Thursday, January 28, 2010

Fitness Friday!


Because I am a real housewife and a stay at home mom I don't have the luxury of having two nannies to watch my three children while I go to the gym. So I am always looking for interesting workouts to do at home. I do get bored quick with workout videos and motivation is hard while I am doing it so when I saw the new Wii Your Shape I thought it would be perfect. It was!! I love it!! It is very motivating because you can see your percentage go up and down based on your performance plus Jenny McCarthy gives you motivation (sometimes annoying) to keep going if you stop. I worked out today and burn 458cal in a half hour session. There is a count down clock that lets you know how much longer and also short breaks between different sets of exercises. This is nice because its give you about 30 seconds to get a sip of water but doesn't let your heart rate go down to much.
I included my hand weights today and just purchased a balance ball to incorporate sometimes. All you do is choose you accessory before the workout and the game incorporates it in a few of the exercises. The options are balance ball, hand weights and step board. I don't have a step board but hope to get one soon so I can see what Jenny does with that!
I love the variation. As you continue the workouts, new ones unlock. Every couple of days a something new pops into the routine. Its nice because I haven't gotten bored yet. Plus the routines are never the same, they are all put together a bit different.
I will say the only down fall is I am having trouble with it picking up some of my floor work. I am going to try a colored mat next time to see if that makes a difference. Other than that I have no issues and really love my results so far. I have lost some baby weight and really toned up. Maybe one day I will be brave and post my before and after....or maybe not :)

Oh another great thing is you can change the amount you want to work out. Sometimes I only have 15 minutes while the kids are eating snack or I get ambisous and wake up extra early to do 30 minutes. There is a workout calender all ready set up for you but you can always modify it if you dont have time or have extra time than what is recommended. There is an option to do 45 minutes but the 30 minutes kick my butt so bad right now I have not dared to try 45!!!

Getting Organized with Avery.........


I love learning about new ways to organize (or old ways that I have not yet implemented in my home) and I also love free things! So I was trilled when I ran across this blog called Simplified Saving and she had a link to get free Avery labels. I am currently working on my MAT certification for my home based daycare and have been using labels like crazy. I need to incorporate them in my file folders as well so these will really come in handy. Go check it out and get yourself a sample :)

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

I'm going to the OPRAH Show!!

No no no I am not going to tell some huge family secret or find a way to better my marriage, I am just sitting in the audience :)

So after watching Oprah for years....when I mean years, I mean YEARS! I finally have the OPRAHtunity to see her in person!!!! I obtained tickets through her website when the reservation window was open. I will be attending with my mother, whom introduced me to Oprah during her daily afternoon quiet times. We (her children) would do a quiet activity while my mother sat with her tea and watched one of her most inspiring people. I have passed this tradition with Oprah down to my own children. I am child focused (being a stay at home mother with three children there is not a lot of "me" time) until 4 pm when my younger boys take a nap and my 5 year old does a quiet project or works on her preschool workbook. This time I make some tea, sit in my recliner, and watch. I did just start watching a child part time so my Oprah will have to DVRed three days a week but no problem :) Soooo I am super excited about the show and really can not wait to get away for a couple days and see the legend in person (with a couple hundred people in the audience of course). I am really just hoping for a really cool guest or fun show. I hope its not a clip show or something too serious. We planning on hitting up Chicago eateries and shopping afterwards so a downer show would not be a great start to the day. But overall I am just excited to be involved in Oprah's last season!!
So I have a guilty pleasure (which based on the on pour of these shows, there is a lot of people with this pleasure) reality tv! The concept is intriguing. Virtually unknown people are thrown on tv and the producers can make them into a character and we are feed that its reality. Obviously we all know that most of the situations are staged and fabricated for audience enjoyment (or obsession). My current "can miss" show is the "Plastic, oh I mean, Real Housewives of ....." series on Bravo TV. The Orange County cast is on right now and yes I DVR my shows every tuesday night but I am going to tell you how a REAL HOUSEWIFE is living especially in this economy situation. I will tell you how I get through the day with three children, 5 years and under, middle class income, and dreams of more for less. Welcome to my life........


I LOVE Mochas! They are sweet but still give me the caffine boost I love. But....I run a home daycare and live in the country so driving to get one or spending the money is not really in my daily plans. So I decided to make my own using coffee from the pot I make every morning for my husband and I.

Chocolate Syrup
milk
coffee
cool whip....

add your own proportions and enjoy!
Taste just as good as Tim Hortons and its easy and cheap!

What do you beverages do you make at home that is just as good as store bought? I would love some new ideas :)