This Week's Plan and a Weekend Recap

Hey everyone!

How was your weekend?  Mine was pretty nice I must say!  :)

Friday was full of family time!  It started with a Kindergarten picnic for Faith.  I just love working at my girl's school and knowing I can see them or get hugs any time I want.

 Later that night, we celebrated Mom's birthday.  My newly married sis made the main dish and although I only had a small taste (gotta stay on track and I knew a cheat meal was destined for the weekend) it was delicious.  The other sis brought salad and bread and I of course made the dessert.  I think she enjoyed the yummy strawberry cake!  I must say she is one of the hottest moms I know. ;)   Happy Birthday Mom!  Love You!

Opening gifts with all the grandgirls

We didn't have candles, so we used a tea light  ;)

My beautiful sister (and chef) and mom

On Saturday I slept in somewhat (does laying in bed count?) until 10.  I then got dressed and headed to a crawfish boil with Mezzy.   It was a beautiful day and felt really nice to sit around and relax.  The crawfish were yummy too!  And of course, Starbucks on the way home.

Green Tea Latte, No Syrup, With Soy (Please get  Coconut Milk Starbucks!)

Sunday was such a beautiful day and I vowed to spend as much time outside as I could.  So off to the zoo it was and patio sipping (with chips and salsa of course) happened.  Remember that cheat meal I told ya'll was coming, well it happened! 

The day couldn't of ended any better then with a stop at my favorite yogurt place.  I love how pink and girly my fro-yo looks!  Underneath all of that was some spiced chai and coconut yogurt.

Mine is on the left!

This Week's Meal Plan and Fitness Schedule:

"I Work Out!" (hehe)

Monday:  Jog (Done 3 miles, BAM!)
Tuesday:  Full Body Circuits and Yoga in the Park
Wednesday:  Jog and Arm Day #1 (shoulders, chest, and triceps)
Thursday:  Full Body Circuits
Friday:  Jog
Saturday:  Arm Day #2 (back and biceps), Booty, and Abs
Sunday:  Rest

As for meals, I just plan out a few things I want to cook when making my grocery list and then decide that morning or night before what I'm going to make.  So here are our meal ideas:

Homemade Pizza (I'll share what I do with all of you, it's super easy and yummy) and Green Salad
Shrimp & Chicken Fajitas
Baked Tilapia and Roasted Green Beans and Red Potatoes
Chicken, Bell Pepper, and Zucchini Kabobs

I also plan on dehydrating some zucchini chips ala Fitnessista style!

This will be enough food for the girls and I to have leftovers for lunch and nights I don' t cook. 

I hope you all had a beautiful weekend!

What are your meal ideas or fitness plans this week?

Much Love,

~Ash

Friday Faves

Hey Guys, 

I just wanted to pop in today and do a little "Friday Fave" post.  I am thinking this may become a regular thing.  I know I enjoy reading these kinds of post on some of my other favorite blogs.  It gives me insight to new stuff (that I probably don't really need) and I like that.  So, here it goes! 

Things I am loving at the moment:

Quest Bars!  Ya'll if you haven't tried them, you have to.  At the moment these are my favorite, but only because I can't seem to get my hands on the cookie dough flavor. Low calories, low sugar, and lots of protein.  Winner Winner Chicken Dinner :)

I order mine from iherb!

I recently purchased this new eye cream and face cleanser and LOVE it.  The cleanser works great with my Clarisonic and I love the creaminess of the eye cream.  Let's hope they are both miracle workers.  ;)

Hoping my body is bikini ready for this summer (and even if it's not I'm still gonna wear it) because I have my eyes on this one!  It's from Etsy and I am a little leery to order a swimsuit online, but I can't find anything like this in stores near me.  You all know how much I love my pin-up stuff, so I am thinking I'll have to take the gamble and order it online.  I'll let you know when I do and how it goes.

A new to me website, Poshmark!  I am really digging this online shopping thing apparently.  I may have searched "Betsey Johnson" and spent hours looking at all the stuff I wanted.  Didn't buy anything yet, but I am sure that will change soon.

I am reading a new book series called, "The Mortal Instruments" and I am captivated.  I know there is a movie coming out in August for the first book, so I am pretty excited about that.

My two girls, Grace and Faith, decided they need hair-cuts this past week.  Grace decided she wanted to cut her hair and donate it to Locks of Love.  She decided to do it all on her own, and as her mom I must admit I was pretty proud and in awe of her sweet little heart.  Faith cut her hair too, but it wasn't quite long enough to get the 10 inches needed for donating.  Regardless they both look adorable and we are trying to adjust to fixing short hair in the mornings.  It is definitely a learning process for me!

Have a great weekend everyone!  I am planning to stop in on Sunday and share my meal plan and fitness agenda for the week.  

What are some of your favorite things at the moment?

Much Love, 

~Ash

Figuring Out What Works For Me

Well hello bloggie friends ;)

Yes, we all know I officially suck at blogging and don’t do it nearly as often as I should!  But, to be honest, it’s my blog and I kinda like it that way.  It’s something I do for fun and if I don’t have anything to say, or if I feel pressured to blog EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. then what fun is that?

