Thirty on Thursday

I'm so excited to share the first Thirty on Thursday with you! If you try it, let me know by using #30onThursday on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. Tonight's workout is actually last Thursday's, and I will post the one I did tonight next Thursday. These are great if you're a busy mom, without a gym membership, prefer to work out at home, or just need a short workout now and then. I absolutely love going to the gym, but I also enjoy working out at home sometimes too!

 

 

We had a small photoshoot while doing this one last Thursday, and Lola wanted in on the fun!
 If you don't know how to do any of the moves just look them up. All you need is a set of dumbbells (I use a set of tens and switch to eights for the lateral and side raises) and a mat if you'd like! I actually did this workout barefooted last week, which probably wasn't smart of me. I also started with my sweatshirt on but I had to take it off before round one was over! I hope this works up a sweat for you like it did for me! Don't forget to have fun!

Start with a short warmup; I prefer jogging in place for 30 seconds then doing jumping jacks for 30 seconds. I do this in rotation for two minutes. I never recommend static stretching to begin a workout. Wait until you muscles are nice and warm (the end of your workout) to stretch.

Round One: Legs, Butt, Shoulders
5 weighted lunges, left leg
5 weighted lunges, right leg
15 pulsating lunges on each leg (pulse as low as you can go to really work your legs)
10 squats with a shoulder press
*Do this cycle as many times as you can for 10 minutes*

Round Two: Chests, Shoulders, Abs
30 second plank
10 push-ups
25 reverse crunches
5 burpees
*Do cycle as many times as you can for 10 minutes*

Round Three: Back, Shoulders
15 dumbbell rows
15 dumbbell military presses
10 front raises (You may need to switch to lighter weights for these).
10 lateral raises
*Do cycle as many times as you can for 10 minutes*

Now you're ready to stretch!! In addition to stretching, I like to lie on my back and breathe deeply for a minute or two. So relaxing!

Baby boy just babbled away in his swing while I worked out.

Short rest breaks also served as "give Lola some attention" breaks!

If you did the workout all the way through without stopping, you just burnt anywhere from 250-300 calories! Check back tomorrow for a Fit Friday post and come back next week for another Thirty on Thursday! Cheers!

Fit Friday

Pounds gained in pregnancy: 29

Pounds lost since delivery day: 41

To go: 38

 

     I've been trying to think of a catchy weekly post idea for a while, and I've finally decided on one for sure: "Fit Friday!" If you're not entirely familiar with Blogworld, most regular bloggers have a weekly post that readers look forward to. For example: "What I Ate Wednesay" (gave that a try--it was awkward and too much trouble taking pictures of all my meals), "Five Things Friday," "Sunday Funday," etc.. I'm going to stick with Fit Friday. Not only is Friday my favorite day of the week, it's also my favorite day to work out. Maybe it's because the gym is less crowded. Or because I have tons of energy in my excitement for the weekend. Or because a good workout on Friday makes me feel a little less guilty if I indulge on Saturday! Regardless, Friday is my favorite gym day. This afternoon's workout consisted of  dead lifts, weighted lunges, pulsating lunges, weighted sumo squats, pulsating sumo squats, leg curls, leg extensions, and LOTS of heavy squats! I can definitely see and feel the definition in the backs of my legs; now I just wait to see it in my quads. My thighs have always been a problem area, though my husband claims he loves them.

     I cheated a little by posting my final Fourth Trimester Project update a few days before Christmas because I ate like a madwoman during the holidays! I gained back 4.5 pounds but have since lost all but one pound. I'll weigh again Monday morning, and hopefully I'll be back down! I will say that I weighed on Christmas morning, just like I did last year. Although I had gained a little back, it was still a much lower number than what it was the previous year. I'm so thankful that I've stayed so determined. It's not always easy--actually, it's ever easy-- but then I look at my sweet little family, and it's all so worth it!

