Well, here I am once again blogging once a week! Gah!
I do intend to blog more often, but for now this is what works for my schedule. I also want to mention that right now I’m in the middle of a much needed blog redesign. Woo hoo! I’ve hired a wonderful company to do the work, but I’m still taking a lot of time (time that I usually spend blogging) deciding what I want and working on some things for my new site.
Soooo, I’m sure once the new site is up, I’ll have a little more time to blog.
Anyhoo, I have a LOT of things to share with y’all today! We had a fabulous weekend. Kev took Friday off of work, so I decided to go on my long run. I usually keep my runs close to home for the sake of time, but since Kev was home, he convinced me to let him drive me far away in the middle of nowhere and let me run home. Nice.
I was seriously in the middle of nowhere…
For those of you local Utah folk, I was almost out by the Bingham Copper Mine! It felt weird to just get dumped off on the side of the road. Ha ha.
Here’s Kev wishing me luck!
I almost felt like I was running a relay race or something. Anyway, I was supposed to run 6 miles, but I’d decided if I felt good I was going to run a little further. I’m really trying so hard to take it easy so I won’t get injured, but I also want to push myself a bit.
When I was almost home I’d run 7.4 miles and I decided, what the heck, I’ll make it an even 8….so I did! I felt so great and was so proud of myself! It feels SO GOOD to be a real runner again. My pace was just under 9:30, which is still slower than I used to be (pre-pregnancy), but I’m trying to listen to my body and take it easy. I’m also still carrying 10-15 extra pounds on my body! Oy.
Friday also happened to be my cute (now) 5 year old’s birthday! Soooo, when I got home from my run, I showered and we spent the rest of the day/night celebrating his sweetness.
We made a trip to Build A Bear and then had dinner at Arctic Circle, a local hamburger joint that’s really not that good, but that’s where he wanted to go! After dinner we went to the Dollar Theater to see Night at the Museum 3. I really liked it, but it hurt my heart to see Robin Williams. I love him. 🙁
When we got home, we had cake and opened presents…
I had to post all three of those pictures because they crack me up! My sweet son is very much in the “I don’t know how to smile normally” stage. I kept taking pictures in hopes that I’d get a good one, but apparently it wasn’t possible. That pic on the right had me rolling! LOL!!!
That night, all of my sweet kiddos decided to sleep together in my oldest son’s room. I had to snap a picture because it melted my heart…
I love my kiddos. Oh, and I know that picture makes my kids look so sweet and innocent….almost like they are always best friends and always get along. Ha. Yes, they love each other, but there’s a lot of fighting going on around our house most days (mostly from my two oldest boys.) Just sayin’. 🙂
On Saturday and Sunday it was General Conference for our church. General Conference is a biannual meeting that is held the first weekend of April and October. We get to hear inspiring and uplifting talks from our church leaders and I LOVE it so much. It always lifts my spirits, motivates me and makes me want to be a better person.
I am grateful every single day for my faith and my religion. It blesses my life so much and brings me such peace, happiness, purpose and joy.
I was grateful I got attend the Saturday morning session (there are 5 two hour sessions) with Kev and some of my kiddos.
Oh, and ya I decided to “block out” some of the faces in that picture, out of respect for the people I don’t know. Yes, it looks creepy. 😉
On Sunday, it was Easter! We spent most of the day in our jammies, watching Conference on TV and enjoying typical Easter festivities…
These guys are getting too dang big! My sweet baby on the end just kills me. Love him!
My kiddos got Easter candy and a couple of little presents; mostly spring clothes and small toys.
I have to say that I am very much a “No Frills” Easter Bunny mom. We skipped the Easter grass (it seems to destroy my house) and if you look closely, you’ll see that the Easter presents are wrapped in Christmas paper! Ha ha.
