don’t call it a comeback.

I really enjoy writing. I always have.

I used to make the most amazing books with intense story lines and plot twists like you can’t imagine. All the 2nd graders were jealous.

“The princess lived in a castle.”

Can’t beat that crap.

I’ve neglected my love for writing for too long. I could list all my excuses for why I have put writing in the back of my mind, but the truth is I should MAKE time for writing.

Every day I make time to work out. I make time to prepare meals. I make time to play fun run (don’t start that game. It’s addicting). I need to make time for this hobby that helps my brain relieve some stress. I need to remember words and not feel so limited when I try to write. Writing came so easily to me when I did it more often. It’s time to get back on track, baby.

 

So…see you in 6 months probably.

This is Just How Friends Should Act.

This post is sponsored by Gymboree Children’s Clothing. Bring a friend to a Gymboree store and sign up for Gymboree Rewards together and you’ll both SAVE 25% off an in-store purchase.
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Kalli and I met years ago through uncomfortable circumstances. We were forced to hula hoop together  while eating cupcakes and various strips of meat. That pretty much sealed us together for life, and if I ever had to hula hoop with cupcakes and meat strips again, I would choose Kalli to be my hula partner.
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Yesterday, Kalli and I ventured off to the land of Gymboree, a children’s clothing store that I rarely venture into because I always just assumed I couldn’t afford anything in there. Well, I was wrong. Everything there was very affordable, and with the in-store sale prices and extra discounts, the clothes are MORE than affordable.
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So we took a picture of our attractive faces and got to work.
Jill and Kalli
I have 3 small children, so my job as a Mom is to invent new holiday traditions. And when I say “invent,” I mean copy everything my Mom did when I was a kid. Christmas pajamas have always been a part of my childhood Christmas memories, so I’m going to force my children to enjoy them, too. Lucky for me, Gymboree’s pajama sets are all 50% off right now. AND, I signed up for the rewards program when I was there and got an extra 25% off my purchase.
Bingo!
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And as every scientist knows, a true friend will dress her children in the same clothes as her friend’s kids.
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So….
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TWINSIES!

My Week on Instagram.

This sweet little man is fighting the good fight against his stupid eczema, so the dermatologist rewarded him with a sucker. He was the happiest little man on the block.

While I was (finally) unpacking our DVDs, the kids found the Christmas collections and started watching Frosty the Snowman on repeat. I can’t have that happening in September. I ordered this little gem off Amazon and we have been loving it. THIS is what  we should be watching in September.

My daughter became an entrepreneur and sold my “cooces” for 12 cents and “wodr” for 21 cents. Funny thing was, she told all the customers each cookie was 50 cents. Or $20. Depends on how rich she thought you were.

I was lucky enough to be invited to a private dinner put on by chef Kris Dews at La Nay Ferme in Provo. The food was delicious and the venue was incredible. There’s nothing quite like eating salmon while looking at this sunset.

Man, I could really use some money.

Hey, Utah friends! Have you all heard about this? A treasure hunt in Provo/Orem!

Yeah, that’s right. And the prize is $5,000. I’ve been told there are many other prizes involved for all the treasure hunters, as well. Things like old broken electronic devices, dirty diapers, stale cheerios… JK! That’s only if you go treasure hunting at my house. And I will tell you now, $5,000 is nowhere to be found in my home. But it will be when we find the booty in the treasure hunt!

My family is pretty stoked to win. We have all the skills necessary. My husband knows Utah County like the back of his hand. He’s a regular ol’ BlackBeard. I’m already only my phone like all the time, so staying on top of all the clues will be a BREEZE. And my  kids, well, they joined a pirate gang recently, so we’re in good hands.

The first clue will be sent out to us hunters NEXT WEEK, September 28th. So if you want to try to beat us pirates, followthe Provo Treasure hunt on Twitter, friend them on Facebook, and look out for my family and our pirate ship (busted up volvo) while we race to win the big prize!

For more info, check out his video…

Total Health Body Sculpting

As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been following a fancy diet and strength training/fat burning program, and I’ve loved the results I’ve been seeing in my body. I’m stronger, healthier, leaner, and all that jazz.

One thing that’s been really bothering me, though, is my stomach skin. I feel like having three kids in four years did a number on it. I suppose ballooning up and growing heavy babies in there multiple times in a short period of time will do that to our poor, innocent stomachs. I don’t think any amount of sit-ups will get the skin back to the way it was before.

HOWEVER, Total Health Body Sculpting can get the skin back pretty close while melting off some excess fat at the same time. I’ve always been curious about these painless procedures that claim to melt fat and tighten skin, so I was more than happy to give it a try at Total Health Body Sculpting in Pleasant Grove, UT.

So, I get there, meet with the technician, take my “Before” measurements and pictures, and lie down on the table.

For the next 15 minutes, she uses the ultrasound-looking machine on my stomach. This ain’t no ordinary ultrasound machine. According to their website, it is a machine that uses effective and specific energy sound wave and Radio Frequency to safely remove stored, resistant fat accumulation.  The whole time, I’m just relaxing on the table trying not to fall asleep. There’s no pain here, kids.

The second machine used is the skin-tightening one. This one does make your skin a little warm (hence the redness you’ll notice in my after pictures, but still nothing is hurting. I’ll take the heat, because it’s forcing my bod to produce collagen.

**Don’t like my non-scientific explanations? Look at the bottom of the post for more detailed information, or visit Total Health Body Sculpting’s website here**

After all this, we take the “After” measurements and pictures.

