Get Fit Friday: Week 3-6

Holy cow. Did I really start my "Get Fit Friday" 6 weeks ago? Maybe I'm counting wrong? 

And I've been so bad and I'm totally failing at updating this series. I'm the worst! But even though I've been failing at updating these posts, I haven't been failing in my exercising. I try to workout 4-5 days a week. Which is a big improvement from not doing a thing all day. I'm a little sad that my numbers haven't really moved at all on the scale, but I'm trying to focus on the fact that I actual don't hate going down to the gym and I think that's a huge milestone. Although, I've probably just jinxed that now...dang it.

My daily routine is pretty simple and is working for me. I run or bike for 20 minutes and then do 10-15min of weights, depending how long I have before Conryd has to leave for work. I didn't want to push myself too hard because I knew that if I made myself sick and completely wiped, I would not continue to workout. I do that every time I try to start running. I push myself harder than I should and give myself a mental block and then I quit. It's a vicious cycle. So I decided to start working out with a different mind set. Do what I can, and don't push myself...yet. And here I am, 6 weeks later, writing that I actually enjoy sweating! If that's not an accomplishment for myself, then I don't know what would be.

As far as our eating goes, it's getting better. We still eat pizza way too much, but we're getting back into our good, healthy habits as well. 

My mother-in-law used to make these pancakes all the time for us when we lived in Utah. Then when we moved, and I started making them almost every other morning but then took a break and never started up again. Until now. I forgot how much we love them and how much Evan loves them. He seriously eats way more of than I do and loves to snack on the leftovers. 

For those of you who are gluten, sugar and dairy free, you'll appreciate these.

Ingredients
makes approx. 24

4 eggs
2 ripe bananas
1 cup GF old fashioned oats
1/4 cup olive oil
2 TBS honey
1 TBS vanilla extract
1 big handful of spinach

Throw all of your ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth. Your batter should be pretty runny. Heat up a griddle (325-350 degrees). Spray with olive oil or non-stick cooking spray. Pour about a 1/4 cup of batter onto the hot griddle, like you would for normal pancakes. Let it cook for about 5 minutes before flipping. You want the bottom to be nice and brown and the tops to have little bubbles and look almost dry, before flipping. Once they're ready, flip over and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Serve with pure maple syrup and a small, itty bitty dash of cinnamon.

*The texture is nothing like normal pancakes. They actually kind of taste french toast-y because of the egg. And if I'm being completely honest, I wasn't crazy about these the first few times I had them. But they grew on me and I love them and think they're super delicious. My husband enjoys them (which is saying a lot), Evan loves them, my mom liked them and my dad didn't care for them. So try it out it, if you hate it I won't be offended. I promise. But I think these are a delicious, healthy way to start off your day.

Summer Nail Polish

So I've been slacking in the updating department and I apologize. I feel like my brain just hasn't been in the writing mode. If you guys could see how many drafts I have written up, you'd laugh. I probably started 10 different posts last week but did nothing with them. My brain just stopped working and I had nothing. But I finally was able to start and FINISH a post. Which is this post, a post on nail polish. Brilliant, yeah?

Is anyone else loving all of the bright colors that are out? There's just something about these bright pastel neon's that are so cheery and playful. I'm obsessed!

And after doing some serious stalking on Essie's website, I picked a few...okay a lot, of my favorite colors for this summer. I'm thinking of just painting every single fingernail a different color so I can wear them all at the same time. That kind of thing is "in," right? Just don't judge me if I seriously decide to do it. I don't think I can wait a week between color changing. A wise woman once said, "Ain't nobody got time for that." And isn't that just the truth.

1. Too Taboo
2. Romper Room
3. Serial Shopper
4. Ruffles & Feathers
5. Vices Versa
6. Fashion Playground
7. Bouncer, It's Me!
8. I'm Addicted
9. Chills & Thrills
10. Sittin' Pretty

So out of the many, many, many polishes they had listed, these 10 jumped out at me the most. And for good reason, they're amazing.
What are your favorite colors for summer?
Also, don't forget to enter our giveaway! You can enter to win a pair of Freshly Picked moccasins and $145 in PayPal cash! Click here to enter!

