A Trip to the City

My dear husband has been working so hard to finish our basement! I'm truly blessed to have a hard working and talented man! We finally got to the point that we were ready to find the furniture to furnish our entertainment/relaxing area of our basement. Since both my husband and I work outside the home we actually don't enjoy shopping, but we were excited for this little getaway! Last Saturday we were all up and out of the house by 5:00 AM (ON A SATURDAY).

We had an appointment in Ft. Collins at 8:30 AM with Black's Glass to pick up the custom mirror for the fitness room in our basement. If anyone is ever looking for a custom mirror in Northeast Colorado or the Front Range, I 'highly' recommend Black's Glass! They are a small company, but absolutely wonderful to deal with. They were very timely in responding to our emails and very reasonably priced. They even agreed to meet us on Saturday to pick up the mirror even though they're typically not open on the weekends. The gentlemen that met us was also extremely helpful in making sure we had the mirror safely loaded and tied down in the trailer to minimize the risk of it breaking. It was just great to see a company focus so much on customer service! Thanks to one of my readers who recommended them! We're not quite ready to install it as we're finishing up the floor and trim first, but I will be certain to share a picture of my new home gym when we get it all finished!

One other stop I so desperately wanted to make was at Goldworks! About a 1 1/2 years ago I had to have my wedding ring resized after losing some weight and let's just say there was a slight malfunction in the process. My very sweet husband decided to have a new ring designed, which integrated the diamonds from my original wedding ring. Again, the customer service we received from Tom & Sandy with Goldworks was amazing! Through the process of having my new custom ring designed and made, Josh was able to visit Tom Linnenberger, see the equipment he uses and pick out the new diamonds, but it never worked out for me to meet him. I was so excited to meet them on Saturday, get my ring cleaned and have them resize another ring for me.

The kiddos were then super hungry so we asked Tom & Sandy where they recommended us to have lunch. They recommended Austin's Grill. The was by far the best salad I've ever enjoyed! It had salmon, a light dressing, perfectly ripe avocado, and other goodies! Joshua enjoyed the chicken pot pie and the kids had some pretty typical kid favorites... macaroni, corn dog and of course ice cream! 

Even the presentation of the salad was delightful!

I'm not sure what his deal was, but his pouty face makes me giggle!

Time to fight over the ice cream!

 

Love this sweet girl... and yes I had ONE bite of her ice cream!

It was finally time to go furniture shopping and gather some additional construction supplies!

We've enjoyed working on these house projects as a family!

Jayce had to get comfortable to help us decide on furniture! 

Kylee & Jayce discovered an Etch-A-Scetch at one of the furniture stores.  

We were sad when we realized they had never played on one before!

Here's the best way to test furniture... my sweet boy taking a nap!

 

It was an incredibly long day but I was so pleased with the customer service we experienced at each and every stop!

We know word of mouth is the best advertising, so I just wanted to share our wonderful experiences with these businesses!


 Blessings,

 Krystal

How to Get Started

With a new year fast approaching, we all get excited about a fresh start and tend to focus on our health a little bit more.  I am by no means an expert nor do I have all of the answers, but am honored that a sweet friend came to me for some help on how to get started with a running plan and lifestyle change.  There are so many resources out there that it can definitely be overwhelming.  Here are the top 10 tips on how to get started.  Again these are just tips that helped me get started and have helped me maintain this new lifestyle for the last 18 months.

1.  Set a 'reasonable' and 'measurable' goal, as well as a non-food reward!  
    ~  Sign up for a race
    ~  A weight loss goal.  If weight loss is a goal make sure that you not only record your weight, but also your measurements (i.e. chest, hips, waist, hips, thigh, calf, neck).  Through this journey there may be periods of time where your weight may stabilize (or even slightly increase), that's why it's good to have your measurements too.  Also, please make sure that you don't weigh yourself more than once a week.  It is so easy to allow this area of your life to become an idol and we can easily get obsessed with this number.
    ~  An increase in distance or speed by a specific date
    ~  Make sure that your goals are high enough that you must develop consistency in your lifestyle to achieve, but not too high that you set yourself up for failure.
    ~  Once you reach your goal, quickly establish a new one so that you stay motivated and focused.
    ~  Establish a reward for yourself when you achieve your goal.  This could be a new outfit, new gear, a trip to the spa, a quiet day to yourself etc.

