Yes, I know. It's been like 6 months.... so what?!?! Moving made blogging not a priority at all. I figured I would start back up with a December Workout Challenge Calendar and go from there. Maybe by next month I'll have a what's been going on with me post up, but don't hold your breath, really I wouldn't want to be responsible for you passing out or anything. Anyway, here it is. I hope you enjoy!
P.S. There is a facebook group for support and clarification on how to do the moves, you can find it by clicking this link, or by searching for the calendar title after Dec. 1.
P.P.S. Please remember to listen to your own body as you work out. Don't do anything that might cause you more harm than good. Do the moves correctly, and do them at your own risk. I just put these together for me and share them.
Wow, it's been a long time since I sat down an put my thoughts to paper, well not paper precisely, keyboard, but paper sounds better... but I digress, anyway it's been a while.
My family and I have picked up and moved more than 1600 miles from the desert environment of Sin City to the country, farm, grass, green area of the Ozarks in Missouri. What a huge change. This is a picture of my view from the backyard. We are on the top of a hill that looks down into a forested area. It is so beautiful. And it will be a lot of fun to sled down in the winter.
I got a job, scary but true. I am teaching at a preschool in town. I am currently teaching two classes of 3 year olds. It is really different from the High School and Middle School that I am used to working with, but it is a lot of fun. The kids are the most adorable little things ever. It is amazing how early you can really see their personalities come out.
The new job thing, coupled with the husband being away at training has made this transition a little more difficult than I thought it would be. Going from being able to choose when and what I do throughout the day to having too many things to do in too short a time, wow. So the house isn't as diva-ish as it was when I was at home, and my meals aren't always as healthy. But it's a work in progress. Everything changes and we just have to change with it. I need to learn how to cook a meal that is healthy in 30 min or less, no more starting dinner at 2 in the afternoon.
It's been a LONG time since I shared some meal plans with everyone. This weeks is a little interesting because I am trying to cook for only two since the girls are currently on vacation without the husband and I. We are trying to get out of the fast-food rut we let sneak up on us during our move, and taking advantage of the fresh fruits, veggies and grass fed meats available to us without blowing the budget. So here is it.
1. What do the words 'freedom' and 'liberty' mean to you? Does
your mind go more in the direction of not being persecuted or discriminated
against or does it head in the direction of doing what you please?
For me it definitely goes in the direction of the freedom from persecution and discrimination. I don't think that doing what you want without regard to others is a good idea, ever, and I think that people who justify being ugly or mean by saying that it's their right should remember that rights come with responsibilities to themselves and others, and those include treating others with the same dignity and respect that you feel like you deserve.
2. Nathan's
sponsors a hot dog eating contest every 4th of July. Last year over 40,000
people attended the event and almost 2 million watched it on TV. The winner ate
over 60 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. How do you like your hot dogs?
I don't, well not very often. I like brats or sausages of that style in a hotdog bun, I like chili cheese dogs with no othdog in them, so chili cheese buns? I will eat them if they are all that's available, and sometimes I will want one, but hot dogs are something I never crave.
3. If you were going to enter an eating contest what would be on the menu?
Hmmmmm, Cookies. Yup, fresh baked cookies.
4. Do you run your house more as a dictatorship or a democracy?
I would say that it's more of a monarchy. God put me and my husband in charge of my kids, so we have the final say in everything. We will listen to them and take their opinions, concerns, and desires into account, but the final say comes down to us.
5. Where was your favorite summer place when you were a kid?
Visiting my Grandmothers house is Texas. So many fun memories with my cousins.
6. Do you have a guest room? Would you want to stay there?
Yes, at this moment since the girls are staying with their grandparents we have a lot of guest beds. But yes, we have them. At this moment I would love for Ladybug (what my girls call my best friend) to be able to come and stay.
7. Next Wednesday America celebrates her independence. Do you have any
special plans for the 4th of July? If you live outside the USA when and how does
your country celebrate its own patriotic holiday?
I assume that we will be going to the celebration on post (that feels so strange to say after living near a base for so long) have some fun outside activities and snacks, watch some fireworks. I don't know.
8. Insert your own random thought here.
I'm getting ready to start the July workout challenge. If you want to join in on Facebook please join my group. If you don't want to join please just feel free to follow the plan, it's posted in this blog as Jammin' Workout July. If you link it please give credit.
1. Summer officially rolls in with the Hodgepodge this week, for those of
us in the Northern hemisphere anyway. What song says summer 2012 to you?
Summer 2012? Wow, it's like I get to pick a theme song for my summer, what should I choose? Something that makes me smile, something that makes me think of goals that have been accomplished....How about this one?
LOL, ok, ok, I kid. No I am not making the Hot Dog song my new Summer theme. Although technically it does tick all the boxes so to speak. I think that I will go with this one though.
2. What's your favorite quintessential summer food? Food, yum, one of my favorite subjects. I would say that my answer to this question has changed over the years. When I was growing up I would have put Ice Cream or Popsicles here without any hesitation. But now I find that I really don't love them as much as I used to. I would say that anything berry is perfect for summer now. Fresh picked berries, cobblers, pies. Yum!