{Giveaway} Freshly Picked Moccs + $145 Prize! -closed-

Have you guys met Pamela yet from Macdonaldsplayland? If not, you should probably hop on over to her blog and become her best friend. She was the first blogger I got in contact with and I am so glad I did. After reading a few of her posts I felt like we were the same person. She is so sweet and down to earth and I just adore her little family. And I know you will too. So go over and give her some love!

Now for the good stuff.

 For my very first giveaway,I've teamed up with Pamela from Macdonald's Playland and 15 other amazing bloggers to bring you this awesome giveaway! One lucky winner will receive a pair of adorable Freshly Picked moccasins in the size and color of choice as well as $145 in PayPal cash! Be sure to enter in the rafflecopter below! Giveaway runs for two weeks and ends Monday, June 9th. Be sure to give these wonderful ladies some love at their blogs & social media as well! Best of luck!

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Our Week via my iPhone

Mother's day! Mother's day was amazing. You can check out my post here to read my thoughts on being a mother. After church, Conryd and Evan made me delicious crepes for lunch. I like to eat mine with a little bit of butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar and teeny tiny line of maple syrup. It's delicious and it's my favorite. My family knows how to make me happy. We then headed to the beach to play in the sand and hang out under the umbrella.  It was super windy and the water was really choppy but it made for a beautiful day to just sit back and build sand castles in. Evan must have known it was a special day because I only had to ask him one time to give me kisses and cuddles. Usually I have to chase him down, pin and down and force him to give me kisses. And then he runs away and we repeat. It's a long hard process to get loved around here.

I LOVE watching Evan play with his toys. It oddly makes me so happy. I love hearing him make his toys talk and seeing what kind of things he has them do. I think it's so cute and I love seeing him use his imagination. I could sit there and watch him play all day. It makes me smile.

Evan was so excited to help me make these muffins. He pulled out all of the muffin liners and proceeded to line them out on top of the stove. He then gasped with excitement and started yelling, "Mom! Oooohhh! Mom!" I loved seeing how something so small made him so excited.

Saturday was a windy day, but that didn't stop this duo from wanting to get in the water and swim. I'm a wuss when it comes to swimming. If the water's not 88 degrees, I won't go in. These two had the pool all to themselves. I love watching Evan swim. It's the cutest thing in the world. He's getting so good. Proud mama right here. 

This is a rare sight. This kid hardly ever falls asleep during the day and he NEVER lets Conryd carry him from the car to inside. This day, Evan fell asleep and let daddy hold him. Conryd made sure to rub it in my face that he got to hold him while he slept on his shoulder. I wasn't too upset because I got to witness all of it's sweetness.

I think this was Wednesday...So my friends and I are sitting at the park, just chatting away while the kids are off playing. All of sudden one of the little boys comes running up to us, looking terrified, saying that there is a robot crab over there. Then 30 seconds later Evan comes running to me, crying hysterically. I ask his friend what happened and he said the robot crab scared him. I asked Evan if he was scared and he said yes and that he wanted to go home. He was seriously upset over something that he had seen. Before we could leave I had to check out this "robot crab" because it sounded kind of awesome and not real. So I walk to the back of the park, looking for a robot crab and all of a sudden I see this thing crawling around and it totally gave me a fright. It was gross looking. And it doesn't help that I am the biggest chicken but I couldn't let Evan see me scared, so I tried to laugh it off and tell them he wasn't scary and he just wanted to be their friend. I'm such a phony, I know. The boys then realized he was harmless and were so intrigued by him and wanted to play with him. Crisis averted. 

And then this happened. These cookies. Oh these cookies. They are a copycat recipe of the original Swig cookie, which I've never actually had. So many people online have been raving about this "Swig cookie" and I thought it had to be amazing if so many people were obsessing over it. But seeing as how I am like 3,000 miles away from Utah, the closest I was going to get to trying one was going to have to be me baking them. So that's just what I did. I searched high and low online trying to find a recipe that claimed to be closest in tasting to the real thing. I chose this recipe to be my first try. After I frosted that first cookie and took a bite, I wasn't too impressed with it. It was drier than my sugar cookies and lacking some flavor in the cookie base. My friend told me the frosting tasted like flowers and it absolutely does! It's not like a bad thing but it was just different. As I chomped down on my second cookie I was sold and I totally got it. And I am now hooked. I can't compare them to the real deal and if they're anything like it but they are delicious. I will definitely be making them again, but will possibly make a few minor alterations to my liking. Anyways, try them out. I also think they're just adorable cookies. I love their cracked edges with their soft pink frosting. They're just pretty. And I'm in love. 

