My hubby is the best!

Check out the flowers I got from my hubby and son.  GORGEOUS!!  Thank gosh no chocolate accompanied it!

My little boy is growing up!

Sometimes I am amazed at how fast Jayden is growing – it seems like yesterday he was just a year old.  Now, at the ripe old age of 2 and a half, here is a sample of his favorite phrases to say:

– I do it.

– Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?  over and over and over to EVERY question.

– Don’t talk to me like that

– Whad u say?

– No wanna go in timeout

– I’m ready to listen

– Mommy, I love your butt.  (says while hugging my butt, joy.)

– Mommy, you’re pretty.  I am cute.  Daddy is handsome.

– I have chocolate milk?

It is such a fun age, I love it.  Yes, it is also the most challenging, so far.  More fun times to come, I’m sure!

Here we go… Chalean Extreme

So, I’ve struggled all my life finding something active to do that I LOVE after quitting gymnastics at age 14.  I think there are a bunch of things that go in to that – not wanting to do bad at a sport (perfectionist), thinking I couldn’t do something (out of shape) and just not caring and making the time to get healthy.  I think something is different this time since I’ve been eating healthy and working out for about a month and a half now.  I haven’t been perfect but I’ve stuck with it.

As I mentioned before, I found Chalene Johnson’s Turbo Kick and am addicted.  So, after way too much research, I decided to try Chalean Extreme from Beach Body.  I know I need to add some weight training and would like fast results.  I mean, who wouldn’t??  I wasn’t sure if I’d like it or not but I read enough reviews to see that the routines change up enough and people have fun.

I did the Burn Circuit 1 today and IT ROCKED!!!!  I’m surprised I loved it so much.  I felt like I was sweating from the inside out, getting out all that crap in my body.  Basically, you lift weights slowly (which makes them heavier) until you are fatigued and can’t lift that weight anymore.  The workouts are around 45 minutes which if you were lifting heavy weights, it would seem like forever and this went by super fast.  I’m really motivated to continue and can’t wait to see how this all goes.  It kind of feels like there is a light at the end of the tunnel for me and this weight loss crap.  I’m just tired of being self-conscious merely because I am uncomfortable in my skin.

Yay for me!  and THANK YOU CHALENE!!

I think I’m a little obsessed with Chalene Johnson…

Ever since I found Turbo Kick and loved the workout, I started looking for more info on the trainer, Chalene Johnson and any other videos she may have out.  Next thing I know, I’ve been reading her posts and watching her videos on her blog.  She really does give a lot of good information to those that need a little direction.  I am now a fan of hers on facebook.  Have I gone mad?  I feel like I am following this person every day so I can take in all of her positive comments, suggestions and energy.  I feel lucky to have her in my life!  On top of being a successful trainer, she is an entrepreneur and a mother of 2.  I just feel like I can relate to her and love that she is so down to earth.

She still teaches classes at 24 hour fitness and I swear next time I am in SoCal, I have to find a way to attend one of her classes and meet her.

Obsessed?  yes!  but only in a good way.

Turbo Kick rocks!

I used to love TaeBo and did it quite often in college but eventually found his workouts (and mainly the music) not very interesting.  I have struggled to find a work out video that I love to do at home until one night I came across Turbo Kick.  It is a high energy, kickboxing, dance work out set to pretty good and current music.  It was instant LOVE!  Plus, I LOVE the instructor Chalene Johnson, she is amazing.  I got it right before the holidays so I had a hard time fitting it in to my schedule.  However, this year, I’ve managed to make it a fairly consistent part of my routine.

I got the first Fan round 1 which has Turbo 101 and 2 other rounds.  I was on 101 for a while as I almost had a heart attack watching how fast they move in the other 2 rounds.  I thought I couldn’t do it and wouldn’t be able to keep up.  Finally, I said, what the heck.  Popped in the longer, more intense work out and I could do it!  Sure, I was totally out of breath but I could do it!  Sometimes we tell ourselves so many negative things and if we take a chance, we can surprise ourselves.

I lost 8 lbs in January and hopefully more to come!  The main thing I need to do now is to eat a little healthier, reduce my calorie intake and add some weight training.  I guess it takes a deficit of 3,500 calories to lose a pound.  That seems like a lot especially sitting on my butt in front of a computer all day!!  Sometimes creating a healthy lifestyle seems like so much work.  But, I hope to make it fun and know that I will be healthier for my family and can teach good habits to my son about taking care of yourself through healthy eating and exercise.

