Girls Traveling

from new mama to new mama | tiara @ ice cream + french fries

Thursday, April 30, 2015

there's something special when you get to chat with a fellow new mama. it's like you're in the trenches together. i mean...we could probably text each other around 2:30 am and catch the other nursing her babe back to sleep while playing scramble on the ol' iPhone. am-i-right?

which is exactly why it was so fun to have this little chat with my gal tiara from ice cream + french fries. not only do i like french fries...but i looooooooooove ice cream. i love ice cream so so much. and i love that tiara likes ice cream too.

you know what else she likes? getting her fit-nass on, posting before and after pictures, exploring the great outdoors, and dressing her new best gal in super cute clothes and headbands. these are the facts.

KARLI | hey girl hey! so...i had a baby. you had a baby. we're mama friends. i like it.

so..how about life with a baby? any awesome mama moments yet?

TIARA | Life with baby is amazing, but then she's a pretty easy baby. Fingers crossed the toddler and teenage years are as smooth. HA -- who am I kidding. We did have one 3 a.m. diaper off shit flying across the room moment her first week home. It was priceless and my hubby was a champ steam cleaning the rug the next day.

My gal at 9 weeks.

KARLI | oh lord. we had one of those moments with kaye...in the middle of the night when she was little little. it was terrible. the poo literally flew far enough to hit the door. it was 3 am and i was like...nope. i'm waking the farmer up for this one. we both have to suffer.

what’s been the biggest shock?

TIARA | The biggest shock was how little sleep I can function on. Who knew all these years.

KARLI | i know. if only i knew i had that in me in college...then again...i was usually nursing a pretty solid hangover. enough about that...

anything exciting coming up?

TIARA | Yes and it has nothing to do with baby. We've been working on remodeling our kitchen for way too long and well we finally found a contractor to take it on. You know you're getting old when the thought of a shiny new kitchen excites you. I'll be popping the bubbly the day the original red formica countertops are pulled out! Goodbye 1959, hello 2015!

KARLI | you know something is wrong with you when you want to redo your kitchen...and it's only three years old. no seriously...i want to rip out everything except for our cabinets. i'd also make it way bigger with a larger island. so what i'm saying is...i'm thrilled you get to redo your kitchen! yay! The plans.

why did you decide to get into this crazy blog life?

TIARA | Originally I started blogging when I moved to Tahoe nine years ago. It was a way to let my family (aka mom) know I was still alive. LOL. Recently it's morphed into so much more. I love having the creative outlet, inspiring others and connecting with other likeminded bloggers.

KARLI | and by likeminded you mean a little bit cray-cray? because that's what i am.

what’s your guilty pleasure?

TIARA | Oh girl, ice cream is my weakness. I seriously can't keep it in the house. You can find a few favorites here.

KARLI | please don't say ice cream. i'm at a very weak moment in my goal to hotness. i want ice cream...right now. speaking of ice cream...

you like to live the healthy life - what advice would you give to a gal who needs some motivation?

TIARA | Slow and steady wins the race. Find workouts that work for you and schedule them into your calendar. Don't forget to mix it up. Right now I hit the gym in the morning, but walk the dog while wearing my gal in the afternoons. They both keep me motivated.

I keep before and after pictures of myself in my phone. Whenever I'm feeling like I need a kick in the butt I look at them to see how far I've come.

KARLI | don't we all keep before and afters on our phones? the worst is when someone is looking through your pictures and they see those. which is exactly why i don't let people scroll through my pics any more. embarrassing.

i know it’s pretty new…but are you ready for baby #2?

TIARA | Haha. Honestly, I'm still trying to forget about the labor. There will probably be number two, but not for a few years. Then I'm done. We're happy as a party of three for the time being.

KARLI | what's wrong with me? after i had sawyer and realized what a ridiculously sweet child i had on my hands i was like...maybe i could do one more. and then i snap back to reality. thank god.

if you were on a reality show…which would it be and why?

