5 on Friday

Happy Friday friends! Does everyone have lots of fun plans over the weekend into the 4th? We don't have any plans set in stone but I am sure we will end up in Augusta like every July 4th for fireworks and fire engine rides! Oh and since it's Friday I thought why not do a 5 on Friday!






ONE


Meredith had a busy week. She did a soccer camp Monday-Thursday. She had a great time and learned a lot. The bonus for her was getting to spend the week with her little bestie from school. On Wednesday she had her 9 year check up. I can't believe we had her NINE year checkup. Feels like yesterday we were just at her one year. Mere loves going to the doctor and even wanted shots (I am not sure if I should be worried or not lol). But much to her disappointed there were no shots involved. She is in the 30% for weight and height. Doctor said she was a little petite thing (gonna take after momma I guess. Since I am 5'2 .....if I stretch !!). We went swimming after the appointment. I love that both kids know how to swim and play well in the pool together.

TWO


In a previous post I mentioned that in June I was trying to maintain the weight I had lost and doing the carb cycle on my own. I start back with the facebook program on Monday. Ya'll I can't stop eating all the bad stuff. The last 2 days I have been HORRIBLE. I can't stop!! But I know I need to. So ready for Monday and to start back!

THREE
Today Nick is working on bricking our mailbox. We did this at our previous house and it looked so good. He did it himself. Nick is quite the handyman and can make anything. We need more brick because he found a picture on pinterest for our patio area. I loved it and now want it done as well.

patio inspiration

FOUR
While at Kenwood last week I stopped in Nordstom's at the Kiehl's counter. I love their body wash and lotion and have been wanting to try some of their face products. The lady was super helpful and sent me home with lots of samples to try. Well, I am completely obsessed with 3 of the products and can tell a difference in my skin. It has a glow to it!

FIVE
I have been wanting a pair of floral tennis shoes to wear with jeans and plain t's or even a striped t ( I like to pattern mix!!) I think these Kate Spade shoes are exactly what I am looking for!!

Hope everyone has an amazing weekend and 4th of July!! We plan on enjoying it to the fullest with these 2 crazies!!

Working Out {for the busy woman}

How does anyone find time to work out?


As busy moms, wives, or just women it is nearly impossible. But I know working out does not just impact my physical well being it also affects my mental well being as well. If I miss a workout I feel sluggish but also I find my self pissed off at myself. I just feel better afterwards like I can tackle my to do lists, the day, or whatever I have on my plate.


My problem though has always been finding that time to fit something in. I have the guilty mom complex if I do it after I get home from work. Also, kids make it impossible to workout at home without a 100 interruptions. It never fails I will be in the middle of lunges and Max needs a glass of milk or his hiney wiped.


Most of the gyms around me do not have child care so that nixes them too. I do try to set my alarm before work on days Nick is home. I am then able to get some cardio in outside. I also use the workout room at work during my lunch break. But sometimes I can't make myself go down there. I am either starving some days or I just need to sit and relax after a morning full of patients and being on my feet go, go, going non stop.


I also find myself doing my "kitchen workouts" a lot.  I have shared before my zumba videos from youtube. But I have found two new HIIT (High intensity interval training) that I love. These workouts are perfect in my opinion. I can set my alarm before the kids get out of bed, go downstairs still in my jammies, and bust out a quick workout! It's a win win for all!! Here they are if you too are looking for something to fit into your busy lifestyle. For the longest time I made excuse after excuse not to get a workout in. I finally came to the realization that I can find the time. While it might not be the most ideal, like during my lunch break, it is what it is. And a momma's gotta do what a momma's gotta do to  be happy!!

https://youtu.be/i134sTtWHlI


https://youtu.be/q20pLhdoEoY

Drinking all my water is easier when you have a cute cup! Loving my new pink yeti! 

Y'all I am so excited , too! July 1st I am back on the Lean and clean transformation with Stacey and Jess's Facebook group! I took a break in June and tried doing it on my own! I maintained what I had already lost which made me extremely happy! Now I am ready to say goodbye to these last 13-15 pounds! I feel so much better mentally (this has been tbe biggest win for me! For the last 4 years I have had such bad body image and self esteem issues.). I was able to go on vacation and not look in the mirror and hate the way I look . I was actually happy! I owe it all do these ladies and this group they created! It does cost money each month to participate but it has been by far the best money I have spent ! If you are interested you can find them here on Facebook! Happy hump day friends! The kids and I are running errands ! We have already looked at Max's new daycare /preschool for next year and are currently sitting in the pediatrician's office waiting for Mere's 9 yr checkup! Then we have stops planned for the farmer's market and pool!!

