GIVEAWAYS

Have y’all been watching the coverage of the royal wedding?  I just woke up so I need to check in!

I’m excited to announce the winner of the Joss & Main Giveaway is The Richardson’s.  Please email me!  Thank you to everyone who entered!

I also have a month of giveaways scheduled for May!  Check back on the dates listed to enter the giveaway for that day. 

May 1 Belle Hibou

 

May 7 Say It On the Wall

 

May 14 Whimsy Lane

 

May 21 Timeless Settings

 

May 28 A Blissful Nest

Have a great weekend!!

Spring Bag

It seems that every year, about this time, I start itching to get a new bag for Spring.  I got a new bag last November that I still like, but I love seeing the new Spring styles.  If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you probably know I have a thing for Michael Kors.  His Santorini natural tote is a current fave.

  

Kate Spade’s straw bag with “petuna” ribbon is also pretty cute!

This yellow and white stripe leather one is fun too, but I think I need a bag with shoulder straps.

 

And I’ve also love Tory Burch totes.

Trina Turk’s canvas tote with pink and green and shiny patent bottom also caught my eye.
Ahh, so fun to see all the new Spring stuff!  It’s a good thing I’ve been staying out of the stores lately!

*********

P.S.  Today is the last day to enter the $200 e-spree giveaway to Joss & Main.

Losing the Baby Weight

I have struggled with writing this post- started writing it a million times in my head but couldn’t commit it to the blog.  I think it’s because I haven’t reached my “goal” yet, but I decided instead that it might be worthwhile to talk about the process and celebrate my progress, even if I’m still not completely back to my pre-pregnancy body.  And I’m not sure I ever will be since things like wider hips just might be here to stay.  Really, I’m okay with that since I’m pretty small-framed, it’s nice to have some curves!
Let’s start at the beginning. 
All my life I’ve been in pretty good shape, but I didn’t start working out until college.  I liked the way lifting weights helped turn my skinny body into a stronger, more muscular shape.  In the six months before I got pregnant, I was working out with a trainer a couple times a week, doing a couple days of cardio, and eating pretty clean.


My goal was to get in bikini shape for my sister-in-law’s wedding in Vegas that June.  I also colored my hair dark brown!  This pic was taken in Vegas at the Bachelorette party.  I’m about 5’1 and weigh about 106 pounds here.

I also got pregnant that month!  Here I am about two weeks pregnant.  And morning sickness was starting to kick in. 

At the VERY beginning, I liked the changes to my body during pregnancy, i.e. bigger boobs!! ;)  But, then, for the first trimester of my pregnancy, I was exhausted.  I barely made it home from work without falling asleep.  I had no energy.  I stopped working out completely.  I gained weight- fast.  I remember one of my early prenatal visits and when the nurse lifted up my shirt to examine me, she kinda laughed and said, “you’re already wearing maternity jeans?”  Yes, ma’am- my regular pants already didn’t fit. 

I started eating whatever I wanted.  And what I wanted wasn’t healthy.  Things like ice cream and calorie rich Mexican dishes.  And even in the 2nd trimester when my energy returned, I still didn’t work out.  I didn’t work out my entire pregnancy.  I was so miserable, even though I was relatively healthy, but putting so much weight on my small frame was hard on me.  I’ll spare you the gory details.

Fast forward to Christmas.  I remember that all I felt comfortable in was sweatpants- the thin kind you can almost sleep in.  And I still had 3 months to go!  At work, I was miserable - waddling to court and mediations, sweating, and pretty much wearing flip flops daily because my feet wouldn’t fit into regular shoes.

Yet, don’t let that stop me from eating the CHEESECAKE! 

Oh, notice the Wii Fit sitting next to me? I asked my brother for that for Christmas, thinking I could start using it at home during that last trimester.  You guessed it- it’s NEVER been opened!
Mid February- still 6 weeks to go!  Didn’t think I could get any bigger? Ha!  Here I am standing on our home’s foundation, wishing the house would hurry and get finished so we could move in!

