Cute Man Accessories

Accessorizing for boys is hard. There isn't a lot out there and most of what I do find is either over the top rock and roll or sports related. Or too oooey goooey little boy cheesy for me.

I've been dying for some suspenders for quite some time now, but neither Zara nor H&M (my two go-to's for boy stuff) has had them. So I did what any good mama would do: check etsy.

 

I just bought these black and white chevron beauties over at Petite Peanut Boutique on Etsy for less than $20.  I also got a set in red houndstooth...cannot wait for them to arrive so we can jazz up Nash's outfits! 

Fitness Update: 6.5 Weeks Left

I'm on my second day back from a nearly two-week vacation and definitely feeling the pain of not working out at all. Don't get me wrong, we were super active, but there was no running or strength training and TONS of eating involved. I may or may not have eaten my weight in fresh Vermont cheese, so I know I've got some work to do to get back into it.

That being said, I feel strong. I did my strength training and HIIT session yesterday and am feeling the pain in my chest and back today. This morning I ran juuuust shy of a 5k and think I ran my fastest pace in over a year. Check out this comparison of just two months ago when I started here...my pace has improved by over a minute!

Overall, I'm aiming to run a 5k at a 9:00 pace by the time I leave this job on September 30th.  I think the sprints I've been running are helping immensely, so I think that goal is totally doable.

I am all registered and lodged for the Wine and Dine Half Marathon in November, so that's my next big goal. I'm hoping to get any time faster than the last one, hahaha! I'm not running with my super freak fitness friends, so I'm a bit nervous that I won't push myself as hard as they pushed me during the Princess. But I think if I keep that in my head and I train more than I did (which was almost nothing), then I should be ok.

I came across this old picture of myself from back in February before the Princess, but right around the time I started to really focus on getting back into shape and getting stronger. It's pretty awesome to see the difference a few months makes...even though the scale hasn't changed that much. Overall I think I've lost about 7 pounds since February, but I feel like the change is more significant than that.

I think my biggest challenge has been eating. It's tough to balance wanting to experience things with my family with eating right. I've been on point during the week when I work, but I just can't bring myself to order grilled chicken or fish at my favorite mexican restaurant or abstain from the chips and salsa. I just need to make sure the indulging is the exception, not the norm, and I think I'll reach my goals.

20 Months Old - How'd This Happen?!

I can't believe how unbelievably on time I am with this post!  Normally, I post these things weeks late, but this time?  Just a few days belated.  Yep, on Saturday, we celebrated Bub entering his twenties (months, that is) by finally spending a day relaxing in Florida.  After a crazy vacation, we were eager to just veg out and play with toys while OD'ing on Dora and Dinosaur Train.  

So, I asked Joe (aka Daddy Man) to help me list all the new things going on this month...because there are a lot!  No joke, we're talking two pages worth of fragmented sentence-bullets.  It's just been insane.  So for the sake of brevity, I will try to keep this, er, brief.

Hat: Gap / Tee: H&M / Belt: Children's Place / Jeans: Zara

 

Stats:  Oops, forgot that part...will add those in tomorrow after I do all that stuff in the morning.
Height:  TBD
Weight: TBD
Teeth: Same - 16
Hair:  Still sandy brown/blonde and baby fine
Eyes:  Still weird

He's currently wearing pretty much all 2T clothes, although the waist is still big on a lot of the bottoms.  We're phasing out all of his size 6 shoes in favor of 7's, although he needs socks for some of them.  He seems like he's getting taller but not heavier, as his pants keep getting shorter and shorter.  His 18-month tees barely cover his belly now too, so 2T it is!  The best part:  he's totally rocking a farmer's tan a la Daddy.  That's the I-talion in you, son.

His talking has really exploded this month! Beyond just his favorites (kitty, ball, shoes, juice, mama, ca {cracker/cookie}, truck), he's begun to say just about any simple word we throw out.  I said "bear" today while remarking about his teddy graham snack after school and he repeated it right away.  He's saying two words phrases now, like Uh Oh, I did it, Ummm No, I see, It's Hot, etc...   He's also able to point out things that I say when we are reading our books - like trees, boy, sister, wagon, train, puppy, truck, car, bucket, etc...  He can point to a dozen or so body parts and we are currently working on perfecting elbow, chin, cheeks and tushie.  

