Go Hard or Go Home

So, part of my excitement of working out has been the little "extra's" that go along with it. The time I devote to myself each week, where I get to be "Stacy", and not Mom, wife or daughter. Where I am not needed for anything and I can be free in my own world, sweating and pushing myself to create the body and healthy lifestyle I have always wanted. I get that time to recharge myself... to relight that fuse... and to release the frustration that can build up over time due to, well.... life. One of the things I love so much about the classes that I take is the music. Whether it is Body Pump or Nightclub Cardio, or just strength training and treadmill time, I am jamming to music. And music is my greatest cleanser, my strongest push when I feel I can go no further... and puts me in such a good mood when I might have a bad day. My typical song list looks something like this:

• Thrift Shop - Macklemore
• Get Buck In Here - Akon
• Shots - LMFAO
• I Know You Want Me - Pitbull
• Walk - Pantera
• T.H.E - Will I Am
• Ghosts 'n' Stuff - Deadmau5
• Sexyback - Justin Timberlake
• Scream & Shout - Will I Am
• Sofi Needs A Ladder - Deadmau5
• Cryin' Like A Bitch - Godsmack
• Blow - Ke$ha
• The Hand That Feeds and Head Like A Hole - Nine Inch Nails

Not that I don't love others, but those get played almost every single time I am on the treadmill. (Which I hate by the way) I wish I had a treadmill with a built in tv screen and wifi, so I could watch Netflix... maybe it wouldn't be so bad then. Does that even exist?? If not, then it should. :)

I also have started investing in better work out attire. I started out in just old, around the house clothes. Which is totally ok... but I get tired of wearing them. I feel... well, frumpy. So I have bought nicer tanks and compression leggings and capri's .. and I love them. I find pretty good deals on them at Old Navy and Kohl's. Lately, on the blogs I read, I was introduced to a company called Ruffles With Love http://www.etsy.com/shop/RufflesWithLove . I love this shop. It is filled with fun workout tanks, with clever and motivational sayings on them. Here is what I am ordering today ... Aren't they adorable??

Another one of these fads in the blog world is Think Thin bars. It is a protein bar, and while they DO taste better than some, they still have that "vitamin" after taste. But the nut ones are good, and the peanut butter ones aren't bad... But man, that chocolate brownie one was nasty ... here is a pic so you know what I am talking about...

So that's about it for Wednesday... week is half over folks!! Woot-woot!

xoxo - SR

So ... Tired....

Our weekend was insanely busy... not just a little busy, but crazy, non-stop running around. Friday night I hosted an Arbonne party for a friend of mine. It went great, and I was so pleased at who came to support my friend. Even more impressive, was due to their Science and medical background, we learned so much about the cosmetics industry. Sadly, more than I really wanted to know. Did all that info matter this morning when I threw makeup on? No... but disgusting nonetheless. After the party died down, I went and relieved my husband at the girls' choir lock in, from about 9:30 - 11:30. It was fun to watch the kids run around, and even gave me a few moments to relax. And by relax, I mean nearly fall asleep!

Saturday morning I got up early and met my Dad for breakfast at 7. I need to do that more often! I always enjoy spending that time with my Dad, with no interruptions and mostly grown up talk. No matter how old I am, I still feel like a little kid around him. #alwaysadaddysgirl I made it back from breakfast fairly early still, so we packed up the kids and headed to the Houston Zoo. I love this zoo... it is so pretty, set in the heart of the medical center downtown, and one of my favorite memories when I was little. I thought for sure Braeden would be excited to see the elephants up close, but he was so terrified! We didn't spend too much time around the big animals for that reason, and chose instead to spend more time with the cats and the fish. And of course, the play ground. :)

Saturday night was filled with the shopping errands and some dinner. Sunday was a continuation of the never ending laundry issue in our house (4 women and a toddler make for a LOT of dirty clothes). We made spaghetti and cookie bars and wrapped up our weekend.
My Mom is staying with us for a few weeks while her apartment is getting ready, so we are going to use that time and hit the gym hard this week. I need to jump start the remainder of my weight loss, because our cruise will be here before we know it. I even bought a bikini, and have it hanging up to remind me of my next goal. I am SO excited about that time away with my Huzzabin!! It is a good motivator, for sure.
So, Happy Monday everyone! Only four more mornings until the weekend!