And here I am at the very END of my pregnancy, and after gaining about 55 pounds! My poor swollen face and hands! 

Ahhhh, welcoming the arrival of the baby!!  After James was born in March 2010, I was so looking forward to losing weight so that I could feel like myself again.  I was just so uncomfortable during my pregnancy!! 

Within one week, I lost 20 pounds.  James was 7.5 of those:)  Another week later, I had lost 5 more pounds- that’s 25 down, and only 25 to go!  

Even with 25 pounds lost, I was somewhat horrified to discover that, at this point, I still looked pregnant.  (But I’m happy to be standing in my future closet!)

I read this book during my pregnancy, “The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy”, that said regarding the weight loss, “nine months up, nine months down.”  But I didn’t want to believe that.  Not me, I thought smugly.  I’ll be back in 6 months! 

WRONG!

One month after James’ birth, I went back to working out with my trainer (about once a week).  I also began really watching what I ate. 
To achieve the body I’d really love to have, I’d have to eat something like this:
• 6:00 a.m. Half a cup of oatmeal and five egg whites with chopped bell peppers and onions.
• 9:00 a.m. Turkey meatloaf and one rice cake with two tablespoons of cinnamon cottage cheese on top.
• 12:00 p.m. Five ounces of stir-fried chicken with half a cup of brown rice and steamed veggies.”
• 3:00 p.m. Two corn tortillas topped with black beans, pepper, onions and five ounces of grilled chicken.
• 6:00 p.m. Turkey meatloaf with a four-ounce sweet potato and one cup of steamed broccoli.
• 9:00 p.m. Six boiled egg whites, cut in half and stuffed with water-packed canned tuna (mixed with celery, onions, mustard and spices). Plus, one toffuti pop.

**********

But since I’m not trying to get that muscular, or that lean, I eat a modified version that looks more like this:

• 7:00 a.m.  1/2 cup oatmeal with raisins, almond slices, cinnamon, and skim milk.  Coffee with vanilla caramel creamer.
  
• 10:00 a.m.  Greek yogurt with granola, strawberries, and blueberries.
  
• 12:00 p.m.  Chipolte burrito bowl with rice, black beans, chicken, pico, and a little bit of sour cream
  
• 3:00 p.m.  Protein bar or Starbuck’s iced tall mocha.
  
• 6:00 p.m.  Chicken with veggies, shrimp pesto pasta, or turkey burger
  
• 9:00 p.m.  Cereal, hershey kisses, or hot cocoa

Obviously, this is not consistent.  Sometimes I eat better than others, but I am good at eating small portions and stopping when I get full. 
By Mother’s day, 2 months later, I was starting to feel pretty good, but still had a belly and don’t remember what I weighed.

May 2010

June 2010

October 2011

By this time, (7 months), I had lost 40 pounds (Yay!), but with only 15 pounds to go, I kinda lost steam.  Then came the holidays and the toffee and I hit the wall.  I stopped working out with the trainer and just enjoyed all the food that goes with the holidays, probably adding on about 5 pounds.

November 2010

We bought a running stroller, but I only used it a couple of times. 

January 2011

With two months til James turned one, I was really hoping to lose those last 10 pounds.  But although my weight was coming down, I really needed to tone up.  My arms were actually pretty strong (I think from lifting a carrying a 20 pound baby around)!  I started back up with the trainer (still only once or twice a week) and she stressed that I really needed to be doing my cardio and start eating more often (I’d gotten into a habit of eating only breakfast, a light lunch, having a Starbucks in the afternoon and then a not-so-great dinner).
So I started jogging again.  And eating better.

And now, I jog with James in the running stroller a few times a week.  James usually falls asleep and I love the workout and the clarity and peace of mind I get after a run.

I love being outside and we’re fortunate to have a park with a 3-mile track nearby.

 

Last weekend, we went to the beach.  I wore a bikini and didn’t feel embarrassed.  I still am not down to my pre-pregnancy weight- 5 pounds to go, but I’m honestly not concerned with that.  I’m more focused now on gaining muscle, and increasing my cardio.

