Happy President’s Day! I hope you’re all enjoying your extended weekend! I’ve had a busy, busy week full of birthday festivities, Valentine’s Day fun and Macro counting adventures. It’s been wonderful, but this past week has felt like a MONTH!
First off, I am now 40.
I AM FORTY!
What in the world!???!?!? That age seriously baffles my mind!??!??! How in thee world can I be that old!? I know age is relative; to the 20-something people out there, I am ancient, but to my 50 and 60+ year old friends, I’m a youngin’.
But, any way you slice it, 40 just sounds a lot more “mature” than I think I really am, lol. It’s been hard for my brain to actually accept the fact that I’m not the 20-something or 30-something person that I think I am and thought I’d always be!
So weird.
But, I have a lot to share today, so I’ll quit my whining.
I had a great birthday! First off, the night before my birthday I went to Massage Envy for a massage!
This past year, I’ve been partnering with Massage Envy and it’s been so fun! I’ve been getting massages and facials a lot more often than I ever have and it’s been wonderful. You can read about some of my past experiences here and here if you so desire!
I hadn’t had a massage in quite a while and I could tell! My body felt so tense and worn out. I can’t tell you guys how NICE it felt to have all of the knots worked out of my tired, stressed out body. It was also wonderful to be in such a serene place and just relax for a bit and “check out” from the world for a while. It was just what I needed!
I left there feeling relaxed, refreshed and caaaaaalm. I tried to take some pictures to share with you guys, but it’s tough to take pictures and capture a massage experience. I snapped this pic in the mirror afterward. Lovely.
Obviously, the quality is lacking. Ha ha.
I also took this gem…
I love the dim lighting, soft music and serene environment of Massage Envy, but I guess it’s not the ideal “picture taking” environment. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience though and can’t wait to go again! It was the perfect thing to do on my last day of being 30-something!
I had a lot of fun on my actual birthday. I met my parents and sister for lunch at Sweet Tomatoes.
It was great and fun to “kick off” my birthday with them! My sweet sister also got me a fun present!
She got me FORTY THINGS! She got me things like earrings, lipstick, washcloths, candy, pens, greeting cards, dry shampoo, hair things, socks and protein bars. Love them! It was such a fun, thoughtful gift idea.
Later on, Kev and I took the kids to see Kung Fu Panda 3.
My birthday was on a Tuesday and it’s $5 Tuesdays at our movie theater, so we decided to go see one! I love to do fun things with the kids on my birthday, so it was perfect.
Afterward, we took the kids home and Kev and I went out to dinner at Red Robin.
I ordered the “petite burger,” which made it sound so innocent, lol. FYI, you can order any of the burgers at Red Robin as “petite” versions. It saves a few calories, but is far from innocent! However, it felt like my Last Supper since I knew I was going to start counting Macros the next day. Ha ha! I have to say, I used to love Red Robin, but it didn’t taste quite as good to me this time. Hmmmm.
When we got home, Kev had arranged for some of our friends in the neighborhood to come over and surprise me for my birthday! It was so much fun to see them and to end my birthday with my friends!
So fun! I got a “customized” version of Old Maid from some of my friends. Ha ha. Kev also got me some perfume that I’ve been wanting for a long time, Chanel Chance (the green version.) I love it!
It was a great day and I feel so blessed to have spent it with so many people that I love!
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Well, I started Macro counting on Wednesday and it’s been…..eye opening! I love it and think it’s a great, healthy way to eat, but it is TOUGH! I did really well the first few days; I logged everything into My Fitness Pal and my percentages were on point!
Here are some of my results from My Fitness Pal…
BTW, the reason one of them is pink is because I have an app installed on my phone called Twilight. It gradually changes the lighting on the phone from “blue light” to “red light” as the day goes on and the sun sets. Supposedly it’s easier on the eyes and doesn’t disrupt natural sleep patterns (apparently looking at blue light late at night keeps people from going to sleep.) I’ve liked it, and if nothing else, it reminds me to get off my phone and go to bed!
Anyway, I was super motivated and did great the first few days, but I’ve been struggling the last couple days. Gah! Weekends are tough. I’m not quitting though and I intend to start each day with full intention of keeping in my Macros!
