Prep work

Tomorrow is Sunday and my first day of the 7 Day Slim Down. Did you notice the Bikini Body ticker I put on the top of this blog? My Spring Break Bikini Challenge ends on 18March but we aren't going on spring break until 7/8April. Anyway. The last time I attempted to do the 7dsd I bombed and quit on the first day. The first time I tried it, I completed it with amazing results. But I got SO SICK of the food- by day 7 I thought I would puke if I had to see another salad. So I've been prepping myself mentally for this all week. I had to, or I wouldn't be able to even try it. 

I found better running headphones today (I hope). I will try them in the gym Monday. And OH EM GEE I found an awesome running app that I can't wait to try!! Anyone out there obsessed with zombies? No? Just me? Nah... I know each and every one of you *secretly* has a zombie plan... and gas masks, flak jackets, stockpiled rounds, a few extra guns...

Check this out.

I'm more than a little excited. I can't remember which fit blog I saw this on.. it was a random pinterest click then a series of random tumblr clicking... but I am so excited that I found it! :) 

Tomorrow should be an easy day on the slim down, I have the food I need here at the house, but not enough for the week. Tomorrow is grocery shopping day and I'll have to go back several times throughout the week to ensure the freshness of my produce. I am excited. And ready to really kill it this week.

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Goals for this week:

Stay on track with 7dsd

Finish each day strong, with a satisfied feeling about my workouts!

Remember: coconut water!

Go above and beyond with Olivia's bentos this week.*

Go through things for a yard sale I'm having next Saturday

Nail down a date to go HOME for a visit. I miss my family.

Run from the ZOMBIES!!!

What are your goals for the week? What are you doing to make sure you achieve them?

5 Q F {&goals}

1. What's your favorite way to spend down time (alone or with a significant other)? All I have is time alone.. and my favorite way to spend it is a) running or b) geoclique.me

2. Are you the kind of person that wants things more as soon as you know you can't have it? only chocolate.

3. If you were given $1000 to spend on yourself, what would you buy? a plane ticket to anywhere but here.

4. Do you ever go out to eat by yourself? yes. I quite enjoy it.

5. What company would you want to do a blog review for? Sparkly Soul, Inc., or Spotted Moth!

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Spring Break is April 9-13, and I will be lounging (ok, chasing a toddler up and down) on the beach in sunny Florida! 

Which means I have a short time to accomplish one HUGE goal. I want my stomach to be F L A T. 

I am starting the 7dsd Sunday!!! I am excited. This time I will not gag at the thought of ANOTHER salad.  I will stick to my gym schedule. I WILL do more exercise at home. And I will look fabulous on the beach for spring break with my grandparents and kids. <-- I lead a super wild, glamorous life, can't you tell? haha. My bff Suzy lives in Destin and so I think we will stay around that area so I can spend some time with her and so our kiddos can play together!

I'll be checking in here EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. during my 7 day slim down. Recording food, workouts, and staying motivated & on track. I would LOVE for any of you to do the slim down with me! :) I know my friends Beth & Natasha are going to be! If you want to participate in the 7 day slim down but aren't sure what it is, head over to TONE IT UP and find out! Then make the best purchase of your life & get the meal plan! Thank you K&K!

Sunday FUN day!

Ahhh ok, so maybe not entirely "fun." BUT, last night was awesome, and I got to sleep in (until 8!) this morning, and that my friends, makes it a fun day for me!

Last night I went for sushi and shopping with my friend Kristi. It was fun! And soooo bizarre! At the sushi place I ran into my cousin Lindsey that I haven't seen in 7.5 years! Thats super bizarre because I don't know ANYONE where I live, except the few friends I have- so to run into someone somewhere is a rare thing. We ended up sitting at the grill with Lindsey, her husband, their son (he's only a couple of months older than Olivia), and her mom & mom's boyfriend. It was really nice. :)

we took this picture to send to my mom and her dad, to prove we ran into each other haha. aren't we adorable!? :) 

After sushi Kristi & I went to the mall, and to target. I got a pair of shorts and a pair of jeans at American Eagle- where I am now officially a size 4. That is a size I haven't seen since Andy & I got married. :) *happy dance* I feel really proud because I got here by hard work and determination. Not sitting around *wishing* I was something I'm not. I'm working for it.

