Ready for the party!

Well, aside from purchasing the groceries, making the cupcakes and picking up the sandwich platter before the party on Saturday, we're ready for Jordan's first birthday party!

Actually, there wasn't that much to do. It's going to be really super simple. We are pretty much doing the exact same thing we did for Logan's first birthday.

We rented a small room at the local community center for about an hour. We will be having small Hawaiian roll deli sandwiches I ordered from Meijer and a platter with grapes, baby carrots, pretzels and pickles. We will have funfetti cupcakes with vanilla frosting and sprinkles.

After lunch and cake, we will be going to the AWESOME pool area for open swim. It's got a big twisty waterslide, a kids' waterslide, a twirlpool, fountains and more, and it's a LOT of fun. The photos from the community center's website don't really show how great the pool area is, but here's an idea:





Since we don't have a ton of time in the room and since swimming is the main activity (and since it's a party for a ONE year old) we're not doing much in the way of games or anything like that. We are bringing a bunch of different sized beach balls and some big coloring books and crayons to keep the kids occupied 'til it's time to go swimming. I think the balls will be a hit, actually, if Logan and Jordan are any indication. They've been having, well, a BALL with them ever since I blew them up.





We're keeping the decorations simple too. We will have very limited time to decorate and undecorate, so we'll have maybe a couple balloons on Jordan's portable high chair and I have this thing that spells out HAPPY BIRTHDAY that I'll hang above the food table or somewhere and that's about it. I found a box with all the leftover Elmo stuff from Logan's first birthday and there's plenty of that left, so we're going to have an Elmo tablecloth, plates, napkins and cups.



Instead of goody bags, I selected an age-appropriate book for each child to take home. I'll wrap those up in tissue paper or something.

And that will be that for the party.

Oh, here's the invitation. I just made it on the photo maker machine at Wal-Mart.



As for gifts, we're keeping it very simple there, too. When Logan turned 1 we got him a sandbox, but his birthday is in the spring and he was our first kid. Since Jordan has all Logan's stuff PLUS he just got a lot of toys for Christmas, he has more toys than any child needs. He is ALL SET for toys! Therefore, we wrote "gifts not necessary, but if you'd like to help Jordan build his library, books would be appreciated" on the invitations.

Logan picked out a book for him and I got him a new Baby Bjorn potty (No, I'm not starting to PT yet, but when Logan was one, I put one in the bathroom and it allowed him to get used to it and comfortable with it and potty training was a breeze. Jordan already likes his a lot. We let him try sitting on a couple different ones at Babies R Us, and this one worked best for his short little legs.) I also got him an untreated wooden bowling set and a Rainforest Music CD to sleep to.



Oh, and I picked up this cute little outfit for him to wear at his party.



So, I guess we're ready except... I'm not ready for my little baby to turn one yet!

To cleanse or not to cleanse?

Until recently, I thought a "cleanse" was basically taking something to make yourself poop like crazy. No thanks, I thought, not for me!

But then I happened to catch a segment on some talk show one day (I think it was Rachael Ray, but I'm not sure because I don't watch any of those shows, really!) about the 4-Day Diet. They were talking with the author specifically about the Induction Module (I guess there are a bunch of different 4-day "modules" in this diet plan) which is the "detox" module. Basically you're eating really light and really clean for four days, and the foods you are to eat are foods that detoxify your organs and stuff. It piqued my interest.

So, I went online and requested the book from the library, and I just got it the other day. I read through the Induction Module and it looks pretty do-able. i can tell you I will be hungry, but I won't starve.

I shared it with my best friend and she's all gung-ho and wants to do it as sort of a way to reprogram her body and get it functioning in top form. I was sort of thinking the same thing. Actually, I was thinking that if I made it successfully through the four days, I might be able to kick my stupid sugar addiction to the curb.

I know it would be difficult, especially because I would still be eating with my family, and they'd get to have a lot more than I would, but it IS only four days, and it's not horribly dramatic. I would still get to eat, it's just super duper clean, and less food than I'm used to.

