Week 12 and a Birthday (or two)

I have some big scary news for me!  I'm going to be on TV on Wednesday.  I've never been on TV before.  The time I was a guest on a radio show I stumbled over my own tongue the very first time I spoke.  It turned out alright but I'm hoping it doesn't happen this time.  I'll give more info on Wednesday at least on Facebook.

So, it's my birthday today.  I'm 33 years old.  On Friday I was asked if Sophie is my daughter or granddaughter.  It really made me feel good.  The dude said that he wondered if I was a young grandma.  Um, yeah, never a good question to ask.  It's like asking if someone is pregnant or just fat.

My half marathon was on Saturday.  It was fun but I was a little sick with a cold (sore throat, cough, etc).  And I'm used to people talking during the race.  I guess now everyone thinks they have to wear headphones.  Nobody talked.  So that was a little boring.  I should have brought my headphones.  I finished in 2 hours and 3 minutes.  My worst time ever.  But not bad for being sick.  By mile 4 my pelvis was aching (dang labor and delivery!).  My minute/mile started around 7:51 and ended around 9:45.  I'm happy though.  I just wanted to finish.

Then Morgan ran the 1 mile race for kids.  She said, "I'm winning!  And so is everyone else!"  She did so great.  She ran the whole time except for the water break at the 1/2 mile point.  I love her guts.

Then we went home and had a birthday party for her.  If you follow me on Instagram (@theturquoisepiano) you probably know these things.  We rented a bounce house, decorated cupcakes, played Duck, Duck, Goose, and opened presents.  She had a great day.

Then I made a Barbie birthday cake for her family party on Sunday.  I think it turned out well.  I would have tried to do it with fondant but the last time I made fondant I got super sick for a week (not because of the fondant but now I associate it).

And here's Sophie.  Just getting all big over here.

It's week 12 of my workout plans.  If you've been doing them, great job!  You should be stronger and leaner by now!  I have one more "bonus" workout next week but your 12 week plan is finished.

Cardio:
Run, Elliptical, Bike, Hike... whatever!  Just do it for 45 minutes 5-6 days this week.

Resistance:

Day	Body Part	Exercise	Sets	Reps	Weight	Rest	Speed	Notes	Exercise Info
1	Chest	Dumbbell Chest Press on Ball	3	10		Superset No Rest	2/4/2	Superset with back exercise	Details
1	Back	Cable Lat Pull Down	3	10		Superset No Rest	2/4/2	Superset with chest exercise	Details
1	Chest	Dumbbell Chest Flyes On Ball	3	10		Superset No Rest	2/4/2	Superset with back exercise	Details
1	Back	Seated Cable Row	3	10		Superset No Rest	2/4/2	Superset with chest exercise	Details
2	Legs	Inner Thigh Machine	3	10		Superset No Rest	2/4/2	Superset with exercise below	Details
2	Legs	Outer Thigh Machine	3	10		Superset No Rest	2/4/2	Superset with exercise above	Details
2	Legs	Walking Lunges	3	10		Superset No Rest	2/4/2	Superset with exercise below	Details
2	Legs	Ball Squats	3	10		Superset No Rest	2/4/2	Superset with exercise above	Details
3	Shoulders	Dumbbell Shoulder Lateral Raise	3	10		Superset No Rest	2/4/2	Superset with exercise below	Details
3	Core/Abs	Forearm Bridge	3	60 sec		Superset No Rest	Hold Constant	Superset with exercise above	Details
3	Shoulders	Dumbbell Shoulder Press	3	10		Superset No Rest	2/4/2	Superset with exercise below	Details
3	Core/Abs	Ball Crunches	3	10		Superset No Rest	2/4/2	Superset with exercise above	Details

Don't Be Greedy, Yo -- Your House Isn't As Great As You Think

It's story time!