TIARA | The Amazing Race -- It combines my love for travel and healthy competition.

Exploring the Garden of Gods in Colorado Springs.

KARLI | yes! my farmer and i would do that one too! except we often laugh at how well we would get along. he thinks it would be like cats and dogs. i think we would be a great team because i take direction well...at least i think i do.

where do you see yourself in five years?

TIARA | This is also a hard one. Probably living life to the fullest with my babes in Tahoe.

KARLI | i know. that was a pretty lame question. i mean...obviously!

how’s your man handling being a proud daddy?

TIARA | He's amazing. I think he had a harder time adjusting to less sleep than mama.

of course he's amazing. you picked him! and girl...the night i get a good night of sleep...big things are going to happen. i don't know what...but big.

i think we can all say a big thank you to tiara for stopping by today! and if you love her...just like i do...dive into her blog!

FIT PREGNANCY | THE BEST WORKOUT GEAR

FIT PREGNANCY | HOW I'M STAYING FIT WHILE PREGNANT

5 HEALTHY SNACKS UNDER 300 CALORIES

WHAT'S IN MY GYM BAG

tone it up | two week update

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

two weeks ago i made the decision to get my act together and get fit.

i've been following the tone it up gals for several months now doing their free videos online, but still not paying much attention to my nutrition...and as it turns out...nutrition is pretty key if you want to change the look of your bod.

and people - i want a hot bod.

maybe not even a hot bod. maybe just a bod that doesn't jiggle quite so much. i can get on board with that. oh yeah...and i want to be able to suck in my gut. after my two girls...i just kind of have this pooch that hangs there. i had a good game of skinny-fat going on. anyway...

as i was saying, i have been following the tone it up gals for a bit now and then i read about their eight week #bikinichallenge. i knew i wanted to hop on that train.

eight weeks? i can do that.

plus at exactly the eight week point i will be attending an awesome wedding in santa barbara...and i don't want to be the ugly family from idaho. it's a little extra motivation.

we are officially two weeks into the tone it up bikini challenge and so far...i think i'm pickin' up what they're puttin' down.

before the challenge started i took my measurements -

my farmer is into it too.

princess gardener approved | tree top applesauce pouches

Monday, April 27, 2015

this post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Tree Top, but all opinions are my own. #pmedia #TreeTopInc #raisinggoodapples http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

you know what i love? when my best gal is on her very best behavior. what i love even more than that is when she's on her best behavior when at a friend's house for a princess playdate.

it's no secret that my gal is more than a little enthused when it comes to anything princess. so when the idea came about to have a "princess playdate" with her gal pal claire...while planting a garden...while snacking on delicious applesauce, well, i knew her mind was going to be blown.

best. day. ever.

coolest. mom. ever. (if i do say so myself.)

as i was saying...we headed over to claire's house, princess attire in tow. we also brought delicious tomato and green and red pepper plants...so as to learn a thing or two about gardening. princesses have to get their hands dirty too, after all.

not to mention, kaye was also more than happy to show claire the snack she brought for them to enjoy while working the earth...tree top mixed berry pouches that we snagged at albertson's grocery store.

can we talk about this beloved snack for a moment? the pouches the tree top apple sauces come in are just plain awesome. they are completely secure, so you don't have to worry about them bursting open. and if you eat them with the gusto that my kaye eats them, not a drop will be spilled - meaning they are mess-free. love that.

the other bit i love, in particular, about the mixed berry flavor of tree top applesauce is that it contains less sugar than a lot of the other pouches out there. and let's face it...above all else, fruit is fruit and it's good for you.

okay - i can't say enough good things about these pouches. not only are they kid-friendly and healthy, but the apples are 100% US grown and Tree Top is practically located in our backyard of the northwest, located in the heart of washington's apple country. not only that, but they are a grower-owned co-op...and since i come from a farm-family...well...farmer's have to stick together. i grew up with Tree Top, and now my daughters can too! Tree Top has been a trusted brand for more than 50 years. they are definitely dedicated to providing top-quality food...and my gals kaye and claire can attest to that!