Scenes from the Weekend

Here's to another happy Monday. Might as well make the most of them since somehow they come around each week. haha. Mere starts soccer camp tonight. There will be lots of rushing around when I get home from work to get her to the camp all week. It will be key for me to prep dinner each day the night before, have her things laid out and ready to go, and a to do list or I can see myself drowning! No one has time for that. lol. We had a good weekend to get our tanks full for the week ahead.




Saturday we went to my favorite little farmhouse full of treasures of antiques, shabby chic, vintage and more. I love going here and finding all kinds of goodness for the house. I hadn't been in a while and it was the perfect day for it. After antiquing the kids and I decided we needed to do some more shopping. They had their little hearts set on build a bear and momma had a coupon for $50 off to Lilly Pulitzer! So off we went to Kenwood. On our way home we stopped to see Daddy at the firehouse. The kids got to play on the fire trucks and they always act like they never get to do this. When in reality it is all the time. lol. By the time we got home we were exhausted and decided to watch a movie in bed. Sunday I picked up an extra shift at my old stomping grounds in the C O V. I always love working there so it made for a good day!!

I brought the little wooden cow sign home with me!

Hope everyone has a great week ahead. Can you believe 4th of July is next week. Where has summer gone?

5 on Friday

Happy Friday ya'll!! We just got back from visiting family in North Carolina late last night. I am a little slow moving today. I have a busy day ahead with work and lots of errands to get caught back up. I also picked up an extra shift on Sunday. Sooo, I thought I would share 5 thoughts for Friday:)




ONE


While in North Carolina Peyton and Olivia took the kids and I with them to run errands. We went to a sporting goods store there in Hickory called Academy. Lucky for us in our area you can also shop on line. It is very similar to Dick's Sporting Goods, but Academy has athletic wear in their own brand called BCG. Meredith has 2 soccer camps this summer so I scooped up a couple pairs of soccer shirts and shorts. You can't beat the price. Her shirts were only $5.99 and the shorts were $7.99. They offer free shipping over $25 and free returns!! I will definitely be ordering some more things for all of us. They also have the name brands like Nike, Under Armour, and Yeti! Go check it out!!



TWO

I have decided I am not a fan of taking a vacation at the beginning of summer ! Now I feel like there is nothing to look forward to. Insert my type A planner personality and am trying to come up with a few things to do the rest of summer ! I have decided a camping trip sounds like the pefect thing to do. Now to decide where to camp. I don't want to go too far. Probably no more than an hour to two! We also go to Augusta for several days . That is coming up in a couple weeks. Does anyone else feel like this summer is flying by?! I want to soak up every last second of it!



THREE
I am Obsessed with this dress! I wore it to my God daughter's confirmation and know it will be in repeat!! Two of my fave things: pockets and embroidered!! They also have it in white! Size down....I got a small.

FOUR
While at Target in North Carolina I spotted a few cute things for our patio that were on clearance. I am hoping our Target here has them or I will be regretting that I didn't get them there. But we didn't have a lot of room in car. Our patio is in such a sad state so my goal is to get it looking halfway decent. I also need to make a trip to a local shop Sweet Buy and Buy. It is a farm house and barn full of antiques. I have my eyes on an outdoor sofa.


FIVE
For Christmas we were planning on taking the kids to Disney. It was going to be part of their Christmas gift. I was super excited about planning another trip. But one day in the car the kids and I were talking about places they really wanted to visit. Little Max spoke up and said he really wanted to go to New York City. We started talking about how neat NYC would be at Christmas with ice skating in Rockefeller Center with the huge tree in the background. So anyhow we have now decided to plan a trip to NYC instead of Disney! Has anyone been around Christmas? I am really excited and so are the kids!


Hope ya'll have a great weekend!!

carb cycle: June update

Hey June. You haven't been easy on this momma as far as dieting and wellness. Guess I can't blame it on June. More to do with being on vacation and in general enjoying food and a little adult beverage. I feel as though summer is a hard time to focus on weight loss. June is my month of giving myself grace. I am trying not to be too hard on myself. The former me would beat myself up about losing focus or "cheating". The former me would ruin my whole day if I messed up or didn't fit in a work out. This carb cycle journey has taught me so much more than just what to eat and  how to work out. It has really been a game changer as far as my emotional well being . I might have needed this as much as the physical part.


