2.0 round 2 Day 51: Reaching a Goal Early and the Revelation That Came With It

I want to begin by saying that part of my lack of blogging lately has been fatigue, but part of it, I have to admit, comes from a little place inside that says “Come on, who cares about your journey? Who wants to hear the same old redundant stuff?”

I was reminded however, by our amazing coach through her Sunday Skinny this past weekend, that this blog isn’t just an interesting read or a way to connect or a documentation of my journey for everyone else. This blog is my journey, to keep me motivated, to help me look back when needed and remember how far I’ve come and set goals for how far I want to go. I may feel very irrelevant at times, very invisible in the big scheme of things, but my journey matters. Each post matters. If only one person sees one post and connects to one sentence and finds the will to begin or pick up or be inspired, that matters! Even if that person is myself.

If these posts are a bit redundant at times, that is good! That means I’m staying consistent and working every day.

That being said, I had a little break through this past week I’d like to share. You see, if you have followed my journey at all, you know what a monster the scale has been for me. I mean, just a beast of an ogre. I have worked my butt off for 10 months, adjusted my diet, my hydration, done the bikini body mommy challenge workouts and then turned around and run a 14 minute mile, daily. I have stepped on the scale and instead of seeing no change and being discouraged, I got pissed and worked harder. I have lost almost 30 inches in the last 10 months, but I have hovered in the same 7 – 8 pound zone the whole time. I have lost a little faith at times and wondered if I was not working hard enough, or being as honest as I needed to be. I have soul searched every day to make sure I am bringing my all to every aspect of every day. For the most part I feel like I have. Definitely my loss of inches has shown that I have.

Now, in my family, I’m the very last person to spend money on myself. I have been wearing the one and only pair of jeans this whole 10 months that I have, save for the “goal” pair I kept to see how my progress has been going. Needless to say, I am long over due for some clothes, especially as my belly has kind of popped out of control in the past week. I determined from day one of finding out I was pregnant again that I wasn’t letting myself be the frumpy preggo chic again, not for a 4th time. I’m spending time on myself exercising and eating right, I am going to spend money on myself, no excuses, and dress my body in clothes that fit and give me a feeling of confidence, no matter what the number on the tag says.

I have been wearing this one pair of size 14 jeans for months now, and they have been getting looser and looser, but they weren’t falling off of me, and since the scale wasn’t moving I was really dreading any clothes shopping. I kept telling myself I would buy clothes when the scale finally moved. And then my belly popped out and I realized I was going to have to do something. Thankfully those jeans had gotten loose enough to accommodate the insanity that is this early baby bump, but they were at their limit within a week. So off to the store I went this past weekend, a slight feeling of dread at the thought of those horrid full length dressing room mirrors and trying clothes on. I usually hate it because nothing ever fits right. Well, I was pleasantly surprised to find I didn’t look as terrible as I remembered in those usually awful mirrors and I had very little trouble finding a few pieces right away that looked fabulous. In fact, I was floored to find out I had dropped into a size 12 and could even barely squeeze into a 10. A 10!! I haven’t been able to pull a 10 over my thighs for years! I still had trouble doing so, but up they came even if it took a lot of  effort. I realized that even pregnant, my typical lumps and trouble spots were greatly diminished or gone completely. I left the store feeling exuberated and thinking I really should shop for clothes more often. All this time, even losing all the inches, my mind was still programmed to let the number on the scale affect me to the point that I had no idea that I had dropped a full jean size. It was quite a revelation to me.

Another thing I did that left me feeling a little giddy was buy a pair of leggings for the first time in my life. I know, right? How have I survived the world of skinny jeans and leggings? Well, maybe that’s another reason I hate shopping, all you see everywhere are models and mannequins rocking skinny legs, and even at my thinnest, I’ll never have skinny legs, but these workouts have improved and toned my legs in a way they have not been since before I got married, and I am confident enough to rock out some leggings this season. I’m sure I could improve a lot, but I’m claiming this little victory. In fact, my biggest disappointment upon finding out I was pregnant was that I had been working at a major goal, to drop a pant size by Christmas. I thought I’d have to toss that out the window, completely not realizing I had already achieved that goal and won that victory.

