The Fuschia News

10K Recap- aka The Day I thought I'd Die

2013-01-31T10:05:00.000-06:00

This weekend I made a little trip to KC to help Darci celebrate her dirty 30 (if 30 is as lame as we were Saturday night, I don't want August to come this year). Darci wanted to get a few girls together and go out for dinner/drinks, and then have all of us run to our death the next day for a 10k. I had put off registering for the 10k because I think I was in denial about running it. I hadn't trained AT ALL... and when I say at all, I had been running a few times a week, but nothing over a 5k. Super smart idea, Molly!

If you're a mom you can relate to this photo I shared Saturday. One of my favorite guilty pleasures is being ALONE in the car, with the music cranked to some good 'ol dirty rap music! See that... an empty backseat, and my current favorite jam!

Darci got us a room on The Plaza in KC, so we headed to the Cheesecake Factory. I know that place is always busy, but had no idea the wait would be 1 1/2 to 2 hours for dinner. If you know me in real life, you know I'm the most obnoxious person in the world to go out to dinner with. If we wait past the time they tell us, or the service is bad, I'm complaining. I think we pissed the hostesses off so bad that towards the end I think they were just messing with us taking FOREVER! I thought it would be smart to load up on awful food before our big run. I haven't eaten that poorly in a long time (I can't believe I'm saying this, but I skipped the cheesecake- WHO AM I?!), and I paid for it with a stomach ache the rest of the night... Smart idea numero dos! Dinner was great, I got to meet another blogger, Amanda, and another one of Darci's friends from work, Fallyne. We chatted, laughed and took our sweet time enjoying our table that took only a few short HOURS to get. After dinner we headed to a bar down the street to have some drinks and see where the night lead us. Turns out, we (when I say 'we' I don't mean all the ladies, mainly just me) were way too old to be there, and the night led us back to our hotel within a half hour. HEY PARTY LADIES {sarcasm font}.

At least we got some cute pics to commemorate our 'oldness.'

Holly and I.. she's the cutest.

Darci and I... with our now similar bangs.

Moi, Darci and her girlfriend from work (and my newest running idol) Brecken.

When we got back to the room I was trying not to focus on the fact that I was running 6.2 freaking miles the next day. For all you experienced runners, I know that seems like nothing... to this amateur, it felt like EVERYTHING! Darci thought it would be a swell idea to keep the room at like -20* so I spent all night in the fetal position completely under the covers, shaking. I felt a super calming feeling Sunday morning when we got up, and just decided however it went, I'd be fine with it. My ONLY goal was to finish, then Holly and I decided that we wanted to meet a time of 1:15 or better, I thought that was attainable. This run was underground, called the Groundhog Run, through man made caves in Kansas City. It was pretty cool, but played a huge part in my mental struggle while running.

Darci and I in all our selfie, pre-race jittery glory

Me, Darci, Holly and Brecken

One more pic before we get started... Me, Holly and Darci

The race started (with me blasting my super ghetto dirty rap music of course), and I decided I would stay with Darci and Holly the whole time because I know I'd keep a good pace with them. Darci had told me she likes to do about 11-12 minute miles so I thought it would be perfect. I did well with staying with them for a while, then my mind got the best of me, and I walked a few times. I would walk for about 30 seconds, fight myself mentally, and start running again. I only stopped a few times, but I was kicking myself for feeling like I was giving up. I know I wasn't, but I'm so hard on myself, and super competitive nature, so it felt like I should have just called it quits. I didn't, and ran my little heart out. I always kept Darci and Holly in my sight, and eventually caught back up with them. Running for over an hour seriously felt like an ETERNITY in my mind. I know I'll get to the point where 6 miles will be my short run, but I'm definitely not there yet. I'm SO very proud of myself for crossing the finish line with the girls. We did so great, and finished at exactly 1 hr and 15 mins, slow and steady baby!

Me in all my post race, sweaty glory. It got HOT in the caves, holy moly!

Darci, Brecken, me, Holly and Amanda post race

WE DID IT!!!

I was so exhausted afterwards from fighting myself mentally. My body felt good, my mind was a mess. I got in the car and just sobbed because I was so proud of myself, and just exhausted. Thank the good Lord that my daughters are so easy going. I picked them up from my mother in laws, we ran to the grocery store, then home where I crashed so bad. I took a hot bath, and didn't move off the couch the rest of the evening.

I will most definitely be running another 10k, and have a half marathon in my sights this year as well. Let the training craziness begin!!!

Accountability

2012-12-13T13:10:00.002-06:00

First I have to give a shout out to the amazing Chris for making over my hot mess of a blog that hadn't been redesigned in 2 years. Thanks again Chris, you rock!

One more thing... a quick PSA before this post: I am NOT a fitness expert, nor do I pretend to be one in real life. These are things that have worked for me, and resources/tools I've found to be useful. I am not a personal trainer or dietitian, or anywhere close to either.

Ok now that we've got that out of the way, we'll get to the good stuff. Most of you know I've been on a weight loss journey of sorts, since July 1st. My starting weight was around 165 when I stepped on the scale in January/February; today the scale reads between 135-137 depending on the day. I still have days where I can't believe I accomplished my goal (weight wise), and completely surpassed my physical goals. My two favorite tools are 'My Fitness Pal' which is an app I use on my phone, you can also access it from the computer, and my second favorite is pinterest. I have an entire board dedicated to health and fitness, with a catchy little Fergie inspiration title: Workin' on my Fitness (sing it with me, G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S (and yes when I spell that word I sing that song)). My fitness pal is an app/website that allows you to input all of your personal fitness goals (height/weight-goal weight), and then you keep track of what you eat daily, and also your physical activity such as workout classes, running, walking, etc... I highly recommend it, such an easy way to hold yourself accountable.

