National LOVE Day

Mondays are usually reserved for my workout rundowns, but mine is a little too...um...nondescript to post. There's a reason, but I don't want to get caught up in excuses. Let's do a weekend recap instead. It's a bit more exciting anyhow.

Friday night, I came home from work to a beautiful bouquet of roses and some Ferrero Rocher chocolates for Valentine's Day. V-day was pretty low key at our house, but it was fun to look through all of Peanut's little valentines from his school friends. All the kidlets are learning to write, so their handwriting is adorable.

After I gave Peanut a special Valentine, he ran into the dining room and wrote me a love letter of his own.

Mommy I love you to 100 forever. Signed, Kayne

Best Valentine ever!

Saturday night we were invited to a couple's Valentine's Day dinner with some church friends. It was a hit! We played The Newlywed Game--and Hubster and I won! Oh, but he might be in the doghouse for a few of his answers. The worst "How would you fill in the blank: my wife is a natural-born....what?" Oh. Yes. He. Did. He put Nag! Those that know me would probably widen their eyes at such a statement, knowing how inaccurate it is and how .... he is. Haha!

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Our hostess had the most lovely V-day decorations all over her house. Her mother saved all her sweet lil valentines from when she was a kid. I wish I would've gotten a few pictures, but they all had such endearing vintage prints on them, like this:

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Capping off the games, we had some tasty fruit fondue. This was after a full spread of lasagna, veggies, fruit salads and all kinds of goodies. No one walked away without a full, warm belly.

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Sunday consisted of church, followed by some much needed slooooowed down Netflix time. This time momma got to pick what we were watching. The choices? I ended up watching A Little Bit of Heaven with Kate Hudson. It was a heart-wrenching story, like a Lurlene McDaniel book. What really stood out, aside from the exploration of existentialism, was the adorable swing in the main character's living room! I love this idea and want Hubster to install one pronto.

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Next up was Amélie. The weird connection here is that I was reading Amanda Knox's book, and this was a movie she persuaded Sollecito to watch because it was one of her favorites. When I skimmed over it on Netflix, I thought, what the heck? It's a very interesting little movie with whimsical cinematics and quirky humor. I love how Amélie touched the lives of a whole bunch of people in the most creative, touching ways and how there are multiple storylines woven through the actual love story. It is not your typical cookie-cutter sappy love story. Put it in your queue, it's good.


How do you normally celebrate Valentine's Day? What's your favorite love story?

Agility Ladder DIY

You can get all the supplies to make your own agility ladder at a regular hardware store, and it really only takes less than half an hour to make.

Agility ladders are an amazing unsung fitness tool that you're probably not using. I will be back to share some agility training drills soon too, so stay tuned for that. But these exercises shouldn't be saved for professional football players or high school track teams. Agility drills not only increase your agility, but they also provide a great source of cardio, especially if you're getting bored with your treadmill routine. You can get pretty creative with your fancy footwork, like sport dancing, and it also tests your mental acuity. We did some agility drills at the NASM workshop I attended and they were kind of fun and challenging and had me out of breath within a few minutes.

Supplies:

• Short nails/carpet tacks
• Hammer
• Wood shims or other flat thin wood*
• Rope
• Tape measure

Instructions:

1. Stack two shims on top of each other with one narrow side and one thick side of each together. Nail the end of the rope into the top of the first shim stack.

2. Measure 15 inches to the next rung and hammer another nail into the top of that shim stack.

3. Continue until you have 15 rungs. Cut the rope at the end of the 15th rung. Now, go back and do the same thing on the other side of the ladder, hammering the string to the shims every 15 inches.

Voila, your very own agility ladder! It's easy to fold up and hang in your garage or shed. Be careful if you're doing this project outside with little kidlets around. All the neighbor kids ran over when they saw what I was doing and asked if they could "help." Um, no. And we ended up with a knocked over pile of nails in the grass that I was really trying to prevent (barefoot in the summer, ouch!). Just hand them a few shims and a little length of rope and see who can make the best godseye.

