weekend in 5.

1.
 i do believe our air conditioner (original with the house, built in 1985 might i add...) picked the most PERFECT summer to croak. it's been quite the mild summer thus far (i'm probably going to jinx it!)--i've only gotten like three ripe tomatoes and by this time last year i was picking them by the bucketfulls! i've honestly hardly missed the a/c. but the few moments that i do, i REEEEAAAALLLLY do. we're being sticklers about adding to credit debt right now and are gonna try and stick it out...at least tough it out until we can buy one with cash (Dave Ramsey would be so proud!). thank goodness for pools, fans and fam and friends with a/c!

2.
G came home friday night just in time to fill in for the Simmons Financial Softball team (he had a BLAST--and got all scuffed up from multiple infield dives). Kai and I watched (i play/fill in too...but someone had to watch the small fry...). Kai had SO much fun watching/playing/crawling and getting really dirty:

watching his interest in the game got me slightly enthused

about being HIS future #1 fan cheering in the stands.

3.
i got up bright and early saturday morning and jetted over to beautiful Walla Walla to run the annual Sweet Onion 10k with my Mom and sister Kelley. it was really fun! the weather was absolutely ideal for a run, the conversation lively, and scenery ideal:

i LOVE making memories like this with friends & fam--

if you get a chance to do a fun run, do it!

4.

after our run we participated in something called the "Sweet Skip" which was quite what it says: skipping around from restaurant to restaurant sampling their signature sweet onion dishes (and wine, of course). i've never eaten so much onion in one day! i'm a big onion fan so that is really quite a statement...

here is us at Jacobi's, one of Walla Walla's most well known restaurants. they had a great patio set-up, the perfect soundtrack playing, and a killer drink menu.

i would have been happy to camp out there all afternoon!:

5.

and i even managed to have a fantastic night/day with G too, who wasn't too worn out from his busy "guys day" with Kai (they had a blast all day at the 3-on-3 tourney just a few blocks away from us on main street). we went to Saturday night church and then had one of our favorite couples (Tiff & Jacob!) over for dinner and then spent Saturday hanging out and working in the yard (we even got to go on a lunch date while Kai took an extra long nap @ Nana's house--Ixtapa, the new restaurant by Burger King is legit!). after G headed back to Vancouver i went on an EXTRA long walk with Honey & Kai, one of my favorite daily activites for sure.

i'm starting to wince at the rate that the old "back to work" date is approaching on my calendar and am bound and determined to squeeze every last drop of sun, snuggles, naps and adventures from the days that remain...

...heading to bed feeling happy & blessed.



post-baby body check-in (diet & work-out included!)

i've received a handful of emails recently requesting healthy "non-boring" eating and workout advice. mostly from new mommies (i'm with ya ladies!).

i honestly didn't start seeing "real" results until i got "real" about the two dreaded C's:

1)cutting CALORIES
2) CARDIO.

i thought i was making progress. in my mind, i guess i was satisfied because i was getting to the gym most days of the week and, well, my maternity clothes were "way" too big and some of my bigger jeans were starting to fit loosely. and then, i got a wake-up call. pictures don't lie. my dad snapped this lovely photo of my siblings and i at my sister's graduation in early May. i didn't see it until he "tagged" me on facebook. as i sat there clicking (and "untagging") through those photos i was angry with myself. i'd reached the epitomy of a plateau and had been content with being complacent. complacent with my eating, my workouts and my body. i'd made some progress, but got comfortable along the way and let the intensity die. once i got over my little breakdown/tantrum over my reality check (thanks, dad) i obtained a copy of this picture and stuck it on my fridge. some people stick old "skinny" photos up as motivation...not me.