Thirty on Thursday

     I had one other idea for a weekly post called "Thirty on Thursday," and I decided last night that I'm definitely going to do it! Thirty on Thursday is a 30-minute workout that I've begun doing at home every Thursday evening. I love it because I can work up a good sweat in just half an hour, and I do it right in my living room! Eric lifts weights on Thursday, so it's a great opportunity for me to burn some calories, and I don't even have to leave my house. I combine cardio and several sets of exercises, and the only things I need are a set of dumbbells and a mat. I'll begin posting these next Thursday for you to try. If you do them, please snap a picture or tweet using #30onThursday so I can see! These will be awesome for busy mamas or anyone without a gym membership who just needs some good exercise regimens to complete at home. I'm no fitness expert, but so many people have asked me how I lost the baby weight so quickly, and I have to say that I owe it all to working out before and during pregnancy and exercising as much as I comfortably could during postpartum recovery. It's all about just getting up and doing it, and I can guarantee you that once you start seeing results, there is no going back. I'm honestly not even in the ballpark of where I'd like to be body-wise (I'm more like right outside the fence!), but I'm getting there. It's a process and a slow one at that! But I appreciate your support along the way. You seriously have no idea how much you all mean to me!

Friday Night

     I totally meant for this blog to post earlier this afternoon, but since it's nearly nine o'clock and I'm just now posting, I'll include our lovely supper I made for Mr. Pace and myself. I was craving an omelet, but it turned into something I decided to call "Turkey-Bacon-Vegetable-Egg-Scramble" because I forgot to use cooking spray in the pan like the spaz that I am, so a lot of it stuck! I had a Spelt organic English muffin and an avocado with mine. I get these English muffins at Whole Foods; only 70 calories in one! The omelet is just two eggs, one egg white scrambled with red and green bell pepper, onion, salsa, and two slices of turkey bacon... and a sprinkle of cheese on top.

     After dinner I did some snack-prepping for the weekend! I've been making these cute little peanut butter crackers using Ritz crackers and adding a semisweet chocolate chip in the center. I'm not a big sweets person, but I always crave something sweet after lunch. These hit the spot!

Happy Friday!!!

"One of those moms..."

I think I always imagined that I would be "one of those moms." As I write this, I'm thinking of the type A first time mom in the new Luvs diapers commercials. Surely you've seen it too. You all probably know her or someone like her, and if you know me, you know that my personality is the direct opposite of first time mom in the commercials. So, I don't know what made me think that I would be that mom, but here's how I saw motherhood working out for me when I first found out I was pregnant:
 

I would breastfeed exclusively the first six months no matter what.
Vaught would not leave the house for any reason until his shots at eight weeks.
Germ-X must be slathered over the hands and arms of any baby holder.
Actually, no one would hold him until he was a few months old.
No travelling with the baby.
Baby would sleep on his back even if it meant we didn't sleep at all.
Baby would not be allowed to cry for longer than ten seconds.
Only organic baby products-- (lotions, bath wash, even his swaddle blankets would be organic)
Only organic baby food.
No children would be allowed to hold him.
Bottles would be sanitized daily.
House would be kept in tip-top shape to minimize dust and germs that could infect baby.
Make that twice daily on those bottles.
Baby would be taken to the doctor at the sign of the first sniffle.
Baby would stay on a strict feeding schedule as to stay on schedule with what he should ideally weigh.
I absolutely would not try anything that was not backed 100% by the nation's top pediatricians.

 

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

Let me just bust some of this wide open for you.

If you read me regularly, you've probably figured out that I'm a laid back, easy going girl, so I have absolutely no idea what made me think I'd be "one of those moms." Let me also say before I jump into things that even if having some (or all) of the above traits fit your personality, that's great... for you. I just can't fathom why I thought that it would be me... I think a lot of us get confused that the above qualities make you Super Mom, when really, being a super mom has everything to do with doing what works best for you and your baby. I'm no expert, but I have figured that much out.

So, let me just start from the top and knock some of this out. I hate the mom-shaming that comes with the decision to or not to breastfeed. I've not personally encountered it, but I have definitely seen it and it's a shame in itself. I've mentioned a few times why Vaught is now bottle fed, so I won't get into all that again, but I know there are a lot of women out there who just can't breastfeed for whatever reason. I made the decision myself to stop breastfeeding, and I don't regret it one bit. Some might call me selfish, and that's okay, but don't feed me that crap about breastfed babies being smarter or healthier than bottle fed. I hate listening to mothers make other mothers feel inferior over the breastfeeding issue, when all we really need to do is shut up and support each other. We're just doing the best we can after all.

