birthday and I'm sure some clothes that she really needs. We aren't going to go crazy this year and have actually been talking to Hayden about picking an angel to buy for as well as taking toys to donate to kids in need.

I have desperately been trying to potty train Addy and it is not coming along so well. I sit her on the toilet, she doesn't go, I try and bribe her, still nothing, I put a diaper on her, she comes up to me 5 minutes later saying, "tee tee" and wanting to sit on the toilet only to find out she just went in her diaper. She has gone once at her daycare, yesterday actually. Once I am done with school and can be consistent we will be hitting the potty training full force.

David just started with a new company last week, a much better company. God has answered our prayers in this department and I can't wait to see where He leads David in his growth with his career.

I think that is it for now. I would like to post pics of our time at the Zach Brown Band concert we went to a few weeks ago, just waiting on my friend to email me the pictures. She is sloooow in this department so I may or may not get around to it.

DIY Christmas Gift - Numero Uno

2011-11-20T13:57:00.000-08:00

We have officially finished one of the 4 gifts that are currently being made. The wreath. It is beautiful. We only made 2 of the one I am posting because it became too pricey with all the ribbon needed to make it, we made 8 more wreaths out of burlap that need a few finishing touches and I'll post those.

So here it is {taken with iphone}

Price Breakdown:

Plumber pipe - $1.17 (used for the actual wreath part)
Ribbon - About $7.00 per wreath
Balls - $1.00 for 8 at Dollar Tree

Total - Roughly $10.00....The Burlap ones come out to be about half of that

I really do love these wreaths, but I also love the Burlap wreaths too! They all turned out fantastic!

So this is one of the 4 or 5 gifts that will be given in a covered box or basket for the big presents for parents, grandparents, and in-laws. The coasters and/or frames we are finishing up will be the smaller gifts given to aunts, cousins, and sister-in-laws

And because I just can't help myself, Adalyn as "Dragon Batgirl" as Hayden called her!

Crafts Gone Wild

2011-11-14T15:18:00.001-08:00

I have been doing so many crafts lately, most being Christmas gifts, and I can't wait to share those with you. Just a few more finishing touches and I will post about them.

But over the weekend I finished the dresser I told you all about. The one that was my Mimi's. It turned out so well. I wiped it down with liquid sander, slapped some white paint on it and then one coat of the green paint, let it dry, distressed it, put new hardware on it and sealed it. Easy Peasy. It took about 3 hours total.

We will be getting a flat screen tv to go on the wall above it and throwing out the eyesore of a tv we currently have and then buying decor for the top of it {the frames are just there for now because I literally have nothing else momentarily}

Here it is: Total Cost = $25 and that was just on hardware. We had everything else.

And...The Results Are In

2011-11-11T08:25:00.000-08:00

My 6 week Bicep Progress

Starting Measurements:

Right: 11"
Left: 10.5"

6-Week Measurements:

Right: 11"
Left: 11"

And here you have it, a notable difference!

And a few more 6 week pics

And a quick update on Adalyn - Her head is much much better, the medication seems to be healing it for the most part, no more leaking. Thank God. We are now anxiously waiting to hear from the dermatologist so we can get our sweet angel in and get her eczema treated finally.

Never a dull moment

2011-11-07T15:25:00.000-08:00

Always something going on, always.

This past week Hayden was running a mild fever ranging anywhere from 99.5 to 101.6, so I was giving him motrin around the clock and it would get lower but in a 3 day period he only had maybe a whole few hours of not running a fever whatsoever, so we ended up taking him to the doctor to find out he had Strep. He wasn't complaining of anything at all, so I was a bit shocked. The pedi quickly assured us that it isn't as bad in children and many times they don't complain at all. So we got some antibiotics and it's now been knocked out.

Moving on to Adalyn, Saturday I began noticing her hair was wet and hard {like she had some kind of sticky food stuck in it} so I gave her a bath and a few hours later it began doing the same thing. I was stunned, it was gross. I gave her another bath and put her to bed only for her to wake up Sunday morning with a completely wet pillow and hair. I was beginning to get really concerned so I did my research. I'm a googler for sure. She has eczema and due to the scratching it seemed that it became infected and could be staph. Staph infections are fairly normal I would say for people with eczema so I decided I would take her to the doctor today instead of to an urgent care center

The doctor was very shocked and could not believe how much cerebral fluid she was excreting. She didn't seem to think it was staph but I convinced her to treat her for it anyways, just in case. She said that she was worried and it didn't look good and that she would put in an immediate call to the dermatologist after we left. So now we're just waiting. I'm not sure what to think. I still feel like it's staph. I guess we'll find out here soon if the meds work or not. Also we were advised to not wash her hair for a few days. UGH! Do you know how gross this fluid makes her hair? It is disgusting and hard and blistery. I feel so bad for my angel and can't wait to find out what the heck is going on and how we can treat it and prevent it

Also, my bicep pics might have to wait until Friday this week, hopefully for a really good reason I'll be able to tell you about soon :)

My Style Friday & My Cuties

2011-11-04T08:40:00.000-07:00

Again, taken on the iphone, so quality isn't quite as great as my rebel...but whateva

Sweater: Express, last year
Plain, long sleeve white shirt: Kohls
Navy Blue Leggings: Clearance at A&F for $10 a few years ago
Boots: Payless

And here are some soccer pics of Hayd from this past season, he has one game left and he has asked to try out tee ball in the Spring so that will be our next adventure in sports!

And my sweet sweet boy!

Graduation Updates

2011-11-03T10:55:00.000-07:00

My goodness this semester has flown by. I have about 5 weeks left in 3 classes and in my fourth class, which is on Wednesday nights, I will be done after next week with an A in the class! I should have an A in at least one other class, possibly two if I can pull it together. It's extremely difficult to keep up with my readings in all classes and studying, writing papers, etc...with two kids and little time. I try and study for about 2 hours every single day of the week and it still doesn't seem to be enough.

It's about that time to order my cap and gown and graduation announcements! Woohoo! I had to RSVP to my ceremony and I'll be able to pick the tickets up in a few weeks, so I'm not sure on how many I'll be receiving yet.

My friend will be taking my graduation pictures soon to save some money and I'm hoping they will turn out pretty good, considering they won't be 'professional.'

I would like to say that two weeks ago I made a 100 on one of the hardest professor's I've ever had exams. She later emailed me congratulating me and also saying she "wouldn't expect anything less coming from me" It made me feel really good, but the pressure is on to do just as well on the next two exams! Yikes!

We are going over to my husband's sister's house this weekend and she will be helping me with career plans and choices. She has her degree in social work and a lot of what she does, I will also be able to do with my degree. She told me she has referrals and contacts for me! I'm not crossing off teaching just yet, but with me not being able to start the program for my certification until March, I figured I might as well look into other options and if something else comes of it then great, if not that's OK too. The world is my oyster?!

That's all for now! Graduation is December 17th and I will be done with my last class December 10th!

Halloween Fun

2011-10-31T17:45:00.000-07:00

This Halloween the kids were supposed to be Diego and Dora, I set out on an eBay mission to get their outfits for under $15 a piece. I first found Hayden's Diego costume for $11 a month ago and had no such luck with a Dora one. People were selling it for $35 on eBay and it was $30 in stores so we ended up just borrowing a chicken outfit from my good friend! This was the most random of the Halloween outfits yet. Diego and a Chicken! LOL! Whatever, it worked and was cheap!

Over the weekend we went to Scare on the Square in a local town and then tonight, for Halloween we went to Boo on Ballard which is in downtown in the city we live in. It is awesome! The best little Halloween carnival ever.

Here are the pics from our events! They had a great time {of course!} and they made out like bandits!

HOPE ALL YOUR LITTLE MONSTERS HAD A FUN TIME!

My Style Friday: Courtesy of my iphone

2011-10-28T08:35:00.000-07:00

I wore this outfit to school last night. It was comfy and warm!

Sweater: My husband's, from Express a few years ago
Jeans: BKE Stella Skinny's, got them off eBay for $11.50
Boots: Payless $40 and they rock my world

Happy Friday All!!!

Closet/Master Bathroom

2011-10-25T10:22:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, we went over to my Mimi's house, where we have all been working hard to clean it up and clean it out and get it ready to sell. With that said, I was so fortunate to get some things that I can keep and pass on to my kids that were hers and even her parent's. I can not tell you how much it means to have some of her things, things that I will see every day and reminders of my sweet Mimi. We left with a dresser {that I'll be redoing hopefully this weekend} and a lingerie dresser or whatever you call those things. I slapped on two coats of paint and did a tad distressing and rearranged my closet. **side note** I will be switching out the hardware, I'm waiting until the dresser is done so I only make one trip.

David and I both have very small closets and in our next house it will be a MUST for me to have a big walk in closet. My own. I don't like sharing, it is my haven.

So here is the current condition of our master bathroom and our closets, as you can see the dresser is going to come in handy for me! I have clothes coming out the wazoo.

Standing outside my closet

A close up of the dresser

The first drawer, I made into a jewelry drawer for everything but my necklaces

My intimates. TMI?!

I had to shove and squeeze most of my "hung up" clothes to ONE side.

And the shoe storage begins

On the other side of dresser, behind my door. Also where My coats/jackets are

Flip flops and old pair of tennis shoes

had to store these boots under my clothes

Speaking of boots, I got these at Payless for $40. I love them!

Shorts and sweat pants/pj's, will be moved to dresser

Workout gear, will be moved to dresser also and this wicker storage might be used as a night stand

entrance to bathroom

My side

My side again, shower view

And the hub's closet

I find myself dreaming of our next house, with a master bath/closets double the size of our current. But until then, I'm just working with what we have!

