so stinkin’ excited

A lot has happened since my last post! I’ve started my own business/ministry and it’s really just falling into place. I believe that’s because God gave me the vision and he’s working out all of the details. 🙂 Check out my website!

My logo!

I’m teaching my first Thrive Cardio & Strength workout tomorrow…I’ve taken contemporary Christian music and choreographed a 30 minute routine. We’re going to start the session with a prayer and end with a short devotional. Then, I’m having my first seminar at my church on June 15.

Life is good on the home front too! I’m enjoying the extra time with my boys (including my husband) and my part-time job doing web development is going well. We develop our sites on WordPress now, so that helps!

What’s going on in your world?

busy as a bee

A busy honeybee on a spring crocus

I’m really too busy to be posting, but I couldn’t not share this with you. I spent the day with my mom yesterday since it was her birthday, on our way into the restaurant for lunch, she pointed out these beautiful little flowers with honeybees buzzing around. I was so stinkin’ excited! This winter has seemed to last forever, even though it’s been relatively mild. I just love spring and summer and I could have just laid down in those flowers all day. It was about 60 degrees and sunny. What a lovely day.

Life is moving along at lightning pace, but I’ve gotten a better grip on a work/home life balance. I’m looking forward to the month of April when (fingers crossed) things should slow down a bit.

Baby Elam (now 7 months old) cut his first tooth on my birthday a couple weeks ago. It made me crazy. Little Ezra (3 years old) is potty trained and says the wildest things. I’m so blessed. My husband is a sweety, too. 😉

Enjoy the weekend, wherever you are and whatever you do!

what a “treat” – i’m certified!!!!

I just got an email that I passed and am certified as a LesMills BodyPump instructor!!! I only had to record my video THREE times, so I was tickled pink (or orange and black if you want to go Halloween themed) to find out. It was harder to get certified for this than my ACE Personal Training. Woo hoo! Happy Halloween!

scary halloween happenings

This morning, I fed the baby and got up really quietly to take a shower in hopes the babe would go back to sleep and I wouldn’t wake up the toddler. Husband was gone to work. I’m in the shower, when the bathroom door opens, then closes. I hope it’s my toddler! Finally after it opens and shuts a few times, here comes my NAKED two-year-old. Of course I ask him why he’s naked and he tells me he had an accident and his bed’s wet. Good Friday morning!

Then, the second “scary” thing of the morning…I totally forgot to dress up! I mean, it didn’t even cross my mind until I got to work this morning and saw other people dressed up. I knew it was Halloween and I had intended to dress up, but I just plain forgot in the rush this morning.

Today is my late grandpa Bill’s birthday. Freaky, huh?

scary sore!

We were both smiling under our masks…then we realized it didn’t matter because you can’t see our faces! Duh!

My friend and co-worker Michaela took my class this morning and we both wore masks getting started. We had to shed them in order to breathe during the workout, though. It was HARD and I’m going to be SORE tomorrow (and probably Friday, too)! If you missed it, here’s the workout from yesterday’s post. Both of us ended up taking BodyPump yesterday evening. Well, I ended up TEACHING it instead of taking it. I wasn’t planning on it, but the instructor had an emergency and I filled in. It was fun. Tomorrow will be a rest day for me, but I hope to jog and swim Friday. I did end up swimming 14 laps this morning after class – I’ve been out of the pool for two weeks, which is too long.

spooky superset workout by ACE

Thought this workout looked cool so I think we’ll do it in my 6:15 am class tomorrow. I was going to do BodyPump, but this has some neat, different moves and is themed. Now, I just gotta figure out what to wear as a costume tomorrow. My son has a “green goblin” mask and I could wear it. Freaky!

like a good neighbor

My husband sent me flowers Friday (ain’t that sweet?) and my son saw them on the counter Saturday morning. He asks, “Momma, where did those flowers come from?” in his cute two-year-old voice. I replied, “Your daddy sent them to me.” He looked at me and said, “Mr. Faux?” My husband and I both laughed because Mr. Faux is our retired neighbor.

My husband then said, “Like a good neighbor…” and Ezra finished with “State Farm is there.” It was hilarious. Kids say the darndest things!

