Monthly Archives: November 2016

6 posts

Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot – Race Recap, Family of 5!

Last Thursday our family did as many did, we woke up extra early, ran a local 5k, watched the parade, stuffed our faces with delicious food and chatted about the Gilmore Girls over a slice of pie.

It was a beautiful day, one I will always remember.

My husband and I ran our 5th Turkey Trot together, and our first as a Family of FIVE! Weren’t we a sight to see. I with my #teamsparkle tutu and matching visor pushing a regular (non-running) stroller with our 2-month-old daughter tucked in, sleeping peacefully. Him in his running gear pushing a bulky double jogger, filled with two girls who would simply rather be anywhere but IN the stroller.

We start the race with a light jog to keep with the flow of runners, and just as we got a stride, it rains!

In a state of panic, I run to the side and throw my body across the stroller and shout to my husband to pass me the nursing cover so I could cover our precious baby and protect her from the cold rain.

Of course, the rain stopped as soon as we got back to running.

Did I mention the two toddlers begging to walk? Well, the stroller protest was just starting to get wild as we turned into a major road.

Back in the park, we pull to the side once again to let the girls walk with us.

 “You’ve got a long way to go” I hear someone shout to their friends who were walking nearby.

My sweet baby girl (19 months old) did a run/walk for about 3/4 of a mile. I was so proud of her, she was so proud of her.

As she ran, anyone who was actually behind us cruised right on by, leaving us and a few other families behind.

I offered to cut a corner in the race, horrified my husband said “no way!” So, on we went.

We convinced her to take a ride in the stroller for the rest of the course. Weren’t we something… Jogging through the parking lot section of the course, dodging cars filled with families ready to leave and enjoy some Turkey.

We thanked the volunteers and enjoyed ourselves as we entered the final section of the course.

Then let the girls out once again to run across the finish line.

It took us 1 hour to complete the 5k and you know what, I wish it was longer!

Why? Because for the hour, our family of 5 was completely engaged in the same activity and my husband and I were showing our girls that being healthy and active can be fun!

It’s easy to get wrapped up in PR’s and goals to improve our running, I’m totally guilty of it. Let’s take it easy on ourselves during the next festive race, and celebrate the finish line NOT the finish time.

Until next time…



DIY Turkey Hat and Toddler Hair Clips

I see you, Mom. You’ve got a Thanksgiving Celebration tomorrow morning and a couple little girls who would look adorable with a special turkey hair clip!

The only problem is, you are far too last minute to order from Etsy or Amazon and do you really want to invest in a hair clip your toddler may or may not wear? (Just me? – okay!)

Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered!
These two crafts took about 10 minutes to complete and I did it with supplies I had on hand. 
Turkey Visor

 I used a visor I already owned, cut some shapes and attached it to the visor and called it a day! 

Hair Clips

After my success at the DIY hat, I thought I’d try my luck at some clips for the girls. 

For this one, I used a baby Tylonal bottle to trace a circle, used some eyeball stickers and made the rest of the shapes with construction paper. When I was all done, I hot glued it onto a couple of hair bows. 
I was pretty excited with how they turned out and can’t wait to wear them for our upcoming Turkey Trot! 
Question of the day: What is your favorite Thanksgiving tradition? 

#miamifamous Monday – Week 1

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are roughly 9 weeks away from my first baby number 3 postpartum half marathon!!!

<excuse me while I have a tiny panic attack>

Last year we had SO much fun at the #miamifamous Marathon and Half Marathon, that we registered during the registration blitz! Little did we know, God had some BIG plans for our family and we welcomed Baby # 3 in late September.

I am quite excited to participate in the Miami Half Marathon again this year, last year I had an absolute blast, and it is my current PR for the Half Marathon! A year ago I was hoping that this would be my annual PR race, a race that I’d work to get better and better at each year. However, since we have a newborn and two toddlers at home, I think crossing the finish line in one piece is enough for me.

Each Monday, up until the Monday for the race, I will be chatting about training and fitness! I hope you’ll join me on this journey.

Fitness Recap

Goals for this week! 
  • Be active all 7 days 
  • Drink 60 oz of water a day 
  • Limit treats to only on Thanksgiving Day and the day after! 
What are your goals for the week? Link up with my good friend Mindy with The Weekly Chase to share! <3 

Professional Newborn Photos, Yes or No?

