Advocare 24 Day Challenge: Week 1

I have been interested in trying Advocare for a while now, but the stars aligned when I got money for graduation (from my parents & Casey's parents!!) and the new year began! I love to make new year's resolutions, so I figured what better time to start a 24 day challenge?! I purchased my 24 Day Challenge through my friend Rachel who started the challenge the same day as me and is also my accountability partner! We have texted most days to see how the other one has done. That helps me a lot! We are also apart of a Facebook group with other people who are doing the challenge.

On Sunday, January 5th, I bought a bunch of fruit and veggies at the grocery store so that I would have plenty to snack on. I soon realized that I was going to need much more than that because pretty much nothing in my house was healthy or acceptable! We are very on-the-go eaters and Casey does not like much of anything that is green or fresh, ha ha. I could be fine eating mac-n-cheese for every lunch and cereal (Honey Bunches of Oats with Strawberries is my fav!) for breakfast AND dinner! Because we both work several nights a week, there's not many meals that we sit down and eat together. And most weekends we eat out, so that's been a big change this week, too!

Day 1:

• I woke up excited to start my challenge and then…I made the Fiber Drink we are supposed to drink days 1-3 and 8-10. Oh. My. Gosh. That thing was GROSS! I had no idea what to do to make it better on that first day so I just spooned, yes I said spooned it into my mouth. It was as thick as applesauce, but it didn't taste good. At all. Sawyer saw me eating/drinking it and asked me if she could have some. I let her try it and she said "Momma don't drink that. It doesn't taste good." Ha ha ha ha ha…
• After I finally got the Fiber Drink down, I drank some Orange Mandarin Spark. Orange isn't my favorite flavor, but after the Fiber Drink it tasted like Heaven!
• For breakfast I had a scrambled egg and was too full to eat anything else.
• I worked out legs/butt and ran that day!
• For lunch that day I ate with my mom & the kiddos at Chipotle wear I got lettuce, black beans, chicken, tomato, pico, and hot sauce (no rice, cheese, sour cream, or chips) with water with lemon.
• I had a snack of fruit when I got home.
• For dinner I took the Omegaplex pills and then ate grilled chicken and veggies (bell pepper and zucchini with season all) with water.
• I did not have an evening snack.
• I drank plenty of water on my first day - probably 60 oz. or more
• I took the Herbal Cleanse pills at bedtime.

Day 2 was a bit more tricky because I worked 12 hours and didn't adequately prepare the night before.

• I mixed my Fiber Drink with Orange Mandarin Spark this day and it was ooooohhhh so much better!!
• I drank plenty of water all day long
• I had a scrambled egg for breakfast…I know I was supposed to have more, but I was in a hurry and also super full from the Spark/Fiber Drink
• I went to Jason's Deli for lunch and got the Salad Bar! It was amazing because I sprinkled lemon juice over everything and also some banana pepper juice. I love salad's but also love salad dressing so I was kind of dreading it, but the peppers and also olives gave the salad enough kick! See my picture? It looks yummy to me even now!
• I had a small snack of Mangos covered in whole grain oats and fat free yogurt.
• I drank a second Spark that day - I needed it because I worked til 9pm!
• I had a meal replacement shake for dinner because I had back-to-back clients in the evening and no time to eat.
• I didn't have an evening snack.
• I took my Omegaplex caplets before bed

Day 3

• I made a massive fruit smoothie with 2 bananas and 10 strawberries for breakfast and mixed the Spark and Fiber Drink in with that to mask the taste - it worked!
• I didn't have a morning snack
• I did drink a second Spark
• I had tuna with lemon juice and pickles for lunch on whole wheat crackers
• I had celery and raw peanut butter for an afternoon snack
• I drank a meal replacement shake for dinner
• That night I forgot to take the Herbal Cleanse caplets before bed :(