Seriously?! Is that not the cutest thing ever!!

And these little things are dangerous and need to be gone from my office! I <3 peanut butter cups!

xoxo - SR

Why is your purse so big??

I am sure there are husbands all over the place that throw this question at their wife or girlfriend daily. And I am here to tell you mens out there that there is a reason they are so big. We carry a lot of crap! Now, I just cleaned mine out early this morning and it wasn't too bad. But as I was putting things back in I realized I also have a lot of duplicates. Two packs of gum... about 20 pens....three different kinds of lotion... Not sure why I need more than one kind, but if you need something for extreme dryness or one that smells nice, I can hook you up! So, here is the majority of the contents. I spared you the "secret" compartment ... you know the one that houses the feminine hygeine products and various pills for whatever might be ailing you. But here is the rest..

• wallet - sometimes even has money in it
• hand sanitizer and smelly lotion #1
• wisps - because you never know when you need to freshen up the hole in your face
• pack of gum - 1 of 2
• checkbook - only used for school fees and our house payment
• keys
• wet ones - because I have a two year old, duh!
• tanning shades
• kleenex - when a wet one is not necessary
• makeup
• SOME of the pens
• Anyone notice the SINGLE M&M??? ha ha

So, not too terrible. The makeup bag is a whole other issue. I apparently love lip gloss, because I have a crap ton of it! And that is just the stuff I decide to carry with me. I accumulate a lot of gloss... but a sexy pout is important! Amiright?!

So, yeah that is 11 shades of gloss, mascara, eye liner and a few more lotions... just in case. :)

Have a good Thursday, ya'll!

xoxo - SR

Monday Photo Dump

Our weekend promised to be busy, and it was!

Friday:
After work a few girlfriends and I went and grabbed some yummy Mexican food and a few beers. Fabulous food, right up until the part where I noticed my chicken quesadillas were loaded with mushrooms! WTH! Who puts those things in a quesadilla?! Anyway, I picked those bitches out and enjoyed the rest of my meal. :) We then headed over to a local bar and listened to a band called The Spazmatics. If you ever get the opportunity to see them, DO SO! They are an 80's cover band, and play all of the fun songs from back in the day.Go check out their website! www.thespazmatics.net   Here are a few photos from our night..

Saturday:

Woke up early for Becca's basketball tournament, which didn't end well. So we finished up there and had some lunch and did some shopping. She performed Saturday night in the district wide So You Think You Can Sing contest. She was SOOO good and I am SOOO proud of her. She is so courageous... I would be too much of a chickenshit to get up in front of the whole town and belt out a song. If you want to see the video, it is posted on my Facebook page.

Sunday:



Up early to get errands done.... and then spent the afternoon cleaning and hanging out with my brother. We also went and saw Ashlee, but that is a whole other post in itself, and for another time.
All in all, it was a great weekend! This week is a little quieter but still a lot going on - par for the course. Here are few more pics from our weekend. Have a splendid week, friends!

Fresh mani!! Holla!

Can you not see I am busy detailing my ride??

Body Pump is for little bitches... let me show you some CrossFit, Mama!

Nom Nom Nom ... Oooh!

Heard of these from the Blogger moms out there. Gonna give it a try..  #willprobablytastelikeshit



xoxo - SR

Tick Tock....C'mon Friday!

Could this week be dragging ANY slower?! Ugh.. Don't you hate when you wake up and realize the week still isn't over? Lol I think I am just super tired and ready for a break from work duties and would rather do more of the Mom duties. We are slammed this weekend, and have been all week... Running to appointments and school things. Becca has a basketball game tonight, but has to cut out at half time to run over to Bayside for her SYTYCS run through. Tomorrow her tournament begins and we don't stop moving until Sunday. Somewhere in there I still have to find time to get to the grocery store and clean my house too! I need a clone! Lol

So, has anyone ever heard of Ipsy? (www.ipsy.com) It is a beauty and style website that sends you products each month to try. The website gives tutorials and information about all kinds of things to make us purty and stuff. It costs $10 a month but let me say, that I get some cool stuff each month. And most of the "samples" are full size. Eyeshadows, lip gloss, nail polish, hair stuff... And it comes in a nice makeup bag each time. Just a little something to look forward to each month and the girls and I usually share it all.




