Postpartum Fitness Goals

It's the beginning of a new month and I'm finally starting to feel myself again. My blood pressure is seemingly controlled by medicine for the time being and I have even decreased my dosage since delivery three (almost four) weeks ago. Eventually I hope to come off of it completely and there's no reason for me to believe I can't do that. Anyway...

3 Weeks Postpartum

I feel pretty good! I've started jogging again, but won't resume any other workouts until I'm cleared by my doctor. I hope she will tell me I can at my six week appointment that will be here before I know it. Getting back outside and sweating has been slow going. I've already improved a lot, though. I started off barely able to run a mile, but I'm building up to feeling strong again.

Here are my Postpartum Goals for the next couple of months:

1. Run 50 miles in September

2.Train & complete a half marathon in November (I haven't signed up yet, but I'm planning to do a race I've been wanting to do for awhile now. I hope I see a lot of improvement in my run pace over the next month.)

3. Confidence

4. Lose the remaining baby weight. I'm currently at 126 lbs. and I feel most comfortable at 120. I was almost at my goal but my milk was decreasing too much so I had to start eating more calories to keep that up for baby. It's not that I was dieting-not at all. I just find it difficult to find time to eat when I'm taking care of all three babes.

5. That brings me to my next point. I want to start eating better. I need to fuel this body and nourish Merit's. In the past, I was healthiest when I ate clean for at least two meals a day. I'd like to get back to that.

6. More water. Always.

What are your health goals this month?

Life is good, too.

It's almost as if I owe it to ya to post something fun. The stresses of the past few months haven't totally rained on our parade. We've been making sweet memories, too. This past weekend was just what I needed! It started off on Friday when my pal from college brought her sweet one year old over to play. The boys were napping so it was just us and I was free to chat with her and enjoy the company of her adorable daughter. It was almost strange to me because I had to keep myself from signing and every time she made a babbling noise, I almost jumped for joy at her trick before realizing again that it was likely normal for her. I can't wait until I can hear Baby A do the same. Music to my ears.

Friday night we let the boys eat ice cream IN FRONT OF THE TV (big mistake) while we watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. They were in heaven. I was happy to see them happy...and happy that I ran that afternoon because I was shoveling in the ice cream, too.

Saturday brought more wedding festivities for my best friend's upcoming big day. We drove to a nearby city to try on bridesmaid dresses. I will be postpartum on the day of the wedding so we're just going to guess what size I'll be and roll with it. Makes me nervous! Anyway, it was awesome to hang out with some ladies I haven't seen in such a long time. It made me happy to just be able to pick right up where we left off. Making new friends is hard sometimes and there's something so beautiful about old ones.

That night, J and I got a babysitter and enjoyed dinner and a movie. We ended up watching The Edge of Tomorrow and it was better than I expected. The other option he gave me sounded pretty terrible so I'm glad I ultimately chose this one. Good choice.

Sunday was nice, too. My friend who lives in sunny Florida was in for the weekend and came to stay with us that evening! The two of us went to see The Fault in Our Stars and then took ridiculously hilarious selfies in the parking lot that nearly sent me into labor. When I (finally) calmed down enough to drive home, we were greeted with a fancy, new Big Green Egg being put together. My husband and I have been saving up forever to get one and thanks to a family friend who gave us a great deal, we were able to purchase one. There's no buyer's remorse here, but we are seriously in that really uncomfortable financial range again that we have used it every single night since then. Must make it make sense! Every time a new medical bill arrives in the mail I get twitchy and want to fire up the grill.

There. Proof that life is still fun in our household.