Ya, I just buy a giant roll of wrapping paper from Costco and then use it for everything! I think I should get myself a non-Christmas roll too. Anyway, my poor 7 year old told me…”Mom, I know the Easter Bunny isn’t real because the same wrapping paper is on our Christmas, Birthday and Easter presents!”
Oh crap.
Actually, this may be controversial to some, but I really don’t build up the whole Santa and Easter Bunny thing with my kiddos. I don’t come right out and tell them they AREN’T real, but I just can’t tell them they ARE real either!
When they look at me with those big eyes and ask if Santa or the Easter Bunny is real, I just can’t do it. I can’t tell them something that isn’t true. I physically/emotionally can’t do it.
I know I’m weird and actually a couple of my friends have shared their disappointment with me for not “letting” my kids “believe,” but I seriously don’t know how to do it differently. I think it’s SO MUCH FUN to believe, so when my kids ask me about it, I don’t say “they’re not real,” but I just beat around the bush and tell them it’s fun to believe.
Okay, I didn’t mean to go on and on about that. Moving on….
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I’ve told you guys about how crazy my life has been lately, right?? Yes, it’s absolutely nuts and my healthy living has suffered because of it! However, now that all the birthdays and Easter are over, I’ve decided to tighten things up ’round here!
I’ve decided that from now until my half marathon (May 16th), I’m going to stay away from obvious forms of sugar (cake, cookies, sweets, candy, etc.) I’m also going to make an effort to eat as “clean” as possible. I’m not cutting out any food groups (I’m still eating grains and dairy), but I am going to stay away from most processed foods.
I started my little “challenge” on Monday and I can already tell a difference in how I feel! I am very determined and WILL NOT quit. I did Whole 30 back in January and lost almost 1o pounds….well I haven’t lost ANY more weight since then!
I still have 10-15 more pounds to lose before I’m at my pre-pregnancy weight too! Sooo, I decided to buck up and get ‘er done. Anyway, here are some of the things I’ve been eating….
Breakfasts have mostly been this…
Some sort of egg/veggie combo with a side of fruit.
I also LOVED this for breakfast the other day…
Eggs (1 whole egg + egg whites) scrambled and topped with ketchup and cheese served with a side of Dave’s Power Seed bread topped with avocado.
Holy yum.
I’ve also had protein shakes a lot…
My favorite shake is just a simple chocolate/almond one. It’s a mixture of coconut milk, water, 1/2 scoop Sunwarrior chocolate protein, a spoonful of flaxseed, a splash of almond extract, 2 big handfuls spinach, some slivered almonds and ice!
It’s very refreshing and always tastes good to me!
Lunch has been various salads (the baby food was for the baby, not me!)…
and veggie/protein creations…
For dinner tonight, we had pasta with marinara sauce, chicken and veggies. I pulled out some zucchini noodles that I froze a few months ago and cooked them up too. They tasted good, but cooked up a little weird. I’m going to experiment with my freezing process next time and see if I can get them to turn out better.
We had this for dinner the other night…
Burrito Bowls with a side of broccoli. I love this dinner SO MUCH!
I had some Protein Pudding for a “treat” tonight and it totally hit the spot. I topped it with a little bit of Cascadian Farm granola, sliced almonds and chia seeds.
Ya know, normally when I tighten up the diet, I cut out all bread. I’ve decided to do it a little differently this time.
I’m not cutting out bread, grains or dairy because I think it will help me stick with it for the long haul. I know my life is HECTIC right now and I know if I do a mega “cut out every piece of happiness” diet right now, I will fall flat on my face. Ha ha.
It’s amazing how much flavor a little cheese adds to a salad and how good an occasional slice of toast tastes.
In my opinion, sugar has the biggest effect on how my overall body feels. I love sugar and always will, but when I’m serious about weight loss, I know I get the most “bang for my buck” by cutting it out of my diet.
I’ll keep y’all posted on my progress. I will not quit!
Well, I gotta get some sleep, so I will end this. I hope you are all healthy and happy! xoxo
I so enjoy reading your blog! Thank you for inspiring.
