Insanity

Yes, Insanity as in the WORKOUT, not the term. (Order here). Although that applies too. Obviously. So, as you all probably know this is my all time FAVORITE workout! I definitely don’t do it constantly, but when I want a good workout to whip me into shape it is where I turn.

I prefer to do it alone. Or with Jerem. That usually means 5 am, which I’m not always real motivated to do. So lately its been during the day with the kids doing it with me. Today I didn’t get around to it until Jerem and Anson left for hockey at 5. Ava decided to join me.

I really don’t want to gross you out with pictures of ME doing it, so I thought I’d let her be my model.

Way cuter right? Oh the anticipation!

The warm-up is a ten minute series of Jogging, Jumping Jacks, Butt Kicks, High Knees, Heisman, and Mummy Kicks. Ava is starting us off with Jumping Jacks.

A little left and right Heisman action.

She kept taking apple breaks.

After the warm-up comes a 5 minute deep stretch. Feels SO amazing!! I always had sore knees and joints with Jillian Michaels workouts. Insanity has WAY more jumping and I’ve NEVER had an issue. I give full credit to the wonderful stretches we do once our muscles are warmed up and at the end of the main workout.

(Man, my basement is a wreck. Sorry.)

Okay, so..maybe she has her own interpretation of some of the stretches.

Oh, the flexibility!

Why are stomachs so much cuter on little kids?

Stretch over. Here we go! 2 min intervals with 30 sec rests after each one. Goal is to PUSH as hard as possible for the 2 minutes.

Power Squats!

Another apple break.

She LOVES these. Suicides. Run back and forth and touch the floor on either side.

Okay, so…she kinda disappeared for awhile and came back for the last interval. The next 3 pictures are In and Out Abs

Push-ups! (Look at those pipes!)

Oh..and just in case you were wondering if I was even able to workout with all the picture taking here’s proof. Yes I DID workout!!!

Looking for a good protein shake? Here you go. I love Love LOVE this one!! I’ve tried the whey ones in the store and think they’re nasty. This is definitely more expensive, but if you pay for a membership you get 20% off all orders. I haven’t tried a product of theirs I haven’t liked. I drink this right after my workouts which also ends up turning into a meal replacement. (Check it out here.) They also have chocolate which I haven’t tried. The vanilla tastes great though. Sometimes I throw a frozen banana in and make it thicker/frozen. Usually I just put it in a pint jar, put a lid on a shake until mixed.

I made a visit to the chiropractor today due to my neck being out of whack and getting bad headaches. I used to go in all the time for that and my hip, since started Insanity a couple years ago I go MAYBE twice a year. Anywho, he said to enjoy doing Insanity while I have the motivation ‘cause I’m “getting up there”…I’m assuming he was referring to the fact I’m turning 30 next month. Watch it buster! I told him if I had the motivation to workout with 6 kids between 1-3 running around I was pretty sure turning 30 wouldn’t stop me either! Ha!

Okay so that’s my Insanity plug. Find one to borrow, buy it, whatever. Just give it a try if you’re looking for an awesome workout routine!

Mid-Winter Blues

I know Paige is definitely feeling like this is true in our house. She’s been pretty down lately, saying everything is “about Anson and hockey”. We were worried this would happen, that’s why we started her on piano lessons. So she had something that was her special thing.

Between practice, games, and open skate in Williams..Anson’s at the arena EVERY NIGHT. Paige has the option to go skate too. Sometimes she does, sometimes not. Lately I’ve been feeling a little bad for her though. I don’t want her to think its “all about Anson”. Jerem has been really good at upping the frequency of “daddy dates” and nail painting sessions in her room to make her feel special. I’ve been letting her do more independent things in the kitchen with baking and cooking which she enjoys. I am probably thinking too much about it, I just don’t want her to grow up feeling like she’s in his shadow.

She’s had the option in the past to do volleyball and basketball, but she isn’t competitive. At all. So she does it for a week and wants to quit. Her new thing is wanting to do figure skating. We’re a little late in the game to start that this year, we’ll see about next.

Suggestions? Tips?

New Look

Yep, I'm jumping on the band wagon! I haven't done anything for awhile to my blog layout, figured it was time. Still isn't quite there but its good enough for now! My computer is dumb so I don't think the layout looks right, but all my previewers says its perfect. :) What do you think?

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Boring Post

I’ll just warn you now this is a boring one. It’s more for my family that likes to be kept on up changes in our house. Over Christmas I decided to rearrange the living room furniture, pictures, etc.

I had been in a bad rut for a while. A rut of not getting up to spend time in the Word before everyone else got up. Jerem had been struggling too. We both realized it was, in part, due to the fact that neither of us had a designated “spot” for morning quiet time. We didn’t have any lamps in the living room, and no one wants to get up at 5 and turn the main lights on.

Jerem’s spot with the “new” canvas wall behind him.

My spot with my new team-spirit-hockey-mom fleece blanket for cold arena games. I went with the cheapest lamps/shades I could find at Wal-Mart ($12 each total) and they are the perfect size for the room. The only problem is, my chair is rather “squeaky”, which kind of annoys Jerem. I wonder if it annoys him enough for me to bring his recliner up from the basement and use that?

Below is the “new” entryway look. I used to have baskets on the shelf for hats/gloves. The whole area was always looking cluttered and it didn’t make for a very welcoming feel.

Both this canvas and the large one in the living room were “fabric” posters I bought for $15 and wrapped around a wood frame I made. Definitely a lot cheaper than a 16x20 canvas would cost.

Below is the view from the top of the stairs. I REALLY want a new light fixture hanging there, but we are finding our wish list is longer than our budget. So, one thing at a time!

The next picture is the biggest wall in the living room. I’m still working on it. I’m not loving the way it looks and am open to suggestions and help. And yes, I realized not everything is hanging straight. I tried, really.

I’m kind of in love with the tin signs. I’ve been slowly collecting them and at $10-$20 a pop its worth it for the extra “art”.

Feel free to leave a comment on something you’d do different if it were your house!