I'm only human

I have come to the conclusion that my kids love me too much. I know that sounds crazy, but it's the only conclusion I can come to!!

We have been struggling with sleep in our house. All the kids go to sleep just fine but then between the hours of 11pm and 5am our bed becomes a revolving door.



It's not uncommon to have all 3 in our bed at the same time or to get one back in their bed just to gain two more in ours. And during this time in our bed ALL 3 fight over who gets to sleep with mom, on mom, next to mom.....I have tried EVERYTHING to get them to stop......like stupid things.

Pants pjs, shorts pjs, motrin, sound machine, no sound machine, nightlight, no nightlight, essential oils.....

Seriously anything you can think to try, I have tried!! And the conclusion I have come to is that NOTHING is wrong. They aren't teething, they aren't sick, they know how to sleep......but they wake up and they want MOM!!

Seriously, they love me too much. They wake up and they realize they would rather be sleeping with mom. We try to be conscious about not letting them stay in our bed, but the reality is, I'm so freaking tired that I just want to sleep....with or without kids!!

And here's the thing....sleeping in our bed isn't enough. Nope they want to sleep on mom, touching me and cuddling....they want nothing to do with dad. So really even when I'm sleeping it's completely broken and uncomfortable sleep.



I wish the love for mom ended at bedtime....but no. During the day everyone's favorite place to be is on mom's lap!! If I'm sitting down you can pretty much guarantee that children are fighting over who gets to sit on my lap!







Yesterday as Peyton couldn't stop playing with my hair and touching my face I just wanted to scream "STOP touching me!!" And then I felt like an asshole. What mom wants to yell that at their child.

However, after sharing my frustrations with a few friends they reminded me that I was human. And feeling that way was normal and okay!! Humans have limits and need personal space and even though I'm "mom".....I'm also human. And feeling like I need personal space doesn't make me less of a mom or a bad mom.....it makes me human.

This is my struggle...I often need the reminder that mom isn't all I am. I have needs outside needing to be mom. The struggle is real.

Shake it up!!

I am on day 5! It hit a bit of a hiccup on day 3....but with the help of my awesome support system I got over it and back on track and am feeling great!

Country Heat is dancing.....I haven't danced in years and my dancing game went down hill after my pelvic injury almost 10 years ago. Nonetheless, I am having a blast! Despite my lack of hand and eye coordination and 2 left feet and not knowing the difference between left and right.....I am shaking and sweating my butt off!! 30 minutes of nonstop dancing is easy, fun and sweaty!!!



And my favorite part.....the Shakeology I get after my workout. Shakeology is amazingness. It's yummy healthy goodness in awesome flavors. Well, I have only tried a few flavors, but they have been great! You can have Shakeology any time of day but choose to have mine after my workout. I use it as my motivator and reward for working out.

I LOVE chocolate shakeology. For me the shakes are about making them something special. Why just mix it with water when you can do more and make it amazing!?!?!!

So I'm going to share with you my favorite way to make my shakes. This is my Samoa (yeah the Girl Scout cookie) inspired shake....trust me it's amazing!!

Here are my ingrediants:
Chocolate Shakeology
Coconut extract
Sugar free caramel syrup
1 cup water
1 cup ice



In a blender I put in the water, 1 tsp of coconut extract, 2 tsp of the caramel syrup and a scoop of Shakeology.



Then you blend that up until all mixed in. So, because I typically workout when the kids are napping or in bed I make my shakes in the garage so I don't wake anyone!! :)



Once it's blended, add the ice and blend until smooth...no ice chunks.



And now you have an amazing shake that tastes delicious....and kind of like a Samoa Girl Scout cookie. And it tastes even better in my kick ass "Get SHIT Done" cup!!



Seriously though, I have a sweet tooth, and Shakeology completely helps to curb it!! Could I follow the program without Shakeology? Yes. Would I be successful? Probably not.

