Good morning and Happy Monday!
I have wanted to eat this little baby up all morning long!
It’s tough to take a picture of a baby while you’re holding him, BTW! Oh, and that little tuft of hair poking out on the right side of his head??? Well, I think it’s just the cutest thing! Yes, I’m weird.
He is so much fun right now. He’s been a BIG fan of food lately. It cracks me up. Whenever I eat anything, he gets so excited! His eyes follow my food or drink from the plate/cup to my mouth and he stares at me and leans forward with a wide open mouth. It’s the cutest thing ever. Then, when I do feed him, he immediately starts talking and humming while he’s eating. It’s hard to convey how darn cute this is in writing! I’ll have to take a video and share it.
I’m just loving every single second with him and all of his cuteness!
Oh, and my almost 5 year old told me this morning, “The baby is the my favorite person in our family…..and you’re next!” Ha ha. I see how I rate. 😉
Anyway, I hope you all had a fantastic weekend. We had a fun one. On Friday night, Kev and I went on a date with some of our friends. We went out to dinner at Los Cucos Mexican Restuaruant and HOLY COW, it was awesome!
I’m not even a huge fan of Mexican food, but I loved it! They had some healthy options on the menu, but I decided not to go that route (ha ha.) Actually Kev and I each ordered something different and then we shared both of them (we do that a lot.)
We ordered the Stuffed Avocado and it was AH-Mazing! It was deep fried (boo), but it was WOW….just wow.
How does that fit into my “3 Months, No Crap plan” you ask? Well, I will talk about that more in a sec.
We also ordered the beef/chicken Fajitas and they were out of this world! FYI, I just ate the meat and veggies from that dish, not the tortillas and all the extras….so it wasn’t too bad.
After dinner, we went to a very cool place called The Escape Key. It’s basically a “real life” mystery solving activity where you are locked in a room for 60 minutes with up to 10 people and you have to find clues and solve riddles to unlock more clues and eventually “break out” of the locked room.
The room we were in was themed like Sherlock Holmes and it was a lot of fun. We were told there was about a 40% success rate in that room. We ended up breaking out of the room about 10 seconds after the timer was up! It was crazy.
Oh, and there were 6 of us in our group, but then we combined with 4 other random people when we got there. It was a lot of fun. We had our picture taken afterward (I cropped the random people out of the picture though since I don’t know if they want to show up on my blog!)
It was a fun and very memorable night.
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I was also sent some Mini Babybel cheese recently, which is always nice!
My whole family loves Babybel, but my husband and two oldest sons are the biggest fans! It cracks me up because whenever Babybel sends me cheese and/or fun packages, my boys are like vultures. However, they all know that I like to take pictures of the cheese before they can eat it AND it sometimes takes me a few days before I get around to taking the pictures!
I feel like I’m constantly saying, “Don’t eat the cheese!” “I haven’t taken any pictures yet!” THEN, when I finally do take the pics, the cheese is gone in 2 days!
It’s hilarious.
Anyway, this time Babybel challenged me to come up with a fun and different lunch box idea. SO, here’s the lunch box I packed for my son the other day…
He’s a big fan of guacamole AND olives, but I rarely put things like that into his lunch box. So, I thought I would make it fun and change it up a bit. He always loves Babybel cheese in his lunches and likes to play with the red wax covering at recess afterward too. Cheap entertainment, right?
I also included chocolate milk in his lunch this time instead of regular milk or water. He thought that was pretty cool.
Ya know, I often pack a lot of the same things into my kids lunches. I’m usually in a hurry and just pack the things that are quick and easy. It’s fun to “think outside the box” sometimes and come up with new and exciting things. It keeps it fresh (pun intended, ha ha.)
Oh, and when my son came home from school that day, he told me it was the “perfect lunch!”
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Well, I thought I would update y’all on my progress with my “3 Months, No Crap” plan. It’s going well and I’m grateful for it because it’s keeping me on track. The main “rules” of my plan are to stay away from refined sugar, refined flour and artificial sweeteners.
And just so ya know, I’m not being super ultra crazy about it; if something has sugar listed in the ingredients I may still eat it, I’m just staying away from obvious refined sugar products like candy, cake, cookies….all the good stuff. Artificial sweeteners are a little more black and white. If I see them listed in the ingredients, I don’t eat it. Simple as that.
NOW, refined flour has been a little more tricky. In a perfect world, I would just eat things like whole oats, brown rice, etc. But, I’ve come across a few “gray areas” lately. I’m totally staying away from bread and haven’t had it at all, but I did have a bowl of cereal (Wheat Chex mixed with Special K) the other day. Yes, it’s probably refined, but I still had it!
