why i love birthdays

Hey chickpees!

Happy Thursday!!

((That means only one more day of work!! Woop woop!!))

So I was actually asked why I make such a big deal out of my birthday.

Here's why.

This is what my birthday celebrations included:

Dinner at Rulli's with B's family.

26 spankings, a pinch to grow an inch, and a punch to grow a bunch by B's 10 year old nephew.

Fishing on the golf course with the most amazing man ever.

Waking up with a smile on my face with extra kisses from that most amazing man ever.

Feeling like I'm on top of the world... even if it is just for a day.

The countless "happy birthdays".

The many many handmade birthday cards from my kids.

The variety of birthday gifts from my kids even though their smiling faces are enough for me.

Eating delicious Olive Garden for dinner with my mommy and B.

Eating my favorite kind of cake.

The most amazing man in the world spoiling me and letting me shop online for my birthday present.

My kids singing "happy birthday" to me over and over and over.

I believe that everyone should feel special on their birthday.

It's their day.

It should be all about them!

That's why I make such a big deal out of my birthday.

I do have to say one of my favorite parts out of that whole list was spending time with B fishing on the golf course.

I hate fish.

Scratch that.

That's an understatement.

I'm terrified of fish.

But I loved spending that time with him!!

Here are just a few snapshots of fishing.

 My first catch!!

Isn't he a handsome little fella??

Second fishy!! 

My third and last catch of the night!! 

I love this stud muffin..

And he's mine, all mine ladies!!

((Notice how he was nice enough to hold the fish for me every time?? Yea.. that's one of the many reasons that he rocks))

Maybe by the end of the summer I'll work up the nerve to touch the fish myself.....

maybe.

Spending time with B doing something that he loves to do??

There's nothing better.

Even if it was freezing outside ;)

Bottom line??

It's ok to spoil yourself every once in awhile.

Did I cheat on my diet and probably gain 5 lbs?

Absolutely.

Do I regret it?

Absolutely NOT.

So go ahead, plan out your own birthday and make it the best birthday ever!!

Happy Thursday

aka

Happy Almost-Spring-Break!!

oh dear wednesday..

Well.

I think it's safe to say I've hit the busy time of year.

I've been exhausted lately.

Actually I think exhausted is an understatement.

Between work, going to the gym, and celebrating my birthday (horrible I know...), I've been runnin all over the place.

I feel like I've been going nonstop.

So... enjoy a short post some of the latest funnies I found on Pinterest!!

Hopefully they'll cheer up the rest of your week.

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Happy Hump Day Lovelies!!

Today I'm linking up with:

i did it. cookie in a cup.

First things first.

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!!

Happy Birthday to me!!!

Now enough about me and on to business.

Remember how I wanted to cheat on my diet and make one of these?

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Cup

Well. I did it.

I cheated.

And it was totally worth it.

It was delish.

I think the only thing that could make it better would be a big 'ol heaping scoop of ice cream on top.

YUM.

Too bad we don't have ice cream in the house.

Anyways...

Click on the link above for the whole recipe.

Cause I'm not takin' credit for this deliciousness.

But here are some pictures from my personal cookie in a cup.

 Most of the ingredients.

Cookie dough. Yes, it was delicious by itself.

 Fresh out of the microwave!!

First delicious bite!!

Now I'm not gonna lie... I didn't finish the whole thing because it was super sweet and I'm not used to that much sugar at one time anymore.

But it was delicious.

That's for dang sure.

Next time I'm definitely adding a scoop of ice cream tho.

Fo reals yo.

Now go make yourself a cup of cookie.

And Happy Tuesday!!

where have i been?

So where have I been lately?

Well let me tell you...

I've been one of 3 places:

1. Work

2. Gym

3. At home fighting to stay awake.

It's pretty sad that my life has come to this again.

Every year.

It happens every. flipping. year.

Spring time comes... the amazing weather comes...

and I'm too exhausted to go out and enjoy it.

BUT...

I'm moving forward.

