Andrew Milestone Update

This little nugget is 17 months old today and to celebrate, I'm going to brag about him!!

Our Andrew is a curious, energetic little devil who knows exactly what he wants and basically gets it. He is a typical toddler who loves to run, jump, climb, explore and play. His most favorite toy is his older brother - whether James likes it or not. His dimples melt my heart and his laugh brings joy to everyone around him. We are seeing evidence of the "terrible two's" entering our world, but rather than fight it, we are choosing to ignore it. :)

So let's talk milestones. 

We Have a Talker!
I am amazed everyday by the words that come out of Andrew's little mouth. We started with "ball" as his first word and since then he has added Mama, Dada, Jms (James), doggie, duckie, more, boat, thank you, bus, and fishy. Now, if you heard him say many of these words, you would be like "Wha??" But as his Mommy, I can hear him loud and clear!

You Got Me?
We are LOVING the amount of stuff that Andrew comprehends these days. When getting ready to leave the house, if you ask him to get his shoes, he runs to get them. And mine. And James'!  If you say, "Andrew - it's time to go take a bath," he runs to the gate and points to the stairs. When you start singing "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" he is touching each body part as you sing.  It's incredible! We LOVE to see his little brain at work.  He is truly learning something new every single day.

Kisses!!!

This kid really knows how to dole out kisses. Now that he is a little man, when you ask him for a kiss, he comes running into your arms and gives you a big, sweet kiss. Or he head butts you. They both mean the same thing. :) Lately, he has been kissing on his Ernie, Elmo and Cookie Monster bath tub toys and each night, before going to bed he gives kisses to big brother James. We love seeing that softer, loving side of him.  Makes us see that he is going to be not only strong and tough, but also sweet and nurturing.

Our Andrew is a wonderful little kid. He is growing too fast in my opinion, but I am in love with everything about him. He just moved into the Toddler classroom at school and I was nervous about it because those kids seemed so much bigger. Wouldn't you know, he is doing just fine and actually running the place. That's my Andrew. He is truly a blessing to our family and I am just so lucky to be his Mommy.

Meal Planning 101

Did I just say "free willy" in the Fantastic Friday video? Oh my. Looks like I need to have a conversation with my writers. :)

I wanted to quickly share with you some links and information on the resources I mentioned in the Week 3 Fantastic Friday video on Meal Planning. As mentioned, I have been using a very basic pen and paper method of planning out my meals and find that it works well. I use a simple spreadsheet created in Excel to map out the week and then fill in each blank with what I plan to eat each day. I borrow James' markers to indicate the containers used at each meal so that I can stay on track. It's super simple and actually looks quite nice on the fridge. :)

I usually plan my week on the weekend so that I can hit the grocery store and have everything ready to go during the week. As a busy working Mom, I tend to stick with easy and quick recipes that accommodate the pickiness of a 4 year old and 16 month old. I'm not one that likes to eat the same thing all week so I don't make a huge batch of something and then just eat it everyday. I like variety and since I love to cook, I tend to have a mix of new recipes and oldies but goodies each week for dinner.  As you can see, I am kind of a cookbook hoarder, but I do have my favorites.  

#1 Favorite: Fixate

Written by Autumn Calabrese, creator of the 21 Day Fix, 21 Day Fix Extreme, Country Heat and the super-amazing container system, this cookbook is chock full of recipes that fit within the program. Of course she has ideas for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but she also has some great snacks AND dessert. She even includes some really yummy Shakeology ideas. Each recipe indicates the containers used and has full nutritional information. What's even cooler is that she and her Chef brother are now starring in the Fixate cooking show, airing exclusively on Beachbody On Demand. Definitely grab a copy and get cooking - the healthy way.

#2 Favorite: Skinnytaste 

This one has been a favorite of mine for a while and is one that I HIGHLY recommend you check out. The brain child of Gina Homolka, this book stems from her award-winning blog of the same name - Skinnytaste.com. I discovered this blog a few years ago during my Weight Watcher days and find myself visiting it on a daily basis. She posts a new recipe everyday and if you sign up for her RSS, it lands in your inbox and makes your mouth water. The site is completely searchable and each recipe includes full nutritional information and Weight Watcher Smart Points if you are following that program. Many of her recipes have become go-to's in our family and I really think you should check it out. Go ahead. I can wait. 

So once my dinners are in place for the week, I go ahead and fill in my breakfast each day which is my Shakeology. I have gotten into the habit of working out first thing in the morning, and nothing tastes better or satisfies me more after that workout than Shakeology. Packed with dense nutrients, it not only fuels me with all kinds of vitamins and minerals, it fills me up and keeps me satisfied until lunch. My go to shake includes 1 scoop chocolate Shakeology, 8 oz of unsweetened Almond Milk, a banana, a teaspoon of PB2 and lots of ice. Blend it up in a blender and enjoy!

Lunch is usually leftovers from the night before or a big salad with lots of veggies, a protein and Fix-approved dressing. I then fill in the snack blanks using whatever containers I have left. It's that easy!!

Now I know, you may think I am still part of the dark ages for using good old paper and pen to meal plan, but it works for me. And I encourage you to find the tool that works for you. It could be an App. Or a website. Hell, it could be stone carvings. Whatever! If it means you are going to stick with it and stay on track, then I say go for it. I

And I can't stress this enough - DRINK YOUR WATER!! You are supposed to drink half your body weight in ounces of water each day. For me, that's A LOT of water! But I found that as long as I have my Brita water bottle next to me, I get it done. Unless Andrew steals it and hides it. He has been known to do that. Little stinker. ;)

So that's it. If you have any questions about any of the resources and programs or need advice on how to make meal planning work for you, just let me know. I'm here to help. We are in this together! 

