Questions Answered {part 2}

I thought I'd wrap up the questions today, if you missed part 1 you can read it here.

1. How many more children do you want? Would I ever adopt?

Easy, 1. When I was pregnant with Miss M I wanted 3, then I actually had to give birth and take care of a very big {cute} cry baby. 

Now, I just want 1 more. Barely.

I don't know if I would ever adopt, just because it sooooo expensive and such a long process.

Honestly, probably not. I can barely mother my own flesh and blood and I really don't see myself as qualified to help a child in need. 

2.  How often do you treat yourself? Is it hard to pass on sweets/munchies/etc? Are you a coffee person? What kind/how do you like it?

I treat myself about 2x a week, usually to a meal out. I eat salad everyday for lunch, but I let myself eat out with a friend or my Mom one of those days. I would say it's become easier and easier to pass on those sweets. {except for that time someone had an entire bag of Hersey Kisses here, oops} I would say I'm good at not buying the crap, I can resist it at the store which is the biggest battle. Come 8pm you probably won't drive to the store if you don't have any :)

I adore coffee, like for real. I never gave it up while I was pregnancy or nursing. I'm sorry, but I was already losing my damn mind I just couldn't do it!

{Real time photo, watch out it's 6am!}

haha, compete with that hotmess in the morning, lucky lucky Oliver!

I have a Keruig, I like regular coffee with sugar free vanilla creamer and 1 splenda.

From Starbucks I got a Soy Chai Tea Latte, that shit is gooooooood.

3. Do you have a ton of friends or more a handful of CLOSE friends?

Friends, this is a hard one. I've always been pretty outgoing and had a lot of different friends. I moved to Texas right before high school {from Ohio} and it was a hard transition.

I'm still friends with one girl from high school, but most of my BFF'S are a result of my changing life.

After I had Miss M I was totally lonely, there was nobody with kids around me. I joined a Mommy group, I met some weird and some wonderful people.

This is my BFF Amber. {With our New Years headbands I made!}

Her daughter Kaylee and Madison are like best friends, they are so damn cute together. I die. Plus Kaylee is a genius {like SO SMART!} so I always hope it's rubbing off on Miss M when they play together :)

Amber and I are like sisters separated at birth, so much in common.

This is Andrea. I met her online and we have the CRAZIEST connections to each other!

1. We gave birth a day apart, by the same doctor, at the same hospital. {We meet after the kids were born}

2. I actually went to high school with her husband {Whom she met on Match.com so don't give up Nancy Clue}

3. Apparently she's friends with one of my husbands ex-girlfriends and we totally saw her at a party and Oliver didn't even tell me until after we left. Not that I care, just curious who he dated before he found me, perfection :)

4. Through Facebook we have found many more connections, but I think we are all separated by 2 people on there. It's a little freaky.

Anyways, we have the best time when we get together and they are both so down to earth and I never feel that weird competition I sometimes feel with other women. 

I've actually meet a lot of people online whom I feel a kinship with now.

This was me yesterday having a mini Clomid breakdown at school.

{Yes I took a picture, I AM a blogger and I love me some Instagram}

I TOTALLY forgot about arranging to have Miss M picked up from preschool and I couldn't find anyone to do it and I couldn't leave school because I had a test.

The damn Clomid just makes me so unstable, i just could not stop crying! 

Anyways, my point is that so many people offered to help me out and were so sweet I think I started crying more.

I love y'all.

4. Are you more of a family person?Are you getting a full time job after you graduate next month? What will Madison do (daycare, preschool, etc)?

I would say I am a family person, my Mom is freaking awesome. My sister is pretty cool, even if she is only 24. My brothers are just ok, they don't come around much :) My Dad is the best Papa ever. Other than that most of my family lives in Indiana and Maryland.

I do plan on getting a full time job, I can't WAIT to go back to work. That may sound crazy to some of you, but honestly I DO NOT LIKE STAYING HOME AT ALL. I had my turn, it was fun while it lasted, but this lady is ready to have a career, make some money, and start the next chapter in my life. 

I don't know if you noticed, but I hate being bored. Rarely will you catch me sitting around doing nothing.

Miss M will continue to go to preschool 3x a week and the rest of the time my Mother In Law has offered to watch her.

For all you single ladies out there, here is the best tip I can give you.

MARRY AN ONLY CHILD. 

My MIL is amazing, she helps us out so much with Madison and running errands for us. She even drives out of her way to bring Miss M to me at the gym because I don't have time to make it home from school in time.

 

I tried to find a good picture of her because it's FREAKY how much Miss M looks like her! 

Anyways, never would of made it through school with out her!

Ok, well I thought I was going to wrap them all up today, but this post is getting a little long and wordy. I'm more about pretty pictures and less words :) 

Happy Thursday!

Running Swap

Whew, today is going to be a loooong day.

It started at 4 am with coffee and making note cards for 2 speeches I have today.

It was tempting to lay in my warm bed with these two, except the small one kicks the crap out of you.

I totally rocked those 2 presentations, now if I can continue that trend for my exam if will have been an awesome day!

I signed up for a running swap through Southern Girl Gets Fit and I was lucky enough to be paired with the sweet southern gal who runs the blog, Kassie.

As soon as the box came in Miss M was all over it like it had Kit Kat's inside.

Always trying to steal my shit, that one.

Obviously Kassie doesn't know me at all, cupcakes for my tree??

Heck yeah!

She also was sweet enough to send Miss M some lip gloss, which she promptly rubbed all over the bottom half of my face.

Future makeup artist? Probably not considering her finger in my eyeball.

