Back Again...

Every time I think I'm going to be able to start blogging on a regular basis, something comes up and I fall off the wagon again.  I last posted about the Advocare 30 day challenge.  It was good.  I'm really glad I did it and ended up losing right at 10 pounds while doing it.  I lost another 7 after that, but we just got back from vacation.  Of course, that means I put a few pounds back on.

We got back from vacation on Sunday, and I was rear-ended on Monday afternoon.  Fun times!  Audrey was with me but, luckily, she was fine.  I was twisted and looking over my shoulder when the guy hit me, so my neck and back are a mess.  I've been on pain killers and muscle relaxers for a few days.  Wow, those things make me feel like I'm in lala land!  I'm trying not to take my meds today since I'm alone with the kids, but we'll see how long that lasts. :)

I really need to post about Audrey's 3rd birthday soon.  She had a fun luau party, and I have a lot of fun pictures to share.  Alright, that's it for now.  Hopefully, I'll be back here again soon!

24 Day Challenge+

After much persuading from a friend on a trip, I decided to try Advocare's 24 Day Challenge.  The 24 Day Challenge is a cleanse for days 1-10 and then a "results" phase for days 11-24.  I don't work for or sell Advocare.  I just thought that if I'm going to cut out Diet Dr. Pepper, Starbucks, and dairy and eat well for 24 days, I might as well blog about it. :)  I've been working out for awhile and have lost a little bit of weight, but I'm stuck trying to get the last of the baby weight off.  I am not going to share my starting weight or measurements, but I will tell you how many pounds I've lost after each phase and how many inches I drop by the end.  Honestly, I have no idea if this will work, but I guess we'll find out together!

So, I started yesterday, June 4th.  Yesterday went surprisingly well!  I may or may not have eaten a lot of junk food over the weekend in preparation for this.  I'm sure that was helpful to my overall diet and health. :)  I started the morning with the fiber drink and Spark (energy type drink).  The fiber drink wasn't fantastic.  This morning (day 2), I added a little of my Spark to the fiber drink and it was a thousand times better!  Then, I just fixed the rest of the Spark into a separate drink because it is really good, and I wanted to enjoy it!  Back to yesterday, I had a chocolate meal replacement shake 30 minutes after the fiber drink.  The shake was delicious!  I will definitely continue drinking these for breakfast after the challenge is over.  Mid-morning, I was supposed to have a snack, but the girls were at swimming lessons.  I just drank a bunch of water instead.  I never got hungry.

For lunch, they say to eat a lean protein and salad or fresh vegetables.  We were driving back from swimming lessons, so I got Chick-fil-a grilled nuggets and a salad.  Mid-afternoon, I drank another Spark (fruit punch) and ate some edamame hummus on a whole grain crispbread.

In the evening, I went to Crossfit to workout for an hour.  When I got home, I ate a chicken breast with lemon pepper and broccoli.  In the evening, they say to eat a snack of fruit.  I really wasn't hungry, so I just ate a few grapes.  I finished the night with my herbal cleanse tablets and went to bed.

So, after my first day, I have to say it wasn't hard.  I honestly never got hungry, and I love to snack!  I also didn't spend the whole day running to the bathroom which was my main concern with a cleanse.  I read that this cleanse doesn't do that to you, but I was obviously skeptical!  So far, so good.  Just 23 more days to go. ;)

Come on summer...

Anyone reading this with kids in "real" school is probably just going to shake their head, but at this point in my life, it's how I feel. :) 

I am so ready for summer!  I'm ready to be able to play with our friends any day of the week without worrying about schedules.  I am ready for school to be done (yes, they only go 2 days a week), but I'm ready to not have to wake up, get everyone ready, rush out the door, wake Amelia up from her nap to go pick them up, etc.  I am also ready for dance lessons to be over for the summer.  I don't mind taking the girls to dance, but they changed our class to 4:30-5:30pm.  As a stay-at-home mom with no kids in school, I would prefer to do dance lessons in the morning.  I don't want to be rushing home from dance, trying to get dinner on the table, etc.  I realize I'll have to do this next year when Ava is in kindergarten, but I'm trying to enjoy my time of no kids in school for as long as possible!  