At this point, I'm still nursing (barely) but I'm thinking about doing it once Jordan is totally off the boob. Not sure if I will or not, though.

What do you think, moms? Do you have any experiences with any kinds of detoxes or cleanses? Did you feel better/more energetic after doing it, have fewer cravings for sweets, or were you just craving junk like mad?

Let me know!

Managing screen time

This little piggy went "Wii Wii Wii" all the way home.

Seriously, my son is SO into the Wii, still, that he asks all day long some days if he can play it, even if he's already used up his allotted hour for the day.

My best friend's son is the same way, but yesterday she told me something that she has started doing and I thought it was a great idea. I immediately implemented the plan for us, and I'm going to share it in case anyone wants to use it for their kids.

If her son (also 4 years old) wants his Wii time, which is up to an hour a day, he has to EARN it by doing "homework" such as reading books with his Tag reader or doing preschool workbooks. Every 10 minutes of homework equals 15 minutes of Wii time, and he can't earn more than an hour a day.

I had some workbooks sitting in Logan's coloring book drawer, so I pulled them out and handed them to him and explained what the deal was going to be for Wii time. To my surprise and delight, he didn't have any complaints about the system. In fact, he ended up working on his workbooks more than he "had" to, and he didn't use up all his Wii time earlier in the day like usual. He saved a half hour to play with his Daddy when he got home from work.

We went to the store yesterday and I got him a first grade math workbook, and he did the first part of it and loved it. He was learning to add and subtract! It got a little over his head after a while, though, but we'll keep working at it. I would love it if he is good at math as well as reading, because I am TERRIBLE at math!

So, that's the plan. He's going to be required to do workbooks or read out loud to me for 10 minutes to earn 15 minutes of Wii time.

Thanks for the idea, Liz!

Jordan walking and saying "Mom"

I'm trying to figure out how to upload video from my camera to YouTube. Let's see if this worked.

I think the video will be sideways, but I can't figure out how to turn it.

Body After Baby update

Let's get this out of the way: Zero loss this week. However, zero gain, too. The two I lost last week are still gone. That's good.

I have been eating quite well. I have had some treats but in moderation. Still craving a donut like no one's business! One of these weeks I'll cave and have one. Maybe even this Sunday, since Logan's singing in church. Maybe we'll get donuts afterward. I have been very active, as usual. I am starting to think that still breastfeeding is making me hold on HARD to these pounds. Oh well, I'll be done with that soon enough.

I am sad to report that there is no way I'll reach my goal of losing the last baby pounds by the time we attend a wedding in March. I'm going to keep plugging away, though.

My activity this week:
Last Wednesday I took completely off because the Spartacus workout I did on Tuesday had me so incredibly sore!
Thursday: I think I maybe took that day off too. I was really sore.
Friday: 30 minutes of stair climber and lower body weights
Saturday: Ran outside 4.32 miles. It took me 47 minutes due to an achy knee and icy spots on the sidewalks. I had to walk sometimes.
Sunday: Spartacus workout again. Still really hard, but I wasn't super sore afterward.
Monday: 30 minutes on the bike
Tuesday: ran a mile on treadmill, did upper body weights, then 15 minutes on stair climber

So far this year I have run about 25 miles. I expect my mileage will pick up when outdoors running conditions improve. I really hate the treadmill and have a hard time outside when it's snowy or icy.

Over at Mama Notes, the host blog for this challenge, Samantha has posted a couple questions for those of us whgo are participating.

First: Do you snack, and if so, what do you snack on?

I snack. For sure! I tend to eat breakfast sometime around 8, snack around 10:30, have lunch around 12:30 or 1, snack around 3 or 4 and we eat dinner pretty late, usually around 6:30 or 7. (I wish we ate earlier, but that's just how it usually works out. The good thing about that is I never want to snack just before bed.) Also, if I work out in the morning, I eat a banana before I go. If I work out in the evening, I will usually have a yogurt or glass of skim milk when I get home.