THIS was my motivation. i wanted to see a change. and i KNEW it had to start with my eating....

it was at THIS point that i realized sweating my booty off in the gym wasn't going to get me where i wanted to be unless i got serious about watching my eating. i wasn't eating horrible, but i was definitely not being disciplined with sugars, carbs and most of all, PORTION SIZE (motherhood makes you hungry!).

so with picture posted for strength on fridge, here's what i did:

1. i cut out "white" starches (breads, potatoes, rice, crackers, chips...)
2. i LIMIT dairy. i gave up my beloved cheese, yogurt, of course ice cream and even switched completely over to almond milk, which i now PREFER.
3. i eat breakfast EVERY DAY. either oatmeal or a flax/whole grain organic cereal with fresh fruit.
4. for a mid-morning post-workout snack i either make a shake or drink a muscle milk LIGHT ready-made shake.
5. for lunch and dinner, i focus on VEGGIES, VEGGIES and more VEGGIES. salads, stir-fry, soups paired with healthy whole grains like brown rice, black beans, nuts/seeds.
6. for dessert or extra snacks throughout the day= FRUIT!
7. i eat when i'm hungry, i just control my portions and make sure it's as pure and fresh as possible (not processed with a bunch of fake ingredients!)
8. i have healthy snacks on hand at all times (for me AND Kai!). this way i'm not tempted to sneak through the drive-through to satisfy my hunger! (I LOVE the south beach diet mixed nut packs! i mix em' with raisins and it's a great filling snack!)
9. i learn from Kai. i feed my baby natural, healthy, whole foods. why do we ever stop eating that way? i told my mom i was going to call my diet the "high chair" diet because i would often eat my lunch with him right off of his high chair (like chunks of avocados and cooked squash, sweet potato and asparagus!).
10. i treat myself. this one is key. i usually save my "treats" for social events. i'll have a yummy drink (or two!) or a piece of birthday cake or a cookie. this is neccesary and enjoyable.

my best friend when it came to finding healthy veggie or protein-packed recipes was the internet! seriously, if you have an internet connection you have all you need to whip up a healthy meal or come up with a good grocery list. plan for the week and sit down on sunday night and find a few meals you want to try...i will even make a bunch of brown rice and a big fat salad for the week on sunday night, that way half the battle is done!

on the WORK-OUT side things definitely shifted. i was no longer able to get to the gym 4-5 days a week for cardio and classes because G was gone in Vancouver for work and well, my Mom doesn't live at my house. i VOWED to make Kai's lovely long morning naptime my sacred workout time. NO EXCEPTIONS. and here's the kicker. i bought this dvd. at Walmart. for $10:

i followed this video religiously. i didn't cheat. i dripped sweat. i wanted to cry. i wanted to punch her in the face. but in all honestly, i started seeing results within weeks. i know i've blogged about it before, but seriously it's no joke. it's hard, and i LOVE it. it was just the "wake-up" call my body needed.

and for added cardio, i would throw Kai in the jogger and Honey on her leash and we would walk/jog for 40-60 minutes almost every evening. this is an enjoyable way that i can burn extra calories, get Kai outside and Honey some exercise. it's fun and something that i greatly MISS when life get's too full and we don't get to go.

and then, there is yoga. POWER yoga. i obviously do this every Thursday at the gym because i'm the instructor...but i like to throw it in the mix a couple of times a week as well.

So, about 2 months later, after making a CONSCIOUS effort to eat RIGHT and shock the body with a new, consistent and CHALLENGING workout routine, here i am (sorry about the picture quality--it's just me and my blackberry!)....

may 4th 2011 - june 30, 2011



blurry, i know.
but look! i'm getting tank top shoulders back! (finally...)

dirty mirror & lost inches in waist & thighs.

 It's PROGRESS!

and progress sure don't come easy.

one of Jillian's key phrases that i've engraved in my mind when tempted to eat crap:

"remember, you can eat your way through any workout."

you can log hours upon hours in the gym, but if your eating sucks, so will your results!

{cheers} to hard work and healthy living!

when Kai met Seattle.

first, Kai wants to showcase a fun little trick he recently learned from daddy (volume needed!):

G also taught him how to head butt. yeah, like that one's NOT going to backfire down the road.

it's pretty cute right now though. perhaps i'll post proof of that soon?