I have been very fortunate along this journey, I've had a lot of people cheering me on, and for that I'm so grateful. It makes a HUGE difference when you have people holding you accountable. I will get random texts, emails or Facebook comments/messages from people telling me I've been an inspiration to them. I smile from ear to ear when I hear that, because 6 months ago I would have NEVER in my wildest dreams imagined I'd be influencing anyone when it came to health and fitness. A few days ago I proclaimed my new found love of green monster smoothies (click that for the recipe) on Facebook and Instagram. Today I opened up fb to see one of gf's from high school had said she tried it out thanks to me, and she loved it. A few other people wrote me to say they tried it and loved it also. I can't take credit, it's definitely not my recipe, but I'm glad people are trying it and loving it. If you replace one unhealthy meal you would have eaten with this smoothie, that's one step closer!

Cleaning up your eating is a HUGE part of changing your life style. I'm going to stick with what I've been calling it all along- a lifestyle change. It's not a fad diet, something that I'll give up on, or any other failure catch phrases you can think of. I'm in it for the long haul, baby! I'm not going to pretend I always eat clean, because I don't. I enjoy the occasional splurge, and I finally came to terms with the fact that I can't beat myself up for enjoying something that isn't good for me from time to time. Food is such a taboo issue for women, you don't want to reward yourself with food, but you also don't want to deprive yourself from the things you like to eat. Moderation and making better choices is a KEY factor! Replacing things like regular milk with almond milk, ranch dressing for a balsamic based dressing, white rice with brown rice. Those are little things you can do that shouldn't be a huge sacrifice (unless you LOVE ranch like I do, then it seems like life or death). So many things we eat are processed and just flat out horrible for us. That's why kids are hitting puberty at such a young age, people get sick so often. They even over process milk so much that they've removed all the good bacteria that we need. I plan to do an entire post dedicated to eating, feel free to offer any input you may have. I love second opinions :)

Sam has been one of my biggest inspirations, especially with running. She spent quite a bit of time on me (amidst all her law school finals) the other day giving me lots of pointers. I'm glad she feels like I'm knowledgeable enough to ask me about my clean eating habits. I have to credit my friend Kristen for being a huge running inspiration also. And my gf Jamie who keeps calling me skinny, I could kiss her! Ha! I'm less concerned with being skinny, and more focused on being physically fit. I want to be able to kick my husbands tail if need be ;) (j/k babe).

I've been focusing a LOT on my arms, here's a few shots I took the other night before I went to boot camp class. Push ups have been my best friend, and worst enemy. I'm trying to lose that jiggle that us ladies love to hate.

I never thought I would ever be a runner, and still use that term VERY loosely. I'm working towards being a runner is how I should word it. I ran 3- 5k's in the past 2 months, and felt great about it. I'd like to step up my training and train for a 10k and eventually a half marathon. I've heard from lots of runners that the biggest motivation is signing up for a race. I think the Route 66 Marathon (half for me) next fall is my goal, with a few 10k's between hopefully.

I'm fortunate enough to have one of my best friends as my workout partner. We slacked a few weeks ago and skipped the gym for a few weeks, but momma is back and kicking butt! Ashley and I did the Color Run in early October, the Capitol Craze (which is super similar to the warrior dash) late October, and the Rescue Run the weekend of Thanksgiving. I feel like I got a little stronger every time, which is all that matters to me!

I've got some ideas cooking up with a few of my favorite bloggers for some health and fitness link ups, and am also interested in maybe having a few of my girlfriends guest post their journey's for me. Who would be interested in participating?!!

I am definitely proud of how far I've come, and know I still have a ways to go, but I'm on the right track, and that makes all the difference!

Tacky Sweater Party and Other Hodge Podge

2012-12-08T14:50:00.000-06:00

Last weekend we had our annual Tacky Sweater party. The outfits this year were just as amazing as they've been in previous years. I always question how people seriously wear these type of outfits and think they look good?! This vest I wore, it was a real doozy.

My dad built us an amazing photo prop, that got tons of use all night. We decided from the start of the night we were going to make the photos look as awkward as possible.... Mission Accomplished!!!

Melisa, Ron and I trying 'not to smile' (I have the worst straight face EVER)

Merry Christmas, Sh#@%er was full!

Sheena, Carrie and Ron with more ridiculous poses

Melisa and I... I think this was one of the worst. I should have taken a pic of Melisa's full outfit. She ordered this quilt material type, jumper dress on ebay. It was awful, and amazing!

Ashley, Sheena, Carrie and I practicing the 'look away.' Clearly we all need some work ;)

Who knew, Carrie's screen printed t-shirt from Walmart was made from my sweet vest?! Best outfits!

Ashley and I with more awkward posing.

The party was a big hit as usual. We were trying to cook up some other fun themed party ideas to have throughout the year. I think the next party will be an 80's theme this summer when it's warmer so we can be outside.

So who is finished with their Christmas shopping already? If you are I probably don't want to know. I haven't really even started on the girls or Gerrad. We're finished with my parents and his family (that we draw names for), but the girls are proving to be a HUGE challenge this year. All Addaline says she wants is Brave, the movie. And Macie is only requesting Just Dance 4. Easy enough, but how what the heck do we get them??!! My dad is surprising them with Taylor Swift concert tickets for next summer (stay tuned for a video of their reactions after Christmas, I'm sure the tears and excitement will be flowing). That leaves me with ZERO ideas. What are the latest and greatest things for 10 and 5 year olds that I'm unaware of? Help a sista out!

Ashley and I started back on the C25k this week, I forgot how much harder interval training is than just straight up running. I'm trying to build up a bit more endurance before 10k training, after that comes half marathon or bust. Those words make me want to puke just saying them, AHHH! I've found so many inspiring bloggers that have really prompted me to kick my booty into high gear with working out. Not to mention Gerrad and various friends as well. It's awesome having people to hold you accountable because you're all trying to achieve the same end goal together. If you're trying to get in shape/lose weight and don't have a workout partner, I highly suggest getting one. It makes the BIGGEST difference having someone to hold you accountable. I'm no expert, but am trying my hardest to keep this weight off, and build muscle. We'll see how it goes as I step up my training.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend. We've had breakfast with Santa this morning, attended a birthday party, and now are headed out to watch Addaline dance at the mall for a Christmas show. Tomorrow my only goal is to stay in pajamas and watch Christmas movies with the girls all day.

