Fun Facts Friday - 1.17.20

It's Friday!!! And I thought I'd do something something fun for this week's post. I realize that I've gained a few new subscribers/readers so I thought I would share random facts about my life - whether it's autobiographical or milestones (both mama and baby ones) or events & things that may have happened recently that YOU, my audience, do not know of because you're not with me 24/7. And just like my posts about workouts, I will do these kinda posts every so often with hopes that I can maybe turn it into a weekly thing. How's that sound?

1. Ella had her very first dentist appointment this week and she did GREAT! She was a nervous wreck up until it was over 😂 and she even tried to convince us that her teeth were perfect and that she didn't need to see a dentist. It turns out, her teeth are absolutely perfect with ZERO cavities in sight! This mama is quite proud of herself, too 😆 .

Fun fact (inside a fun fact), the dentist we go to is Daniel's old dentist from when he was a kid growing up. We moved to Rialto (his hometown) at the end of 2018 and we wanted to find a good local dentist to trust our teeth with. And when Daniel found that his old dentist was still in business, he was all about it. So it's kinda cool that Ella gets to say "my dentist is my daddy's old dentist!" Okay, maybe not that cool but I'm a mom and I totally think it is lol 😝.

2. Everly had given up her naps since probably before Thanksgiving, which I'm not too happy about but hey, it was bound to happen. She's only 2 years old (and like almost 4 months) and she's already decided she doesn't need them. BUT, this week must have been exhausting for her because she's fallen asleep on me TWICE this week while we were just sittin' on the couch hangin' out. It obviously doesn't happen that often anymore so I took advantage of cherishing these moments. Even took a pic of it because I'm a sappy mom like that.

3. Booked our first family trip of 2020! Yup, it's been long overdue but I finally scheduled a trip to Hawaii. I wanted to go for Christmas so that my girls (and Daniel) could spend the holidays with my family. But it was way too expensive for us so we decided to push it back to Spring (when Ella is on Spring Break). It's been a lil over 2 years since we've all been to Hawaii (Evie was only 2 months old) so I am VERY excited about it.

4. Last weekend I went on an exercise/walk date with a good mama-friend of mine... WITHOUT kiddos (my kiddos) and it was GLORIOUS!!! Mamas, if you can get out for a little bit, you totally SHOULD! It's SO good for the soul to just be able to connect with other human beings other than the tiny ones you're raising or your spouse. This obviously doesn't happen very often but when it does, it just helps keep stay sane.

5. So. I'm a HUGE Bachelor/Bachelorette fan and have been since it first started. There were a few early seasons that I stopped watching the show because, well, life happened. But then I picked up again a few years later and I can't help but watch it season after season.

So I just wanted to share my thoughts on the current season. Which is only 2 weeks in, but I already have a couple of strong opinions about it. First thing's first. I don't have a favorite gal. There's always at least 1-2 that stand out to me on the first episode. But not this season. Hannah Ann seems like a top favorite. And Kelley, too. And while I think they do have strong connections with Peter, I don't know if I see them with him in the end. Madison, MAYBE. But it's too soon to tell. All these women are beautiful and I'm sure they all have great personalities but these producers man... they sure do know how to bring out the catty in some of them. I mean, come on... drama over champagne?! How does that even happen? And I'm pretty sure it's gonna drag on for a few more episodes. With that said, I don't think Kelsey will win over Peter's heart. Yes, she's getting the worst edit of all the girls on the show, but she just seems way too emotional and sensitive.

That's just my opinion.

I can go on and on about the show but maybe I will start a whole new blog series about that soon, too. What do you think? More Bachelor/Bachelorette talk?

6. Lately, I have been obsessed with this... snack. I got the recipe from the Tone It Up Nutrition Plan. I may have modified it just a smidge but it's such a good afternoon snack to have. It contains: 1/2 a green apple, 1/2 a small beet, and a few baby carrots. I pour in some apple cider vinegar, a splash of olive oil, and sprinkle it with a little bit of sea salt. This pic doesn't do it justice, but trust me... It's delish!