Bullet Points of Things You Should Know

*I'm trying to figure out if I still blog. I have increasingly picked up my pen and paper journal over the last few weeks, something I haven't done regularly for about a year! I just noticed that some of you were leaving/unsubscribing and I thought you might be tired of me talking about the struggles we've been having lately. Not that it matters, really- I know this is my blog and I can write freely, but at the same time I wonder myself if this is something I should continue to share.
*This busy season of our lives has me away from the computer a lot, too. Yesterday was one of the worst days I've had this entire pregnancy. I woke up feeling sick, but I just tried to ignore and drink lots of water. I went about my day, dropping off the kids at school and decided to go shopping to look for baby items. As I walked through the stores, I stayed near the restrooms thinking that any minute I was going to need them. It was the first trimester all over again. I finally capitulated and came home to rest before I had to pick the boys up at two. When I woke up from my nap, I felt really really awful. When I got home from getting them, I put them to sleep despite one of them already having a nap that day and crawled in bed myself. I spent the evening violently ill and having pretty regular contractions. I was alarmed, but around 11pm last night, I started to feel slightly better.
*I have no less than 80 billion mosquito bites on my pasty white legs. I feel so hot. ;)
*My pal from college has written another book. Book 2 in the Ethereal Underground Trilogy is available today on Amazon! Here's more about it:

Mark of Deceit

By Brooke Kennedy and Briana Gaitan

Book two in the Ethereal Underground Trilogy

Release Date 6/3/2014

Available TODAY at Amazon  $2.99 (Other formats coming soon)

Good Read Summary

Goodreads Link

Website

She thought that her Elders would welcome her back home with open arms…
He thought that she would stay by his side forever…
Now a friend is missing….
They thought the seer’s words were just that…words
But not all is as it seems….

Months later, Ash and Annalise have both returned to their separate lives after their adventure in the forbidden layer of Cabalin, Both of them are struggling to move on with their lives. Fighting has kept Ash busy for the most part, but it allows him to release his frustrations and earn some gems to survive. He thought renouncing the keepers would free him, but he ended up losing his way. Annalise is plagued by nightmares and emotions that are even more out of control than before. She is desperate for an answer, desperate for a way out, until the Elders offer her exactly what she needs: a way to break the bond with Ash in return for her compliance with their own mission

Author Links

Briana Gaitan

www.facebooks.com/booksbybree

www.bookswithbree.com

Brooke Kennedy

www.facebook.com/beneaththesilvermoon

www.brookekennedy.org

Launch Party/ Book Signing

https://www.facebook.com/events/236615703206203/

I hope you'll check it out. I haven't read it yet, but I look forward to it when life slows down a bit here.

*I'm still taking classes. I worked ahead when my latest class became available and was able to do next to nothing for about three weeks. It has been strange. Such a big difference from last semester. I need to get to work and finish up the other four weeks of assignments now. That would be so helpful to not have that to worry about as baby's arrival gets closer and closer.

*In case you didn't know, I'm 29 weeks along. Whoa Nelly.

*Exciting things are coming up for my business. This summer, I'll be attending at least two local 5Ks where I'll be setting up shop. This is your chance to come and shop in person. Follow along on facebook for more information. Additionally, I have several new designs up and coming! We're expanding to provide men's and children's gear, too. Here's the latest shirt. It's my new fav:

Like it? Shop here.

*Ok, I've got to start my day now. Wish me luck that it's not a repeat of tomorrow. Pretty, please?

Love,

Leg Day Exercises

Hey, friends! I don't know about you, but I've been slacking this week in my workouts. It's not much of an excuse but I've been so busy and when I've had the opportunity to rest, I've taken it. For the past few days, I felt like my morning sickness was trying to return...

and no. 

I just refuse. 

Anyway, I enjoy coming up with my own exercise routines. It keeps me challenging myself and prevents me from getting comfortable doing the same old thing. Here's one of my recent leg workouts I hope you'll try. I've included some videos below in case you don't know what something is, but if it's not linked just youtube it. 

(Weighted Squats, Mountain Climbers, Hip Bridge + Leg Lift, Donkey Kicks, Squat + Back Kick, Plank, Wall Sit)

Have a great day!