I thought I'd keep him in the house for eight weeks, but by week three I was about to lose my mind staying holed up at home, so I bundled that sweet boy up and drove him wherever I wanted to go. He slept like a charm in his car seat while I pushed a Target shopping cart and bought things I probably didn't need or sat in the Starbucks café and sipped a latte. I never tired of people telling me how beautiful he was... If you're a mother, you know you love it too.

Did I really think I could protect my baby from germs? Newsflash: they're everywhere. Here's how I see it: keeping him cooped up in a warm house is more harmful to him than being exposed to a little chilly weather once in a while. Obviously, I avoided people I knew were or had recently been sick, but at some point in his life, he's going to catch a cold. There's just no preventing it, not totally at least. I can enjoy my happy, smiley, snotty baby or I can lose my mind sitting in my house in an attempt to prevent him from coming in contact with anything that breathes.

My friend, a nurse, put him on his belly when he was eight days old. I was against it at first, but when I saw how well he slept for that nap and then that night, I was sold. We were all tummy sleepers growing up, and you probably were too. I really owe a lot to that Angelcare monitor though, I must admit.

How did I get my baby to sleep through the night? In a nutshell: I let him cry himself to sleep three nights in a row. Fed, diapered, burped, sleepy, he was put in his crib. I used to think if he cried longer than a minute or so I was a horrible mother who didn't know what she was doing. Then I started reading up on sleep training and decided to give it a try. The longest he ever cried at bed time was fourteen minutes, so it's not like I let him scream for hours. Fourteen minutes. The first three nights were the hardest, but it was a cake walk after that. A few days ago a friend called me to ask about sleep training and how we got Vaught to sleep. When I said, "Girl, let that baby cry!" she just couldn't believe it. "I could never do that!" she said. You asked, I told you. (disclaimer: I know that sick or colicky babies are definitely an exception).

Inspiration for this post struck last Sunday at my cousin's baby shower as Vaught was passed around after opening gifts. I never thought I'd let people hold him, but I'll hand him off to almost anyone at parties or family events. I get him all to myself as much as I want most of the time, so why be selfish with this cuddly ball of love?! A thirteen-year-old at the shower approached me and timidly asked if she could hold him for a minute. "I'll sit down with him," she promised, like she really thought I might not let her. "Don't do that!" I told her. "He likes to stand." I handed little dude off and took that five minutes to enjoy one last slice of cake. During the holidays, each time we arrived at a family event, my little cousins or nieces would run up to me and chime together, "Can we hold him?!" Why, heck yeah you can! Here, take him!

I always thought that I would eyeball any person that held him, just to make sure they were holding him right, that his head was supported correctly, their hands were clean. But watching this young girl hold him, I thought to myself Thank God I'm not one of those moms. Back to the Luvs commercials, I'm very much like that second version of the mom. Vaught may be my first baby, but I'm an expert on being his mom. I just can't imagine being uptight or obsessive about everything from germs to his weight. I'm laid back and happy and crazy and sarcastic, and my parenting style is just a slightly toned down combination of all that. I don't care to be Super Mom; I am a super mom, but I'm a super mom to whom it matters most: my son.

Maybe you hold some of the characteristics of "one of those moms," and if so, that's totally fine. The beautiful thing about motherhood is that there is no single, correct way to do it. We're all different, thus the way we parent is different. I tend to some of my mommy duties in a way other women might not, and I watch some of the things my sisters, cousins, and friends do as parents and think there's no way we could all do this job the exact same way. I had all these ideas about what kind of mother I would be before having Vaught, and now I realize that I should have just had one type in mind: a good one.

 

At the end of the day, he won't remember if the house was clean or if his bottles were perfectly sanitized or if his food was top quality or if his nighttime lotion was environmentally friendly. What he will remember is the time his mother spent with him and the love she showered upon him with every spare moment she had. Isn't that all that matters?

You Want Fries With That?