Now for our wonderful little weekend escape to my favorite US city, SEATTLE :)

i love that i lived there for a few years as i feel that i am able to more fully experience the city in a shorter and more convenient amount of time as i know shortcuts and backroads and what's worth seeing/doing and what's not.

we got to see auntie beckyjo (and i HATE myself for not getting any pictures!!!!) which was long overdue and SO wonderful. we don't connect often by phone but it amazes me how we can just pick up right where we left off, like we have never moved apart. that's the mark of a best friend.

saturday was, unfortunately but not suprisingly wet and rainy. so we didn't brave the overcrowded and sloshy fremont festivities. instead we mall walked and celebrated with mommy when she bought jeans that were 4 SIZES SMALLER than the last shopping trip! yeah, i splurged a bit, but haven't done that in a LONNNNNG time. it feels good to have new, properly fitting clothes!

later we spent a few hours walking along the beach, docks and paths of Golden Gardens off of Shilshole bay. Kai loves being outside and really enjoyed crawling around in {more} sand and bird/people watching. we even enjoyed a nice light lunch at a little cafe by the bay.

then we made our way downtown to my parents hotel so Kai we could enjoy a refreshing dip in the beautiful top-floor pool at my parent's hotel (the Westin--i highly reccomend!)

once our little water bug was all tuckered out, my mom (nana) let us sneak away to our favorite Seattle dinner spot for a little Father's day/decrease in jeans size celebration (Chinooks!)

then on sunday, it was all about the mariner's game. which was perfect...

the weather AND the company.

there were several delicious meals, sights and sounds in between,

but here is a bit of what i captured from the good ol' blackberry....

golden gardens

 

waiting for some delicious hot clam chowder (he loved it!)

 

can you spot the little orange mohawk?

 

the. best. salad.
[ahi tuna, tomato, avocado, mango, papaya, sliced almonds and a sprinkle of wonton strips w/a basalmic vinegerette]

 

hit it here!



happy [father's day] to papa!



jude passed out on uncle G in Kai's backpack after the game... (Kai was stuck in her stroller!)

and now, i'll leave you with a little musical treat:

 a sweet vagabond singer who traded us a beer out of our cooler for a little jingle.

Kai was appreciative of the show....

this trip rekindled my desire to visit the city that still has so much of my heart.

there is still so much i want to introduce Kai to and do and see and taste and experience.

we are so grateful to have friends who generously open their homes to us

 (thanks to beckyjo & darrick and dallas & misty! you guys rock!)

my life in 10 (clearing out the blackberry)

1. goats. oh my gosh, i LOVE goats! i keep telling Gary how much i want goats when we buy our next house "with land" like we always say. they are too cute. kind of like a cross between cows and dogs. these goats live just down the street from us and i have made it a habit to walk by them every time Kai, Honey and i are out for walks. Kai laughs at them and Honey barks at them and i feed them!

seriously, how cute are they???

 look at the little babies!

2. cards & letters addressed to Kai! Kai has gotten several items in the mail over this last year. we usually walk out to get the mail together and i always make a big deal if there is something in there for him. we go inside, i help him open it and read it to him (a few times) and then i let him play with it. and it's SO cute, because he holds onto it and plays with it like he knows it's just for him.

this is a postcard from his cousin Spencer who lives in Gig Harbor.

we are going to write him back!

3. strawberries. but not just ANY strawberries, strawberries from MY GARDEN! i probably only got a handful of berries from my plants last year. this year i'm getting handFULLS every day....and a certain little red-haired boy has learned that the red berries hanging from the green plants outlining mommy's garden taste YUMMMMY!

i love having fresh, home-grown berries for my morning oatmeal...

4. dirt. Kai is a magnet to dirt. this is good and bad. i like that he is easily (and cheaply!) entertained. i do NOT like that it usually ends up in his mouth and/or all over my floor.

 the aftermath...(this plant has been relocated)

5. ants on a log! this has been my healthy alternative go-to snack as of late. celery with a schmear of almond butter and a sprinkle of raisins. YUM. i use the same toppings on bananers as well and it's even better!

