Friday, September 20, 2013

Weekly Workout: Week 1


In case you missed it, I started a new series called Weekly Workouts that is explained here.

I have to say that this workout plan has worked out (no pun intended) so much better than I thought. I have really enjoyed working out, which isn't typically the case. And I have found working out at home so convenient. It is easier to squeeze in on the nights that Butter Bean goes to bed early or first thing in the morning when I know we'll have a busy day. Here's this week's recap!

Sunday: Death by Burpees score 7+7 I thought this was pretty good start.  I wasn't expecting to make it through the seventh minute, so that was a nice surprise.  I'm really hoping next week's score starts with an 8!

Monday: Fit in the workout in the evening after Butter Bean went to bed. I quickly realized that 10 rounds wasn't going to happen for me. So as the video indicated, I started at the fifth round and was struggling by the end.

Tuesday: I was so incredibly sore and we had a house guest arriving, so I decided to take the day off.

Wednesday: I knew this would be a busy day with a crazy day at work and then heading out to our favorite sushi place with our house guest.  So I got up early and worked out first thing. Getting up was a little rough, but I felt so accomplished all day to know that my workout was out of the way.  I decided to push myself and started at round 6. I'm happy with this decision. I struggled, but I made it!

Thursday: Another rest day because I needed it mentally and physically.

Friday: My plan is to workout on my lunch break since I'll be working from home and can get the workout in and then squeeze in a shower. I'm really hoping that I'll be able to make it through 8 rounds.

So what's the plan for next week? Death by Burpees on Sunday as usual.  And then the following workout 3 times at some point next week. 

I can't find the source for this workout.  If you can, please let me know so I can give the appropriate credit.
How was your week? What fitness goals did you meet during this week? Was anyone able to make it through all 10 rounds of last week's Countdown Workout? What is your plan for next week?

elissa

Monday, September 16, 2013

Let's Play a Game Called "Solve My Problems"

Problem #1: Butter Bean is getting his walk on. Not yet unassisted, but he is definitely moving in that direction.  I have heard that getting "walking shoes" will help give them the right foundation to get to walking sooner.  Since he is such a bruiser (almost 28 pounds), our backs can't wait for him to be walking since that means we won't have to carry him around 24-7.

Do these "walking shoes" really help? If so, what shoe should I be buying?

Problem #2: Our living room is currently decorated in neutrals. See?

Please ignore the hubby's foot, dog bone and Butter Bean's hideous Circle of Neglect

I want to add a pop of color to liven things up. My preferred color is green since I think it will really look nice with the Dunkin-Donuts-coffee-with-cream wall color. Really it is SW Portabello if you want the real specifics. Also, I'm giving our gallery wall an update with new pictures and a fun chevron background. I want to incorporate pops of the green into the wall as well. And I'll eventually add in a few throw pillows in green to tie everything together.
I have completely fallen in love with this fabric for the curtains. I love the design and the fact that there is lots of greens and blues to incorporate throughout the room. And it is awesome that the brown in the fabric perfectly matches the walls.


So what's the problem? Well, we have 3 sets of windows meaning that we need 6 curtain panels. And each of those need to be at least 100 inches due to our high ceilings. All of that means that we need lots of fabric (at least 18 yards) and below is the price.  Ugh!


Do I use the fabric I absolutely love? Or is there a clever way to use this fabric and not need 3 yards of fabric per panel? Or do you have a more affordable green curtains options? I'd really like for the curtains to be patterned but if the curtain has a lot of cream/ivory in it, it looks bad against the white wainscoting. I feel like I've searched everywhere and still can't find something that I think will look as good.

elissa

Sunday, September 15, 2013

New Series: Weekly Workout

If you have been around for a while you know I have tried various things to lose a few pounds and get into shape. The most regular plans have been Weight Watchers and Couch 2 5k.  While I think both of these plans are awesome, they just aren't the right fit for me right now.  Maybe later, but not right now.
After spending two weeks in the hospital with Butter Bean and eating too many chocolate croissants (they were SO good!), I have gained a few pounds on top of the few pounds that I really need to use. So I'm in need of a "get healthy" plan that will work. Like so many people, I feel like I have no time to make it to the gym/park/running path.  And then if I convince myself I could make it work, the silly excuses like "I have no cute workout clothes to wear" come up. So I decided to try a different approach. Ready for this?
I'm going to work out at home!  Such a novel idea!  Ha!  This way I can workout in the morning or night- whenever I have a few extra minutes. And no one (except nosey neighbors) will see me, so I can wear those horrible teal pants (yes, I'm ashamed to admit that they do exist) and the only clean shirt that has a hole in the arm pit. 
In order to track my progress, I'm going to do the same workout every Sunday. But the exciting part is that I will pick one workout to do 4 times within the week when I have time. You know those simple workouts you see on Pinterest all the time that you think you should try one day?  Today is my one day.  And to keep myself accountable, I will post a weekly check-in recapping how the week went and post the workout for the following week.
Anyone want to join me? It will be fun, I promise! And if you have any ideas for the weekly workouts, definitely let me know!
Sunday progress workout aka Death by Burpees:  First minute you do 1 full burpee. Second minute = 2 full burpees.  Third minute = 3 full burpees.  And so on until you lose steam and can't finish the burpees for that minute. If you are new to the world of burpees, check out this video
Here is this week's workout. It is called The Body Weight Countdown Home Workout. The first round you do 10 burpees, 10 squats, 10 push-ups, 10 sit-ups. The next round you do 9.  Then 8.  All the way until you are just doing 1.  And then, you are done!  Woohoo!
And just so you all know where I'm starting out, I completed Death by Burpees tonight. My score was 7+7, meaning I got through the 7th minute of 7 full burpees and was able to complete 7 burpees in the eighth minute.
So really, who's with me?
elissa

Friday, September 13, 2013

Bad News Times Three

Bad News #1: Only a few hours after we got back home from our trip to New Jersey, a tree fell blocking our driveway.


