a puppy dog coach of sorts.

I have been taking advantage of my free time when the kids are at school.  I've enjoyed having a basement with carpet.   I love working out every morning after I drop the kids off at school.  Working out is my time to think and reflect and wonder.  It's my free therapy.   I am ready for the weather to get warmer so I can run and walk outside with the wind in my face.  I've only done a run/walk  a few times since moving to Georgia. 

 I still can't believe we live in GA.  It seems like just yesterday I was doing Zumba/Boot Camp in Ohio with a group of fun girls,  Funny how life changes so fast.  I never would have thought looking back three years ago that today I'd be structuring my own basement workouts.  We didn't have basements in Texas.  We also didn't have our Lily Jack.  I'm thankful for our sweet Ohio dog I call my fitness coach.  She's always by my side while I'm working out!  She sometimes sleeps on the job, but there are many times when she is running up and down the basement stairs with me.  She's been known to lick the sweat from my arm.  She barks at the jump rope and watches when I ride the stationary bike.  She's my little coach and I love her to death.  I'm thankful for our Ohio adventure because we got to adopt this sweet pup! 

She is a huge blessing just like each and every friend and adventure we experienced in Ohio.   Some days I really miss the people there and other days I really miss Texas.  Honestly I'm so excited about what Georgia has in store for us.  I'm so filled with excitement about our new life here in Georgia.   We are all anxiously awaiting spring weather in our new house and new yard.  I can't wait to see spring at our new lakes!  I think we're all stoked about beginning soccer in a few weeks.  

All six of us are ready to be outside playing and getting our fitness on.  I honestly don't think I sweat in Ohio and I'm ready for some sunshine and flushed cheeks!

my [somewhat] normal day

today was the first day the kids have had a full day of school in what feels like f.o.r.e.v.e.r!  

it was so sweet for this momma!

i know this picture is super ridiculous and you can't see the beauty i can, but....

i just love this stretch of road.  

it takes me into town from our house.  

the river is on the right and a beautiful hill covered in snow is on the left.  

i gasped at its beauty today.  

i wanted to slam on the brakes and use my big camera to take amazing shots. 

but i went to work-out instead.  i can't get enough of Ohio's beauty.

working out is my therapy.  i have missed it something awful.  

i do workout videos at home and lift my 10 lb barbells, but there is something about my workout class.  i just love it and have missed it so much since the weather has been so terrible.

after my workout i met my bestie for an amazing lunch.  Swiss onion soup and half a veggie wrap. it was a refreshing, yet warm lunch.

i ran a few errands and then the kids were home from school.

we did home work and ate granola and gummies.  then took baths and read books.  

i skipped the gummies and had a cup of coffee while putting conversation hearts into baggies for Layla's class party on Friday.

i ended the night with leftovers and a glass of white wine with frozen grapes for dinner.

it was a great day and i think we all enjoyed a bit of normalcy with school being back in session full force.  the kids missed their school friends!

let's hope the weather allows our great schedule to continue!

Fun run in the dark!

Saturday night the kids ran in their first fun run! Layla was so excited and nervous too, but she did great!

It was a night race held by the soccer league the kids play in.

Hayden was excited, but when he realized how dark it was he was out! All the runners took off and he stood still. He didn't want any part of running a mile in the dark!

The kids got fun T-shirts and medals! The medals were a huge hit. I'm so glad we participated and I'll certainly sign the kids up for more 'fun runs', and the next one will be in the daylight! I think Hayden would have had as much fun as Layla did!

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fajitas and a weight loss goal

I had a really bad weekend in the eating department.  I was really hard on myself about it.  I'm a little obsessed with My Fitness Pal and I was embarrassed about every single item I logged.  But for some crazy reason I couldn't stop eating.  I think I just needed to do all that pigging out to get it out of my system.  Sunday we ordered pizza and I over indulged knowing Monday it was back to the 1200 calorie + exercise lifestyle.

Today on the dinner menu was beef fajitas.  I had to make it slim and trim, but still delicious. 

So this is what I did....

I filled an 80 calorie tortilla with 1/8th of a cup of re-fried beans.  I like my fajitas light on the meat anyway so 3 little slivers of beef was perfect for me.  I topped the tortillas with tons of sauted onions and bell peppers and salsa too.  I topped the whole fajita with a few sprinkles of cheese before I devoured two fajitas.  Typically I would have had sour cream and guacamole and a few chips too, but I'm paying for a rough weekend and I have the food diary to prove it.

