Fitness: Orangetheory

We are going to Maui very soon and in order to feel like myself again and get into swimsuit shape I’ve been going to Orangetheory classes since November and loving it! If you’re not familiar with Orangetheory, google it :) But, I am love-love-loving it so much. Each workout is different and challenging and I am seeing my old body come back. Having that hour to myself is something I’ve needed for a long time, but I always felt guilty leaving G to go workout, so I hardly ever went.

In the fall I started to feel a lot of anxiety and just hadn’t been feeling myself so I decided to try Orangetheory (at the urging of my sister in law) and I signed up that night (her birthday!) and haven’t looked back since.

The class is an hour long, half the time spent on the treadmill and half on the rowers/in the weight room. You can choose to start on the rowers or the treadmill. I always start on the rowers because I like to get warmed up in the weight room then end my workout with the running.

The goal of Orangetheory is to get into the 'orange' heart-rate zone and stay there for 12 or more minutes. Everyone who buys a heart-rate monitor can see their stats up on a screen and it is SUPER motivating!

If you’re curious about Orangetheory or would like more workout posts and tips, please let me know! I’m also really going to focus on eating healthier (which I am terrible at), so any delicious/healthy recipes, please send my way!

And, I'm not going to post my results on here because I'm always terrified that a student will read my blog, but I am more than happy to email you my results if you'd like!

Lastly, these are my FAVORITE running shoes and as someone who has been active all her life and played sports in college, I can say these are the only shoes that have never hurt my feet! Also, I'm obsessed with these leggings and workout tops! For someone who works out 5-6 times a week, investing in good workout clothes is a must.

We're Building A House!

Backing it up to October...Chris and I were supposed to go to New Orleans, but then a hurricane was headed straight there (it never hit), so we cancelled our trip. Since we already had my mom coming into town to watch G, we did a staycation in a nearby city. On the way home we decided to stop in a new subdivision and look at the model homes. We had discussed when we might want to move and/or expand our family, but were truly feeling content right where we were at.

One thing lead to another and we continuously looked at new subdivisions for a few weeks until ultimately deciding on building in our dream neighborhood. Our new neighborhood requirements were:

- Be able to walk to the pool (there are two!)
- Splashpad
- Be able to walk to the park
- Sports court/playground
- Kids in the neighborhood
- Huge backyard
- Stay in the same area

Obviously safety and good schools are a given, but the area we live in is super safe and the schools are amazing, so that wasn't really an issue.

We got to pick our lot, pick everything decor-wise in the house, and we can’t wait to grow our family there for years to come.

Another perk? Our very best friends are building on the lot right next to us!! To some, this may be 'too close for comfort', but we are with these friends almost everyday of the week and there is nothing better than having the people you love live next door.

The house is supposed to be done in June/July and I'm already anxious to get in there and decorate!

Here are a few pictures of a model home that is our same floor plan!

Have you ever built a home? Do you have any questions about our process?

I'm Back!

Hello!

Anyone there??

Wow, I did not intend to take six months off from blogging, but I needed the break. But, I miss y'all and I miss documenting my life!!

I swore I wouldn't get back into blogging until I felt like 1. I had stuff to talk about, 2. I had time to talk about it, and 3. I could post consistently.

Life definitely has seasons and the last six months were just an overwhelmingly busy season. So much so that I decided to scale back on my sign shop and the blog. The things that mattered most in my life were not getting the attention they deserved. Scratch that....they WERE getting the attention they deserved, but I was drowning from being spread so thin. So, the things that don't matter as much as my family (blog and sign shop) got cut until I felt like I could balance it all better.

I have always been someone who is go-go-go. I hate sitting around and I struggle with relaxing, but I've learned that these years while my child (and future children) is young are years I am not going to get back. Also, I needed to focus on my husband and not running out to the garage to work on signs or stay up late blogging. Plus, I just felt like I didn't have anything to document other than Graham.

The last time we spoke I had decided that staying home with Graham was just not for me. I LOVE being his mom. LOVE it. But, I need to get out of the house and feel like I have something for me. My sign shop blew up just like we had hoped for because we were wanting that to supplement Chris's income and give me something to do. But, honestly, being at home all day, working all day by myself, dealing with a toddler, then having to work late hours because I couldn't get anything done with said toddler was taking a toll on me. I did not feel like myself and I missed teaching.

Going back to teaching is definitely the right decision and I haven't regretted it for one moment. Thanksgiving was the first week off where I was with G 24/7 and that week confirmed my decision to go back, ha!!

So, I went back to work and am now an Instructional Specialist at an elementary school. This role is PERFECT for me. Not only do I get to do what I love, but I no longer have my own classroom to manage, which it perfect for a mother with young kids. I go into classrooms and pull small groups to help kids who need a little extra. 

As far as what to expect going forward:

We are building a house! So, you can expect lots of house posts ranging from the building process to how I'm going to decorate it. I will also do another post explaining why we chose to move...again.

Graham updates! This blog is a documentation of my life, so including Graham in posts is how I keep a virtual baby book.

Some fashion, but not too much! Chris and I are reading A Simplified Life and it is changing. our. life! We have cleared out so many bags of stuff and have really altered our mindset on things we bring into our home. I was hesitant to get the book, but now I know what all the rage is about!

General everyday life posts! I love seeing how others live, even if it isn't a life much different than mine. I plan on writing more conversational posts and am really going to try and steer clear from forced posts just because I feel like I have to blog.

I can't wait to keep y'all updated and I'm so excited to be back in my blogging groove! Thanks for sticking by me and emailing me to make sure all is well :)