Confess.

Happy Sunday. 

Look, I realize that I'm super late posting a blog post, but... I don't care. I just decided that I wanted to write a post, and just because it's not 8:00 in the morning doesn't mean I'm not going to hit the "publish" button. Who cares if less people see this?

1. After this fitness challenge is over, I'm going to eat an entire gallon of ice cream. BY MYSELF. So part of this challenge is that you can't have "treats." I really like ice cream, so to me, that's considered a treat. It also means that I haven't had ice cream in about two weeks. I think I'm going insane.

2. My poor Girl Scout Cookies. Also treats. Sure, I could eat them, but then I wouldn't be as close to winning $200. This means those poor things will be neglected till June 1st. And then? I'm going to dip my Girl Scout Cookies in ice cream for hours on end.

3. I've lost 2 cup sizes since Elsie weaned herself and I've been working out 5+ days/week. I guess my boobs just happen to be where all my fat stores itself? Still waiting on my love handles to disappear, but now that my boobs have made their exit, those pesky things are the last to go. And... I have to admit -  I won't be sad to see them leave.

4. I am mad that Avicii doesn't credit the people who sing on his tracks. Like the song "Hey Brother?" Yeah, I love that song. And when I discovered that Avicii is also the artist behind "Wake Me Up," I realized that it's not him who's doing the singing, and the people who actually DO sing? Well, they're not given any credit. All that being said, the dude puts together some songs with fabulous beats that are great for accompanying workouts.

5. I think yoga is hard. Yep, call me a wuss or whatever you want - that crap is not easy!!

Any confessions on your end? 

Better late than never, right?

Happy Hump Day!!! 

I am really bummed that it's already Wednesday, mostly because that means that spring break is more than halfway over, and we all know I'm not ready to go back to the huge ball of stress that is school.

Anyway. I turned 25 in November. Before I turned 25, I had this awesome list of all these things I wanted to do by the time I joined the quarter century club. I have decided to revise that list to be a list of 25 things I want to do before I am done being 25. That counts, right?!

So I figure I'll give you all a little update on the progress that I've made since that list was created.

#3. Run a 5k in less than 28:00. I actually did that this weekend! According to my RunKeeper app, my 5K time was 27:41. I'll take it! I'm really proud of myself, because when I was running, I was so flipping cold I had snot running down my face (and... not gonna lie, I definitely blew my nose into my sweatshirt sleeve because I got so fed up. Yeah, I know... I'm disgusting).

#24. Be debt free. I was not counting student or home loans in this equation. All consumer debt was paid off a few weeks ago when we FINALLY paid the last bill for Elsie's birth. I don't care what anyone says, hospital bills are friggin expensive!! The c-section probably multiplied the cost of Elsie's birth by 10. Actually... I know it did. Tens of thousands of dollars spent on a procedure that I never in a million years thought I would need. Thank goodness for insurance and payment plans.

So. There we go - a couple more things checked off the list. I'm hoping to be able to cross off some of the other 17 things soon! ;)

Also... I'm FINALLY getting to that post on how to take a better picture... so stay tuned for that. 

Pinned it. Tried it. Totally didn't fail at life with it.

Happy Monday!!! 

So... last week I may have promised you a post that never came. Oops. Well, it's coming now, anyway, so you aren't allowed to complain. Here are five things that I have pinned, tried, and totally didn't fail at life with.

1. Headboard for less than $40. I am so glad  that I pinned this eons and eons ago. I wasn't sure if I'd ever actually get around to doing it, but I did. and I did it all by myself. Note: I did a King size headboard, so that's why mine cost more than the OP's.

2. Crockpot chicken pot pie. Maybe not the most healthy thing ever, but who cares?! It's easy and it's delicious. Win/win. NOTE: You DO need your oven for this, so I guess it's not a completely crockpot meal, but it's easy enough that it doesn't really matter.

3. DIY baby leggings. Guys, I am no seamstress. These took me about a half hour per pair. BONUS: they did not fall apart once they were on Elsie's cute little tushy.

4. Using dry shampoo correctly. Okay, so this isn't really something that can really be messed up, but if you ever use dry shampoo, you should read up on this. It's great advice.