2.  Establish Accountability!  
    ~  Find a friend working on the same goal.  Workout together or find a time where you can touch base to check on each other.
    ~  Sign up on www.dailymile.com.  This is a great site to record your workouts, hold yourself accountable and encourage others on their journey.  If you get signed up on there, please let me know and we can help encourage each other!
    ~  Put your workouts on your calendar.  This can be done an app, on the calendar on your phone or find a weekly planner.  I just recently ordered a life planner from Erin Condren and will be putting my workouts, meal plans and goals in it.

3.  Establish Workout Plan!  
   ~  The Couch to 5k Program is a great app for beginner runners.   
   ~  Cross Training and Strength Training are just as important as running.  They help build strength, prevent injuries and help prevent boredom.  This could include biking, walking, weight lifting, push ups, sit ups, jump rope, circuit training, etc.  Make this fun!  I currently spend 3 days a week running and 3 days cross/strength training.
  ~  Establish Consistency - If possible workout at the same time every day while remaining flexible when 'life' happens.
  ~  Establish 1 or 2 rest days (days where you don't workout at all) a week to allow our body to recover.  These days are just as important as the days you workout!

4.  Meal Plan with the 80/20 Rule!
  ~  Take baby steps in adjusting your eating habits.  I plan on 80% of my meals being healthy.
  ~  There are a lot of great resources out there to help you find some great healthy recipes.  Here's a few of my favorites.
      * Dashing Dish is a great resource.  Katie has a ton of great recipes where she's created healthy alternatives to the foods and dishes we love!
      * Clean Eating magazine is a great resource too. 

5.  Gear - Take care of your feet!
  ~  Shoes - Good shoes are one of the most important things you'll need for this journey.  There are a lot of different brands out there.  Brooks have definitely been my favorite.
  ~  Mileage - It's also important to keep track of the miles you put on a pair of shoes.  It's recommended that you don't put more than 400-500 miles on a pair of shoes.
  ~  Socks - I also find a good pair of running socks to be equally important. Pearl Izumi socks are my absolute favorite running/workout socks.  They are fairly expensive for a pair of socks, but worth every penny.

6.  Get your family involved.
  ~  Go for a walk together
  ~  Workout together
  ~  Plan your meals together
  ~  Run a race together
  ~  Let your kids watch you workout (there's nothing like my four year old asking me how my run went).

7.  Track your progress.
  ~  Write down your progress in a journal
  ~  Share your success and failures with those closest to you for encouragement, prayer, and support.

8.  Don't let a busy schedule, weather or traveling cause you to get off track.
  ~  Most hotels have a great fitness area.  I have found utilizing them makes travel much more bearable.
  ~  Explore the great outdoors when on vacation.
  ~  Stay flexible in your schedule.  If there's a day where you can't get a run in, then change it up where you do various circuits where all you need is your body (i.e. push ups, sit ups, squats, jump rope, planks, etc.)

9.  DRINK WATER.
 ~  Quite simply drink water and drink a lot of it.
 ~  I would strongly encourage you to cut out ALL soda through this journey (including diet).
 ~  Most resources recommend that you drink a minimum of half your body weight in ounces on a daily basis.  For example a person who weighs 140 pounds should drink at least 70 ounces of water each day.
~  If you get bored with water, try adding some fruit to it (oranges, lemons and strawberries are my favorite).  I take a little time on Sunday afternoons to slice fruit to go in my water for the week.

10.  Enjoy the journey and take it one day at a time!
  ~  Find a bible verse or quote that you can memorize, post and just keep you motivated and encouraged.

As most of you know my favorite bible verse for my health, fitness and spiritual journey is Hebrews 12:1-2.

The key to my success has been planning!  Sit down think about these tips and develop a system that will work for you and your family!  If there's anything else I can do to help you get started, feel free to contact me!  I truly enjoy sharing my journey :)

Blessings,

Krystal

Good Mornings Come From Great Evenings!

We all go through various changes and adjustments to develop new 'normal' routines.  This summer has been packed full of trips, mini vacations, time with family, home improvement projects, family workouts, and so much more.  But the time has come!  School has been in session for a few weeks now, AWANA has started, year end at work, and of course our home improvement projects continue.  This new season of life requires my entire family to be flexible and patient as we all adjust our day to day lives to maintain our focus on what's important!  Our time with the Lord and time as a family are of course the first priorities.  If we can keep those priorities, everything else will fall into place!

Over the last couple of years I have read MANY blogs and tips on ways to save time or be more efficient as a wife and mom.  I've appreciated the wisdom shared by other women and the time they take to touch another woman's heart, family and home.