^ so excited up there!

At Target I got the cutest bikini, I'm going to use it as a progress tracker. I weigh in and take a progress photo every Sunday. More important than weighing in I take my measurements. This is so important to me to keep track of what is going on with my body. 

I also got an adorable pair of wedge sandals, and a couple of shirts. I spent most of my money at Target... on kids clothes. My girls are so so rotten. I can't wait to pick them up from my MIL's later today and bring them home to their piles of new clothes. Everything was on clearance- I didn't spend more than $7/item for them.. except their SWIMSUITS!!! Both are nautical themed and so super adorable. Olivia's is a tankini (Daddy has ruled that they aren't allowed to wear anything skimpier than a tankini for their entire lives. haha) Olivia's is navy with colored anchors and ruffles, and sophia's is ocean blue with sailboats and ruffles. SO ADORABLE. :)

I did the beach wave hair again :)

So pretty much, last night was great. It was a much needed night without kiddos (I think we are taking all our kids back to have hibachi next friday! Olivia loves it. And sophia is a sushi eating machine!).

As for today, I had planned to go to the gym. My throat has been really sore and I think running will make it worse since I'm a mouth breather. So today I will focus on yoga, abs, and legs at home. I might (probably) will break out the kettle bell and do the TIU saved by the bell. And I might spend this afternoon pouring through cookbooks to modify some of my favorite recipes to fit my TIU meal plan... and share them with you, of course!

If you haven't already, why don't you take a second to click "like" on my facebook page! :) It would really, really make my day!

Enjoy your Sunday, everyone!

Goal: Achieved!

click the image to link up :)

{one} I set a goal for myself this week: 3 miles without stopping. Today I did 3.5... and its only MONDAYYYYY! I feel really proud!

{two} cheese overload. Yeah. I didn't do so hot at staying on track yesterday. I blame the cake I had Saturday night. I also ate 6. yes SIX oreos. Right before bed. :( No biggie, today was awesome, and I'm cool with that. :)

{three} water goal. Mine is 80oz/day. Whats yours? I'm currently 14oz away and then I'll have some hot tea before bed!

{four} Last night was spent in and out of the bathtub with on and off again tornado sirens. I really can't wait until I'm only dealing with hurricanes and not tornadoes. I've witnessed both and well... I'm less scared of hurricanes.

{five} Since we were up until 1am with stormy weather, naturally I overslept this morning. I slept right through my alarm, and the painters ringing the doorbell repeatedly. Luckily the doorbell woke Olivia up (at 0730!) and she got me up. She missed the school bus but hey, at least she wasn't late for school.

{six} I am so bored with the food I eat. So tomorrow part of my day will be spent (I should have done this yesterday) planning a menu... which also seems so boring to me. I do believe I'm in a rut.

{seven} I participated in a blog book exchange, and I am so excited about the book I gifted. Once my partner receives it (its an e-book, it shouldn't take long, haha!) I will post it. I love it, and I really think everyone should read it! :)


*** I have a request!! ***
Leave a link to your favorite recipe! Whether its on your own blog (hey, fitnessistas, I'm looking to you, here!) or on a website you love (Pinterest, maybe?), I want to see it. INSPIRE ME! Even if its not "healthy"....... maybe I can switch some things up and come up with a new healthy favorite. :) That would be, what I call.. winning. :)

xoxo
Kandice

good & pleasant things

Really, I am not having the best week. :/ I hate it when that happens. I seem to be able to go from my normal, happy flouncy bouncy self to a big, mean, irritable grouch in a matter of seconds. I miss my husband. He's super busy at work and I feel like we never get to talk anymore. I know what my problem is. I just have to suck it up, and get used to it. He will be home soon. Then I will have 30 days of perfection before we have to go back to living on different continents.

Today, to pick myself up, I am going to make a list of things going on that I LOVE right now. It will probably be random, and hopefully long. The longer it is, the better I'll feel. Ready, set, GO!