The process

Yesterday was day 1!! I didn't feel super motivated.  My kids didn't allow for much sleep the night before, so I was VERY tired and run down.  But I followed the meal plan and did my first workout from Country Heat. Yesterday is gone, and now it's a new day....and I am feeling much more motivated!!

One of my favorite things about the meal plan is getting to make healthy foods, yummy foods! Eating healthy doesn't have to be all salads and bland flavors. Don't get me wrong....I love a GOOD salad!!

I know most people meal prep.  Make or prep their meals for the week on Sunday.  I don't do that....let me tell you why....

Part of the process for me is making the foods each day.  Granted I am in the position where I'm home all day and can cook in the middle of the day.  But I love getting to make something each day that is delicious and healthy....and that process for the day helps keep me on track.

Today I'm making homemade spaghetti sauce.  One of my favorites!!! Tonight for dinner we are having shrimp pasta...and the sauce is going to be AMAZING...and it's so easy!! And the best part.....it's all veggies...so super healthy.

I start by sautéing onions and garlic.  I did quite a bit because I made a big batch.

After it was sautéed I put it in a crock pot....though usually I just cook it in a pot on the stove.  I put in several cans of diced tomatoes and added some fresh basil from the garden.

In the crock pot I mixed and chopped it all up with my handy dandy mix and chop from Pampered Chef.....fyi, it works great with ground beef and sausage.

Add in spices!! I usually use garlic, italian seasoning, oregano, salt, pepper....and whatever else looks good. You can also add extra veggies....bell peppers and mushrooms....I don't, mostly to keep it simple so the kids eat it.

Let it all cook so that flavors develop....and voila....tasty homemade spaghetti sauce!!

I said earlier that we were having Shrimp pasta for dinner.  It's one of my favorites! It's delicious and super filling!! Typically about 5 bigger shrimp equal 1 protein.  So I saved up 2 proteins for dinner....so I get 10 shrimp! While the whole grain pasta is cooking, I cooked the shrimp in garlic, italian seasoning and rosemary.

Once everything is cooked I portion out 2 carbs, 2 protein, 1 veggie and 1 healthy fat...aka, cheese! And voila....yum!

Obviously this is a big serving....though within my meal plan.  So you could still get a complete and delicious meal that's half the size!! I'm telling you, make your own sauce.....you won't regret it!!

A new adventure

Wow......it's been 10 months since my last post.  Eeek.  What can I say, life with 3 toddlers keeps me busy.

Over the last few years you have had the pleasure of reading about my adventures in.....mommying, being pregnant with twins, surviving a toddler and 2 newborns. 

Well now I bring you a new adventure.  What to call it.....adventures in.....finding myself, building confidence, healthy living, giving myself what I deserve......

Back in June, after much contemplation,  i joined a group of fellow moms in the a 21 day fix program.  21 day fix is a program that helps you to focus on healthy eating, proportion size and workong out.  So for 21 days I gave it my all.  I did 30 minute workouts everyday (with the exception if just a few days from being sick) and I followed my food program.  I learned a lot....about myself, about eating, about working out and being healthy.

I learned that it's not just about weighing yourself, body measurements are so important.   While I lost a little bit of weight....I really noticed the difference in the inches I lost. That was exciting.  I learned that my body appreciated clean eating SO much!!! I learned that even though I HATE working out, I ALWAYS feel better after......heck, it's only 30 minutes. And most importantly, I have learned that if I put my mind to it...I CAN do it.

I started 21 day fix with the intentions of it becoming a lifestyle change, not just a diet!  And when Country Heat....the same meal plan as 21 day fix but country dance workouts.....came out I was more than excited to do another challenge with awesome mamas!! 

Today is the first day of Country Heat, a 30 day program, and I thought.....what better way to keep myself on track and motivated than to blog this journey!

So stay tuned as I continue to share my successes and struggles, my meals and workouts.....my adventure with Country Heat!!! Let the fun begin.....yeehaw!!!!