Day 4

• I was sooo glad to not have to drink the Fiber Drink this day!!
• I took the Probiotic Restore Ultra pills 30 minutes before eating
• I ate a scrambled egg for breakfast & fat free greek yogurt with strawberries and drank a Spark
• I didn't have a morning snack OR a second Spark
• I ate at Jason's Deli again and got the same salad without dressing
• Drank plenty of water all day long
• I had apples and mango in dried whole weat oats and yogurt as a snack
• I worked out for the 2nd time this week - arms, shoulders, abs, & running
• I took the OmegaPlex with dinner
• I had a yummy dish of brown rice, shrimp, garlic, spinach, red bell pepper, and squash! So tasty!
• I did not have an evening snack
• I forgot to take my Herbal Cleanse caplets for the second night in a row :(

Day 5

• Day 5 was a lot easier because we were all 4 home together! 
• I took the ProBiotic pills before breakfast
• For breakfast I had 2 scrambled eggs, 3 grapes, 2 strawberries, and 3 apple slices with raw peanut butter with a spark
• I went straight to workout after my breakfast! I ran, did legs/butt and abs - total of 3 workouts for the week
• I had a second spark after my workout
• I didn't have any daytime snacks
• I ate tuna with lemon juice and pickles on whole wheat crackers for lunch
• I drank plenty of water all day
• I took my Omegaplex with dinner
• We made yummy shish-ka-bobs for dinner! They had pineapple, grilled chicken, green bell pepper, red potatoes, and fresh green beans as a side! Best dinner yet!!
• I had yogurt & oat covered mango for "dessert"
• I had plenty of water all day :)
• I FINALLY remembered my Herbal Cleanse caplets before bed!!!

Day 6

• I took the ProBiotic Pills before breakfast
• I drank a Spark and had a whole lotta fruit for breakfast! I was at Ginni's birthday party and it was super super tempting because there was a bunch of sweets, and that's my sweet spot! But luckily there was a lot of good fresh fruit :)
• I didn't have a snack or a second Spark
• For lunch, I had sushi with brown rice - Yum! I'm starting to mix it up a little.
• I had a small glass of 1% milk and a Muscle Milk protein bar as a snack
• I took Omegaplex with dinner
• We ate dinner at Mi Cocina for Ginni's 30th birthday and it was tempting, but I managed to not eat chips or salsa! Yay! I got Tilapia with veggies and beans and it was good!
• I didn't have a snack and I actually remembered to take the Herbal Cleanse caplets!

Day 7

• On day 7 I drank a Spark and had a Meal Replacement Shake for breakfast at church :)
• We took Casey to the airport so for lunch we ate out - I had turkey on wheat with lettuce, tomato, and banana peppers, with no dressing
• I didn't have a snack or a second Spark
• For dinner I took my Omegaplex and had brown rice, shrimp, garlic, spinach, red bell pepper, & squash (again)! 
• I had the munchies so my evening snack was a Muscle Milk protein bar with a small glass of 1% milk

I didn't cheat at all my first week and I am down 3 lbs!! I cannot believe it! I have more energy and am feeling good. :) Can't wait to see how the next couple of weeks goes. :)

Zoo day///Vday

I love Valentine's Day. It's probably because I love my Valentine!

This year I got to sleep in a bit and then got breakfast in bed - always a winner, especially if you're a mom of 2 kids under 2! ;)

Having small children definitely changes things up a bit when it comes to celebrating anniversaries and Valentine's Day! Casey & I have always enjoyed celebrating these events in a big way and while some find it cheesy, or think it's Hallmark's way of getting some extra cash, I have always loved how special Casey makes the day for me! I always know it will be fun, and this year was no different, even though we celebrated with the kiddos. :) 

Casey took the day off and we went to the zoo!!! It was perfect weather and because it was February, the Dallas Zoo does something called "Penguin Days" where adult admission is only $5. So our entire family got into the zoo for only $10 since the kiddos are under 2, and therefore, free!! Yay! My grandma still gives me Valentine's (which I so appreciate!!) and this year she gave me $20 in my card. Guess how much we spent that day? $8 for parking, $10 on tickets, & $2 on a carousel ticket for Sawyer = $20. Awesome. ;)

Heehee, he's so cute! :)

We enjoyed a picnic lunch at the zoo!  

