Goal

Just thought I'd share that I reached my most current goal weight a couple days ago. I know I reached it because I've been consistely weighed at that for 4 days. Wahoo. I reached it a few weeks ahead of schedule. I like to set goals based on small steps...my magic formula has been 5% of whatever my current weight had been. It's a little number and it's attainable.

It feels Great!

November totals

Since I've started really keeping track of my miles through the 21 day challenge, I continued to keep track aftwards as well. These are my total miles for November.

Week 1: 13 miles
Week 2: 15 miles
Week 3: 21 miles
Week 4: 20.1 miles
Week 3: so ok, this hasn't happend yet, but I''ve already gotten in 3.

It's actually fun to do this fitness walking..Kiyah even did a full mile with me last night. She thought that was so cool.

21 day challenge summary

I have to say, that 21 days sped by! I seriously think that was the quickest timeframe ever! Let me recap my challege by weeks:

Week 1: I walked/jogged a total of 13 miles and started upper and lower body firming exercises (bicep, tricep, back, chest, and legs)

WEek 2: I walked/jogged a total of 15 miles with firming excercises and a body boost cables.

Week 3: I walked/jogged 21 miles with the body boost cables alternating days of firming exercises and core training (pilates moves).

I lost 1 1/2 lbs and a total of 3.375 inches from waist, hips and arms. That's impressive for me. I have so much more endurance and energy than when I started. At the beginning, I could do a 3 mile but but the end out get to me. Now I can do 5 miles at a shot...that is a huge improvement. I simply have alot more strength now than on Novemeber 1st.

I am proud of myself for sticking with this challenge and making time for myself to get healthier. I would love to start planning for a 5k run..anyone want to join me?

Day 16

Today is day 16 of the 21 days before Thanksgiving Challenge. Wow, as I look back I've covered alot of ground! But ultimatley, I am the stronger (and healthier) for it. Everything is looser! I had to add a notch on my belt yesterday which I've never had to do before.

I'll get official totally at the end of the challenge...I want to do them now but I'd rather be surprised at the end. I want that sense of accomplishment. Ya know, I already have that though because I've stuck through this challenge.

This week focuses on 5 BIG miles at a time and also on core exersices. The 5 miles won't be the challenge rather the core exersices will be. I've never had a super strong core, esp. after having two babies via c-section. That really does something to those ab muscles. But...I'm going to give it my best shot. What do I have to lose? Inches! :)

Yesterday morning I got my 5 miles in all at once. I got up at 5 and was done walking/jogging by 6:1o. Talk about a fast pace. I felt so great through the whole day-at least energy wise I did. I was feeling really disconnected with family and close friends yesterday (still am today too) so to boost my mood the girls and I popped in a 2 mile walk after dinner last night. They played and walked and giggled while I tried hard to walk and not trip over my silly girls. They love to walk with me. In all, I walked/jogged a total of 7 miles yesterday. That's a personal accomplishment for me.

I need to try to fit some more walking in today too...lots going on today. Babysitting...school with girls tonight, and kiyah's preschool conference.

And for all my family in WI reading this...I miss you guys so much!

Well...off to eat breakfast. yes it's only 6:30 in the morning but I've been up since 5.

2nd week of Challenge

Monday started the second week of the 21 day before Thanksgiving challenge. This week will focus on 4 mile walks and firming the upper and lower body. The 4 mile that I am doing this week has an average pace of 12:30 per mile. I also combine one or two miles with a "booster" jog.

The upper body firming is super sets working the bicep and tricep as well as the chest and back mucles. The lower body right now uses lunges. I have NEVER been able to do lunges without intense knee pain (from my juvenile Rhumatoid Arthritis). Guess what...HA, I surprised myself and did the whole set of lunges. The only modification I made was not going into the lunge as deep.

I can already tell that I've lost a few inches as my clothes are fitting looser and my arms and legs are feeling a lot more toned. Of course the battery in our scale just happened to die today...so I can't give a "weight" lost yet.

Glad I got my walking in for the day because we go to the RAD Zoo tonight for ECFE.

Day 3 of challenge

It's day three of my 21 day challenge. Oh my goodness...are my arms and thighs burning today. What's weird is that I am accustomed to walking 3 or 4 miles daily, but I changed up the dvd's I'm using so the workouts are different. What a change.

Monday saw 3 fast miles...(mile 1 was 15 min, mile 2 was 12 min, mile 3 was 13 min per mile).

Tuesday was a super fast 12 minute mile with these funky body booster cords (watch out arms, they are getting toned). I also did 10 minutes of focused super set bicep/tricep and back and chest muscles.

Wednesday was 3 super fast miles with mile two using those body booster cords again. Challenge! My things are so burning from the resistance of those cords.

I am so excited about this challenge. I've wanted to change up/kick up my fitness routine for awhile but could never stick with it...by participating in a challenge where I know a ton of other people are doing the same thing I am...it gives me the push to keep at it!

Even though it's only day three..I can already feel my arms and back muscles getting more toned and firm. Can't wait till the end of this.