Why do we doubt ourselves? Why do we let society’s ideals and standards mess with our heads? If there is one thing I’m wanting to convey through all this it is don’t doubt the power you hold to change into the person you want to be. Don’t let anything make you feel incapable. You ARE the most powerful force of change in your own life. No obstacle is greater than your will to succeed. No negative vibe is more powerful than your own positive thoughts and actions.

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My Newest Project: An Overview

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2.0 Round 2 Day 33: First Trimester Fatigue and Listening To Your Body

Well, it happened. Yesterday I just couldn’t find the get up and go to do the workout. I didn’t do it first thing in the morning because I knew I had to walk to the bank and the store and was trying to conserve my energy. It was just a very draining day, which I guess I had coming to me because the first 2 days this week were filled with productivity and energy and rainbows and unicorns. And then Wednesday I felt the tired creeping in,and by yesterday I could barely crawl out of bed and found myself back in for a long nap. Needless to say I will be glad when this stage of pregnancy is past. I am a morning person and I like to get stuff done and stay busy. Sleeping so  much just makes me feel incredibly lazy, which I know I need it a little extra these days, but it still makes me feel lazy.

The kids have also been sick, which I guess it’s good that it’s Fall break, at least my girl doesn’t have to miss school, but I’ve been up more through the nights checking on them and treating fevers and losing sleep. So yeah, not trying to make excuses,but this is my life right now and I’m trying to listen to my body and not over do it. I am highly sensitive to stress while pregnant, my body has physically manifested everything from dramatic weight loss to strange skin rashes even as my mind is telling me everything is ok, so I have learned to ignore feelings of laziness and just get the extra sleep. I stay healthier. In fact, I tell new moms all the time who are over tired but still wanting to workout and get their bodies back, if you have to choose between a workout or getting some sleep for those first 6 months, take the sleep. Your body heals and repairs when you are sleeping and all the workouts in the world will not help if your body is over stressed and still healing, in fact it can actually do the opposite, retain fat due to the stress. So of course this rule also applies to growing another human being inside you.

All that being said, I plan to do today’s workout as usual, but where I have doubled up before to make up missed days, I think the best thing is going to be just do the days I can and if one gets missed, so be it. I doubled up the other day and had to end up skipping several exercises. It was a bit much. Since my hubby Is out on the road all week and the only day I really get the car for grocery shopping and such is Saturday, I believe I will just be striving for 5 days a week instead of six. I run around enough on Saturday it can at least count as a half workout. So there you have it, in the spirit of honesty and accountability. I am just figuring this out as I go, keep that in mind, and every one is different. The key is knowing yourself and knowing when to push and when you have hit your limit.

Hey, on another note, I finally drank the smart phone Koolaide. (I know, I know, I’m super late to this game.) So, you can follow me on Instagram if you like, @natasiachampion85. That is the main reason I switched to a smart phone, having a camera handy for all the everyday moments. My DSLR isn’t exactly the most handy thing for when the kids are being candid or when I’m out and about. So, if you are into that, feel free to follow me there. 🙂

 

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Find me on Instagram:

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Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog to get new posts in your inbox as I journey through staying fit with a fourth pregnancy. And hey, would you like to see where I started blogging about my fitness journey? That one is here:

My Newest Project: An Overview

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2.0 Round 2 Day 30: Progress

Day 30. 🙂

I have to say, right now I just feel bloated and “thick”. That is about the only way to describe early pregnancy. Gone is that lightness and feeling of progress, it has been replaced with a slowed down digestive system and fatigue and just kind of a presence in your body undetected by the naked eye. I will feel better when I start to show a little because at least then I can see the evidence of what I feel.

All that being said, my measurements have improved despite my little womb squatter.

 

 

That is a net loss of 5.75 inches this past 15 days, and a total of 7.5 inches this challenge. This is probably the last measure day where my results will even be comparable to my past measurements, I don’t believe there will be much change on the tape measure or scale from this point except going up. Never the less, I will continue to work as hard as my body will reasonably let me. Obviously I’ll be extra sensitive to cues on when to slow down.