3 Week Check-Up - Biceps

2011-10-19T13:03:00.000-07:00

Well, no new measurements, but I wasn't expecting huge, if any, changes in that...at least not in 6 weeks. It takes a while to bulk up muscle, especially in women, which brings me to what I wanted to talk to y'all about. I have been doing my research and it looks like whey protein and creatine are the best supplements for women who want to gain more muscle. I am not talking about looking like this

because, let's be honest, that is gross! But taking a creatine supplement or making a protein shake with whey a few times a week {the days I do free weights} will help gain more muscle instead of staying where I'm at. Your body naturally produces creatine, this is not a hormone or a steroid. What creatine does is give your muscles the energy to go a little longer before tiring out and possibly help to lift a tad bit more weight. It also helps with the recovery of sore muscles among other things. Here is a great website that explains creatine much better than I can. So, I'm looking into this, but haven't taken any steps to getting it yet.

Now to the pictures. Here are my 3 week updates. Before and After.

Not a massive difference or anything, but a difference nonetheless. And here area few more taken this morning at the gym.

I will update again in 3 more weeks, possibly having started a creatine supplement.

Now onto a few details - I have been sticking with 15 lb weights pretty consistently. Occasionally I will use 20 lb weights, but can only manage to do about 8 {very difficult} reps. I am sticking to my same routine as before just adding in more weight and one extra day of biceps/shoulders. So my workout schedule looks like this:

Monday - Body works plus abs class {works all muscle groups for an hour} abs and 10 minute cardio before class

Tuesday - straight cardio - anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour, I switch it up often. Sometimes doing 15 minutes each on the stairmaster, elyptical, and treadmill

Wednesday - 20 to 30 minutes of cardio and Biceps - I switch up what I do each week. Sometimes I use machines, sometimes I do free weights. Never do I do the same thing every week.

Thursday - Same as Monday

Friday - abs, cardio for 15 to 20 minutes and lower body. This is the day I also started adding in a few sets of upper body where I used to not

Saturday - This day is never the same. Sometimes it's cardio, sometimes it's weights, sometimes it's both or sometimes I rest.

Sunday - OFF

My diet as of late:

fish/chicken and brown rice and veggies 5 times a week.

snacks look like greek yogurt with granola, grapes, apples, wheat toast with sugar free peanut butter, eggs, oatmeal

protein bar after my workout every morning.

Slowly but surely I'm getting there, I'm still having a really hard time with my sweets. I have cereal at night often, which I need to cut out or cut back on.

Get Yo Craft On!

2011-10-14T08:59:00.000-07:00

So much going on as of late. It's becoming harder and harder to find the time to sit down and type out a blog post, but I'm trying! This is my hardest semester yet at school and all of my 'free time' goes to reading, reading and more reading! 8 more weeks and I. AM. DONE.

Anyways, My friend and I have begun crafting Christmas gifts. We have a good handful of ideas and have {as of last week} designated every Thursday night to wine and craft night. Last week she came over to my house and we got a list together of what we will be making, what we need, the estimated costs, and the people who will be receiving it. We are making 5 gifts and all of those gifts will be put into a basket for our loved ones.

Last night, we got started on making holiday coasters like these found on Pinterest but Christmas themed

They turned out great! And so cheap. My husband had a ton of extra tile at his job site, so that was FREE and I bought scrapbook paper for $4, and we made mod podge at home. I can't wait to show you them! Soon.

Next Thursday we will be starting on the wreaths and are basing ours off this one also found on Pinterest

So beautiful! I will have to give you the price breakdown on this once we make one. But most of the supplies will be coming from Dollar Tree.

That's my update for now. Tonight David and I have a date night planned! So excited, it's been a loooong while! And next Wednesday is my picture and measurement update on my arms. I haven't forgotten and have been working extra hard, but not sure if it will show in my measurements. Biceps take a long time to actually bulk up. Oh...more on bulking up muscles later. I have something I'm gonna be trying and want to tell you all about it!!!

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Mission: Cameron Diaz Arms

2011-09-28T07:43:00.000-07:00

With all of the depression stemming from recent events, I decided I need to throw myself into some crafting. With that idea, came the memory of people in the blog world mentioning a little ole website called pinterest, so I made my way over and before I knew it I had an account and was pinning away. Simply addicted. How did I ever live without this?? I'm not sure. If you'd like to check me out on there, click HERE

Anyways, as I was saying, I went looking for craft ideas for Christmas gifts and left with this picture burnt into my mind

I don't care who you are, that is HOTT! I am a big bicep person, and arms are probably the first thing I notice on other women. They can make a tank look great on you, strapless dress, bathing suit, etc...Plus you look like a bad ass!

So, I have set myself a goal, a mission if you will. I am giving myself 6 weeks to transform what I currently am working with in the bicep department to the closest I can get to Ms. Diaz's arms! That gives me a date of November 9th. I will post pictures below of my starting measurements and pictures and Probably update at 3 weeks and then again at 6 weeks.

I am upping my weights to 20 lbs, so a 5 to 10 lb increase for biceps.

Let the muscle building begin!!!

Measurements: 11 inches on the Right and 10.5 inches on the Left

Not doing so well

2011-09-26T10:28:00.000-07:00

It has been 6 days since the news and I have been ok but last night it really hit me. I just can't believe it. I can't believe I wil never hug my Mimi or see her sweet face again. I can't believe that I could have seen her a day before she passed at the kids' birthday party but she was unable to make it. I can't believe we will experience the holidays without her laughter and sense of humor.

It makes me want to vomit.

The funeral and viewing were beautiful but I feel no closure. I still believe that she is rejoicing in heaven with her husband and that brings me peace, but her absence brings me great sadness. It doesn't help that her sister who I haven't seen in 10 years looks just like her and my heart dropped to the pits of my stomach when I saw her.

It hurts.

In loving memory

2011-09-22T11:16:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, while out running errands, I received a call with devastating news. My mimi {mom's mom} had passed away. My uncle found her at her house. The medical examiner thinks she went into a diabetic coma and passed out, never waking.

Since I was little, my mother has always told me that I held a very special place in my Mimi's heart. I was the first grandchild and only grandchild for 8 years. I was always at my Mimi's house and I have nothing but fond memories of her and the time we spent together.

She passed too soon and from something that could have been prevented. It is a shock to us all and she will be missed dearly. My heart aches and I have had a lump in my throat since the news, her viewing is this evening and the funeral will be held tomorrow morning. I pray we can celebrate her life and not mourn her death.

My grandpa, her husband, passed away when I was in 2nd grade and my Mimi has never gotten over that. One of the last conversations I had with her was about how much she misses him and it hurts her heart still to that day. I find great peace and comfort knowing that she is now Home with her husband.

Mimi, I will always love you and have such great memories to reflect on. Although this is an extremely sad tragedy, I know you are safe and not in any pain. For that I will rejoice.

Bouncetown Birthday Bash

2011-09-19T08:26:00.000-07:00

We celebrated both of the kid's birthdays this past Saturday. It was Hayden's actual birthday {September 17th} and Adalyn's is September 30th. I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone. So I did.

The party was held at a Bounce place close by and we had quite a few people show up. The kids made out like bandits. Seriously the most presents they have ever gotten on any birthday or even for Christmas. We have yet to open everything.

My amazing Aunt made the kid's cakes. We did small individual cakes for each of them, the themes were Captain America and Hello Kitty, not necessarily something that can be integrated!

Here are pics of the fun-filled day

Consumed

2011-09-14T13:17:00.001-07:00

These days it seems that I am forever consumed with the every day happenings of life. Motherhood, School, Keeping my house cleaned and organized, Family events. You know, the norm.

It feels like there isn't an unproductive moment in my day, which I enjoy but am fatigued by.

With that being said, this post will be best in bulletin points

I have managed to make another 100 on a quiz in my Health Psychology class

Hayden woke up with some bizarre rash this morning that has spread. He has no other symptoms and I am keeping an eye on it as well as administering benadryl every 4 hours

The kid's birthday party is this weekend. I will have a 5 and a 2 year old. <--- Wow!

With this being my last semester, I am trying my hardest to make as many A's as possible. Lord knows I have enough stress, so if it comes down to it a B or two will suffice

I am learning so much in my abnormal psych class that I have now self-diagnosed myself with many things. The professor said this would happen :-)

I have been looking at houses for sale online and dreaming of our next place

We made it out for a few hours last Saturday, nice distraction from my studies

Hayden has started soccer and we have a game at 8 AM this Saturday. Who scheduled this is what I wanna know!

Adalyn can play hide and seek and is actually a very good hider for her age, she doesn't make a peep!

I have begun working with the elementary kids in large group at our church. Not only is it a way to serve, but it is also great experience for my teaching career

That's about it for now. I will post the kid's birthday party shinanz once it's done and over with.

The Collision

2011-09-13T08:19:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday, while driving home from Home Depot, thinking about laying my grumpy kids down for a nap so I could get some much needed reading done for school, I encountered a BIG problem.

I was about 2 miles, if even that, from home. I was on a 3 lane street, in the middle lane. There was a F250 truck with a 20 foot trailer on the other side {opposite me} in the turn lane to head into McDonalds I assume. Well as I am merrily going about my business this truck starts heading out of his side and into mine. I kept thinking, "Surely he sees me, surely he's going to stop." Not the case apparently. To avoid hitting the truck or trailer attached, I had to swerve and I ended up running into the McDonalds sign, bushes and nearly a tree.

I was so shaken up that I began crying and couldn't think straight. The kids and I were OK, but my Jeep was not. The guy did pull over and he was obviously scared about losing his job, he was in his company's truck, which just so happened to be the school district in the city we live in. I immediately called my insurance while an onlooker called the police. I also had a very nice lady who came up to me saying that she witnessed everything and he was definitely the one at fault. I got her name and number and then began the 2 hours of talking with insurance people, police, the tow trucking company, rental car service and all of the guy that was involved bosses. Yes, they all came to the scene and were so nice. Of course.