My parents and nine-year-old niece babysat Vaught for us on New Year's Eve so that we could go see a movie, something we used to love to do and of course have not done in months. Within a few minutes of returning home, my niece asked me "What's the no French fry challenge?" I was confused for a moment. Then I thought Oh, she must be reading my blog! because I knew I had mentioned it on here in my New Year's Resolutions post. But later while making bottles, I noticed this lying beside the container of formula, and I knew she had to have seen it while making Vaught a bottle (she's nine, but she knows how to do all that stuff).

 

I began writing this list at work one day on a crinkled envelope I'd meant to throw away. For my blog post I combined a few of the resolutions for a shorter, more concise post. I kept this list just for motivation while writing. Most of the things on the list are pretty self-explanatory, but I could understand my niece's curiosity at the "no French fry challenge from 2012," so I begin to explain it to her. Then, even though they were gathering up their things to leave, my parents began to get it on the questioning. Thus, this blog post happened.

In the fall of 2010, I began prepping to go through sorority rush at Ole Miss. I was a sophomore there and met with a group of girls once a week who were also upperclassmen preparing to rush. After a rush meeting one night, we all had dinner at a burger joint near the historic Oxford Square. While placing our orders, my friend asked for a replacement side instead of fries with her burger. I didn't really pay the substitution any attention until our food arrived and after a few minutes, I offered her some of my fries when I realized I wasn't going to finish mine. "No, thanks," she said. "My new year's resolution was to not eat any fries this year, and I've almost made it." Everyone else at the table acted like it was no big deal, but I couldn't believe it. How does anyone eat a hamburger without any fries?! I probably annoyed her with all my questions, but she basically just told me that she thought it'd be an interesting challenge to try for 2010.

I didn't get motivated to do it myself until 2012. I made it all the way until May. I was proctoring a state test one day with another lady, and it seemed that the hall monitors had forgotten about us, for we weren't given a break to eat until nearly three o'clock that day. I had forgotten my lunch, and what did they bring me? A basket of fries. I couldn't say no, so there went the challenge. I suppose I could have continued with it, but to me it wouldn't have been fair. The goal was to not eat a single French fry for an entire year, no exceptions.

So now it's 2015, and I'm at it again. I don't have a French fry weakness, I don't even eat them all that often, but I am going to go an entire year without one.

The Conditions

I cannot order French fries in a restaurant. I can order roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, or a baked potatoes, but no fries.

I can make my own fries. I make a "not-so-fried-fries" dish where I cut up potatoes, season, and bake them. Since they are not deep fried and covered in fat and oil, these don't count.

I cannot order sweet potato fries either, but I can make them the same way as listed above.

No waffle fries either!

Basically, I just have to make it a year without ordering fries from a restaurant menu or fast food window.

The Reward

Uhh... Pride, I guess..? I totally get why my friend did this in 2010... Wouldn't it be cool to say you went an entire year without a fry?!

 The picture above is my very last plate of fries for an entire year! We went out to eat before the movie New Year's Eve, so I ordered this as our appetizer. No shame in sharing that I ate well over half this plate! I don't know if any weight loss can be attributed to cutting out fries, but I will say that this will be perfect motivation to order healthier options as sides, even if I am indulging in a burger!

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Did any of you make any unique resolutions for the new year?

Postnatal Survival

You're going home from the hospital! Now what? In addition to taking care of that sweet baby, you're going to have to take care of yourself! Here are ten things you absolutely must have, according to me of course :)

Disclaimer: If you're squeamish (or a guy), don't read this.

 

 

 

 

 

Still here? Alright then. Don't say I didn't warn you.

1. Squirt Bottles
...for your nether region, if you know what I mean. You won't be wiping for a little while. Fill these up with warm water each time you go to the bathroom and fire away when you're all finished. It's a little degrading, but on the plus side, it feels amazing. The hospital will send you home with a few of these. I had two in each bathroom at my house.

2. Tucks Witch Hazel Pads
For your hemorrhoids. Don't turn your nose up, you're going to have them.

3. Pain Relieving Spray
Yet another item the hospital will send home with you! This stuff is pretty self-explanatory; spray it on your lady bits each time you visit the restroom, along with the dozen other things you'll need to do, and you're good to go.

4. Motrin
This is the BEST over-the-counter pain reliever! I took two in the morning, two in the evening and had no problems at all with pain. I kept waiting to be in intense discomfort, but it never happened. I would get a little sore if I stood for too long, but that's it!