So, I have spent this past month, (since this last blogpost), trying out some new “diet” things and attempting to listen to my body and fuel it the best way I know how.

I read a lot, mostly fiction and health/fitness stuff.  So my attention was piqued when I ran across a website called Whole 9.  After scouring through and reading about it I realized they had a book called "It Starts With Food" which of course I bought and read cover to cover in like a day. 

In a gist, here is what they preach:

"It is 30 days of eating “the good stuff”  – proteins, vegetables, limited fruit and fats. It’s a serious program with no room for cheat days, or even cheat spoonfuls. There are no grains, legumes, sugar (natural or synthetic), alcohol, dairy or processed foods allowed."

Summary provided by Sara @ House Bella

So I gave it a shot, for about two weeks (didn’t do the Whole 30) and vowed not to have ANY sugar and increase my consumption of fats.  I upped my healthy fat intake by incorporating avocados, coconut oil/butter, EVOO, or nuts into each meal.  I have to admit I was pretty scared to do it.  I mean that seems like a lot of fat and calories and I was freaked it was going to cause me to gain weight. 

For the most part I stuck with it.  I did have a couple of beers one night when I went out with Mezzy (names changed to protect the innocent, of course) and then the next weekend I had sushi again with the aforementioned guy.  It was his fault and he pretty much twisted my arm and told me I had to.  I mean who has to be told twice to eat sushi? (Moral of the story – Nobody is perfect!)

At the end of my two week, sort of Whole 30 experience, here is what I learned:

>Incorporating healthy fats into your diet will NOT cause weight gain

>The opposite actually happened, I dropped about 5 pounds (even with the beer and sushi)

>I became more mindful of my sugar intake and have vowed to carry this over into my “lifestyle” of   healthy eating

>I am also more mindful of my fruit/carb consumption after lunch, I am not saying I’ll never have them after lunch, I just want to be more conscientious of it

>I already knew this, but it just affirmed it for me, I freaking love avocados and coconut

>Having some form of protein at every meal and snack is super important (I wan’t so good at that before this)

>I really missed my protein powder (I use either Vega or Sun Warrior) and green smoothies

>I didn't miss bread nearly as much as I thought I would

Although I don’t plan on following a Whole 30 lifestyle exclusively I am excited to incorporate some of the things it suggests into my everyday eats. 

I think it is so important for each of us to experiment with different ways of eating so that we are successful and not only feel comfortable with our way of eating, but excited about it to.

No one way of eating is perfect for everyone.  I HATE counting calories with a passion, but I know several people who are very successful doing so.  We have to listen to our bodies and incorporate what works best for us. 

Your turn :)

Have you ever tried Whole 30? What did you think?

How would you describe your “lifestyle” eating?

Much love,

~Ash

Ahhhh.... super excited!

Good Evening!!  Boy I have missed blogging :)

Well after the serious post from yesterday, I think it is time to liven things up a bit!  Thank you so much to everyone for all of the positive comments and words of encouragement. I received some of the sweetest words from all of you.

First, I got some super exciting news yesterday!!  I am going to the Shinedown, Three Days Grace, and P.O.D. concert!!  The bests part about it is I am going for FREE!  Shut the front door!!  It is going to be a lovely night with some girl friends of mine.  I am already scheming and deciding about what I'll wear.  I have been a BIG fan of P.O.D. for many years and I am just super excited about getting to go hear them!  It's a work night, so I'll be pretty tired for work the next day, but it is definitely worth it!

source

Thursdays are always long days for us with lots of extracurricular activities for the girls.  We do the Girl Scout thing (yes we are in cookie hell heaven at the moment) and tumbling!


So I almost always plan a crock-pot meal for that night when I do the weekly meal plan.  This morning I put some stuffed bell-peppers in the crock-pot.  They were filled with ground turkey, brown rice, onions, garlic, tomatoes, cheese, and some seasonings.  I used this recipe as a starting place and added in a few of my own things and tweaked it a bit.

Today is rest day on the fitness schedule and my thighs and booty are screaming "Hallelujah"
It was painful just to sit today and with all of the water I've been guzzling I have to pee every 30 minutes! #fatgirlproblems

And just for fun, I thought it would be nice to participate in Jake and Holly's "Finish the Sentence" Link up!

1. People always tell me....  You look like Celine Dion!  What?  <--I don't know if that's a compliment

2. In the movie based on my life...  The main character would be Kim Kardashian <--now that's a compliment

3. Typically, I end up regretting....  eating the whole bag of gummy worms!!

4. I always ask to leave off the....  mushrooms...they are rotten people, its fungi!

5. Kim and Kanye really...  should invite me to their house (see #2)

6. My Parents always reminded me... to be an i-n-d-e-p-e-n-d-e-n-t woman!

7. Every single day I..... I'm shuffling 

8. This one time in College..  I wore these hideous overalls with a sunshine yellow tshirt!  No wonder I couldn't get a date!