I have found that for me, I am a better mom and wife if I can do this one thing for myself. I need the physical stamina to keep up with busy kids and the rest of life. When i walk, I have more engery to go around.

Christmas Thoughts

With Christmas fast approaching, I've been thinking about gifts this year. This is just me, but I really don't want to get "stuff" this year. I want to give or get something that will truly make a difference in someone's life. I think it would be amazing that instead of getting stuff for people, donate to that person's favorite organization or charity in their honor. Personally I would love to see a donation made to a local food pantry or food bank so that someone who is less fortunate can have a holiday meal.

Maybe that's what I'll do....

21 day B4 Thanksgiving Challenge

You know that I normally don't blog much about myself, but I wanted to share about the upcoming challenge that I am participating in. It starts November 1st and it's hosted by Leslie Sansone, creater of Walk Away The Pounds in-home walking system. I love this system.

Beginning November 1st, these 21 Days will be jam packed with heart pumping variations of 3, 4, and 5-mile walks, while adding strength training and toning to the upper and lower body. During the last week, we’ll add some super fit core exercises. This will be a great way to amp up your multi-muscle walks, set a goal for yourself, and REACH THAT GOAL!

I am hoping to burn lots of body fat, tone muscles and just prove to myself that I can accomplish this goal. If I happen to lose weight in the process..GREAT! But that's not what I'm out to do...I'm just out to get my body healthier!

I'll keep you updated.

Birthday Cake

This is the final product, which even with it's flaws, turned out pretty well. Remember, I've NEVER worked with fondant before this project. Of course, this picture doesn't really do it justice...

Funny story to go along with the picture: Kiyah has been looking at the sample picture of this cake so she is well aware of what the cake was SUPPOSED to look like when finished. She woke up the morning of her party and thought my cake was beautiful...she was so surprised; until she pulled out the picture of the sample cake. She says "mom, I'm a little disappointed. It's not the same, but I know you tried your best, so thanks". What a little turkey!

My dad

For those of you blog followers that aren't on Facebook or that I haven't contacted yet:

My dad was in a serious construction accident today. He has been helping his nephew and family build a garage. Today they were raising rafters. By a freak accident, the scaffolding that my dad was standing on collapsed causing my dad and a rafter to fall onto Carrie (my cousin). Dad walked away with lots of bumps and brusies and a broken left arm. He goes back to Rochester on Tuesday to see the surgeon as he'll need surgery to put pins or something in.

Carrie suffered a shattered pelvis and hip joint. She is currently in traction to realign her leg and will have surgery on Tuesday morning (a 4-5 hour surgery).

Everyone needs lots of prayers! Thanks so much.

Almost Fall

I can tell that fall is right around the corner, the last weeks and days of August are becoming increasinly busy! We reiceved Kiyah's preschool info in the mail yesterday. Her class is Tues/Thurs from 8:30-11am. She is so excited to start again. What I really cannot believe is that she'll be 5 years old on Oct. 5th. Where have those 5 years gone? Kiyah is growing and developing into a curious, smart, funny, beautiful girl.

She has told me this year she wants a princess cake for her birthday. Holy cow! She picked quite the cake. However, I've been playing around and I think I can do it! I found a great yellow cake batter recipe (that I played with and turned into coconut cream cake). Yummy. I also tried a new buttercream recipe...it's good, but I think I'll go back to Wilton's Buttercream...it's just better. I bought a small package of fondant the other day when I made the cake. It's actually pretty easy to work with...I was surprised. The key is using the right amount so you have enough to cover the cake, but no to much that you can't roll it thin enough.

I'll make sure to post pictures of making this cake along the way!

Tommorow our plan is to head to the Steele County Free Fair. It's the largest (and free) county fair in Minnesota. The girls can't wait to see all the animals! Kiyah says she wants to go rides...I don't know though...she will however, do the horses I'm sure. Hope on the other hand, if she's tall enough, will do the rides. She is our daredevil.

After the fair, lucky me gets to go to the dentist. I have to have a back molar pulled. Yeah, I know. Yuck. Hoping it will be a simple extraction with minimal pain. It's a tooth that we've tried to save but haven't gone as far as needing a root canal or Crown. The dentist however, wanted me to go one of those routes. Yeah...no. Unless he wanted to spend his own money onthat only to have to lose the tooth anyway. I'll save my thousand dollars and spend less then 30 on pulling the tooth. :)

That's all I can think of for now.

Weekend Adventures

This weekend we headed to Oxbow Park and Zollman Zoo near Byron, MN. It's a place that I grew up going too. It's the perfect size for kids to be able to run around and play and check out the animals. In this top picture, can you tell how is the go-getter vs the hesitant child?

Hope didn't care that you weren't supposed to climb on the fences. She just wanted to get closer!

I was lucky to get these three to sit still long enough to take a picture. They (Hope and Kiyah) wanted to go feed the goats again.

This is my favorite rose, Maria Stern, out of our rose garden. It's a double bloom hybrid tea rose. So beautiful.