She also made me the CUTEST running holder for my bibs and medals!

Isn't it darling?? Plus some chevron, yes please!

I happened to make a video of us opening it for y'all love my videos :)

Madison may be just a little confused on who Jesus is....

Happy Hump Day!

Things I wish I had known 50 pounds ago.

Hindsight is always 20\20 and we all have things in life we would of done differently.

I thought I'd share some things I wish I had known, 50 pounds ago.

Maybe it will help someone not make the same choices I did.

I could of reached my goals a lot faster if I had just done a few things differently!

1. Cleaned up my Eating!

I balked at the mention of clean eating, like no way could I do it successfully.

I thought it was too hard and too much of a hassle.

I was SO WRONG. I won't sit here and say I do it 100% BUT it has gotten me to a whole new level as far as making better choices goes.

Most of my pics from this period were chest up.

I wish I had:

cut out chips, even 'light' ones

switched my calorie packed flavored yogurt for steel cut

Switched my flavored yogurts to Greek

Ate less pasta at night

Cut out 'empty' calories; 100 calorie packs,  granola bars

Ditched the 'Smart Ones' at lunch

Ate more salad 

Ate on a schedule!!

2. Run Less, Lifted More

Running is my first love and I hate to cheat on her, but weights is where you will change your body.

This is me at 150.

This is me close to the same weight, 146. Muscle tone is much better.

Pretty sure those dead fish are giving me a nice curve on the sides of my belly :)

Before.

Now.

I've always done some type of weights, lunges, squats, etc.

But after I hit my YEAR EFFING LONG PLATEAU I decided if I couldn't lose the lbs I would build the muscle.

I wish I had started that from the beginning and done more. I thought I needed cardio, cardio, cardio.

The more muscle you have the more calories you burn just sitting on your ass,

so I burn more calories when I'm watching TV :) 

3. The Dreaded Plateau

I found this picture from last December.

I jumped from 148-150 for a year.

I wish I could go back and tell myself not to stress about it.

I just needed to learn to eat better and exercise more effectively.

Everyone has to learn things their own way, but maybe after reading these something will 'click' for you.

Like after I read, "This is Why you are Fat" it clicked that eating should be for fuel, I should eat things even if I don't like them, and I should eat clean like it's my job during the week.

Also about the evils of sugar, I won't say I never eat it but I am MUCH more aware of how much sugar is in food and what it does to your body.

That knowledge is what makes me able to turn down ice cream and cake at night.

Old pic, shirt from Ruffles with Love on Etsy.

I was a work in progress then and I still am now.

Maybe I'll never be 'done'.

I don't know, but I know I enjoy working towards 'it' :)

Ramdom Awesomeness

Ohhhh I'm glad it's Monday! Back to my normal programming, ahhhhh.

I did the normal Thanksgiving stuff.

I ran.

The Dallas Turkey Trot is a train wreck.
Hey, 40,000 people? Lets just all go at the same time, no organization at all.
I had good company, so I had a good time, and ran the 8 miles is 1:18 which is good considering the first 3 miles were an obstacle course of strollers, walkers, and dogs on leashes.
I may have even jumped a fence or two. No joke.


I shopped.

I don't like to stay up late, I'm more of a 4am kinda girl.
We hit the mall, found some awesome deals, and didn't have to stand in any lines.
My kind of shopping!

I got my hair did.

I went super blonde, cut my bangs heavier, and put some short layers in.
LOVE, my favorite cut yet I think.
I'm sooooo on this bang train!

I decorated for Christmas.

Miss M and I busted out our knit caps to get in the spirit. I'll be doing a post on my decor once the entire house is done, which is hopefully by Thursday because my 2nd Annual Christmas Cookie Exchange Party is on Saturday, eek. I still have a room to paint, decor is get up, clean, and find Bambina a christmas outfit! Plus I have a shit ton on homework this week.

We started Elf on the Shelf.

I know she's not supposed to touch him, but no one told me and I took him out before we read the book.
She finds Linus every morning and then 'puts him to bed' so he has energy to go see Santa.
I tried to explain the 'magic' to her, but she's not really understanding what it means. She uses the word like a noun, I'm pretty sure she thinks magic is a person.

She also hung out in a box.

You know, just because.

Stop by tomorrow to see my box from Kassie for the running swap she hosted!

For YOU.

Last BEIGE room hits the dust! {Kitchen}

Saturday I got an itch to paint.

Google stirred up an idea.

I was sick of the beige.

I hit up Home Depot.

I knew from past experience that I don't really want a turquoise with a lot of green in it. 

I prefer more blue and I wanted it to be dark.

I was a little apprehensive, this isn't a color I would of normally chose for such a large room in my house, but I saw a picture online and it looked awesome there.

BESIDES, IT'S JUST PAINT. Right?

The room.

Ugh. I hate the builder cabinets, but refinishing those is a LARGE undertaking.

Like an entire summer big.  I haven't painted this room because I just could not pick a color I thought would make them look decent AND go with the rest of my house.

My servant husband spent a good hour scrubbing the tops of them, ewwww.

I will not be 'decorating' with any knick knacks up there, they just get dirty and gross.

{AFTER}

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this color!!!

It goes so much better with the rest of my house.

Now, when I peek in the kitchen I don't cringe at the beige walls :)

The color is Behr Caribe {Vintage Chic Collection}.

I'm glad my bold choice turned out! My Husband was skeptical at first, but I think he's on board now.

Or he's just given up bitching.

Either way I'm happy :)

Now off to unpack my Christmas crap and find SOMEWHERE to put my tree!