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Friday, September 27, 2013

5 on Friday - Giveaway


I know, I know... I've been a horrible blogger this week. Truth is - I've been feeling pretty horrible. Yes, again. Call me a broken record! We have an exciting weekend planned, and I was beginning to worry that we wouldn't be able to follow through with plans due to yet another illness. So, I forced myself to go to the doctor yesterday.

{ONE}


Doctor said no working out for a few more days. I have a pretty severe sinus and ear infection. Last Winter, I ended up with the same thing and couldn't get over it and ended up with pneumonia. So, they are treating it pretty aggressively this time around and I should be good as new in no time!

I'm worried about meeting my goal for Jillian's DietBet! This is not how I planned to start out. I haven't weighed myself since Monday, but I feel like I'm doing pretty well for having no workouts. Normally when sick, I stuff myself full of junk. I haven't been perfect this time, but it's by far the best I've done with food while sick so I'll consider that a NSV!

{TWO}

Since I've been so MIA this week, I'm extending my giveaway through tomorrow night! Giveaway is for your choice of Swisse product and a Walgreens giftcard. Total bundle valued at $100! I'll announce the winner on Monday. You can read the details about Swisse HERE


a Rafflecopter giveaway

{THREE}

We are going camping this weekend! This will be Wyatt's very first camping trip and I am over the moon excited! I live for camping and the outdoors and can't wait to share that with him. Lots of pictures to come!

{FOUR}

 Wyatt's going to be a pirate for Halloween! I've been browsing different pirate costumes for a week now, I think this one is going to be the winner.

{FIVE}

My aunt has asked me to maker her a motorcycle diaper cake for my cousin's baby due in December. As I've been going down my fitness journey, my crafting has taken a back seat. I'm excited to get back into a bit. I thought I'd share a few I have made in the past:






Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Weekend Recap

Don't forget to enter my Giveaway for a chance to win a Walgreens giftcard, plus your choice of Swisse product! You can enter HERE.

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For months now, I have planned to do weekend recaps and then somehow it just never happens. This weekend started a little earlier than planned...

Thursday night, I had plans to attend a Thirty-One party with my mom. The opportunity to socialize outside of mommyhood never happens, so I was really looking forward to getting to know some other women in the area. My mom wanted to take me and Wyatt to dinner before hand, so we met her after work. Everything was going great, when suddenly, out of no where, Wyatt starts screaming. Less than 60 seconds later, everything Wyatt had ate, in what seemed like a week, came back up - everywhere.

It was complete chaos. Some people literally took off to the restrooms. One table started packing up to leave. And my sweet little two-year old kept looking around at everyone saying "I sowwy. I sowwy" over and over again. Bless him. He could tell people were upset and I was doing everything I could to comfort him. Then, one elderly couple that was sitting behind us, walked over and asked if there was anything they could do. This sweet woman kept rubbing Wyatt's back and telling him what a nice boy he was. That simple act of kindness meant so much!

All of Thursday night and Friday were spent like this:



By Saturday morning, Wyatt was back to normal. Once he was back in lion mode, I knew he had to be feeling much better! I've always been bothered by the fact that the only pictures of Wyatt and I together are just poorly done selfies. I want to give family pictures for Christmas this year, and a professional photographer is just not in the budget right now. So, I pulled out my tripod for the first time. We had a lot of fun trying to beat the timer. It took several dozen pictures to get a couple of good ones, but it was worth it!



Sunday morning, I was able to get a great workout in that I'm still feeling today. It was also the official weigh-in day for the Jillian Michael's DietBet. I was back up to 172, which was no surprise to me. I've been gaining and losing the same 4 lbs for months. I'm positive this dietbet is what I need to get myself back into gear. 

I ended up with Wyatt's bug by Sunday evening and am not 100% yet. I'm hoping to be able to get back to my workouts tomorrow. This coming weekend, we are taking Wyatt on his very first camping trip!! This is a milestone I've been excited about since before he was even born. There's nothing I love more than camping and can't wait to share that with him!




Monday, September 23, 2013

Motivation Monday: Giveaway! {Swisse Wellness & Walgreens}

Grab a button and come link-up with us for Motivation Monday!




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I have an awesome Giveaway for you guys today! 

Swisse is the leading brand of multi-vitamins in Australia, and is new to the US this year with 15 different products available including their best seller:

Women's Ultivite is full of 50 different vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and herbs



They also have products to help with energy, sleep, hair & nail health and more! Check out their website HERE for more products and information. Through November 1st, every Swisse Wellness product purchased at Walgreens will support Vitamin Angels and include a chance to win an all-inclusive VIP trip to the Ellen DeGeneres show!