My favorite snacks are fruit, yogurt, I just tried veggies with hummus but probably won't buy hummus again, Triscuits and sharp cheddar or Laughing Cow cheese, cottage cheese, peanut butter on celery or an apple, or a bowl of raisin bran (LOVE that stuff!) Oh, and I ADORE nuts and trail mix, but have to be REALLY careful because, although the "experts" say nuts will fill you up, I can eat TONS of almonds or walnuts without feeling full. I just want to eat more and more and more, so I have to pre-pack them into servings. Otherwise I can easily sit down and chow 800 calories of trail mix or almonds, and still be rifling through the cupboard.

Samantha's other question was:Do you lift weights?
She noticed she hardly ever sees females lifting at the gym. They all just do cardio.

Yeah. Females are afraid of "bulking up" if they lift weights. I can tell you, though, I have a body weight sticking point of about 146 pounds. My body is very comfortable there. I weighed that much on my wedding day, then went up to almost 170, then lost it through Weight Watchers and cardio, and weighed 146 again before having Logan. Then I went up to 205 with Logan, then it took me a good 2 1/2 years to get back to 146, but this time I incorporated lots of weight training and I looked SO much better at a weight-trained 146 than I did at a cardio-only 146. It REALLY makes a difference in the way your body looks.

I am definitely a lifter. I lift three to four times a week, and quite heavily. I am a pretty strong girl, at least compared to the others I've seen lifting at my gym. I also do cardio at least four times a week. I think it's about having a good balance of both, plus cardio's good for your heart and lungs, hence the name "cardio!"

So, this week I would love to see some pounds go bye-bye. Hopefully if I just keep on keepin' on, it'll happen. Oh, yeah, and some sleep would help. I'm talkin' to YOU Jordan!

And I need to be better about the vitamins again. I keep forgetting!

Hope you have a great week!

Wordless Wednesday: Countdown to Feb. 7

In about a week and a half, Jordan will be one year old. Every day, he's working on a bunch of new "skillz," like:

WALKING!!! (Yep, he's mobile! He just started taking off across the room a couple days ago. I love the "concentration face."





Climbing stairs. He can make it all the way up from the basement, but he tends to want to stand up and turn around on the stairs. I have caught him a couple times, and he would have had some nasty falls had I not been there.



Drinking out of a big-boy (non-sippy) cup. He can do it just fine, but I have to take it away immediately because he'll fling it around, tip it or throw it. He loves to drink that way, though.





And giving the BEST kisses! I know I've used this photo already, but I just love it. It's on my computer screen right now. He gives fantastic kisses on-demand, and big brother gets the most out of him. He makes a funny mmmm-aaaah sound when he does it, too. LOVE IT!

Improve Yourself 2010 update: Week 4

So, this week's post over at Engaged Marriage is about keeping yourself accountable for your progress.

This past week, I have to be honest, I don't feel like I made much progress. I continued doing the same things I have been doing to try to be a better mom, and I guess that's the name of the game: Consistency.

But I also know I can do better! I did slip up and yell a couple times, and I also was a little lax on the one-hour-a-day Wii screen time for Logan a couple times when I was trying desperately to get Jordan to nap. Yes, friends, I used the Wii as a sort of babysitter and I feel just awful about it. Of course, Logan didn't MIND, but I felt like I was being a horrible mom. I made the choice because at the moment, it was more important to me to try to get Jordan to sleep. This sleep situation is completely out of hand!

So, anyway, today I'm going to remind myself of the goals I originally set for this challenge, to refresh them in my mind and to keep myself accountable for what I set out to accomplish.

My goals: (Are you listening Krystal? This is for you, girl. You can do this!)

I am going to take care of my kids by caring about ME through diet, exercise, taking my vitamins, trying to get adequate sleep and not feeling guilty about taking some necessary ME time.