7. Also... CAN'T wait for the NFC Championship game this weekend! We are 49er fans and it's been a pretty exciting season for the team and all the fans! Any fellow niner fans out there?

And that's what's been goin' on with me this week! Before I sat down to write this post I didn't think I'd have any fun or random facts to talk about. And I'm surprised I actually had 7 things! Haha. Hope y'all had a great week and cheers 🥂 to the weekend!

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Tags: #bachelornation #funfacts #tgif #fridayvibes #weekendvibes #healthysnack #momlife #thebachelor #champagnegate #milestones #lifeevents #popculture #currentevents

Workout Wednesday - First Workout of 2020

I know it's not Wednesday... but I was hoping to start a series of Workout blog posts FOR Wednesday... I just couldn't get around to actually posting it till NOW. 😝 😝 😝

But I will definitely try my hardest to hash one of these posts out every so often on a Wednesday. Posts that highlight a workout (or workouts plural) I've done that week or something fitness related. And hopefully, it'll become a THING and I can keep it going for awhile. Wouldn't that be somethin'? 😉

Ok so some of you may remember that last year, my goal for 2019 was to focus more on ME and that thing called self-care. Something I have struggled with since becoming a mom - something so many of us struggle with. And one of the things that was a priority for me, was getting back in the gym. Just to give you a little bit of an update on that - I did manage to get my gym membership. But it also took me AWHILE to get my groove back. Because of Daniel's crazy work schedule (sometimes he works late and/or on weekends), it was difficult for me to maintain a consistent workout in the evenings (which I prefer). So I had to settle for 5am wake-up times to get into the gym at 5:30am or 6am depending on how many times I hit that snooze button. Not gonna lie, it was brutal at first. But after a couple of weeks, it became my new norm. There was a lot of "jumping off the wagon" as the year went on because finding that balance is still a struggle for this mama.

This year, I'd like to continue working on this goal. Because there is so much room for improvement, especially when it comes to being consistent. And I figure, blogging about it regularly and sharing the workouts I do will help me stay accountable and maybe even motivate and inspire others to do the same.

So let's get right down to business, shall we?

My first workout of the year didn't happen till Monday, January 6th. I like to do a leg workout at the start of my week (focus on glutei/hamstrings) and then again later on in the week (quads). And this is what I did...

Warm-up: run/walk on the treadmill for 10 minutes. I usually like to do a HIIT run/walk combo but this time, since it was my first day back since Thanksgiving, I just did a brisk walk.

Then it was onto the weights. Please note: I have included pictures of the equipment I used and a video (not my own because I haven't quite figured out how to film myself doing these workouts without feeling awkward in front of the other gym goers) to help demonstrate the move I'm doing.

1. Leg Press (4 sets x 12 reps) - I did a combo of wide (6 reps) and narrow (6 reps) on the 45-degree leg press machine.

Equipment Used:

Demonstration:

2. Squats (4 sets x 10 reps) - I usually use the squat rack but because it's been awhile, I decided to use the V-Squat Machine.

Equipment used:

Demonstration

3. Seated Calf-Raises (3 sets x 15)

Equipment Used:

Demonstration:

4. Hip Adductor (4 sets x 15 reps) - I usually scoot forward a little so my back is not against the seat. And depending on how much I want to challenge myself, I will do this with my butt completely off the seat in kinda like a squat position.

Equipment Used:

Demonstration:

5. Seated Leg Curl (4 sets x 15 reps)

Equipment Used:

Demonstration:

6. Glute Press Down using the assisted pull-up machine (4 sets x 10 reps)

Equipment Used:

Demonstration:

And then here's where I should highly advise a good stretching sesh afterwards but I totally skipped it and went home 😝. I know, that's not a good habit. Stretching helps prevent injuries and I should really be doing them especially since I am getting older, which makes me more likely to have some kind of injury. But I'm stubborn.

Also, since we're talking about what we SHOULD be doing, I need to tell y'all that I am not a certified personal trainer (although I did consider becoming one at some point) so if you decide you'd like to try the workouts I do but have never used the equipment before, please make sure to do your due diligence to learn how to safely use the equipment.