so as i was saying, we basically had the best sunday ever: kaye got to hang with her friend claire. i got to spend time with one of my besties, cathie (claire's mom // gardener extraordinaire), princesses planted a garden, and i didn't have to talk kaye into slowing down long enough to eat something. she was more than happy to enjoy a pouch over gardening tools outside on a lovely afternoon.

i have more fun to share:

tree top is so graciously giving away a kid's gardening kit to one september farm reader! love that! the kit includes: "my gardening journal", red tubrug pail, kids gardening gloves, watering can, soft touch hand tool set, favorite five sprouting seeds, and Tree Top apple sauce pouches.

the giveaway will run from today, april 27th - monday, may 4th, and to enter all you have to do is answer this question in the comments section -

what's your favorite snack fresh out of the garden?

Tree Top also wants to bring awareness to Raising Good Apples, so they've partnered with the National Gardening Association's KidsGardening.org to help educate kids on gardening. Tree Top will be donating $1 to help KidsGardening.org for every box of Tree Top Apple Sauce Pouches purchased through may 31st. This is all in an effort to help build and grow youth gardens!

oh hey, friday! | five old old photos

Friday, April 24, 2015

we've hit a new milestone over here on the farm...and it goes by the name -

my name is sawyer and i refuse to sleep.

i'm having a suuuuper hard time with this because my sawyer-muff is so damn sweet. i don't want to make her cry it out in her crib. i want her to go back to the way she was two days ago when i would lay her down every two hours and she would close her eyes and drift off to dream land for an hour or so.

is this too much to ask?

"sawyer? just do what you were doing, k?"

we sleep-trained kaye...and i stand by that it was an awesome gift for her and us. i know it's controversial, but...here on the farm, we're into it. it's what we do. so now...it's what sawyer-muff does.

anyway...we want to hear your five -

1 | grab this here snazzy springy-themed button and link back to september farm.

2 | link up your post at the bottom of this post.

3 | tell all your friends + have a fantastic friday.

M Y F I V E - O L D F A C E B O O K P H O T O S
i'm digging deep into my Facebook past and sharing five old pictures and their stories!

1 | a long long time ago my farmer and i were river enthusiasts. we would go whitewater kayaking several nights a week...and you could always find us on the river in the summer time. we just loved it...we still do, actually. it's just a little harder to make those trips happen with the kids and all. farmer and i chat about how much fun it will be to take kaye rafting this summer...and sawyer in a few years, obviously.

2 | before i left the country in hopes of my farmer falling madly in love with me (which he did), i had to go to hawaii for work. my boss suggested i bring my then boyfriend along...and i thought that was an excellent idea. you would think in all the romance of hawaii and the fact that i starved myself and spent approximately 70-hundred hours in a tanning bed my farmer would have fallen in love with me there...he didn't. i had to wait until...

3 | i became a nanny in prague. no seriously...it was my game plan that if i left the country my farmer would realize just how much he missed me, beg me to come home, propose, marriage, kids...blah blah blah. and guess what...it kind of went that way. except my farmer didn't exactly fall madly in love with me right away. he waited until after i had been home for a couple of years to pop the question...he's a stubborn thing.
in the picture above, however, i was on a ski holiday with the family i was nannying for in france. where we were skiing, the resort crossed from france into switzerland...so we literally were skiing from france to switzerland and back to france in a matter of a few runs. it was stunning.

4 | when i got back to the states was when i really started getting into running. at that time i thought it was a super good idea to sign up for my first triathlon. my farmer and i weren't engaged yet, but definitely were headed that direction. i got this suuuuuuper cray-cray girl thought in my head that maybe, just maybe my farmer might propose to me at the finish line. wouldn't that have been epically amazing? one for books, for sure. but he didn't. luckily i was so thankful to have finished i kind of didn't care that my ring wasn't at the finish line. i had to wait two more months.