 

My cutie little Valentine decked out in pink! :)

Zoo fun!

After the zoo we all came home and took a good nap! We were worn out from our day of walking! Next up on the Valentine's Day agenda was a movie! Casey & I dropped Sawyer off at his sister's house in Sachse and then headed to AMC at Firewheel to use a gift card that we had (Thanks, Pruitts!). We saw Argo! Not at all a romantic comedy, but we loved it! I love movies that are historically based and mostly true. Good stuff. Most of the movies we've enjoyed lately have been similar…Zero Dark Thirty, Lincoln, etc. 

Here was our little Valentine setup, haha.

 The day before I had done a little craft with the kiddos for Casey…Paint EVERYWHERE. It is incredibly hard to open a newborn's hand for a handprint…now I know why they do footprints at the hospital!!

My beautiful bouquet of flowers from Casey!

 Here's a compilation of my sweet family on Valentine's Day!

I LOVE them! :) 

Happy 9th Valentine's Day to my hubby!

C+L=5

Casey & I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary on December 29, 2012! In the past we have gone out of town or stayed in a hotel in Dallas for a few days to celebrate, but being that we had a 9-day-old baby this year we stayed home. ;) Casey's parents came over to watch Sawyer while Casey, Dayton, & I went to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner and dessert! We love their chicken nachos and get them every time along with their 35th Anniversary cheesecake! Yum!!! I also like to get their cafe mocha coffee. It's $5, but so worth it! We had a great little date and Dayton slept through the entire thing.  ;)

It was the perfect way to celebrate our anniversary a little low-key this year.

Before heading out to dinner!

 

Our 3rd wheel ;)

 

We look tired because we are tired.

9 straight days of being up throughout the night with a newborn and worn out during the day by a toddler! ;)

Happy 5 year anniversary to the love of my life! :)

Daddy's Day!

Casey's 2nd Father's Day was a lot of fun! We went to eat at Brady's Burgers after church (we had a $25 gift card! Hey-O!) and he opened his present from Sawyer & I. I made him a cute homemade card with a picture of him and Sawyer (my last picture of them both looking at the camera and smiling was from Easter! haha. I think pregnancy has made me a little more lax about picture taking than I use to be;) Inside the card he found 2 tickets and a parking pass to a Friday night Ranger's game (the only night they do fireworks)! He also got a new pair of sunglasses. The boy is kind of obsessed with sunglasses right now. He goes through spurts of what he likes…last year for his birthday he was obsessed with shoes and got 3 pair (all athletic or basketball types) and right now he has 3 pair of sunglasses. Kind of funny. Sometimes he gets obsessed with gadgets and it ends up being a digital Christmas for him. Anyone else get on kicks like that? I think it's funny and kind of cute. :) He's still like a big kid! Haha!

Here are a couple of picture's of Daddy's Day!

 

Confessions of a Pregnant Woman

Today on my way home from Mesquite I stopped at Sonic to get a drink during Happy Hour. I planned to get a cherry-limeade since it's caffeine-free and I'm not drinking caffeine trying not to drink as much caffeine. While I was waiting in line to order I was thinking about how good the mozzarella sticks sounded with some ranch! But then I thought back to what my doctor said about avoiding fried foods and desserts (super sad he said that because it totally bums me out every time I have dessert). So, anyway, I decided to just order the drink and forgo the yummy mozzarella sticks.