This month's Ipsy Glam Bag.. well, missing the bag and nail polish; Emilee swiped that!



My Wednesday lunch... it was more filling than it looked. :)



Ashlee had an ortho appt yesterday and it hurt to chew food. She gulped a milkshake instead.

Brrrrrr

Dang, it is cold. I know I must say that a lot, but it's effin true! I like the winter months, don't get me wrong. I enjoy the sweatshirt and jeans weather, and the cuddling up with blankets weather... what I don't like is the rainy, gotta go to work weather! lol You know, those days where it is dark as night out, and drizzly, and you're stuck in the office.... when you would much rather be at home, watching movies and eating warm comfort food. Yeah.. I will just have to settle for my warmish office, and chugging Starbucks.

It is Girl Scout cookie time! We have a meeting tonight, also... which I look forward to. I like our group of kiddos and their parents, so it makes for a nice chit-chat session. Emilee loves scouts. She has such a great time with these girls and we are fortunate to have a few Mom's that lead this troop and give the kids so many opportunities to be involved in things they may not normally get to do. This past winter we made Homeless Helper bags, each containing some hygiene products and some water and snacks. They did a wonderful job, and we are very proud of the ideas they come up with. The girls have a soft spot for community service and have volunteered at an animal shelter, and perform the yearly beach clean up in Galveston. I hope they continue to build on that trait, and find ways to help their communities as they grow older.

Anyone watch The Bachelor? I think Tierra is going to get on my nerves. I do like Sean but I have a feeling he may end up bringing the crazy out in these girls. lol Monday nights are good TV nights... Biggest Loser was on too (totally cried when the white team won the weigh in) and then Mike and Molly and Two Broke Girls... Good stuff. Thanksfully the baby doesn't mind playing on the tablets while we sneak in some tv time. (at least not last night)  :)

Keep warm folks and enjoy your Tuesday!

xoxo - SR

Monday Schmunday

It's a cold, rainy day... which is fitting considering it's a Monday. We have a busy week head of us, so hopefully it makes the week fly by.

Did a bit of running around with the kiddos on Friday night. When I was little Friday nights consisted of spending that night with my grandparents. Every Friday, from the time I could remember until my Grandfather passed away when I was 16, was spent with them. We would go out to dinner, which was either Luby's or Wyatt's. Both of these are cafeteria style food, and mediocre at best. But when you are kid, what could be better than an entire dinner ala carte style, and always ending with Jello and Cool Whip! Anyways, we would have dinner together and usually with a couple my grandparents were friends with. After we sat for endless minutes while they finished that last cup of coffee, we would then head to one house or the other and I watched them play cards or dominoes. I learned to play Rook at a very early age, and had the pleasure of filling in for whomever needed a restroom/pie/coffee/cigar break. I loved it! I always felt important and included and so loved. I had my own room at their house, and would wake up that next Saturday morning to a huge breakfast. I miss those times so much, and still think of my Grandfather daily. I look forward to the day (hopefully 10 years from now, at least) when I am also a grandparent... when I get the priveledge of spoiling a child the way I was spoiled. Not sure why I am reflecting back on that this morning, but it felt good to do so. :)

We took Em to lunch on Saturday to celebrate that awesome report card. Braeden decided to stomp through the puddles on our way out.

 

So, this week consists of gym time, Girl Scouts, dr and ortho appts, basketball game plus a weekend tournament, GNO on Friday night and Becca's So You Think You Can Sing competition. I will REST on Sunday, hopefully! I am tired from just saying all of that. :) Here are some pics from the weekend.

 

Snack please!

My new inspirational photo ... :)

My view of Saturday night. #Packersgame

 

xoxo - SR

TGIF!