6. watching Kai morph into a socialite. i could watch him interact with friends and cousins all day. it cracks me up! he is learning so much and growing into such a little man...sigh. almost one!

7. if there is water around, he's in it. even if he has no change of clothes or swim diaper handy. this is the birdbath/fountain in the garden at Grandma G's house that he HAD to be in.

i {love} that cute little bum!

8. workin' it out from home. because G's been over on the westside for work and will be for most likely the remainder of the summer (sad, but at least he gets weekends off which is more than i can say when he was workin' offshore!!) i have not had convenient childcare to get to the gym. which sucks. but has forced me to adapt and take full advantage of Kai's long morning naptime (which ranges from 1.5-3 hours). i am kind of a workout video snob. if it doesn't really challenge me and make me sweat i feel ripped of. well this dvd kicks my a-double-s...and i'm sick and twisted and LOVE IT. i'm just getting into week 2 and can't wait to see the results at the end of 4!

9. picture mail. i love getting picture texts. it's like getting the gift of a shared moment. this particular picture message was sent to me by my lovely sister Kelley Jayde who has recently graduated from a very vigorous nursing program (woo hoo!) and just took an exam she has spent hundreds of hours studying for. here was the adorable text accompanying the picture:

homemade spring rolls and wine...waiting for my test results to show up online...

you send pics of your child and i sent you pics of food :)

um, yum. the girl sure can cook.

(i unfortunately did not inherit that gene).

10. my job. i've spent the year serving as the GED testing coordinator for BMCC- Hermiston. i love this job. like school counseling, it is busy, sometimes stressfull, fast-paced, unpredictable and allows me to work with and get to know a very diverse group of people. all things i thrive for within an occupation.

here is a young gentleman who has come in for testing several times this spring.

he didn't get all five exams taken in time to walk at his graduation, but he came prepared with cap and gown to "walk home" should he reach that goal, and tonight he did.

this was a proud moment.

we had a little celebration for him in the testing room and he's now en route to the Art Institute of Portland. 

*picture publishised w/permission, of course! :)

and that, my friends, is my life in 10.

two-fer-one's.

we all like to get two things for the price of one, right?

think of time as money. we want to make the MOST out of our moments, hours, afternoons, days, weeks....
and time is precious. we often are forced to sacrifice one thing for another due to lack of time, which is a drag. but let's face it, there just aren't enough hours in the day.

unless, of course, you master the art of the 2-for-1.

yeah, you little multi-taskers, that's doing two things at one time. many of us do this all day, and yes, we often may do three, four, or heaven forbid FIVE things at one time.

but to REALLY achieve the 2-for-1 status you have to think outside of the box. (yeah, so cooking dinner while watching the news or eating breakfast on the road doesn't really count, sorry.)

................................................

here is a morning hygeine time-saver that i began doing when i was late for morning class back in college.
brushing my teeth in the shower. some of you may do this, it's genius if you ask me. you clean your teeth and your bod simultaneously! brilliant:

once crowned with the wonderful title of "mommy," i gleaned a handful of additional two-for-one's that just may be useful for you, dear bloggie. who knows?

like this one! feed Kai snack, AND clean the floor! (a chore that i HATE):

OR working on my core strength doing planks and other various abdominal exercises while waiting for Kai to fall asleep (i usually wait for him to finish his bottle before i leave because if i don't then it leaks all over the place!). i'm sure G would die laughing if he walked in to Kai's room thinking that i was rocking him but instead found Kai in his crib and me diligently holding plank position on his floor! he has asked me a few times why i was breathing so hard when i crawled back into bed after "putting Kai back down." haha! that's a 2-for-1 at it's best, my friends.