I want to tell you about how I got started "investing" in real estate.  And I say "investing" lightly, because it's not like I've bought and sold a hundred houses.  We're on #7 in 7 years, and 4 of them have been houses we've lived in.  So yeah, not a great repertoire (can you use that word here?).  Take from it what you want.  But I think all beginners have something to learn from this...

The year was 2006 and the real estate market was booming.  Houses were selling as soon as they were listed and they were going for top dollar.  Everyone thought it was a great time to start investing because nothing could pop this real estate bubble.

[insert hindsight laugh]

I had finished just finished college and was still looking for my dream job (at least one I didn't hate).  I moved from my apartment with roommates to a basement apartment with my cousin/friend/Realtor.  And what came next on the list?  Buy a house, of course!  I mean, I could only make money with it.

So we looked.  And looked.  And looked.  And found one that was in my price range.  So I made an offer.

  

I got this beauty (let's call it 376 W) for $136,000.  It was on .07 acres and only had on-street parking.  There were 4 bedrooms and 1 bathroom.  One. Tiny. Bathroom.  But it was mine.  

The deal closed on my birthday in 2006 and I slept on the floor that night.  I had a house!  I was a grown-up!

My mortgage broker was friends with my Realtor (who is my 4th cousin) and liked DIY so he surprised me and over the weekend when I was gone, he painted the bedroom and scraped off and refinished the popcorn ceilings all over the house.  I don't even want to know if there was asbestos in them, which there probably was and it's illegal to DIY that.  

So I painted the rest of the inside of the house and replaced the carpet downstairs.  It went from dungeony to not so bad.  The ceilings downstairs were 6 feet high so it wasn't a place for everyone. 

I had some friends become my roommates and together we paid the mortgage.  It was $900/month then because the prime interest rate was 6% (it's around 3.5% now).  

Then I decided to see what I could sell it for.  I'd fixed it up.  The market values had gone up.  I was hoping to make $20,000.  So I put it on Craigslist for $160,000.

I got a response.  I don't know how many offers there were but I remember one of them.  It was another investor.  He offered me $145,000 cash, or $160,000 if I would seller finance it.  Well, I wanted the money so option 2 was out and I wanted a lot of money so option 1 was out too.  I turned him down.  

And that's something I kicked myself in the butt for for years.  Seriously, years.

A couple of months later the market went south.  Not just south for the winter, but south for, well... is it out of the South yet?

I got married and moved to my husband's house about 30 miles away and I tried to sell my house with a Realtor.  Then another Realtor.  And another.  A year went by, then 2, then 3.  We moved to another state.  It was not stress-free time.  I mean, we weren't doing bad financially but an extra $900 a month just for a house that was losing value and sitting there empty really sucked.  

We tried to rent it but had a bad experience with a property management company where they couldn't seem to find anyone to rent it to for months and I still had to pay them a thousand freaking dollars!  So as stressful as it was paying for the house to sit there with a for sale sign, it was less stressful than dealing with more people.    

Finally.  FINALLY!  We used one of Dave Ramsey's endorsed Realtors and he found a person to lease with the option to buy.  That worked for a few months, then the guy couldn't pay and moved out.  

So it was sitting there all empty again.  Then a miracle happened.  It got an offer.  Someone offered to buy the now thorn-in-my-side house that was so cool a few years earlier.  

The offer was for $130,000.  We would be losing $6,000 from what I paid, but we had already lost thousands from it being empty for so long.  We didn't care.  It would no longer be our problem so we jumped on that and were happy to fork over the money!

The moral of the story:  Don't be greedy.  I'm sure you got that from the title.  But for real.  If you want to sell and get a good offer, don't wait for a better one.  Unless you don't mind waiting years.  Then don't accept the offer.  Usually the best offers happen within the first month or two.  Keep that in mind!  

And know that as much as your house means to you, it's probably not worth that to anyone else.  Memories are not for sale.  If you think it's worth $300,000 and your Realtor thinks $250,000, it's probably closer to $250,000.  Don't feel bad.  It just is how it works and everyone thinks their house is worth more.

