Monday Stats...

So if you read yesterdays blog you'd know this, but if you are new to the party, today I start the 365 day fit challenge! 

For those of you who have followed me for a while know I injured my hip about 9 months ago. Those several months were the most stressful part of my journey so far. Along with my husband deploying for almost 5 month I was a hot mess and dealing with lots of stress! 

So of course I turned to food to comfort me. I lost my weight by eating healthy AND exercising. So I felt like it was a packaged deal, I had to eat healthy and exercise to be successful. I couldn’t exercise, so I slowly stopped eating healthy and it lead to a 15 pound weight gain. 

Am I proud of that? No. But I’m so glad it happened. It was a huge lesson and stepping stone in my journey. I looked to the scale for approval. Eventually I stopped weighing which I thought was a good thing but it also left me in denial. 

For the first time, I weighed myself this weekend and truly didn’t let the number derail me. The negative thoughts that usually came, didn’t. I may have gained weight during the past 9 months but I spent a lot of time changing my thinking and started loving myself where I am, which is what truly matters and most people forget to focus on.

So taking on this challenge was important to me, I know when I exercise I want to eat healthier! I have no real rules for myself during this challenge except to be active every day. Weather that means 1 hour or 15 minutes! As long as I’m doing something that’s all that matters!

And because Mondays are dedicated days to update ya'll on my journey I wanted to update ya'll since I was suppose to start my fitness again last week. Well that was a total train wreck. 

Monday and Tuesday I did workout...YAY! I was battling sinus issues but I just dealt with it.

Tuesday evening I ended up with a high fever and down for the count. I was incredible sore all Tuesday but I thought it was just my bodies response to the first real workouts in 9 months. It was, but it was also due to the fever. I didn't workout. I tried but seriously felt like my legs were going to explode from the pain of soreness.

Wednesday I was sick and ridiculous sore so I just rested.

Thursday the fever was gone but still so sore walking was a challenge. The soreness was the worst I have felt in years. My legs were defiantly in shock from the workouts. 

Friday to Sunday I just gave up and rested. Just being honest. 

My sinuses are still a mess so I may need to call the dr and get an appointment. I'm still planning on working out today since today I start my 365 day challenge.

Monday February 26 Stats...

NO CHANGE FROM LAST WEEK!

Weight: 

175.2 lbs

Measurements:

Biceps - (R) 12" / (L) 12"

Forearms - (R) 9.5" / (L) 9.5"

Chest - 37"

Stomach (at hip bone) - 37"

Hips - 43"

Thigh - (R) 25" / (L) 25"

Calves - (R) 15.75" / (L) 15.75"

Boys Out Number Girls in Our House...

Yep you read that title right, boys out number the girls in our house. There are three boys (sons), my husband vs myself, our daughter and our female cat. That makes the ratio 4:3.

Even though I do have a daughter, I’m still drowning in boy. It’s a good thing I’m a strong mama, a tomboy myself or I’d get lost in all that maleness. 

Here are my top things I’ve learned being a boy mom for the last 12 years.

~Teen boys can eat their weight in pretzels without a single roll of chub appearing on their waistlines. This is not an urban myth; this is the absolute truth. I have witnessed it. (And I’m so jealous.)

~The toilet seat is almost always wet. Never rush to sit down on the toilet, always check the seat first. If I do not check the seat first, I am in for a bad wet nasty surprise. Moms of newly potty trained boys, expect this toilet seat checking will be your life for many years to come. Even when the boys are older their aim does not improve. 

Personal Tip**Beware of using the bathroom especially in the dark without visually inspecting for a dry seat first. I’m serious. Don’t do it. While you are at it check the floor too so you don’t get wet socks.

~Food disappears in bulk fashion in a blink. I can’t say enough about food. They flock to the kitchen when I come home from the store. I can’t keep up with enough food they consume it so fast. If I buy a box of Cheezits, I’m lucky if it lasts 24 hours. It might last 51 hours, but it certainly won’t last 52.  My husband will wait too long for a piece of cake savoring each moment up until he finally decides to eat it only to find someone already inhaled it. You snooze you lose. Label it! We must label our food treasures or hide them.