That covers our week. I'm looking forward to some fun upcoming posts! Hubby's birthday is Friday so I'm getting started on putting together a few decorations and a delicious non-traditional birthday cake! Stay tuned!

Veggie Muffins

Muffins! Anybody remember that YouTube clip? Bueller...Bueller? Anyways, sorry to break it to you all but these are not sugar, gluten, dairy, grain or anything else, free. But they are delicious and they are Evan's favorite muffins. I will usually make these when I haven't used up all of my produce for the week. So if you have any fruits and veggies that are on the brink of going bad, you should probably whip up a batch of these.

I have made these with chocolate chips and without. Always go WITH chocolate chips. They make life better. And if you feel a little guilty about it, don't. But in case you do, just remember that you'll be getting a teeny tiny portion of fruits and veggies in, and that cancels out the chocolate chips. That's how it works, right?

Veggie Muffins
makes 24 muffins

*3/4 - 1 cup sugar
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 small zucchini, grated
2 medium sized carrots, grated
2 ripe bananas, mashed
3 TBS milk
a good handful or more, mini chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In an electric mixer bowl, combine sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds or until combined. Next add in your flour, salt, baking soda and powder, and cinnamon. Beat until all ingredients are well incorporated. Now add in your zucchini, carrots, bananas, and milk. At this point, your mixture is going to look not so appetizing, but it gets better. Mix until everything is thoroughly mixed, scrapping down the sides as you go. Lastly, add in your chocolate chips. And I always hand mix those in.

In a prepared muffin pan, scoop mixture in til about 3/4 of the way full. Place your muffin tin on a cookie sheet for easy in and out transport from the oven. Bake for 18-23 minutes (20 for me), or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Place on cooling rack and enjoy.

*When I first made these I used 1 1/2 cups of sugar. That seemed like a lot of sugar so the past few times I've made them I've been using less and less sugar. Today I used just a pinch more than 3/4 cups and I think I could even use a little less. If you're worried about it not being sweet enough, start with a cup of sugar.

-Sneaky little hand-

UPDATE: Since these were made, last night, we have 2 left. My husband and son cannot stop eating them. To quote my husband, "THESE ARE SO DELICIOUS!" As he shoves a whole muffin in his mouth. He's never been more attractive.

A happy place

You would think that living a mile from the beach we'd be there every second of every day. But we're not. It's a maybe once a week but most likely every other week, kind of thing. Don't ask me why, because I don't know. It's probably because I'm super lazy and don't want to deal with all of that sand. It's a lame excuse, I know. But our negative presence at the beach ended last week and when we met up with a few friends. It was a beautiful beach day. The water was a bit rough...okay a lot rough, the kids got worked ha. But the weather was amazing and it helped remind that I do actually, very much, love the beach.

Over the "cold months," October to January, I crave cold, snowy weather and complain about how I hate the warm weather and how I prefer snowy mountains to the bright blue ocean. And then I step outside on wonderful days like this, and question my sanity during those months.

So if I go missing for a few weeks, I'll most likely be here. Soaking up all the sun rays and skin cancer.

 

 

 

 

-don't mind the obnoxiously bright yellow floaties with the awesome bright pink pale-

Beauty in the mess

I'm sure a lot of you have read or have seen the story floating around Instagram about the sweet little boy, Ryan, who tragically passed away Friday (click here to read his story). This story hits way too close to home for me, as I'm sure it does for the rest of you mamas.
After hearing what had happened, it made me really analyze how I am living my life with my child. And I have realized that I too often focus on the negative and not as much on the positive. And that's not fair to my child whom I absolutely adore and would do anything for. It's time for me to change and to really start loving every. single. aspect. of being a mother... Being a mother to my sweet boy, who loves life and loves his mom. I need to find the joy in messy floors and stinky clothes. I need to find the joy in having a crazy, energetic toddler who keeps me going all day long. I need to, because I can. And I will not let these days go by and let myself have any negative thoughts about being a mother.