I hadn’t really planned on sharing another picture until my day 90 progress, but I thought it would be fun to have my belly progress pictures through this challenge and the next (yes, at this point I totally am still intending to continue with 3.0 too, again, modified as needed.) So here is my day 30 progress picture.

 

I have seen the most improvement in my hips and back this round. Just take a look at progress from the beginning of 2.0 round 1 and my 30 day picture from this round.

 

Hard to believe I am considered “obese” with a BMI index of 32. That’s as of a week ago at my proof of pregnancy appointment. Don’t be discouraged by numbers, ladies. They are just numbers. How you look and feel speaks so much more truth than the silly numbers. And keep in mind that the scale has actually gone up from the picture on the left above until now, the picture on the right. In fact, I have really lost all faith in the scale, it never reflects how I feel.

I think it is important to note, not just for you guys, but to remind myself, this isn’t just 30 days of progress, this is 10 months of progress, this is 20 + inches and many drops of sweat and a completely healthier and happier and stronger me. This is a woman who is going into her fourth pregnancy with the confidence and determination to work out daily where with 3 pregnancies before she barely had the get up and go to walk regularly. I am beginning my pregnancy, for the first time ever, with some semblance of core strength and a back that doesn’t hurt and strong arms and legs that haven’t been this toned since before my first child was born. I’m definitely eating and drinking healthier than I ever have, not just during pregnancy, but ever. Sure, I’ve had moments over the years where I ate healthy here and there, but this is the longest I have been consistent and definitely the most I’ve ever focused on hydration. I have this bikini body mommy program and Brianna’s realness and motivation to thank for that. I feel so empowered, especially where pregnancy is concerned, so even though this baby is our big surprise, I feel completely ready physically to nurture this life and give it the very best space to grow.

Keep going, even if you don’t see the results you were hoping for. Just keep going, you won’t be sorry, I promise.

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Want to follow me on Pinterest? Click here:

Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog to get new posts in your inbox as I journey through staying fit with a fourth pregnancy. And hey, would you like to see where I started blogging about my fitness journey? That one is here:

My Newest Project: An Overview

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2.0 Round 2 Day 29: Regaining the Queendom

I got up this morning at 4:45 as usual, even though it’s the first day of Fall Break. I like to stay on schedule and this week I have big plans to be really productive. My hubby had been working from home since July, and while I LOVED having him around, it greatly interfered with my daily schedule. Now that he is out on the road a lot and I have my queendom back, I want to get back to my list making and organized house keeping and meal planning and healthy grocery list making. (Turns out men like steak and potatoes much more than zuccini boats and salad, at least my man does.) Hopefully I will have more recipe posts coming your way soon, I have seen some delicious spaghetti squash meal ideas and sweet potato and butternut squash yummies I want to try.

Tomorrow is also the day 30 check in. I’m still excited, despite my pregnancy news. I still feel there has been change. I certainly have generally more energy at this stage in pregnancy than all my past experiences, I mean, I still hit that exhaustion wall by about 2 pm and need a nap, but the rest of the time I’m energetic and feel great. My focus from this point is going to be on my nutrition rather than the scale and the tape measure, I really need to eat smaller more frequent portions, that is the place I struggle the most, but I find the very best results when I stick to that.

I’m proud to say I have not yet missed a day on this challenge. It was a great moment this morning when my man wrapped his arms around me to give me a big hug and looked at me and said out of the blue, “You know, you feel much more slender when I hug you, I can tell when I wrap my arms around you.” It was like medicine to my soul! Especially since I have felt so poochy lately and keep thinking about the impending moment not far in the future when I will need to don maternity gear. It’s the little things, people. I just don’t want my crazy hard work for the last 10 months to be for nothing, and honestly, lately, I have felt just a touch discouraged at the prospect of losing momentum with another pregnancy. Still 2 steps forward and five steps back is still closer to my goal than 10 steps back. Keep going, ladies, life is not as stubborn as you are, you are going to make it sooner or later.

I shall see you all tomorrow for the check in!