Week 11 and Some Turbo Kick

I'm sulking right now.

I had a fantastic weekend.  I went to a birthday party girl's night out (after 9 PM) on Friday.  On Saturday I got certified to teach Turbo Kick (formerly known as Turbo Jam) and bought a house.  On Sunday I had a spiritual epiphany that I thought meant that I wasn't doing such a bad job as a mother and as a person.  Then last night someone pointed out my flaws -- that I already know I have, by the way -- and deflated me.  Like I think maybe I should just hire a nanny to raise my kids and get a job where I don't have to deal with being nice.  Because apparently I'm bad at both of those things.

So I'm just sad right now.  And I'll probably delete this post later when I'm embarrassed that I wrote it.  If I had motivation to stop feeling sorry for myself I should probably practice my Turbo Kick skills.  Have you ever tried it?

I'm in the blue shirt.  And yes, the girl in pink is 7 months pregnant and did the 9 hour certification.  My kind of girl!

I'm the top left (blue shirt).

My class, post training.  I'm the one on the right in the black jacket.

It's so much fun!  I bought 11 DVD's to eventually teach.  If you don't have the option of taking a class at your gym, I highly suggest getting a DVD (I'll find out where for you and let you know).  It is a full body workout with interval training, which is fantastic for weight loss or just to tone up and feel good about yourself.  

Here's my workout plan for this week.  My half marathon is on Saturday.  I must have planned it a week off because I am on week 11 and should be on week 12, so maybe I'll combine the two.  Oopsies.  

Cardio (week 11):

Week	Sunday (Rest)	Monday (Easy)	Tuesday (Cross Train)	Wednesday (Easy)	Thursday (Cross Train)	Friday (Rest)	Saturday (Long)
1	Rest	30 Minutes (3 Miles)	30-40 Minutes	30 Minutes (3 Miles)	30-40 Minutes	Rest	4 Miles
2	Rest	30 Minutes (3 Miles)	30-40 Minutes	30 Minutes (3 Miles)	30-40 Minutes	Rest	5 Miles
3	Rest	30 Minutes (3 Miles)	30-40 Minutes	30 Minutes (3 Miles)	30-40 Minutes	Rest	6 Miles
4	Rest	35 Minutes (3 Miles)	30-40 Minutes	35 Minutes (3 Miles)	30-40 Minutes	Rest	7 Miles
5	Rest	45 Minutes (4 Miles)	30-40 Minutes	45 Minutes (4 Miles)	45-50 Minutes	Rest	4 Miles
6	Rest	45 Minutes (4 Miles)	30-40 Minutes	45 Minutes (5 Miles)	45-50 Minutes	Rest	8 Miles
7	Rest	50 Minutes (5 Miles)	30-40 Minutes	50 Minutes (5 Miles)	45-50 Minutes	Rest	9 Miles
8	Rest	45 Minutes (4 Miles)	35-45 Minutes	50 Minutes (4 Miles)	45-50 Minutes	Rest	6 Miles
9	Rest	50 Minutes (5 Miles)	35-45 Minutes	50 Minutes (5 Miles)	45-50 Minutes	Rest	10 Miles
10	Rest	45 Minutes (4 Miles)	35-45 Minutes	45 Minutes (4 Miles)	45-50 Minutes	Rest	7 Miles
11	Rest	35 Minutes (3 Miles)	35-45 Minutes	35 Minutes (3 Miles)	45-50 Minutes	Rest	6 Miles
12	Rest	30 Minutes (3 Miles)	30 Minutes	30 Minutes (3 Miles)	Rest	Rest	13.1 Miles Race Day!