How did I do with vacation and carb cycling? Well, on the bright side I was able to fit in a work out almost every day. We did  a lot of walking. I found a HIIT (high intensity interval training) you tube video and was able to do that in our hotel room. BUT I also let myself enjoy my favorite Southern foods in Charleston like key lime pie and grits! Oh and I had a few glasses of wine. I won't lie and say I wasn't a little worried that the scale was going to show all the things I enjoyed. (I even wanted to take said scale with us to keep me in check. But Nick thought I was insane. So I probably would have if it would have been up to  me. ). As soon as I got home and unpacked I bravely stepped on the scale and you know what.......I stayed the same. I knew I wasn't going to lose any weight but I didn't want to ruin my progress either.


Now with vacation being over it has been hard to get back in the swing of things. I am trying to do the cycle without the luxury of the group that looking back was probably a big part of my success. I would say I am 50% on with my nutrition and workouts. I have found it also hard to get back in the routine of working out. I really need to make it a habit to fit in my workouts before work. But that means setting my alarm for 4:30. I have been staying up too late and when that alarm goes off I find myself unable to get out of bed. Then when I get home from work I can't make myself do a workout. I feel like I need to take care of things around the house and then be present for my kids. Momma guilt is the real deal.


So my goals for the rest of June is to lose 4 more pounds. While it doesn't seem like a lot , it is for me. I don't lose super fast. For the next two weeks I hope I can find my rhythm again with finding the time for working out and being 100% with my food.


I am looking forward to July because I plan on joining the Carb cycle group again on Facebook. I feel like this is key for me. I am actually excited about it. I miss that interaction with the group. It holds me accountable and having others to lift me up is priceless. I am actually enjoying this journey for once!

Scenes from Our Weekend

Happy Monday! I actually looked forward to this Monday. The kiddos and I are hitting the road tomorrow evening for North Carolina to visit family. We will also be attending my God Daughter's Confirmation. Saturday I worked and Nick got to stay home with kids and play mister mom. After I got home, he switched and he left for work. I took the kids to our church's Party in the Lot. They normally have it in the church lot (hence the Party in the Lot). This one , though, was at Atwood Winery. I have to say they could not have chose a better spot. The adults got to enjoy some beverages while the kids played. Mere was excited to see lots of friends from school. We met my friend and her two boys. I am glad we went.

Sunday was of course Father's Day. This day is always a little sad since my dad is no longer here. But I love to spoil Nick and show him how much we appreciate all that he does for us. But he got overtime and spent the day at the Firehouse. We planned on going there in the early afternoon to visit but he had a fire the night before and only got two hours of sleep so we changed our plans at went in the evening. We decided to go swimming at my aunt's in Augusta. We stopped on our way back to see Nick and drop off a cheesecake to the guys. The kids made cards for him. We had already given him his gifts on Saturday. The Boston Red Sox are playing in Cincy in September. The Red Sox are his favorite team so we got him tickets as a gift along with a yeti cup. The kids love visiting him while he is at work, playing on the fire trucks and trying on his gear. The evening got to shoot some hoops with him. I hated that he had to spend his day at the firehouse but he never minds. By the time we got home it was time to get ready for bed. I did go ahead and pack the kids stuff for NC.

Hope ya'll have a great week!!

Front porch sittin'

Happy Friday ya'll. It could not have come fast enough either!:) Thought I would share our porch today!!


One of my favorite parts of our home is the front porch! Does sitting on the front porch sipping sweet tea (or now wine) not put you in a nostalgic mood? It seriously transports me to the days of my childhood and all the summers sitting on our front porch steps. Growing up in a small town the happening place was always the front porch! It's where you could watch all the older kids cruise town, chat with your neighbors , or the people out taking a evening walk. I miss those days something firerce and it is something that you don't get living in the "city". But now with kids of my own I love watching my kids play and ride their bikes from my porch sitting in my grandmother Darnell's outdoor furniture that was handed down to me . Here is a sneak peak of the front porch ! Nick has done an amazing job out front!!

Next up is our poor little patio! I have been planning away with ideas to make it a place to hang out as well!! That is my goal for end of summer !

Also if you haven't checked out Monday and Wednesday's posts you can do so here:

Monday's post

Wednesday's post