"Total Hotness!"

I’m on a mission.  A mission to total “Hotness!” 
I have till Cinco De Mayo to transform my current body to...TOTAL HOTNESS!

Ok, so the real story goes something like this:

Sam and I are fat and lazy.  We don’t like how we feel with our extra weight so we did what we ALWAYS do and pulled out the Double Dare!

Nothing gets me moving like a little COMPETITION!!

I can tell he’s a little nervous about this.  He’s prodding around trying to get me to tell him what workouts I’m doing.

I know he wants my idea’s but I’m NOT falling for his tricks!

I have Mommy Power!  

I’m doing crazy workouts all day long!  Who needs the Gym?
I’m up and down 2 flights of STAIRS a billion times a day!  I’m RUNNING errands, LIFTING Abi every time she says
“Hold You” and I’m CURLING my hair a few times a week!

Each morning I do a few good STRETCHES in bed and SIT UPS every time I get out of bed.  I SQUAT in the bathroom all the time and have a two year supply  of PULL UPS .

He’s got NOTHING on me!

Poor guy.  He’s up and running outside in FREEZING temperatures before the sun comes up.  Sometimes I think he tries to hard. 

Today I boosted my stair climbing workout by carrying this 50lb bag of salt.  Ahhh, hurts so good! 

Green Smoothies!

                                           

I've started them up again! Green Smoothies are on the Menu!! I went on a Green Smoothie strike for about 5 months. I don't know what happened but I didn't want anything to do with them. I made them for Abi almost daily but I never drank them. I had no desire. I'm ready for them now. What I like best about them is they take away my sweet cravings and my munchies. When I'm drinking them frequently I can walk away from cookies and chocolate.
My kids drink them too. Abi LOVES them! She does a dance and a big cheer saying, "Smoothie!" (Actually sounds like "m-o-o-dey")

It use to take my kids 30 minuets to drink a smoothie. Not Kidding! I had to start the timer and threaten them with more if they didn't drink it before the buzzer rang. They were ridiculous sitting at the table with tiny sips and gags.
Times have changed. (And I got better at making them.)

Jace enjoys his smoothies and always walks away with a mustache
.

Jennica can be a Drama Queen when she wants to but ALWAYS drinks it. Here she is putting on a show because I have the camera out.

but when I return just a few minuets later I get this...


Jarom enjoys his with a straw while reading. (Always with a straw)




And Abi always comes back for seconds. I LOVE finding these...


As of late this is our After School Snack. It satisfies them till I get dinner on the table.
What is in the Green Smoothie you ask?


I start with a lot of GREENS. I fill my blender with Spinach, Kale, Chard & a little parsley with 2 cups of water.

Then I blend it down to this...

and add a slice of the lemon and a tiny bit of ginger with Flax Oil and blend it again.

Then I add some natural sweetener.

2 bananas, little Mango, an Orange, Strawberries, and Blueberries. Everything in the bowl is what I use. Sometimes I add about 1/4 cup of pineapple coconut juice.

Now the Green Smoothie turns purple

And Abi comes running because she knows what I have just created!

Try them! They are Yummy!

While I'm at it...

Jennica's favorite snack is:


I'm not a fan of Tuna. (gag) but Jace and Abi sure did like it today.

Dinner tonight was soooo yummy. (if I do say so myself)

I hate typing recipe's so I took a picture instead!



I use to just double this but now that Abi is BIGGER and eats what we eat- I realized I need to triple it. We all enjoyed it.
It's nice to have a little success in the kitchen. I was on a bad loosing streak.

Coma Day?

I wish there was a day after Saturday, but before Sunday, to allow me to “Get Ready for Sunday.” I need a day to recoup from Saturday.
I would name it Coma Day. It wouldn’t even have to be a full 24 hour day. I think 12 hours would do the trick. I would sleep all 12 hours. I would be better off if this day existed. Historically, Sunday isn’t my favorite day. I always feel tired and more rushed. I take short cuts because...“It’s Sunday” so by the end of the day, my house is a mess (especially the kitchen...but then again, it always is) and I’m grumpy because I didn’t enjoy the day like I had hoped to and Monday is around the corner.
Coma Day would satisfy that crave for a nap and make up for long week days.
Ahhh...if only.

Instead, I will continue to try and master this physical body I have been given.
I’m sort of a slow learner...

Photo: This is the Hobi clan last January.(I want to try to post a photo with each entry. They won't always fit the story.)