But then, my entire ride home on hwy 30 I thought about those amazing mozzarella sticks and how my cherry-limeade just wasn't complete without them. So when I took my exit home I stopped at the Sonic by my house and order the mozzarella sticks. :) The girl asked me if I wanted a drink since it was Happy Hour and I told her no, but then when I pulled up to the window she asked again and then saw my large Sonic drink in my cup holder and said, "oh, you've already been to Sonic today." I just smiled and said, "yep" and then hung my head in shame.

I have never before stopped at 2 Sonics within a 15 minute period. Until now.

Happy 1st Birthday Sawyer!!!

Sawyer's 1st Birthday came and went in a blur. I am so glad friends and family took pictures for me so that I could go back and enjoy her party every time I look at them! Sawyer started the day off acting a little sick (if you don't remember, she had a horrible stomach virus the day before--which I prayed and prayed would go away before the party and it did!).  She took a really early nap (around 9:00) and slept until the party started at noon! She had a little bottle and then we got started! She was in a great mood and seemed to love all of the people at our house! (I had been preparing myself for a melt down so that my expectations weren't too high, but that didn't happen!! What a sweetie!)

We had 35 friends and family in our home to celebrate sweet Sawyer's 1st birthday and I am so happy to say that I have everyone in a picture - even if they are just in the background :) Some of the fellas tried to avoid cameras at all costs. :) This post is picture heavy…sorry about that, but I wanted to put as many pictures in as I could for my own records. :)

Happy 1st Birthday, Sawyer!!! :)

The Food
We served pasta salad, chicken sandwiches, turkey sandwiches, veggie shooters, fruit & fruit dip, chips & dip, chocolate-covered marshmallows, popcorn (flavors were watermelon, coconut, and banana) white cupcakes, and chocolate cake! 
It was super yummy!

The Presents
Sawyer received so much! We are truly blessed! She got a swing set, radio flyer wagon, turtle sand pit, new big girl car seat, many toys, lots of clothes, and other super cute stuffed animals, and odd and ends! We appreciate it all and have already had fun with a lot of it! :)

The cake

This is the area in which I should have lowered my expectations a little! I had envisioned her tearing into her  cake and it being so entertaining, but instead she ate it little piece by little piece and in between bites she just smiled at the crowd. :) She was super cute & sweet--and very clean. Haha! I guess I thought she would dig in, because only 2 days prior, she got really into her cupcake at Playschool. Maybe she got it all out of her system then? Haha. Really though, she is more social than anything and would rather watch the people watching her than eat cake. :) She clapped after we sang "Happy Birthday" to her and also several other times if someone else clapped or said "yay!". She's so funny. :)

The People

I think I got a picture of just about everyone…whether in the foreground or background. I'm sure when Sawyer is older she will love looking back to see who came to her 1st birthday!! Sawyer had 4 grandparents and 5 great-grandparents in attendance. She had 3 cousins and 3 other little friends attend (all ages 5 and under!). Overall there were 35 people who came to see her on her 1st birthday!! She is one very blessed little girl!

The details
Casey, Ginni, & I worked pretty hard on this party! I wanted the theme "April Showers Bring Sawyer Flowers" way back when I first started thinking of her party (My birthday is also in April and I've always thought it was a great time to be born! Haha)…and I thought flowers and umbrellas would be a cute theme. I'm sure we'll be doing Easter Egg Hunt parties in the future like I did as a kid. ;) I made a cute photo banner of Sawyer every month since she was born - 13 pictures in all - 0-12 months old. 
We had flower cake, flower cupcakes, and flower marshmallows. We had shovels and rakes as serving spoons. Straws were in a little watering can and little flower pots held the food labels. Each child received a cookie favor in the shape of a flower in a cute little flower pot! We had flowers all over the house and umbrellas with rain drops hung from the ceiling. I had so much fun with the details!!

Sweet Sawyer Grace,

I hope you know how much your daddy & I love you. It is certainly a crazy amount! I cannot imagine a sweeter baby than you. I hope your 2nd year of life is as fun and special as the first. 

I love you SOOO much. 

Love, Momma