Thanksgiving Break

2012-11-29T06:00:00.000-06:00

Our Thanksgiving break was pretty low key. I relished every minute I got to spend with the girls over our 5 day break together. The girls enjoyed a sleepover with one of the grandma's one night, and another night their other grandma came and stayed at our house. They definitely got spoiled over those few days. I love that they have such great relationships with their grandparents, makes my momma heart happy since I was never lucky enough to have that!

This is our first major holiday without my sweet father in law. It was super hard on Gerrad, broke my heart to see him hurting. My fil's sweet smile and outgoing personality were definitely missed, it's just not the same without him.

Thanksgiving day we just lounged, cooked a bit, painted nails, browsed the Black Friday ads, and enjoyed being together as a family. With Gerrad traveling so much for work lately it seems like we've been non-stop all the time. This momma needed a little break!

Snuggles and nail painting were the highlight of this girls Thanksgiving, oh and pumpkin pie with extra whipped cream!

I finally got Macie to put down the 'ol ipod and take a pic with me. Love my sassy girl!

Saturday evening was our annual Christmas parade downtown, with a 5k beforehand that benefits our Rescue Mission. My gf Ashley and I decided we wanted to run it, and support a great cause, and my brother in law Dion decided he wanted to join also! It was my worst 5k out of the 3 I've done in the past 2 months, but at least we finished. Running in cold weather is not something I think I'll grow to enjoy. Coughing up a lung afterwards and my ribs hurting the next day was no bueno. Our 33 minute time wasn't the greatest either, whoops! (Dion ran it in 28-29)

Ashley and I had some sweet, tacky turtlenecks- penguins with scarves and snowflakes. YIKES!

Hope you all had a low-key Holiday spent with family and/or friends. I'm looking forward to the next holiday event we're having: our annual tacky sweater party. Look for the hideous photos to come next week!!

Because I'm a Slacker

2012-11-28T12:25:00.000-06:00

I realized I never posted any of our family photos we had taken last month. Maybe because I've been avoiding blogging again, whoopsie! Thanks Darci for the kick in the butt today reminding me to blog :)

I think these two are my favorites!

I love how this one depicts their little personalities so well.

This is typical for Macie and I lately, Lord help us. The preteens/hormones are no joke!

Weekend Recap

2012-11-20T14:04:00.002-06:00

After a weekend spent with a few of my favorite bloggers, I've been inspired to get back on the wagon. I've felt like I lost my blogging mojo for a long time. I'm going to try to get it back, again!

Friday night my favorite women and I had a girls night in, pj's required! Ashley hosted a Favorite Things party, and we all got to go crash her place, enjoy a delicious dinner (prepared by moi), drink wine and open presents. What more could a gal ask for?!

Saturday morning I loaded up super early with Lindsey (aka Nancy in the blog world), and hit the road for Tulsa, OK to meet some of my favorite ladies that I've been bloggy friends with for the past few years. The ONLY pleasant thing about 5am on a Saturday was my venti PSL, I thought about kissing it for the photo. Just keeping it real!

Holly and Aly ventured to Tulsa to listen to Mama Laughlin speak, and watch her run her 2nd half marathon the next day in the Route 66 Marathon. I had only briefly skimmed Mama L's blog, but decided what the heck, a chance to meet Holly, Aly and Darci (who I had only stalked on instagram but was still pumped to meet), I was in!

Here we are with Brandi (Mama Laughlin) after she spoke at the expo about her weight loss journey and her training for running her half marathon. She's a pretty inspiring gal! Look her up!

I FINALLY got to meet Aly, and give her a big 'ol squeeze. She's just as cute in real life as she is on her blog. Love this girl times a thousand!

Don't even get me started on Turkey hat guy, hey old man perv! Gag!

Me, Darci, Lindsey and Holly before our night on the town, which turned out to be 6 hours spent in the same restaurant because we were having such a blast.

These ladies are hilarious, and kept me laughing all night. So fun to be goofy and enjoy a night out.

Darci and I practicing our pageant face!

We also learned I cannot take good selfies/OOTN (outfit of the night) photos. Hello goofy face. I could never be a fashion blogger with the 'look away' face. Sheesh!

Thanks so much ladies for an amazing weekend. Can't wait to get together again with Darci, Lindsey and hopefully Holly. We'll have to drag Aly down for a weekend sometime soon. Check out their recaps from Tulsa, they're sure to be entertaining!

I'll start blogging more about my fitness journey as well. I've run a few 5k's lately, and have another one this weekend. Darci is trying to talk me into running a 10k with her and Holly in Kansas City in January, we shall see. I'm not sure I can keep up, but let the training madness being (maybe ;)).

Hope you all have a fabulous Thanksgiving spent with family. I'll be enjoying wearing my fat pants with the rest of my family. Thank you Addaline for deciding our attire for turkey day should be pj's... that's my kinda get together!

Well Done

2012-09-21T10:30:00.000-05:00

There's a song that's played on K-Love called 'Well Done.' I heard it one morning on my way home from the gym and it just hit me. Like a ton of bricks, a flashing light, and all other metaphors you can think of. There's a line in the song that says:

I'm gonna run this race

To hear You say well done

I know that I fail on a daily basis. Sometimes I even think I set myself up for failure by expecting too much of myself and others. My personality is a bit extreme where perfection is concerned. I KNOW I drive my husband and kids crazy at least daily if not more, with this trait. I'll blame my parents... Just kidding mom and dad {kind of}.

As I sat one morning watching my 10 yr old spread peanut butter on a piece of bread, it took everything I had to not get up and do it for her because she doesn't do it my way. REALLY MOLLY?! Get a grip is what I'm thinking to myself. Why do I have such a hard time letting go of the reigns and letting people do it their own way? I need to be saying 'well done' instead of 'that's not good enough.' I'm going to make it my own personal goal to start giving more praise and less criticism.