*I would actually recommend using some thin wood versus shims. Shims are what I had on-hand, but nailing into the narrow ends proved to be a bit tricky. The wood needs to be pretty thin though, so you're not tripping over it. Also, if you have feet that are much larger than mine (women's 8), the width of a shim might not work for you. You should be able to fit both feet inside with some room left over, so take your own measurements from there.

Lately I've Been...

...Around, just not as much in this space as I'd like to be. For that matter, even my home could use quite a bit of TLC right about now.
...Surviving some terrible nausea and attempting to make peace with the fact that the only thing you can do is just wait it out.
...Waiting out the cold here in Wisconsin. A day in the 30s would be bikini weather at this point. Poor kiddos have been so cooped up in school without recess, they're really getting restless.
...Looking forward to our upcoming trip to Florida in March. This will be the first time in my life I get to go to Disney. Can't wait to watch Peanut soak it all in. Hopefully Florida welcomes us with the warm air we so desire.
...Getting very inspired by the Olympics and all the chatter about it. What, me? Into sports?
...Reading Amanda Knox's story, Waiting to be Heard. I mean, wow! She pretty much lived nightmares that I've had before. Like any good mystery, the book has me unable to put it down. It's thick, but I got through most of it in a weekend.
...Looking at houses and dreaming about living in the country. However, the thought of actually listing our first home (and making is show-ready!) and the prospect of moving have me completely paralyzed.
...Staring at my Peanut and all his expressions and movements and just reveling in them. Kids are special, no? He reminds me of everything that matters most.
...Cooking up a special project that I can't quite announce yet, but you'll see...


What have you been up to?

Workouts and Guilty Pleasures Confession

I have a confession to make. I think workout time is the best time to indulge in some harmless guilty pleasures. When I was working out at the YMCA, I really enjoyed catching up on a little bit of trashy reality TV since the treadmills had built-in televisions. I loved that! On treadmills without TVs however, I enjoy reading gossip mags when I get the chance. I don't subscribe to any, but when the gym offers them, I shrug and grab one. Might as well, right?

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I don't normally indulge in these kinds of things. I like to try and keep my mind fresh with ideas and inspiration most of the time. I like to read more intelligent writing, but I figure if I'm doing something of virtue (exercising), and I'm able to multitask, I should allowed to indulge a little bit. I would never usually waste my time watching this type of show, but it's not really wasting time if you're running too. I'm always trying to push myself to be a better person, setting new goals, trying to improve, etc. I figure for all that work I'm allowed to give myself this one teensy chance to regress a little.

Be careful though, because multitasking on the treadmill could make you stumble and fall. I'm one of those people that can read and run at the same time, without holding the rails or compromising form. I don't recommend trying it unless you can do the same.

What do you think? What are your guilty pleasures and how do you justify them? Any other gym confessions you'd like to share.

Weekly Workout Rundown

Monday:

• 40 min run in the AM
• 17 min Love Your Total Body PM workout 

Tuesday:

• 30 min moderate walk at lunch

Wednesday:

• 30 min run in the AM
• 30 min moderate walk at lunch

Thursday:

• 40 min Tracy Anderson workout
• 30 min moderate walk at lunch

Friday:

• 35 min AM run
• 20 min Love Your Body arms and abs

Saturday:

• 35 min run

Sunday:

• Rest

Now that I'm finally feeling a whole lot better, I'm able to work out with a little bit more consistency, albeit on a much lighter-scale version. After three weeks of spotty workouts, I'm trying to ease back into my routine and regain my endurance. This week, I was finally able to participate a little bit in the Love Your Body series, bit by bit. 