To Keep You Apprised

I wrote a long post yesterday that will probably never be published. I talked about the rough time we've had as a couple since we moved home and the growing indifference I'm beginning to feel about this decision with J's job. Maybe I meant all of it, maybe I meant none of it. Regardless, in the archives it will stay because I can't bring myself to share that much. We were supposed to know the decision by now, but we were contacted- instructed to wait until tomorrow for news. I can still honestly say that we desire God's plan for our lives so we aren't very worried about what will happen. We also don't really want to move, but I suppose that's not off the table. The thing that makes me nervous is that I really like Cleveland. It is a great community of believers and it feels like home already. I have a running trail just minutes from my house. We found a church we enjoy. I can go out to TJMaxx and run into extended family there. I can't tell you how comforting that is after years of moving every year and never having anyone that can just stop by your house to visit or run into a loved one out in town. It gets incredibly lonely. All these reasons make me nervous because usually if I like the place we're living that means we are about to leave. It happened in Alaska, Georgia, and Florida. Just when I started to settle in with friends, a church, and a happy little life, the Army took us other places. 

Tomorrow also brings with it other news. Baby A (who is looking a lot less like a baby and a lot more like a little man!) has an appointment to have the ABR done. They are going to try to do it without sedation which I think is a pipe dream, but maybe it will work. I just hate to think of another wasted trip to Chattanooga, hours at the doctors office, and hours paying a babysitter only to learn nothing new. Sounds like life to me, though. Speaking of my dear middle child, he is changing so much! His hair is starting to curl like his big bro's and he's running all over the house to try to keep up. Toy scuffles are frequent and he is often winning.

Cray K holds his own, though. He is an incredibly sweet and feisty two year old. There are some days that I'm amazed he's mine. He wants to hold my hand all day, leading me around to show me things. "Watch this, Money!" "Take hand, take hand." He says the funniest things. At night when we pray, every name mentioned he is sure to tell us where they are which is "home". He also answers with "Of course!" more often than not. Would you like to go to the grocery store? "Of course!" It's just funny peeking into his brain. This is totally a mom paragraph, isn't it? Anyway, he's mostly sweet but as toddlers do he is often a fit-pitching crazy man. You never know what you're gonna get.

We love our boys...and we're looking forward to finding out the sex of the little avocado sized babe in my belly. It will be nice to pick out a name and start imagining the little personality and face of our third child. It's something to look forward to.

I have so much more to tell you. I've been a busy gal. I'm signed up (and Paid In Full- eek) to go back to school in a few weeks. I'm very nervous. I signed up for two online classes which is going to be incredibly difficult with the little ones at home. Last time I only had one class and it was hard to stay on top of things, but here's my theory: I excel the busier I am. I remember one semester as an undergrad that I took something like 18 or 19 hours and I OWNED it. Maybe that's what will happen this time. I'm busy with school, but I'm also busy raising our family and starting a business! I will tell you more about it in time but it involves combining two of my passions: faith and fitness. I'm excited about it and I hope you will be, too!

Speaking of exercise, I've been able to do it more regularly. As the weather warms up, I've been hitting the pavement more often, running mostly to clear my mind. It's unreal how much slower this pregnant belly of mine has made me. It's embarrassing, but I figure movement is better than no movement at all so I keep truckin'. I certainly feel like a semi when I'm out on the trail. When I'm not outside jogging, I use the weights in my home gym and enjoy a bike ride inside. If we find out J's job isn't affected by the downsizing, we are going to join the Y. I hope I stay passionate about being active during this pregnancy. Lord willin' I want to be jogging until the day I go into labor!

That's enough of an update. I had better go make these boys their breakfast. Happy middle-of-the-week, friends.

Regards,

10 Week Bumpdate

I have had absolutely zero desire to document this pregnancy process. The only thing in the back of my mind was that I had faithfully posted photos and info with K & A and I was going to leave this poor little one out? Ugh. I guess I can't do that. Plus lots of people said they "couldn't wait" for my weekly posts to start about the baby on my blog. If that was you and you were being sarcastic- ha! Joke's on you because I sorta believed you. I'm sorry. Anyway, I assure you these won't happen every week because I can't stick to that sort of commitment. It's too much pressure. I shall update you as I see fit...and ten weeks felt like a good place to start!