I am going to take better care of my kids' bodies by cleaning up their diets (removing much of the processed junk), making sure they're getting the right amounts of fruits, veggies and vitamins, teaching them excellent dental care and making sure they get plenty of fun exercise.

I am going to stimulate my childrens' minds by reading more to both of them and limiting screen time (Wii, TV and computer). I will also look for more ways to make everyday experiences into learning experiences.

I am going to be better to my childrens' souls by being more patient with them, stopping and redirecting when I start to raise my voice or get irritated, refrain from talking down to them and I am actually going to get down at their level and PLAY with them rather than just occupying them.

And finally, I am going to manage my time more wisely, which will reduce my stress level and allow me to accomplish the aforementioned goals.

OK, onward and upward. Have a great week!

Flint Children's Museum review

Over the past few months, Hubby and I have discovered the joy of taking the boys to visit children's museums. We've gone to the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum as well as Impressions 5 in Lansing.

The people at the Flint Children's Museum were very kind and sent me a free pass so we could bring the boys for a day and see what we thought about it. We didn't manage to find time to go while Hubby was off work for the holidays, so my best friend and I went on a recent weekday, and took her son Brennan, who is one of Logan's good friends.

We arrived at the museum and I'm sorry to say we were not met with a very warm welcome from the staff member that was manning the desk. She gave us the distinct impression that she would rather we were not there at all, and she seemed to dislike children in general. Maybe it was just us, though. Anyway, we entered thinking that maybe it wasn't a very good idea to come there after all.

Once we got inside, though, the boys had a lot of fun. The exhibits in the first room were not what my friend and I would call very exciting, but the boys thought otherwise. They could have spent the whole day in there checking things out and dropping golf balls into the various gravity devices. We let them play for a while and then gently nudged them onward so we could see what the rest of the museum had to offer.

Here are Logan and Brennan with one of the exhibits in the first room.



There was a fairy tale area with different stations the kids could do different fairy tale-themed activities. Logan had fun decorating a gingerbread man and "baking him."



And then the boys took turns pelting each other with stuffed cows using the cow catapult.



We continued on to check out the rest of the museum and were pleased to find that there was plenty to keep the boys occupied.

There was a neat musical floor,



a climbing wall,



and a really cool mini town area where the boys could do things like driving a fire truck, helicopter or bus. Here they are pretending to drive a bus.



There was a specified area that smaller children like Jordan could explore, but we couldn't get anywhere near it because there was a huge group of parents and kids taking up the whole space. I think they had rented one of the meeting rooms for some sort of a get-together. I wish we had been able to at least see what the baby area was like, though.

However, Jordan had a great time exploring in the mini town. He found a small step to practice climbing up.



Then he'd check out the street signs for a minute and head back over to the step.





Where he'd crawl down and, most times, fall on his face.



He didn't care, though. He'd just turn around and do it over and over again. He thought it was fun.

He also liked looking at the other exhibits with his big brother.



I was impressed with the number of staff members they had monitoring the museum floor, for how relatively small the museum is. The bigger museums we had visited didn't have nearly as many staffers walking around. Perhaps we just noticed the staff in Flint more because it was pretty quiet in there on a Wednesday afternoon, aside from the group in the baby zone.

So, despite not feeling very welcome when we arrived, we did have an enjoyable time at the museum. It's the closest one to our house, and we will definitely visit again. My friend and I even discussed having our kids' birthday parties there sometime.

Click here to visit the Flint Children's Museum website for more information.

Boys will be boys!

Jordan found the coolest new toy the other day. Never mind the millions of pounds of noise-making lights-flashing plastic junk we have packed into this house. A cardboard roll of paper is WAY more fun!

My cup(s) runneth over

During the very early morning hours, I found myself in the mindset that I was having a really rotten start to my day. I was very tired thanks to a baby that just would not sleep AGAIN. I spent quite a while in his room last night before he would lay down in his crib and go to sleep. (And one really cute thing... He kept pitching his paci out of the crib, and then saying in this really sweet, serious voice, "Uh-ohhhhhhh...." It was adorable even though I was irritated.)