I've been having the worst internal struggle lately. I have things I've stuffed deep down that I haven't even expressed to my husband, which never happens. I've got to stop beating myself up so bad over the littlest things, and sometimes just pat myself on the back and say 'well done.' We're all hard wired to need praise and affirmation, I need to do a better job at remembering this as a Christian, wife, mother, daughter and friend. Sometimes being everything to everyone is a little exhausting, and I need to just flat out admit that I can't do it all, and that's OK!

I want my girls to know I laugh all the time, and not know a mom that's so serious and uptight. I pray that I can start letting things go and lighten up a little. To learn to go with the flow a little more instead of always holding on to the reigns so.darn.tight.

Our Weekend in a Nutshell

2012-09-06T09:36:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I feel like we have weekends where we totally overextend ourselves. Labor Day weekend was definitely one of those. We were go, go, go from Friday evening to Monday evening. We enjoyed lots of outdoor time, Gerrad's friend from work had a big clay pigeon shoot at his house in Nebraska, so we made the trek across the border for that. Sunday we spent at the lake with some of our friends. Monday we cleaned pretty much all day, and ran some much needed errands. It's so nice when G is off on a weekend so we can all be together.

My dad thought it would be a good idea to let Macie shoot a small handgun this weekend. I nearly had a panic attack and could barely watch. She did great and loved it, but this mom was not too thrilled.

Playing outside and watching dad and Grandpa shoot guns all day is super exhausting!

Kristen and I at the lake. SO glad for another gorgeous day to finish out lake season.

Love these two!

I found some Honey-Do projects to keep Gerrad plenty busy while he's off this week. Here is one of the things I found on Pinterest that I'm patiently waiting for him to make me for the kitchen.

And another thing I'm waiting for- I want to frame the tv in our bedroom that's on the wall. Hopefully it turns out as cute as this one!

This coming weekend is going to be another busy one. Chiefs football starts, and we're leaving at 5:30am to start on our tailgating adventure- cannot wait! I'll make sure and take lots of pics.

My Weight Loss Journey

2012-09-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

For quite some time, Gerrad and I have been discussing trying to lose some weight, and try to improve our overall health for ourselves and the girls. We wanted to set a positive example for our daughters, and also feel better about ourselves in the meantime. Sometime in June some friends of ours at church started the Advocare 24 Day Challenge. They had such great response, of course it sparked our interest. Gerrad took Advocare during college when he played football, so he was plenty knowledgeable about the product when it came to muscle gains, but he wasn't aware of all the trim/active lines that Advocare offered. We started researching it, and decided to give it a go. On July 1st we started our journey to a new 'us' and haven't looked back since.

Over the winter I had put on some weight, like most of us tend to do over the holiday's and when it gets cold outside. You wear baggier clothes, and just really don't notice a few pounds here and there. I hadn't stepped on the scale in quite some time, and decided in February enough was enough, so I hopped on the scale and saw a number I've NEVER seen before (except when I was pregnant): 165 lbs. I'm going to be completely transparent here for everyone. I know I'm not the only female alive who has struggled with weight. I've always maintained my weight/size going between an 8 or a 10 for the past 10 years or so. Over the winter I had gotten to a 12 and decided that was enough. In March I started cutting my portions, and occasionally walked around the neighborhood, but nothing too serious. I got off about 15 lbs or so doing that. When we started Advocare July 1st I was weighing in around 149-150 lbs. My weight as of today is 137.8 lbs. I lost almost 30 lbs over the past few months, and couldn't be more proud of myself!

Overall I just FEEL so much better, and it doesn't hurt that I feel like I look so much better as well. I'm currently wearing around a size 6, some 8's depending on the store. I've NEVER in my life seen a 6, even in high school I wore about an 8 and was fairly average size. My goal is to not lose anymore weight, because I feel like I look healthy right where I'm at, but just to continue to tone up- which is hard, I'm not gonna lie! Toning this mommy tummy has been nothing short of a constant daily struggle.

This is me around Christmas, I really notice a difference in my face when I look at old photos...

This is Easter...

This is from just a few weeks ago...

Here are my before and after photos from day 1 of the challenge to day 24...

I've been taking a product called Catalyst that helps build lean muscle, and I've been working my arms like a mad woman, trying to get rid of the jiggle. Gerrad's friend and I were goofing off a few weekends ago comparing muscles, and let me just tell you how excited I was that mine were more defined than his...

For those that want to know what I've been doing besides the challenge, I've been trying to get into running, but it's definitely a slow start. I go to the gym with one of my girlfriends 3 mornings a week, and try to do some things at home also. I know how important cross training is when you're running, so we do a ton of ab, arm and leg workouts. There are SO many great resources on Pinterest... here is the link to my fitness board that has a few of the workouts I've been doing. We've also converted to a clean eating lifestyle. No fried foods, no dairy, no sugar, we're trying to avoid white flour if possible, and I haven't had a coffee OR soda since July 1st. That's a miracle for anyone who knows my former love of Diet Dr Pepper. It's embarrassing how much soda I used to drink, GROSS!

I'm definitely not trying to shamelessly self promote here, but I know quite a few of you are trying to work off a few extra pounds, and I'd love to hear from you, and help motivate you if needed also! There are so many of you that inspire me all the time to stay on this fitness goal!

Oh Heyyyyyyy!!

2012-08-30T14:42:00.000-05:00

First I have to give a shout out to Aly for getting me back in the blogging mood. Sometimes ya just get in a funk and can't come up with worthwhile topics. Let's hope I can keep this thing up this go 'round!

So here's what we've been up to in the past 6 months- bullet style...

*We lost my father in law in March, I think everyone is still adjusting to life without his sweet smile.

*Gerrad and I celebrated ~~surviving~~ 7 years of marital bliss.

*We've played a lot of golf, and put the girls in lessons. Keep your fingers crossed they stick with the sport and get some scholarships when the time comes ;)

*Addaline had her first dance recital, it was the cutest thing ever, and I 'probably' cried.