• The gym. Its my new church. And that is how life should be (aside from your *real* church, don't get your panties twisted)
• Today I had a workout partner. 
• Today I was brave and did more than just cardio for the first time since Christmas (in the gym). I lifted weights, had adult interaction, and ended up with jelly arms. LOVED IT.
• Eating clean. I have been doing so well, and I am so proud. I can tell, all over my whole body, such a huge difference. This makes me want to keep on. I'm not even really craving anything I shouldn't eat. Although yesterday was a *bit* stressful and I had a small handful of chocolate chips. But, I worked it off.
• Dinner with friends this Saturday. Make up. I might even wear heels. Who knows?! I know I will indulge in a delicious glass (or two) of wine. Maybe I'll have champagne. OH MY GOSH or maybe I'll have something that is mixed with champagne. I know that I am so excited!
• Gift shopping. Its someones birrrrrrthdaaaaaaaaay!!
• Under Armor. Yep. I bought a UA sports bra last week, and I finally wore it today. UHMAZING. I can never go back to target sports bras again!
• Olivia's first basketball game is Saturday morning! I can't wait to see her play. I hope she loves it. She has been doing well in practice... when she isn't dancing and playing. ha.
• 3 weeks until my over night visit to my bff Beth! Sushi, the Melting Pot, and shopping at the "fancy" mall all day Saturday. Color me pink, I am so ready to see her!!! :)
• The closet floors are being finished in the morning! A painter is coming to give an estimate, and the yard will be taken care of soon. 
• One week until a day shopping trip with my 2 favorite people here. :) 
• My bffffff Ang finds out pink or blue this week!
• Lunch date with my friend Kristi tomorrow!
• UV RAYS. Yeah, I said it. I've been laying in a tanning bed. My eczema is clearing up nicely, and that shot of Vitamin D is helping me fight winter blues. 
• Nicole glitter nail polish

... Well, thats my list of positives. What are the positives going on in your life today? 

*** 3 days left to enter the Spring Break Bikini Challenge. Head over to my facebook page and check out the details! :) 

Holy Day

Sunday is a holy day. A day for church. We don't attend a local church. As episcopalians, we are churchless here. The nearest episcopal church is an hour away. So, aside from holidays & when Andy is home to help me with the children.. we don't go. That makes me sad.

Anyway, where I was going with that whole "Holy Day" title, our bodies are our temples. So I wonder how so many people can put such awful things into their literal temple (body) when they try so hard not to put awful things in their figurative temple (mind/heart). I'm guilty of both, I sin and sometimes I fail at health and have a soda. {moving on}

Sundays are weigh in & body measure day for me. I have worked so hard this week, pushing myself physically and it paid off. I lost 1.5lbs, and I lost an inch from my natural waist, abs, thighs, calves. I also lost half an inch off my arms. I feel great. and I feel like I can really tell a difference in my body. I'm sure that part is all in my head, and those that see me won't notice.. but I feel it. Its a great feeling. I can't wait to reach my goals and be able to post my before/after photos. That moment will be glorious.

I am hosting the Spring Break Bikini Challenge- a motivating challenge between a group of girls to see who can lose the most body fat percent. Everyone wants a great bikini body before their big spring break trips! If you are interested in entering, you can find out more details on my facebook page. The entry fee is $20, and the winner (biggest loser) walks away with all the cash. The last challenge I hosted had 13 ladies and $260. I am happy to report the winner was my friend Beth, and she has continued to lose weight and be healthy! I am so proud of her!

Since the weight has been coming off, I can no longer wear my engagement ring without my wedding band being on the wrong side to keep it on. I have been wearing my rings the "widow" way, which I feel really uncomfortable with since my husband is in Iraq... I went ahead and took my engagement ring off today. It is safely tucked away in my jewelry box until I can get it to the jewelers and have it re-sized. Which makes me really nervous because my ring didn't come from just any jewelry store, my husband custom designed my ring from a diamond bank. He picked out each individual diamond. All together my ring is 2 carats and VVS1. I love it. Its perfect. Just like my sweet Andrew.