He's finally taking an interest in movies and LOVES Toy Story.  Cars, eh, not so much.  We actually survived two 8-hour car rides thanks largely to a portable DVD player (thanks Chris and Sophy for lending us that), Disney/Pixar and McDonald's Play Places.  He still loves cartoons likes Barney, Dinosaur Train and Fresh Beat Band.  He's also recently discovered Elmo and Sesame Street, so I foresee a lot of that in our future (halloween costumes, anyone??).

We're are sooo on the cusp of potty training, people...although I know it sounds nuts.  He's showing all the signs, but we're holding off until he seems totally ready AND I have some free time to really dive in head first.  So far he's been telling us when he goes (says Poo for both peeing and pooping, so it gets a bit confusing), he can pull his shorts down and take off his diaper (we're waiting for this one to backfire), and seems very interested in the potty.  He hates to have a poopy diaper and pretty much goes nuts until we change it (not that we could ever miss it...).  I'm a little unsure of what our next step is.  We have two potty seats - one that sits on the floor and one that sits on top of the regular toilet.  I heard a lot of chatter about undies versus pullups and what have you, but I think we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.  Until then, it's a whole lot of "poo."

His personality is just blossoming now.  He's active, talkative, running around blabbing and screaming (much to our dismay).  He's playing games and wrestling...showing moods, likes and dislikes...and has definitely entered the independence stage.  We try very hard to let him do things on his own...especially once he's told me not to help.  It's been messy and a bit frustrating for all parties, but he's learning and growing, so we're happy. 

He's dancing, jumping (officially) and conquering stairwells one step at a time.  He's getting good at brushing his teeth and uses forks and spoons pretty well now.  He's still pretty picky about what he eats, but we're managing ok.  His favorites are fruit, oatmeal, yogurt, cheese sticks (finally), chips/crackers (of course), and hot dogs.  He loves to dip things and will consume an entire bowl of hummus or salsa if he gets to dip himself.  He still loves broccoli, but that's really the only vegetable we have much luck with these days.  He's still doing fake coughs, sneezes and funny faces all the time, so it's hysterical just to hang out with him.  He gives awesome kisses (no more sloppy open mouths) and we're teaching him to give hugs.  He even blows kisses, waves buh-bye and can give high fives.  Now if only I could get him to say Love You! 

All in all, it's a tough age thanks to many a tearful, screaming tantrum, but it's been a lot of fun too.  He can walk everywhere, help throw his trash away and has real likes and dislikes.  He's slowly becoming this amazing little person, and I only wish I had more time to spend enjoying it.  He'll be two before we know it!

Month 1 Check In

Ok, it's been just about a month since I started my fitness journey and I'm noticing some changes already.  Although I haven't lost as much weight as I'd hoped (largely due to a lot of traveling and too much indulging), I'm seeing my muscles again, feeling stronger, and loving the energy I'm getting from eating right.

The biggest challenge thus far is the eating, but I'm make some changes to better work it into my crazy schedule.  I worry a bit about the upcoming month because we are going on a 10-day family vacation up north which always involves a lot of eating (good Italian food and lots of desserts from Joe's side and tons of fresh, homemade food from my dad).  Plus, when/where am I going to work out?!  I'm going to do my best to fit it all in, and am even planning to run with my dad once I get to NH, but I just know I won't be able to strength train as much as I'd like.  It bums me out a bit because I know my time here is limited and I want to make the most of it because who knows where I'll be after September 30th.

The best part so far?  How much food I get to eat!  I eat every three hours...and not just a little snack, but a plate of meat and veggies or eggs or oatmeal, etc...  Sometimes I have to force myself to eat, but it's really helped cut down my cravings a lot.  I'm struggling at home mostly because Joe will sit on the couch and nosh on sweets after lunch AND dinner almost every day.  And since he doesn't cook and I work all day, I'm not always in the mood to cook, which means we go out to eat too much.  But I've been pretty good about watching my portions and ordering healthy items like lean steak and broccoli. 

Checkin' In on Those Guns

Well, that's about it...I can't wait until I'm done with another month so I can see the results!  Now if only I could find a good yoga place here...my muscles are tight!

19 Months Old

Holy crap, my baby is getting big!  I know, I know, I say that every month, but this time it's serious.  He's totally turning into a little man right in front of my eyes and I can't make it stop!  ::insert dramatic music::

There's so much to update about, I fear this may be a long post!  I'll try my best to be succinct.