Baby is the size of: a prune

Weight: 118 (+0)

Symptoms: I have been so sick. Some days, I can't drag myself off the couch longer to make food for the kids and change their stinky diapered bottoms. I have had a few gloriously mostly sick-free days lately and so I'm hoping the all day sickness is on its way out of my life.
I also have headaches, shortness of breath, racing heart, and backaches, in case you were wondering.
Cravings: Lucky Charms (and yes, I totally indulged)

Boy/Girl: We don't know what this little one is obviously, but when I ask K what he thinks he usually says "Baby Sister". I will be happy to just be a boy mom, but I know I'll be thrilled to hear I'm having a girl, too. I guess we will find out in about 6-10 weeks. At my first ultrasound, the doctor's first words were, "Well, there's only one" and I was thanking the good Lord for that!

Exercise: On my good days, I've been getting active. I haven't modified many of my workouts, although when I go for a run and I am much slower than I was. I also don't run as far. Typically, I run a 5k and call it a day. As far as other workout days? I've been doing T25 and lots of pinterest workouts + cardio.

New Things: Last week, I just looked like I had a few too many cheeseburgers. This week, I definitely popped out a bit. I look pregnant now. I always seem to show early, though. I'll spare you the picture. I'm still embracing the changes my body is going to go through again and until then...black is my friend.

Arms & Abs

Many of you ask me how I find time to workout with the kids and I just wanted to address that quickly. It's hard. It is. When your kids are running you ragged and then magically, they finally sleep at the same time, sometimes you just want to sit there and do nothing. Working out isn't always the first thing I want to do either. It's a choice...but I encourage you to take every opportunity to be active. It will make you feel better in the long run. Of course, there are days when I decide a long, hot bath and a good book would do more for my soul and those are good days, too. I'm not knockin' those. 

A huge part for me in finding time to workout is being able to get creative here at home. We have slowly started to piece together a small home gym. I say that with aspiration in my voice. We hope one day to have a home gym...right now it's some free weights, resistance bands, some workout DVDs and a stationary bike! My point is, you can work out anywhere. Use your body as your weights if you don't have any. Yesterday, I promised to share one of my workouts with you. I wanted to show you exactly what I did this week, but my kids are tugging at my pjs, looking up at me waiting to be fed so the detailed post of specific exercise routines will have to wait. I've got priorities, man.

Anyway, pinterest has been huge in helping to keep me motivated. I like to pin exercises and reference them frequently. Lately, I've tried these and would recommend them:

Also, try these moves to workout your arm muscles without the strain on your wrists.

These are always good, too-

When people ask me what I do to workout my arms and abs, I immediately pick out planking as the best thing to do for both. You can plank anytime, anywhere (if you don't mind odd looks) and you can try to beat your own times. I usually throw in a 3 minute plank at the end of every workout I do. Try to plank every day. Do it. I dare you.

Additionally, there's a workout trainer app called Skimble that I utilize when I'm feeling very uninspired and need a little kick. It's free!

Have you pinned any exercises that I should add to my boards?

Running, Giving, and Living

(Lame title brought to you by lack of creativity and time.)

Well, it has happened again. Every place we end up, I inevitably make a friend that doesn't have a job like me and we are free to hangout most of the day. No plans are involved- just a daily "Hey, wanna go for a walk? or grab some coffee? or watch LMN all day long?" Ok, so maybe I'm just dreaming on the last one. The point is that all good things come to an end. My sister has been walking to my house in the mornings and having a cup of coffee or two after everyone in the house leaves for work since I've moved back here. It has been lovely! But she has always been a working woman at heart, one who wants to work outside the home, one who thrives in that atmosphere. She goes back to work today and I'm just sitting here with my coffee and computer wondering how I'll start my day now. I guess the laundry calls.