We had Ava's Kindergarten Round-up last week.  It was really fun, and Ava is excited about school.  I, however, am not looking forward to being tied down to school schedules for the next 17 years!!  I know this is a new season of life and I will adjust.  But, after staying home with Ava for over 5 years now, I can't imagine sending her off to school every day.  I am so glad we live right next to the elementary school because we're late for her preschool just about every time, and she doesn't have to be there until 9am. :)  I'm glad I don't have to get the other two up, in the car, and drive through the carpool line.  I can stand in my cul-de-sac and watch Ava walk into the elementary school.  This is one of the main reasons I wanted this house.  After living here for 4 years, I will finally be able to enjoy that perk!  

Basically, I'm ready for days at the pool, swim lessons, laying in bed with the kids watching cartoons in the mornings, and just enjoying our time before we officially have a school-age child.  

Coffee Date, Bowling, and Fun!

Kurt was out of town last week, and Ava had a hard time at the beginning of the week. Since I'm not above bribing my children (especially when Daddy is out of town), I told Ava I would take her on a coffee date on Saturday morning if she was good while Kurt was away. This worked like a charm, and she was soooo excited to spend time just the two of us!

Saturday morning, Kurt took the "little girls" to get doughnuts, and Ava and I headed to Starbucks. She was excited to get some "coffee" (hot chocolate) and whatever she wanted to eat. She chose the banana chocolate chip pound cake.

She picked out her clothes and decided how I would do her hair. She wanted the date to be perfect. It was so nice to spend time with just my big girl and actually get to have a conversation with her.

We headed home and got ready to take the girls bowling. This was our first time to take them and it was a blast!! It took a little while for them to figure out there was a rotation and Kurt and I got to bowl too. After that, we all had fun. Audrey used the ramp and at some points had a better score than I did. :)

Sunday afternoon, the girls helped Kurt clean out the cars and wash them. They were soaked from head to toe, but they all had a good time. This was such a fun, relaxing weekend. We stay so busy, it's nice to hang out and have no real plans!

Funk

Lately I've been in a social media/blogging funk. I think I have all of 2 posts on this blog. So much has been going on since the first of the year with birthday parties, our trip to Disney World, my sister moving back from Singapore, etc. that I didn't even know where to start. So, I'm just jumping back in and starting fresh.

For so long, my blogging has just been about the girls. The whole reason for starting this blog was to give me a place that wasn't just our families looking for new pictures of the girls. But, I'm having a hard time grasping the fact that I can write anything. On my old blog, I wrote one post about "old people" at the grocery store, and Kurt's grandparents called him within 20 min of me posting it telling him it was offensive. Sigh! I'm not striving for controversial on this blog, but I do want to post about what I want!

Since I do love pictures on people's blogs, I want to post some pictures of my girls on Easter. I'm just a couple of weeks late, right??

This is the girls before church (the only decent on of about 100)

The family after church

Amelia and I before egg hunting (I could have used some powder) :)

Ava hunting

Audrey found an egg!

Oh, sweet Amelia

Look who is walking!

I have a lot more pictures of the egg hunt at my house with my nephews, but I'll post them another time.

I'm going to try to make this blog a priority. Raising three small kids isn't easy, and I need a place for me. Even if no one ever reads it. :)

Tea Parties and Princess Dresses

Seriously, what is more fun than tea parties and princess dresses?? When you've turning 5, nothing! :) Ava had the best birthday party at her dance studio! She wanted all of her friends to dress in princess dresses and they had a tea party/dance party.

Our little princess decided to dress in Cinderella's wedding dress (in case you were confused by the veil and bouquet) :)

The table getting set up before the party

The chair for the "princess" to sit in as she opened her presents

Daddy and Ava

What is a tea party without petit fours?

And cupcakes...they are 5!

Ava and some of her friends

Oh, I love this girl

Not so great group shot

Serving the princesses

Sipping "tea"

Blowing out her candle

Time for presents!

I can't believe my sweet little Ava Grace is 5 years old! I have so many mixed emotions about this. Having a 5 year old makes me feel really old. Aren't I just a kid myself?? How in the world did I turn into a 30 year old with a 5 year old child?!?

How did Ava go from this...

to this...

Happy Birthday my precious Ava Grace. I can't wait to see what the next 5 years will bring.