*G and I went to a Royals game and actually saw them win- holla!

*We went to the pool entirely too much, and laid out like total divas.

*I celebrated a great couple getting married with some of my favorite ladies!

*I organized and ran a fireworks stand for our churches missions trip fundraiser, and barely survived it. Setting up and taking down that business when it's 110* is NO JOKE!

*We went to the pool some more.

*Oh and then we went to the lake quite a bit also. Life has been super rough for us this summer, don't ya think?!

*Yep that's me in a bikini- never thought I'd see that day again. I've been working out like a mad woman, and have dropped almost 30 lbs and G's lost 40+lbs. Look for a post all about my weight loss journey next week (for those that are interested).

*Someone got a new tat!

*I finally got my 10 year old to pose for a photo with her momma!

*My oldest 'baby' started the 5th grade, say WHA?!

*And then celebrated turning 10 at the end of that very same week school started. I think she was trying to kill her mothers tear ducts!

*Someone else had a birthday- good 'ol 29. Look out world, I plan to fully enjoy my last year in my 20's.

*Someone got Chiefs season tickets for Fathers Day/his birthday/and every other holiday for the next year. I must say, I'm looking forward to a little tailgating action next month!

*Gerrad has been working a crazy schedule the past 6 months, so that's why he's never pictured. Feels like he's always at work, but we're super grateful he's such a hard worker!

So there's our life in the past 6 months. I'm looking forward to catching up with you all!

Words on Motherhood

2012-02-07T06:05:00.001-06:00

Sometimes motherhood is tough. I will be the first to admit it. Sometimes I put on a really good front that we have it all together, and that I am the perfect mom, when in reality, some days are FAR from it. Yesterday was one of those days. Being a mom is the most rewarding, yet challenging jobs there is. I am home with the girls, so I'm with them all the time, except while they're at school, and the occasional outing when I run errands alone (rarely), or squeeze in some much needed girlfriend time. Sometimes that has it's advantages, and sometimes it has it's disadvantages. Sometimes I feel like I snap a little too quick when it's been a long day/week, sometimes I feel like my patience is worn thin because I'm their sole caretakers since Gerrad works long days. I also feel like sometimes I'm entirely too hard on myself, yesterday was also one of those days.

With out over sharing, Macie has been having some issues at school with friends. Some her fault, other's not her fault. She is learning a hard lesson that all of us females learn, and it's tough on my mom heart to let her make the mistakes, and not be able to control what she says/does. I know children have to figure things out for themselves, but watching them do it, and sometimes fail is HARD.

I try so very hard, to show my girls God's love, and set good examples for them, but I fail on a daily basis. Sometimes I need extra help, from my husband, my mom, friends, etc... I wish there was a handbook I could just pick up when times got rough, and there would be a simple solution for my problem right there in writing. Why hasn't anyone invented this yet?! (Kidding, kind of)

These words are so true.

Sometimes I think I need to give myself a little credit, and try not to be critical. I need to put my controlling nature aside, and give it to the One who knows what's best.

Tonight before bed, the girls and I tried something a little different. We each said one thing that we love about each other, and I wrote them down. I think positive reinforcement/praise is something our family needs to work on. Negativity stays with you for so long, and breaks you down. I want to make a change for the girls, so I'm praying this sticks. Conveniently, in the girls' devotional tonight, the topic was about loving yourself. Thanks for the sign, God.

Things That Make Me Laugh-2

2012-02-01T06:05:00.001-06:00

I've blogged about my love/disgust for Toddlers and Tiaras before. Some of you agree, some of you think the show is ridiculous, I agree with both sides. The mothers of these children have some serious issues. Can we say "living vicariously through your child" ?!!

Mackenzie is still my all time favorite pageant girl (maybe), but last week I was watching the show, and discovered Alana. There are no words, other than WOW. The mom, talk about hot mess, but an oh so funny hot mess, at that.

I'm ashamed to say, I've watched this video no less than probably 50 times. Aly and I spent the better part of last week joking about it. I think I have the whole video memorized by now, don't judge. Laugh a little!

Lately

2012-01-31T14:11:00.001-06:00

Hey all. I thought I'd finally make an appearance on the 'ol blog. I miss y'all so much, and think my blogging break is finally over. I have been debating shutting down my blog, but then I'd miss out on so much I think. I promise I'll catch up with each and every one of you soon. Sometimes it's hard to find the words and/or the time to dedicate to blogging, but I desperately miss it. It's been a few months since I opened up this blog and freely spoke my mind. It's like therapy sometimes, and I need it back!

So what have we been up to lately you ask?

The girls are doing great. It's been such a mild winter (knock on wood), that we've been enjoying going with out our coats, playing outside, taking walks, having the windows open and just enjoying life.

I feel like my 'baby' turned into a big preschooler over night, and it makes me sad. This girl can write her name with the best of them, makes this momma SO proud.

My big girl has such a big heart for Jesus. She is constantly making these signs for her door, her sisters door, her walls, etc... She spends time reading her bible, praying with her sister and I, and makes me strive to be a good example for her and Addaline each day.

I've decided, thanks to Jenn posting this on twitter, that I think I'll join this fun February photo challenge. What better way to keep track of a month, than by photos?! Thanks again Jenn for the inspiration. It will also give me something to blog about hopefully. Double win!

Gerrad and my dad have gotten me hooked on a new hobby... say hello to my latest purchase, a .45mm handgun. Look out world, momma's packing heat :)

Hopefully you'll see more of me around here, and that G will be back with his Friday Funnies. If you have any fun link ups you participate in, send them my way, anything to give me a little help getting back into the swing of things.

Friday Funnies! #2

2011-12-23T14:49:00.001-06:00

Hello again, seasons greetings to everyone! Hope you are finishing up all your holiday shopping and getting ready to enjoy some great holidays w/ the family!

Thought I'd bring you some more Friday funnies

There would be a lot of upset Americans!