~The things in your house are all toys. Incessant fort making happens. All things in the house are free game for fort material. Laundry baskets full of clothes, sheets, clothespins, couch cushions, chairs, shoes, blankets, string, bungee cords, books, curtains, bar stools, pillows, and more. They will use every stinking piece every darn time. Forts upon forts.

~Boys must have physical activity several times a day and they throw everything. Boys must climb and stand on all pieces of furniture: chairs, couches, tables, end tables, and railings. They need to get their energy out especially in the winter so I allow this within reason. Learn to dodge flying objects and flying footballs in your spare time. Face it that you will never be good enough to dodge them all. You will get pegged at some point.

~Odors happen. They happen a lot. The smells from the boys will not improve as they grow. Fellow boy moms get used to announcing of farts accompanied by laughter. Get used to accusing and denial of farts too. Some gladly claim them, yet some will utterly deny the silent stink.

~Burping is easy and a skill. Burping is as easy as breathing. I’ve lived four decades and I still can’t burp on purpose but they’ve all figured out how to do that before the age of six.

#10: Boys have their own ideas of what constitutes as fruit. They think fruit snacks are fruit and will argue they are right until their last breath. Maple syrup is fruit too because it comes from trees. Ketchup is fruit too because it’s made from tomatoes. Ketchup will be licked off plates. Syrup too. After all they are fruit, right? 

~I must again mention the stink; it bears the need for multiple mentions. Stink lingers. Shoes and socks can stink up an entire room for days. Febreeze is truly your friend. Bless you Febreeze.

~They fight too hard sometimes. They will fight and hurt each other. They just can’t keep their hands to themselves. To reduce the number of squabbles get a minivan, an SUV, or some vehicle where there can be space between them to save your mama sanity on all family drives.

~It’s never quiet and they are always loud. It is not quiet and it won’t be unless they are asleep or gone.

~Throw balls happens in the living room. Daily. No matter what. You can’t stop it.

I love my boys and being a mom. No doubt I’m outnumbered, but I love them despite their messy, stinky, incessantly hungry, active, bickering sides because they are also sweet and good boys. They make me laugh and we have fun. They are smart, athletic, and creative.

We are Potty School Drop Outs...

I am a potty school dropout. My potty train has jumped the tracks. I have become everything I never thought I’d become. 

Before you start giving me all of your advice, I will lead with this: I potty trained my first three children within a week. With RARELY no mistakes afterwards. And I pretty much thought I was the cock of the walk. I mean, how can people think this is hard? You just get rid of the diapers and set the timers and voila, underpants city. It’s easy peasy to use the potty.

Then came Rowan, child number 4. And the universe sent me a little humble pie: I have been trying to potty train this child for 2 months now. And I got nothing. Nada. Zilch.

Two weeks ago I decided to go "all or nothing". Telling myself real parents don’t give up. Real parents get shtt done. 

We did everything we could right out of the gate on that Monday. We set a thirty minute timer for two days straight. We ate candy. We clapped just getting him on the potty without a fight. The older kids got in on the excitement, high fiving the little bro and sitting alongside him as he did his time on the throne. 

We also did only underwear and plastic covers, which meant I was washing a load of undies every evening...and cleaning shit out of at least 1 pair a day. Whatever, I just wanted to get through to this child and get it done.

But then the screaming started. He would scream and fight me just to sit him on the potty. He refused the potty chair, refused the kid urinal, refused the big potty. Just flat out refused.

And so. Two days after buying a ticket for the potty train, we hopped off. Back to diapers. 

I know. I can’t believe it either. But you know what, it’s just better. 

I’m just over stressing about crap like this. This kid will not go to college in a diaper. Probs not even pre-school next year. And hopefully, we didn’t do any permanent damage with our little attempt at the world free of undies. 