Thank you so so so much Amy!
Great job on your run! I bet the weather is gorgeous for running right now too.
Oh I love conference. I used to take it for granted when I’d get to go, and now I live 9 hours away! Christmas and conference time just aren’t the same without Temple Square.
Love the Easter basket picture. What cute kids!
I LOVE the running weather right now!! I totally agree with you about Christmas and Conference on Temple Square….I love it!
Hooray for a great 8 mile run!!
I love that picture of your kids sitting in size order!!
That conference looks huge!!
Thanks Kim! Yes, that Conference is HUGE! That building holds over 21,000 people and it’s full for every Conference and has a huge “stand-by” line outside!
So I’m not the only mom who didn’t lie about Santa? I’m so glad I’m not alone!
I never tried to “ruin” my kids’ fantasy, but when they asked me outright, I told them the truth. I want my children to feel confident that when I tell them something, they know they can always trust me to be honest.
It’s so sweet and fun that your kids have “sleepovers” together! I love the picture of them all on Easter morning. The baby looks like he’s having the most fun!
Congratulations on your eight-mile run! I can imagine how weird that must have felt being dropped off like that, like you were being kicked out or something. I’m glad you really enjoyed it!
I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who feels that way about Santa too!! Thanks so much for your kind words. Yes, my “kicked out of the van” run was strange, but I loved it. I was one of my most favorite training runs yet.
So excited to see the new blog look! I am also redesigning lol. Congrats on the 8 mile run that’s amazing. Your son is so cute..I had that stage too..of not knowing how to smile. My goodness, I look at the pictures and laugh. Glad you had a great Easter!
Great job on your run! I love running out in the open countryside like that.
Can’t wait to see your new blog look. I’m thinking of doing the same. What a neat idea to “drop” you in the middle of nowhere and drive off. That way you have no choice but to run back home. Great job on the run!
I was kind of glad he dropped me off and I had to run home so I had no choice but to get the miles in! Ha.
I LOVE the photo of all your kids sleeping. So precious. And your meals look great, definitely something I would eat. I do not think I would like to be dropped off though in order to run home. I would be a bit too scared.
Glad you had a nice Easter weekend. Good luck for your half marathon prep. I cut out alcohol, sugar and bread / pasta 10 days before my half and it was very beneficial. Hang in there !
Thanks so much! It was a little freaky getting dropped off in the middle of nowhere to run, but thankfully I knew my way home AND I had my cell phone. Ha ha.
Jealous you get to actually attend conference! Living in MI, means it’s either TV or internet watching for us. Have a fantastic week!!
I really love Conference in the Conference Center. The choir sounds like angels in there! We lived in New England for several years and I always missed Conference. I love hanging out in my PJs and watching it on TV too though!
I just happened to stumble across your blog on my quest to shed my baby weight. It must’ve been my lucky day. Thank you for sharing your postpartum journey. I can totally relate to the crazyness of the newborn baby stage and haven’t figured out how to make the time to workout. So thanks for the awesome inspiration, recipes and advice. BTW, my baby boy was born in 8/14 too. 🙂
I’m so happy you found my blog Erica! It is so so so so tough to lose weight and try to live some sort of healthy lifestyle with a new baby! I struggle every single day! I just have to remind myself to take it one day at a time and remember it will get easier! I wish you all the best.
It looks like you are running in the middle of nowhere! I totally understand your motivation for the santa/easter bunny thing. I do not know what we will do. It is a tough decision.
It was weird to run in the middle of nowhere! It was fun in a strange way too.
There are so many hard decisions to make as a parent. I just always hope I’m doing the right thing and not messing up the kids too much! Ha ha.
Melanie, you sure have spent a great day! I’m glad for you and your family! Disneyland is really a place to spend unforgettable times )))
Thanks so much Olga! We did have SUCH a great time! Disneyland was so amazing. 😉