I would have two or three pairs of these and need to wear them daily!

Who doesn't like quality outdoor time?

Now for my favorite: Funny Vids

Hope you got the extended warranty on that new flat screen!

All i can say is, better him, than me!??

Stupid Bike!

I guess that's one way to get it into the water???

The scary thing is....I've seen this happen first hand! Water has some ridiculous power!

My Favorite:

Friday Funnies!

2011-12-16T10:29:00.001-06:00

Welp folks, I'm back again. I have coerced molly into letting me take over her blog on Fridays to post my version of Friday Funnies! These Fridays will consist of my views on some of the funny stuff i find searching the web. Of course, not all will see my posts as being funny...but i guarantee they will be funnier than that dumb 4th of July tribute Molly loves so much!!!!

I love the Dos X's commercial.

We got coach purse, and fendi glasses, but no pants???

Hilarious! But mean!!!

Why cant all women be this understanding???

That's all for this week! I don't wanna waste all my material the first week! Until next time! Adios!!!

Behind the blog: The husbands point of view!

2011-12-09T13:07:00.002-06:00

I finally got Gerrad to blog for me. Not too bad for his first time. My comments are in pink :) Enjoy! Thanks again G.

Welp, here we go. My first guest blog. Molly has been begging me to do this for some time now, and I guess since I did just get a new laptop I might as well put this thing to use. In exchange for the daily motorcycle parts search and funny video watching. I think I have found mollys newest biggest pet peeve. I am a sucker for hilarious, viral videos. The thing about the videos I watch…they are not anything molly would. I find these hilarious videos and forward them to molly only to get the response “quit sending me this crap” (Y'all most of these videos are SO raunchy, you'd die). Its funny, what’s good for one isn’t good for the other. I’m supposed to be just uber thrilled to watch “crap” molly sends me. Prime example seen below.... (This video is hilarious, clearly Gerrad has no sense of humor)

Molly and her friend Ashley have contributed to at least 261,XXX views of this video. No one else could watch this and think its funny.

Here lately in the Hall household we have been on this chill on the couch and watch movies mood. We haven’t been out doing too much. Its actually quite nice to be able to just take a break and hang out with the girls. This sounds like I’m part of some woman's group but being in a family of all females its always a woman's group around here. I have just learned to deal with all the estrogen flowing abundantly here. I have lately gotten our youngest to take some interest in some fun guy stuff (She's still MY baby and always will be). We watch football together whenever we have the opportunity. We recently attended our first Demolition Derby (Where you'll find our towns finest). To see this little girl so amazed that people just crash cars for no reason is so hilarious.

We had an awesome time and she loved that her little friend chloe and her brother jacob got to attend too!

When molly first asked me to guest blog for her, i was totally shocked. I really wasn't into the whole blogging thing...but have recently been asking molly why she hasn't been more consistent on blogging. I never thought blog reading would be something i could take part in...but i have found a few lately that i read on a daily basis. Of course they're not crafty, pinterest ideas. But i seem to enjoy them....find them here. (He is in denial that y'all care about his football blogs ;))

I've been instructed to cut it short cause i'm not talking about girly things....maybe i should just start my own blog and be able to talk about testosterone and sports etc. Until next time....thanks for reading!

Feel Your Boobs

2011-12-08T10:04:00.000-06:00

This post will probably be a little too TMI for the men who read this (my dad, Gerrad, G's dad)... So if you can't handle 'boob talk' stop reading now.

First I have to say thanks to all of you who said a prayer for me when I simply just asked "Please pray for me today." Y'all rock the house.

For a while now, I've had sore breasts (which I chalked up to a side effect of having the Mirena IUD). Monday the right one was really painful, like almost in tears painful. I did a self breast exam and found a lump. Scared.me.to.death. I told Gerrad about it, and had him feel it when he got home from work. He said he felt it, but that it was probably some type of bruise (a bruise, really babe?! MEN!), and I should wait it out for a few days just to see if it got better. I agreed, and went about my day. Tuesday rolls around, and I have this little voice in the back of my head saying "Just call your Dr and see what the nurse says." So I did, she acted somewhat alarmed, and scheduled me for an appointment the next morning.

I remained calm, and simply called my mom to come over and cover for me with the kiddos, she agreed, but not until I told her what was wrong. I knew she would cry, and in turn make me cry... so I hesitated. Of course I told her, and we both cried for a split second, then we told each other to STOP, and calm down. I calmed down, and immediate started praying. Whatever was going to happen, was going to be OK. I didn't panic, and knew it would all work out. Usually I am a total over reactor, but that's mainly with my kids. I did really well, and was proud of myself, only cried once.

I had my appointment yesterday. My Dr agreed she felt something abnormal, that she didn't believe it was a cyst, but more of some type of irregular breast tissue, and wanted me to have a breast ultrasound (this is when I cried). She said if anything abnormal was found on the ultrasound, we would move forward with a mammogram, which also freaked me out. Went to hospital to have the ultrasound, and all is well. The tech said I have very dense breast tissue in that area, which I guess is common in younger, child-bearing age women. My Dr's office called late afternoon, told me they got the results from the ultrasound, and that all was OK. They said that I should take some type of calcium supplement, and decrease my caffeine (GAH).

I really tried not to let my mind wander, but decided if anything serious came about, we would deal with it, and it would be OK. It's hard when you hear of so many young women getting breast cancer, scares me to death. Some of our best friends just lost a friend in her mid 30's who had breast cancer go into remission, and come back several times. She left behind a young school age daughter. Makes me tear up just thinking about it. I'm so thankful that I'm aware enough of my body to know something was up. My Dr stressed repeatedly how important it is to do self exams monthly, and always call if you notice even the smallest thing you didn't notice the month before. I will be sure to do a MUCH better job from now on.

Thank you to those who emailed, text, tweeted and called me. I didn't want to tell too many people, and alarm everyone until I knew more details. Simply asking for prayers was more than enough, so thank you!