Anyways, my husband took off work immediately and came to my rescue. I am in the middle of trying to go through this guy's insurance to file a claim and get them to pay for my damages so my Jeep has yet to be worked on and I am in a super small chevy cobalt. A disservice to myself! I might as well be rolling around town on a skateboard because that's exactly what it feels like, but there is a positive and that positive is that the gas mileage ROCKS!

Thank God we are ok and that it wasn't as bad as it could have been. That is all that matters, really.

Not a post for weak stomachs

2011-09-11T18:00:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had to take Hayden to urgent care last weekend because he woke up last Saturday morning with a toe that looked like this and he was screaming in pain

Gross, right?! My poor little guy. We were at Care Now for 2 hours and ended up being prescribed an antibiotic that he has had to take twice a day for 10 days. Tomorrow {Monday} will be his last day. It has gotten much better, but 2 days after taking the medication this is what is began to look like

Yuck! We are cleaning it daily and Hayden has only been wearing flip flops this past week. We did, however, let him wear his cleats for soccer Saturday and some tennis shoes to church today. He is reporting no pain, which is a great sign. Once it heals, we will have to take him back to the doctor to see if they need to numb his foot and get the ingrown toenail out.

I am thinking that this happened because of the way his toenails grow, they curve down instead of grow out and also probably due to wearing shoes that he has outgrown. Over the past 6 or so months, he has gone from a size 11 to a size 1! Holy Smokes!

Distressd Dresser - My First

2011-09-08T10:46:00.001-07:00

I bought this small dresser off of craigslist over the weekend with the intention on giving it a shabby chic look and using it in our living room as a buffet table under our cross wall.

Well, that is just what I did. In a total of 2 hours {during the kid's nap times} I finished this beauty and could not be happier with it. It was super fun and easy and this weekend I will start working on a dresser for our bedroom!

{Before}

{After}

I first sanded the top by hand, I didn't go too crazy or put a lot of effort into that. I then used a rag and wiped on a no sanding primer. I used a dull black paint color, slapped on two coats, and went to town with 220 grit sand paper. Next time I will use a sand block instead of the paper.

I could not be happier with the turn out, I was honestly expecting it to be a disaster. Looks like I may have a little crafty-ness in me afterall!

In the past week...

2011-09-07T09:10:00.000-07:00

I have received two tickets

Been in a gnarly car wreck, which was NOT my fault and thank God we're ok. More on that later

Taken Hayden to urgent care for a horrendously infected ingrown toenail which I will also post about when time permits

Found, bought and distressed a buffet table for my livingroom (I can't wait to share the formation. It turned out awesome!)

Did my own photo shoot of my dumplings which I posted in my last post

Read half of a 20 or so chapter book along with readings out of my textbooks and a million pages of notes

Made a 100 on my first test for my Health Psychology class

Spent great quality time with my little brother

And spent 4 whole days without my hubby who was on a little vacation :(

Photoshoot of the kiddos

2011-09-05T15:20:00.000-07:00

Daddy was in Florida visiting a friend over this looong weekend, so the kids and I took advantage of all the free time we had and got a lot done. One of them being long overdue pictures.

Voila!

Classes and the Kids

2011-08-25T08:52:00.000-07:00

I started my classes yesterday, I have two back to back from 11 to 2:15 and then a class from 7-9:45 on Mondays and Wednesdays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I have a class from 5:30 - 6:45. I am taking Abnormal Psychology {very excited for this course, pure awesomeness}, Educational Psychology {great class to prepare me for teaching!}, Health Psychology and Historical Perspectives. So 3 core classes, which means I have a total of 6 hours research credit requirements to fill also and then one elective course. This last semester will be a lot of reading and a lot of hard work, but so worth it.

Also, I am taking the kids out of daycare which I'm sad about, but since I only have two day classes I decided it was best. They will go two half days a week to their old in-home daycare and they will be with me the rest of the time. This means that on top of all of my school work I will also be teaching Hayden Pre-K curriculum. Mama will be a busy bee, this is nothing new!

I have stepped down from my job and am hoping I can pick it back up a few days a week after I graduate in December. I will have about 3 months from the time I graduate until I start my teaching certification program in March and need to fill it with something!

I took Adalyn to her pedi last Friday because her scalp is getting really bad. I don't know if I posted about it or not, but since she was about 6 months old she has had an extremely dry scalp due to her eczema. It has gotten to the point where she is now scratching at it. When I try and comb her hair it gets caught on the dry spots and will pull her hair off and scab her scalp. So the doctor said for a month we need to massage olive oil into her scalp before bath time and then shampoo it with medicated stuff and put hydrocortizone on it afterwards. If that doesn't help she will be referred to a dermatologist. We also have to get her tested for allergies tomorrow through blood work to see if it's something she is allergic to causing this. About 1/3 of kids who have eczema also have allergies and another 1/3 have asthma and then you have the kids who have all of it. I am hating that she has to get poked and pricked tomorrow.

Speaking of Adalyn, she has been doing so great sleeping in her big girl bed and hasn't fallen out since the first night. I did, however, put her breathable bumper up to where it helped to prevent her falling because I am a HUGE worry wart.

Anyways, classes have started off great and kids are fantastic. Life is moving along nicely!

Fantasticly Fun

2011-08-22T09:34:00.001-07:00

This was one of the best weekends we've had in forever. And David and Hayden were even sick over the weekend.

Friday, David played hooky and snuck out of work a little early. We met at the house and went to get my oil changed at Walmart and picked up a few things, those few things turned into $112 worth of things.

We then went to a little happy hour, which we NEVER do. We had two beers and just talked for a good hour. It was amazing.

Afterwards we picked the kids up and headed to Chili's for dinner. While at Chili's David began feeling very sick...he caught a stomach bug and it hit him FAST. Not good. He was miserable all Friday night.

Saturday morning, I took the kids with me to the gym so David could rest and got home at 10 AM to my husband still sleeping. He has never in our nearly 8 years of being together slept this late. I knew he was still feeling sick. We had plans to go to our friends house with the kids that night and grill and play cards, but had to cancel.

I laid the kids down for their naps and vaccumed out my car and swept our back porch and driveway before heading to Dick's Sporting Goods to pick up David some workout gear and to Target to get Adalyn a storage/dresser for a her room. She has had a changing table, a very broken changing table, in her room and it became so unstable that the drawers were extremely difficult to push and pull out. Look how cute her new piece of furniture is {taken from iphone}

As soon as we got this put together, Hayden threw up. He had caught the bug. His head was hurting and he laid around the house all day while mommy took care of him. Poor guy.

That night we rented Limitless, which I highly reccommend and called it a night.

Sunday, Hayden woke up feeling much better so we headed to church. After church we took the kids to my parent's house so they could watch them while David and I went on a 5 mile bike ride. I have not ridden a bike since elementary and I was pretty sure that I would just die, especialy in the 105 degree heat. The exact opposite happened. I LOVED it. It was more amazing than I can put into words. I had my bike on the second to hardest preset and it was a challenge, but a good one. You know how runners get a runner high? Well I'm pretty sure I got a biker's high. I can't wait to do it again, and I'm now looking to get my own bike {we borrowed my parent's bikes for the ride that day} Here is a pic on our way to ride, you can even see the bikes in the back if you look closely

After the ride we stopped by Souper Salad for a late lunch and I had this for dessert

Pure heaven in my mouth.

So this pretty much sums up our weekend. Amazing, even with sick ones in the house.

This week I start back school. My last semester. Whoa! I'm Ready!!!!!

Mid-Month Must Haves

2011-08-18T09:14:00.000-07:00

2 Posts in one day, can you believe it? Me neither. Check out my earlier post if you haven't already!

Hempz Hairspray - I use this stuff for teasing my hair to add volume and for bumps {I used to use bump-its} and I can not sing high enough praises. Oh. My. Gosh. This stuff is way beyond amazing, like uber amazing. It smells divine and I have never had so much volume in my life. I was introduced to this product by a friend of mine who works for Hempz, she gave me a huge bottle for free as well as some tanning lotion. This stuff is actually a really good deal, for a big bottle it runs about $21.99 and this should last you close to a year, unless you are a crazy hairspray addict.

The little wonder teaser brush. Pretty much a "how did I ever live without this" kind of product. If I could only take 3 items to a deserted island, this may just be one of them! Purchased for $4.99 at Ulta

A sexy pair of heels, HIGH heels. I have to be honest and say that most of my heels are pretty short, well short in comparison to my new beauties. I just look at these shoes and feel hot and bothered :). Kinda crazy what a sexy pair of heels can do for you! Gianni Bini "Victory" Sandals purchased at Dillards for $59.99

Now this is a "I really want to have" for this winter, I am talking my husband into getting it for me as a double present, graduation and Christmas. It is not cheap at $149.00 and I have yet to find it anywhere cheaper ::sigh:: I am not one to ever spend this much money on one item of clothing, not anywhere near it...But how freakin cute would this be with some uggs? Nice and comfy and warm. CCRbrand.com

And lastly, Feather earrings. Surely you're on board with the feather frenzy by now, Yes? Daytrip earrings from the Buckle $7.99

Yep, that just happened

2011-08-18T07:10:00.000-07:00

Last night, on a whim, my husband said, "Lets convert Addy's crib into a toddler bed." I hadn't given it any thought prior to last night and just figured we would keep her in her crib until she was about 3, which is what we did with Hayden.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it"...Right?

That has been my motto with the whole bed thing and still is BUT I obliged and gave into the converting last night.

Adalyn did OK, but I don't think she was completely ready. First of all, she threw a huge fit when we laid her down in her "big girl bed" and this went on for a good 30 minutes. I had to rock her while reading her a book to calm her down. After I did that she went straight into her bed and to sleep. Secondly, she fell out...twice. FAIL. Thank goodness the bed is so low that she is practically lying on a mattress on the floor, but still. I was so worried and even told David we needed to convert it back to her crib. He thinks we should give her a week. She did not get hurt at all and she did not get out of bed at all. She slept the entire night through and did pretty great with such a big change.