5. Maxi Pads
Take all those atrocious orange pads from the hospital you want, you're eventually going to send your husband out to get you some more. These from Target are the absolute best ones, hands down. They are humongous. Makes me feel like I'm in 7th grade all over again...

6. Seamless Sports Bra
The girls are going to be going nuts in a matter of days, so make a point to have some comfy bras. I get these from Target, and they made great nursing bras! I wore a tank around the house the first few days and just pulled the straps down when Vaught needed to nurse. It's just my opinion that seamless bras are the most comfortable!

7. Colace
Ahhh... So embarrassing, but it's part of it. Pop these babies like mints then just grit your teeth and do it. Honestly, this experience was far more horrifying than birth (my birth experience was a walk in the park), but ya gotta do it at some point. All I will say is that it is 100% mental... Once you get past that, it's not bad. At all.

8. Starbucks
Have something on standby that makes you feel like you again. For me, it was Starbucks coffee. I had my husband bring me some almost every night that first week home with Vaught (this was practically all I was consuming the first few days). Starbucks makes me happy; it just does! Have a treat nearby when you're feeling a little down and overwhelmed. It helps, I promise.

9. Celexa (or another mild anti-depressant)
I was hesitant to put this on here, but like all the other uncomfortable stuff, it's just part of it. So many new moms warned me about the baby blues, but I still didn't think it would happen to me. I am naturally such a happy, bubbly person, I just couldn't wrap my mind around the baby blues concept. Well, imagine the loop I was thrown when we were just a few days in and I could not stop crying. On top of that, I wasn't eating at all and barely sleeping, even when Vaught was asleep. There's absolutely no shame in calling in for some "reinforcement," as I like to call it. Your doctor can prescribe you something mild, just strong enough to take the edge off. He'll also assure that it's safe for you even if you're breastfeeding. Don't get me wrong, baby blues are not guaranteed to happen! But I read that about 60% of new mothers experience it, so just keep in mind that no, you are not crazy, and yes, you'll be alright.

10. Eric
He's not a part of the collage, but he is the most important part of my postnatal survival. Have someone there for support at all times. Even though he wasn't supposed to, he kept his phone on while working and would answer if I needed him. Sometimes I would call just to hear him tell me he loved me and that I could do this. He may be the last thing listed, but he's definitely the number one most important part of my postnatal "kit." Be it your spouse, mother, or best friend, have a good support system you can call on when you're feeling overwhelmed... or someone you can hand that angel off to for an hour or so while you get a little rest :)

So you're having a baby...

Congratulations!

You're gonna need a lot of stuff. And just when you think you've got everything you need, you're going to need even more. And when you get even more, there will still be a few things you need. And when you get those, you should be about halfway settled in!

Here's my personal list of must-haves for your precious bundle of joy!

1. Boppy Pillow
From breastfeeding to tummy time to arm-propping, you won't regret investing in one of these awesome pillows! I breastfed for about a week and then again when Vaught was a month and a half old and could not have done so near as easily without my Boppy pillow! $25

2. Dr. Brown's Bottles
At some point, your baby will take a bottle, and I swear by Dr. Brown's. They are proven to reduce acid reflux and colic. Vaught has not had either of those, and I can't say if using this brand of bottle has anything to do with it, but I'm sure they have helped! They are spill and leak proof and are BPA free and dishwasher/microwave safe! $15 for three 8-oz bottles at Target.

3. Munchkin Bottle Sterilizer
And with all those bottles, you'll definitely need a sterilizer! I sterilize Vaught's bottles every few days. This helps keep germs and bacteria out of the way. $20

4. Angelcare Monitor System
$100 isn't much to pay for peace of mind for a new mom. They say you'll never sleep well again once you become a mother and thanks to my Angelcare monitor, that is far from the truth! I sleep wonderfully, especially since this monitor steadily reminds me throughout the night that baby boy is sleeping safely. He's been a tummy sleeper since he was eight days old, so this has been one of the most important staples of our newborn survival kit!