Hope

Tee-Ball

This is Kiyah's first year playing tee-ball. She was on the Ellendale #2 team, the blue team. It consisted of 4-5 year olds. They play for an hour, or 3 innings, whichever comes first. They started practice on June 14th but it was rained out. They had practice tuesday and wednesday and then thursdays practice was called due to projected storms, which turned into Tornado's and caused the next day's practice to be cancelled. They played a total of 4 games (Monday and Wednesday's).

Kiyah getting a pep-talk from one of the coaches before she was up to bat. Every kid get's to hit through the line-up. There are no "outs". This age group focuses more on learning the basic's than playing for a record.

Kiyah sitting next to her best friend from preschool, Isabel. They liked to chat and put sand in their gloves while in the outfield.

Swing...and a miss.. she hit the next one clear down the middle. :) She loved to hit the ball and is usually really good.

Easter Weekend

I've posted a bunch of pictures that highlight our Easter weekend. We made cupcakes with daycare, dyed easter eggs, and went to the city egg hunt.

Tonsils and Adenoids Oh My...

It's official...Kiyah will be having her tonsils and adenoids removed on March 24th. Thankfully, it should be a simple procedure where she will get to come home the same day. Her surgeon felt that this is the perfect time to do the surgery. There will be less pain and complications as a 4 year old vs. being an older child.

In watching Kiyah's behavior, it became obvious that she has some issues with sleep apnea. That is what is warrenting this procedure. We are hoping the surgery will help alleviate poor quality sleep and also help in her speech articulation.

We won't be able to travel for 2 weeks after her surgey as a precaution in case of bleeding (rare, but possible).

We are also about done with our house weatherization. We've had all new ductwork installed, a new furnace, new insulation and a bunch of other things completed. Now just wait for the spring thaw to be over so we can start the process of fixing the basement walls to prevent them from leaking. Yes, we have a slow leak currently going on in our basement. The remedy for this will be to remove the deck boards, dig up the dirt around the house, and redo the landscaping to prevent drainage into the house. Anyone willing to help please let us know!!!

That's about it for now. I'm off walk to try and make my goal of 60 miles by the end of March. I'm already at 34.1 for the month. Yeah me.

Updates

So I really must apologize for the amount of time in between posts. When I started this blog, I had good intentions on writing faithfully every week. When I look back on that intent, I realize that was wishful thinking of a writer at heart, not a mother of a 4 year old and a 2 year old. :) Oh well.

We are all ready for winter to be over...it's been too cold most of the winter to let the girls play outside for any length of time without worrying about frostbite. The snowdrifts in parts of our yard are taller than the girls. It's rediculous.

We met with an ENT about a week ago for a consult about removing Kiyah's tonsils. She has rather large tonsils. Thankfully she's never had any issues with strep throat. She is what the dr. called "hyponasal", meaning, when she talks, she sounds like she is plugging her nose. Most likely the cause? Enlarged adnoids as well as the tonsils. She will be rechecked in a few weeks and then the decision will be made to have both of them removed this spring. She is the perfect age for that...4-5 years old. Less risk of bleeding and other complications and less pain for a prolonged period of time.

Kiyah is loving preschool. She is finally back into a consistent routine after missing so many days in a row because of school cancellations. She loves to sing her alphabet, counts to 20 consistently, can recognize most letters of the alphabet, and loves coloring. she wants to be an artist, a doctor, and an animal doctor.

Hope is definatly 2 years old. She has mastered the skill of pouting to get her way. She has also mastered the skill of jumping with both feet off the ground...pretty impressive. She is a little copy cat to Kiyah. If Kiyah is dancing like a ballerina, Hope has to as well. It's great! Hope really looks up to her big sister and misses her when she is at school. However, Hope is also quite the instigator...before we can dicipline anyone, we have to make sure we actually SEE who started it...it's usually Hope being very very sneaky.

Terry has been very busy at work. He has been putting in at least 50+ hours every week (that is just m-f) not to mention the Saturday's he has been working. It's great to have those hours, because it's allowing us to put some money away, but we all really miss him while he's gone so much.

I have been keeping busy with the girls at home and doing daycare still. I have also been putting alot of time and heart into being the Ellendale Area Food Shelf coordinator. wow...that's all I can say.

That is what the Minnesota mikesells are busy doing. I'll try to get some new pictures posted soon.

Curious...

so I'm not sure if this can really qualify as a post, but I am curious. How many friends/family out there are actually reading this blog? No, don't worry, I'm not planning to stop blogging. But if you are reading, I will make a more consious effort to blog.

:)

That's all for now!

Bethany

Hope's 2nd Birthday

We celebrated Hope's 2nd birthday on Sunday, December 27th (acutal birthdate is the 28th). Mom (Bethany) made the strawberry flavored birthday cake. Hope only wanted grandma Whooo-Hooo to help her open presents, hence the reason neither parent is in the pictures. The day she turned 2, she definatley became a 2yr old. The temper tantrums. Her favorite phrase to say these days? No, Mine!