W2D2

Today was rough, I took yesterday off from running and just wasn't motivated to get moving. Yesterday was a craptastic day, I was in bed by 9 and had a hard time sleeping.

Today was Week 2 Day 2, which means a 5 minute warm-up walk, and alternating 90 seconds of jogging and walking for 20 minutes, and a 5 minute cool down. My knees, especially my left, have been bothering me. I've been stretching before running, even before dancing with Just Dance 3, and it hasn't seemed to be helping. My left knee is swelling and cracks every 5 or 6 steps. I think I'm going to have to invest in some type of brace or wrap before I can run again on Friday.

I looked ahead to week 3, because I just can't not look, and I got a little nervous. It starts the same with a 5 minute warm-up walk, and then goes into a 90 second jog/walk, and then a 3 minute jog/walk, alternating between the two times, totaling 20 minutes. I thought I was going to stroke out just reading it! I decided today to push myself a bit, even though my knee was really hurting. I did one run at two minutes, and another at 2 1/2, I am worried I won't make it 3 minutes. If I don't, I'll go back to week 2 for another day and try harder next time.

I literally dripped sweat onto my treadmill when I was running tonight. There's something seriously satisfying about that. Nasty, but satisfying.

W1D3 & W2D1

Week 1 day 3 was followed tonight by week 2 day 1! I can't believe it, but something inside keeps pushing me to move further and keep going with this! It's so liberating!

Yesterday I did Week 1 day 3, it was a 5 minute warm-up, alternating 60 seconds of running and 90 seconds of walking, and a 5 minute cool-down. Today, I took the plunge into Week 2! I was nervous, but gave it a go anyway. It was a 5 minute warm-up, and alternating 90 seconds of running and 2 minutes of walking! I made it through, even though towards the end I was feeling tired, it was great!

Now, I'm sitting, ok, laying on the couch watching Desperate Housewives that was recorded the other night. I turned down a donut today for a yogurt cup, and I feel great about the choices I'm making! I intend to channel my boredom into something good!

I hope I can keep with this regimen, it's not as bad as I thought and I have the rest of my life ahead of me to stay healthy!

Puzzle Time!

Kenadi's been on a real puzzle kick lately. Laila went through it when she was about 3, so it's no surprise Kenadi's decided that's her new favorite thing! I think they're a great learning tool and they help on so many levels-hand/eye coordination, shape recognition, and patience to name a few.

Two Christmases ago I purchased a set of three Disney Princess puzzles in one pack, each boxed individually to be put together separately, but in a panoramic setting so all three combined make one large puzzle. I found them a few days ago and thought it was about time I just turned them over to the girls since Laila has now long outgrown them

The puzzles each had different piece values, one 24, one 48, and one 63. Kenadi started on the 24 piece and was done before I could rip open the 48 piece box! The second one took a little longer, but she finished it and couldn't have been more proud! She struggled with the 63 piece and never had a chance to finish it because daddy came along, and when daddy's around, the girls go wild!

Kenadi with 48 piece puzzle

Smooches for daddy...wait, what?

Sweet lovins!!

So happy to be together!

365 Photos 1-7

One of my "goals" this year is to take a photo every day. Just a little reminder of something I did that day, nothing fancy to the untrained eye, but something special to me.

I decided instead of trying to remember to blog each day, I would upload once a week to recap, and say a little something about each photo so when, next week, month, or year, when I look back on these, I remember why I took that photo in the first place.

January 1-First day of the year, first day of the rest of my life.

January 2- Beautiful day at the park!
Fed the ducks, played on the slides, and had a slushy!

January 3- Is that what I think it is?
It's a pillow smashed in the girls' closet door! So many laughs!!

January 4- Laila made this for me, one of her Christmas gifts!

January 5- Starting to prepare for my big catering event!
Kenadi was helping mommy bake!

January 6- A long night doing projects around the house.
Hubs decided to have a beer.
Lagunitas Brewing Company-Lagunitas Sucks!

January 7- First big catering event!
Babysitting for a friend tonight. Snuggling with sweet Josalyn.

I already feel like this was a good idea! I love blogging, but never seem to carve out enough time! This makes me feel like I'm sharing a bit of my day with you, and I'm recording it for later, for me.

W1D2

Today was Week 1, Day 2 of the Couch to 5K program (C25K), and I'm proudly typing this blog as proof of my survival! Though I only ran a total of 8 minutes tonight, that's 8 more than I can remember ever running! I am not a fan of exercise, if you can't tell by now, but this wasn't as bad as I thought it would be!