Like most families, our mornings can definitely be the most challenging.  I get up at 4:00 AM to get my run/workout in, then I head home to get showered and ready for work, grab breakfast, take Kylee to school and then to the office by 7:45 AM.

Without further ado, here's a random list of things that have made our mornings pleasant, timely and possible with a smile (most days)!  I certainly don't have all the answers or tips, but if one tip helps just one mom, then it's worth sharing!

1.  A new haircut!  I've had long hair for as long as I can remember.  After reading about another mom cutting her hair shorter to save time every day to help balance her day it really got me thinking.  Having four inches cut off was a big deal for me, but let me just say that I love the time it saves every day!  And it's also been fun changing things up a bit.

2.  Smoothies premade and ready in the freezer!  Breakfast can definitely be a challenge for me to squeeze in before heading to work.  Once a week or every other week I've been making smoothies, putting them in a ziploc bag and putting them in the freezer.  When I get home from working out, I sit one of them out and then it's thawed just perfectly by the time I need to poor it in a cup and head out the door.

3.  Clothes picked out and ready for the week!  I typically do laundry on Saturday's.  Then Sunday afternoons/evenings we check the weather and then the kids get their clothes all picked out for the week.  This has been such a time saver!

4.  Meal planning & food preparation!  I definitely dislike going to the grocery store, but planning my meals and having a list has helped so much.

5.  Most importantly give grace to your kids, your spouse and YOURSELF!  We all know that even with the best planning and best intentions some mornings just don't go well and that's okay.  With God's grace we'll get through the rest of the day!

I would absolutely love to hear any other tips or pearls of wisdom that you may have for us to add to our list!

Blessings,

Krystal

A Menu Planner that FINALLY works for my family!

I have tried many different styles of menu planners including magnets on the fridge to write on, printed menu planners, one's that are emailed to me.  And for various reasons they just didn't work well for me or my family.  After a lot of discouragement from prior attempts, I decided to look for some other ideas.

When researching menu planners on pinterest I came across this menu planner from 'Life {Sweet} Life'

I just loved the concept of this style of menu planner.  It's adorable and extremely practical to have the cards printed and ready to choose when planning for the week.  I contacted my dear sister in law with 'Dippity Dot Creations' to see if she could create a custom menu planner for me.  I wanted one that was a little bigger so that it could include all 7 days of the week.  I couldn't be more thrilled with what she came up with!!!  She made it so that the pins are magnet as well as the little drawer on the bottom to hold the cards.  This makes it so easy to take them off and plan for the next week without having to take the menu planner off the wall!    

To make the cards, I just typed up various meal ideas (including leftovers, eat out, etc.) and printed them on some heavy cardstock.  Then I used the punch below to cut them out.  Plus it will be easy to add meals in the future!

Now once a week I have my daughter go through the cards and pick out what we're having for which day.  This makes it so easy to plan for groceries, eliminate the questions from everyone as to what's for dinner and my little girl just loves being a part of the meal planning process.  One lesson I learned through this simple task of trial and error with menu planning is, it's okay to try a process and fail at it or discover it doesn't work for you or your family.  What works for one family, may not work for another.  Please don't get discouraged or frustrated when it doesn't work.  I made that mistake and was way too hard on myself too many times over something so simple as menu planning!  Grant yourself some grace just as God does!

Blessings,

Krystal

A Mother's Day ~ Migraine Free!

Over the last several years I have suffered from migraines and they were gradually becoming more frequent and more severe.  Last year on Mother's Day I was enjoying a wonderful sermon at church when the dreaded happened.  I started to see spots, started to get dizzy and began feeling a horrible migraine come on.  I tried so hard to tough it out until the end of the service but I just couldn't do it.  I finally told Josh that I needed him to take me home.  We headed home right away and I took some over the counter migraine medicine and tried to sleep, but nothing was helping this migraine.  The pain was horrific, I remember telling my dear husband that the pain was worse than giving birth.  I finally asked him to take me to the ER.  The doctor gave me some pain medicine and sent me home to sleep for several hours.  Not exactly how I imagined spending a Mother's Day.  The doctor asked me to come in the next day for a follow up.  On that Monday, I had to have a CT scan just to ensure that nothing else was going on.  Thankfully everything came back normal and the doctor prescribed some medicine for me to keep with me in case I got another migraine.  He also warned me that if I started getting migraines more frequently that I would have to start taking medication daily.  Definitely not something I wanted to hear!  Last July (3 months after I started running) I had another migraine.  It wasn't as severe as it was before since I was able to take the medication just as soon as I had symptoms, but I was still frustrated and concerned.  I continued to focus on running, making sure I was getting better sleep and tweaking what I was eating.