I’ve learned that there is FAT in everything and I really have to pick and choose the things I want to eat. If I cook with a little olive oil, add a little cheese to my eggs and/or top something with a smear of peanut butter, it adds up fast! I’ve also had to make sure to get enough protein in. I’ve been having egg creations and/or protein pancakes for breakfast most mornings….
I’ve also been having leftover veggies or salad with my eggs. It’s weird, but such an easy way to get in some veggies AND use up the leftovers! I’ve also been loving my warm lemon/baking soda water with breakfast each morning.
I’ve been enjoying Flatouts a lot! They’re only 90 calories, but have 9 grams of protein, only 14 carbs and 1.5 grams of fat. Pretty stellar. I’ve had them with my eggs in the mornings or I’ve loved making them into pizzas!
I’ve been topping my pizzas with a little bit of marinara, lite shredded cheese, Parmesan, rotisserie chicken and veggies! It’s so good and very filling!
I’ve also been making random things like this…
My daughter made a tuna fish sandwich the other day and had some leftover, so I just put it on top of lettuce. It was great! BTW, the tuna was mixed with a little Smart Balance mayo and pickles. Yum.
I’ve also been enjoying protein shakes and protein pudding…
I had this protein pudding at the end of the day and I still had some carbs left over! Sooo, I decided to top it with some Cheerios and chocolate chips. So good!
I’ve also been having half of a Quest bar here and there. This Peanut Butter Supreme flavor was pretty decent…
I have to say, I don’t LOVE Quest bars. Dang it. I really want to love them, but I just don’t think they taste that good. They’re not terrible though and their ingredients and Macros are soooo much better than most other protein bars out there….so I eat them anyway.
Soooo, I’ve learned that as long as I’m conscious and careful about my sources of carbs and fats and I also make sure to get enough protein in, I’m golden. But, it’s so easy to get the percentages out of whack! We went out to dinner a couple times over the weekend and it was tough! But, I’m just going to have to put my big girl pants on and stick to the plan. Sob, sob.
Well, that pretty much sums up my week in a nutshell! I’ll end with some pics of my kiddos and their Valentine boxes.
I helped these two cuties make their Valentine Boxes and it was actually kind of fun! I have to say that making Valentine Boxes each year is a pain in the beehind, but I’m glad that it makes me sit down with my kids for a bit and be crafty. I love crafts, but I’m not a very patient, crafty mom. I’m more of a “git ‘er done” crafty kind of mom. Ha ha. But, we had a great time. Both of these boxes were pretty darn simple and my boys were so proud.
Now, my cute 6th grader couldn’t have cared less! Ha ha. He scrounged up the box he made last year out of the basement and recycled it!
Beautiful!
He didn’t care as long as it was capable of holding Valentines. Too funny! This was his last Elementary School Valentine’s day though. So sad!
Well I will be quiet now. I’m hoping to have some wonderful healthy stories and results to share with you guys next time!
Love you all! xoxo
**Massage Envy Spa provided me with a yearly membership in exchange for my honest reviews. The text and opinions expressed are entirely my own! **
I can’t tell you how much we got a kick out of your cute little guys Valentine boxes. My children are all home from school today and we got a good laugh from the recycled job! I just might go back to that one a few times today. Btw happy birthday, you enjoy being 40, could be worse, I’m 45!
Love from ML in Connecticut, go Huskies.
Oh my gosh, Mary-Louise, that makes me laugh! I told my son you got a kick out of his beautiful Valentine Box and he thought that was funny! 🙂 Thanks so much for the birthday wishes….I guess we’ll both just keep getting older, dang it. My sister lives in CT right now and I LOVE LOVE LOVE New England! My husband told me to tell you “Go Cougs!” He’s a BYU fan and said they beat UCONN the last couple years, lol!!!!
Happy birthday. You look fabulous!
Thank you so much Abby! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Happy, Happy Birthday! Glad it was so wonderful for you!
Thank you so much Charlotte. I really had such a great day!
Happy Birthday!!! You have such a beautiful family! I love that your are able to balance out you family life with a healthy lifestyle! Not everyone can accomplish such a task! It might not always work out but trying is still better than not.
Thank you so much Brooks! The healthy living/family life balance is always a challenge, but I love it. 😉