Again tonight, I went with a friend and the company really makes it bearable. I can't believe I've made it through two days of this already! It's refreshing to see someone next to you, feeling as self conscious as you do, sweating and grunting in hopes of reaching a similar goal to your own. I must admit, I'm not sure I can do it alone, but, I get by with a little help from my friends.

C25K

Today was the big day! I decided to start the couch to 5k program, and I must admit, I was so nervous! I've heard amazing things about it, but I hate running. I am seriously out of shape, and just the past few days of dancing "Just Dance 3" has provided me with aches and pains in places I didn't even realize I had muscles!

I have some really amazing friends, 2 of my friends came along with me and encouraged me the whole way! I grabbed a bottle of water and stuffed my phone in my shirt and we were off! The app is super easy to use, it tells you when to walk and when to run, and it keeps track of the time and the distance. Tonight, our very first night, we went well over a mile!

Being with other moms, real moms with stretch marks and saggy stomach skin, it's reassuring like no other! These woman are beautiful, but they're not a size 2, they have imperfections and curves! I felt so great tonight, I think I'm still high from it! I'm looking forward to it, I'm going to try to stick to a schedule of Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings after dinner to do my program. The other nights I will try to exercise too, just not as intensely.

I look forward to a healthier 2012, and a healthier life.

Resolutions/To-Do List

I have a hard time thinking that because today is January 1, that new and amazing things are going to happen. I understand, fully, that I am the source behind these changes. So, that being said, here I go with my "To-Do List", resolutions, or whatever you want to call it these days.

1. Wedding Dress: My dress has been sitting in a container in the garage for 5 years. Yes, literally 5 years. How sad is that? It's time to take care of it, get it cleaned and move along. I saw a pin on Pintrest that recommended taking photos of your daughter-in my case this is plural-in your wedding dress to have for their wedding day. I think that's an adorable idea, I may just have to give it a shot.
2. Family Vacation: I'm determined to get this family out for a good week or two! Dustin managed to snag 17 consecutive days off of work, there's nothing stopping us! We might not have a ton of funds to travel the country in style, but we will make it work one way or another. 
3. 365 Photos: I decided to take a photo every day, for an entire year. I haven't made a list of things to take, I want them to be totally unscripted. I plan to carve out blogging time once a week to recap the photos I've taken. This way, I'm not obligated to take photos of anything I don't have or can't find, and I can still make blogging time.
4. Date: I want to date my husband again. Silly? Hardly. Everyday life seems to get in the way of things when you have a full time job, 3 kids, a dog, and bills to pay. I spend so much of my energy on remembering who doesn't like carrots or who needs clean pants for tomorrow that the little things, the important things, get shoved to the back burner. I think it's well past time to "get to know each other" all over again. I'm looking forward to falling in love with the man I fell for years ago.
5. Volunteer: I'm undecided whether or not to involve the kids in this one. There are always volunteer opportunities at Laila's school, but most are when Dustin's already working. I am unable to commit to a set schedule, so I'm going to look for sporadic opportunities to lend a hand, donate a dollar, or just be there when needed.
6. Get In Shape: Let's not fool ourselves, I'm in shape-just not the shape I want to be! I'm a little on the round side, and I'd like to be more thin and lean. For Christmas we bought a Wii, and I plan to "dance my ass off" as literally as possible. My goal is small, only 3 pounds a month, so by June I will hopefully be down 15+pounds. It's a very simple, achievable goal, and at this rate, it should be no problem sticking to it!
7. Work on my Faith: This is long overdue, sadly, but today is as good a day as any. I've struggled for years to find my faith, keep it, and stand strong behind it. Honestly, I feel like I only pray when someone asks me to, if I'm in a bind, or if the thought happens to pop into my head. I want to show and teach my kids more about God, and learn more myself.
8. Sweet Eats: This year will bring many new things for my business, and though I'm scared, I'm thrilled! I've been working loosely on a 5 and 10 year plan, and I hope by the time I'm 40 I've got people working for me instead of working for them!
9. Say Yes: Often times I find myself saying "No!" to my kids instead of saying yes. Why? Because I don't want to deal with the mess, or the trouble, or use the energy on whatever they're asking. They're only going to be this age once, and when they look back on these memories when they're older, I want them to have good ones. So, yes it is!
10. Craft: I want to learn to do more crafts-whether it be something the kids and I make together, or something I do alone. I want something to hang up and be proud of! I'm so far from artsy it's ridiculous, let's see if I can channel my inner artist.
11. Cook: I received the Pioneer Woman's Cookbook for Christmas (Thank you, bestie!) and I want to cook my way through the whole thing this year. It doesn't necessarily have to be in order, but there are more than enough recipes in there for me to try!
12. Read: I wanted to read a book a month last year and I made it about halfway through and hit a block. This year, I'm not setting such a high standard, but I do want to read. I want to read books I enjoy; reading has always been a source of escape for me-just for me-and I want to get back there.