5. DIY baby tutus. Or adult tutus... you know, whatever you want. These are super easy and super cheap. I made Elsie's last summer. And please don't laugh at this horrible photo - let's just say that my photography has definitely improved over the last 6 months.

What are some things that you have pinned and had success with? 

MONEY!!! EXERCISE!!! MONEY!!!

Heyyyy guys!! 

Happy Hump Day!! I'm so stoked that this week is halfway over. I seriously can't wait till the end of this semester.

So. As many of you know, I'm sort of addicted to exercise and working out. I've always been the type of person who would rather spend time at the gym than go out and get crazy (yes, even in my partying days). So when Deidre came up with the idea of a My Fitness Pal Challenge with a $10 buy in where winner takes all, I decided I wanted in.

Because, you know, it's money. Money that I can WIN for doing something I already do anyway. And we all know how competitive I am (or maybe you don't since many of you have never seen me play Settlers of Catan or throw my cards down during a heated game of Hand and Foot, but I digress)... Sooo my question to you is this:

ARE YOU WITH US?!?!?! 

If you've been trying to work out more regularly, if you've been watching what you eat, if you've just had a kid and want your body back, if you want to be happier, healthier, and schmexier, if you want to WIN MONEY - whatever your reasons may be, you should join us. The more people there are in on the challenge, the richer I'll be when I win the winner will be.

If you think $10 is a lot, think about the last time you ate Chipotle or Noodles and Company and quit complaining - it's nothing.

If I've got you interested, here are the nitty gritty details (stolen from Deidre's blog):

Everything will be based on a point system. 1 Point for Tracking in MyFitnessPal, 1 Point for staying within calories decided with accountability partner, 1 Point for 45 minutes amount of working out, 1 Point for no treats, and 1 Point for drinking 8 glasses of water + reward points based on how you do throughout the week.

The challenge will run March 17th through June 1st and the winner will be announced on June 2nd! So what are you waiting for? Join in. Sign up. And let's all do this together!

Sunday Confessions

Happy Sunday!! 

Hope you all have survived that lost hour of sleep (except you lame-os in AZ who don't have to suffer like the rest of us)! Anyway, here are this week's confessions.

1. I went through and started working a little more on my photography blog. I just added three or four posts (almost all of which are back-dated). I still have about 40 sessions to add if I decide to add all the sessions I've done, but ain't nobody got time fo' dat!

2. I've made my bed every day since I made our headboard! This is pretty much a miracle, since I generally suck at making the bed when I wake up. And yes, I will be sharing this tutorial with you all (in a Pinterest favorites post this coming week - I have to do a couple more projects/recipes). And... I will also add a non-cell phone picture to that post. ;)

3. I really, really have to pee. But I don't want to get up until this post is finished. I blame you all if I pee my pants.

4. I want a little boy someday so that I can sing this song to him. Too bad I'm convinced that I'm going to have all girls. I've thought about writing a girl version.
5. I cut Mike's hair on Friday and didn't mess up AT ALL! Not even around the ears (that's the hardest part for me)!!

How do YOU do it?!

Hello hello! 

It's Thursday. Duh, you know this. Or maybe you didn't, in which case - you're welcome. The first thought that comes to my mind is, thank goodness tomorrow is Friday and this week will be over. 

I've been kind of (okay, REALLY) bad at blogging this week, mostly because I have so many ideas, so many things I want to talk about, but I just haven't had the desire. I have had the desire instead to lay in bed and never leave. I'm not depressed, no - I'm stressed. 

Stressed to the flipping max. There's a lot going on, most of which I feel would be inappropriate to mention in a public forum such as this blog, but let's just say that life has been chasing me for a while, this week I finally got exhausted, and let it catch up to me, where it proceeded to attempt to swallow me whole (which - RUDE, life! What are you, some sort of crazy man-eating python?). In light of recent events, my diet has been less-than-stellar (I forget to eat one day, then overcompensate the next), my sleep has been poor, and my back is so knotty it probably resembles a 500-year-old tree.

I deal with low levels of stress or anger through exercise. However, when things get this stressful, it is difficult for me to not just shut down completely and wallow in a state of constant worry. So... my question to you is this:

HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF STRESS?! Seriously. Any and all advice is appreciated.