Then, he was up all night. It started about two hours after I went to bed. That's typical. The first cries come at about 11:30. I had my cranky pants on, and Hubby tried to soothe the baby and I ended up storming in there because he "wasn't doing it right." (Thanks, PMS, for the attitude problem. I appreciate it. Really. I'm sure my Hubby's off calling a lawyer as we speak!)

So began the evening ritual of trying to get baby to sleep in his crib. I have started a new approach. I used to take him to the living room to nurse and be held until he went back to sleep. The past few nights, though, I have been staying in his room trying to teach him that it's a pleasant place for sleep. Therefore, I have a "bed" on the hardwood floor next to his crib. (A quilt to lay on, a fleece blanket to cover up with and a pillow.)

Well, I ended up falling asleep there on the floor with him for a while last night. I woke up to find him on the floor next to me and I was completely stiff and all dried out from the heater blowing directly in my face. Ugh.

So I tried to put him back in his crib. He screamed. I took him to the couch and laid down with him. He fell back asleep. I tried putting him in his crib. He screamed. I took him into our bed (By now it was 4:30 a.m. and I was SO SHOT!) but he wouldn't settle down there. We went to the couch. He nursed. I managed to get him back in his crib, still asleep. I'd had to pee like crazy for hours, so I went to the bathroom. OH JOY. Monthly visitor has arrived. Great timing, Ma Nature. Finished going potty and realized... NO TOILET PAPER. No Kleenex, no baby wipes, nothing. Friggin' lovely.

This meant I had to toddle down the hall with my pants around my ankles to the other bathroom, trying not to get pee on the floor and also trying DESPERATELY not to hit all the horribly creaky spots in the hallway outside Jordan's room, lest I wake him AGAIN.

Took care of business and managed to get back to my own bed (Finally! For the first time since 11:30 p.m.!!!) Fell into deep sleep. Hubby's alarm clock went off.

AAAARGH!

So, yeah, it was a very frustrating night that left me irritable and in a horrible state of tired, crazy mind.

But there was something else.

An image, nagging at the back of my mind.

This picture was something I saw on FaceBook yesterday and it really struck a chord with me. It's a photo taken by Jae C. Hong of a mother, Renante Taris, and her son Erikson at a hospital in post-quake Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

I will admit, I have done all I can to avoid the news about what's going on in Haiti. I haven't wanted to think about the hell those people are experiencing.

But then I saw this photo yesterday, and I welled up. Something about it, I don't know, just stirs up some emotions in me. Maybe it's because I'm also a nursing mother. Maybe it's just seeing that in the middle of all the horrible things going on there, nature has allowed this mom to nourish and comfort her child so easily.

So there they are, at a "hospital," with dirty bandages on their wounds. They've seen and experienced completely awful, tragic things. And still, life is going on.

I love that the mom gets to just lie there and rest, as does her sweet little boy. I love his little body curled up next to hers. I love so much about this photo and what it says about motherhood and breastfeeding.



[Thank you to peaceful parenting mom, Tara Wise Drumm, and to Growing Green Bums for passing this photo along on FaceBook.]

So, I thought about this photo and then I realized I really don't have it so bad. I mean, sure I was really tired and cranky and just wanted to sleep in my own bed instead of the floor, but out there in the world are lots of other moms, nursing their babies just like me, but under far worse conditions.

And I felt something like a sisterhood with all of them.

Before I had Logan, the thought of nursing kind of grossed me out. I decided, however, that I would do it anyway because it's so good for the baby. I came to love doing it for him. I never questioned whether I would do it for Jordan, too. It was just a given.

Somewhere along the line, my mind has made a mental shift, too, to a place where I wonder why all moms don't do it. It's convenient, it's free and it saves a lot of money, aside from being the proven best for baby's health. All of a sudden, I'm hardcore pro-breastfeeding. I don't get down on formula feeders, and I get that it's way easier for moms who have to go back to work. But when moms stay home with their kids and don't nurse, particularly if they have financial issues, I just don't understand why they don't use what was given to them naturally.