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Want to follow me on Pinterest? Click here:

Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog to get new posts in your inbox as I journey through staying fit with a fourth pregnancy. And hey, would you like to see where I started blogging about my fitness journey? That one is here:

My Newest Project: An Overview

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2.0 Round 2 Day 27: Oh Baby!

Well, I know it has been a while, sorry for the lack of posts. Sometimes I’m just incredibly busy, and sometimes I just feel like my posts are a bit redundant, you know, there’s only so many pictures to post of me and little man getting our workout on each week without it becoming mundane. Things are pretty routine here.

Wait, did I say they’re routine? What I meant was up until this past Monday they HAVE BEEN pretty routine.

Wait for it…… wait for it…….. YES! That is a fourth pumpkin and yes, it says “Baby 2015” on it.

Pregnant. Talk about life getting in the way! But in a good way. 🙂 We were very surprised, to say the least, but babies are a blessing in our book, so only happiness over here.

I never thought I’d be a mom to 4, but then I never thought I would lose my first child and in so many ways that changed everything, including our family size and how we planned it. I had always thought 2 was the perfect number, but after we had Faith, it didn’t seem right to stop there even though she was our second. So I surpassed my first expectation and became mom of 3. And now, even though it’s only 3 living children, I will always be mom to 4.

So, how does this affect my bikini body mommy routine, my blogging through the challenge, etc.? Well, it doesn’t, for now anyway. Since a healthy diet and regular exercise are recommended for low risk pregnancies, and since I have been working at this every day for almost 10 months and my body is used to this level of physical activity, I plan to keep going, listening to my body, modifying as needed, staying healthy, staying hydrated, and hope to have the healthiest, strongest, most stress reduced pregnancy yet.

Baby’s estimated debut is May 27, 2015, which puts me 6-7 weeks along. There is still time for morning sickness to set in, but I had only mild nausea with my other babies, so I am not surprised to find I feel great at this point other than that early pregnancy fatigue and needing a daily nap like you need to pee. Fight it all you want, it’s gonna happen.

I plan to keep blogging, keep doing the weigh ins and check ins. Obviously my measurements and weight will be going up, but I am really striving to gain at a healthy rate and not go into the excessive. Physically, mentally, emotionally, I have never been at a healthier point during any of my other pregnancies, certainly not with nutrition and hydration, so I’m excited to see how staying fit through pregnancy impacts me in a positive way. Any of you moms out there wondering how these workouts fit into a pregnant daily scenario? Now is the time to hit the subscribe button and follow along with my journey as it heads down this new path. I’m committed. I found out Monday about our new addition and have been doing the BBMC workouts every day as well as walking to run errands most days as well, pulling my little guy in the wagon. In fact, it was probably a comical sight, seeing all the pumpkins yesterday loaded into the wagon along with my little guy and my trusty 32 oz. big cup of water, walking the mile back from Fred’s, my girl skipping along beside me after school.

I’m looking forward to the good, the bad, and the awkward that pregnancy brings. I’m keeping up my positive energy forcefield. My goals are still in sight, some of them are just going to take a little longer to achieve and new ones are on the horizon. I’m excited!

My BBM Journey: Day 72

I feel like I have slipped a little, and not sure exactly at what point I started, but I am happy to say I have recognized it and tightened up today. For instance, my nutrition could be cleaner. I’ve eaten more meat and pasta and bread lately than I’m comfortable with, and most of that just can’t be helped in our current budget situation. It is what it is. (Which is still not awful, still pretty clean and almost no processed foods other than bread and pasta.) But I have slipped back into 3 big meals a day. I have also slacked on the BBM workouts, although for the most part I have gotten my runs in. My hydration has been good.

It’s definitely not my worst, but I know I can do better and try harder, so today I did my morning run, I spread my meals out into smaller portions and more frequent, I got my 1st liter of water in first thing with my run and continued to hydrate through the day, and most importantly, I did day 72 this afternoon. I could really identify with Briana’s video, my kids were right there with me too!

My step ups were not very high since I don’t own chairs, so I increased my weight by about 47 lbs. of almost 5 year old little girl. (She dressed herself)

 

Guess who likes to go under the bridge?