I also had that Stuffed Avocado on our date night, which had some sort of breading on it, which I’m sure was refined…ha ha. But, I ate it! I’m trying to remember my “plan” at all times and use it as a guideline, but there’s been a few times I’ve just not been 100% compliant.
Overall, I’m happy with my commitment though and I KNOW I’ve made better food choices many times because of my plan. I won’t give up, but I may have a few “iffy things” here and there.
Just keepin’ it real folks!
I HAVE been killin’ it on my exercise plan though! It’s been a little bit strange, however. I technically haven’t missed a workout, but it’s been a little unorthodox. My plan is to run three times a week (preparing for a half marathon in May) and to attend classes at the gym the other three days. I always take Sunday off.
Last week, I didn’t work out at all on Monday, Wednesday or Friday, but I doubled up my workouts on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday! So I ran on the treadmill Tuesday morning (3 miles) and then went to my HIIT class at the gym Tuesday night (I did the same thing on Thursday too.)
I just have to say that I really really really DO NOT love the treadmill! I’m grateful to have one and I’m grateful for the options it gives me, but I think it’s a cruel form of torture.
It’s also tough to run on the treadmill while I have a baby kickin’ around. He’s a sweetie and is usually content to play with a few toys while I run, but I had to employ the help of my 4 year old the other day while I finished running…
He was a sweet brother and kept him entertained while I finished my last mile. I was grateful.
I will also say that exercising regularly while being a busy mom is a MAJOR accomplishment! It is NOT easy…..so PROPS to all of you busy moms out there who manage to still fit in workouts. Seriously, we should all pat ourselves on the back…..constantly. Ha ha.
It really does take a lot of commitment, sacrifice, planning and hard work. It’s so worth it and I love it though! I consider exercise my therapy and know that it helps me to be a happier, better mom.
I’m also happy to say that I ran OUTSIDE for the first time in a LONG time on Saturday! I was so excited! I took a quick, cheesy picture as I headed out the door.
I LOVE running outside! I felt so carefree, motivated and could feel the stress melting off of my body. It was wonderful! I ran 4.2 miles and it was just perfect. It also started snowing when I was almost home. I was grateful I got my run in while the weather was decent.
After my run, my daughter and I headed over to the gym together. The gym let me bring a friend for free on the weekends in February, so I brought her. She loved it and we got a killer workout in! We worked every upper body muscle group (bicep, triceps, shoulders, back and chest), did 80 pushups (most on my knees, gah!) and ended with some killer abs and planks.
We also managed to take a blurry selfie “us-ie” before we went home.
And ya, we didn’t intend to be twins in our black and pink….my daughter doesn’t own too many workout clothes and I don’t FIT into too many of mine….so we don’t have a lot of options. And I felt like a giant next to her…hee hee. That’s okay though because she is 13 and I am…….NOT.
I also want to say that I am about 12 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight. It is FREAKING hard to lose weight!
There are some ladies out there who seem to hardly gain any weight while pregnant and then are back into their “skinny jeans” within weeks after giving birth.
I am NOT one of those ladies.
I think pregnancy weight gain and the weight loss afterward has a lot to do with genetics and hormones. It also has a LOT to do with donuts and laying on the couch too. Ha ha.
But, I have felt the effects of those pregnancy hormones on my body many, many, many times! This past pregnancy was my healthiest pregnancy! I watched what I ate the entire time and exercised as much as I could. I still gained almost 40 pounds. Crazy.
I have also worked my BUTT off to get back into shape and lose all of this weight since having the baby. It’s come off VERY, VERY slowly. It’s discouraging, but I try to remind myself that even though the weight isn’t coming off as fast as I would like, I’m still making my body stronger and healthier in the process.
I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again. I have a good body image and self esteem no matter what I weigh or how I look. I also know that healthy living and achieving/maintaining a healthy weight and body is 100% my responsibility and my choice. However, I will never be one of those people who starve themselves, exercise for hours and hours, go on a crazy diet, “juice fast” or whatever to lose weight. My health is WAY more important to me than that.
I also want to mention that I am a nursing mom and in my experience, nursing has not been my friend in regards to weight loss! A lot of people out there say that nursing is one of the best ways to lose weight.
This is NOT true for me!