I plan that once school is out, I will just let the little Mr. run around nakie nakie all day and then move into undies when we have some better success. But for now, we are back in diapers for this little dude. And I am officially a potty school dropout. And as much fun as it was to imagine my household diaper-free and to skip down the sidewalk in my dreams, I honestly feel very little stress over the whole situation. And it’s just further proof to me that in motherhood and life, you gotta do what works for you. 

So for now, we’re stickin’ with the diapers. We still promote the potty and have the candy jar out and all that jazz. But as for me, it is what it is.

365 Active Challenge...

Over and over again you hear about 7, 10 and 24 day challenges. 

I'm a little late to the party but I've decided to take on a 365 day active challenge. 

Last April (2017), I injured my hip.  I was very limited on the amount of working out I could do so I basically quit all together or it at least felt like I gave up! I had become addicted to working out, I spent every spare moment trying to get a workout in, most day I averaged 2 workouts.

This is part of what caused me to get injured and knocked out for 9 months.

So why would I challenge myself to workout every day for a whole year?  

Sounds crazy right?

I have such an all or nothing personality. During the 9 months I was recovering, I focused on what I couldn’t do rather than what I could do so I did very little. 

So for the next whole year I commit to being active, every single day, with a minimum of 15 minutes a day. Almost everyone can spend an extra 15 minutes a day being active. It is an attainable goal. I need to change my mentality and I decided to make it a year of absolutely no excuses.

Everyone wants the results, but no one wants the work. 

I'm sure not every day will be easy. Life will always throw me curve balls. Buts its all on  how I react and handle them that matters. 

I urge you to join me on this 365 day active challenge and stop focusing on what you can’t do and instead focus on what you can do!

You can follow my The Unicorn Mom to follow along each day and see what exactly I have do every day. And of course keep checking back here EVERY Monday for a recap of each week! 

Seeking BFF...

Slightly crazy, anxiety ridden, unicorn loving, super fun mom of four seeks other mom for friendship. Must love food and not mind cussing. Must not judge when I start my third cup of coffee for the day or have 3 cupcakes at my kids birthday parties. Must love cupcakes and coffee. If the potential friend doesn’t like cupcakes or coffee, will consider friend if they at least love chocolate. Must love to go out for ice cream with the kids occasionally as well.

Must not judge me for always wearing makeup and sneakers. Will not judge potential friend ever on any attire, even if attire is stained. 

Must actually love and like to be around our kids. Can understand when you mutter sometimes that they’re driving you crazy. The feeling can be mutual – but must really enjoy them a good chunk of the time. 

Must love to see psychological or supernatural thrillers (without the kids). Must freak out like I do when you know the bad guy is hiding behind the door. Must love horror movies or at least be open to watching them.

Must not laugh when this mom’s cupcakes look like Pinterest fails. Must still want to eat the cupcakes with me. Must eat them with me with coffee or a glass of wine. If the potential friend does not drink alcohol, that’s okay because I rarely do myself.

Must keep it real. Must not get annoyed when this mom freaks out about a lice outbreak at school. Must be such good friend that if household gets lice, friend may be grossed out and wearing a shower cap, but will come over if I get lice (and husband cannot remove it all!). This grossed out but good potential friend of yours (ME) will also come over to your house and pick lice out of your hair for you, too.

Must be willing to have each other’s backs. That means that we stand up for each other, celebrate, and commiserate together. Must not act uncomfortable if this mom ever cries or is upset. The same will be true for you, too. This mom will never judge you if you shed tears.

Must be okay with being on this mom’s emergency contact list. Will accept you as a friend if you like my kids MOST of the time. Must be able to go and get them if the world implodes and my husband and I cannot get to them. Will do the same for you and your kids.

Must laugh at this list. Must say to self: this person is crazy, I like her.

Monday Stats

I know I already blogged today so forgive me! But like I said in the post earlier today Monday's I'll be posting my states and eventually when I grow some bigger balls I'll share my photos. LOL. But I also wanted to show you guys my equipment, and new shoes I'll be using as well.

Monday February 19 States...