 

Both kids, actually

This is real life. There are struggles and pushing yourself and kids and set backs and come backs. There are days when you think to yourself, “Well, maybe this morning’s run was enough, maybe I can skip the workout.” Then after 30 minutes of that nagging voice telling you what you already know, you push through and just get it done. But then there are days like what my sister had, where your body tells you the run is going to have to do because you are just too genuinely exhausted and sore to do the workout today, and that is ok too. Listen to your body, but don’t make it an excuse.

Today was great in other ways too. We walked to our local Fred’s, almost 2 miles round trip, with the baby in the wagon and my little girl by my side, she walked the whole way and back, so proud of her! We bought some poster board and spent the morning creating positive affirmation boards to hang where we could see them every day, to remind us of our goals. Here is one corner of my affirmation board with just one of several important goals I’m focusing on. I know this is going to get some laughs, but I’m a huge believer in positive thinking, positive focus, and the law of attraction.

Laughing and smiling creates positive feelings and this picture with my face pasted on (at my hubby’s genius suggestion) not only helps me envision and focus on what I’m working toward, it makes me smile and creates a double positive energy.

As some of you know, I celebrated my 29th birthday yesterday.

My annual birthday picture taken yesterday. My sissy did my hair and makeup and I gladly said hello to the last year of my twenties.

My twenties have been pretty crappy. I’m a positive person by nature, but even I recognize I have gone through more crap than greatness this past decade. I gladly celebrated my last birthday in my twenties yesterday and am looking forward to my thirties. They are going to be awesome! I am making this last year count like a final rep of side planks at the end of a 20 minute BBM workout. I am getting it done, pushing it hard and setting myself up for ONLY success in the next phase of my life. I have a lot of goals I’m excited to reach, and I’m sure there are many new ones waiting to be discovered. I have a little space left on my affirmation board so I can add pictures and quotes and stay motivated and focused. This whole project was actually my little sister’s suggestion. I’m super proud of her!

It’s such a long story, but in short, she recognized the need for major change in her life early this year and asked if she could get a fresh start living with us. She was dealing with depression, negativity, bad relationships, fake friendships, and just a general severe downward spiral. And I want to stress, her progress is not me. It’s not because of me. I’m not some extraordinary human being that can magically fix things for people. Her progress was due to her own realization that she needed to change herself and make better choices, and the action she has been taking to become more positive and surround herself with better influences. I know some of you must be wondering about the story behind her being in all my recent adventures, so there you have it, a brief explanation. But mainly I just wanted to convey 1) That I’m incredibly proud of her, and 2) the importance of surrounding yourself with positive thoughts and focus. It will literally change your life. It has changed her’s, it has changed mine. Try it! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. 🙂

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What is BBM?

Bikini Body Mommy, a movement led by Briana Christine, and you can find out more at http://www.bikinibodymommy.com

Did you miss my first post outlining my goals? Find it here.

My Newest Project: An Overview

Looking to find some inspiration on Pinterest? You can follow me there too.

To get my daily posts through the  90 day challenge in your inbox, hit the subscribe button at the top left of this page, right under my profile picture.

And finally, has this post delighted, inspired, or amused you? Feel free to share it with your friends.

My BBM Journey: Day 38

Yesterday I had morning errands to run that required me NOT to be a sweaty mess, so I started my day by postponing my exercise. Well, that set the tone for the day. By the time we got home it was time to make lunch, and nobody likes to workout on a full tummy. Then naptime, and I didn’t want to wake the kids with stomping, right? Then after nap time it was time to make dinner and I promised myself we would run that evening when my husband got home, but began feeling like I was making another excuse. So 30 minutes after dinner I forced myself into my workout garb and forced myself to begin the BBM workout. By the end of it though I felt so good!! I was so glad I didn’t let the day defeat me, I got it done. Then, while still feeling the momentum, we did our run around the loop while my daughter watched Wild Kratts and little man got pulled behind me in the wagon. It is hard to run while pulling him in the wagon, but I was so proud of myself for just getting it done. Especially since this morning’s run was put on hold because of this….

And this…..