5 | and then he did propose. and then we did get married. and guess what? my farmer...that guy can dance. our first dance was to sweet pea by amos lee. my farmer spun, whipped, spun, dipped me all over the dance floor. hands down...the best dance of my life.

a close second? the first time i danced with my farmer...at a bar...to the song save a horse ride a cowboy.

and that sums up memory lane for today.

happy weekend to all you fine fine ladies! don't forget to enter yourself in the $125 giveaway!

link-tastic time!

sponsor post | vicki @ domestic mamma

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

i'm not going to blab on and on about why you should like vicki from domestic mamma.

i'm not going to try to convince you to head on over to her part of australia blog-land to take a peak at her beautiful blog.

no no no. that would be crazy. because then you would leave september farm in the dust and realize there is yet another blog with far more entertainment than i could ever offer.

but i'm going to. because i love you, and i looooove domestic mamma.

V I C K I | D O M E S T I C M A M M A

KARLI | let's get right to it - three things people shoo know about you. go.

VICKI |

1 // i'm not a morning person, like really NOT a morning person. if you wake me before i have to be out of bed, i'm super unpleasant all day, and no one needs that kinda drama in their lives.

2 // i'm obsessed with art, love it, can't get enough of it. wish i could fill my house with it.

3 // if i could move houses every six months i would. i love change and new things, which is the total opposite of my family who all like life to stay just the way it is. so...i guess that makes me the odd one out!

KARLI | oh my goodness. now i know why i love you. because we are exact opposites...and opposites attract, right? right. now i have to come visit you in australia.

tell us more about your shop! who's idea was it? was it difficult to get started?

VICKI | our shop is really simply just called SHOP DOMESTIC MAMMA, and started out as one of those "what if" ideas.

my daughter and i are both big art lovers, and one of our favorite things to do is create art for our home. so when my daughter, who dreams about becoming an artist when she's older, started talking about selling her art online, i thought, "why not? why can't she?" and then i set about figuring out how to make it happen. most of the products we sell at the moment are sourced through Society6 because we don't have the room in our house to store stock, and because they make it so easy for artists to get their stuff out there into the world. there are also items that you can purchase directly from the store such as unique hand painted art pieces by myself or my daughter, and there will be more home decor items included each month. we're starting off with just a small selection first and we'll add more each month!

KARLI | oh girl. this is all so exciting! i'm so proud of you! it makes me wonder if kaye and i could ever start a business together. it would probably be some sort of reality show of her jumping off high places and me trying to pitch the idea to tv executives. let's be real.

do you have any favorite products you want us to see?

VICKI | i love everything we have in the store so far, but i think my favorite stuff has to be the art that my daughter and i have created because it's so personal and we've spent hours creating them.

KARLI | yep. that makes sense. i seriously hope kaye and i have sweet, close relationship...like your daughter and you. i'm jealous already.

shifting gears - what’s your greatest accomplishment?

VICKI | Oh now your just gonna make me go and get all soppy, but okay let’s do it! Hands down my most amazing accomplishment is being the mother of a pretty amazing kid, which was a huge shock to me as someone who had always thought I never wanted to have kids. It’s boring, but it’s the truth. If nothing amazing happens to me for the rest of my life, that’s okay, being her mum and seeing her blossom into such a beautiful human is all I really need, and it’s the reason why I do everything that I do.

KARLI | nope, i love it. it's so honest and i can say without hesitation that a trillion-bagillion moms and dads feel just the same.

so…i do believe most of us September Farm readers are from the US. can we come visit you in australia?

VICKI | Haha, why not, the more the merrier right? Come on down, we’ll make you right at home, we love visitors, you can join us for Tuesday Taco night! I always think it’s funny when our friends from the US tell us it’s their dream to come to Australia, I guess because it’s always been my dream to visit the US and go coupon shopping like a boss! That’s crazy right, but we don’t have coupon shopping here. And I really, really want to visit New York around Christmas time, it just looks so amazing in the all the photos I’ve seen, plus I’m fascinated with the whole “snow at Christmas” thing, I always hoped it would snow at Christmas when I was a kid, I never quite got that we lived on the wrong side of the world for that to happen. Christmas in Australia is a barbeque at the beach.