5. Aden & Anais Swaddleplus Blankets
These muslin blankets are the best, hands down. They're perfect for swaddling but are also super light and easy to throw into his diaper bag for trips or over his legs in the car. They get softer with each wash too. They say don't put any blankets in baby's crib, but Vaught does sleep with an Aden & Anais blanket over his little tush. $35 for a pack of 4

6. Fisher-Price Swing
I borrowed this from my cousin when Vaught was a few weeks old, and once we set it up in our living room we had no idea how we made it the first few weeks without it. Vaught absolutely loves to swing, as most babies do! This is how I'm able to clean house, cook supper, and, of course, blog! He also takes some of his best naps in here! You'll definitely want to get in lots of snuggle time with your little one, but this swing will be perfect for when you need a little mommy break! $100-$150

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What's on your list of must-haves for a newborn??

New Year's Resolutions

What's a New Year celebration if I don't include a few resolutions or goals for 2015? This is a very cliché post, for I feel that we should always be striving to be our best selves, but of course the beginning of a new year is a great time to find and keep that killer motivation! Despite its trials, 2014 was a beautiful year for us, but I am very anxious to see what 2015 holds for me and my family.

Here is my list of goals for the new year:

Walk closer with God.
I'm a Christian, so this will never change. Do we ever reach a point where we're satisfied with our relationship with Christ? I don't think so. This is something that I will always be striving to improve.

Spend more time with family.
This year I've grown so much closer with my little brother and older sisters. Being a wife and mother has made my relationship with my parents stronger. When my Nannie passed away last year, I began to realize how quickly we can lose the people we love, so I want to spend more time with the two grandparents I still have, my dad's father and my mom's mother. I also want to spend more time with my cousins and aunts and uncles. Things have been a little hectic in my family this year, and it's important to me that they all know how very much I love them.

90/10
I'm going to strive to maintain my 90/10 healthy diet by eating mostly healthy things while allowing a not-so-nutritious treat every couple of days. I want to drink lots of water too!

Strong not skinny.
For the past fourteen years, I have woken up every January 1st and said to myself, This year I will get skinny! Ha. That is no longer the goal! As far as weight loss goes, I think I should probably stop putting a number to it. I have a goal weight in mind, but my ultimate goal is to be strong and healthy. I hope to keep working out three to four times a week and get some major definition in my legs and arms. Some abs would be nice, but I hear you can't have everything...

No French fries challenge.
One of my friends did this in 2010; she did not eat a single French fry for an entire year. When asked why, she shrugged and said she just thought it'd be a cool challenge. So, I gave it a shot in 2012. I made it all the way to May then devoured a plate of fries after a state testing day when my administration forgot to give the test proctors a lunch break. They finally brought us food in the form of a basket of fries! I am going to repeat this challenge again in 2015. I don't have a French fry weakness or anything; it's just an interesting challenge! I will make it an entire year without a French fry!

To never be "too busy."
I realized just in the last few months that I'm a bit offended when a friend says, "Sorry I've not returned your calls in weeks; I've just been so busy!" Confession: I used to place my worth in how busy I was... When I was in a sorority and writing for the student newspaper at Ole Miss, I bragged about how packed my social schedule was, and I'm sure I looked like an asshole to my friends as I explained to them how difficult it was for me to pencil in lunch dates and movie nights. I have a goal to never apologize to a friend with the excuse that I was "too busy" to return a call for day/weeks at a time. News flash: no one is that busy.

Blogging.
I have no shame in admitting that I absolutely love my blog. When I returned to it earlier this year I thought it would just be a fun hobby I was picking up again, a cool way to track my pregnancy and things going on in my life. But now I'm obsessed with it and I've been extremely fortunate to have had some neat opportunities along the way. I will continue blogging in 2015. I'd like to get more sponsorships and gain more readers across more diverse audiences. I absolutely love my readers too!

Be the best wife and mother I can be.
This never stops. I pray each day that God helps me to love Eric even more than I did the previous day. I pray He molds me into the wife and mother He wants me to be, and I ask for His guidance as the number one woman in both my husband and son's lives. I thought I had it all when I married Eric, but I really got it all when I became a mother. It truly is everything.

 The first of a new year really is a great time to start working on a better you, but remember that it's a constant work in progress. Whatever your goals are, I hope you go after them with passion. I wish you a happy and prosperous 2015!!!