Linsey’s Sleep Over Birthday Party
The birthday party sleep over went fantastically well on Saturday night and all the girls (I think) had a great time.

Linsey and I got there about 30 minutes or so before the guests so that we could get the room situated and drop off our stuff. The room was BEAUTIFUL!

With a king size bed All. For. Me.

Before the girls all arrived and after we got our stuff loaded into the suite LInsey and I stopped for a mother/daughter picture in the giant mirror that I really wanted to steal and bring home with me. But alas, it was too big.

The party was small and consisted of Linsey’s very best friends (three to be exact) so I knew there wasn’t going to be any drama. The girls played games, ate pizza and watched movies way into the night.

On Sunday morning we went out to have crepes for breakfast at Linsey’s request.

I’m pretty sure that all the girls had a good time and I’ve decided that the low-key, smaller parties are definitely the way to go in the future. This one was so easy and pain free. SCORE!

Clayton High School vs Westboro Baptist Church
If you’re not familiar with the group, Westboro Baptist Church sends members of their congregation out to protest military funerals, tornado destruction sites and anything else they can use as a platform to spread their message of hate.

Well, this morning they chose to do it at one of our local high schools. The group was protesting the high school because they said that is where children are being taught about “abominations like same sex marriage, equality for all and other anti-Christian values”.

The student body at Clayton High School put together a counter protest to take place at the same time that would raise money (selling t-shirts, wrist bands and screen printing items on the spot) for Gay and Lesbian Youth Support Groups.

I knew I wanted to join in the protest and take the girls with me immediately. Jason and I have always tried to teach the girls that we love and respect everyone. Race, religion, sex, sexual orientation and anything else that makes someone “different” does not matter to us. We love and cherish every equally because they are human beings and that is what being a human being means.

So we got up extra early this morning to head out for the protest. We stopped at Bread Co for breakfast…

(whole grain bagel with wild blueberry cream cheese – YUM!)

As soon as we got to the high school we realized that this was bigger than even I thought it would be. Look at the amount of police presence there was!

Some residence in the very expensive town homes across the street even joined in the support!!

The crowd of Westboro protesters only consisted of 5 people with 3 to 4 signs a piece. The signs were so horrible that I opted not to even give them publication, but know that the message was full of hate and ignorance. So sad.

The crown for the counter protest was amazing. It was probably 300 to 400 people with signs that said some of the most beautiful things. The vibe of the crown was peaceful, loving and compassionate, but strong on their beliefs.

I am so glad that I took the girls to see and be a part of the demonstration. Regan obviously had no clue what was going one, but Linsey really got it and was amazed to see such a large group of people coming together in such a positive way. It was very lovely.

We even got stopped and interviewed by a local news channel!! The reporter was so excited to see that I was involving my children in the protest. He asked me a few questions and then asked Linsey a couple as well. We may be on Channel 2 News if you live in St Louis!!

Who Won The Yogurt??
So – I was given some different types of Chobani Champions to try last week and was also allowed to host a giveaway of the new flavors. Well – we all tried the new flavors of yogurt. I am a tried and true Chobani fan! I eat many of the flavors quite frequently and was super excited to sample the new champions flavors.

Vanilla Chocolate Chunk

This was our over all favorite for obvious reasons. Who doesn’t love chocolate? The texture was smooth. The flavor was subtle and sweet, but not overwhelming. This is a flavor I will be buying often!

Orange Vanilla Swirl

The girls weren’t thrilled with this flavor as much. Regan doesn’t like orange anything and Linsey said it was way too sweet. She said it was too orange-y and not something she would want me to buy. I liked it! I thought it was definitely orange-y, but I happen to like oranges and orange flavor so maybe that’s why. I probably will buy this flavor, but not as often as the chocolate.

And the winner’s are…

CONGRATULATIONS!!

Candace and Missy please send your mailing addresses to maria@realfitmama.com so I can get them to the good people over at Chobani.