But with all of that I am so EXCITED to report that I have been 

MIGRAINE FREE for 10 months now!

I'm not exactly sure if it's the running, adjusting my diet, paying attention to my sleep, or simply having a way to get rid of stress.  But for whatever the reason or combination, it's working and for that I am grateful.  This definitely taught me that focusing on my health is so much more than how my clothes fit or what size my clothes are (those are simply icing on the cake)... it's more important to feel good and not miss out on these special moments!

Mother's Day 2013

And who would want to miss a breakfast like this?

Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her. 

Blessings,

Krystal

A Quick Dinner Date!

Earlier last week my boss asked if him and his wife could take my kids to a movie.  They don't have grandkids yet and love to borrow grandkids!  The last time they took them, my kids talked about it for days so needless to say they were so incredibly excited to go again.  I'm not sure if they were more excited about the movie or the popcorn.  Those of you who know me well, know that I have major issues with the smell of popcorn and therefore my poor kids don't ever get to have it at home and needless to say don't get to go to the movies very often.  

Look at the smiles on these four!

The timing for them to bless us was just wonderful.  Josh and several other guys went to ride in some sand dunes in Oklahoma and he was getting home Sunday evening while the kids were at the movie.    So that meant we got a quick dinner date!

I greeted my husband with my new t-shirt on that I got from Union 28 that says "My Husband ROCKS." I love their shirts and they're ministry to encourage marriages.  We only had an hour to eat and catch up after being apart for several days before we needed to pick up our babies, but the time was so wonderful.  This was such an incredible blessing.  

My piece of advise with this post... don't EVER turn down someone who wants to bless you!  

It's these little moments that are so precious!

Blessings,

Krystal

Gentle Mothering

After running 8 miles this morning my body has been a little tired today.  The kids and I have been picking up the house, doing laundry and other fun things that we needed to do on a Saturday.  With that being said though, we all enjoyed a nap and then enjoyed some time outside.  This beautiful spring day couldn't be wasted by spending it inside!  

I decided to take my bible reading outside.  There's nothing sweeter than a peaceful afternoon, God's word, the giggles of my kids playing and of course a nice glass of cold water!  

Here's the view of the kids playing while I spent time in prayer and reading God's word.

Several year's ago my Mom gave me a new Bible, it's called the 'Mom's Bible.'  I really enjoy it as the notes are written for and to mothers.  I spent some time this afternoon reading in the book of Matthew.  God uses Chapter 11 to speak to us about finding rest in Him by learning to be gentle and humble!  I was reminded this afternoon that God speaks to us in such gentle ways through a gentle tug in our hearts or a quiet nudge.  This was a gentle tug reminding me that I should speak to my children in the same way that God speaks to me.  After I finished my time in God's word, I immediately got up and joined my kids on the trampoline.  I love the excitement they have when Mommy comes to play with them.  

 Yes, I even joined Kylee in some cartwheels!

Thank you God, for using a peaceful and beautiful afternoon to speak to my heart!

May you find rest in Jesus today!

Blessings,

Krystal

My Own Birth Story

As a Mom who's given birth to two beautiful blessings I can recall how EVERYONE shared with me about their birth stories when they saw I was expecting.  Everything from the joys, the pain, the details of the absolute miracle it is that God orchestrates with each and every birth.  I always loved hearing about the experiences others had, both through birth and adoptions and experienced so much joy listening to others.  I too have enjoyed sharing about the birth story of my precious babies.  But as I'm sure others have experienced, as an expecting mom I was ready to experience my own birth story.  One that is special to just my husband and I.  One that I would someday share with my child.  It's quite amazing to go through such an amazing experience and I praise God for every day I went past my due dates, every painful contraction, every sleepless night, the first cries I heard of these precious babies and the overwhelming love you experience as parents.

Here's a picture of Miss Kylee and I right after she was born.

Here's a picture of Mr. Jayce with Daddy soon after he was born.

As I prepare for my very first half marathon, I find myself relating it to birth stories (although NOTHING compares to that experience).  I enjoy reading and hearing about the experiences others have had both training and racing for a half marathon.  I appreciate their wisdom, their joys, their struggles and the common bond runners have!  BUT... I'm getting to where I'm ready for my own half marathon story, my own training struggles, my own race experience, my own rush of emotions when I cross the finish line.  I'm ready for it ALL!  