What I did learn about our little cupcake is that she is a WILD sleeper, which explains the falling out of the bed. She gets that from her Daddy.

I guess we'll continue and see how it goes, but I am not opposed to keeping her a sweet little baby for a bit longer and turning her bed into a crib again. Not opposed at all!

And for evidence....Here you go

And because I have been a terrible picture poster of my kids, here are some bonuses! Your welcome!!

Watering your Marriage

2011-08-16T10:47:00.000-07:00

I'm gonna get real, like really real.

Marriage IS hard work. Anybody who tells you different is delusional. Marriage takes a lot of TLC. It is like a garden that needs to be watered often, if not it will die. But with plenty of water it will bloom and flourish.

Marriages have many ups and downs, goods and bads.

I have to be honest and say that I haven't put as much time, energy and focus into my marriage as I should and all of that is changing.

To 'spice' things up {and no, I do not mean in the bedroom} my husband and I have made a list of things we would like to do on dates. Not your usual and boring dinner and a movie kinda date, which is what we have always done, but exciting and new stuff.

On that list are:

Hiking
Bike Riding
Painting with a Twist
Cooking Classes
Dance Classes
Jet Ski Ride
Read a book together nightly {we currently are}

*We will be going on a bike ride or a 2 hour jet ski ride this Sunday and will pack a lunch and have a picnic with either one we do*

We will add to the list as we think of things and we try to stay fairly cheap, for instance the jet ski rental I got on Groupon just this morning for $39 and Thursday nights at Southern Junction they offer free dance lessons

It's sorta like a bucket list for dates, if you will. We are coming up on our 5 year anniversary in March and with David travelling over the past 4 years, my school and two kids, we have not given our marriage the attention it deserves.

We have opened up a new chapter in our lives and are excited to fill the pages

What are some things you and your spouse do to spice things up? What are some ideas of things y'all would like to do?

Sho Nuff

2011-08-15T12:23:00.000-07:00

I just spent the last 3 hours at the University applying for graduation.

It is all said and done and official!

I will be graduating December 17th! 4 short months away!

I am more than ready to enter into the next chapter of our lives and am so blessed for this opportunity to be able to stay home with my kids and finish my degree.

***Also, I know I have been so terrible about really updating. I am slacking and I hope to change that. I have some fun stuff going on and hope to begin letting you all in soon.

In the market for a puppy

2011-08-11T09:53:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that we may actually be owning another dog soon. Like in the next month soon. We have been talking about this for about 2 years now and just like a baby, it never feels like the right time. So why now? I don't know really. We think it would be a great birthday present for the kids. Addy is at the age where it wouldn't feel like I was taking care of two babies, she is getting so big!

We are, however, very concerned about how Max (our current Shih Tzu) who we've had for 6 years will react to this. Max thinks he is the king of the castle and does whatever he wants. He also is not neutered which is something that must be done before we bring another pup into our home.

We have been looking and are thinking another small dog (under 10 lbs) is what we want....although David would like a big outside dog I just don't feel like we have the size of backyard for one currently.

What a decision....

Baltimore

2011-08-10T15:41:00.001-07:00

I arrived home Monday from my Baltimore trip and could not have been happier to be on Texas soil.

The weekend was great and fun, but entirely too long away from my family. Sunday I tried to get a flight home that night because it was killing me having to wait until Monday morning. There may have been tears.....I was that girl.

Anyways, Baltimore is an extremely dirty city and I never realized how much I appreciated Texas until going there. Not my kinda vacation spot.

It was amazing to see my best friend and we had a great time catching up.

Here is a picture overload of some of the weekend

Weekend Getaway

2011-08-04T08:08:00.000-07:00

The day has arrived, where I depart from all my securities off to a place of unknown.

I am super excited, but I can't help but feel anxiety about it all. I wonder how the kids will do without me, or better yet, how I will do without them. It is all bittersweet.

I spent all day yesterday cleaning the house, organizing, and preparing my husband for my absence. The kid's clothes are picked out for every day I'm gone. All the laundry is washed and folded and meals are picked out. My husband told me that none of that was needed and in his words, "I got this" but you can never be too sure! In all honesty, he will do great...he always does. He is a wonderful daddy and those kids are extremely lucky!

I woke up yesterday with a sore throat and it has persisted through this morning. I am currently drinking water with Emergen-C powder in it (24 nutrients with antioxidants, electrolytes, and 7 B vitamins) in hopes of boosting my immune system back up and kicking this crap that is trying to ruin my weekend. Anybody know of any really great and effective over the counter medications for sore throats, burning/itchy eyes and a heavy chest?

I finished up my summer semester classes yesterday and what better way to celebrate than a girls trip?! Bring on the cooler weather, bikini's and drinks by the pool, and non-stop laughter!

So, I may be leaving Texas for a short bit, but will return with wonderful memories! And LOTS of pictures!

Happy Weekend All! Keep Cool!

Big Sigh

2011-07-28T12:35:00.000-07:00

Quick update on school.

I have ONE week left! Ohmyheavens! This last week is going to be a piece of cake. I will be doing my last two revisions on my 30 something page research paper and taking a final exam in another class. My other two classes are DONE! I will then be off school until August 24th and will enjoy every last second of every day of freedom! You can quote me on that.

This fall is my last semester of college and I'll be graduating in December with my Bachelor's. Did I really just type that? It is so surreal and I feel emotional about it, a good kinda emotional. I have put blood, sweat and tears into finishing up school and to actually have an end in sight. Amazing feeling.

I am still planning on getting my teaching certificate which I am anticipating to take anywhere from 6 to 9 months with my observational hours and coursework.

And here are some pics of my little angel who this morning when I said "You are so handsome" to his response was "Your welcome!"

Shame on me....to need release

2011-07-25T12:35:00.000-07:00

{I love Britney Spears!}

With my vacation to Baltimore fast approaching I am really starting to feel the mommy guilt of being away from my sweetie pies for 4 whole nights. Never have I ever been away from them this long, actually they have only been away on a trip to Tennessee with my mother in law for maybe 36 hours their whole lives.

I am starting to get anxiety and I really hate this. Why is it so difficult for us mommies to have a little fun....away from the kids?

I also haven't been on a vacation away from my husband ever and we haven't gone anywhere since our honeymoon. So it really is much needed and I am extremely grateful that I am able to do this for myself and for my best friend. It doesn't make it any less hard on my heart though.

I keep reminding myself it's temporary and I deserve this. Hopefully after 10 more days of repeating this, the sting will have died down drastically.

I can't even imagine what it will be like to not have to wake up anywhere from 7:00 to 8:30 AM and take care of kids or my husband. I can't imagine what it will be like to not take care of anybody but myself for 3 days. I mean, is this really going to happen? It's the strangest feeling and I don't know whether to feel overjoyed for this exciting vacay or to be saddened by not being with my kids these days.

I will manage and I know I'll have a great time, but am I gonna be one of those girls that cries when she gets drunk because she misses her kids and husband? {this may have happened to me the first few times I went out after having Adalyn...} I don't want to be that woman! But I'm kinda thinking it's inevitable. I live, breathe, and soak in these children. They are a part of me, kinda like my limbs. I need them to survive daily and without them, I would be lost.

I am really looking into skype while I'm away, so I can see and talk to the kids and hubby daily.

One more thing...My husband is the greatest. I don't know many spouses who would be OK with their wife going on a 4 day vacation without them and on top of that, taking care of all of the kids' needs for those days. David is truly amazing and lets me be me. Pretty sure he is my fairytale prince charming, with a little redneck thrown in :)

Highlights at Home

2011-07-20T11:16:00.000-07:00

So I am very back and forth when it comes to my hair color. I go dark, then light, dark then light. Well, I'm back to light and loving it! Since I am so indecisive on which color to stick with, it's best I don't spend $75+ at the salon. I usually dye my hair at home, which is why I go darker, because you're not supposed to go lighter...it will turn orange. Been there, done that. Lesson learned.

Well, I dye my hair constantly but have never experienced with at home highlighting. I still have not personally, if you wanna get technical. My friend Emily came over and we had some wine and she highlighted the crap outta my hair. I was skeptical and a little worried about the outcome, but I completely trust her so I said what the heck! {By the way, this was planned and didn't happen on a whim, that was the whole reason for her coming over}

Here are the end results - $5.99 at Target compared to $100 (including tip) at the salon

Ohmyeyes. I was large and in charge.

2011-07-19T12:03:00.000-07:00

I have about a million pictures of when I was pregnant with Adalyn. I was bored at work and decided to browse my photo albums in shutterfly and stumbled upon this

I was 39 weeks pregnant at this point. I'm pretty sure there could have been triplets in there.

Holy crap. I didn't even know I had a bare belly shot from my last week of pregnancy but boy do I!! I think I gained about 50 pounds with Addy and it shows! I mean, look at that thing.

The Benefits of Plyometrics

2011-07-19T08:13:00.000-07:00

As an avid exerciser, I highly reccommend adding in some plyo to your workout routine {of course if you are unsure, pregnant, or have an injury...consult with your doctor first}.

I do one day a week of plyometrics and I sweat my tush off. It feels amazing....when you're done!

Here are some reasons to add in plyo to your routine - taken from plyometricsexercises.org

1.Develops Explosive Power and Muscle Strength.
Plyometrics exercises with its intense regimen develop the muscles, particularly in the leg area making it stronger. It also helps and strengthens the arms for throwing or striking activities. It also helps in increasing the body’s resistance since it raises the body’s stamina which allows the muscles to endure long duration of trainings and workouts.

2.Helps in Weight Loss.
Just like any other physical activity, it increases metabolism since it uses muscle endurance techniques which subsequently burns calories and unwanted fats.