Review: Pumpkin Enchiladas

Boy, this weekend has been a busy cooking experience.  On Saturday night, I made Pumpkin Enchiladas from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast and they were SO GOOD!!!  It was nice that the hubby really like them and, of course, Jayden said, “Nice cooker, mommy!”.  Makes it worth it…

The recipe calls for 6 scallions.  Now, I get confused between green onions and scallions but I think the scallion is the entire green onion including the white part??  That’s what I did and it turned out great.  I thought there would be too much onion but it wasn’t and there was so much flavor.  The other tricky part was that I had to roll up corn tortillas and when I did that, they started to crack.  You cover them all in sauce so it didn’t really matter but I’d maybe steam them next time so it isn’t quite as messy and you can get a tight roll.

The recipe calls for a Jalapeno without the seeds – my husband would have LOVED it with the seeds in the sauce but I don’t think Jayden nor I could handle it.  Maybe there is a way to add some just for his sauce?

I didn’t do a side dish (just a green salad) cuz I wasn’t really sure what would go with it.  Now, I know to have a side of simple black beans, would have been a great complement.

NOTE:  for me, these did not turn out like pretty enchiladas you can display on a plate. Since the tortillas cracked and there is so much sauce, it is more like a casserole.  I bet you could alter the recipe if you care more about presentation.  I just wanted it to taste good!!

Add a little sour cream and this definitely is a meal I’d make again.  Thanks Martha!

Pumpkin Enchiladas

What’s cooking this month?

The New Year is here and with it brings lots of goals and changes I’d like to make in my life.  One of them is to take up cooking as a hobby.  I received a few cookbooks for christmas and have been pulling recipes from Real Simple and Allrecipes.com.  We are usually good about making dinner but we usually end up falling in to a rut of pasta and chicken.  I want to keep the recipes and the time needed to make them short and sweet but am hoping to add interesting and yummy dishes.  It would be nice if they could also be used for lunch leftovers!  I’ve decided that the most successful I’ve been at eating healthy was when I had planned out meals for upcoming week(s).  It takes a LOT of work to plan it out but if I can dedicate some time to do this, I think it will pay off big time.

Tonight, I am going to try Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sauce from Great Food Fast (Martha), we’ll see how it goes!  I heard about this cookbook from a fellow blogger – she makes yummy food!!!

Football season is here!

I’m so excited! College football season is here!! My team is the Washington State University Cougars and last year, we won 2 games… Lame! My husband roots for USC Trojans. Which, of course has been in the top 5 for what seems like forever. I’ve grown to like them and root for them when they aren’t playing the cougs.

I love how everyone is so passionate about their team and how any team could win any day. You never know what’s gonna happen!!

I’m excited it is starting but sad as it means summer is coming to an end.

GO COUGS!

I’m lucky so why don’t I feel that way?

Money. Sometimes I wish I didn’t have to worry about it. Worry. Sometimes I do it too much!  This economy has me in a tailspin of endless thoughts and evenings spent with an upset stomach. Can we pay the bills?  How long will we afford to be be on COBRA (overly expensive health insurance we don’t use)? Will our business make it through the recession?  Will I find a full time job?  Will we ever be able to sell our house?!  Yikes!!

We decided that getting a job would help alleviate some of the financial burden. Leaving Jayden in someone else’s care was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make in my life. I was ready for adult interaction. In fact, I had grand dreams of chatting about Project Runway next to the espresso machine, but that didn’t make the decision any easier. I did convince myself that this would all be worth it when I found a good job with good co-workers. That job never came! After 3 months of searching, I finally found a part-time, contract gig… that I can’t stand! Sure, the people are nice and quirky but the work is a bore. The worst part is, everyone thinks it is important and difficult and I feel like I could do it in my sleep. Not a challenge in sight!

So, I struggle with the fact that I am not with my son during the day, not making a full paycheck, don’t have any benefits and am bored to death.  However, should I feel lucky?  I HAVE A PAYCHECK (even thought not ideal) and am able to contribute to our family financial jaunt on the tightrope.  I feel like I should appreciate what I have, enjoy it for what it is worth and keep looking for that next great job!

Getting my priorities straight. Finally.

So, here I am.  Over a month later and I haven’t been blogging.  I always feel like I am too busy and don’t have enough time – and I feel that way about nearly everything in my life but, surely, there has got to be time for something!!  I think it really boils down to prioritizing things in my life.  I find it tough to determine what is most valuable to me and how I want to spend my time (besides being around my son).  Sometimes life feels so overwhelming but I think if I make a few goals and organize my life, I will become a more productive, happy and energized human!

Sounds like a huge task to take on but I think it must be done.  Now, if I can only find the time to do the review of my life!  I guess that should be priority #1!