Hubster just decided this week that we should look at new houses. We went from being content where we are to surveying properties at the snap of a finger. I'm kinda thrilled and terrified at the same time. One house we looked at has THE perfect room for a treadmill and weight set, not to mention a magical backyard. I hadn't really anticipated any of this, so I haven't had a chance to wrap my head around all the nesting details that a woman is inclined to have. I had to start a Pinterest board just for my ideal workout room. My dream room would have a wall of long mirrors, inspiring images, perhaps a TV and DVD player for all my workout videos, and a pretty place to film workout videos for you all. #dreaming

This week, I also signed the whole family up for our now-traditional yearly fun run. I ran the Half Marathon section of this the very year of its inception. Last year, we enrolled Peanut and he excitedly asked to do it again. We're all 3 going to participate, as per tradition. I can't wait!

How are you staying fit this week?

Where did I go?

I've been completely MIA for about three weeks. MIA from my social life. MIA from motivation. A little too MIA from work. Almost nearly MIA from fitness. And most certainly a bit MIA from here. I had a few things I needed to work out with my health before I could tackle any other aspects of my life. It's Maslow's pyramid in full effect y'all. You know how sometimes when you're feeling sick or just not yourself, you just want to lie around watching Netflix all day? Yeah, that's been me since about the week of Christmas. And I hate TV!

You see, I had this major list of stuff I wanted to get done on the 12--Twelve!!!--days off I had during Christmas break. These were exciting things, not stressful things. I wanted to work on an e-course, more blog posts, sewing projects, and all kinds of things that make me happy. But right before Christmas I started to feel really odd. I don't want to get into the specifics, but my anxiety problems were coming back full force and there was no amount of meditation, relaxation or chamomile tea that could make it go away. Finally, after seeing a doctor about it, I started some medication. I tried to tough it out for about 7 days, but things got worse and worse to the point where I didn't think I could stand it anymore. I was assured that no, I wasn't supposed to be feeling that way, and that I should discontinue use. I had lost several nights' sleep, laid around without motivation, lost my appetite, and just felt junky all around.

So, I stopped that medication and tried a new strategy that seems to be starting to work, but in the midst of that, I got sick with the flu, which lasted 3 days (and cost me precious PTO time already in January), and which amplified everything I was already feeling by about 100. I was terrified! However, after some rest and some things that I really needed and love and kindness from my family, I'm finally starting to feel like myself again. I got in about four workouts in the last few weeks and am slowly regaining my running charisma.

So anyhow, thanks for sticking it out with me. It's been a long, scary three weeks, but this experience has taught me more than ever to be grateful for wellness.

So, instead of being too much of a bummer, let's switch gears and celebrate health. Here's what I'm finally excited to be able to do:

1. Participate finally in the Tone it Up Love Your Body series. I'm waaaay behind on the 100 miles by Valentine's Day challenge, but I'm still going to try my best.
2. Run my little heart out. I'm going to have to start slow and build up my endurance again, but I'm just so happy to be able to put some time back into this love of mine.
3. Eat! I've been on the bland, toast and soup diet for a few weeks now and really want to be able to look a Swiss mushroom burger in the eye without gagging.
4. Play Legos with Peanut. He's been begging me for days to play with him. I didn't know how many more times I could tell him I wasn't feeling good and couldn't play before one of us would burst. Poor kid.
5. Go out in public. Not to be melodramatic, but I was worried for awhile there that I would get sick or panic in public until I started feeling better. Now I'm good to go.
6. Work. Did I mention I'm sick of TV?! I watched waaaay too much TV while I was at home in bed. It was about the only activity that I could muster the strength for and at some points, the nonsense of my favorite familiar characters on the Big Bang Theory or King of Queens seemed rather comforting. But now, I'm sick of being at home in bed in front of the TV and am really loving being back at work, focusing on something other than my own ailments.

I'm back! Full force. I will be posting regularly again, so thanks for baring with me:)

Featured on Lemon and Raspberry

It was an honor to be able to guest post over at the Lemon and Raspberry blog party this year. Check out my article about finding the beauty in the everyday here.

If you're a blogger or a memory keeper, you'll love Amy's blog. She's doing some amazing work over there:)