Spring Break is NEXT WEEK!!

Hello sleep!!

Yes, that means 5 more days of work and then a whole week off!!!

So today you get a little miscellany to catch up on my life/hear randomness.

1. Tomorrow is my birthday!!!

Woop woop!!

((source))

Feel free to wish me a happy birthday.

It's ok.

We get to go out with B's parents/bro/SIL/niece/nephew tonight for Dawn and my birthdays!!

Now I'm still trying to convince B to take me to see Hunger Games for my birthday.

Which brings me to....

2. Hunger Games anyone?!?!

((source))

I'm honestly shocked and amazed that I still have not seen this movie because I'm completely in love with the books and I have been waiting for this weekend ever since I finished reading the books.

B really doesn't want to see the movie.

Most of my friends don't have an interest in seeing the movie.

((Another shocker...))

My cousins went to the midnight showing ((which I am now officially too old to attend)).

My sister wife (long story) lives too far away to go with me.

So that leaves me, myself, and I.

I think we should begin a petition for B to take me.

It's the least he can do right?

So go ahead and leave a comment convincing him he needs to take me.

PLEASE!!!

3. I have a sister wife.

Her name is Virginia Jenny.

And I've never met her.

But we chat regularly.

And make B jealous.

She's pretty amazing.

And we're planning our future meeting.

Oh you wanna know how I "met" her?

She was B's friend first.

But I stole her.

She's mine.

All mine.

And our meeting with be epic.

Got that?

EPIC.

4. How delicious does this look?!?!

I'm determined to make it.

You can find the recipe here:

Cookie in a Cup

Now to convince B that this DOES fit into my diet....

Hmmmm.....

5. My kids.

I need to create "funny fridays" or something slightly more creative.

Something that I can post all of the absurd things my kids say throughout the week.

It's ridiculous.

This week?

Within a 10 minute timespan my kids sang:

Party Rock Anthem

I'm Sexy and I Know It

Super Bass

Baby

California Girls

Feliz Navidad.

Yes, they ended with Feliz Navidad.

Then they immediately followed up with this conversation:

Student 1: Where is that song from?

Student 2: China! Because it's in Spanish.

Student 3 (who's family is from Mexico): No, it's from Mexico!!

Student 4: No, it's from Dora!!

I can't make this stuff up.

6. After discussing the Pilgrims and the Mayflower I asked my kids

"What was the name of the boat?"

Student 3: "Cauliflower!!!"

7. Like I said... I can't make this stuff up.

8. Now I'm off to find chocolate chips.

I want that cookie in a cup.

Peace out bitties.

P.S. Happy Monday.

Today I'm linking up with:

quickie anyone?

Raise your hand if you like quickies!!

Now come on...

I'm talking about workouts here, people.

Goodness.

;)

Now I'll admit that (most of the time) I spend an absolutely ridiculous amount of time working out.

Most normal people don't have an hour and a half to devote to workouts.

Here's where the quickies come in.

You know... fast, hard, and sweaty workouts?

(Get your minds clean here people...)

Here's what I did today:

Do this as fast as you can... with as few breaks as possible.

• 10 Sit ups
• 10 Sit ups
• 5 Squats
• 10 Squats
• 10 Push ups
• 10 Squats
• 10 Sit ups
• 10 Burpees
• 7 Squats
• 8 Sit ups
• 3 Sit ups
• 4 Burpees
• 8 Push ups
• 7 Sit ups
• 7 Burpees
• 10 Push ups
• 3 Squats
• 8 Squats
• 10 Sit ups
• 5 Sit ups
• 9 Push ups
• 2 Sit ups
• 6 Push ups
• 6 Burpees
• 6 Squats
• 10 Burpees
• 10 Squats
• 7 Push ups
• 9 Sit ups
• 10 Burpees
• 11 Squats
• 9 Squats
• 9 Sit ups
• 10 Push ups
• 8 Burpees
• 11 Burpees
• 6 Sit ups
• 3 Burpees
• 10 Squats
• 11 Sit ups
• 3 Push ups
• 11 Squats
3-30 Second Planks

Yup. You can do it.