Now, that's 12. Enough resolutions to last me an entire year, one item to start each month. Sounds like a lot, but darn it, I'm feeling ambitious! Bring it on, 2012!

New Year's Eve!

I wanted to make sure I carved out time to blog today, even if it takes me a few tries to finish it. I have been doing so many photo challenges and what not, I haven't taken much time for me to write about what I want-my feelings, ideas, opinions, and whatnot.

I went back this morning and looked at my post from this same day last year, and it made me chuckle to myself. New Year's Eve is always considered such an important day, it's the time reserved for saying goodbye to the old, and hello to the new, closing doors and opening new ones, allowing-and even bringing-change into your life. I'm happy to report this year, I've hopped on that bandwagon.

Last year, my resolution was to be more decisive. I'd like to think I've done just that. Though it may take me longer to make decisions than most, I know that I have taken my time and weighed the options. My biggest decision in 2011 was to open my own at-home business- "Sweet Eats" by Joli It was a terrifying moment, I invested a lot of myself, my finances, my time and energy into it, and I feel as though it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. Even if I never leave the comforts of my own home, if I have made one person satisfied with the treats I made, that makes me feel on top of the world.

This year, I've decided to be a little more bold with my resolutions, though I prefer to say it's more of a "to-do" list than a resolution list. Some of the items are a one-time event, others are a lifestyle change, either way, they're things that need to get done and I'm tired of slacking. I think tomorrow I will try to make a more official list, which isn't permanent, but definitely a guideline for success.

Tomorrow is a new day, and new days bring new beginnings! Here's to a great 2012!

25 Days of Christmas Days 24 & 25!

This is it! It's come down to the end and I'm thankful it's over! This photo challenge was a little difficult, but it was fun none the less.

Day 24: Children Sleeping

I can't get all 3 of my kids sleeping in one picture, but I can squeeze 2 of them in! I let Kenadi and Laila sleep in the same bed last night, they were so excited they could hardly contain their giggles!

Day 25: The Number 25

Laila helped me out with the final picture of the challenge! We had a great day, and I hope you all did, too. Merry Christmas and God Bless!

Christmas Day!

Christmas day has come, and almost gone already. It seems like the days are just flying by before my eyes! We had a great Christmas today, Dustin was able to be home in the morning to open gifts and my dad stayed to spend Christmas with us. The kids made out like bandits, as usual, only they were so fast opening their gifts I didn't get a single picture! Before I even got my camera turned on and ready there was a flurry of wrapping paper and they were gone away with their presents!

This time of year is always hard for me, today seeming unusually difficult. Dustin had to go into work this afternoon for an 8 hour shift, which means 10 hours away from home including drive time. The kids were bummed that he had to leave, and things with my dad and I haven't been exceptionally well lately. It seems as though the older we both get, the more we butt heads. It's not just the big things either, but the small little details. I'm not sure exactly what's going on, but it saddens me.

Christmas time always marks the end of the year for me, even though there are still a few days left. I know new things are coming soon, and it makes me anxious! We have major plans for the new year, I'm just hoping everything goes smoothly and no major road blocks pop up. Today is one of those days I really appreciate my husband. I'm sure I don't tell him enough, but just the every day necessities he provides are more than enough of a Christmas present-the rest is just icing on the cake! The kids and I had such an amazing Christmas, all because of the hard work and long hours he puts in. He provides us a home to live in, food to eat, clothes to wear, and everything else we need. Days like today, I'm worried he'll be pushed to the back burner, his gifts just aren't good enough because honestly, what's good enough for the one who gives and loves unconditionally?

I hope the rest of this year flies by, January is supposed to be amazing for "Sweet Eats", I can hardly stand the anticipation! Also, keep a look out for new things around here. I'm going to try a 365 day photo challenge, a personal challenge, just one photo a day. I plan to upload and blog once a week and do a little recap of how things are going around here. I think it's time for bigger and better things. Goodnight, sleep tight, and Merry Christmas!