Today I’m thankful for:

…positivity in the world

…being able to share events with my daughters

…getting to hang out with Jason during the day

…friends who help lift my spirits

…yoga

~ Maria

Jason and I ran the deli all by ourselves, we got killed and then we got over it.

That’s how we do things up in this mug!!

I hope that you all took the time to read my previous post regarding Planned Parenthood and the Susan G. Komen debacle. It’s of the utmost importance and would mean the world to me to have your support.

Moving on…

Yesterday I walked to my front door and do you know what I found??

Yep! That is a HUGH JASS box of Chobani. And it’s all for … the girls. I was approached a while back to do a review and giveaway of the new flavors of Chobani Champions. Linsey and Regan already eat Chobani Champions and love it so this taste test was only going to end one way.

When we opened the box I was shocked to see just what WAS inside!

Now the really fun part … I get to give some Chobani Champions to not one, but TWO of you guys!! I have some Vanilla Chocolate Chunk AND Orange Vanilla ready to mail out. All I need to know is:

• what is your television guilty pleasure?
• what’s your favorite snack to eat while watching it?

I’ll pick two winners on Sunday night after getting back from Linsey’s birthday party sleepover.

Today I’m thankful for:

…my health

…my daughter’s health

…the fact that there is a place I can go when I need medical help without insurance

…the support of all of you amazing people

…twitter! It’s helped me connect with so many people today alone!

~ Maria

I don’t get to spend a lot of one on one time with the girls or Jason.

This weekend I got to do both AND get in some great workouts!

Saturday morning started with my final 30 Day Shred of the week…

And then I topped it off with a great (and filling) green monster. YUM…

Jason took the girls to dance class and then he and Regan did some last minute shopping while I stayed home and cleaned house. It’s amazing how quickly the house of a family of four can get messy!

Afterwards I took Regan to her first bowling party. Her friend, Hannah, turned 5 and to celebrate there was a HUGE bowling blow out for her closest 4 and 5 year old friends. They turned the lights down, the glow lights up and the music even higher.

Regan ROCKED at bowling!! She got the highest score out of everyone in her group. It was a super fun time.

When the party was over and we were back home I prayed she would take a nap, but NO. SUCH. LUCK. She didn’t even have heavy eyelids! So we ordered the girls some pizza and when my mother showed up it was off to party with some friends. This pretty much sums up my evening…

Even though we were out celebrating a friends birthday I didn’t snap one freaking picture! However, Jason and I took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather and walked to and from the celebrations.

I half expected to wake up with the BIGGEST headache after all my celebrating, but at 6:00 Regan woke me up wanting to watch The Cooking Channel (it’s her newest thing) and I felt fine. Weird!

Around 8:00 everyone else woke up and we got ready for breakfast at First Watch. We were going to walk, but it was only 27 degrees. The girls talked us into driving so we caved.

Breakfast was super yummy as usual and I got the same thing I always get – the veggie skillet with scrambled eggs.

During breakfast I got an invite from my friend Britt to join her and her son at the zoo. Linsey had dance company rehearsal all afternoon so Regan and I accepted the invitation while Jason took Linsey home to get ready.

After being dropped off at her house the kids climbed into their double jogging stroller and headed towards the zoo. A really good time was had by all despite the occasional rebellion from the wee ones.

After an afternoon at the zoo we piled the kiddos back into the stroller and headed off to have some lunch before parting ways to go home.

We stopped at the Bread Co down on the Loop and had some lunch. I ordered the “pick 2″ with black bean soup and a caesar salad along side their oh so fabulous iced green tea.

I was really interested to know just how much walking we had done today and was pleasantly surprised to find out it was a little over 6 miles. WAHOO!!

Once we got home Regan crashed and burned in my bed with the sound of The Cooking Channel whirring softly in the background.

I tell you what – that is one weird kid, but oh my goodness – I do adore her.