Resistance:

Day	Body Part	Exercise	Sets	Reps	Weight	Rest	Speed	Notes	Exercise Info
1	Chest	Dumbbell Chest Press on Ball	3	10		Superset No Rest	2/4/2	Superset with back exercise	Details
1	Back	Cable Lat Pull Down	3	10		Superset No Rest	2/4/2	Superset with chest exercise	Details
1	Chest	Dumbbell Chest Flyes On Ball	3	10		Superset No Rest	2/4/2	Superset with back exercise	Details
1	Back	Seated Cable Row	3	10		Superset No Rest	2/4/2	Superset with chest exercise	Details
2	Legs	Inner Thigh Machine	3	10		Superset No Rest	2/4/2	Superset with exercise below	Details
2	Legs	Outer Thigh Machine	3	10		Superset No Rest	2/4/2	Superset with exercise above	Details
2	Legs	Walking Lunges	3	10		Superset No Rest	2/4/2	Superset with exercise below	Details
2	Legs	Ball Squats	3	10		Superset No Rest	2/4/2	Superset with exercise above	Details
3	Shoulders	Dumbbell Shoulder Lateral Raise	3	10		Superset No Rest	2/4/2	Superset with exercise below	Details
3	Core/Abs	Forearm Bridge	3	60 sec		Superset No Rest	Hold Constant	Superset with exercise above	Details
3	Shoulders	Dumbbell Shoulder Press	3	10		Superset No Rest	2/4/2	Superset with exercise below	Details
3	Core/Abs	Ball Crunches	3	10		Superset No Rest	2/4/2	Superset with exercise above	Details

Home Tour

Who wants a home tour?  This is one we looked at a few days ago.  It is only 3 houses down from one we were hoping to get earlier and down the street from my cousins, who found this for us.  

It isn't listed.  The owners just decided to move and heard that we were looking so they told my cousin.  We saw it the next day.  

The current owner is -- I kid you not -- the cleanest person I have seen.  The house smelled good and there wasn't a thing out of place.  If you are selling, take that for what it's worth.  I am good at removing myself from how a house currently is and this almost sold me!  Actually, I really like the house.  The kitchen is a little small and would need to be painted white, but the wall colors can stay!  They are light grey.  

The back yard was perfectly manicured.  There is no way I could keep up without hiring someone.  

We are in the process of working the numbers to make it a good deal for them and us.  Fingers crossed!  I would love my own house.  Plus there is no HOA fee, no pool, and not on a golf course (all benefits for me)!

Front

The back yard.

The view.

Kitchen:  The only problem area of the house, which happens to be a major issue to Tom.

Master

Living area.

Living area.

Super wide stairs.

The Salt Lake Color Run

If there's anything I want you to take away from this blog it's to 1) exercise, and 2) never pay full price for anything.

That's why this post is so great.

You get exercise and a discount.

I'm excited to promote Salt Lake City's "The Color Run" on August 24th!

That's right!  You get $5 off by using my special code, colormeturq at TheColorRun.com!  (I got my own special code!!!!!)

I have never done a color run before so I can't wait to do this!

Sign up and run it with me!  It's not timed.  It's not a race.  It's a run.  A fun one.  A 5k.  Where you get colored.  Oh, and you don't have to run.  You can walk.  

I already got my mom to sign up.  It's your turn!  Let me know if you do and we can meet up. 

If you aren't going to be in Salt Lake that day, you can find one near you on The Color Run's Facebook page.

Vegan Greek Pizza

Wow.  My thoughts and prayers go out to the people in Boston who were hurt and the families of those who were killed.  I was pretty emotional yesterday.  I think because I imagined myself running the marathon and what if that happened to me?  What if my child got killed waiting for me to finish my race?  It's heartbreaking.

My personal record for a marathon is 3:39.  To qualify for Boston in my age group you have to finish by 3:40.  I have heard that the Boston course is pretty trying so I can imagine that I may have been crossing the finish line just over 4 hours... maybe right when the explosions were happening.  It just makes me sad.  Not only did some deranged maniac injure and kill people, he ruined something that people have spent so much time and effort to do.