I suppose I can start the day off by telling you of a way you can financially help a friend in need. I don't actually know this couple, but I do know the woman who set up the fundraiser. She's one of the strongest people I know. Her husband, Brice, is a veteran. They've been through a lot together over the course of his service and now his family is in need. Nicole is raising money for his aunt and uncle who have dealt with endless medical bills and now have lost their hot water heater. Every little bit helps! If you do choose to donate and donate at least $15, she'll throw your hat in the ring to win a diamond candle (every additional $5 will get you another entry). Go check out that opportunity to spread the love here. If you donate, be sure to let me know and I'll advertise for your small business or throw your blog button up on my side bar for a month or two!

Tuesdays are the days when I update you on my fitness goals/progress, right? I wish I had great news to report. I'm struggling getting into a good routine here. I know that will change when we get into a home of our own. I made several goals this month. Honestly, I don't know that I'll accomplish a single one. The main goal was to do fifty miles in September. After 100 in May, I though that is should be easy but between getting sick and house hunting, I have had little time to get away to run. No excuses, though. I'm at 31 now and it is still a reachable goal. The Marine Mud Run was this past weekend. I got up bright and early with my husband, my bro, and step-mom and went for a run in the pouring down rain. The obstacle course ended up being a lot of fun and I did better than I thought I would. I wish we had pictures to show for it, but the rain and mud would have ruined my camera and no one in their right mind would have come to watch us that day. The rain was awful.

Later that day, we went house hunting again after the second house we made an offer on fell through. I'm hoping third time is the charm, though. We are in negotiations with another house that we love. It's the opposite of everything we initially said we wanted, but it just feels like home. Regardless, we need to find something soon or Mama is gonna go crazy. Maybe I already have.

What else is new? Not a lot. I apologize for not keeping up with all of your blogs right now. Being unsettled means not having a lot of me time in my schedule. I try to read from my phone/ipad but I rarely comment.

These photos have nothing to do with this post.

No one likes a post without a picture, ya know.

That's what has been going on around these parts. 

What's happening in your neck of the woods?

Pinned It, Tried It, Liked It

Shield your eyes, my friends. If you're a chocolate addict like I am, you're not going to want to see this....or you're really really going to want to see this. It's one or the other. I stumbled across this easy homemade brownie recipe and I had all the ingredients here at the house. Not good for my figure, but man! Good for the soul.

Source: fakeitfrugal.blogspot.com via Mrs. on Pinterest

Perchance this will balance it all out?

Source: womenshealthmag.com via Mrs. on Pinterest

I love Jill...and this ab routine is different than the run of the mill ones you see all over pinterest. I like it.

Here's another terrible for you recipe that I found on Pinterest. These are so tasty. In the post she says they come out thin like the square break-away cookies you find at the grocery store, but that wasn't at all true for my batch. It probably has a lot to do with me not having a fancy schmancy mixer and having to do it by hand. That's probably why I never bake. Anyway, this was my first successful made-from-scratch cookie.

Here's the pin:

Source: crazyforcrust.com via Mrs. on Pinterest

That's all I've got for you today. Have you tried any good pins lately? Do tell.

Challenge Recap

It was so fun to begin this journey with the gals in the Spring Challenge 5k. It inspired me to run and before I knew it, I was attempting to run 100 miles in May. What started out as a virtual training accountability measure became a lifestyle change for me. Running is a part of my every week now and I've fallen in love with the high it gives me.

I completed the 5k on June 1st with my little family. We ended up walking to get sushi and walking back home. We took it easy because I had just finished up my goal of running 100 miles in a month and I was experiencing some tendinitis pains toward the end. I'm proud of what I've accomplished over the last few weeks and am looking forward to making and achieving more fitness goals in the coming months. My latest challenge I'm partaking in is this-

 I've got some fun things going on over the next few weeks so hopefully I'll be able to stick with this despite traveling and such. I will say- those sit-ups are already hard! I can't imagine day thirty at this point. We'll see how it goes. I'm anxious to see how my bod will change this month.