Also... thank you thank you for all of your support of Elsie and I! Elsie didn't win, but I did, so that's awesome! Maybe I can convince them that Elsie's cute enough to be a brand rep regardless of the fact that she didn't get the popular vote? We'll see.

9 Months Out!!

Howdy! 

Before I get into things, if you aren't already, could you please follow me on Instagram? Elsie is a finalist in a modeling contest, and I could really use you guys' help for her to win! AKA I'm begging for votes. Voting starts today (Monday).  

So Elsie turned 9 months last Monday, and, as usual, I've slacked on getting her update up. I meant to take her pictures on her 9 month bday, but, ya know, life got in the way.

So here's her little update and some mediocre photos (she wasn't being the most cooperative baby ever).

Dear Elsie, 

I say this all the time, but seriously - where the heck has the time gone? You are so fun, and your little personality grows and changes each and every day. You roll around and crawl backwards, and you have mommy pull you to standing up so that you can "walk" any chance you get. You can almost sit up from a laying position, but you need something to pull yourself up (I don't blame you - I can barely sit up from laying down).

You talk soooo much. Sure, it might be more incoherent than a drunk redneck, but you love to tell me all about your day. You still say, "Da-da," and you are really close to saying, "Mama." You say, "Ooh!" and you love to scream. We sometimes scream and squeal back and forth, and you really love that.

I know this is an old video, but you still love this game:
You throw temper tantrums when I take away your toys, you can drink out of a cup with minimal spillage, and you love to feed yourself crackers and baby cheese puffs. I've tried to let you feed yourself with a spoon, but you end up throwing the bowl and chewing on the spoon instead of eating the pureed food.

You've got 6 little teeth - the four top middle teeth just came in all at once, and that was no fun. They've all finally broken through, though, so hopefully you get a little bit of a break before your next teeth come in.

You fell off the couch for the first time this past month (I say first time because I know it probably won't be the last... sorry about that), and you slammed your head into a table leg last week. Personally, I think that's a pretty good ratio of number of accidents to time spent out of the womb. We should make a sign that says, "____ days accident free!" 

Anyway, you're still in size 2 diapers, 6 month Carters onesies and 9 month everyone else onesies. You wear 9-12 month leggings and pants, and those are getting too short, so I'd better get my sewing pants on and make you some stuff! You are still just as smiley and giggly as can be, and we love you more than anything!

Love, 

Mom. 

Sunday Confessions

Happy Sunday!!! 

No witty intros today, so let the confessing begin!

1. We have entered home reno mode. Sort of. Like, weekend-only-after-1pm-because-we-value-our-sleep-home-reno-mode. We ordered nice white doors about a week ago and they came in on Friday night. Mike went out and bought all the trim for around the doors, and it's my job to paint the other trim this week. I'm also on a mission to pick out all the different wall colors, so that's fun.

We've got 10 or so doors to replace and 2 bedrooms and the living room and hallway to paint. Just yesterday we (and by we I obviously mean Mike) replaced the vanity in our master bedroom's half bath. We (and by we I obviously mean Mike) are probably going to be sinners and replace the toilet that's in there today (yes, a Sunday - GASP!). I'm making a note to start taking all the "before" pictures today or tomorrow before things get too serious!

2. I skipped two runs this past week. And.... I'm going to try to make up my 5 mile run today.

3. We have stopped ze house hunt. After talking about it, we have realized that we might not want to settle in Lincoln (holy property taxes, Batman!), so we have decided to renovate our current house to make it what WE want for the next couple of years, then when Mike is done with school in 2015 (can't come soon enough), we'll see where life takes us. I'm kind of bummed that we'll be bound to 960 sq ft for the next couple of years, but I'm kind of excited to have a house where I can be all, "LOOK WHAT WE DID!!! WE TURNED A HIDEOUS HOUSE INTO SOMETHING LOVELY!!"

4. I keep wearing cute outfits and wanting to do outfit posts (because that's part of the fun of being a vain blogger)... but then I realize I have no one to take my picture. And I think Elsie would try to eat my camera if I asked her to do it.

5. I hate bras. And if it was socially acceptable, I would NEVER wear them (except when running, because let's be real - running without a bra would NOT be comfortable).