I KNOW my body is hormonal and it feels like it’s clinging onto weight and extra fat so I will have enough to feed the baby. I’ve felt it time and time again with each one of my babies. When I start to ween my babies, the weight finally falls off of me! Soooo, to all of you nursing mothers out there who are frustrated with weight loss….I feel your pain!
Okay, I didn’t mean to go on and on, so I will end my rant now.
Actually, I will end this post now too! I hope you all have a fantastic Monday! xoxo
**I received cheese and a gift card from Mini Babybel, but the text and opinions are entirely my own, as always!**
Stuffed avocado – yum!! I could eat Mexican food every day but don’t!!
I was like you – I didn’t lose much weight while nursing and it took me a long time to get back into shape both times after having my boys.
That stuffed avocado was seriously so dang good! I was dying! I’m grateful to be nursing, but it is so hard to lose weight! I’m trying to stay positive and remember that he is my last baby and I’m trying to enjoy this special time with him. Hopefully I can get back into shape after I’m done nursing and can STAY that way!
The Escape Key looks like so much fun! I want to go there! My kids live Babybel cheese too! It is so hard getting workouts in. I’ve been working out in the evening lately and really liking that. Trying so hard to lose this weight! Your baby is adorable, but you know we think so!
Melony, we loved the Escape Key! It was creative and something different to do instead of the typical dinner and a movie. I’m glad you’re enjoying your evening workouts too!! Losing weight is SOOOO tough, but we’ll both just keep pluggin’ along, right??
I miss nursing (not only for the obvious reasons, but …) because I felt like I could eat all I wanted, but then when the baby got older, I still ate everything I wanted, and you can imagine how that worked out. Your comment about working out on a treadmill with an active baby brought back memories. I had mine in an exersaucer as long as possible, and then in a high chair eating finger foods while I worked out. It was rough.
You look fabulous and are an inspiration, as always.
Oh, you’re so lucky that nursing helped you! My sister always said she felt like she could eat whatever she wanted too. So lucky! It is so tough to workout with small kids! I’m grateful for my older kids and husband who help, but in the day time it’s a whole different story!!!
Mel, you’re doing so great, and you’re beautiful!
I gained 50-60 pounds with my pregnancies, and it took me almost two years to “recover” and lose the weight afterward. I thought I’d just stay big permanently while I was having babies and between babies, but it went away when my body finally realized it was not making any more of them.
You look GREAT, and you’ll be as slim as ever before you know it.
Oh I’m so glad to hear about your struggles with baby weight too….sorry to say! Ha ha. It’s so hard, but I do try to remind myself that it’s very temporary and a small sacrifice to make!
Hi there,
Your blog is wonderful and be a follower from now on for sure! I just wanted to share my story because I am a fit fanatic mom like you and have a WILD story. In fact, we have a lot of similarities, especially with number of children. Sooooo blessed with a large family! Wanted to give my details, just for kicks (no pun intended!) So, her goes…we have two sets of boy twins, another sweet boy, and I am due in a month with another boy! That’s right, we will have SIX boys….But wait, it gets better! My twin boys are exactly 9.5 months apart!!! Yep, you read correctly!!! My obgyn declared me a super fertile mama because I had my first set at 22 and my second set at 22 as well. I married my hight school sweetheart right out of college, and we honeymooned in romantic Paris. On that trip, we were not practicing safe sex at all time. Actually more than times than not, we just got caught up and forgot! I mean it was our honeymoon! When I got home 12 days later, I just knew I was pregnant. A quick trip to the drugstore confirmed my assumptions, and my doctor confirmed twins a week later. I had a blissful pregnancy and gave birth on my due date. I felt great right after the birth, and we thought we were in the clear birth control wise. Honestly, it had not occurred to me to start up the pill, since I had never taken it. My husband and I have always used the withdrawal method, except in Paris and while preggers. Thank goodness you don’t need contraception then. When I asked my doctor about intercourse, he gave us the go ahead for sex right away. If I am being honest, we were very, very eager! We obviously started right when I got home from the hospital! I was breast feeding, and we just were really enjoying our time with the newborns and each other, but something seemed off with me swollen breasts, very, very nauseous, and my hormones were raging, you know the drill. I did have what a thought was a menstrual period for five days. Eventually I had a doctor´s appointment, and I mentioned to my doctor how sick I had been feeling. He immediately sent me to the lab for a pregnancy test. BOOM! It confimed I was indeed expecting, and it just so happened to be twins again! In fact, when I went to the doctor, my babies were four months old, and I was three and a half months along. Very,very rare, but it happens! Apparently you are very fertile after giving birth. We were shocked to say the least, but we were delighted! The second set of twins came along, and we knew we wanted more kiddos; so, we decided to throw caution to the wind, and I got pregnant immediately. This time did consult my doctor beforehand, and he declared it very possible if it is something we wanted. I was breast feeding, and very shortly after I got home, we got the green light again for sex. We all know what can happen with having it unprotected, and it did. Now my boys are 11 times 2, 10 times 2, and my other sweet son is 9. He was born 11 months to the day after the last set of twins. A small kind of a surprise, but as I mentioned we were also planning it! Yes, we have our hands full, but we would not have it any other way. My husband was in med school for many of the young years, but we made it work! For years, I thought we were totally finished with babies as we had perfected the withdrawal method, and guess what? Three late periods is not early menopause…I am due 25 March with another baby boy. I guess I should have figured it out. I was so sick the first month, and my breasts got so tender and huge. When I went to the doctor, he did not have much explanation for me, only that our choice contraception is not 100 percent. This was such a shock to us because we have been able to have sex at any time of the month (and we do), and this pregnancy seemed to conceive just a day or two before my period was to start. Oh my! I am so,so excited. Morning sickness has been terrible, and my hormones have been crazy, but ready to start life as a family of 8.