KARLI | girl. you're hysterical. couponing!? so...i've always wanted to be a couponer, but i'm so far from having the patience to do that. have you ever seen extreme couponing the show? it's ca-raaaazy. those women spend so much time clipping, organizing, planning/plotting. it's like a full time job. but then they are stuck with 78 deodorants and 39 boxes of cheerios. i guess that's okay if you donate it. otherwise you're going to find yourself on another reality show called hoarders.

what are your favorite things to do in australia?

VICKI | I think like most Aussies I know, my favourite thing is travel, to get out there and explore the world we live in. I’m dying to travel the world, but I’ve always had this rule that we had to explore our own country before we hopped on a plane out of here, and I’m always fascinated with how different life can be in different towns and cities that share the same nationality. We are visiting Melbourne at the moment, and I’m having a fabulous time just taking in the creative buzz that seems to be in everything we see. So different to our home town.

KARLI | your blog is beautiful - how was the transition from blogger to wordpress?

VICKI | Thanks so much, I’d love to tell you I did it all myself, but let’s be real …. That said, it is definitely worth the stress. After a couple of weeks trying to do the whole thing myself, I gave up and paid someone (via Fiverr.com) to help me and I’m so happy with the results. btw, wordpress is as good as they say, but it takes a little getting used to if you’ve been a “blogger” blogger for years.

KARLI | oh lord. i feel like i just figured out blogger. how would i ever transition.

where do you see you and your gal in five years?

VICKI | Oh gosh, I have no idea. In my early 20’s I had my entire future mapped out, but I guess as I’ve grown older and life has taught me lots of little lessons along the way, I’ve let go of that need to be in control and learned how to live in the present moment. Honestly, I don’t care where we’re at in five years as long as we are both happy and healthy, and I’m still as wrinkle free as possible!

KARLI | uhhh...you and me both. what is with all the wrinkles on my face? clearly my fair skin is punishing me for the years of sun-neglect. i need botox.

you have a whole series called single parent diaries with guest contributors. can you tell us more about that?

VICKI | Oh I love this series, it’s one of my favourite things about my blog. The series began when I read a horrible comment someone made on Facebook about single mothers. I couldn’t believe how many other people joined in and supported those comments, and I wanted to do something about it. I’m not sure if Single Parent Diaries does anything to change the very demeaning notions that some people have regarding single parents (mothers in particular), but it does give some very inspiring women a chance to get their stories out there into the world and show other women who are in difficult circumstances that anything can be achieved by creating your own opportunities.

KARLI | why are people so damn mean on social media? i don't get it. granted...i have yet to be victim of this...thank god. but it's like...just be nice. don't judge. and if you must judge...do it silently in your head. whatever. let's end on a positive note.

because it’s my favorite question - do you have an awesome embarrassing story you can share to give us all a mid-week chuckle?

VICKI | Here’s one for all the mamma’s out there who have toilet training toddlers to deal with right now…so my girl was about 3 when this took place. I was at the tail end of what I had decided was a very easy toilet training experience and we had my best friend who I had not seen in years visiting for a few days. We were walking through Target comparing notes about parenting and kids and we got onto the subject of toilet training. I think at this point we were standing in the music department, just browsing and I started boasting about how easy miss Monkey had been to toilet train, I was going hard at singing my praises. What I wasn’t doing was watching what my little miss was doing, because I strapped her into her stroller and she was quiet. (ya’ll know that’s bad right, a quiet kid). Somewhere during the dispensing of excellent toilet training tips for my friend a very red faced man walks over and “ahems” in our direction. I didn’t really get what he was trying to tell me, so I ignored him and kept talking, until I noticed that a few people had stopped and were staring at something behind me with horrified and disgusted looks on their faces. When I turned around to look at what it was that had caught their attention, I was met with a very proud and smiling miss Monkey who had managed to escape from the stroller, pull down her pants and do a poop on the floor right there in Target. I had no words. I quickly scooped up the child and her little nugget and ran out of the store and fast as my legs would carry me. I’ve not boasted about my parenting skills since then.

