my review:: jillian micheals 6 week 6 pack

as you may or may not know i am a huge fan of the jillian work out dvds. they are awesome, fast paced and hard ( come on, look at her!) like really hard. if you are short on time you must try the 30 day shred. it is composed of three 25 minute levels that get progressively harder. level 3 is crazy!

i'm going to tell you a secret. i freaking hate ab work. i loathe crunches and pretty much any core exercise ( except for the plank hold. that i hate but love) but i also have a gross mom tummy. yep, three kids and not much ab work will do that to you! 

when i saw that jillian was coming out with an ab video i hoped that it would force me to work my abs out but not get bored.

let me tell you this... it was not boring at all! in fact it was really fun. no , really. an ab video fun! it was pretty fast paced with no breaks. i was constantly moving from laying on my back, to stomach, to plank, then standing. the exercises were tough! there were some familiar moves and some i had never done before. what i liked about this and every other jillian video is the interval training. in this one we did one really long set and then repeated it for a second time. i am so sore today it hurts to laugh or cough. and oddly enough i am sore in other places like my booty and my always lovely love handles.

i hope jillian continues to pump out these awesome videos because for less than $10 and under 45 minutes you cannot find a better workout.



random

this is know for sure. the flu, the real flu you know influenza? it sucks...bad. my baby got it friday night and i got it saturday. i don't recall ever being so miserable in my life. my poor little guy was so miserable and sad. it breaks your heart to see your kids sick we are on days 3 and 4 and still not better. oh and did i tell you that the day after thanksgiving my oldest son came down with strep throat and wait for it.... scarlet fever?! i didn't even know that was possible to still get! we keep getting sick and i don't know how to stop it. it seems to be since my oldest started kindergarten.

i am in love with this locket from varabel etsy. husband if you are reading this i really want a locket for christmas or my birthday.

this is by far one of the tastiest soup recipes i have ever made. and i love soup. i have been dreaming about making it again. but right now meat sounds icky. actually all food sounds icky. except for a fresh lime from artic circle.
ps. every single recipe on that blog is delicious. it is my favorite food blog by far. try her chicken tiki masala.oh and her cream cheese filled pumpkin muffins, zephyr pancakes

sadly i haven't but up my christmas decorations yet. i wasn't going to do it until we finished painting. we are so close to being done. just part of the ceiling and one wall in the kitchen. but i can't stand it anymore. if i feel a tiny bit better tonight it will be a family home evening activity.

i would love to make these, seen on luvinthemommyhood

theraflu is nasty, really nasty

i watched lost for 7 years. lost ended about 8 months ago. i am still super mad over the ending. the episode itself was good but i am angry that they never answered my questions and then had the nerve to say all the mysteries weren't important. really! pretty sure that's how you got people to watch the show, it was a major draw. so mad right now!

that's it! i have been talked into trying body for life again. how amazing is her transformation? love that blog  by the way. she has some great exercise routines.

my favorite oatmeal.
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup water
pinch of salt
ripe mashed banana
either- nuts and maple syrup or even better justins maple nut almond butter

Combine milk, water and salt in a medium saucepan; heat until almost boiling. Add oats and cook, stirring, until creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in mashed banana and toppings.
another recipe from my mom.

speaking of justins nut butter have your tried it? delicious! but expensive. i tried making my own almond butter in my food processor. i think i added the maple syrup to soon because it got all sticky. it is still really good just not creamy. i went to winco last week and grinded my own almond butter and added pure maple syrup and sea salt, much better!

speaking of winco, do you shop there? i looooooooooooooooooove it. i drive 13 minutes to drive there i love it so much. the bulk section is the best. i always spend way less money than anywhere else.

have you tried popchips? they are yummy.

look a rug that matches my wallpaper! Love!

Help me pick my wallpaper!!

I have lived in my house for 3 years. and for 3 years i have been wanting to redo some things. well all of a sudden i have the go ahead. we have a little extra money now thanks to my awesome grandma and a sweet part time job cleaning her house. i want to paper a wall that covers my tiny dining room and into my back wall of the kitchen above my cabinets. can you help me decide which direction i want to go?

either-

A. keep the room light and cohesive with this creamy wallpaper. the ceiling and walls are cream and the floor is a light wood color. i love it because it keeps things light and warm.you have to click on the pictures to see a close up {nevermind i did it for you!} so very pretty right? almost like a doiley.

B. make a statement with this bold gray paper? i love it because i think it will anchor the room and make a statement! i am also loving gray right now. i am a bit worried that the dark will add to my lovely seasonal depression but since everything else is light i'm thinking it won't.

help me out! which one do you like best?

spring wreath to christmas wreath!

so- the dollar store spring wreath ended up being a very nice, non traditionally colored, festive Christmas wreath!of course you could make it in the more traditional reds, greens, white and silver but this actually matched my Christmas decor!

and you can't beat $2 right?

no tutorial is really needed but here is the quick how-to.

flower tutorial here