I did it all in about 20 minutes.

My muscles were screaming.

I was dripping sweat.

((Literally))

Don't know what a Burpee is?

((source))

Now you know.

Oh and those sit ups?

Full sit ups people.

No sissy crunches.

Now let's break this down...

That's a total of

100 Sit ups

100 Squats

63 Push ups

69 Burpees

IN 20 MINUTES!!

Now try telling me this isn't possible.

I dare ya.

I want to do this workout once every other week or so and try to improve my time.

And eventually I want to add in more moves.

So... go get a quickie in with someone you love...

;)

Happy Tuesdays Hotpants!!

work it... work it...

Hello lovers.

Hope you're doing fantastically well.

:)

So I've gotten a little a lot off track lately with my workouts and eating choices.

It's been horrible.

I hit the 40 lb loss mark and then it all slacked.

Then the eating went downhill.

And the workouts slacked a little.

As of Tuesday I'm down another 2 lbs.
That's it.
Ridiculous, I know.

But this week I've really been trying to get back on track.
Still struggling with the eating habits.
((What do you do when you get sick of eating the healthy stuff and only the fattening, unhealthy stuff sounds good??))
But let me tell you...
I'm KILLING IT with the workouts.

I'm kinda sorta doing a 40 day journey thing with my Aunt Rose.
(aka she sends me the workouts and I do them when I can fit them in)
It's 3 workouts a week along with some homework.
Our homework for this week?
Do 600 squats by Sunday morning.
Yes.
I said 600 squats.
You should have heard my jaw drop when I read that for myself.
I had to pick it up off the ground.

But I'm determined to do it all...
So let me give you a little snipet of what my week has been/will be.

Sunday - did a killer 50 minutes of cardio with my homegirl Tanya on the elliptical (659.4 calories burned) then hit the weights for over an hour focusing on back and shoulders.
Here's what we did (I don't remember the weights for each thing... oops):
Front Lat Pulldown - 4 sets of 10 reps
Side Lateral Raises - 4 sets of 10 reps
Seated Rows - 4 sets of 12 reps
Seated Dumbbell Press - 4 sets of 10 reps
One Arm Dumb Row - 4 sets of 12 reps
Back Hyperextension - 4 sets of 12 reps
Wide Grip Upright Row - 4 sets of 12 reps
((I'm starting to see my shoulders and individual muscles in my back y'all!!!))

Monday - killer cardio with Tanya.
We were on for a little over an hour and I burned about 850 calories.
(My elliptical reset after 12-15 minutes so I'm guess-timating here...)
I also started my "homework" for the week.
I got 160 squats done. (8 sets of 20)
Then after dinner I hit the floor and I did this workout:

4x through.

Tuesday - surprisingly I wasn't horribly sore when I woke up!!
However, that quickly changed after I did 40 squats while the kids were at morning recess.
Then I did another 40 squats with my afternoon class after their recess.
Yes, I made my preschoolers do 40 squats with me.
Bringing my grand total to 240 for the week.
They actually love it and were a little disappointed that we only did squats.
:)
Then at home I did workout #1 for the week.
A tabata workout.
((First ever.  And H. O. L. Y. crap.))
Squats (yes, more squats), sit-ups, push-ups, and lunges.
((These squats don't count towards my weekly total... they're just bonus!! Yay!! :/))
20 seconds on, 10 seconds off.
Do as many reps as you can in 20 seconds then you get 10 seconds to rest/get ready for the next task.
Do 4 rounds. (16 minutes total)
Yea.. I thought "Pshhh, this will be a breeze." HA.
Boy was I wrong.
I am officially sore, can't move, and proven wrong.