KARLI | oh dear lord...why do i have a feeling this is in my future. that was a fantastic story. thank you. thank you so much for sharing. such a good story.

but that's not all! vicki has so much more up her sleeve for all the September Farm readers. yay!

why i'm STILL single

sleeping with the fishes

things you don't know about me

a story about vomit

not only those treats, but vicki is bringing us another treat by way of a $50 voucher for SHOP DOMESTIC MAMMA! get yourself entered...right now.

however, if you don't want to wait...and want to get your shop on right this moment, use the code COUNTRYCHIC for 20% off your order!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

currently...

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

browsing | i have several different windows open on my safari browser: tone it up (obviously), banana republic...on the hunt for a dress for a wedding, and patagonia. my gals and their suuuuuper fair skin are going to need sun shirts and hats. i plan on logging a lot of boat, garden, and general outside play time.

wearing | my pj's. i changed in to those approximately two and a half minutes after both children were in bed.

watching | 30 for 30. does anybody else watch these? they are the best sports stories on ESPN...and can also be found on netflix. love 'em.

wishing | i wish this ridiculous bikini challenge allowed for all the ice cream i want. i mean...i'd probably only eat it like four times a week. is that excessive?

jazzed about | when i stepped on the scale this morning for my once a week weigh-in i was down two pounds. that's fun.

sipping on | aveda tea | thé. it really is soooooo yummy. it's the only thing keeping me out of the freezer to dig into all that ice cream in there.

wondering | who the hell is lilly pullitzer? i mean...i think i saw her name a few times when i was looking at bikinis a few months ago, but that was literally the first time. is it a southern thing?

looking forward to | in about a month and a half farmer and i will be traveling to santa barbara for the wedding of two fantastically fantastic people. my cousin and his beyond gorgeous gal. i'll be so super sad to leave sawyer-muffin for the first time...and kaye. that gal owns my heart. but to have that little getaway right around the corner with just my farmer...oi. i cannot wait.

netflix obsession | parenthood. why didn't i know this show was so good when it was on tv? regardless...it makes my time on the treadmill borderline bearable.

nervous about | i have to take both girls to the grocery store. i don't know why it gets me so worked up, but it does. maybe it's because we live a 35 minute drive away...so that in itself has potential to go terribly wrong with two children? maybe it's kaye's horrific mood swings she's been throwing our way for the past week? or maybe i'm nervous for no reason. wish us luck.

how to win $125...i'm gonna tell ya

Monday, April 20, 2015

wouldn't it be amazing if my blog was big enough that i had companies pounding down my proverbial blog doors saying, "hey...we like you. here's our product to just giveaway to one of your readers." i'd be like...you bet, buddy. i'm your gal.

weeeeellll...no such luck.

instead...i get together each month with some super radical ladies to bring to you a cash giveaway. so far i've heard exactly zero complaints about this reoccurring giveaway, so i'm going to assume that we all enjoy throwing our hat into the ring in hopes of putting a little extra green in our clutches, wallets, diaper bags, etc.

which brings me to...you guessed it, the giveaway this month.

look at all those smiling faces! don't you love them? i thought so.

now go have a look at their blogs following the links below, and get entered to win your M U L A!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

oh! are you thinking you might want to get in on some group giveaway action as well? or maybe you're just looking for your next super-fab blog to sponsor? i'm offering a discount on all my ad spaces! how does 30% off sound? i like it. enter the word BIKINI for your discount!

oh hey, friday! | changes i've made to get fit

Friday, April 17, 2015

here's the thing. i'm hungry. the wind has been blowing nonstop here at 30+ miles p/hour for three straight days. i'm hungry. and i miss ice cream. i miss ice cream a whole whole lot.

but here i am on thursday night...showing up for oh hey, friday because i love you all so so much and it's going to help me forget that i can't eat 45 animal crackers dipped in frosting tonight.

allow me to put my bad attitude away...here's what you gotta do -

1 | grab this here snazzy springy-themed button and link back to september farm.