Who wants to attempt this with me?

Youth is Wasted on the Young

Do you feel young? Me? I guess it depends on the day. Put me with my running partner and I feel really young. I know I can keep up with her. She's barely legal to drink, runs marathons, and is in a very different stage of life. She bounces around as we jog like it's no sweat to her to run across our entire state. She doesn't tug at her running gear or clothes, hoping everything is in the right place. She just shows up to feel her body do something it's meant to do (be active) and isn't worried about losing weight. She nonchalantly chats with me as I try intensely to focus on my breathing. Still, I leave with a proud feeling, knowing that I just ran with someone that was still in high school after I had long graduated from college.

As soon as I am home, though and the chasing of babies commences, I am catapulted into a world where twenty seven feels old. My back aches. I try to practice yoga with my oldest son and I find it incredibly difficult. Meanwhile, K is soaking it all in and trying what I try. He'll be better at it than I am in no time. My wrists give me a hard time and I find myself wondering what it must be like to have the flexible, durable limbs and joints of my almost two year old. Then I wonder how different it will all be in just five short years. 

As I get older, I'm becoming more and more appreciative of the body I do have. I think it's important to recognize my own strengths and play off of them. You're never too old to start being more active and intentional in life. Who says you're too old for a handstand on the beach? Who cares what anyone might think? I'm going to enjoy the youth I have left in me (By the way, I think we all have some youth left in us)!

Never stop changing, never stop growing.

But seriously, youth is wasted on the young.

Fitness Progress & Goals

Hey, fit friends. Tuesdays are the days I like to weigh in and track my fitness progress. KTJ created a bloggy wide 5K that we're all preparing for on June 1st. Are you doing it, too? Link up today and tell us how your goals are progressing.

As far as running goes, I'm doing well. You may remember that I made this my main fitness goal for May:

I haven't had a chance to go running today, but after my run yesterday I was up to 65 miles so far. It may not be that impressive to a lot of you, but as someone who really never enjoyed running this is incredible to me. I look forward to running now and I'm proud to be completely drenched in sweat by the end of a long run. Sure, I've done half marathons before but there's something about the atmosphere of a race that will give you the push to finish- it's something else entirely that gets you up off the couch every day to go for a run when no one is standing on the street cheering you on. In the last week, I have broken my 5K and 10K records for time:

Fastest 5K: 28:30

Fastest 10K: 1:08:29

I know, I know. It's not that fast but I'm still proud. Plus, I totally plan on crushing that 10K record by the months end.

Weight: Ehh, I've gained a pound since my last weigh-in. I think it's because I love food too much. Eating clean is delicious. It really is. But when my husband brings home cookie dough to make me happy who am I to not indulge? My problem is when I cheat, I cheat big. I suppose that pound gain could be gained in muscle, but either way I'm not too worried about it. I know this is a process. I would still like to lose 3 more pounds. I'm at:

123 lbs right now.

Progress/Definition: I'm trying to tone up and feel good about myself. I document my progress on Instagram using the hashtag- #mrskgetsfit I love posting photos there because it is encouraging for me to look back and see changes in my body in just a matter of weeks. I know it is motivation for other people, too. I'm seeing results with my stomach and am working toward defining my shoulders and back now. I'm not a fan of my backside but hopefully in a month or two I will start noticing that my hard work is paying off!

Overall: I'm happy to be an example to my boys that staying active is so important. I hope we have many years of playing outside, appreciating good health, and working at staying fit together. I'm so blessed that God has given me two legs with which to run wherever I please! How often I used to take that for granted.

 Anyone else doing 100 miles in May? How's it going for you?

Ants in the Pants

I'd rather hoped I wouldn't be writing this post today or ever, really. Alas, here it is. My parenting fails will be on display for the world to see as soon as I hit publish.

This weekend wasn't a good one for my little tykes. Allow me to explain...