3.No need for expensive training gear.
It does not need expensive and bulky training gears. Should you wish to do these exercises, gears and equipments can be found and the exercise itself can be done right in the comfort of your own home. You can do any of the jumps associated with plyometrics exercises at home like: depth jump, vertical jump and slalom jump. Additionally, you can do the ankle hops, start throws and pushups.

4.Enhances posture and balance.
Doing a continuous plyometrics exercises routine, you will notice a substantial improvement on your posture and balance because your muscles and tissues are conditioned and strengthen.

5.Reduces the risk of injuries and accidents.
It improves the body’s flexibility and range of motion by strengthening the body. As such, it makes the body more resistant to injuries and accidents.

And in case you were racking your brain for some plyo exercises, here you go!

Box Jumps

Burpee

Jump Rope

Jumping Higher

You can find others by googling or youtubing it! Getcha some!

Veneers & Weekend

2011-07-17T14:05:00.000-07:00

I tried to get some good pics of them, and this is the best I could do, on my own!

It took about 3 hours and lots and lots of numbing. I was in severe pain for about an hour after and then it just went away, with the numbing, and I haven't felt ANY pain since {fingers crossed it stays that way}

That was done Saturday morning, and after I went home picked the kids and hubby up and we went to my parent's house. David has been helping my step-dad build a shed, so while he did that {in 102 degree weather, poor thing} the kids, my mom, and my mom's friend and daughter all swam and ate some lunch. We got ready over there and then we went to the rodeo that night. It was OK, not really my thing, but not terrible either. Addy was clapping and saying "Yay" every time somebody came out riding a bull, horse, etc...which was every minute it seemed. Hayden loved it and is now wanting to wear his cowboy boots every day!

Sunday was church, then home where I finished my 10 page research paper for my intern class. What a relief!! David went to work and the kids and I went grocery shopping and then to my mother-in-law's for a yummy dinner. And I may or may not have eaten at least 10 homemade cookies! Bad Bad Bad!

We had a nice weekend and I'm looking forward for these next few weeks I have left of school to fly by!

Powerpoint Style

2011-07-14T07:26:00.000-07:00

*My dentist appointment for my veneers was rescheduled for this Saturday at 9:30 AM due to my dentist being at a different office all week

*My ticket is booked for the Baltimore trip to see my bestie, one of my other friends {Jenna} is coming along too...that also used to be Jaclyn's roommate. The tenative dates are 08.04.11 - 08.08.11. I am super excited!

*3 more weeks of school. THREE! This has been the worst semester yet. I mean HORRIBLE! I have cried twice, seriously. And I have never cried over school before. I am being stretched to my limit and beyond.

*We have tickets for the rodeo this weekend. Hayden is very excited, he's never been. We are really looking forward to a little family fun, but are a little worried about how cupcake will do. It doesn't start until 7:30...30 minutes past her bedtime. Although, over 4th of July weekend she was up until almost 10:00 each night...and very cranky! Maybe I somewhat prepared her??

*I am feeling the itch to go shopping. BAD! I haven't been in what seems like an eternity and I could use a few new pieces to my wardrobe. I plan to slowly do this. Tomorrow. Maybe something like this

or similar, we'll see what kind of sales are going on.

*Speaking of sales! I can't ever pass up a good deal. My two purchases in the past month have been off eBay. I bought a pair of white BKE shorts (originally $40 or $50 in store) for $10.99! And a pair of Big Star capri jean shorts (oringally $72.50 in store) for $19.99! I love them both and they fit so well! I always look on eBay for what I want first before paying full price in store, most of the time I am able to find it and purchase it for over 50% less.

And to conclude this powerpoint presentation, My oxygen, my heart, my loves

Getting my workout on - at home

2011-07-12T09:28:00.001-07:00

I usually workout at my house 2 maybe 3 times a week. One of those days is straight cardio on the treadmill for 45 minutes, the other day or two is strength training.

I have 3 sets of weights, but only use 2 of the sets. 3 lbs, 7 lbs and 15 lbs (my husband's).

I use the 7 lbs most of the time and when I do biceps I use the 15 lbs

Here are some pics my hubby snapped while I was working out Sunday

I generally keep a little journal on the days I do strength training, I plan out my workouts the day/night before and jot it down. I like to do about 250 different versions of crunches working every single muscle group in my core and then about 4 to 5 different exercises for either upper or lower body with 3 to 4 sets of 12 to 15 reps {it varies, depending on the exact workout it is and how much weight I'm using}

Lately, I've been adding in one to two cardio intervals per set for 30 seconds a piece.

This is what a day at home might look like:

Upper Body

Hammer curls - 15 lbs - 3 sets of 12
Angled Bicep Curls - 15 lbs - 3 sets of 12
Cardio Interval - Jumping Jacks - 30 seconds - 3 sets
Around the world - 7 lbs - 3 sets of 10
Lateral Raises - 7 lbs - 3 sets of 15

Lower Body

Lunges - 7 lbs - 3 sets of 15
Sissy Squats - no weights or 5 lbs - 3 sets of 15
Cardio Interval - Squat Thrusts - 30 seconds - 3 sets
Calf raises - no weights - 3 sets of 50
Deadlifts - 7 to 10 lbs - 3 sets of 15

I eat a protein bar right after my workout followed by about 2 to 3 servings of peanuts an hour or two later

**I just ordered a DVD set just like P90X, it's called Supreme 90 and I ordered it brand new off of Amazon for $19.99, including shipping! We used to have P90 but my husband lost it somehow, so for a fraction of the price, we will now have an equivalant. I have heard it is great from a few of my workout friends who use it. I'll keep you guys posted on that and how I'm liking it

my weekend and a hairy situation - and Oh yeah!

2011-07-11T11:33:00.000-07:00

Much to my surprise, the weekend took a turn for the better. My spirits have been lifted and I got just the right amount of 'time to myself' that I needed as well as time with my husband and kids.

Friday, after completing a 4 hour revision of my research paper {we revise it weekly. Fun!! NOT!}, I then got to town on cleaning the house and met up with a friend for an afternoon movie. We saw Horrible Bosses and it was fantasticly hilarious! One of my top comedy movies now. We were laughing the entire way through just about. Thinking about scenes in it still makes me giggle! After the movie we stopped by Gloria's and had two beers and then I headed home so Dave and the kids and I could all go to dinner. In N Out was the original plan and I was soooo overly excited about this, but it was insanely busy. Like a 1 to 2 hour wait. So that didn't happen. We opted for Logan's Roadhouse and it was Ok, not planning on going back anytime soon.

Saturday David had to work all day so the kids and I were invited over to my paren'ts to swim and grill and we did just that. Hayden asked to stay the night while we were there and my parents agreed so after we swam and ate all day long, Addy and I left Bubs there and headed home. Cupcake was so exhausted and did not enjoy bath time at all that night! I put her straight to bed because it was nearing 9:00 {2 hours past her bedtime} and I poured a glass of wine and began watching a movie while I waited on Daddy to get home. When he did, we hung out on the patio for a bit talking about our days and called it a night.

Sunday, we went to church and to pick Hayden up from my parents, then spent the day doing a little of everything. I got some more chores done and got Max groomed and then we all made dinner as a family. It was such a nice day.

Thank God for this past weekend, it was much needed and I feel refreshed in a sense.

:::::Moving On::::::

I am needing some advice in the hair department. For whatever reason, hormones I suppose, my hair really thickened while I was pregnant with Adalyn and I absolutely hate it. I have tried quite a few products {on the cheaper end} and just recently purchased John Frieda's Frizz ease shampoo and conditioner, although it does seem to help a bit, it just isn't doing what I hoped for. My hair is a mess! Any product advice you can pass on, please do! Thanks

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend

A pic of my little Bohemian! She got into my hair drawer, which she loves to do while I'm getting ready {she usually puts my headband around her neck or wrist like it's jewelry!} and this is what I saw when I looked down!

AND

I am getting my veneers put on this Wednesday! Pictures to come!! I am soooo excited

Not a good time

2011-07-05T07:52:00.000-07:00

Was this past weekend a Holiday weekend?? Could've fooled me!

David worked every single day/night and hasn't had time off in over a week. Made for a very depressing 3 day weekend.

I spent every day at home with the kids...all day long. Minus Sunday where the kids and I got out of the house for a bit and went to my Aunt's an hour away. That was pretty nice, but really stressful not having David's help. I wasn't able to sit down and relax. At all. I ran after the kids telling them, "Don't do that!" or "Don't jump off the bunk bed" {my aunt has two boys; 5 and 8 and they are WILD!} We left before we were able to watch any fireworks because Adalyn was super cranky.

Speaking of cranky pants, she has been such a mess lately. Another reason we didn't leave the house. It's hard to please her when she is like that and it gets embarassing having her throw fits everywhere we go, not to mention Hayden doesn't like to listen very well currently.

I am so exhausted and we literally did nothing all weekend. I need a mommy time out something fierce!

I did manage to get caught up on laundry. Yipee.

Over the looooong weekend I began laying the groundwork to get Adalyn on the potty training bus. She is showing the signs that she is ready so who am I to hold her back?! I tried getting her to go about once an hour or she would come to me and start grabbing her diaper like she wants to go. She has yet to tinkle in the potty, but I'm sure it will happen soon.

I hope you all had yourselves a much better weekend than I did!

Cupcake's 21 Month Stats

2011-06-30T11:51:00.001-07:00

Somebody please tell me I am not really gonna have a 2 year old in 3 months! Unbelievable.

Each day with my princess is more amazing than the day before. She is sassy, feisty, and sooooo loving!