3. I've spent a lot of time traipsing up and down the NJ Turnpike in recent
weeks. Did you know the rest areas on the turnpike are named after people who
lived or worked in NJ? Clara Barton,
Walt Whitman, James Fenimore
Cooper, Molly
Pitcher, Joyce
Kilmer, Thomas Edison, and Gover Clevland just to
name a few. Of those I listed, who would you most like to have known and why?
That's a pretty interesting list, which person on the list would I have most liked to know and why? Let's see, I would have to pick Molly Pitcher, because I am continually fascinated by the lives of women as they related to the military throughout the years. There have been women throughout history who have exhibited the same bravery and patriotism in war as men but they have been largely ignored by historians, and I love the stories that do get told.
4. At what age did you move out of your parent's house and what prompted
the move? At what age did I spend the majority of my year at another location? Or at what age did I claim another address as my own? Or at what age did I finally get all of my stuff out of the house? Those are three questions with different answers. My parents moved the summer after I graduated from High School and while I had a room at their house, I spent most of my year living in the dorms at Northern Arizona University. So even though most people would say that I was still at home at that time, since I have never spend the majority of a year in that room I have always thought of it more as their house than mine. I moved out and got my own address when I got married the September after graduating from NAU. I moved to England in a suitcase though so I left most of my things at their house, so even though I was married and living on my own I still had a lot of stuff there. In fact now, 9 years later I can finally say that there isn't much that is mine that's left at their house. Or at least not much that I will want to re-claim. I have my college textbooks, some of the history memoirs that I will rescue, but others are probably pretty worthless by now. Also I have the accessories for my American Girls Dolls that I will want. Other than that I think I am finally moved all the way out.
5. What's more satisfying to you-saving time or saving money? For me right now it's saving money. Time I have, money is tight. Being a SAHM Mom has given me a lot of time with my family which I love and which is important, but it has made money tight. So saving money is what I think about.
6. Name something you think brings out the good in people. Generally I think that seeing someone in need or hurting brings out the good in people, especially if that person is a child. While I never want to see any child hurting, I think that the care and help that people show to children in need is always a good thing.
7. This last question comes to you courtesy of Kathy over at Reflections...will you be taking
a vacation or a staycation this summer? If so where will you go? If a staycation
is on the calendar have you made any special plans to fill the time? I guess we are doing neither. With the move just being over we dropped the girls off at the in-laws house for the summer, so we will be driving down there at some point in time to pick them up. But the plans for the hubby and I are for him to get settled into work, and for me to find work. Not very vacation-y.
8. Insert your own random thought here. I'm having WAY too much fun on YouTube this morning. I found this after I posted the video of Iz earlier. These boys are fantastic.
Without Further Ado. I would like to present the July Workout Challenge. I am really excited about this one because I feel like it offers people more options for personalization than ever before. Here is a quick look at the calender, please save it, share it, or whatever, but also please link back to me or give credit when you share.
This calender is designed to be used one of three ways.
1) You can just do what is on the day as written for a quick addition to a current workout routine
2) You can repeat the routine for each day as written 3 times for a full strength workout.
3) You can add in the cardiovascular option listed at the bottom in between your strength exercises for a cross-training effect. And do that 1-3 times for your desired workout. For example if you were to do the cardio option on the 2nd you would do 15 Plie Squats 25 Jumping Jacks 15 Reverse Lunges 25 High Knees 15 Mule Kicks 5 Burpees 20 Calf Raises 25 Mountain Climbers 10 Jump Squats
If you would like to join our support and reminder group on Facebook please follow this link. I have some amazing help from Ali Mc who has the blog Running With Spatulas making the instruction videos and admin-ing the group while I was moving last month.
After an whole entire month and a week without internet I am finally back up and running! WooHoo! I am seriously excited, I have missed being able to actually sit down at a real computer and type with a keyboard rather than having to do things from my SmartPhone. I get so frustrated with those little itty-bitty things. And yes I realize that somehow that probably makes me sound a lot older than I am. Oh well. So be it.
The move went really well, or as well as any move with the military can go and we are getting settled in nicely in our new location. I am loving being able to live somewhere with actual weather and a decided lack of gambling. I am not loving all of the in-house wildlife that I am encountering however. The sheer variety of insects here is daunting. Also we apparently have at least one mouse in the house, so as soon as all of the people finish setting up the satellite today I will be heading to the store to get the stuff to kill that problem off.
I will start taking pictures again soon to post for you all to see, how we are getting things all set up and organized, don't worry I won't post any pictures of any mice I am lucky enough to kill.
Now comes the job search, The husband is off to work and the girls are off with family, so I really have no reason not to jump into this search with both feet.... other than the fact that I am petrified to death. I have been a stay-at-home Mom for almost 7 years now, so the whole idea of getting out there and going back to work is a little daunting. Not to mention that I hate being judged and really, what is a job interview other than asking someone to judge you. So that just stresses me out. Anyway, wish me luck.
