Category Archives: Wordful Wednesday

Love My Abs Challenge, Week 4

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16

If you’re just hearing about February’s Love My Abs Challenge for the first time, it’s not too late to join in the fun.  Basically, we started with a 100 dally ab exercises and tweeted about our achievements: #lovemyabs.  (This week we move up to 160 exercises.)  Then, each Wednesday, I’ll host a linky party for you to link up and share your recap post or add your Twitter handle.

That’s it.  Now sit-up and take action!  Show your abs some love this February!




To be honest, I am really not happy with this photo, but has nothing to do with results, because clearly my abs are showing.  My disappointment has more to do with bad lighting and PMS.  I must have taken (no lie) 50 photos of my abs but I just couldn’t get the lighting right.

And then, I wore the wrong shorts.  See, my cute little running shorts have a scrunchy elastic waist. So every time I sat at the computer to inspect my photos, I would get these little elastic marks in my abdomen.  Now, you may think, “No big deal. You can’t even see it.” Remember you are dealing with a woman PMSing and there is no rational behind loathing a photo.

Had the lighting or my knowledge on how to use my fancy DSLR camera been better, I think the definition and progress would have been clearer.  Oh well.  One more week to make the magic happen!

I may hate the photo but I love my abs!

 

Day 16

80 crunches

40 bicycle

40 cross-over

25 push-ups

2 – 30 second planks

40 pilate hip rotations

2 x second supermans

 

Day 17

80 crunches

40 bicycle

40 cross-over

 

Day 18

80 crunches

40 bicycles

40 cross-over

1×30 second plank

 

Day 19

80 crunches

40 bicycles

40 cross-over

2 x 30 second planks

2 x 30 supermans

(50 pushups & 40 tricpes dips for fun)

 

Day 20

80 crunches

40 bicycle

40 cross-over

 

Day 21

40 crunches

60 bicycle

60 cross-over

2 x 30 planks

25 pushups

 

Day 22 – Moved up to 180 reps.

60 crunches

60 bicycle

60 cross-over

2 x 30 planks

50 pushups

 

How about you? Are you giving your abs some daily love?

Love My Abs Challenge – Week 2

Posted on by Run DMT
13

If you’re just hearing about February’s Love My Abs Challenge for the first time, it’s not too late to join in the fun.  Basically, we started with a 100 dally ab exercises and tweeted about our achievements.  (This week we move up to 120 exercises.)  Then, each Wednesday, I’ll host a linky party for you to link up and share your recap post or add your Twitter handle.

That’s it.  Now sit-up and take action!  Show your abs some love this February!


A week into the challenge and I’m already seeing a difference in my waist.  Although I didn’t measure myself with a tape measure at the start of the challenge, I would estimate that I have lost about an inch around my waist.  The real measure is the reduction of spillage over the top of my pants.  My muffin top is deflating.

No real ab muscles popping up yet, but I know there in there somewhere.  I’ll just keep at it.

Here’s a photo of my abs after one week and a rundown of the ab exercise I did this week.  I also learned about the #plankaday challenge via @runningmom2boys and @Amanda_Mowry,  so I’m plugging along with planks in that challenge too.

Day 2

(Unplanned resistance training thanks to Little Lion Man pulling my hair with every crunch.)

40 crunches

40 bicycles

40 cross-over crunches

1 minute planks

50 pushups

Day 3

40 crunches

40 bicycles

40 cross-over crunches

20 reps of pilates

50 pushups

Day 4

2 x :30 planks

60 crunches

60 cross-over crunches

50 pushups

Day 5

60 crunches

60 cross-over crunches

2 x 30 second planks

Day 6

60 crunches

60 cross-over crunches

2 x 30 second planks

25 push-ups

Day 7

60 crunches

60 cross-over crunches

50 push-ups

Day 8

40 crunches

40 bicycles

60 cros-over crunches

Like I said, I’m already seeing results.  How about you?

More Gasparilla Booty

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15

I captured so many great photos from the Gasparilla Children’s Parade and I wanted to share some more,  If you missed my previous Gasparilla post, gather ’round to hear the tale again, me hearties.

My Grocery Bag Dispenser

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20

I am becoming way too co-dependent on Pinterest.  I honestly don’t know how I functioned before without it.

Some might say I’m on Pinterest too much.  But here’s the thing.  It’s adding value to my life.

Yes, most social networks suck me in and have me wasting time chatting, tweeting and responding to stuff, but Pinterest is different.  It pulls me and is helping me become a better person.

It motivates me.

Pinned Image

It helps me organize.

Pinned Image

It helps me plan menus for my family.

It helps generate decorating ideas for my house.

Pinned Image

And as creative and ingenious as I think I am, there are people on Pinterest far more ingenious and creative than me.

For example, I would have NEVER thought to store grocery bags in a wipe container before Pinterest.

Pinned Image

That’s green ingenuity at its finest, folks!  And if you were already sitting on this gem of a green idea, then you should have shared pinned it.

Pinned Image

You could have gone viral on Pinterest.

As for my adaptation to the grocery bag dispenser, I didn’t have an empty Wet Ones or Clorox wipes container to use, but I have tons of empty baby wipes containers laying about my house.  So, I recreated this creativeness with one of those.  Viola!

I’m sure someone will share some cute, creative way to cover the Luvs label or the wipe container with fabric or scrapbook paper and some Mod Podge. I’m sure it’s out there on Pinterest.  I just haven’t looked for it yet.  Until then, I’m fine with this happy little Luvs baby handing me grocery bags for to dispose of dirty diapers.