My brunette hair has been properly dyed back to blond, has grown and been getting regularly cut by my new stylist, and I finally feel like myself again (and my son is almost 14 months old now!)  So 9 months up and 9 months down would’ve been great, but it’s taken me a bit longer. 

These pictures were taken almost exactly one year apart. 

*here's an updated photo from July 2011, taken during a boot camp session.

I shared my story because I know that when I was pregnant, I was really interested in what was going to happen to my body during and after pregnancy.  I would like to be able to say I was all glowy and never felt more beautiful, but for me, the exact opposite was true!  Maybe I’m not that evolved or self-actualized or whatever.

We want to have another baby in the future, so hopefully, I will do pregnancy a little better next time- so that I feel better and enjoy it more!  I would love to hear from you and what worked for you, what didn’t, how you felt about being pregnant, and any other tips you might want to share.

It’s the Little Things

that I often get excited about.  Like just getting out of the house on a weekday afternoon with the babe and stopping by West Elm and finding these Japanese masking tapes 50% off!

There’s no “reasonable” explanation for why I had to have them, nor do I know exactly what I’m going to do with them, except that they make me deliriously happy!
Hope your week is going well friends!

Our Easter Brunch

Our Easter weekend felt so good.  As I sit here writing this post I just feel peaceful, relaxed, and so blessed.  Our son is sound asleep for the night and all I can think is “We.Are.A.FAMILY.”  I think because we did so many “family” things with James this weekend, it’s really sinking in that the three of us completely make up our own family.  We (Jimmy & I) are obviously still our parents’ children, but now WE are the parents and the ones driving the car to the zoo and the beach with OUR little guy in tow!  It’s a little surreal when I stop to consider it. . .

I do have some super cute photos of the zoo and beach trip to share with you, but today I’m giving you a glimpse of our

Last week I shared some of my inspiration photos, and this weekend we had Jimmy’s sister and family over to partake of a lazy Sunday brunch.  I am SO thankful for having a sis-n-law that I love to be around.  She’s funky and cool and sweet and wise (having been a mom for about 8 more years than me, even though she’s younger:), I really appreciate her perspective).  And since they live pretty close, we’re able to spend a lot of time together, which is especially fun with the kids. 

The table was inspired by these $2.00 plates from Target, which kinda remind me of the fun style of Jonathon Adler.  And because they’re plastic, we can use them outside this summer.

James was really clingy, wanting to be held a lot on Sunday, so sista swooped in and played with him in the living room so Jimmy and I could finish cooking.  (That’s the kind of greatness I meant about the sis-n-law- I didn’t even have to ask for her help and then I was relaxed because I could hear James laughing and playing, instead of pulling on my leg.)

Jimmy made the most awesome breakfast potatoes, and I made Barefoot Contessa’s sour cream coffee cake- so delicious!  It’s a new tradition for Christmas, but was so good at Easter too.  We also had pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon.  And coffee!

I took a cue from Hi Sugarplum and planted some herbs in aluminum pails for a fresh addition to the table (they’ll go outside to grow tomorrow).  WalMart sold the herbs in plantable pods for just $3.33 and the pails were $1.00 at Hobby Lobby. 

I’m not a big drinker, but the

 

sure went down easy!

The food was delicious and we lingered at the dining table enjoying easy conversation that comes from lots of time spent together.  We ate too much coffee cake.  We laughed as we watched our nephew put chocolate chips on his pancakes (his request for chocolate chip pancakes came after the last one was cooked, so he got a side of chips instead.) 

After the dishes were cleared, we hung out awhile in the living room, and Jimmy and our nephew played video games (a familiar scene in our house for sure- the couch seats are permanently indented).  James played with his Easter pail and threw the plastic eggs in and out of the bucket.

All gone.

Before they left, we made sure to get a few pics of James and his cousin together.  James is so fascinated by him, but I can see why- that 8-year old kid is one of the funniest, smartest, and coolest kids I know.  I love watching them interact with each other. 

Hope y’all had a wonderful weekend too!