There ya have it! My first workout of the year! And let me tell ya, I am still SORE from it!

Your turn!!! Tell me some of your favorite workouts in the comments below! Also, I'm always open to suggestions regarding workout posts, so tell me what you'd like to see on my blog! More workouts? Maybe even some highlights on fitness apparel/fashion? Let me know!

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Tags: #fitness #workouts #glutes #legday #legworkouts #newyearsresolution #fitnessgoals #legworkout #gymworkout #wod #workoutoftheday #goals

Hello 2020!

Happy New Year, friends! My holiday vacation is officially OVER. Daniel went back to work today, Ella goes back to school on Monday, and Evie and I are gonna have to learn how to function without these 2 all over again 😂. I decided to take a little bit of a break from social media for most of December to really soak in all the Christmas Magic with my littles. But once Daniel was able to take some time off work to relax and unwind from the busy-ness of work and normal life, I'd have to say the last 2 weeks have been ah-maze-ing.

We kicked off our vacation with our annual family Christmas party where we indulged in lots of food (homemade Mexican food), dessert and WINE. Don't even ask me what kinda wine because I couldn't tell ya. I just know it was GOOD. There was gingerbread house decorating, Secret Santa for the kiddos and the White Elephant gift exchange for the adults. I even volunteered to do a balloon garland since decorating and making things pretty is my thing to do. It was my first time and I have to say, it turned out pretty well!

Then after all that partying, we had to hurry home so we could get a few hours of sleep in before taking that long road trip up to my mother-in-law's house in Gardnerville, NV. There was a storm coming in that day so we had to be on the road no later than 4am to make sure we got there in time before the rain and snow hit. If you were wondering, yes we were dead tired and no I wasn't hungover 😵 thank goodness 😅. The babes were SO good the whole ride there, we only had to make 1 stop (Daniel took a lil 15-minute power nap), and there were a handful of "are we there yet's" from Miss Ella Bella. We arrived at my MIL's just before noon which is a record for us since having kids. And this is where we spent the first week of our vacation.

On Day 1, I woke up to this...

If you have been following along for awhile (on my blog or social media) you would know that we've been going to Gardnerville for Christmas for the last 3 years since my MIL moved up there 5 years ago. It has snowed on Christmas the 2 years I didn't go and I have wished hard for a white Christmas since we've been going. It has always snowed before or after our trip, never while we were there. So, waking up to this was magical. Even though the snow only lasted a few hours. By the time the sun set, most of it melted away. But we did get a couple hours of playtime in the snow before it was all gone. We even built a tiny little snowman 😂... and a penguin.

Then that evening, gramma and grampa offered to watch and entertain the girls so we could have a date night (probably the 2nd one of all of 2019 😂). Of course we jumped at the chance to have some one-on-one time without the kiddos. So what did we do? We went to see Star Wars 😂. Pretty exciting stuff, right?

On Christmas Eve, we baked sugar cookies and decorated them for Santa.

And boy were my girls excited to wake up to lots and lots of presents from Santa on Christmas morning.

The rest of the week was spent lounging around the house in our pjs and just being lazy. Something we're definitely not used to but it was just NICE to not do anything. We did take a bike ride around the neighborhood to enjoy the slow pace of country life.

We also took a drive up to Lake Tahoe to do some sight seeing. Our last day there, we spent the entire afternoon outside in the backyard playin' on the playground and zip-lining.

We were back home in SoCal just in time to watch the 49ers vs Seahawks game (go NINERS!) and spent the next couple of days decluttering the house and binge watching Game of Thrones (we're late to the whole GOT craze) while the babies entertained themselves with all the new toys they got for Christmas.

Taking a break the last 2 weeks of 2019 to unplug and disconnect from social media and "normal" life to spend time with my little family and make some memories was exactly what I needed to rejuvenate and start the New Year off right.

How was your Holiday Season? Tell me ALLLL about it in the comments below👇!!!

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Tags: #cheers #happynewyear #hello2020 #christmas2019 #LakeTahoe #Vacation #snowday #diy #balloongarland #momlife #happynewyear2020 #santasacks