Here’s a picture of my boys this morning before I left for work. Ezra was showing Elam is rubber snake. Oh, and notice the pacifier…I’ve told Ezra we’re trading it in for Halloween candy next Friday. We’re going to throw away the pacifiers…should be an interesting weekend!

recipes and halloween

I got on a kick this week and cooked a bit more than I have in a while. Baby Elam is finally starting to take some longer naps, plus I had Wednesday off which allowed me to cook a bit. Here are the recipes I used:

• Wheat Beer Bread – I’ve always wanted to make bread, but it seems so daunting. This recipe was easy-peasy and I whipped it up in just about 5 minutes last night. I liked the bread, but my husband wasn’t much into it. I also baked fish my dad had caught in the river and then I sauted up kale in oil olive and threw in a can of drained black eyed peas. Good supper.
• Apple Muffins – I follow the blog “100 Days of Real Food” and she posted a neat muffin recipe to try. I didn’t have walnuts and I only had 1/2 the syrup it called for, so I left out the nuts and did half syrup/half honey for the sweetener. Ezra gobbled his down and Mike (hubby) even liked them.
• Baked  Eggplant – A vegan man that is a member of the gym where I work brought me an eggplant earlier this week that I needed to use, so I made this dish for my mom and me. I added Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder. I liked it but mom loved it and made it again at her house. I served it over raditorre pasta with marinara sauce.
• Monkey Bread – This one I learned in middle school home economics and it just stuck. You take a can of biscuits and cut them into quarters, then roll in melted butter. After that, dip them in a mixture of sugar and cinnamon and bake at 350 for a few minutes. Ezra actually helped with this one and ate the raw dough (just a little). He’s such a picky eater that I let him just about anything that won’t make him sick! 🙂 It’s not the most healthy dish, but it’s a nice little treat from time to time. I need to find some wheat biscuit dough or make some from scratch.

Speaking of picky eaters, earlier this week I downloaded some neat docs and watched a short video by Tribe Wellness about picky eaters and how to remedy the issue. I learned some good tips and I encourage you to check it out if interested.

Another cool thing on the “100 Days of Real Food” blog was alternatives to Halloween candy. My son is having a pre-school party for Halloween and I think I will take some non-candy treats for that. The teacher sent home a list of what each kid needs to bring…the list included cupcakes, cookies, chips, cheese puffs, and pizza. I am responsible for the chips and I think I will bring some fruit salad to show folks you can still have fun with good foods…

Well, let’s get ready for the weekend. I hope yours is filled with fun, good food, and some physical activity!

want to be a personal trainer?

When I changed jobs almost two years ago, part of my job duty was to become an ACE (American Council on Exercise) certified personal trainer, which I accomplished. I’m really glad I did it because I’ve wanted to do it for years. I’ve enjoyed being a personal trainer these past 18 months or so. In addition to helping people meet their fitness and wellness goals, I also get great emails with tips and updates from ACE.

I got one today about the Ash Hayes Scholarship that is helping folks who want to help our youth obtain their personal training certification at almost no cost! If you’re interested, check out the scholarship information and apply.

Click the image to be taken to the ACE website and apply or learn more.

19 signs you’re a foodie fanatic

I got this in an email today and liked it so I thought I would share (check out the article online to see cute little animated images). If you’re not familiar with Take Part, check them out! I’ve bolded the ones that apply to me and added a few notes along the way. 🙂

The eating habits of Americans are changing. Kids no longer cry for Happy Meals, people who aren’t hippies are reaching for Kombucha instead of soft drinks, and organic grocery stores are popping up in the most unlikely places. Last month, McDonald’s saw its biggest slump in sales in 10 years. Other food industry giants, such as General Mills, are taking note.

Obesity rates are still soaring, and the government still needs to better regulate Big Ag, but there’s plenty to celebrate, thanks to a growing community of conscious food consumers. So really, there’s no shame in being particular about what you eat. Here we list 19 signs you’re a foodie fanatic.

1. You own all of Michael Pollan’s books. (I own one…)
2. You think Monsanto is pretty much the worst company in the world.
3. You have strong feelings about GMOs—and your friends (and some strangers) know it.
4. You obsessively check food labels, and you know which ones are bogus.
5. You roll your eyes at beef that’s not grass-fed.
6. You consult a phone app before eating seafood to check if it’s sustainable. (I probably would if I had a smartphone).
7. You jumped for joy when Ben & Jerry’s announced it was going GMO-free.
8. You have an excessive number of reusable bags on hand at all times.
9. You have a garden.
10. You spend a lot of time perusing restaurant menus and peppering waiters with questions.
11. Watching your friends gobble up junk food physically pains you.
12. You freak out when you oversleep and miss the farmers market.
13. You ask baristas where the coffee beans come from and whether they have hemp or quinoa milk.
14. You started drinking coconut water before everyone else did (and are now considering maple water). (I just cannot get on the coconut water bandwagon…it’s so gross to me, no matter how good it is for you).
15. You love Trader Joe’s.
16. You get irrationally angry about food mash-ups and wish you lived in simpler times.
17. You spend most of your money buying organic everything.
18. You Instagram every meal. (Again, I probably would if I had a smartphone). 
19. You’re considering naming your child Kale…or Quinoa. (I have a friend whose dog’s names are Basil and Olive!)

http://www.takepart.com/article/2014/09/12/19-signs-youre-foodie-advocate?cmpid=tpfood-eml-2014-09-13-foodie#article-comments