9. My grossest habit is...  flossing my teeth..it's an obsession, like 5 times a day!

10. My latest white lie was...  I never lie!!!! <--ok maybe that was it!

11. I know all the words to..."Bottoms up Bottoms Up"

12. When I grow up...Heck if I know I'm still trying to figure that out!

13. Sexy time is... When the house is clean and the dishes are done and my legs are shaved...yeh that never happens

14. I will never, ever...  We are never, ever, getting back together...Weee-eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

15. I think it's hilarious...  When dogs fart, not people that's gross

Well it's late and I'm tired, so I am off to relax in the bath tub with some Amos Lee on the iPod.

Have a good night... and it's almost the freakin' weekend!

Much Love,
~Ash

On the Other Side . . .

It's been a while.... I last blogged about two years ago, when my life took a pretty drastic change in direction.  It's taken me a while to come out on the other side and realize that "I'm ok."  I would like to share my story with all of you, for many reasons.  By sharing, I think it will help me and I hope it will help other chicks out there as well.

Two years ago, my (ex) husband and I divorced.  I don't want to go into the details of why because I do not feel that is solely my story to tell.  I also want to respect him as well as my daughters' privacy.  However, I would like to share with you the story of my healing and acceptance, which occurred during these last two years.

I was blessed to have been raised in a home with a mother and father who loved each other and took their vow of marriage seriously.  My parents have been married over thirty years and are looking forward to another thirty.  As a teenager and then a young adult, I was raised both by my parents and church to understand that marriage is a life-long commitment, one you stick to no matter what.  So, this is what I did, until two years ago.  I don't want to say I gave up on my marriage, but circumstances led me to decide that I no longer could  be married, I was pretty weak and didn't have any strength left in me to fight for it.  Sadly, this is the honest, raw truth.  It was the toughest decision of my life!  I did not take it lightly, it was something I had been battling for the previous five years.

This was not how I pictured my life turning out.  I never dreamed I would be divorced and single at 30, and I definitely didn't want my children being raised in a split home..The funny things about life is that it doesn't always turn out how we expect it to.  This was a hard lesson for me to learn, but one I have come to accept. Sometimes we just have to let ourselves off the hook and accept that things will never be perfect.

During this two year long hiatus, I have experienced some other pretty life changing events, aside from the divorce.  My girls and I were in a pretty serious car accident.  As a result of this car accident, my car was totaled, but thankfully we walked away with only a few minor injuries.  The girls had brush burns from their seat belts and I was banged up pretty bad, had a broken rib, and required stitches on my forearm.  Our guardian angels were with us that day, because according to the police it could have been much worse.  It took me several months to overcome this tragedy.  I would wake up at night in cold sweats, having recurring nightmares about the car accident.  I would break down in tears while driving and have flashbacks.

I also had a real-life, bona-fide, stalker!  It was insane and crazy and the most frightening thing I have ever experienced   I still do not know who the stalker was, nor do I know how he (I assume it is a man) found me, but am very thankful he has disappeared.  He found out where I lived and threatened the safety of my children and I.  We had to move out of our home for about a month.  I was paralyzed and felt like I was stuck in the twilight zone!  Eventually after police got involved I began feeling somewhat safe again and returned home, equipped with an alarm, mace (and lots of it), a baseball bat, and sharp brass knuckles.

It has been a roller-coaster these past two years, but I am  here to say that I am ok, we are ok, and are so thankful that God had his hand on us through all of this!

This time of healing has been extremely difficult, to say the least.  My first line of defense was to just pretend everything was ok and ignore the hurt and anger I was experiencing.  I stuffed all of my feelings and went to work, hung out with friends, and acted "strong" as best as I knew how.  There were only a very few close people in my life who knew how hard of a time I was having.  During this time I did some things I am not proud of, but wouldn't take any of it back (if that makes sense).  I think it was all apart of the healing process, ya know?  I continued ignoring the problem for a while.  It wasn't until about 5 months ago that I decided it was time to face the problem head on.  It only took me about a year and a half, but at that point I was ready to let myself feel the pain and hurt and agony I had been avoiding.  Once I allowed that to happen it was pretty rough for a while.  I had to deal with panic attacks, sleepless nights, boughts of sadness, guilt, . . . .

Now that I am on the other side I can look back and say that I am so glad I allowed myself to heal.  My life isn't perfect, I'm not perfect and I battle with guilt mostly now as a result of everything, but I am proud of what I've been through and what I've overcome.

The hardest part of the divorce was having to tell our girls and as a parent it was THE most difficult thing I have ever experienced.  My prayer is that with lots of love and communication our girls will heal as well.  Two years after the fact I think that they are doing ok! :)

I hope I have expressed this story in a way that allows my readers to have a small glimpse into my life.  I hope I have shown my heart and that you will read this without judgement.  My last hope is that if anyone is experiencing a similar situation, you will read this and know that on the other side their is hope and healing.

Lastly, I want to send a big hug and say thank you from the bottom of my heart to the friends and family who have been with me through all of this.  I wouldn't be where I am today without you! xoxoxo

Much Love,
~Ashley