I've registered for the Slacker Half Marathon in Georgetown, CO on June 22, 2013 which is just 11 weeks away!  I'm excited, nervous and blessed to know that my amazing husband and sweet kids will be there to cheer me on!

Blessings,

Krystal

 

Devotion Time With the Kids!

My kids and I have really enjoyed 'digging' into scripture with 'The Dig' devotionals.   We love the simplicity of the lessons but yet there's enough depth to help my kids apply scripture to their daily lives!  I purchased the kindle version so that we have it with us no matter where we go!  And I'm SO excited that they just released Luke - Volume 2!!!  I highly recommend this devotional!

Blessings,

Krystal

No Fancy Equipment Required

Saturday's have been my long run days since I began 'officially' training for my very first half marathon, but we have had quite the snow storm hit and our favorite electrical lineman (aka Daddy) is out working.  I still wanted to get some kind of workout in today and thought it would be a great day to get my kids to join me since we're all stuck inside anyway.  They were SO excited and Jayce reminded Kylee and I that we need to workout to stay 'healfy.'  Most of my workouts are done early in the mornings while my kids are sleeping, but I do realize how important it is to share a workout with them (even with them still in their pajamas).  These two special kids are a huge part of this journey and I was blessed to share this time with them this morning.

We didn't need any fancy equipment or video and the kids even stayed in their pajamas.  We just did some basic exercises (incorporated with some giggles).  

Started off with some jumping jacks!

Time for some crunches!

Teaching Jayce how to do some squats. 

Who says working out isn't fun!  While Kylee and I were doing some squats, Jayce was climbing through our legs!

Next up is some push ups.  Looks like we all need to work on our form! :)

And of course some encouragement when we were finished!

Don't forget to encourage your kids to make healthy choices too! You AND your kids will be blessed!

Blessings,

Krystal

Preparing for the Week

Our weeks can be so busy!  With early morning workouts, I have to search for time saving tips and organizing methods for our mornings.  One simple thing we do every Sunday afternoon/evening is put away all of the clean clothes and then organize outfits for the week.  This has saved a lot of time (and tears) when it's time to get ready for the day.  At the beginning of the school year I was researching fun ways for kids to organize their clothes for the week.  I came across these clothes dividers https://www.etsy.com/transaction/90748285 on etsy.  I contacted the seller and had her customize them to the days of the week.  It was such a fun and inexpensive way to get Kylee excited about planning for her week.

Here's Miss Kylee all smiles while she gets ready for her week!

This makes me smile!  One less battle and a great time saver! 

Now off to get my clothes ready for the week!

Blessings,

Krystal

A little exercise THEN we'll work!

So even with a 3 year old little boy, I'm still learning about how to raise a boy (and know it will be a lifelong process)!  Working with my little girl came a little more natural than this silly boy.  Our family is all involved with the AWANA program, which we love.  Kylee is a Sparky, Jayce is a Cubbie and both Josh and I help with the kids as well.  It is a fantastic program to help encourage kids to learn God's word and learning to make it a priority.  We love Wednesday nights and appreciate all who make it possible.

Anyways, the evenings that lead up to Wednesday nights can be entertaining to say the least.  Memorizing bible verses for Jayce is a bit of a challenge.  He's either making us laugh or we get to the point of frustration where we need to call for backup!  After enjoying our Christmas break it was time to get focused again!

After working with the older boys at AWANA Joshua decided to try something new with Jayce last night.  Josh realized that the older boys focus so much better if they're able to get rid of some energy first.  So here they go... a few push ups.

A few sit-ups...

And a few laps around the house and I think we're ready to focus!

I was amazed how much better our little dude focused by doing a little exercising first... well doesn't that sound familiar, as it has definitely helped me focus as well!  What an amazing Daddy this man is!

Blessings,

Krystal

Nike Training Club App

My dear husband is snowmobiling this weekend, it's cold outside, my oldest isn't feeling well, BUT I still needed to get a little workout in.  I found this app called Nike Training Club from another blog and gave it a try.  You can pick from a variety of workouts and my kiddos even joined in for a while.  I'm sure the image of the three of us doing wall squats together was entertaining.

And best of all, it's FREE!  Check it out!

Here's a link to grab the app https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nike-training-club/id301521403?mt=8