...then there are the more practical, everyday kind of 2-for-1's like me (or honey! j/k) taking a bath with Kai. that's a time-saver. even if i don't get all the way into the bathtub with Kai, every night i put my feet in with him AND wash my face...that's a lil' two-for-one.

we also eat breakfast together. out of the same bowl and everything. i've had to alter my daily oatmeal recipes a bit to be more conducive to a 9-month old stomach (1/2 c. old fashioned oats w/1/2 a sliced bananer, blueberries, sometimes strawberries and always raisens) but he LOVES to share breakfast with mom. i'm not sure when this all started, but that little stinker will eat every meal BUT breakfast in his high chair. it's like he knows that once mom cleans up his mess and put the high chair away she's breaks out the "good stuff" and thats just what he wants. mommy's oatmeal. at least it's healthy. then, (here's another 2-for-1) when we are finished with our oatmeal honey licks out the bowl and once it's shiny and clean (er, sort of) Kai pushes it around the floor for usually a solid 30 minutes AND bangs on it with our spoon. seriously. just about every day.

another 2/1...or actually 3/1: walking (exercise) with Kai, and Honey (dog walked!) TO the library (or any other destination of an errand we need to run!). we do this quite often. one of the benefits of our home being wonderfully centrally located  in this grand metropolis.

...and then there is the little game i play with Kai's naptime. i like to see HOW MUCH i can get accomplished in any one period of blessed nap time. more often than not, this is at least 2 hours. but sometimes it barely eclipses an hour and it's those naps that keep me movin' fast! during Kai's morning nap i usually have my daily quiet time outside after feeding Honey, picking up the house and either folding or starting laundry. then i either work in the yard or get a bit of a workout in.

(this is an unfinished project!!)

this is a very random blog topic, but making the most out of your day is great, dontcha think?!

do YOU have any tried and true 2-for-1's you'd like to share (silly or not...)??

progress proofs.

Post-baby (taken last fall):
 

Let this be a lesson to all of you Moms-to-be: DON'T gain 70 lbs. while pregnant!!! 

Post-Baby (taken in April 2011):

This may not look like much, but these jeans were once VERY tight, and now I can slide them on and off without having to unbutton them!

(still my most comfy pair, but starting to look silly as they kind of fall off of my hips...)

 Yes, it's taken 8 months for this little bit of progress.

I've had to work harder than I ever have for what seems should be way more results,

and I still have a ways to go...

but even after the stubborn weight and stretch marks, man, was it all worth it!

Could it be?? Post-baby body p-p-progress?!!

Good News, my dear bloggies!

I {finally!}NEED NEW JEANS (And NO, not a bigger size).

This week, I fit into an old pair of 6's (YES!)

and

Suddenly my two pairs of go-to pre-preg jeans are falling off of my hips (past the point of belt-help).

This got me thinking...

What could have spurred this sudden "tightening"? What have I been doing differently?

Here's what I came up with:

1. Chasing a crawling baby around a still not baby-proofed house. exhausting.

2. Honestly, LESS cardio. I know that I was overdoing it over those first few months, which was actually working AGAINST me. This is a mistake that many over-zealous gym-going females make. Now I'm doing an average of 20-30 minutes 4-5 times a week. I feel better, AND have results.

3. I don't know if this stuff works, but i've been drinking it...the chai flavor is yummy (hot AND iced!)

4. Eating (mostly healthy!) five times a day, without fail, and NEVER skipping out on breakfast.

5. YOGA (3-5 times a week) and WALKING. Yes, I said walking. I used to think that walking was just for old ladies or people who were too wussy to run...but honestly, it's my go-to form of cardio right now and just may be the change i needed to start seeing results. I still run, but because of my hip injury i'm down to two 4-6 milers a week, which honestly, is working out just fine. I love that as the days get nicer I get to get my cardio in WITH Kai and Honey AND get my daily dose of vitamin D. As far as the yoga goes, I've always done it, but not really challenged myself like I have of late. I think putting together classes for the gym has really stretched me in my own practice and I am so grateful for that. I swear that it spikes weight loss!

...........................................

I've still got some post-baby softness to clean up (I don't measure my progress on my scale-weight, I go by how my clothes fit AND my measurements...TONING=size drop, not neccesarily weight drop!) but for now, I'm going to celebrate my progress with a new wardrobe item...

Time to go shoppin'!