I am SO ready for this weekend to be here. The first full week after a holiday is always the toughest. Last night I put in a killer body pump hour, and then on my way out of the gym Brian is calling to let me know Becca was injured in the basketball game. Looks like an ACL injury, but she made it to school today so that's good. We'll just keep an eye on it to see how she does over the weekend.

Speaking of weekend, I believe it should be a quiet one. Report cards for the kids come home today and our Emilee will be rewarded with a dinner out for her all A's so far this year... Super proud of her. She is doing so well, balancing 6th grade life in a new school. She is in choir and does beautifully; she is 2nd chair in band for percussion, and then she brings home these wonderful grades too! Yay!! Keep up the good work Em!!

Look at those rosy cheeks! <3

 

As for the weekend, not many plans. Usual errands... tomorrow Brian and I are doing a Body Pump kick off class, that should be a blast! And then watching the Texans vs. Patriots game. Say some prayers people. ... I leave you with some random cuteness....

xoxo - SR

Random Tuesday nothings

I have been cold ALL day. This crappy wet Texas weather has shit all gloomy and dark and cold. I enjoy the cooler temps but when it looks like nighttime all day, then it gets old. But I do get to leave work here soon and get in a Body Pump class. And I need it! I am super hungry and could use the distraction. Time to sweat the hunger away!

Xoxo- SR



My view all day. And don't let the bright photo fool you... it is gloomy as heck!



The only thing keeping me from wanting to run to Sonic for some tator tots! lol

Man, I need a manicure. The kid polish HAS to go. :)

A whole lot of nothin'

So our weekend was pretty quiet. Didn't do really anything, as the weather on Saturday halted most of whatever plans we would have made. Errands on Sunday and a nice dinner rounded the weekend out. The kids go back to school tomorrow!! Woohoo! I think they are ready too, though.

So, on that exciting note, I will leave ya with some pics from the weekend.

xoxo - SR

Man, Hooper is GIGANTIC!

I know, I am a mean Mommy for taking this!

Even the dog was lazy this weekend. Wait, she's always lazy!

Rainy Saturday

So I got up this morning and headed to the gym with Emilee. We put in a great Body Pump work out and then stopped at Starbucks on our way out. Grande blonde roast nonfat with 4 Splenda for me and a vanilla bean frappaccino (sp?) for her. We were in that drive thru for 15 mins. Now, most weekdays when it is chilly outside I stop in for coffee. My brew is ready and I am literally in and out. Not today though! Got stuck behind everyone in need of some sort of blended coffee thing. And the lady in front of us wanting to sample everything on the menu! Ugh... Anyway. Came home and quickly swept and mopped and got to rock the little guy to sleep. Now it is time for the grocery store before the Texans play! Happy Saturday!

My love

This is Huzzabin, otherwise known as Brian to the rest of the world.




Just kidding... this is Sully Erna from Godsmack!
 



Here we are at a Texans game this year

We are creeping up on our 5 yr anniversary, and things are still honeymooney! He's an IT guy, and works for a large university hospital close by.When he and I first met, it was instant chemistry. But it did take a long 4 months before we would have our first date. But as soon as we did, then the rest was history. Once he was introduced to my three daughters, the family was seamlessly built and it had been as if we had always been together. We have been fortunate enough that the kids have always accepted Bri as their Daddy, and he has always loved them as his own daughters. We were blessed with our son in 2010, and he is an even better father than ever. I am so blessed with a good husband and father for my children, and am so proud to wake up next to him everyday.

 

Brian has been a big supporter and partner in this lifestyle change. He too, has lost a ton of weight. Between the two of us we have lost almost 90 lbs! That is a shit-ton of weight!! And it makes a huge difference in our lives. We feel better, we look better, ... LOTS of things are better! We are taking a cruise in April, and it will be the first time we have been away from our kids at the same time for more than one night. Excited isn't even a powerful enough word to describe what we feel. We are ready for some quality alone time!!


Last night I did a Body Pump class, followed by Nightclub Cardio. And today my ass is SORE! Shoulders hurt, legs hurt.... But I have a mission to get the baddass looking hiney and legs I have always admired. So, let the pain continue... because it HURTS SO GOOD!

xoxo -SR