2012 Challenges
I asked you guys to help my fill up my 2012 calendar with a different challenge every month. Surprisingly only a few of you responded even though there was a giveaway (prize was a secret) attached to it. I’ll tell you later this week what my monthly challenges ended up being, but wanted to tell you who the winner was.

Dawn – send me your mailing address!!

…I’m grateful for evenings with friends

…I’m grateful for my mom and her willingness to baby sit

…I’m grateful for afternoons with friends

…I’m grateful for yummy soup to warm me up

…I’m grateful to live in an area that is very walker friendly

~ Maria

I cannot tell you how great our trip to Atlanta was! We got so comfortable down there that Jason even talked about moving there someday. We loved the weather, the neighborhoods, the people and the feel of the city in general.

I would say that it feels good to be home, but OH MY GOD it’s cold in St Louis!!

The wind has been fierce the past two days, but I made it out for my Resolution Run yesterday anyway. I had signed up to do the Run To The Finish HBBC Resolution Run virtually (since I’m not lucky enough to live in Florida!) and kept my word because all exercise counted for DOUBLE points. WAHOO! I kept my run to the track at the local high school and pounded out 2.71 miles in 31 minutes.

That may not be fast for some people, but for me it’s a pretty good pace.

I also managed to schedule my entire fitness regimen for the month of January!

We spent most of New Years Day unpacking and reorganizing all the crap we came back from Atlanta with. Since we ate up all our food before heading out on vacation our kitchen was B.A.R.E and we were forced to eat out at every meal. Dinner was out with a friend and her son and then they came over to our house afterwards so the kids could play for a bit.

This morning we got up and headed out for breakfast before going to the grocery store to restock the kitchen.

When I said our kitchen was bare… I wasn’t kidding. Look at what found it’s way into the Jeep on our trip to Target.

I’ve spent the entire rest of my day putting those groceries away, reorganizing the kitchen (no time like the present) and cleaning the entire house! I did take a short break to make myself a green monster.

In the mix was:

• one cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• two handfuls of fresh spinach
• one frozen banana
• two scoops chocolate protein powder

It was oh so yummy!

Once Regan FINALLY went down for a nap I was able to start my January 30 Day Challenge with Jillian Michaels.

After the intense 26 minute workout (have YOU tried it?) I had a post workout snack to tide me over until dinner.

Now that Jason is home, Regan is starting to wake up and Linsey will be heading home from her friends house soon I better start thinking about dinner. I’m leaning towards pasta!!

Don’t forget to leave a comment on my resolution post and help me fill in the blanks for my monthly challenges. I’ll fill in every month this weekend and pick one commenter to win a super sweet prize (TBD) as well.

….I’m grateful for my family

….I’m grateful for warm fuzzy socks

….I’m grateful for napping children

….I’m grateful for play-dates at someone else’s house

….I’m grateful for warm winter coats

~ Maria

(yes… that is a Christmas photo you see. )

I have two beautiful daughters.

I am married to my best friend.

We are all happy and healthy.

Despite money being tight, life being hectic and a bit stressful at times I have to remind myself that things could be so much worse. There are people out there with no place to live, no family and no job.

(photo source)

Tonight I am thankful for:

• my home with a working furnace
• my refrigerator with food inside
• the roof over my head
• my family

Enjoy your evening…

Jason said she shed a few tears before hand, then had to call home, where she shed a few more tears. She got to talk to Regan and they both said how much they missed each other and loved each other.

I wish they could act that way at home!!

She promised to call us every night (YEAH RIGHT!) and not to cry while she was away. She also promised to enjoy herself the whole time she was gone.

Last Night…
We took Linsey out to dinner, to dessert and to stock her up on toiletries for the trip. First stop was at Noodles & Co where the girls loved on each other.

Jason smiled even though he HATES having his picture taken (and hates having it put on the internet even more).

I enjoyed a bowl of the penne rosa with feta cheese, rice noodles (gluten free) and baked tofu. It is soooooooo yummy!