No, not the coffee! The little booger who was supposed to drink his early morning bottle, cuddle up with his dad, and go back to sleep for another hour. (The coffee is my consolation prize.)

Anyway, not the worst things in the world to wake up to, coffee, a cute baby, and typing out a blog post in the quiet, mostly sleeping house while listening to the rain. In another hour or 2 we will do day 38 and probably get that run in, rain or no rain. I’m committed people! Why? Because after a discouraging week with the weigh in, I took these at the beginning of this week….

The first picture is 15 days after having my third baby. I had already dropped 20 initial pounds! And the second picture is from just the other day. 18 Months later, most of my progress happened this year with this challenge.

 

My sissy did my hair and makeup, and that dress is a MEDIUM! I still don’t feel comfortable enough to wear it out, but with the right camera angle it doesn’t look too shabby for a photo.

 

Has the scale moved in the past few days? I doubt it. But that doesn’t matter. I put that same dress on a week ago and didn’t look nearly as good in it. Proof that if you just keep going, you WILL make progress, and it can happen almost over night.

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What is BBM?

Bikini Body Mommy, a movement led by Briana Christine, and you can find out more at http://www.bikinibodymommy.com

Did you miss my first post outlining my goals? Find it here.

My Newest Project: An Overview

Looking to find some inspiration on Pinterest? You can follow me there too.

To get my daily posts through the  90 day challenge in your inbox, hit the subscribe button at the top left of this page, right under my profile picture.

And finally, has this post delighted, inspired, or amused you? Feel free to share it with your friends.

 

My BBM Journey: Day 32

Good afternoon mommies! (Or whatever time of the day or night you are reading this, for me it is late afternoon.) First of all, it IS a good day. Every day is a good day, because every day is a fresh chance to be the best you can be and make the right choices and improve. Even an “off” day can be a good day, it just depends on your attitude.

That being said, I don’t have much to report, my day has been a little off as my plan and schedule kept getting changed and interrupted. I did get my work out in and there are plans for an evening run, I’m making homemade egg soup for dinner and we had breakfast burritos for lunch. My portion could have been smaller and stretched out into 2 smaller meals, but I was in a hurry and at that point did not think I’d be home for another small meal a couple hours later, so to prevent a fast food flop, I opted for a little larger meal. Then it turned out I didn’t have to go do what I thought I was going to do, so meal fail there, but it’s ok. You can only do the best you can in that moment.

For inspirational photos I thought I’d do something a little different than usual. It’s Thursday, and as any facebooker, tweeter, or instagrammer knows, throw back Thursday pictures are floating around the social media sites. Since I don’t have any interesting new photos, I thought why not? So today’s post is a #tbt post. Sometimes you just have to be reminded that at one time you WERE thinner, at one point in your life you DID have the ability to fit into those smaller clothes.  Or maybe you need to look back and see a point where you were larger than you are now. I have some of those too, so at least there is that. As I was looking back through my photos today I actually found several points in my life where I was smaller though, where I wasn’t stymied and on a seemingly endless plateau, and it really helped to be reminded that I can, in fact, achieve this goal. I can’t let day 30 get inside my head. I lost 9 inches the first 15 days of this challenge. I AM making progress.

This is me at 18 (in the middle, obviously). I’m about 165 here. That is about as small as I can go. My ultimate end goal right now is about 170.

Here I am, just about to turn 20. This is the best shape I’ve ever been in, there are 6 pack abs under that cami! I’m size 10

 

Fast forward to 2011, I’m 26 and have had 2 kids. Those babies were born less than a year apart and my younger daughter had just turned 2. I did not own a scale at this time, but estimate myself at 190 something. Size 12

 

And this is the last time I was on my journey to being fit and slim. This was 2012, I believe I had just found out I was pregnant with my third baby. (Again, size 12)

Right now I am a size 14. I’m not THAT far from my first goal, which is to drop to a size 12. Right now, like many of you, my mind is being sucker punched by the scale. I may just stop weighing and measuring for the remainder of this challenge. Looking back through the years, I have only dropped down in sizes when not weighing and measuring. Maybe there is a part of my mind that obsesses too much. The watched pot never boils, right? Some of us might just need to ignore the numbers completely and just let go and embrace feeling good.

