Category: Lifestyle

21 Day Whole Food, New You Challenge

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Happy Monday! I am so excited to start my 21 Day, Whole Food, New You Challenge.  It will start this weekend, August 1st and I welcome anyone to join in on the challenge.

My hubby and I are going on our 10 year anniversary trip the end of August and I need to clean up my eating habits and get my abs back before I set foot in a bikini.  I’ve been a little lax this summer with my eating habits and it shows.

They say it takes 21 Days to make or break a habit so that’s why the challenge is 21 dayS.  I need to break some bad habits like so MANY Splenda’s in my coffee and in fact, I drink WAY TOO MUCH COFFEE.  On top of that, I’ve been nibbling all summer long on little things here and there instead of eating real meals.  Chips, pretzels, crackers and things of the like are not meals, just empty calories.  Then there is my love for wine…that too needs to be reduced.  I’m sure you can already think of a few of the things that are on my TOP 10 List for the challenge.

If you’re interested in doing it with me, this is all you need to do.  Email or message me that you’d like to join the 21 Day, Whole Food, New You Challenge.  I will add you to our FB group.  Then think of ten things you want to accomplish during your 21 day challenge.  You will have all of this week to think about them.  Saturday, August 1st, we launch the challenge with a Monday being the official beginning of the 21 day challenge.  Saturday and Sunday can be your prep days as far as food goes, etc.

I am excited to test my will power and have the support from some of my friends on this journey who are partaking with me. I hope you join us on the challenge too. Last, here’s my Top 10 List.

1. NO WINE and no whining. LOL.
2. ALL ORGANIC, WHOLE FOODS.
– As in anything I put in my mouth. This includes coffee, seasonings, meat, fruit, veggies, etc.  No pretzels, crackers, chips or processed foods of any sort. And no protein shakes.
3. Drink WATER. Minimum of 64 ounces a day.
4. No artificial sweeteners
5. No grains for carbs, only rice, quinoa, potatoes or other veggies that are considered a starchy carb.
6. Reduce my coffee intake to 1-2 cups a day.
7. Do abs every morning. Do glute exercises every evening.
8. Make out my Happy list. List one thing a day I am grateful for that happened that day.
9. Find time for me at least 15 minutes a day to read, meditate, or to just sit in peace and quiet.
10. Sleep a minimum of 7 hours a night.

Have a great week!

940 Saturdays

940 saturdays

What an impactful quote that really sends home the message of spending time with your children.  I stumbled across this quote two years ago on Pinterest and it made a profound impact on me.  I never really thought much about my time with my children.  I mean, 18 years is a long time before they go off to college; but once it was put into perspective such as this quote above, the amount of weekends I get to spend with them takes on a whole new meaning.

Today was a wonderful Saturday and I reveled in every moment of it.  Addie went to her first “real” Farmers Market.  She was so excited and in fact, talked about it all week.
“Mom, we’re going to the MARKET this weekend?”,  she would ask. “Yes baby,” I would reply.  It was so much fun to show her different types of vegetables and allow her to pick out the one’s she wanted to purchase.  We sampled homemade bread, picked out homegrown flowers and at the end, she got her face painted.

Katie went along for the ride and did so good considering she is only 9 months old.  She enjoyed “people watching” from her stroller and at the end she watched Addie get her face painted and squealed with excitement.  It is so adorable the bond these two already have.  Katie worships her big sister and Addie is so good with her.  She loves her little sister and helps her in any way she can…sometimes too helpful. LOL.

In our crazy fast paced life, it is so important to stop and reevaluate our priorities.  It’s so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of soccer games, swim meets, football, baseball or our own personal goals such as working out or golf for yourself.  If you have children, make time for them, one on one, quality time where they can be children and explore.  You will create meaningful, wonderful memories for all of you that will last a lifetime.

Weekend Getaways with the Spouse – A Must!

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I often hear that once you have children, finding the time to do a weekend getaway with your spouse is difficult if not outright impossible & I’m learning first hand that it can be challenging. However, it’s a must,  a must on many levels. When my husband and I got married 9 1/2 years ago, we vowed to do a weekend getaway every six months and only once have we not been able to do so.

It’s so important to make time to reconnect. With a 4 year old and an almost 9 month old now, our lives at home are centered around them and work. And once we do have some time to ourselves we are both so tired that sleep is the most important thing on the agenda.

So here we are this July 4th weekend doing a husband & wife trip to Las Vegas & staying at my favorite hotel, the Encore. The kids are spending time with my parents and they are loving every minute of it. I love that my husband and I are keeping our promise to each other to do these weekend getaways.

I often hear from some of my friends who are now divorced, that through the years their once romantic relationship turned into a roommate sort of arrangement where they passed each other in the hallway going to and fro.  That can happen in ANY marriage and to keep the flame sparked, time away from children, responsibilities and any other “distraction” helps to remind us of why and who we fell in love with.

I love my two girls and leaving a 9 month old for 3 nights is tough but I am a better mom and wife doing so.  I want them to see the love my husband and I have for each other; not a stale, wilting relationship.

So what’s on the agenda this weekend here in Vegas?  Drinks by the pool, a good book, good dinners at nice restaurants and a show or two.  Heck,  I may even sleep past 6am!

 

 

 

The Time Is Now

Now is a good time quote

Happy Monday!

If anyone personally knows me, I usually have around 50 things going on at once.  I am a multi-tasker, a “TO DO-ER” and then some.  I love having my plate “full” and thrive under pressure.  The problem is, nowadays, my “To Do” list has become quite long. Eek! Too long and goals that really mean a lot to me are getting lost in my sea of things I want to accomplish.

So, NOW is my good time.  This week, in honor of Independence Day which is this Saturday, I am whittling out the “distractions” as I call it and honing in on my core goals.  I am becoming the “goal-getter” and independent lion that I am known for.  LOL.

I already know that my ckiron website, blog and taking care of me & my family are top priority.   I also want to get published this year and in more than just fitness.  I’d like to submit before and afters of our home that we renovated, Addie’s 3rd birthday party (fit for a Sweet 16 or a graduation party & an OMG, what were you thinking sort of thing when you did it?) & my own personal before and afters from my post-baby body to my bikini-ready, photo shoot physique.

I am a giver and givers self-sacrifice.  I vowed in 2015 that I would keep my core goals on the forefront and not let other peoples goals get in the way; but once again, I am back to my old habits and have been setting aside things I really want to do to help someone accomplish their goals.

I’m glad I’m realizing it at the end of June and not the end of December. Ha!  That would only have meant another year wasted.  I love my life but prioritizing is hard for me.  I want it ALL to be first on my list and it can’t be. Anyone else have this problem?!

Happy Monday,

Cristin