Words:{I'm pretty sure you would have to be me to know what she is saying half the time, but that is not the point!}

Uh-oh
Thank You {tank-to}
Please {pee}
Max {Mac}
Milk {Mi)
Mine {miiiiiine}
Book
Cat and the Hat {cat hat}
Bite {byeeeee}

Sleeping Habits:
These change weekly...sometimes nightly. Adalyn tends to still wake up once or twice a night a couple times a week and yes I still go into her room and soothe her. I either give her a sippy of water or her paci although we are getting rid of that thing here soon. I really don't mind this. Yes, I wish she slept all night every single night, but to be honest I sometimes get excited about seeing her, touching her face, covering her up, etc. in the middle of the night. It warms my heart.

Adalyn is really into reading books right now, she likes to act like she is reading to me and open a book {usually upside down} and jibber-jabber like she is reading.

She is really into doing any and everything Bubba does. This poses quite a problem most of the time.

She absolutely loves Dora {Du}

If at anytime she sees her swimsuit she gets super excited and gives it to me to put it on her, she loves being in the water

Adalyn is getting ready to potty train, we have not started this yet for a few reasons, but the main one is because I don't have the time to be consistent with training her right now. Life is way too hectic momentarily, so I plan to dive into that when she is closer to 2

She walks around the house a lot with her play baby stroller and every doll she has {3 of them}. 2 are on top of each other in the stroller and one in her arms. Melts my heart.

Addy LOVES me painting her nails and toenails. If she ever sees me painting mine she comes and shoves her foot in my face for me to paint hers.

Her hair is FINALLY just long enough to do pigtails and a low ponytail. I love this! Her hair is still growing oddly and is longer in the back than it is in the front.

She is in 18 month to 2T clothes and needs a new wardrobe, but with her birthday in 3 months we'll just wait it out

Adalyn is a GREAT eater, unlike somebody else :::Cough::: Hayden. She loves greenbeans, broccoli, peas, all fruit, especiall grapes, potatoes, etc. Makes for a much easier dinner plan!

I am sure that so much more is missing, haven't done one of these posts in a while.

close together or far apart, you're forever in my heart

2011-06-29T15:56:00.000-07:00

On Saturday night, my best friend and her boyfriend had a little going away get together at one of our favorite wine bars. David and I made it out to support somebody who has been there for me and supported me through every endeavor. Jaclyn has a huge piece of my heart and we have been friends for 10 years, so saying goodbye to her these past few weeks has been a hard pill to swallow. There has been a lot of tears and I'm sure there will be a few more shed before she leaves this Saturday. Tomorrow night we are having a little wine night gathering at my house with just her and her roommate, our other friend, Jenna. Typing this out gives me a lump in my throat and I'm just not ready for this to finally be a reality.

Jaclyn,

You have been more than a friend to me, you have become my sister. You give me motivation with school and building a career for myself. You are so driven and so independent. I would not have made it as far as I have in college, if it wasn't for your help and guidance. You are a beautiful person inside and out and I look forward to visiting you in Baltimore and taking my first visit to New York with you beside me. You will always have a large piece of my heart and nobody could ever replace you. I know we will keep in touch and talk often, but with you living 25 hours away, it just won't be the same. You can't come over for wine when you've had a bad day. I can't meet you at the V for a night with old folks dancing our hearts away to some Tracy Chapman. With all of this said, I am so happy for you and for your new adventures you are about to embark on. I will live vicariously through you :) You have so many exciting things ahead of you and I WILL be there for every single one of them whether it be by spirit or physically.

"Though miles may lie between us, we're never far apart, for friendship doesn't count the miles, it's measured by the heart"

Love your best friend and your sister,

Erica

Temps are on - Added 1 more pic!

2011-06-28T08:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was spent getting my temporaries put on for my veneers. I was given 3 shots in my gums to numb my mouth, to me the shots and the numbing were by far the worst part. Once I couldn't feel anything it was fine. I had to get 2 rounds of numbing and on my second one it numbed all the way up to my eyes. I actually couldn't see straight unless I was looking down and then I started freezing and shaking so they had to give me a blanket. Other than those two things, everything went well.

My teeth/gums are sore but not as much as I anticipated.

Here are the pics

And two more...

I will be making a minor change before getting my porcelain veneers July 13th, but these are basically it!

So What If...

2011-06-23T10:52:00.000-07:00

I'm a day late....So what?!

...I ate 3 cheesy beef enchiladas, two helpings of mexican rice and an entire pint of ice cream last night

...I've seen the Notebook 10 times and still cry

...I repaint the same color over and over again on my toes because I'm too lazy to take the polish off and redo them

...I go down the elevator intended for the UPS guys when I leave work because it lets me out closer to my car

...I sleep in some comfy ass granny panties every night....no shame in my game :-)

...I send random pictures of myself to my husband a few times a week...not those kind!

...I jam out to Party Rock Anthem {I will totally bust some awesome moves to this song next time the kids and I have a dance party}

...I have chapstick in 4 different places so I am never without it {the diaper bag, my purse, my makeup bag, and my car}

...I used to edit my friend's letters in high school and correct them for grammatical and punctuation errors

...My blogger layout looks like crap...I'm having it re-done

I could seriously "So What" all day long!

Being the Punisher

2011-06-21T10:21:00.000-07:00

I HATE punishing my children. It is probably the worst thing on the face of this earth. It breaks my heart, especially when I am having to punish my little baby, Adalyn. I know that kids need structure and ground rules and consequences for their actions, therefore I do indeed punish.

Adalyn has recently started screaming at the top of her lungs if I don't give her something she wants, take away something she isn't supposed to have, or tell her no. She did this twice last night, so I sat her in time out (a rug in our bathroom) each time. It was so sad. I made her sit for a minute and then would go in and talk to her and explain that she can not yell and that she will go to time out (as I pointed to the rug) every time she does so.

I'm not sure that she understood it to its entirety, but she didn't yell after the second time. Progress? I hope so.

Another interesting thing I've noticed with Adalyn, that Hayden has never done, is that she gets her feelings hurt extremely easily. She is super sensitive and it breaks my heart into pieces. David makes fun of me for this.

For instance, if I tell her "get back, it's hot" when I'm opening the oven she starts rubbing her eyes and looks at the ground and then falls on her bottom and starts sobbing. She has been doing this for a while now and I'm not sure how to get her over it. I tell her I'm not mad at her I just dont' want her getting hurt, but again...not sure what all she is understanding.

Punishing Hayden has been quite an adventure. We are still trying to figure out what form works for him. I don't believe in spanking....not that I don't do it from time to time because I do, but I feel so guilty afterwards that it just isn't worth it to me. So I do other things: I take away toys, take away his quiet time (when he gets to watch a movie or cartoons before bed), and I take away play time. Our biggest issue as parents is being consistent with the punishment. That is key. So we are being harder on him than we've ever been. If he gets in trouble whatsoever at daycare...no quiet time. He has to earn it back the next day, and if he doesn't earn it back he gets something else taken away.

Hayden loves sleeping with me while David is working nights or out of town (probably a horrible habit I've started, but Oh well. He is only this little once)so I have had to take that away from him a few nights and I HATE it. It is punishing myself as well. ::sigh::

All in all, I don't know if the way I'm punishing my kids for their wrong actions is necessarily the 'Right' way, but we're learning as we go.

What are some of the ways that you punish your kids?

Father's Day Weekend

2011-06-20T11:04:00.000-07:00

We had such a wonderful time this past weekend.

Friday night Me, David and the kids all went out to dinner at Mi Cocina. We've never eaten there before and can I just say YUM! I even tried out my first Skinny Girl Margarita....I only drank maybe half, it was way too sweet for me. Not sure if they're all that way, but if so I will not be partaking in the drinking of them!

Saturday, I got up and cleaned the house, then headed to the gym (kids in tow) for a body works class. After we came home and laid the kids down for a nap and I worked on school stuff. After nap time we went to a pretty awesome Spray Park in Plano where the kids (and Dave and I) had a blast! It was maybe a foot deep, so perfect for Miss Adalyn and it had slides and water sraying out everywhere!

{Getting ready for the spray park}

After the park, we headed home where I made us dinner and we rented Tron and watched it with the kids (I may or may not have fallen asleep through most of it!). Then off to bed.

{Movie Time}

Sunday after church the kids and I headed to my parent's where we enjoyed a day full of lounging in the sun/pool and grilling steaks. David couldn't make it unfortunately because he works Sunday nights and had to go home to sleep :(

{Hayden and Uncle Dyl}

This was the best weekend we've had in a while and I can't wait to be in the pool again next weekend! My parents will be out of town so we'll have their whole house to ourselves!

Thoughts on Adding to Our Family

2011-06-17T07:43:00.000-07:00

NO! Not now. But there has been talk going around (ok, maybe just between me and Dave) about a 3rd child. David has finally somewhat agreed to having one more. This is pretty big, but I am not shocked at all. I can talk my husband into anything, he loves me! And what a lucky woman I am to have such an open-minded, open-hearted supportive man.

I feel like one more little, tiny being is supposed to be a part of our family. I have felt this way since the day I had Adalyn. No joke. I remember thinking, not even an hour after I had her, that I want one more and that I could seriously get pregnant in the next few months. Well, the first year of Addy's life happened. You all know how that went down. Not an easy year. I had many ups and downs, there were times where I wanted another child and times where I didn't, but now I know that was the sleep deprivation talking. I have been wanting another child the last 15 out of 20 months since Addy was born. I just can't shake it.

I love kids, heck I'm gonna be a teacher for crying out loud! I don't know if I'd ever feel complete without one more. I'm sure I could find things to fill the hole in my heart but I would always wonder. One of the greatest sayings I've ever heard was "You never regret the kids you have, only the ones you don't." At the end of the day, all we really ever have is our family and the little life at home we've made for ourselves. That is what matters the most, so why wouldn't I want to expand that love?