Bad News #2: The next day we found out there was a death in the family. We began to scramble to make travel arrangements to get back up to New Jersey for the funeral. Thankfully, we were able to get permission to bring Butter Bean with us. For the long-time readers, you'll remember we weren't so lucky with Artichoke and Zucchini. And yes, that means that Butter Bean logged his third and fourth flight within two weeks!  Thank goodness he is a good traveler. This trip to New Jersey was not nearly as fun nor happy as our previous trip. And therefore, I have no cute pictures to share. 

Bad News #3: And because things happen in 3's, we were due for some more bad news. So on the way home American Airlines made sure to handle our stroller with lots of special care. Anyone have any tips on how to get reimbursed for our Maclaren stroller and buggy bag? 
This is as far "open" as the stroller would go.  Also note the bent and missing wheels.
I cannot tell you have much we are looking forward to an uneventful weekend at home. Boring would be best!
 
elissa

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Butter Bean's First Flight (& Adventures in New Jersey)

I have been looking forward to Labor Day weekend for quite some time.  A good friend of ours was getting married and I just couldn't wait to attend her wedding.  She has exceptional style which I knew would mean the wedding would be beyond beautiful! Traveling up to New Jersey would also give us a chance to catch up with friends and family and introduce them to Butter Bean.

But we weren't sure if this much anticipated trip was actually going to happen.  There are still some medical issues that are unresolved from the incident, so the doctors and county were being cautious about him traveling, not to mention out of state and on an airplane. We were very fortunate to get medical clearance for him to travel just a few days before we were scheduled to leave!  Woohoo!

We were lucky (or maybe smart enough) to get non-stop flights up and back to New Jersey since we had no clue if Butter Bean would enjoy travelling.  Turns out Butter Bean was an awesome traveler.  He was too excited on his first flight to sleep, but he was super happy so fortunately we weren't *those* people with the screaming kid. He loved looking out the window, "reading" the safety card and of course having an in flight beverage.

Wish you could see his cute face enjoying his bottle!
Butter Bean was completely tuckered out when we got off the flight. He almost instantly fell asleep as we waited for our luggage.


The next day Butter Bean was spoiled by his foster grandparents while we headed to the wedding. As I expected it was amazing! From the hand embroidered handkerchiefs that were given out for "Tears of Joy" to the exquisite floral arrangements (bride's mom is a florist and pulled out all the stops) to the incredible view of the NYC skyline to the amazing bridesmaids dresses and the most beautiful bride I have ever seen.  Really. I don't know that I have ever heard an entire group of people audibly gasp when the bride walks in the room. We had an amazing night!

The next day my in-laws threw a "Meet the Munchkin" party for all of our extended family and friends in New Jersey. It was awesome to see everyone and catch up since we don't get to see them as often as we'd like. Butter Bean had a great time meeting everyone and it was so cute to see him playing along since our friends' kids.  Another generation of trouble!

Our last day in New Jersey was spent in Princeton, a town with much history for us. It was in this town that the hubby and I met 15 years ago! And 8 years ago we returned to Princeton to get married. As we strolled on the college campus we actually ran into the professor whose choir we were both singing in.  It was pretty cool to say hello, even though I'm sure he didn't really remember us.  We then had dinner at the Chinese restaurant where we had our rehearsal dinner, which unfortunately is under new management and isn't as good as it used to be.  We stocked up on Princeton gear for both us and Butter Bean and then headed to the infamous Princeton Tiger for a photo op for a special doctor.


Here's the story: While we were in the hospital with Butter Bean, there was a lot of medical jargon that was being thrown around. We were trying to stay informed and understand everything that was happening. With the emotional roller coaster of the ups and downs and the ever changing theories and tests being run, it was a daunting task. There was one doctor in particular that we really clicked with. She always took the time to explain to us using everyday people terms what was going on and what the good, bad, and most likely scenarios looked like. One day I was wearing my Princeton sweatshirt because the hospital was always freezing and she complimented me on my shirt because that was her alma mater! I told her how I was excited to take Butter Bean up to Princeton one day and show him all of our favorite spots. At this point we started comparing our favorites and I knew then that I had to get a photo of Butter Bean with the Princeton Tiger for her. She is the person that allowed us to keep our sanity during the hospital stay and helped us feel totally comfortable that everything possible was being done for Butter Bean. And we did get a much cuter picture where you can see his face for her. 

Then we were able to get into the chapel that we were married in and take some more pictures of Butter Bean.  Here is one of my favorites of him "playing" the piano.


We had an uneventful flight home. Butter Bean decided to sleep the entire flight, which was so nice considering the turn of events that happened when we got home.
elissa