Stats
Height: 33.75 inches
Weight: 27.6 lbs
Clothes: 2T
Shoes: 7 toddler

 His vocabulary is positively blowing up this month.  He's repeating things we say, pointing things out in the stories we read (trees, puppy, train, daddy, wagon) and can tell us just about anything he wants/needs.  We can tell he's just tickled to be able to talk with us and we're noticing a decrease in his frustration due to lack of communication.  His favorite words are still juice, shoes and ball though...hehe...  He's doing really well at daycare and seems to really enjoy when he goes full days.  But he's been sick a lot, so it's been kind of frustrating for us.

His little personality is just off the charts this month.  He's giggling at things he sees, plays games with us, wrestles with us on the daily and definitely has opinions about things.  The funniest thing he's doing this month is making it known that he has to pick out his own shoes.  It doesn't matter what pair we pick out, he has to go back into his room at least once and switch them out.   He comes out of his room multiple times a day with different shoes, hats, sunglasses, etc...  My budding fashionisto!  Haha...  He's also bringing "friends" with him whenever we go on "trips" and wants to walk down the steps himself.  He's learning to undress himself and we've found him a few times without his diaper on (uh oh).

On a related note, he's starting to show signs of toilet training readiness, but only the beginning stages.  He's totally in tuned to when he needs to go (although he's usually going by the time he tells us), seems to be bothered by his diaper and having "poo" in it, and has shown a fascination with the potty.  He still can't undress himself and I doubt he can really control anything, so we're not moving forward just yet.  We're merely having the potty vs. diaper conversations and reinforcing him telling us whenever he has to go.  Baby steps, big man...

He's recently gotten the hang of The Itsy Bitsy Spider and the steps to Barnyard Dance and tries to copy the dances he sees on NickJr.  He copies Joe and I all the time - both the things we do and the things we say - and it's just too darn cute.  He's loving giving kisses now and we're trying to teach him, "I love you."  I asked him, "Where's Nash?" the other day and he pointed at himself and made a shy smile.  He's totally a ham for the camera and just about any crowd.  He'll start to jump around, fall on the floor, and look around to see if anyone saw him.  Speaking of jumping...we officially have "air," people.  He jumps from step to step or on the couch or just on the floor and gets at least an inch or two off the ground.  And boy, is he proud of himself.

On the not so cute side of things, he's still in this terrible screaming phase.  Pretty much anytime he hears the word "no" he screams.  Like, bloody murder scream.  Try to redirect?  Scream.  Nap time?  Scream.  No more crackers?  Scream.  Yeah, it's bad.  And nothing works.  We've tried ignoring him (tough to do when he's screaming at the top of his lungs inside a car and you're trying to drive and cover your ears all at the same time).  We've tried time outs (fail) or just trying to distract him.  Yelling doesn't work at all either.  So, we're just praying this is a short-lived phase.

Also, he's become very picky about what he eats.  Most of the time, he just wants crackers and juice.  He'll eat toast and fruit and eggs, but just when you think he likes something, he turns his nose up at it.  Lots of food has been wasted in this house the last few months.

He also thinks it's hi-larious to spit, snort and sneeze - which is particularly troublesome when he has a mouthful of food.  He's taken to throwing water around during bath time, which means a lot of clean up and tons of screaming.

Overall, he's just the sweetest, craziest little boy ever, and I can't believe how big he's getting.  I love him more and more each day, and I can see his love for me and Daddy and it's just amazing.  Part of me thinks we shouldn't have any more kids because he's just perfect and I wouldn't want to take an ounce of my attention away from him, but then, you never know.  But for now, we've got our hands completely full (of love) with this little man.

Jacksonville Adventures - Part 1

Ok, we've been here about a month now, so I feel like it's time to do a little update on the Fleming Island/Jacksonville experience.  We've been here just long enough to feel comfortable and to have established a few favorite hangouts, but not long enough to really know our way around.  We still rely on google a lot to find the best (insert keyword here) around.  We've had some great outings and seen some cool sights.

Ok, ok, you got me.  Basically I just need to do a photo dump.  'Nuff said.

4th of July

Due to some very untimely bad weather, we weren't able to go see fireworks.  I'm so mad at myself because they had fireworks RIGHT by our apartment the Sunday before and we didn't go.  Ugh.  So much for checking "capture a great fireworks photo" off of my 30-Before-30 list.

Touring St. Augustine

Yayyyy for free passes to ALL national parks for military personnel!