I’m very glad I looked back into my archives. It really helps me visualize where I want to be. I can see where I’ve been, remember the steps I took to get there, or the things I stayed away from. You know what? All the things I’m doing now are the same and more than I did in the past. I’m gonna get there. WE’RE gonna get there. Just keep pushing.

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What is BBM?

Bikini Body Mommy, a movement led by Briana Christine, and you can find out more at http://www.bikinibodymommy.com

Did you miss my first post outlining my goals? Find it here.

My Newest Project: An Overview

Looking to find some inspiration on Pinterest? You can follow me there too.

To get my daily posts through the  90 day challenge in your inbox, hit the subscribe button at the top left of this page, right under my profile picture.

And finally, has this post delighted, inspired, or amused you? Feel free to share it with your friends.

My BBM Journey: Day 13

I wasn’t able to post yesterday, I was just too busy to squeeze it in. As soon as Hubs got off work we took the car to get 2 new back tires which was much needed, and then it was grocery shopping and a new phone for me since little man sucked on my old one and ruined it. I mean it was just a cheap, aggravating pre-paid but it always sucks to have to spend money unexpectedly. At least I got an upgrade. I refuse to drink the “smart phone” koolaid at this point, but since the world doesn’t seem to be growing out of this texting fad, I got a phone with a full keyboard so I could at least return a text if needed without spending an hour typing with 26 letters condensed into 9 numbers.

I did fit in my workout yesterday and my shoulders are so sore, I really pushed it into hyper gear and now my upper body is aching. Upper body strength has never been my forte, but I do believe I am as strong as I’ve ever been in that department. My obliques are also feeling it, those side plank things, a.k.a. self torture moves are just brutal. Then, after that, I had to pump up the back tire on the car – with a bicycle pump – to get it down the road to the gas station to air it up the rest of the way. (Hence the need for a new tire.) THEN! While we waited for the tires to be put on, we decided to walk down the street to eat dinner. Hubby didn’t want to cross three lanes of busy traffic with the babies so we walked to the nearest place on our side that would accommodate our needs and budget, which turned out to be about 3/4 of a mile down the road. That’s a long ways when your sore arms and shoulders are carrying a 24 lb. toddler and a purse that contains everything but the kitchen sink and you’re wearing wedge sandals. So any way, I think it’s safe to say I got it done yesterday.

So, before I get today’s workout done and put week 2 in the books, I thought I’d write today’s post and do a recipe. I’m going to share with you what little man and I eat every morning for breakfast. Yup, every morning. It’s quick, filling, and delicious.

 

Apple Pie Oatmeal with Cranberries

1/2 cup Old Fashioned oats

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 TBL. agave nectar

1 tsp. butter or coconut oil

dash of ground ginger

a couple dashes cinnamon

 

Put the oats and cranberries into a small sauce pan and just cover them with water. Bring to a simmer and cook until all standing water is absorbed(4-7 minutes) and the oats are at your preferred level of done. A little more water will make them very thoroughly cooked, and a little less water will leave them a bit chewy. While the oats are cooking, add all the other ingredients to a bowl. Add cooked oats and stir everything up together. 

Serves: 2

Prep time: 0

Cook time: approx. 5 minutes

Calories per serving: approx. 193

Recipe cost: approx. $0.75

NOTES:

This recipe cuts back on sugar by letting the fruit do the heavy lifting with the sweetening. Adding the butter or coconut oil gives it a little richness, but you could totally cut out the fat and added sweetener to cut calories. I make this big bowl and feed little man and myself, it’s always more than enough to fill us both and I feel it has really fueled our morning workouts. I only just discovered agave nectar this very morning. I have been wanting to try a more natural sweetener than refined sugar and just don’t care for honey at all. I saw this bottle at Aldi and picked it up for about $2.50. I have no idea if that is an exceptionally good deal but it seemed like a fair price to me. I tasted it and found it quite yummy.