Wednesday - Tanya and I will be going around with Dom (the personal trainer at the gym) to get started on a strength program. That way we'll be on the same program and can do the workouts together.
Then it will be an easy day on the elliptical.
Gotta give my poor legs a chance to recover a bit.
I will definitely keep the resistance down and probably keep the pace a little shower than normal.
But I will be doing at least an hour.
Also hoping to get in at least 60 squats to put me at 300... at least.
I also want to try to do the Inner Thigh Workout again.
(Depending how sore I am I may save this for Thursday)

Thursday - will be workout #2.
4-5 rounds of running 400m (quarter mile) followed by 15 burpees.
Can I just say that I. Hate. Burpees?
Yuck.
But I'm gonna get 'er done and I will KILL it.
Also... at least 100 squats.

Friday - haven't completely decided yet.
Definitely more cardio. Probably elliptical.
At least an hour.
And again, at least 100 squats.
And again, the Inner Thigh Workout.

Saturday - will be workout #3.
4 rounds of:
5 deadlifts (with weight)
10 negative push-ups
15 dips
Doesn't seem too bad right? Somehow I have a feeling this will knock me on my a**.
Also, depending on how I feel I may add some cardio in.
And... last but not least... at least 100 squats.
Today is the day I have to finish my 600 squats so I will either be doing a lot, or a few.
But I WILL get it done.

--------------------------------

Umm.. pretty sure when I type it all out like this, it looks like a ridiculous amount.
I may be crazy.
Possibly.

But I'm determined to get the body I've always wanted.

I also welcome any competitors and/or workout buddies.

So bring it.
BOOM.

((Happy Wednesday Sugarpants!!!))

what you know about me?

I thought it's time for something new.

So today I'm linking up with Allyce over at Chalk in the Rain!!

Hop on over there and say "what's up!!"

She's pretty awesome.

Also,

I've decided to do this as

What You Didn't Know: Health.

So here are 4 things you probably didn't know about me and my health.

Hope you enjoy!!

1. I officially love running and all things cardio.

When I started this journey I literally had a hard time running for a minute at a time.

It was completely ridiculous.

I wanted to be a runner but obviously I was completely out of shape.

But now here I am today ready to run a 5k no problem!!

I'm still not a runner like I want to be...

I want to eventually run 10ks and a half marathon...

but I've come a long way and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon!!

This one made me giggle...

((Check out my pinterest page for more fitness inspiration))

I feel so much better after getting some cardio in every day!!

2. I've become so much more adventurous with what foods I eat.

I NEVER would have EVER tried zucchini or squash.

I NEVER would have voluntarily eaten fish.

I NEVER would have tried a new recipe.

I have always been a very picky eater.

Always loved most "staple" vegetable, but refused to try the other "icky" stuff.

((Maybe that's why I got as big as I did))

But now I LOVE squash and zucchini!!!

I browse through pinterest and see all these delicious recipes that I want to try.

I actually WANT to try sushi...

I'm still scared... but I want to try it!!

3. I dream about having that gap between my legs.

You know... the "inner thigh gap".

I've never had it...

not even when I was skinny.

Which makes me feel like maybe my body just isn't made to ever have that.

But I want it.

And I'm ready to kill my thighs to build up muscle, burn fat, and get closer to having that gap.

I've always had "thunder thighs" but I refuse to let that define me and stop me from reaching my goal.

I try to do this workout a couple times a week.

Holy crap-ola does it work your inner thighs too!!

4. I have huge calves.

It sucks.

They went down about an inch while I was doing Insanity last summer.

But nothing since then.

Most frustrating part?

I can't wear boots.

I have one pair of boots, but they aren't very tall.  They stop before my calf.

My dream?

To wear some boots like these:

And an outfit like this:

((source for both images))

So if you have any tips to help me get those boots.. please share!!

I feel like I've been cursed between my "thunder thighs" and huge calves!!

--------------

So now you know me a little bit better.

:)

Hope you still like me...

Now jump on over to Chalk in the Rain and give Allyce a shout out.

Maybe spend a little time getting to know her as well.

You won't regret it!!

Happy Tuesday y'alls!!