Here are some things you should know about me: I am not perfect. I struggle a lot. I can be impatient. I get frustrated. I let my emotions get the best of me. I get stressed. I can't handle toys being scattered across the floor. I cringe when I hear that bucket of toys being dumped on the floor. I (sometimes) swear when I step on one of those little cars that Evan didn't put away. I slip on the blocks that are covering my floors. I battle to get clothes on Evan because he prefers to be in his underwear.  I'm constantly vacuuming and mopping our floors. I have peanut butter and pizza sauce smothered into my couch cushions. My rug most likely smells like mildew from all of the spilled cups of water that its absorbed. And sometimes I feel like screaming at the top of my lungs because I am just so over the day and it's only 11am. 

But I am changing my perspective on all of these things you could call, "annoyances."

I feel grateful that I have a child who has the biggest imagination and plays with every single one of his toys. I'm grateful for the noise of toys being dumped and dropped on the floor. It's reminding me that my child is playing and using his imagination to create different worlds to play in. I'm grateful that I have a healthy child who I can take to the park. Who jumps off the slides and asks me to push him in the swing. I'm grateful he wants to build block towers with me and knock them down just to do it all over again. I'm grateful to see the joy in my child's eyes as he jumps off the couch in just his underwear. I'm grateful I can provide food for my child, even if most of it ends up on the floor and couch.
  I'm grateful I have my baby boy to argue with, to test me, to push my buttons, because that means he is here, with me. I have my little boy to play with, to cuddle with, to fight with, to lose (many) battles with, to race cars with, to help me throw the laundry on the bed, to help me "put away" the dishes, to jump and scream and run around with, to swim with, to eat with, to be my driving buddy, to give me cuddles when I've had a hard day, and to kiss my boo-boos better when I step on one of those blasted cars. I'm grateful for his big, beautiful brown eyes. I'm grateful for his little clammy hands and chubby feet. I'm grateful for all of these things that make my baby, my baby.

  

And lastly, I am grateful that I get to see the good and the bad in life and experience it with him.

 My heart is heavy as I feel for this family and their loss. I feel selfish for being able to continue to experience this life with Evan. Things can and do happen in the blink of an eye and I will never again take advantage of one single moment that I have to be Evan's mom.

 

I also realized I have no normal pictures with Evan that are taken with a real camera. Apparently we can only take weird ones with the iphone. One of these days we'll get some legit pictures. Anyone in South Florida that's a photographer and wants to help out...you're hired!

Summer Swimsuit Style

Seeing as how it's 99% summer here in Florida, I've been eyeing a few bathing suits to live in. I'm in desperate need of some new swimwear, the water here literally eats them away, and these ones are for sure on the top of my list of next purchases. I've been avoiding buying any suits because I haven't been "bathing suit ready" but whatever, I'm doing it anyways. And I just can't decide on one. I guess I'll have to just take one of each :) Here are a few of my favorites for summer 2014

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5

 

6

 7

 

8

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8

Last week via Instagram

Just a review of our last week via my Instagram feed:

Last Monday was my birthday and I think I can honestly say it was one of my favorites. My husband made me feel extra special. It was filled with love, hugs, kisses, flowers, family time at the beach and tacos from the Taco Spot! If you ever visit Hollywood Beach, FL it a place you HAVE to eat it! And if you need someone to take you there, I volunteer myself as tribute. Thank you Azy for finding it, you are forever one of my most favorite people :)

 

Tuesday we went the food trucks at Haulover Park and ate some (more) delicious tacos by the boat docks. And for dessert Conryd got a deep fried Snickers. It only cost $10 for that deep fried diabetes on a stick...it was worth it.We devoured it before I could capture its goodness.

Isn't my little guy so handsome? He kills me with his good looks.

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday...I have no documentation of those days but I can guarantee it was filled with the park and Curious George :)

And our Sunday consisted of this delicious strawberry watermelon slush and palm trees by the pool

 I hope everyone's week was just as wonderful!