My Aldi also has 100% maple syrup and a small organic produce section. I know not every Aldi has this kind of selection, but a lot of them do. So definitely check them out if you’re working on a tight budget. For the .25 cart rental and bagging your own groceries, it is so very worth the savings.

Alrighty then, let me know what you guys think of this recipe and share your favorite breakfast with me, you know, in case I get tired of this one, which doesn’t seem to be happening any time soon. 🙂

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What is BBM?

Bikini Body Mommy, a movement led by Briana Christine, and you can find out more at http://www.bikinibodymommy.com

Did you miss my first post outlining my goals? Find it here.

My Newest Project: An Overview

Looking to find some inspiration on Pinterest? You can follow me there too.

To get my daily posts through the  90 day challenge in your inbox, hit the subscribe button at the top left of this page, right under my profile picture.

And finally, has this post delighted, inspired, or amused you? Feel free to share it with your friends.

My BBM Journey: Day 9

Day 9’s workout is in the books. At the end of each workout I typically do a little something extra. Today I did some modified planks and wall sits, but for these, since I’m trying to go as long as I can and they are tedious as all get out, I put a favorite song on Youtube and sing at the top of my lungs while holding these rigid positions. I’m happy to report that I’m up to 3-4 minutes or more for each pose and especially the wall sits have gotten easier – well, a better way of putting it would be it is possible to hold them longer and I feel my legs are much stronger, nothing is really easy. I still drip sweat as if someone turned a hose on me.

Usually it’s my little guy who is all about doing the exercises with me, but my daughter can’t resist anything that has to do with music or singing and today she was by my side while I sang and sweat my way to a stronger me.

My sister captured that one and posted it to Instagram. Super cute! I’m so lucky to have this little ball of sunshine energy. She is definitely the chocolate syrup to my sundae. She’s constantly moving and singing and dancing and smiling. She’s the life of the party.

And my little guy is my strong and steady, my calm and cuddly.

I am just so blessed to be mommy to these great kids. They make me want to be the best mom I can be. And that’s what this whole thing is about, being the best version of me for my kids.

And there’s another little girl I do this for. I’ve been thinking about it a lot this morning after finding out about the passing of an old friend yesterday. You see, he lost someone dear to him several years back and he was never the same. He had always been a heavy drinker, but after he lost his best friend it was like he kind of gave up on life. I’m not here to judge anyone’s grief journey, that’s not what I’m about, grief is very personal and it should be.

But for those of you who don’t know, I lost my first baby girl when she was only 17 days old. It rearranged my life and remade me into the person I am today. That little girl forever changed me. She made me want to live better and bigger and follow my dreams like I never had before, because that opportunity to live fully here on earth, that was taken from her. That was taken from me, the day she died, seeing her live her dreams and grow up. And as a mother, you never recover from that. Ever. But she inspired me, and inspires many others through me, as I’m left to tell her story. And I do, every chance I get. I tell the world, anybody willing to listen, about my amazing little girl.

When I wake up each morning and get hugs and kisses from my son and daughter, there is always a little girl’s kisses that are missing, and I could let that destroy me, but I know that’s not what she would want. She would want me to smile and laugh and enjoy life and play with her brother and sister and be healthy and happy. And so I do. And I am so lucky and blessed beyond measure to be mom to these 3 amazing kids. They each have something to offer me as inspiration and I pray that I will be a source of inspiration and strength down the road for them. Every day is a gift, friends. Every single day. Don’t waste a single one in regret.

My first little girl Skye. She would have been 6 this September. This is the very first picture ever taken of her, minutes old.

Note: if you haven’t read Skye’s story, it can be found here.

Skye’s Story

 

___________________________________________________________________________________

What is BBM?

Bikini Body Mommy, a movement led by Briana Christine, and you can find out more at http://www.bikinibodymommy.com

Did you miss my first post outlining my goals? Find it here.

My Newest Project: An Overview

Looking to find some inspiration on Pinterest? You can follow me there too.

To get my daily posts through the  90 day challenge in your inbox, hit the subscribe button at the top left of this page, right under my profile picture.

And finally, has this post delighted, inspired, or amused you? Feel free to share it with your friends.