It’s so yummy that it makes me grin from ear to ear…

After dinner we walked down to Cold Stone Creamery for some ice cream. Normally I prefer FroYo, but Linsey LOVES Cold Stone and it was her night.

Jason even smiled for the camera for a second time!

I did partake in a little bit of the ice cream, but I went easy. I had the “like it” size (the smallest) of the Banana Caramel Crunch (bananas, chopped almonds and caramel syrup mixed into french vanilla ice cream) but was only able to eat about 3/4 of it. I really wanted to finish it, but knew I would be so sick if I did!

The container was so full that as it started to melt it was dripping over the edges so the lovely young man who made it for me put the drippy container into a bigger size cup so I wouldn’t get all sticky. HOW SWEET!!

After a late night melt down, we got Linsey settled and in bed. She’s gone back and forth about taking this trip, but it will be good for her to get away from Regan and enjoy some time with her cousins. They are going to spoil her rotten!

This morning…
The alarm went off at 5:00. Linsey and I snuggled until about 5:30 while Jason took a shower and loaded the car. It was nice spending some quiet time with just her because whenever Regan’s awake she takes up all the oxygen in the room!

By 6:00 I got them out the door and they were off. Linsey only shed a few tears before finally leaving, but she knows how much fun she’s going to have.

Once they were gone I did my last P90X workout for this week…Kenpo X.

This week alone I have logged over 5 hours of exercise doing the P90X Lean program!! That is so awesome for me and I’m really loving this schedule!

Once Regan woke up and realized Jason and Linsey were gone she had her own little melt down so we had to call them ASAP.

Talking to Jason and Linsey on the phone helped calm her down and she was ready to move on with the day. We had breakfast, lots of coffee and walked the dogs. Then it was dress up time for Bo Bo.

She was so proud of his outfit made out of silly bands!

Isn’t he the most handsome bear you’ve ever seen??

Now it’s time for lunch, Regan’s nap and house work. Jason will be back on the road after he has lunch with his parents. Once he gets home we have to find ways to entertain Regan for two whole weeks! I think we may take her out for some bike rides if the weather allows.

Any other suggestions??

It’s been so long since we’ve been a one child family I almost don’t remember what it’s like!!

The giveaway…
Now on to what you’ve ALL been waiting for! A few weeks back I was given three Sony Walkmans. One was for me to keep, use and review. The other two were to giveaway, here, to you.

Everyone had awesome songs that they love to workout to! And a few people wanted to know what my top 5 songs are. So, in no particular order, here are the top 5 songs that I like to workout to…at this moment.

1. Mr Jones – The Counting Crows
2. Lady Gaga – Bad Romance
3. Maroon 5 – Moves Like Jagger
4. Mumford and Sons – Little Lion Man
5. Eminem – Lose Yourself

And the winners are…

1. Kara

2. Zach

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Drop me an email at maria@realfitmama.com and we’ll work out getting you your new headphones.

In other news…have you seen Google today???

Now I’m off to spend the day in the usual way (cleaning, laundry, entertaining children) just with one less child in the house.

I’d rather regret the things I’ve done than regret the things I haven’t done. ~ Lucille Ball

Tonight we are taking her out.

Dinner.

Dessert.

Her choice.

Dinner…

Dessert…

Don’t forget to throw your name in the hat for the Sony Walkman giveaway!

See you tomorrow!!!

That’s right ya’ll!

I went there!

I took it big cause I’m looking for big results!

Let me preface all of this by saying that I am NOT looking to lose any weight, but am looking to tighten, tone and shape this body of mine. I’ve got jiggles in places I don’t want to have jiggles and I’ve got pooch in other places I don’t want to have pooch.

Here are my before pictures that Jason took for me on Sunday evening…

Front (hands on hips) and (makin some muscles)

Side…
(my arm partially blocking my tummy!)