Anyway, not wanting to get all preachy here, just wanted to share this photo. And if you, like some people I know, find the photo "gross" or "inappropriate" then I say "Oh well! I don't and it's my blog!"

Ha!

If you're feeling down about anything in your life today, take a moment to look at the photo and feel some peace, like this mom and her baby found, in the middle of a whole lot of turmoil.

Time flies!

One of Logan's favorite monster trucks (well, it was one of his faves yesterday. It'll be different today) is called Time Flies.

Holy crap, does it ever!

I am not really in the mood to blog this morning but I will share a couple things that blew my mind about my little Logan yesterday.

First, as I dropped him off at preschool I noticed he was yet again sprouting out of his jeans. The bottoms of them were a couple inches above his shoes somehow, magically, overnight.

So I headed over to Kohl's to get the next size up. I was wandering around the toddler's section forever, looking for 5T. Finally, I asked an employee.

What?!

I have to go WHERE?!

My baby's not in the toddler section anymore?!

Nope. He wears a BOYS 4 now. No more "T" size clothes.

And you know what that means? The jeans that were once $14.99 are now $24.99, just because they have an extra couple inches of denim. Joy.

Then I went home and got the mail. There was a bulletin from the local school district about KINDERGARTEN ROUND-UP. It's coming. In March. I am going to have to go sign my baby up for kindergarten.

I REMEMBER parts of kindergarten, for Pete's sake! I kissed a BOY in kindergarten. I lost my first TOOTH in kindergarten. I got teased by FIRST GRADERS in kindergarten.

Oh. My. Goodness! My baby's growing up!

And I'm just a mess about it.

*********

Well, as if he knew I needed it, during that pause there, he called for me (he's still in bed) so I went up there and he asked me to snuggle with him, which I gladly did. After about a minute and a half, he announced "OK, enough snuggling Mom!" and rolled over to go back to sleep.

awwwww.....

I love my little man, who has gone from this



to this (almost 5!!!!!) SO QUICKLY!



Slow down, buddy. Mom needs to catch her breath!

Wordless Wednesday: MONSTER JAM!!!

Hubby and Logan went to Monster Jam at Ford Field in Detroit on Saturday. It was a really long, exciting day for a 4 year old boy! They left at 12:30 p.m. and didn't get home until 11:30 p.m.!

First was the Party in the Pits, where Logan got to meet four of the drivers. He had letters he had written each of them, and he said they put the letters in their trucks. How sweet!

Avenger



Wrecking Crew



Brutus



Spike



It gets loud, so Logan wears ear protection. Isn't he cute?





Here's one of my favorite trucks, the Built Ford Tough Blue Thunder getting some serious airtime. (Yeah, I have a favorite. Logan and I first started watching Monster Jam when I was on bed rest with Jordan. In my defense, I was BORED!)



Here's Nitro Circus (I think) in the process of flipping over



Getting the driver out safely



And here's my little man, completely bushed after such a long, fun day with Daddy

Body After Baby update

So, you know how little kids are brutally honest? They don't know how to lie about certain things, so you know you're getting a real observation out of them.

I guess that's why I was shocked when, on Saturday morning, Logan came out and sat down on the couch next to me. A few minutes later, conversationally, out of nowhere, he asks, "Mom, when is your belly EVER going to get skinny again?"

As if he has been waiting for me to lose it or something! As if it's HUGE!

What?!

I had to ask him to repeat it to make sure I'd heard him correctly. I had.

And then that made me wonder... am I seeing myself incorrectly or something? I mean, I know I still have 15 pounds of baby weight to lose, but am I that gigantic? What the heck? I know I'm bigger than I should be, but now I feel like some sort of cow!