2 | link up your post at the bottom of this post.

3 | tell all your friends + have a fantastic friday.

M Y F I V E | T H I N G S I ' V E C H A N G E D
1 | snacking i snack so much more. i used to really just eat a small breakfast, a medium lunch and dinner, and then a giant bowl of ice cream around 8:30 pm. i was living the life. now i have to distribute my calorie intake throughout the day much more evenly and they have to be good calories. (which means not fun calories.) think - hard boiled eggs, carrot sticks, hummus, almond butter on celery. what i'm saying is...i feel like i'm eating all the time, but not food i want to eat. lame.
2 | workouts yay! i loooove the workouts. i went ahead and purchased the beach babe II + III dvd's. i justified this because i haven't had a gym membership in nearly five years. done and done. the workouts are just awesome and they hurt so good. it's really the first time i've enjoyed doing any sort of workout other than running.
3 | meal planning i still have to get it together in this arena. if it were just me i'd eat chicken breast on spinach for eight weeks. i really really would. i'm methodical like that. but i have to think of my farmer and best gal and my limited cooking experience. top that off with trying to keep cheese out of our dinner recipe...it's tough. so far i've made -

shredded chicken crockpot fajitas (this shredded chicken tastes delicious on a bed of spinach.)
turkey burgers (i skipped the bun). i chopped up spinach, threw feta crumbles and the spinach with the turkey burger. mixed that all together and threw it on the grill. it was a hit, especially with kaye.
quinoa burrito bowls - absolutely delicious. i'll be making this once a week for sure.

4 | time

it's been a little bit tricky to find the time to get my workouts in...but i'm managing. i just absolutely have to continue to make it a priority. what makes this even more complicated is i'm also training for a half marathon, so finding time to run, in addition, makes it a little tougher as well.

5 | AD SPACE SALE!

but i have some good news. to celebrate making it through my first week (seven to go!)...i'm offering a discount on all my ad spaces! how does 30% off sound? i like it. enter the word BIKINI for your discount!

la-la-link up time!

i'm already sick of thinking about it.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

here's the thing. i've been on a quest for a flat stomach since i was old enough to worry about it...which in my case was probably far too young.

remember when babydoll t's were suuuuuper popular? not only would my parents have never let me wear one, but they didn't have to worry about me wearing one because i was far too self conscious of my belly.

bikinis? again...you wouldn't find me in anything smaller than a tablecloth. no seriously...i was always very covered.

i wouldn't say i was a teen with self-confidence issues...i wasn't. but i would say i was very aware of what i looked like in clothes. and for an adolescent with huge boobs and a bit of a gut...let's just say i always wished i looked differently.

fast forward to college - i stopped playing sports and started drinking. not a good combo. i packed on at least twenty pounds. it wasn't a good look.

after college i realized i needed to get my shit together. i was unhealthy and thought huffing and puffing my way through a three mile run once a week was going to change things for me.

spoiler - it didn't.

i wizened up, started eating healthier and moving more. i was able to drop my college weight gain pretty quickly. that felt nice. but i still had the gut.

my stomach and boobs are definitely the spot on the bod where i gain first and lose last.

since my post-college shape up i've found a love for running. i've been running consistently for nearly 10 years, completing three half marathons and three triathlons. but guess what? i still have have a gut.

clearly finding the motivation to workout is not my problem. the conclusion i've come to is i have got to get my act together in the kitchen. i'm so lazy when it comes to making food i would almost rather not eat. obviously this is a non-option.