I don't have a lot more to say, but here is a yummy vegan recipe.  Seriously, we loved it -- even Morgan!

Greek Pizza
makes 2 pizzas around 1000 cal each

2 whole wheat crusts -- I used Mama Mary's brand and found it at Walmart.

Layer the following...

walnut pesto*
1 can olives (chopped)
1 onion sliced and sauteed (no extra oil)
4 roma tomatoes (sliced)
1 can artichoke hearts
salt to taste

Bake on 420 for 8-10 minutes.

*walnut pesto
1 cup toasted walnuts (you can toast them in your oven on broil for a few minutes)
2 garlic cloves
1 c fresh basil (more or less to taste)
1/4-1/2 c soy milk, almond milk or cow milk (not vegan)
Puree in food processor.  

Pass Me The Birkenstocks, I'm [kinda] Vegan... and week 10 workout plan.

Today is the 28th day of my trial vegan lifestyle and I'm 'on talk about that today.

I'll start off with letting you know blatantly that I like big houses, nice cars, my 2nd amendment rights, makeup, deodorant, razors, plastic bags, electricity, bla bla-dee bla bla bla.

And I like eating like a vegan.

Shocking, I know!  I never would have expected it in a million years.

The truth is that I don't really love meat.  It's not because I have a problem with animal "cruelty."  I grew up in a farming town.  We had chickens, horses, cows, pigs, dogs, etc.  I even had a pet lamb named Tiny.  Guess what happened to Tiny...

I like hamburgers (if they're not grilled).  I have seen how "our" cows were raised and it doesn't really bother me that they were butchered and cut up for meals.  Not a problem.

Hey kids!  Vegan propaganda!  

We try not to fall victim to propaganda.

I do, however, love finding meals that don't include meat.  I've always been taught to "eat meat sparingly."  Who even knows what that means?  Sparingly like twice a day?  Twice a week?  Month?  I don't know.

So, what am I going to do?  Never eat meat again.  No.  Absolutely not.  Again, it's not about me loving animals (although I think they're great), but there are incredible health benefits to not eating meat or animal byproducts often.  Like lowering your cholesterol over 100 points in just one month.  I'm not sure if this happened to me because I didn't have blood work done.  But it did happen to Bob Harper (from Biggest Loser).  I've been reading The China Study about a plant-based diet and the risk for heart disease (the #1 killer of Americans) pretty much goes away for people who eat that way.  I mean, there is something to that.

We have decided to eat meat a few times a month if we really want it.  Like I said, I don't love meat but Tom does.  I love eggs.  I haven't decided what I'm going to do about that.  Am I going to be 90%-of-the-time-vegan?  Vegetarian (can eat eggs and milk)?

I can tell you that this month of eating only a plant-based diet (and around 1900 calories per day of it) has helped me to get over my weight-loss plateau.  I dropped 3.5 pounds.  I get that that's not a lot, but I was stuck for three months.  And I can now fit into my old jeans.  I even bought a new pair of size 28 Gap jeans at the thrift store for $8.  That's exciting to me!

Shirt refashion tutorial coming soon!

My birthday is at the end of April and I get my buy-one-get-one meal coupon for Tucano's and you better believe I'm using that sucker.  Have you tried their little cheese bread balls?!  Mmmmm.

So for now I'm staying vegan until I'm not.  Besides the poo stories (and the ones I haven't blogged about), I feel really good.  But I always feel good when I eat healthy... carnivore, omnivore, or herbivore.

If you are on a plateau with your weight loss or if you have high cholesterol (or even if you want to challenge yourself), I suggest trying it out for 28 days.  That's 4 weeks.  We did the Engine 2 Diet challenge, which also cuts out refined sugar and a few other things that vegans can normally eat.  And please don't get me wrong.  This isn't a fad diet that restricts your caloric intake or only allows you to eat protein.  It is very well rounded.  You just only eat clean foods.  It really opened me up to a new way of eating.  Like, I think I'll make this raw vegan carrot cake for my birthday.