MIMO Monday

2011-12-05T08:49:00.000-06:00

So Chelsea and Holly do this super fun post called 'Make it My Own' Monday. You find an outfit for inspiration (mostly on Pinterest) and then try to make it your own.

Here is my inspiration outfit...

Love the tunic with belted cardi, leggings and boots. So cute!

Here is my adaptation of the outfit (although I opted for skinny jeans instead)... P.S. Pardon the blurry photo, that's what happens when you rely on your children to take the photo with your phone :)

Tank: Old Navy (tan and cream)

Cardigan: Old Navy (coral)

Jeans: Target

Boots: Target

I'm about the furthest things from being a Fashionista (only because I spend my days wearing my mom gear- sweats), but I love to dress up on the weekends when I actually have places to go.

Go find yourself an outfit for inspiration on Pinterest and link up with these 2 fabulous ladies!!

Who Doesn't Love a Good Laugh?!

2011-11-30T13:08:00.001-06:00

Everyone loves a good laugh, so why not share some of the things I find hilarious that I see on Pinterest. I'm sure Gerrad and a few of my girlfriends get tired of me sending these goofy pics to them, but as long as it makes them laugh, I don't care ;)

Here is the photo I shared this morning. I could not stop laughing. It's the little things in life!

Truer words have never been spoken :)

Amen to this statement. WalMart brings out the worst in me!

The greatest costume from Napoleon Dynamite EVER!

I know a few people who would be disappointed by this.

Thankful

2011-11-24T10:50:00.001-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving to some of my favorite ladies. This morning as I'm sitting here with my family, I'm counting my blessings, big and small. I feel like there is so much to be thankful for this year. We haven't had any significant life changing events over this past year, but I feel more grateful than ever before. Just to have our health, a God who allows us second chances, family that loves us, friends we can count on any time, jobs that provide for our family, and so much more. I've seen people in the social media world listing things they are thankful for every day, and I love that idea. Sometimes we need to just take a minute to be thankful for at least something.

So today, with a full heart, I'm thankful for:

A husband who makes me laugh every day.

A first born daughter who is so much like me, we butt heads daily.

A second born daughter who has no filter, who was born to entertain.

A set of parents who I consider my very best friends (aside from Gerrad).

A Heavenly Father who forgives me for my short comings daily.

Starbucks pumpkin spice lattes, they really do make the chilly fall days a little brighter.

Social media/blogging, and the lifelong friendships I've made with women who I would have never known otherwise.

The smell of sweet little newborn babes.

A job that allows me to stay home with my children, and love on others children at the same time.

Our sweet lab Riley.

Laughter. It really is the best medicine.

Netflix. (Keeping it real here people) Gerrad and I have spent countless hours watching the silliest shows, but it's a way we spend time together.

My niece, who is SO much like Macie, it's crazy.

My girlfriends. They all have such kind hearts, and would be here in an instant if I needed them.

Photographs. Being able to document my children's every milestone is one of my greatest joys in life.

Music. My productivity would be null and void if it wasn't for internet radio.

My inlaws. We always have such a fun time when we're all together. I love holiday family gatherings.

My children's heart for Jesus.

I hope everyone has family to be with today, and takes time out to be thankful for just one thing, no matter how small. Just being with these two little blondes is more than enough to fill my heart!

The Blessed Life

2011-11-17T13:58:00.001-06:00

At church our pastor is doing a series called 'The Blessed Life.' He is talking about giving to the church and seeing God's blessings flow out onto your life. It got me thinking about all the things that we are blessed with. It actually kept me up a few nights, just praying thanking God for his faithfulness for our family.

Sometimes around this time of year, I feel like people can get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of life, with Christmas approaching, people are SO focused on money, and buying gifts, that we forget what we're even celebrating. People can get so caught up with money... not having enough, having too much, spending too much, making ends meet, etc... As I've said before, Gerrad and I are not rich by any means. We live a normal, middle class life, but I don't consider having gobs of money, a blessing. What I consider to be a blessing, is that I have a loving and faithful husband who works his hands to the bone to make sure his family is provided for. I have a roof over my head with heat to keep me warm, clothes on my back, food in my mouth, 2 beautiful daughters who make every single day worth living. A God who loves me, and forgives me for my short comings. Supportive parents, who even though their marriage didn't work, they still manage to tolerate each other to be there for me and my children. A family I gained from my husband, who love and care for us through it all.

I've been dealing with some serious resentment issues where my sister is concerned, for quite a few years. I wrote a while back about finding contentment where my sister is concerned, and I've finally found it. We are trying to move forward and heal our broken relationship, and there is a part of me that is scared.to.death. She is going to meet my children over Thanksgiving for the first time (she was around Macie a few times up until she was about 2), and I just have to pray that it goes ok. Giving it up to the One who knows her heart, is the only thing that I can do.

Feeling like you're blessed can come from so many different things. Sometimes I feel like we just need to take a step back and look at all the things we have, instead of all the things we want, or think we need. I'm obviously on a random tangent today, and needed to break my non-blogging streak. And maybe one day soon, I'll actually blog all of our pumpkin patch and Halloween photos :)

The One Where I Punked My Child

2011-11-04T07:51:00.002-05:00

Have any of you seen this Jimmy Kimmel video where he asks parents to tell their kids they ate all of their Halloween candy, and video tape their reaction? It's SO funny. Especially being the mom of a toddler who I knew would totally flip out. Aly first shared it on facebook, and then her and I started tweeting about doing this to Addaline.

P.S. The last set of kids on this video are a HOOT! I swear the kid in the red jammies, is way too grown up for his age. Goodness he made me laugh so hard.

After watching the video I thought (yes I'm evil) "I wonder how Addaline would react if we did this to her?" Gerrad wanted no part, and thought she would flip her lid, so I did it to her this morning. I think it took her a minute to realize what I was saying, but she definitely reacted just like all these poor kiddos.

After this video, I showed her that we in fact, did not eat her candy, and all is calm on the home front. Enjoy your Friday morning laugh!