not too long ago i found some workouts from the tone it up gals and i kind of fell in love...in the non-creepiest way possible. as it turns out they have an entire nutrition plan with ooooodles of recipes, but most importantly their motto is simple - lean, green, clean. they do have a protein supplement...but it's nothing i feel obligated to try, or feel like if i don't include the protein supplement into my diet i'll never look lean and toned. i just need to pay attention to the foods i put in my mouth and when. simple as that.

the other major change i'm making is incorporating lifting, HIIT, fine toning, kettlebells, and yoga into my workouts. i haven't lifted since high school.

with these two changes (nutrition and incorporating new types of workouts) i have suuuuper high hopes for the next eight weeks. oh yeah...the eight week bikini challenge with the tone it up gals started on sunday.

i've taken my before pictures and my measurements which i'm supposed to chart every two weeks. i truly feel that i've never been more committed to making a lifestyle change. if the gut doesn't go away after this...well then...i'm just meant to have a jiggly belly.

fair warning - i have a feeling i'm going to be blogging about this little fit-ass journey a lot over the next eight weeks. especially if i'm seeing results. i'll be posting after pictures all over this here blog.

here's to seven weeks and five days to go!

i'm two days in and i miss ice cream and beer. what's wrong with me?

green thumb | establishing our garden...i got a blister.

Monday, April 13, 2015

a long long time ago (five years ago) when i married my farmer and moved to the farm i had dreams of building a garden. i mean, we live on a farm. i have to have a garden, right?

well...first of all we lived in a single wide trailer that wasn't ours...no garden there.

then after we built our house i was already knocked up, so we were very busy finishing the house (which still isn't finished) which of course meant...no garden.

then spring rolled around and i had a six month old crazy infant on my hands...still no garden.

fast forward to the following spring, and wouldn't you know it...i was pregnant with sawyer. so naturally, no garden.

but this year - it's the year of the garden.

it all had to start with picking the perfect spot for my garden. this is no small task when the possibilities are immense. slightly overwhelming. we ended up picking a space close to the water source, because we're smart like that.

step one was excavating the space. luckily, what with living on a farm and all, we have proper equipment to make ease of the work...which basically means i didn't have to lift a finger.

at the same time we picked a permanent spot for our trampoline! we decided to dig it in because the insane wind storms we get out here on the farm have nearly torn it to pieces. we have literally, more than once, watched it get blown 300 yards from our backyard.

needless to say, kaye full approves. she can jump on and off at her leisure, and i don't have to worry about any accidents.

we'll need to sod around it to make it look pretty, but it's definitely getting the job done for now.

bonus - it's right by the garden.

so step one was excavating a space out of our side hill, below our backyard, and leveling a flat space.

then we went and loaded up some old railroad ties my farmer just happened to have laying around at his shop. my idea was to use the railroad ties to border the garden, but my farmer thought they would look neat as a retaining wall. he was right. they look great.

the garden is going to look particularly awesome when we build the fence around it. we have to do this because we have a bit of a deer problem. as in...during one of my many nights awake with sawyer i just happened to look out the window and see at least 30 deer in our front yard. they chew the bark off our trees. we loath the deer.

so we'll be building a cute little fence...and by little i mean sturdy and tall enough to keep out those damn deer. maybe something like this?

source

we finished our day working on the garden with me picking rock out of the bed and raking it smooth to ready it for geo-tech. (geo-tech? apparently it's supposed to keep the weeds at bay.)

we also picked and raked the path leading from our backyard down to the garden.

of course i went to pinterest for some garden path inspiration. here's where i landed. both seem pretty simple and mildly inexpensive. i can get on board with that.

1 // 2

high hopes, people. high hopes. we may just be enjoying fresh zucchini, broccolini, tomatoes, peppers...and maybe even a few strawberries. and let's not forget rosemary, basil, and cilantro. yum.

building a garden is not for the faint of heart. chainsaws, pickaxes, and thumb blisters required. (that's right...i got a blister.)