Premature Spring Fever

                                          
Is it really January? This time last year my Mom was stuck here because she couldn’t get a flight out due to snow storms. Her stay was extended an extra week because of snow.
Today, we were outside building a swing enjoying the sun instead of Snowmen! (Well, Sam was building the swing.) I cleaned out the garage like it was Spring cleaning, AND vacuumed and washed the car. Not a speck of snow in sight.
I imagine this is what winter feels like in California. It’s almost eerie to have 50 degree weather in January. My smile widens to think I might have to endure only 2-3 months of Winter instead of the grueling 5!
I can handle the snow boots, gloves, hats, and scarfs for that long. The kids are anxious to take to our snow hill in the backyard but we continue to have sunny skies.
I’ve really got the Spring Cleaning bug. I am ready to tear my house apart and re-organize! Thanks to my recent trip to IKEA!

I LOVE IKEA

Today I spent 5 hours in IKEA!

Again, I have to take back what I said earlier this week about hating ALL shopping.

I like shopping at IKEA. I could spend DAYS there.
I had to leave after 5 hours because my friend and I had kids getting off the bus. (and our babies were SCREAMING by that time of day without naps!)

I seriously thought about how nice it would be to shop all day at IKEA- stay in a Hotel across the street and do it again the next day! (Without my kids of course.)

I like the possibilities IKEA has to offer.
My house could use an IKEA facelift.
Maybe this is that “Need for Change” I’m itching for around this time of year.
I will return to IKEA next week with measurements!

Dinner with a Kick!

I tried a new recipe today.
It called for 2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, finely chopped, plus 2 tablespoons adobo sauce.
I thought that’s what I bought...it wasn’t.
I went ahead and used the 2 cans of Chipotle-something- or- other- with- adobo sauce that I had but with the first taste I knew I had it wrong!
Smoke was pouring out of my ears! WOW!
I didn’t want to waste all the chicken so I loaded my serving with chips, avocado, and sour cream to tone in down a bit.
It didn’t really work.
I was in a full sweat with tears streaming down my face as I ate.
I felt obligated to eat it so it wouldn’t be a waste, but luckily I made homemade granola after school with Jace today. The kids ate that.

I knew Sam would like the Spicy dish. He likes to eat hot stuff like that. My insides don’t like me right now.
This recipe has potential. I think I will try it again with that correct ingredient.

This evening my 6 year old boy asked me if I was going to make the “Fantastic Dinner” I made last night. “I really liked that one Mom!”...It was pasta out of the box and a jar of sauce!
Maybe I shouldn’t try so hard??

I need help in my kitchen. This isn’t the first time my dinner is uneatable. I’m pretty sure I am going to be a fantastic cook by the time the kids are out of the house.

I am happy that all the kids have had Green Smoothies everyday this week! If Abi's diapers aren't green I feel like a failure!

Dusting off the Treadmill

In honor of New Year’s and the “Resolution” that follows- I joined many Americans and stepped onto the treadmill for the first time in over a year. Hey, it wouldn’t be January if the home gym didn’t get dusted off, right?

I got on the treadmill this morning-when my body was begging me not to. I am so out of shape the thought of getting ready for my Triathlon this June hurts.
I think I have a running disorder. Some beast emerges when I run. I have this inner battle with two personalities I’m a little embarrassed to reveal. The first is positive and confident the second is mean and ugly!

When I am “in shape” I can manage these personalities- but when the workout hurts it’s WAR in my head.
I make up excuses and reasons to stop short of my goal over and over and over. Thankfully my inner strength kicks in at the right moment and I always make my goals and end triumphantly. But the battle repeats the next day. ( you can read about this battle I faced during my Triathlon last year, HERE)
I wonder if others have this disorder also? Another part of it is when I’m in the thick of the pain I get very irritated with my clothes! They feel like armor and I want them off! Underwear seems so liberating! Hummm... Perhaps another post another day.

I don’t love to exercise. In fact, I hate to run. I haven’t found my running love yet. Maybe someday it will come to me. As for now, I do it when I’ve committed to a race. And I sign up for these TRI’s to scare me into shape. (Except this logic didn’t really work last year. I showed up to a TRI without training, curious to see if I would DIE or not. I didn’t die. I almost did at the finnish line but nothing too serious that 3 footlong sandwiches couldn’t cure.)
So, this year I know just signing up for the TRI isn’t enough to “scare” me into shape. BUT having 10 other friends sign up with me sure does!
I have some competition! I MUST get into shape.
Today I ran 1 mile.
Yup, just one mile.
UNO.
It took me 12:33 to do it too.
UGH! That sucks!