*No children were harmed in the taping of this video. She happily has her candy back in her possession.

You Asked, I Answered. Part 2

2011-10-31T13:38:00.000-05:00

It's clear that I've been slacking on blogging lately. I think twitter took over my love of blogging, whoops! So here are the rest of the questions and answers for y'all.

Emily asked: What made you start blogging, and how do you become so close with your blog friends?

I started blogging to keep track of our family, to have a place to keep track of the girls growing up, to be able to build relationships with other women in the same area of life as us. It's so fun to have a place to keep all of our family happenings, to share all of our photos, and the things going on in our lives. Building relationships with fellow bloggers definitely takes work. Most of your corresponding is done through email, and sometimes texts and phone calls. I have made SO many wonderful friends through blogging. I also find that a lot of my favorite bloggers are on twitter as well, and we do a lot of our communicating there.

Mateya asked: What did you used to do before you started your daycare? Mateya and Rebekah asked: Are you originally from KS, did you grow up where you live? When are we going to meet? Mateya and Melanie asked: Did you go to college? Where and what for?

I was an administrative asst for the Dept of Labor before I started my daycare, not too exciting, but a great job, that sometimes I miss. I live in the same town that I was born and raised. We moved to California for my dads job for a few years when I was younger, but moved back to our home town. I didn't go to college. Right after high school, I had Macie, and started working. Mateya, I really do hope we get to meet sometime soon. We'll have to arrange some type of meet up :)

Rebekah asked: Is there another place you would rather live? What would be your dream vacation?

I love living around our family and friends, but eventually down the road (MAYBE) I would love to try living in another state. Maybe Florida? Who knows?! I think that we will probably live here for most of our 'working life,' but maybe when we retire, we'll move somewhere warmer. My dream vacation would be a family beach vacation, probably to Jamaica or Hawaii. Seeing the girls play on the beach, and just giggle with excitement is one of the best memories I have!

You Asked, I Answered. Part 1

2011-10-25T10:43:00.001-05:00

Thank you to all you ladies who asked me some fabulous questions. I finally have time to sit down and answer. Our weekend was non stop, I didn't get to sit down and relax at all until Sunday evening, phew!

Ok here are the questions, and answers...

Caroline asked: What is your favorite thing about your family?

My favorite thing about our family (just our family of 4 I'm assuming she meant) is that we're always laughing and being silly. I think laughter is good for the soul, and I definitely feel like we spend a majority of our time laughing. The girls are such a wonderful source of entertainment, and always keep us laughing (and sometimes crying).

Katie asked: What is your favorite bible verse and why? What is your biggest pet peeve when it comes to social media?

I have 2. The first one is: James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above... I love this verse in reference to the girls.

My second favorite is: Ecc. 4:12 ... A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. I love this verse in reference to Gerrad and I, staying strong and forming a united front.

My biggest pet peeve in social media? I don't know that I really have one? I think common courtesy applies, if someone communicates with you on facebook, twitter, blog, etc... it's polite to reply, and it's fun to build new relationships.

Meghan and Mateya asked: How did you meet your husband? What is the best thing about being a mom? What is the most challenging?

Gerrad and I met the summer after I was out of high school. A gf of mine begged and pleaded for me to go ride motorcycles with her, a guy friend of hers, and another guy (Gerrad), I agreed (this was in my more 'wild child' phase by the way, you couldn't pay me enough to get on a motorcycle now that I'm a mom). We spent the evening cruising around town until all hours of the morning, and the rest is history, 10 years ago this past summer, We have had our ups and downs, and relationships take work, but I am SO thankful he is the one for me!

The best thing about being a mom? There are SO many things, I'm not sure I can say just one. Discovering that love and heartache and laughter and tears have no limits and some days, I experience them all within a single moment. Watching them conquer something new, and seeing the pride on their faces, best reward EVER. The most challenging thing about being a mom? Sometimes not being able to heal their hurt, or fix things for them. I struggle with this the most, because I'm such a control freak, and want everything to always be copacetic.

Aly asked: If you had to chose one store to shop at the rest of your life, where would it be? How did you decide on the girls names? Any special meanings?

The shopping question is tough! I would probably say Target, because they pretty much have EVERYTHING. My frugal clothing voice in the back of my head says Old Navy (I'm SUCH a mom, goodness).

The girls names? There was definitely no exact science to it. Macie's name we kind of decided on my default. Gerrad wanted to name her Maddy, and I wanted to name her Chloe, and somewhere along the way, we decided on Macie. I had remembered a Spanish teacher in high school named her daughter that, and I loved it. Now it's super popular, and everyone has the name. Hind sight is always 20-20 ;). Addaline's name I had heard in reference to some elderly woman quite a while back. I knew it was an old name, and not very popular at all. I suggested it to Gerrad, and we quickly agreed. We had a boys name picked out super fast, and we ended up deciding on Addaline's name fairly fast as well. Although Addaline's name almost changed a few weeks before her birth... Everyone kept asking if we were going to call her Addie, and Gerrad and a few others even started to refer to her as Addie. I LOST it, and decided I wanted to change her name to Campbell. I love the name Addie, don't get me wrong, but I absolutely adored the name Addaline, and did NOT want it shortened. Plus I was 9 months pregnant, and super hormonal. I'm SUCH a baby name spaz, and already have names picked out if we ever decide to take the plunge again. And no, I'm not sharing them here. If you really want to know, just ask :)

This just turned into the longest post ever... SO I'll answer the rest of them in another post later this week. I promise if you didn't see your name, I didn't leave you out. I'll get to you :) Thanks again ladies! It's always fun to share little pieces about yourself that people may not already know.

A Little Q&A...

2011-10-19T12:32:00.001-05:00

Who doesn't love a little question and answer session? I thought it would be fun to do a post where you all can ask me anything you want, and I'll answer your questions over the next few days in a blog post. So ask away, nothing is off limits! Family, motherhood, crafting, etc...Can't wait to see what you ladies come up with :)