Yes. So much yes!

We’ve had the opportunity to work with Vinny from LXA with all three of our girls and the results are always priceless. 
Here are three reasons I believe newborn professional photos are a good idea.

1. Throwback Thursday. 
Because who doesn’t want to throw it back to when you were just a few days old? Your child will thank you for these awesome pictures some day- trust me!!
Not only that, but YOU will thank you for the photos. The first few weeks of motherhood are a blur, between 24 feedings and sleeping in stretches of 45 min to an hour you somehow lose track of just how small your precious baby is. 
2. Road Trip!  
Chances are the only place you are going these days is the pediatrician and maybe the grocery store. 
It’s a fun memory to get all dressed up, put together some meaningful trinkets and outfits to bring to your baby’s first photo shoot. 
A good photographer will make the whole experience fun, and it will be fun. 
3.  Instagram will eventually be a memory, Professional photos are forever! 
Anyone remember MySpace? Barely…right? Just as the season of MySpace came and ended social media will fade as well. Those cute photos you snapped on your phone and edited with an app will be lost or too small of quality to print out and display. Professional photos are high quality, edited to make your baby shine and can be printed clearly to display for years to come!

Question of the day: Did you, or do you plan on taking newborn photos?

7 Day Ab Challenge Results!

The Results are in!

If you follow me on Instagram you’ve probably noticed a few 3 minute work out each morning, and if you read this post you already know why there were a few short and sweet workouts!

My good friend Meagan over at Megforit.com put together a 7 day challenge to help kickstart your journey towards a flat tummy. Since I had just been cleared to begin exercising again, I thought I’d give it a try with a few modifications.

Details of the challenge:

  • Complete the AB circuit 1-3 times 2x a day
  • Drink only water
  • No sugar

My Modifications:
  • Complete the circuit 1x each morning
  • no added sugar to my coffee 
  • make a conscious effort to drink water 

My Goal: 
  • Fit into a pair of non-maternity shorts comfortably
  • commit to 7 days of abdominal exercises 
We had a visit to see family as well as a Disney trip right in the middle of this, and I knew I’d not be able to avoid treats so  that is why I didn’t want to commit to “no sugar”, I did try to watch my intake of treats. 
My second born daughter joined in on the fun with me each day, I loved seeing her try to plank with me and do some crunches! I believe it’s never to soon for children to see their parents making healthy choices. 
Proof Photos: 

The Results: 

Here I am at Disney at 7 weeks postpartum in a pair of non maternity shorts! 
I am very proud of myself for committing to all  7 days, I found that it only took about 3-4 minutes each morning to do 1 circuit, and if I didn’t have 3-4 minutes for my health, I needed to reevaluate some things. 
Question: Do you have 3 minutes for your health?

Fitness After Baby – The “Bounce Back” isn’t my jam.

It took me three pregnancies and three years to come to the realization that the “bounce back” just isn’t for me. I follow some incredible mommies on instagram, women who practically give birth then go run a 5k to celebrate. These women are beautiful, inspiring and give me a hope that some day I’ll be able to run without feeling like my who body is going to fall apart.

After baby # 1, I needed to get right have into running because I was training for the Goofy Challenge at Walt Disney, and I needed to get ready. I never imagined I’d end up running 39.3 miles through WDW at 5 months pregnant, but I did.

Then, right after baby # 2, and a move across the state… I tried to “bounce back” into running again.

So, here we are. 6.5 weeks after baby # 3 and I’ve decided not to lace up my sneakers and run. For the first time, I was not back comfortably in my jeans and under my pre-pregnancy at my 6 week appointment, and for the first time I’m totally okay with that. I’m still rockin’ my maternity clothes, eating like a teenage boy and figuring out life with 3 girls under the age of 3 years old.

This does not mean I’m going to just continue to sit on the couch all day, unfortunately those lazy days need to start coming to a close and I need to start getting back into a fitness routine. So, that’s why I am excited to join my dear friend Meagan with her 7 day to a flatter belly challenge. (Join the fun, here).

2 out of three of my girls were sleeping this morning, so I took advantage of the “free” time and did 1 rep. My goal is to do at least 1 rep 2x a day for the 7 days. I’ll be posting proof pictures over on Instagram, so be sure to join in on the fun! 
Let’s work on our tummies together, thanks MegForIt.com for the challenge!