Swisse and Walgreens are so kindly offering a Fall Health Bundle. The winner of the giveaway will receive a bundle of Swisse products, plus a Walgreens giftcard. Total bundle valued at $100.

Follow the steps below for your chance to win! I will announce the winner on Friday.
a Rafflecopter giveaway



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Official weigh-in for Jillian's dietbet was yesterday. Details on that to come tomorrow, so check back then!






Friday, September 20, 2013

Sickies

I'm home from work with a very sick lion cub today. We'll get "Fit Test Friday" back up next week.

Don't forget to come link up with us on Monday for Motivation Monday. I'll also have my very first Giveaway up that day!!

Have a great weekend, all!

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Thankful Thursday

I'm linking up with Crystal for Thankful Thursday:



1. I am, of course, thankful for my little side-kick. Wyatt continues to amaze me every single day. He is a giant ball of light and energy that brightens every day. Nothing can prepare you for the overwhelming, unconditional love that comes when you become a parent.

I love watching him learn and grow. His curiosity is as big as he is recently. It's amazing that at only two and half, I can start to see the wonderful person he is going to become. He has a heart of gold and is stubborn as an ox. 


Plus, I am super fortunate that I got a son and pet lion all in one. It doesn't get better than that!



2. This guy:


Brad is my best friend and biggest cheerleader. He has the ability to make me laugh under any circumstances. He puts up with my crazy (we all have a little bit of the crazy in us, right?). He lifts me up, but talks me down when needed. I honestly don't know what I ever did without him. And most importantly, he is an amazing daddy.







3. My brothers. Two of the best guys on the planet; hands down.






4.  I am thankful to live, in what I believe, is one of the most beautiful places on earth: Wyoming. Most people are not lucky enough to have this practically in their backyard:







5.  And last but not least, I'm eternally grateful for the wonderful friend that posted this little gem on Facebook this morning. I'm fairly certain it's the greatest thing I've ever seen...




  

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Jillian's Diet Bet + Swisse Wellness

I'm a huge Ellen DeGeneres fan. When I'm stressed out of my mind at work, I will go on to YouTube or Pinterest and search for clips and memes from her show. It's an instant pick me up and immediately puts a smile on my face. 

Swisse Wellness has a promotion currently going on through November 1st. For every one of their products purchased from Walgreens, they are donating 25 cents to Vitamin Angels (the amount required to supply one child in need with vitamins) and an entry into a drawing to win an all-expense paid, VIP experience to Ellen's show. So, if you are on the look out for vitamins, want to help a great cause, or want a chance to see Ellen live, check it out!

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In other news, I joined Jillian Michael's DietBet yesterday! It's a $30 entry and starts this coming Sunday (the 22nd). The pot is currently over 43,000! If you want to join in the fun, you can find it HERE.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Tips & Tricks Link - Up








exploring Domesticity

I'm linking up my JMBR Results with Kristin today. This is a great link-up for finding healthy living advice. Go check everyone out!

Re-Evaluation






Life is constantly evolving. We grow. Situations change. Challenges pop up from time to time. That's what makes things interesting. While change can be difficult, I embrace it. Dare I say, I look forward to it.

There's been a lot of change in our lives these past several months. Some amazing things, and some not-so-amazing things. But, I'm a firm believer that even the most difficult of experiences happen for a reason. We may not understand it immediately, in fact, we may never fully understand. I just focus on keeping the faith that it will all work out in the end, and it always does.

For the past 7 years, I have lived 7 hours away from all of my family. I'm a very independent, stubborn person. So, while I love and adore my family more than words can express, I enjoyed having my own little space. However, as a single mother, it felt very lonely at times and was difficult without a strong support system around.

This summer, my mom got a job in town and moved to Laramie. Dylan followed in August to attend school and we're suddenly surrounded by loved ones. (This is one of the amazing things I mentioned). We are absolutely loving having them around. But, it does come with some adjustments. There is far more socialization and adult interaction in my life these days, again, one of the good changes.

On top of this, my baby is not such a baby anymore. In the past few weeks, I feel like he has become a completely different person. He's a little boy now with so much to say and a wonderful imagination. Wyatt still enjoys our workouts together from time to time, but he's constantly on the go. He is my number one priority and always will be. My time with him is precious and I do my best to make the most of it. If he's not into it, I feel guilty working out while he's in the other room. This has caused a lot of missed workouts recently. Don't get me wrong, they are worth missing for him, but I'm much happier when I can get a sweat session in.