Here’s the thing. I lost TWO INCHES off my stomach in less than an hour. The rest of the day was spent enjoying my tighter skin. (Pay no attention to my stretch marks. We’ll blame 10 lb Troy for those.)

Now, this isn’t a”quick fix.” Well, I suppose in a way, it is. But you can just as quickly gain it all back if you’re not living a healthy lifestyle. It’s recommended you drink a LOT of water to help flush out the fat, do some exercise, and avoid sugar and soda for the days following the treatment.

Total Health Body Sculpting is located in both Pleasant Grove, UT and St George, UT. If you want to try it out, call for a free consultation! And go LIKE them on Facebook now! All Facebook fans get a special discount.

**So, how exactly does it work?**

Here is the explanation from Total Health Body Sculpting’s Website:

Our effective and specific energy sound wave and Radio Frequency treatments safely removes stored, resistant fat accumulation. Our treatment targets fat cells in problem areas such as the abdomen, thighs and love handles. In addition to helping in the removal of unwanted fat, we can selectively tighten areas of loose skin so that you are not left with a sagging appearance! All of this is accomplished without affecting nearby tissues, organs or blood vessels in any adverse manner.

By helping to open up the membranes of fat cells, the content is then pushed out which is then transported by the lymphatic and vascular systems to the liver, where it is processed by your body’s own natural mechanisms.

Benefits

  • Helps remove resistant fat from the belly, love handles, thighs and more.
  • Most advanced cellulite treatment available.
  • Tighten loose skin on your body.
  • Activate production of new collagen.
  • Effectively improve stretch marks.
  • Safe and effective treatment.
  • No downtime
  • No drugs
  • Affordable

 

Disclaimer: I am being compensated for this post with free treatments. However, all opinions and stretch marks are my own.

That One Time I Really Sucked at Mommy-ing.

I decided to go back to school when my firstborn was six months old. I started off easy by just taking nine credits, because, you know, I forgot how to be a regular human.

It was amazing.

Although it was difficult to leave my baby with my husband so I could go to school for a couple of hours, I enjoyed being around adults. It felt so good to put on clean clothes and speak in full sentences with my regular adult human voice for a little bit each day. I had homework to keep my brain working when the baby was sleeping, and friends to talk to during my free time.

When I was pregnant with my second, I got the courage to go to school full-time. I became motivated, determined, and excited about the opportunities I might eventually come across by having a degree. So I plugged along, raising two kids while studying, doing internships, and wife-ing. It wasn’t easy, but I really loved feeling “important” at school. Now that I look back, I see that I had my priorities all wrong.

Luckily, I got to have an eye-opening experience one frustrating night.

My oldest was two at the time, so my husband and I decided to take apart her crib and have her sleep in a bed. Dumb idea. She wouldn’t stay in her bed! She fought sleep as hard as she could in order to leave her room multiple times to ask for drinks, or ask for food, or say she’s scared, or say she’s not tired, or anything else to make us regret putting her in a bed.

I was up late one night studying for a test I had to take the next day, when my daughter started pulling all those nighttime tricks I disliked so much. I tried over and over to make her stay in her room. She came out. I put her back. She came back out. I got mad. She didn’t care. I didn’t get a lot of studying done. It made me more mad.

The next morning I yelled at my husband. “How am I supposed to get anything done when we have kids that act like this?!”

Of course my daughter heard me.

My husband loaded up the kids and left so I could study, but I was already feeling like a complete moron. What was wrong with me? I drove to the testing center in my husband’s car to take that dumb test for the dumb class I don’t even remember. His car had a picture of the two kids on the dashboard, so I got to see that the entire drive, making me feel even more guilty.

I only scored poorly on ONE test in my entire school career, and that was it.

I realized I had begun to put everything else before my children, and my children should be the most important to me. I decided right then and there that I would never let anything make my children question my love for them. If I was working so hard to provide a better life for them financially, it wouldn’t matter if my relationship with them suffered.

I put my kids first, and I still graduated with a high ol’ GPA.

(guess what? I was pregnant here and didn’t even know it yet. Thumbs up for surprises.)

As I jump into new ventures that will inevitably take up more of my time, I think back to that day I failed my test and failed at being the kind of mother I wanted to be.  It’s a good reminder to keep me from falling in the same priority-shifting trap I had fallen in before.

“No other success can compensate for failure inside the home.” -David O. McKay

 

Running Scared Race – 5K and 10K in Daybreak, UT {and a giveaway!}

I love Halloween. I also sometimes like running (when there are shirts and medal involved). Somebody went ahead and combined those two thangs for me and created the Running Scared 5 & 10K. Think about it: Running in your sexy nurse costume around the beautiful Daybreak community, celebrating your victory with your family with games, face painting, and prizes, and possibly winning a cash prize!
I’m down.
You want to show up and race in your sexy vampire costume? DO IT! Register HERE and use the code Blog510 for a discount.
****Want to try your hand at winning a FREE entry? Leave a comment on this post telling me what you will be for Halloween, and you ‘ll be entered to win!****
Giveaway will end Friday, September 14th.
Info about the race:
When: October 27 2012, Race starts at 10:00 am
Location: Daybreak
Course: closed course (no cars) on the paved trails that loop around the Daybreak Lake
Who and What: Family friendly, non-competitive division as well as a competitive division that offers a cash prize
Strollers and kids are welcome
Post-race fun: face painting, games, prizes
Costumes super duper encouraged!
Cost: $30 for 5K and $35 for 10K
For more info and registration: www.runnningscaredrace.com