I had a goal in December of 2011.  My goal was to lose 10 pounds.  I did that last year.  I did it slowly, but comfortably and I lost the weight and then decided I wanted to lose 5 more pounds because I new I could.  Between packing up our Texas home, traveling here and living in our new environment I have gained about 4 pounds back.  

I now want to lose 9 pounds to be at my new goal weight.  I think I can tackle the 4 pounds, but the last 5 may be tough.  I have to do this.  I want to do this for myself.  I don't feel like I need to impress anyone, but I know what my body is capable of and I know I would feel great at my goal weight!  

I do love to cook and eat, so my motto is everything in moderation.  If you have any great low calorie meals you love please share with me!

Jump rope addict ~ Wordless Wednesday

(Can you tell she is singing while jumping?)

MudQuest 2012 Recap

We had the best weekend in Waco at the MudQuest adventure run.

Friday we drove to Waco and I dropped Gary off at the MudQuest site so he could help Jarred and his team build the course.  They worked late into the night to get the course prepared.  The kids and I went into Waco to buy snacks for Saturday's race.  We also got frozen yogurt and did a little shopping.  It was fun taking the kids around Waco.  Waco is my old stomping ground.  I have so many fun memories there!

We stayed with our fun friends and the kids couldn't wait to get to their house to play.  Shelby and I snuck away for a mommy only dinner.  While we were away for that whole 1 1/2 hours Layla lost her 3rd tooth!  It was a fun way to start the weekend!

Saturday was the longest day ever.

Gary and Jarred got up at 5:30 am to get things set up.  I never went back to sleep. Ouch! 

The kids and I got to the race grounds around 8:30.  There was so much to do!  We watched several heats of the kids races.  Our kids weren't signed up to run until 11:15am.  We walked around and talked to friends.  Finally we got to hang out with Gary who was done with last minute preparations.

The kids built mini tool boxes at the Home Depot tent.  It was so cute to watch them hammer nails and create!  They loved it!   

Finally after waiting all morning the kids got their wish.  They just wanted to get dirty and take their turn racing around the kids course.

Hayden was one dirty boy!  He LOVED being covered in mud!

He ran as fast as his little legs would carry him.

It was so fun watching him!

Layla had a smile on her face the entire race.  

My muddy little lady!

After the kids ran their race they got sprayed off my the Waco Fire Fighters!

It seemed like it took forever to get the kids cleaned up. There was a line of kids to be sprayed down and also people from the 2 mile, 5K and 10K races were all coming in at different times.  We had fun waiting in line people watching!

***

At around 2:30 the heat races ended and the volunteers were able to run the course.  I was so excited to get to run.  Gary was exhausted from building the course.  He and several other men actually built some of the water obstacles. They did a trial run of the course to make sure it was safe.  Gary thought I'd have fun running while he hung out with the kids.  Luckily there was a vehicle he and the kids used to take pictures of us on the course!

The course was brutal.  It was so much fun, but so much longer than I thought.  I thought I was running the 5K but during the run we took the 10K trail.  I was determined to NOT quit.  I had a great cheerleaders!

I lost BOTH of my shoes in a pit of mud.  I was so stinkin' mad.  I'm not even kidding when I say I wanted to scream and yell with frustration, but my kids were watching me. haha!  I had to be sweet.

Shelby waited for me to get my shoes back on and we were off running again.  Luckily we caught up to the group we were with before.  

That water was so nasty.

I was such a scaredy cat when it came to the water obstacles.  We were running with Macy and her friends and I always made sure they did the water things first.  They caught on to my fear.  And honestly I skipped a few of the super muddy obstacles.  After my shoes fell off I was gun shy!

The kids wanted to try a few obstacles!

It was a long hot race and I was so happy it was over.  I look whooped huh?

I was worried when I got sprayed off I'd freeze to death because it was a cool day on Saturday.  But you know what?  I loved the cool water and I was so muddy.  IT was disgusting. 

I don't know if you can see inside my shoes, but they are full of gravel.  They were filled with water, mud and rocks from wading through the rocky creek beds.  

I learned so much about participating in this kind of event.  It is my second one to do.  Maybe I'll post about everything I learned.  I am so thankful we are all safe and no one got hurt.  I have sore muscles and a few splinters, but all in all we survived!  

It was such a fun weekend!

Lots of memories were made and I know one thing:  My bed felt so wonderful!