Then, there's work. Work has been incredibly stressful as of late and doesn't show any signs of letting up. Combined with my current aches and pains, I am exhausted. Both mentally and physically.

So, what's the point here, Miss Tiffany?

All of these changes, among others not mentioned, requires some re-evaluation of my current fitness/health plan. For the past 6 months I have been working out in the evenings. Moving forward, I feel it's going to be best to try morning workouts before getting ready and heading out for the day. As far as food goes, I have been doing some research on clean eating and food prep to see where I can improve in this area.

I am excited for these changes, and I'm hoping that by doing so, I will start to see improvements all around. However, I need some advice! This will all be new territory for me, so I have questions:

Do you workout in the mornings? What tips do you have for being able to get out of bed early and be alert enough to push yourself? 

Clean recipes? Food prep advice? 

If you have any suggestions, please let me know! Or if you have any posts on these subjects on your blog, leave a link and I'll be sure to check it out!

Monday, September 16, 2013

Motivation Monday: The Other Side of Running


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"Running is a big question mark that's there each and every day. It asks you, 'Are you going to be a wimp, or are you going to be strong today?'"
- Peter Maher - Marathon Runner

Everyone always talks of the "runner's high" that occurs after a run. It does exist, and for me personally, it is one of the greatest feelings I've experienced. However, every run does not produce a runner's high. Some runs are just darn right miserable. There's no other way to put it. That was my run yesterday.

Anyone that watches the news, has seen the horrific flooding taking place in Colorado. I live an hour away from the destruction, and have not seen the destructive rain they have. We've just been getting the outskirts of their storms. However, we did not see the sun for 2 weeks straight. I don't mind the occasional run in the rain, but I can't take Wyatt out in that, especially when we have the thunder and lightening. 

I was itching to get a great run in, so I had this wonderful plan to run 8 miles yesterday. Which would be a mileage PR for me. But then I woke up to this:


What this doesn't show, is there was a 20mph wind along with it. For about an hour, I tried to convince myself that my run just wasn't going to happen. I was stiff and sore from the on-going, nasty weather. It was too cold and wet. Then, Sami over at Simpy-Sami posted on instagram about some people that were getting ready to run 50k in the rain. What!? I figured if they can run 50k, I can get off the couch and get a quick 3 miles in.



I didn't end up with 6.2 miles because I felt so amazing and didn't want to stop. This run was 100% mental before the first 60 seconds had passed. Every step was painful. To be honest, I don't even remember miles 4 and 5. I think my brain chose to block them out for my own sanity. 


I've been in a Lupus flare-up, brought on by the weather change I'm sure.  Due to the aches, pains and blues that come along with it, I've been pretty lazy. When I was first diagnosed, there were several appointments regarding what pains require bed-rest and what pains require working through them and being active. The first few days required bed-rest. The past week, I should have been up and moving my body. However, I just couldn't get past the mental hurdle. It has been several years since I've had a true flare up, and to be honest, I was just very depressed about it. 

So, I finished mile 3 and stopped into a park bathroom to get out of the wind for a bit. Every muscle in me was burning and aching and uncontrollable tears started falling. For a brief 5 minutes, I was angry and feeling sorry for myself. Then, I decided that I wasn't going to let this beat me. This pain was a big contributor to my weight gain in the first place. I refused to ever take my doctor's advice and work through the painful days. I was not going to go back there. So I ran. I may have cussed under my breath with every step, but I finished 3 more miles.



I'm not addressing my Lupus as a "poor me" nor am I trying to be depressing on Motivation Monday. I tend shy away from details about my health. Sometimes because I'm in complete denial, and sometimes because I don't want that to define me. However, I feel that sometimes in the blogging community, or fitness/health in general, many people only share the highs. They make it sound effortless all the time in order to be uplifting. That's great, but it takes the humanity out of it. 

If you're just starting to run, workout, or eat healthy, don't have the false hope that it will always be easy. That is what will set you up for failure. If you aren't expecting a difficult day, week or month, you're going to have a hard time working through it when that time comes. You'll want to give up. 

Don't. Don't ever give up. There are going to be challenges and days where you don't succeed. It will feel awful and you'll question yourself and might wonder, "what's the point?" But, I promise you, when you get up that next day and turn things around for the better, you will feel on top of the world. It's that moment when you realize, this isn't just a diet or temporary workout plan. This is a lifestyle change, and I will succeed.