Weight: 

175.2 lbs

Measurements:

Biceps - (R) 12" / (L) 12"

Forearms - (R) 9.5" / (L) 9.5"

Chest - 37"

Stomach (at hip bone) - 37"

Hips - 43"

Thigh - (R) 25" / (L) 25"

Calves - (R) 15.75" / (L) 15.75"

Now I already have Beachbody OnDemand, so I already have access to all the Beachbody workouts. However I didn't have the bands or sliders I needed to use during Little Obsessed and 80 Day Obsession. 

I looked at purchasing the ones through Beachbody which I had 3 different options.

Option A: Buy the bands (3 bands) for $15 and the sliders for $30 ... $45 total

Option B: Buy the Obsessed Starter pack that comes with the bands, sliders and containers (which I don't need) for $60 total

OR I could buy the bands and sliders from UK Amazon. 

I got these bands (4 bands) for $21 along with a travel pouch to put them in. And I bought these sliders for $21 ... so $42 total and I got them within 5 days of ordering instead of waiting for Beachbody which usually take a few weeks for me. 

Plus the sliders and bands are cute colors! HA!

So here we go. Time to start this journey. The biggest struggle this week for me will be the new meal plan but I got this guys. The vision of my goal is burnt into my brain. I won't stop or fail!

Accountability time...

First of all, I have a full plate as is. I'm a full time mom and wife, keep a VERY OCD CLEAN house, going to school online full time, doing some major crafts and finally in the clear to get back into fitness. I want to be able to succeed in everything I do and I want to be able to stay on top of priorities. 

So this is me, stating that I will now hold myself accountable for logging my triumphs and successes and goals beat, on this blog every Monday. Monday's will blog will be me checking in about my past week on my journey. Logging my states, sharing my ups and my downs.

Today I get to start my my new life, okay not really but when haven't been able to workout like you're used to for 8/9 months and you finally get the okay. It feels like a new life. Plus guys, I'm PAIN FUCKING FREE! Its been a long  8/9 months of non-stop pain. I feel like a new fucking woman. 

If you know me personally or follow me on any of my social media outlets you already know this but I used to be a Beachbody coach. I am no longer and if you want to know why click here. I've lost 85 lbs from August 2014-November 2015 using their workouts and I was one of their $500 daily winners for my accomplishment. I'm a firm believe in their workouts. 

Anyways, today I am challenging myself to become what I want to be and starting one of their newest programs. I am so excited to be back on this journey. For the next two weeks I'll be easing my way back into regular workouts by doing the "Little Obsessed" Program. After that I will be starting the full "80 Day Obsession" program.

I was on such a plateau for a while and then actual gain 15 lbs since I've been injured. I will be adding in 30 minutes of incline walking 5 days a week as well and slowly working on increasing my speed. I hope to be back to running by my birthday, September 6th, but the dr said he can't make me any promises on the running. 

As for eating, that's a whole other situation. For the past 2.5 weeks I've been following the80 Day Obsessed meal plan but just as I figured my body wouldn't react well towards it. Having Hashimoto's often means I can't follow the "normal" meal plans. My dr is having me try intermittent fasting along with the 5:2 meal plan. 

Intermittent fasting means I'll only eat solids from 12pm-8pm Monday, Wednesday,Friday-Sunday.  The 5:2 meal plan means, five days a week I'll eat normal during my meal window, and Tuesdays and Thursday I'll only consume 500 calories via protein shakes only.

I know to some this seems extreme. But I have to heal my gut and because I have Hashimoto's I can't eat like normal people. I wish I could but I just can't. I'll also be going low carb/keto. I'll be drink my Unicorn Moonshine aka Ketones, 2-3 times a day and only consuming carbs with my first meal.

I am VERY hopefully this will change me, and this will finally help me reach my ultimate goal. 

I am so excited to start working out normal again, I can’t even express through this blog! 

I hope whatever you do in life, you can be as excited about it as I am, and if you are not, then you need to find out what excites you, and GO FOR IT! 

Believe in yourself, or else no one else will!

You can do this! I can do this! We can do this!!!!