#teamworkmakesthedreamwork

Behind the Curtain

Look at these faces. 

Pure joy. 

They say "I'm so happy!" and "I'm having the BEST time!"

But what these photos don't tell you is that five minutes later there was an epic meltdown over who got to be in the big stroller. And a few minutes after that, there were tears because "he has goldfish and I want goldfish but I want them in that container and not this one!!!" Add in a dose of 93 degree weather, 95% humidity and summer crowds and you will get a true sense of what our trip to Busch Gardens was like this past weekend.

We ventured down to Williamsburg, VA with the Grandparents this weekend to fill up on some old fashioned, amusement park fun. We knew it would be tricky with little ones, but we were up for the challenge. And boy did it serve us one! From the moment we landed at the hotel, Andrew was not having it. This is a kid who LOVES his sleep and LOVES his bed. One look at the hotel crib and a proper fit ensued. If you have ever shared a single hotel room with your toddler and 4-year old, you can agree that it is tight quarters! But we made it work and the moment the sun was awake so were the kids.

We hit the park first thing and headed straight to Sesame Street Forest of Fun. After all, we had been talking it up to James and he was determined to see Elmo. The smile on his face faded when he realized it was NOT Sesame Place and it was a whole lot different than where we were last summer. My Mommy heart broke when I saw his face fall, but as soon as we got his little butt onto Grover's Alpine Express roller coaster, he was all smiles. And that smile grew when he got to see Elmo. Mission accomplished!

And God bless Andrew - he was ALL IN when it came to Elmo's Castle splash area. We let the kid roam on his own and he had a blast. Phew!

I want to tell you that these smiles stuck around the rest of the day, but unfortunately, the heat and the crowds got the better of us. The whining set in which led to waning patience on my part creating a recipe for disaster. As we stood on a painfully long line to go on the 30-second Le Scoot Log Flume I thought about posting the smiling photos on Facebook to show the world that we are a happy family having a wonderful time. But then I stopped myself and decided to wait and share the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about our time in Busch Gardens.

When we open Facebook or Instagram or any other social media we now have at our fingertips, we see a small snapshot of what is truly happening in the lives of our loved ones. Usually the picture is of smiling, happy faces and we think, "Wow...they really got it together and are conquering this thing called life." But sometimes...a brave soul will show you what is really behind the curtain and give you an honest look at what a day in the life of having two small kids is really like. Today, I am that brave soul.

If I'm being completely honest, this trip was not a failure. Not by any means. I stupidly created an unrealistic expectation in my head that our 4 year old and 16 month old would have beaming smiles on their faces the entire day because we were at a place where fun is the main objective.

Bone-head move on my part.

The boys did as well as could be expected given the circumstances. I mean Andrew took a 2 hour nap in his stroller!! Seriously - the kid loves his sleep.

The truth of the matter is parenting is hard. It's the hardest thing I have ever done and I know that it will continue to be hard as my little munchkins grow up. But for every difficult moment or difficult day there are a million and one awesome moments and awesome days. So yes...I will continue to post the smiley photos on social media and yes it will look as though everything is perfect and peachy keen. But remember, sometimes the truth lies behind the curtain. And that is pretty okay too.

184

This number has been between my toes for far too long.

It is a number that has affected my emotions. My psyche. My self worth.

It is a number that hasn't budged much since my adorable little Andrew joined this world 16 months ago.

184.

Oh how I loathe this number.

Three weeks ago I decided that this number needed to go away. And the only way to make that happen was to make a change. A real change. A permanent change.

It started with Beachbody's 3-Day Refresh followed by a 21 Day Fix/CIZE hybrid program that offered intense cardio and strength training workouts. But exercise alone would not cut it so I used the groundbreaking multi-colored container system to clean up my diet. With a mixture of determination on my part and motivation from an awesome group of ladies, I bid adieu to that number that I hate so much.

A new, more exciting number has replaced it and with some hard work and amazing tools, I hope to continue to see smaller numbers. But more than that - I know that as the numbers get smaller, I will be getting stronger. I will be getting healthier. And that is just awesome.

I know my journey will be long. There will be highs and there most certainly will be lows. But I know I will learn lots of amazing things along the way. With the right support and the right mindset, I will be successful - whether or not the numbers between my toes change. Healthy living is no longer a fleeting thought. It is part of my everyday and luckily,I have some AWESOME programs and tools (21 Day Fix, CIZE, TurboFire & Country Heat) at my fingertips to keep it fun and fresh. I have also decided to join the Beachbody family and become a Coach on an AMAZING team. I will stay motivated if I am helping other people achieve their goals and enjoy healthy, fulfilling lives.

Last week, my 4-year old was home sick so he got a front row seat to my Dirty 30 work out with Autumn Calabrese. He asked me, "Mommy, what are you doing?" I told him that I am doing my exercises so that I can be here with him for a long, long time. He immediately got on the floor and started mimicking me. I asked him what he was doing and he said, "I want to be with YOU a long, long time too." If that is not a good enough reason, then I don't know what is.

Beachbody's mantra these days is STRONGER EVERYDAY. I think I can get behind that.

** If you are interested in joining me on this crazy journey and want to change your lifestyle for the better, shoot me a note. Let's do this together!!