I have two boys who cried wolf. One is really, really the boy who cried wolf while the smaller one only is when he's in the car. I've never had children who enjoyed a good car ride. That's a mystery to me. Anyway, usually Baby A will freak out in the car, screaming very loudly and then he'll be inconsolable for (what will feel like) hours. Lately, though, he has been drifting off to sleep in the car which is a welcomed change. Imagine my delight when he fell asleep on the way to the park on Saturday. I was happy because that could free me up to play with K and J swing. We got to the park, kept Baby A in his car seat, sat him down next to the gate around the park and began to swing as Cray K made friends with some other kids at the playground. 

Baby A slept sweetly for most of the time, but as we began to leave he was waking up. By the time we had trekked across the parking lot, he was angry. By the time the car started up, he was frantic. Again, this was nothing new so we thought, "He just doesn't like the car. He'll calm down when we get out." Wrong.

We attempted to sit down at a restaurant to eat after that but our sweet, easy baby was still pretty unhappy so we ordered to go and the kids and I went out to the car to wait on the food. I put Cray K in the back of the jeep so he could play instead of sticking him in his car seat and making him cry, too. I got out some crayons and a coloring sheet and he played happily for a few minutes. Meanwhile, I'm finally getting Baby A to calm down in my arms. He stopped crying and actually seemed pleasant. Then, a gust of wind, took K's coloring page up, up, up. Always on my toes, I tried to react quickly to retrieve it. I suppose my spatial awareness was off-kilter because when I turned, I whacked poor Baby A's head on the tail light. It made a loud sound and my youngest crunched up his face in the adorably cute way he does and began his slow-to-start wail. I felt hopelessly terrible. K's art work was gone and now I had harmed this tiny second-born child in my arms. Baby A quit crying pretty quickly, there were no red marks or even a bump, and he was acting fine so I pushed the incident from my mind.

We arrived home with food in hand and we decided we would do a little fishing in the backyard pond. 

Before going outside, I remembered I should probably change the little one's diaper. I went to take it off and what did I find? A single black ant. But the rash and bumps on his legs told a different story. It looked like a whole colony of ants was living in his diaper. His little thigh was so eaten up that grief washed over me. I feel absolutely awful for listening to his cries (of pain!) and not thinking much of it. Poor baby had ants in his pants (I would show you a photo, but it would just make you cry).

I guess he got it from me sitting him down in his car seat on the ground. Mom of the year.

Then?

Sunday K's little shoulders turned a pinky hue in the afternoon sun. We were out for such a brief time, I didn't think he would need any sun block.

My sweet boys. I totally failed them this weekend.

I'm sure glad they won't remember! ;)

As always, there were good parts to the last few days, too. J finished up his MBA this weekend so of course we had to celebrate! I'm so proud of him for diligently working on his degree while he parted ways from the Army, job searched, and obtained a great, competitive job. He has been working hard for this family and I'm so grateful God has blessed us with a man like him. Good work, babe!

In celebration, we took a short trip to the beach and REI, our happy place.

 Then afterward, the boys slept so I could go on a run. I decided to do a "ruck run" to the grocery store because we needed a few things. I posted a photo on facebook and got a lot of responses- "What's a ruck run?" Chances are if you're husband is or has been a military man, you know what I'm talking about. In the Army they do "ruck marches" in which they pack and weigh their ruck sacks down and march or run for miles and miles in their ACUs and combat boots. I have a whole new respect for them. Whew! I think they weigh their backpacks down with the equivalent of what supplies they would need to survive to practice for situations in which that would be important. I suppose I could be making that up, though. What do I know? Anyway, here's my much lighter "ruck":

I also only did three miles. Still, I felt like a beast!

Then, I totally canceled out all those calories burned by indulging in a deliciously fried meal. My husband continues to impress me with his cooking endeavors. Yesterday he made crab cakes, hush puppies, and cole slaw. 

Delicious.

How was your weekend? This is the part where you can feel free to tell me your parenting fails, too.