I have one other thing I want to touch on... VITAMINS. I have a huge daily regimen for vitamins! I take Biotin and B12 for my hair, Zinc for my face, a womens multi (which has been replaced with two flintstones because I haven't placed another order with bodybuilding.com) fish oil, evening primrose oil (just started this again last night for my eczema), and green tea extract. I'm curious to know what vitamins you take or have taken, and why?

Random Recipe Tuesday

^^ Yeah, so I don't think that will be my weekly "thing," but hey, today I feel like sharing a recipe! I suck, super duper suck at protein. I never remember to thaw anything (I took chicken out of the freezer today at like noon, hopefully by dinner its ready to cook. I refuse to thaw anything in the microwave. It feels like eating cancer... even if it isn't. Thats how I feel.) So of course today I didn't have anything for lunch meat-wise. So, I made my very favorite fast lunch ever.

I shall name it.. Spicy black bean salad. :)

You will need:

• 1/3c black beans (cooked and seasoned with crushed red pepper, garlic, cilantro, and onion)
• dark green leafy lettuce
• black olives, tomatoes, peppers, any veggies you want to toss in
• fresh salsa (recipe to follow, super easy, its my Grandma's)
• hot sauce of choice (I prefer cholula).

So pretty much, heat the beans, throw the lettuce in a bowl, top with everything, drown in hot sauce. Quick, easy, delicious, healthy. :) Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Salsa (you can do this one of two ways: a can of diced tomatoes and green chiles (low sodium), or fresh tomatoes and green chiles, the amount of time I have usually dictates what I use). 

Throw these items into a food processor, including your tomatoes & chiles: cilantro, diced onion, 1-2 cloves garlic, fresh cilantro (freeze dried will do in a pinch), sea salt. Process. Smell. Taste. LOVE. :) 

Yay! That salsa is fantastic and so easy, and goes great with everything. 

Today is day THREE in a row for me of completely clean eating, and working out. I feel so so good. I love being back on track- I had no intentions of letting the holidays mess me up so badly. But, lesson learned, and now I am rocking it and weighing in at 125.5, which is great for me. I really don't have a goal weight, I want to build muscle and be jacked. So as I tone up, if that number rises, I'm totally 100% happy with that. 

I have done planks and squats all day. My booty already feels higher. hahaha :D I also did THIS tone it up circuit and at 530 when my babysitter gets here I'm off to the gym to run, and I am going to do the kettle bell beginner workout before bed. I have had my kettle bell for about a month now, and I haven't even watched one of the videos for it. I used to lift at the gym, but all the New Years resolution people are there 24/7 now and its so crowded. So I am just getting my run in (its so cold and wet here... still) and thats it. Thankfully I haven't had to wait on a treadmill yet, I would be so mad! 

I saw this today on a tumblr blog and I LOVE it SO much, I pinned it AND I'm sharing it here- and in my facebook fit is freedom group. :) 

I have motivation :) Do you? 

Random question: Have you ever encountered someone that was not really supportive of your decision to be healthy.. but more like, annoyed by your motivation? Just curious. Please share if you have, and why you think people feel that way. We will be discussing this in my fit group soon, and I would love to have a few examples to share with my girls! :) 

Have a lovely day!

New Years Resolutions

I feel like making resolutions can have positive & negative outcomes. If you set goals, you're more likely to reach them. If you don't, you feel more like a failure.

This year I will reach ALL of my goals. I can SEE myself in these actions, therefore I will DO them. What are your new years resolutions?

1. complete my daily bootycall & afternoon cardio (if you're not sure what a bootycall is, check out TONE IT UP)

2. eat more raw foods & continue to cut refined sugars & starches

3. complete the DIY projects I started in 2011 (kitchen chairs, jelly cabinet)

4. ab definition

5. be able to run 5k by june & 10 miles (or even a half marathon) by december 1, 2012.

6. purge the house & maintain low clutter!

7. try a new food every month (I started to say every week but sometimes we're just SO busy- but we will try more than one a month! Just don't want to set us up for failure before we can even start!)

8. spend more time without electronics!

9. use my camera more. the d7000, not the iphone or point and shoot. I don't really count the nikon as an 'electronic' since I can't use it for social media.

10. attend a weekly exercise class- yoga, spinning, etc.