Now things will have to be in order before taking the leap of adding to our family of 4. I WILL be done with school, I WILL have worked at least a year, We WILL pay off most of our debt, and we WILL get good insurance. These are all a must. I'm sure David could add to the list. This would mean (roughly) getting pregnant in 2013, that is 2 years away. It will be here before I know it and when it does I may have a completely different plan. We won't know until we get there. I can set a path out all I want but I am not the one in control, God has the ultimate say in this...and I know this and trust in Him. With that being said and known on my part, Planning is in my blood. I can not help this. Ask my husband.

I have said this so many times, but I absolutely mean it. My kids have opened my heart to a kind of love I have never experienced or could ever imagine existed. Being their mom is the best part of my life, along with being a wife to my wonderful husband. I truly do not know where on earth I would be without my little family David and I have created.

So why not have one more precious baby? What are your thoughts on adding/not adding to your family? Is the time ever really right? What are you willing to sacrifice or not willing to sacrifice for another child?

Toning the Bod: Progress Pics

2011-06-16T10:34:00.000-07:00

I have been taking and updating pictures of my body since I had my 2nd child, Adalyn, September 30th, 2009. I started working out (light treadmill) 1 week postpartum (PP) and I also walked on the treadmill 45 minutes a day, 6 days a week the entire pregnancy. Up until 1 day before I delivered. It did get harder, and I did get slower, but I did not give up.

Losing weight is one thing and toning is a whole other ballpark. Toning does not happen over night, it takes time and patience. Even on somebody who is naturally "small" like me. It didn't happen over night. I have put in, and still continue to put it, hard work and dedication.

Here are the end results as of this summer:

It CAN be done ladies! I have loose skin, less now since I've toned it, around my belly button area from my skin stretching so incredibly much(60 lbs with my first and 42 lbs with my 2nd) It's not perfect but it sure is improved. Don't give up and keep at it!

slow dancing in a burning room

2011-06-14T11:00:00.000-07:00

The weekend went very well, Saturday we layed out and played volleyball in 100 degree weather! Holy Cow it was hot but it sure was a lot of fun! Wish we could do that every weekend!

Sunday the kids and I went out to my cousin's graduation party, another day full of being outside. It was hot and exhausting, but I'm so glad we were able to make it.

I finally got my first shellac french manicure Saturday before volleyball. Love. I can see this becoming an addiction!

Work is still going well, look at this super cute TJ Maxx top I got for $12! I am loving royal blue right now.

I get my temporaries for my veneers June 27th. I am freaking out. There is no turning back once those bad boys are on! Until then, I am bleaching the heck out of my teeth almost nightly to get them as white as possible by then.

I have officially reached my stress limit. What on earth was I thinking signing up for 4 classes this summer?? I wish the summer was more relaxing, this is killing me. 7 more weeks. 7 more weeks. 7 more weeks. I have to keep reminding myself. It's going to fly by and then one semester left!

We have ourselves a busy weekend ahead. Celebrating Father's Day for 4 special men! I wasn't very creative this year in the gift department for David. I got him some Bvulgari cologne (Mmmm!) and some plaid shorts, I also mentioned that I might clean the garage, but I'm really not feeling like it plus that was supposed to be part of my Mother's Day present that never happened! For my Step Dad, I am getting him a shaving cream warmer, he had one that he loved and it broke. We are taking my Dad to dinner Saturday night if he gets off work early enough and I have no idea what we'll do for David's Dad.

And one more thing....Way to go MAVS!! 2011 NBA Champions!

not off to a good start

2011-06-09T13:34:00.000-07:00

Me and summer have not gotten off on the right foot so far. I am up to my eyeballs in school related things, I locked my keys in my car a few days ago, and I nearly fractured my tailbone Tuesday at work. I am sore and pissy.

I need a BREAK. A break from my life. A break from my never-ending to do list. A break from feeling the need to be perfect in every way, all the time.

So, the hubs and I are putting together a volleyball game (more him than me, I'll be laying out) for this Saturday. We used to always play volleyball, every single weekend, every summer. That was before we had kids! Now we are lucky to play one game a year. This may just be that one game. Hopefully there are more. Doubtful.

This is also the last weekend I'll get to see one of my best friend's before she moves to Baltimore, MD. I still can't believe this.

We are going to make the most out of our Saturday together and hopefully summer will give me another chance and start being kind to me, Yes?

New Table

2011-06-06T16:22:00.001-07:00

Here she is in all her glory!

The color is perfection, the wood grain is beautiful! The legs are fabulous! I could not be happier with our choice!

We still need to dress her up with some pretties and get a light fixture to replace the fan as well as put some decor on that big wall

The table also comes with an extension and we can purchase 2 more chairs for it, which we will end up doing when we move into a house that has a dining area. For now, 6 chairs are just fine!

let's begin here

2011-06-03T08:35:00.000-07:00

I feel like I have so much to catch up on and so little time...

Work and School - The past 2.5 weeks I have been working at my part-time job. I work 2 8.5 to 9 hour days a week and I love it! With that being said, it sure is tough to manage everything else in my life. A full load at school (hardest semester yet by far!), 2 kids, my husband working nights, house work, exercising, dinner, errands, etc...You get the point! School alone is a full time job this semester. I will be writing so many papers. I will write the longest paper of my life this semester. 20 pages, no joke. In my intern class I have a 10 page paper due and in my two other classes I have 3 to 4 1 page papers due weekly. I am sure I could produce a novel out of all of these!

Exercising - you know this is a huge part of my life and I am still managing it while working and going to school. The days I work I wake up between 5:30 and 5:45 in the morning. One day I do the treadmill for 45 minutes and the other day I do my new Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30 workout dvd. She is not playing around! If you enjoyed the Shred, then you will LOVE this! It's hard, but it consists of four 24 minute routines based on the 3-2-1 rule...3 minutes of strenth, 2 minutes of cardio and 1 minute of abs. You start with week 1 and work your way to week 4. I really love it! The days I don't work I still make it to the gym for classes and weights. I am now back to working out 6 days a week because I am not able to get in as much time as I was each day.

Fun Stuff - We are finally (3 months later) getting our kitchen table this afternoon! I promise to update with pictures! Also, this past week I did the Zoom Teeth Whitening at my dentist office. Each session lasts for 15 minutes and I did 3 sessions back to back. I had no idea the pain I would endure. My teeth hurt so bad during each session that I thought surely they'd fall right out of my gums. My mouth was throbbing, but somehow, someway I managed to not die and made it through. The dentist did ask if I'd like to do a 4th session and I kindly replied HELL NO! I am very happy with the results and it even comes with bleaching trays to start using in 3 months. I'm not sure if I'm going to be rushing in to do it again next time but I'm glad it's over and it did what it was supposed to. Speaking of teeth, I had the invisalign....for a whole week and I HATED it. I could not close my mouth hardly and it looked pretty ridiculous on me. I went back to my dentist who said, let's do veneers then, so that's why I got the whitening done and I go back this Wednesday to start the veneer process. I will be getting between 1 and 4...probably 4. I am scared. I will also update with pictures of this once it's all said and done. I'm thinking I'll have them within the month.

The Kids - They are both doing very well. Addy is starting to talk a tiny itty bitty bit more. I'm really shocked she doesn't say much. Just last night she said, "ball" which she hasn't really said and she said "bath" the other night. She still loves saying "tickle tickle" every time I take her shirt off for bath time and she even tickles herself! Hayden is looking more and more like a little man, he has become extremely michevious lately and really talking back to me. I am trying to nip this in the bud. Other than those two things he is a happy, super-hero loving little boy!

That about does it for now! I hope you all have a great weekend and I hope my husband and I can carve out a date night for this weekend!

sunshine fall on me

2011-05-30T06:22:00.000-07:00

We really didn't have much of a Memorial Weekend because my husband had to start working nights again Sunday night, so we took advantage of Saturday and boy was it a beautiful day!

My parent's went camping so we decided to go over to their house, have our best friends and their kids over and swim and grill. No worries, my parents knew we were there and they never mind! They are pretty great like that!

I worked out Saturday morning and then we went to my parent's, fed the kids lunch and I laid Adalyn down for a nap about 12. That girl slept until almost 4! She sleeps so well at my parent's, must be because of how dark it is in the room I put her in.

Well, that allowed Mama to lay out and catch some rays with my best friend while our kids and hubbies played in the pool. The water was very cold but somehow that just doesn't phase children....or men? I only stuck my feet in and that was enough of a cool off for me.

We grilled hot dogs and had chips and salsa. Yummo! I LOVE hot dogs, even if they are bad for you.

Hope you all had a wonderful 3 day weekend! I'll leave you with a few pics from the day (the very very few I got, my friend took quite a bit more on her camera, but is horrible at uploading pics so I won't be holding my breath for them anytime soon!)

What a SCARE!

2011-05-22T09:57:00.001-07:00

I have had a whirlwind of a weekend.

Friday, I woke up feeling pretty bloated and a tad nauseous. I ate some oatmeal like usual and got ready for the gym. While at the gym the nausea got worse and I could hardly workout without feeling the need to throw up, so I didn't get much of a workout in. The kids and I had a play date right after the gym and went straight home afterwards. Thank goodness David was home from being out of town for a few days because the day went waaaay downhill from there. My nausea got so bad that I could barely talk, I tried to eat but it made me miserable. My stomach was so terribly bloated and sensitive to touch. By 4:00 that afternoon I absolutely had to lay down and try to sleep because I couldn't move without running to the bathroom in hopes of throwing up every 5 minutes. I got about an hour and a half of sleep and then woke up to the chills, sweating, and in so much stomach pain. I ran to the bathroom and gagged myself as best as I could to try and get some relief. None. {I have maybe thrown up a handful of times my whole life, I just can't even when I'm am sick as a dog} Anyways, finally about 6:30 I slowly started feeling better but still really bloated and nauseous. I ate a little bit and then went back to bed where I tossed and turned all night long from the nausea.

