Summer Bucket List:
1. Climb Table Rock
2. Play tennis
3. Paint my daughter’s room
4. Landscape my back yard
5. Complete summer reading programs for myself and daughter
6. Go to South Carolina
7. Go to a Hawks Baseball game
8. Attend a summer concert with my husband
9. Go to the Shakespeare Festival
10. Ride my bike on the Green Belt
11. Go to the drive-in theater with my family
12. Meridian Dairy Days Parade
13. Run a 5k
14. Camp-out with my family
15. Go to the Western Idaho Fair
16. Swim lessons for my daughter
17. Take my daughter to Starlight Mountain Theater
18. Lay out in the sun in my backyard and catch up reading all of my magazines.
19. Visit Eagle Island State Park
20. Visit Sandy Point Beach
21. Have a girls night out or in.
22. Grow my garden
23. Host a “Swap and Talk” with friends
24. Host Award BBQ for “Better Me Challenge”
25. Make homemade jam.
26. Visit Emmett, ID and pick Cherries
27. Visit Syracuse Days
28. Learn to fly fish
29. Go on 5 hikes around the Boise area
30. Have a garage sale
31. Dejunk and simplify my house so I don’t waste time managing “stuff”.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Better Me Challenge Update
My 8 weeks to a "Better Me Challenge" has ended with me taking 3rd place. My super competitive sister-in-law Steph and her husband won 1st and 2nd place with only 1 point in between the 2. If I were her husband I might demand a recount of her points, but then he'd probably find himself in the doghouse.
I really learned a lot from this challenge. I was disappointed because I didn't lose any weight. In fact, I don't believe any of the female participants noted any significant weight loss. The 2 guys that competed did loose several pounds. (It is so not fair that men can lose weight faster than women). In any case, I did tone up a bit. My overall cardio improved- I can definitely run and exercise for longer period of times. I was also able to improve my minute per mile by over 3 minutes. I was really bad out of shape prior to this challenge. I really learned to balance my eating habits... making sure I ate enough fruits and vegetables, drinking lots and lots of water, and not breaking down for a late-night snack. When I did decide to "lose a point" I had to weigh by options of "was that treat worth losing a point?" or "do I really want a Dr. Pepper today?", and if so "I guess I will have to follow through on the rest of my goals for the day". The competition against others was also helpful. It helped me stay motivated through-out the challenge. And having to pay money to participate was another great motivator because I actually had something besides time invested into the challenge.
We have decided to turn this into an annual challenge. We will be having a reward BBQ for everyone that participated. I look forward to eating a lot of treats that were otherwise absent from my life for the last couple months.
I really learned a lot from this challenge. I was disappointed because I didn't lose any weight. In fact, I don't believe any of the female participants noted any significant weight loss. The 2 guys that competed did loose several pounds. (It is so not fair that men can lose weight faster than women). In any case, I did tone up a bit. My overall cardio improved- I can definitely run and exercise for longer period of times. I was also able to improve my minute per mile by over 3 minutes. I was really bad out of shape prior to this challenge. I really learned to balance my eating habits... making sure I ate enough fruits and vegetables, drinking lots and lots of water, and not breaking down for a late-night snack. When I did decide to "lose a point" I had to weigh by options of "was that treat worth losing a point?" or "do I really want a Dr. Pepper today?", and if so "I guess I will have to follow through on the rest of my goals for the day". The competition against others was also helpful. It helped me stay motivated through-out the challenge. And having to pay money to participate was another great motivator because I actually had something besides time invested into the challenge.
We have decided to turn this into an annual challenge. We will be having a reward BBQ for everyone that participated. I look forward to eating a lot of treats that were otherwise absent from my life for the last couple months.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Giveaway: Free $50 Gift Certificate for house cleaning
Check out this blog for details on a giveaway for a $50 gift certificate for house cleaning.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
8 Weeks to a Better You Challenge
Eights goals in 8 weeks. Yikes! I really needed some motivation to get my butt off the couch and get in shape. It seems that too often the role of mommy and wife leave me with a hundred excuses of why I don't have time to work out or change my diet. I have too much to do already and too little time to do it. But lucky for me a friend shared this challenge with me:
8 Goals/8 Weeks to a Better You: (You get 1 point per goal per day)
Week One Recap: I have done pretty well the last few days. Last weekend, I made sure to eat lots of sweets before I started my fast. I haven't had soda or sugar in 7 days. Yeah me!!! The most difficult goals have been exercising every day (especially when juggling work and kids) and drinking lots of water. One thing is certain, I have to potty alot more frequently. I am ashamed to say that my minute per mile is 13.40 (run/walk combo). At least, there leaves a lot of room for improvement. I have developed an eye tick- which I wonder if from caffeine withdrawal. My skin feels way more refreshed and hydrated. I hope that the natural outcome will be to lose some weight. Kaitlyn is doing a modified version of the challenge geared towards kids. I love it because it gives her the opportunity to make healthy choices for herself. And the other plus side is that fruits and vegetables are no longer wasting away forgotten about in the produce drawer of the refrigerator.
8 Goals/8 Weeks to a Better You: (You get 1 point per goal per day)
- Personal Goal: (Mine is no soda especially my all time favorite and life line Diet Dr. Pepper)
- 7 hours of sleep each night.
- Eat 5 servings of fruit/vegetables each day.
- Drink 64 oz. of water each day.
- No eating after 8pm.
- No eating sweets. (Another mommy coping mechanism)
- Exercise 30 minutes a day.