And she tucks away nicely in Little Lion Man’s changing table dresser drawer.

Thank you, Pinterest, for my handy-dandy dirty diaper bag dispenser tip.

Now, I just need to learn understand how to make the bags pop out of the container.

They Have a Dream

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11

The girls had Monday off from school, but I wanted it to be more than a long weekend.  I feel it’s important to understand why we honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Every year, we observe the holiday by watching Dr. King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech.  Then, we discuss it and follow it up with a writing activity.  When I saw this MLK writing activity floating around Pinterest, I thought it would be a great extension to our usual MLK activities.

After we watched the speech, we discussed what Dr. King’s dream was for our country.  Did Dr.King’s dream become a reality?  Are all people treated equally today?  What’s your dream? 

When Emmalynn said her dream was to be a pony, I realized I needed to clarify the question, “What’s your dream?”  I explained to Emmalynn, “It’s not a dream that you have when you sleep.  It’s a hope for the future of the world or for others.”

What’s your dream for the community or the world?  

She understood the difference and wrote a wonderful response.

“My dream is to help the world.  I would help people by making sure that they have homes, families and don’t get separated.”

I love Allana’s dream too.

 

Aren’t they beautiful girls with big, beautiful dreams for the world?  And speaking of beautiful girls, my niece, Meghan, joined us for our MLK fun.  You can read about Meghan’s dream here.

Allana’s Compassion in Action

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“Look, Mom!  My shirt matches the sign!”  Allana proudly exclaimed when she spotted wings on the Angel Crossing sign.

A few days before Christmas, Allana and I volunteered at the Metropolitan Ministries Holiday Tent.  It was a wonderful learning experience for her as she saw firsthand how our donations to the food bank help others.  Allana enjoyed helping the families and throughout the evening she often commented on the graciousness and cuteness of the children.

A couple weeks later, I realized just how much the experience impacted Allana when my friend made some remarks about her high school students’ poor their hygiene.  I didn’t know Allana had heard my friend’s comments until she chimed in, “Well maybe they’re homeless and they don’t have any running water.  Maybe they live in their cars.  You really shouldn’t judge, because you just never know someone’s situation.”

Our short time volunteering had a big impact Allana but at that moment, I learned something too.  My daughter is growing into a truly beautiful, compassionate human being.

Pink Prayers for Miss Sharon

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6

Just before Christmas, I received some startling news about the girls’ preschool teacher, Miss Sharon.  Finding myself at a loss for words, all I could do was cry and pray for her to survive this.

Miss Sharon will begin the New Year with a double mastectomy.  Through it all she has maintained a positive attitude and her sense of humor, which we would only expect from this amazing woman.

Later this fall, when I when we run the Race for the Cure, we run for Miss Sharon without a doubt.

We are all sending you healing prayers for a quick recovery.  We love you, Miss Sharon.

 

Merriest Christmas Moments

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6

Beautifully set tables with a bit of bokeh ready for loved ones to gather ’round.

Hubby preparing Christmas dinner while wearing his presents.

Grandma Mestanza proudly posing with her almost-as-tall-as-her grandchildren

Little Lion Man giggling on his granny’s knee.

One tired little boy tucking into Grandpa to sleep.

Cousins cuddling.

Sisters striking a pose.

Happy children loving most of their presents…

and exclaiming, “This was the best Christmas ever!”

Live, Love, TRAVEL

Magic Reindeer Food

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14

The kids and I have been making Magic Reindeer Food as part of our Advent calendar for years now.  At first, the food was a mixture of old fashioned oats and glitter.  Then, I learned how dangerous glitter can be for animals or small children when ingested.  From then on, we made our reindeer food with only edible ingredients.  Of course, oats are still part of the mixture but instead of craft glitter, we use edible glitter like red and green cake sprinkles.

This year, we added a few more ingredients to make it more like trail mix.  After all, those reindeer have such a long journey and they’ll need the extra carbs and sugar to that fuel flight.

Emmalynn, Allana and I had fun searching through the pantry for snacks the reindeer might enjoy.  Along with the oats and edible glitter, we added raisins, dried cranberries, Peanut Butter Cap’n Crunch, Corn Flakes, peanuts, gum drops, mini marshmallows, Cheerios, pumpkin seeds and wasabi peas.  Wasabi peas might seem like an odd addition, but I thought the reindeer might like a little heat on the way back to the frigid North Pole.

After we combined our ingredients, we poured the mix into Ziploc bags and added the how-to poem.  This printable Magic Reindeer Food poem tag can be found here.

On Christmas Eve just before bed, the kids, Auntie Simone and I will sprinkle the Reindeer Food in the yard.  Of course, we always leave carrots for the reindeer next to Santa’s cookies and milk too.

Family Photos 2011

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11

Just as I had expected, she did it again.  Kelly captured some gorgeous shots of my family for our Christmas portraits.

Funny thing, we didn’t have to travel far for our portrait session.  All of these photos were taken at the North Pointe Village in our neighborhood.  Upon a closer look, you may notice the Pasco office building, Residence Inn, Carrabbas, International Beer Garten or an abandoned Up the Creek Mongolian Buffet in the background.

If you love these photos as much I do,  please leave a comment on Kelly’s blog so I can win an 11×14 print.  Thank you in advance! :-)