Then I started thinking about whether I'd said something in front of Logan about my weight or body. I hadn't. I don't talk about being fat or dieting or anything like that really. If we talk about why we exercise or eat good foods, it's always so we can be strong and healthy, not skinny.

So, anyway, that threw me for a loop!

As of my weigh-in on Monday, I lost 2 pounds over the past week. YAY! I hope that was a real loss and not dehydration or anything. I've been even better about my eating habits. I still slip, but that happens. I have even been tracking the past couple days on Spark People. One thing I have to get used to is that I eat half or even a little more of my calories before noon. BUT that's because I get up early and a lot of times I work out at 5 a.m. I'll have a banana before, then coffee after, then my oatmeal, and then I'm starving again by 9:30 or 10 so I'll eat something and then I want lunch, so I'll eat again.

I started keeping a pitcher of water with lemon slices in it in the fridge to help me drink more.

My workouts, as always, have been good. I've run about 20 miles so far this year. I took Friday off and then ended up having Saturday off too because Hubby and Logan went to Monster Jam and I didn't get time to go work out. I should have done something at home. I have two exercise programs hanging out here to review.

Tried a new workout last night. Hubby's Men's Health magazine came in the mail yesterday and I always steal the workouts from them. This month's workout is called the Spartacus Workout. You can find some info about it here, including a video. Basically, it's ten different moves that you do in a circuit. You do each thing for one minute and then rest a couple minutes and repeat the whole thing through twice. It KICKED MY BUTT! I dare say it was one of the hardest workouts I have ever done. Lots of different lunges, and I find lunges really difficult anyway. My legs are toast. They were shaking at the gym and just felt so heavy when I left. Today, it hurts to lower myself even onto the toilet!

This week's Body After Baby Challenge question from Mama Notes is:

Why do you want to lose weight and/or get healthier? What is your motivation?

Before I had Jordan I was in probably the best shape of my life as far as strength and healthy eating go, and in summer 2006 when I was running races, my heart and lungs were so good, I felt like I could run forever. It is such an amazing feeling to be in good health. You look better, your mood improves, everything. It's beneficial to all aspects of your life. I have two wonderful, active little boys and I want to be able to keep up with them for a long time. So, that's why I have formulated goals to meet this year, such as being able to do pull-ups again by my birthday in June and being able to run a half marathon in October. Of course, I want to look good again, too. I want to feel comfortable in cute clothes and not feel like I have to hide. Right before I got pregnant with Jordan was the first time in my life since early childhood that I felt comfortable wearing a tank top or even a bathing suit in public, because finally I didn't have those gross armpit bulges. I am looking forward to rocking some non-frumpy clothes this summer!

So, I have lots of reasons/motivation for undertaking these challenges!

Samantha doesn't have this week's BAB post up yet so I am not sure if there's a mini challenge to do. If there is, I'll tell you all about how I did on it next week!

Happy feet

Well, I got to spend some time at the Serendipity Day Spa yesterday while my feet enjoyed a deluxe pedicure. Mmmmm... nice! My poor tootsies deserved the pampering!

I LOVED the massage chairs, but have a bit of a sore back this morning. Oops! I had it on the powerful "knead" setting.

As I was sitting there having my pedi, I filed and painted my own fingernails, which I NEVER get to do. That was nice, too.

And my feet? Realllly happy! I shoved one of them in Hubby's face when he got home from work and he checked it out. He lifted my foot up to see my heel and he rubbed it and said "WOW! It must have taken them HOURS!"

Gee, thanks, babe!

BEFORE



MARINE MASQUE



LETTING PARAFFIN DIP SOAK IN



LETTING POLISH DRY



BACK HOME WITH PRETTY FEET



I wonder how many foot fetishists Googling "pretty feet" are going to stumble across this blog today? Ew.

A special thanks to Jen, the lovely cosmetologist who had to actually touch those "before" feet. She did a great job. Even when I talked constantly about my kids and did THE MOM THING, pulling a photo of them out of my wallet and forcing her to look at it!