Saturday morning I woke up feeling really weak and still nauseated but much better, that is until the cramping started. I was getting shooting pains in my lower right abdomen and a dull aching pain all day in my back. Along with these symptoms I've been having a few other abnormal ones as well that would be TMI to share so I'll save you the details!

I have a really good friend that is a nurse practitioner so I called her immediately and told her what was going on. I have an IUD in and haven't had anything checked out since I got it placed a year and a half ago thanks to no insurance.

My friend said that the cramping as well as the other TMI symptoms were not normal together and my IUD might be expulsing. Not good.

She told me that I should probably take a pregnancy test since I was nauseous the day before and that she was pretty worried.

I picked a test up from the dollar store and was shaking when I saw THIS

{click on the image and even zoom in. There is a very faint line. Stare at it. you will see}

With both Hayden and Adalyn's pregnancy tests the first one came back very faint, so faint that I shook it off and thought I wasn't pregnant. A line is a line no matter how faint. That is one thing I have definitely learned through all my pregnancy test taking days.

For 3 hours I thought I was pregnant. I somewhat got used to the idea of this rocking my whole world. As much as I want a 3rd baby, now is not the time. And not this way...so unplanned.

I called my friend back immediately almost in tears and told her what I saw. She was pretty worried and told me to check my IUD strings immediately. I have never done that...ew. But I did, I hopped in the shower and checked for them. Twice. Nothing. I felt nothing.

Now I was really scared.

David went to the dollar tree and got me another test, a different test, and it came back negative. Oh my word. Do you know the relief I felt?? Thank you, Jesus!

My friend said that although it isn't common, tests can show false positives.

She still thinks that becuase of the cramping and other TMI issues that I still may be expulsing my IUD and I need to get it checked ASAP.

I am not so much worried about being pregnant now as I am about IUD movement and expulsion.

What I'm Loving Wednesday

2011-05-18T15:34:00.001-07:00

These awesome new Nike's I bought myself, I splurged a little, but I'm in them 5 to 6days out of the week! They rock my feet!

This picture of me and my handsome hubby

That I got myself a part time, 2 day a week position, making some extra moolah

That I am so close to finishing school that I can literally taste it and damn does it taste good!

That my kids are attached to me {I like to think of it as they can't live without me, I'm their everyting, and they'll never ever leave me!} Of course they would never go through a detach phase or anything, so unheard of!

Love that the summer nights are starting! The Harbor is calling my name....and I have responded. I'll see you tomorrow night concerts on the lake!

Loving wall decals - I plan to get these for the house - such a cheap way to decorate a wall

I am loving me some strawberry banana smoothies....more like addicted to - uhh, YUM!

my most favorite thing

2011-05-10T07:49:00.000-07:00

Being a MOM! Handsdown, the most awesome job in the world. I am the type of person that lives for others. I love taking care of people, it's something I am really good at and I enjoy it. Honestly, I can't even tell you what it was like to breathe before having kids...that's how much they have changed my entire world. Just like many other moms would say...I would NOT change any of it. Not a thing. They are perfect little beings, so sweet and so innocent. They are pure and full of everything good in this world. I am blessed beyond words with these kids. I was making dinner last night and Addy loves to 'help' so I sat her up on the counter and she watched me add in my ingredients to our chicken and broccoli alfredo and as I'm going about my chef thing she just starts babbling, like she has something really important to say, she goes on and on and on and I could not stop smiling. That is my girl. She makes me so proud. And her brother, my sonshine! How can he be the sweetest and cuddliest, yet toughest little boy around? I'm not sure either, but I am so happy he is all mine!

As mother's we are somebody's everything. Isn't that amazing? Just let that marinate. Wow! We are their whole entire world and they are ours! I never knew that my heart could expand the way it has, that I was capable of being selfless and giving the way I am with my kids. It amazes me. As cheesy as it may be....My kids complete me. They make me a whole. All those years I was just a half and had no idea until they came into my life.

Let's Play Catch Up, Shall We?!

2011-05-08T09:27:00.000-07:00

Things that have been going on the past week:

*I finished 3 out of 4 final exams for school and have my last one tomorrow night!

*I found out my best friend Jaclyn will be moving to Baltimore in one month to pursue a wonderful opportunity and new career! I am so excited for her and also sad to see her go. I don't think its completely set in yet.

*a few job opportunities have come up for both David and I. More on that later, once I know more

*we had a garage sale that went pretty well

*Addy finally started saying some words. Tickle tickle, bye bye, bubbles cheese, and kitty cat to name a few

*Hayden has his last soccer game Wednesday. We've had a great first season and plan to sign him up in the fall

Now to my Mother's Day!

Gosh I love this day! I enjoy feeling so loved and appreciated and I love getting handmade gifts that my husband and kids put thought into! Case and point...The coupon book. It literally had me laughing the whole way through, please notice on the 'coupons' my husband really wasn't too fond of, he put an expiration date on! This cracks me up!

(Yes, we really have dance offs!)

Isn't that so cute? Hayden helped with what coupons to make!

Here is my cupcake getting ready with Mommy! I gave her one of my old makeup brushes (make-up free) and now everytime I am getting ready she comes into the bathroom and does her "makeup" too!!

Saturday evening we had dinner with David's Mom, it was really nice. Then we came home and watched 127 hours....crazy movie!! It's just unreal.

Today (Mother's Day), we went to my mom's where some family was over and grilled out fajitas for lunch.

Here are the pictures from the day! Hope you all enjoyed your Mother's Day!!

WILW

2011-04-27T09:22:00.000-07:00

That this weekend will be calm. The hubs and I are planning on renting a movie Friday or Saturday night and having a much needed couch date with some ice cream!

I am loving that my final exams are all a week apart! Thank you Jesus! They are usually all in the same week which is difficult to manage and overwhelms the heck out of me!

I am loving that we own our very own house. I love that I can paint, decorate, and remodel as I please.

I am loving that with all the rain my babies are growing beautifully in the garden!

I am loving that I'm about to have 3 weeks off of school, I really don't know what I'll do with myself! Swimming?!?!

I'm loving being a soccer mom! Hayden is doing so well at his games and I couldn't be more proud!

I'm loving that this is my husband's last week of working nights (hopefully)....although we never know what job he's doing next until a day or two before it starts which I am NOT loving

I'm loving that I meet so many women at my gym that inspire and motivate me

What are you loving?

Sprung on Spring - Family Pictures and Our Weekend

2011-04-24T09:56:00.000-07:00

Friday night David had to go help some of our friends move so Hayden and I decided we would decorate Easter Eggs, it was his very first time! He really enjoyed it and so did I. It was great to just be spending time together, he and I.

Adalyn has been a teething terror for the past few weeks and it has hit an all time high the past three days. She. Is. Miserable. My heart aches for her, it is so hard as a mom to see your child in any kind of pain, especially one where nothing you do helps. She was up Friday and Saturday night about 10 times an hour most hours. We had to bring her in bed with us both nights just to calm her down. Needless to say, we have not had much sleep in the Denton household. It's OK though, I'm a trooper thanks to the first year of her life...remember?? Sleep? Who needs that?!

Moving onto Saturday, we went back to the same location as we did our Spring pictures last year and my mother-in-law took pictures of us again. They turned out so good! I will post them at the end. After the pictures we went over to my mother-in-law's house for a pre-Easter dinner which was so good that I stuffed myself silly.

Sunday, we went to Church as usual,home so the kids could get naps and then out to my Granny's where we have our annual Easter egg hunt with all of Hayden and Adalyn's little cousins and we have a big ole feast of heaven! I just love my family to pieces and am so blessed to have such loving, supporting, and caring people in my life.

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ!

Guest Bath/Kid's Bath Pictures

2011-04-22T09:48:00.000-07:00

I completely forgot to post these, so here they are now. Not a makeover or anything, just a few touch-ups

Also, I haven't forgotten about the new kitchen table pics, we just haven't gotten our table yet!! It was backordered and should be here in 2 to 3 more weeks!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

2011-04-20T09:10:00.001-07:00

Opi Shatter nail polish!

and I LOVE that Ulta had a buy 2 get 1 Free on their Opi nail polish....Had to stock up!

These fabulous Miss Me shorts!! Trying to find them, or similar ones, on ebay because I love me a cheaper find!

Wedges!!

These swimsuits!! I'll take the models' bodies too!

Birthday Cake Ice cream!!

That I only have 2 to 3 weeks left of my Spring semester of school!

Nike lunar glide shoes

I loved that I scored this brand new Jessica Simpson purse off eBay for $12.50

I love that I taught Hayden how to spell and write his name

AND that I can do this to Addy's hair, even if it is barely!

Free as we'll ever be...

2011-04-19T07:39:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday was the Kenny Chesney Going Coastal Tour! We have had our tickets for some time now and were so excited to go! Uncle Kracker, Billy Currington and Zac Brown Band were all performing as well. We had great seats and the concert was amazing! By the time Kenny came on I was dancing and singing my heart out all over the place. I couldn't sit still. I love me a good concert! The next one we go to will be Journey and Foreigner in September, tickets are already bought!

We started the day off early Saturday. We got the kids dropped off at my parent's house around 11 that morning. Dropping the kids off was hard for me. I broke down and cried the night before. Addy has been teething and I was just worried and stressed about them staying the night away from home but we paid a lot of money for these tickets so I had to make the very best of it and I was really excited just bad anxiety. After we left my parents we headed over to our friend's house where we all rode together. We stopped and ate at Pappadeux and then checked in at our hotel. We did some last minute getting ready and then took a cab to the concert. There was about 12 of us total, our friends' sister and her friends went as well.

I could have melted when Billy Currington came on. I just LOVE him. And Zac Brown Band and the "Free" song, Oh.My.Gosh. This was one of the best concerts I've been to.

It was an awesome night with great memories!