Back (hands on hips) and (makin more muscles)

I did a lot of reading up on the P90X program and what brought me to my ultimate decision was the fact that a friend had the whole DVD set and let me borrow it.

There are three separate programs to choose from, but I went with the Lean program because after reading it was the one that seemed to fit my wants and needs best.

The schedule is all laid out for me, which is great. There’s no guessing or grappling with what my workout for the day will be. So far the workout shave been tough, muscle shaking, sweat sessions that I’ve pushed my way through every morning starting at 5:30. It feels really great to mark my workout off my calendar where everyone can see that I finished!

My plan is to continue eating the way I normally eat, but add in an extra protein bar in the afternoon to ensure I’m taking in enough calories. Then at the end of each 4 week phase I will take new pictures and post them here for all of you to see.

MOTIVATE ME!!!

I’ll be picking the winners of my Sony Walkman giveaway Saturday morning. Initially I was going to choose the winners tomorrow night, but Jason and I are taking the girls out for Linsey’s farewell evening. She will be flying to Atlanta early Saturday morning and staying down there for two whole weeks.

I’m going to miss her terribly, but I know that our house will be peaceful while she’s gone (she and Regan have been at each others throats lately) and she will have a blast hanging out with Jason’s cousins Nick and Katy. It’s a win win for everyone!

I’m jetting for now…have a great evening.

Love reckons hours for months, and days for years; and every little absence is an age.  ~ John Dryden

F.A.S.T!!

I’m so glad that everything is hooked up and usable again. I’ve missed my blogosphere like you would not believe. I feel like there’s been this whole other universe existing without me.

While I do have so much to fill you in on I cannot do it all tonight.

So, instead, I will just remind you to take a swing at winning a Sony Walkman W Series right here…

and we’ll talk tomorrow.

Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.  ~ Judy Garland

Jason left us early this morning to go to an open casting call for The Next Food Network Star downtown. He said that the interview went really well and if they’re interested in meeting with him again they will call him in the next 24 hours. I think he’s pretty excited, but not getting his hopes up.

It is a long shot after all!

For whatever reason the girls have been struggling to get along lately. They are constant screaming, hitting, throwing things and running through the house because this one took that ones doll or that one broke that ones crayons or she was jumping on my bed or she was breathing in my presence!!

So I decided to go old school…

You can’t get along then all you’re going to do is work together…ALL DAY.

1. They had to clean Regan’s room together.
2. They had to clean Linsey’s room together.
3. They have to go with each other everywhere; bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, closet…whatever!
4. They had to sit together on the floor and eat lunch.
5. They have to play with each other all day and if there is any fighting, yelling, throwing things or tears of any kind then I have threatened their lives.

Just kidding!!

Basically they have to learn to get along by being together all day.

And tonight I get to escape them completely because my mother is coming over to baby sit so Jason and I can go out with friends for dinner and bowling.

I need a night out. Like, really NEED it.

For my sanity.

For their safety.

For the peace of the whole family!

But before heading out I’m going to sneak in a kettlebell workout since I skipped it yesterday and my morning run didn’t actually happen.

Does refereeing fights between your children counts as exercise??

Don’t forget to enter to win a new Sony Walkman! I’ll pick the two winners next weekend.

Sadly, I have to take a blogging hiatus. We are having serious problems with our Verizon MiFi card and our service with them in general. So I called and got us hooked up with a home phone and high speed wireless internet through the local cable company here in St Louis, but it won’t be hooked up until Wednesday evening.

We have until tomorrow to return the MiFi card without paying a hefty penalty. So we are going to be without internet at the house between Sunday and Wednesday. I may try to sneak off to Starbucks one evening between now and then, but I’m not holding my breath.

In the meantime, I will still be tweeting and facebooking (are those actually verbs now?!) like usual.

See you soon…

Parenthood: As hard as you expect it to be, you end up wishing it were that easy. (stolen from my friend Courtney!)