Sorry to ramble on, but I thought you would enjoy my story. If you are wondering, my doctor is amazed. He said my fertility is way crazy, and my cycles can not be predicted. Duh…my husband is also a doctor, but he is an orthopedic surgeon. He told me after this baby is born, he will be buying a truckload of condoms! Apparently we need to double protect ourselves, as I think this is it us. This is a wild ride, but I am young and happy! Thankfully I have never minded being pregnant, and I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but I think you will understand…We love the intimacy of having sex, especially while pregnant. Yes, our “frequency” has gotten us some surprise pregnancies, but they have been the best. There I said it. I am sure many women feel this way. We always wanted a big family. People tend to ask me if I know how I got this way? ! What a comment…yes, I do, and that will not stop. In fact, I know for a fact my husband is planning a very, very special homecoming for me!
Oh my WORD!!!!! I LOVE your story so much and thank you for sharing it with me!!!! I love that you’ll have SIX boys and that your first 5 were so close together….2 sets of twin boys less than a year apart is insane. Seriously, what are the chances? I wish you all the best with your new little one. I’m sure all of your big boys will love having a baby in the home. Our little baby has been such a blessing and a joy to us all!!
Your little one looks like you! Adorable.
That cheese looks tasty. Right now it’s out of my diet which is sad because I LOVE CHEESE.
You look great. You lose 12 more pounds and you may disappear!
Thanks so much! You’re so sweet. I’m a big fan of cheese too and miss it when I can’t have it!!!
I am sorry your are struggling to lose the last 12, but you look fantastic and I am so happy you are able to find time for you to workout, I know it must be hard.
Thanks so much! Weight loss is so tough and I’m not very good at being patient! Ha ha.
I think you’re doing fantastic, and more importantly you’re doing it right. There is no quick fix. AWESOME OUTDOOR RUN!!
I really can’t believe how much I LOVE running outside and how much I HATE running inside! I sure hope that eventually all of my hard work will equal some results. 😉
You are doing such a great job! I need to step up my get the rest of this weight off game!!!
Thanks so much! I really love eating well and exercising, but I’m strugglin’ right now too! It’s tough!
He is such a cutie!! Don’t worry, the baby is only the favorite because he can’t talk back yet!!
LOL! So true….his little personality is starting to show up and I love it!
Awww your baby boy is so chunky and adorable! The escape key sounds like so much fun and something I would love to do. Also I think is pretty cool that you took your daughter to the gym and work out together. Such a great way to spend girl time together! By the way, I love Babybel cheese 🙂
We had so much fun at the Escape Key! I especially liked it because it was unique and different. I had so much fun at the gym with my daughter too. I hope she’ll want to come with me again!
Just found your blog and love it. It is nice to hear the stories of mothers doing the best we can to be healthy and happy.
Thanks so much!!! I’m so glad you found me!
you had me at ‘stuffed avocado’. That’s sounds awesome.
As someone who is 5 months pregnant, I dread the post-baby weight battle (especially the second time around). I hope i have half of your dedication!
That stuffed avocado WAS so so good! I know, it is so hard to lose baby weight, especially when you’re tired and hormonal to boot! I wish you all the best!!
Great article. Thank you for sharing with us. Thank you so much.