- Exercise an additional 30 minutes a day.
- Not eating fast food all week.
- Improving your minuter per mile.
Week One Recap: I have done pretty well the last few days. Last weekend, I made sure to eat lots of sweets before I started my fast. I haven't had soda or sugar in 7 days. Yeah me!!! The most difficult goals have been exercising every day (especially when juggling work and kids) and drinking lots of water. One thing is certain, I have to potty alot more frequently. I am ashamed to say that my minute per mile is 13.40 (run/walk combo). At least, there leaves a lot of room for improvement. I have developed an eye tick- which I wonder if from caffeine withdrawal. My skin feels way more refreshed and hydrated. I hope that the natural outcome will be to lose some weight. Kaitlyn is doing a modified version of the challenge geared towards kids. I love it because it gives her the opportunity to make healthy choices for herself. And the other plus side is that fruits and vegetables are no longer wasting away forgotten about in the produce drawer of the refrigerator.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Alice in Wonderland Bday Party for Kaitlyn
I love to plan and organize parties and get togethers. I usually get in way over my head and try to do too much myself. Luckily, I have amazing friends that know this about me and usually end up bailing me out.
My oldest turned 6 at the beginning of the month. We decided to have an "Alice in Wonderland" themed party. Or I should say I convinced her to have this kind of party. It just so happened that my bookclub was reading the book and the new Tim Burton movie was being released the eve of her party. We spent the month hunting through thrift stores and dollar stores for dishes, decorations, and party supplies.
For the decor- I set up 2 tables with mismatched china, colorful napkins and plastic ware. We tied balloons onto the chairs. One of my good friends loaned us a darling handmade flag-banner that we hung on the walls. We placed some fun hats (that Amy made) around the room. I wrote each child's name on a playing card and used it as a place setting card. We also invited all the kids to where a fun hat or dress as a character from the book.
Birthday activities included an "Alice in Wonderland" obstacle course, "Follow the White Rabbit" (the kids took turns playing the rabbit and leading the other kids around the yard to music), a treasure hunt (they took turns hunting for different items: a white glove, a rabbit, a red rose, playing card, teapot, etc), and finally a pinata. For the first time ever, we had beautiful weather for our party. The kids loved playing the games outdoors and my house stayed a little cleaner.
The kids sat down at the "tea party" and ate lunch. I went a little overboard on the cake. I attempted to make Kaitlyn a topsy turvy cake. You can see the pictures below. My mother is a wonderful cake decorator, but lives in SC. I do not possess any of her skills. And since my mom was unable to offer any demonstrations, I turned to "Youtube" for guidance. The cake turned out a little funny, but it tasted really good. I made my own buttercream and fondant icing. We also made a bunch of cupcakes (those were by backup incase my cake failed).
For parting gifts: I bought "Lofthouse" Sugar cookies from the bakery (I was done baking) and wrote "EAT ME" on the cookies and then wrapped them individually in cellophane treat bags and tied with a ribbon. I also bought those cute mini sodas and tied a tag that said "DRINK ME". We basically sugared up the kids and then sent them home with their parents. I'm sure they all really appreciated it. All in all, it was a really fun party and my daughter adored it.
My oldest turned 6 at the beginning of the month. We decided to have an "Alice in Wonderland" themed party. Or I should say I convinced her to have this kind of party. It just so happened that my bookclub was reading the book and the new Tim Burton movie was being released the eve of her party. We spent the month hunting through thrift stores and dollar stores for dishes, decorations, and party supplies.
For the decor- I set up 2 tables with mismatched china, colorful napkins and plastic ware. We tied balloons onto the chairs. One of my good friends loaned us a darling handmade flag-banner that we hung on the walls. We placed some fun hats (that Amy made) around the room. I wrote each child's name on a playing card and used it as a place setting card. We also invited all the kids to where a fun hat or dress as a character from the book.
Birthday activities included an "Alice in Wonderland" obstacle course, "Follow the White Rabbit" (the kids took turns playing the rabbit and leading the other kids around the yard to music), a treasure hunt (they took turns hunting for different items: a white glove, a rabbit, a red rose, playing card, teapot, etc), and finally a pinata. For the first time ever, we had beautiful weather for our party. The kids loved playing the games outdoors and my house stayed a little cleaner.
The kids sat down at the "tea party" and ate lunch. I went a little overboard on the cake. I attempted to make Kaitlyn a topsy turvy cake. You can see the pictures below. My mother is a wonderful cake decorator, but lives in SC. I do not possess any of her skills. And since my mom was unable to offer any demonstrations, I turned to "Youtube" for guidance. The cake turned out a little funny, but it tasted really good. I made my own buttercream and fondant icing. We also made a bunch of cupcakes (those were by backup incase my cake failed).
For parting gifts: I bought "Lofthouse" Sugar cookies from the bakery (I was done baking) and wrote "EAT ME" on the cookies and then wrapped them individually in cellophane treat bags and tied with a ribbon. I also bought those cute mini sodas and tied a tag that said "DRINK ME". We basically sugared up the kids and then sent them home with their parents. I'm sure they all really appreciated it. All in all, it was a really fun party and my daughter adored it.
The Birthday Cake: Yellow cake with lemon filling/ chocolate cake with chocolate filling/buttercream icing with fondant embellishments.
Tea Party
3 Alices
Kya- our little Cheshire kitty
Singing Happy Birthday (please don't mind the garbage cans in the background)
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