It was super hot that day (notice Bubs' uber flushed cheeks), so we hit up a local gourmet popsicle joint that came highly recommended.

Trip to O2B Kids in Fleming Island

After a particularly rough day couped up in the house, we decided to check out this kids play around the corner from our apartment.  Little did we know, less than an hour later our kid would be strapped up ready to climb the rock wall.

Workday Adventures

During work one day, the guys said, "hey, let's go check out the machine gun range."  Thinking one of our units was qualifying and we'd get to see some bullets go downrange, we hopped into the GSA and took off.  After discovering they were already done and gone, we decided to just drive around and check out the area.  We found a bunch of cool, desolate lakes and old training areas.  Who knew all this stuff was here?!

Storms told us is was time to head back though.  This dark cloud would lead to some serious lightning that would eventually cause them to cancel Bubs' first swim lesson (boo).

Thanks for sticking with me through our early adventures in Jacksonville.  There are plenty more adventures (and corresponding pictures) to come, so stay tuned.  Next up though, Bub is 19 Months and oh, yeah, we're going on VACAY!

Fitness Update - Week 3

CAUTION:  This is a text heavy post.

It's officially the start of week 3 of the Get In Shape Girl Workout Plan and week 5 of working out/eating better.  I'd like to say I'm dropping some serious lbs, but I'm not.  Rather I'm building muscle and losing fat, for sure.  I also think I've dropped some water weight that I had accumulated from a lot of eating out.

Inspiration is critical.  Image via

Here's my opinion of each element thus far:


Strength Training
It's mostly circuit-style with groups of 3-5 exercises.  I focus on 1-2 areas each time I ST (which is supposed to be 3x a week), so I have plenty of rest.  The exercises don't require a lot of machines/equipment - which is nice because I can do them at home if I'm off from work.  I'm not pushing myself too much on the weight yet since I'm just getting back into ST, but I'm uber excited to see how much I can push in these next weeks. 


HIIT
Kyra has had me doing High Intensity Interval Training 3x a week after my ST sessions as a way to torch my extra body fat.  Basically I can do whatever exercise I want as long as it's pushing my heart rate for a specified period of time then relaxing for a specified period of time before pushing it again.  It's quick, but not painless.  I'm truly enjoying this part of the program because I KNOW it's going to work.  I know I'm getting faster, my cardio conditioning is improving and I'm losing body fat.  It hurts though...and since I've been sticking largely to sprints (to improve my PT test run time), I've been feeling a bit of shin splint pain.  Think I'm going to try rowing intervals on Wednesday so I switch it up AND I don't kill my legs after my Wed leg session.


Cardio
I've been doing cardio twice a week to (a) improve my PT test run time, which was one of my major goals; (b) train for my upcoming races; (c) burn more fat while giving my muscles a break; and (d) to keep my sanity.  I love running...especially on my own, outside, with the perfect playlist.  Want to sore through a tough issue?  Go running...it works.  I've been averaging about 3.2 miles each session and I can see my time improving already.

Nutrition
This is the area I'm struggling the most - and I knew it would be.  I'm having trouble planning ahead for all of my meals (especially when I get off schedule due to travel or whatnot).  Also, I notice I'm netting a very low number of calories.  I'm used to coming in at 1200-1300 calories, but with the exercise and the nutrition plan, I'm closer to 1000.  Because I don't work out on the weekends and that's when I tend to go off plan, I'm making up for those calories though.  And I haven't really felt tired or overly hungry.  If anything, I'm forcing myself to eat since it's a lot of protein and veggies and that stuff gets rather unappetizing after awhile.  But I know I only get so many calories, so I need to eat all of them.  I think this will get easier as I go along.  I'm definitely a creature of habit and do better when I plan ahead and eat a lot of the same things.   Best tip ever:  set up your phone to remind you whenever it's time to eat so you never miss a meal.  Funny, I find myself heading to eat merely a minute or two before my alarm goes off, so I know it's becoming a habit.

One day.  Image via

Overall, I'm noticing more muscles poking through (my abs are getting serious from all the core work) and I'm feel a lot less swollen.  On top of that, I just feel stronger.  I feel like I'm racing the clock though because I don't want my time on active duty to end.  This is when I'm the most focused on training and I just know September 30th is going to sneak up on me.  Especially since I have a 10-day vacation planned right in the middle of all this. FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS!

July 24th will mark my one-month milestone on the program, so I'll be posting progress photos and stats.