The Rawsome Vegan

Oh-my-gosh I feel so weird.

Here's this week's workout schedule.  Enjoy!

Cardio (week 10):  It's getting easier.  Week 9 is the hardest.

Week	Sunday (Rest)	Monday (Easy)	Tuesday (Cross Train)	Wednesday (Easy)	Thursday (Cross Train)	Friday (Rest)	Saturday (Long)
1	Rest	30 Minutes (3 Miles)	30-40 Minutes	30 Minutes (3 Miles)	30-40 Minutes	Rest	4 Miles
2	Rest	30 Minutes (3 Miles)	30-40 Minutes	30 Minutes (3 Miles)	30-40 Minutes	Rest	5 Miles
3	Rest	30 Minutes (3 Miles)	30-40 Minutes	30 Minutes (3 Miles)	30-40 Minutes	Rest	6 Miles
4	Rest	35 Minutes (3 Miles)	30-40 Minutes	35 Minutes (3 Miles)	30-40 Minutes	Rest	7 Miles
5	Rest	45 Minutes (4 Miles)	30-40 Minutes	45 Minutes (4 Miles)	45-50 Minutes	Rest	4 Miles
6	Rest	45 Minutes (4 Miles)	30-40 Minutes	45 Minutes (5 Miles)	45-50 Minutes	Rest	8 Miles
7	Rest	50 Minutes (5 Miles)	30-40 Minutes	50 Minutes (5 Miles)	45-50 Minutes	Rest	9 Miles
8	Rest	45 Minutes (4 Miles)	35-45 Minutes	50 Minutes (4 Miles)	45-50 Minutes	Rest	6 Miles
9	Rest	50 Minutes (5 Miles)	35-45 Minutes	50 Minutes (5 Miles)	45-50 Minutes	Rest	10 Miles
10	Rest	45 Minutes (4 Miles)	35-45 Minutes	45 Minutes (4 Miles)	45-50 Minutes	Rest	7 Miles
11	Rest	35 Minutes (3 Miles)	35-45 Minutes	35 Minutes (3 Miles)	45-50 Minutes	Rest	6 Miles
12	Rest	30 Minutes (3 Miles)	30 Minutes	30 Minutes (3 Miles)	Rest	Rest	13.1 Miles Race Day!

Resistance:

Day	Body Part	Exercise	Sets	Reps	Weight	Rest	Speed	Notes	Exercise Info
1	Shoulders	Dumbbell Shoulder Press Standing	3	10		60 sec	2/4/2		Details
1	Triceps	Arm Extension Machine	10	10		60 sec	2/4/2		Details
1	Shoulders	Dumbbell Shoulder Lateral Raise	10	10		60 s	2/4/2		Details
1	Chest	Dumbbell Chest Flyes On Ball	10	10		60 sec	2/4/2		Details
1	Chest	Dumbbell Chest Press	3	10		60 sec	2/4/2		Details
2	Legs	Outer Thigh Machine	3	10		60 sec	2/4/2		Details
2	Legs	Ball Squats	10	10		60 sec	2/4/2		Details
2	Legs	Walking Lunges	3	10		60 sec	2/4/2		Details
2	Legs	Inner Thigh Machine	3	10		60 sec	2/4/2		Details
3	Back	Ball Cobra	3	10		60 sec	2/4/2
3	Biceps	Standing Dumbbell Curl	10	10		60 sec	2/4/2		Details
3	Biceps	Standing Hammer Dumbbell Curl	3	10		60 sec	2/4/2		Details
3	Back	Lower Back Extension	3	10		60 sec	2/4/2		Details
3	Back	1 Arm Dumbbell Row	10	10		60 sec	2/4/2		Details

New Running Shoes

I had a nightmare last night.  Hannibal Lector was stalking me and I was asleep with Tom and Morgan in a big bed in our high rise condo.  I woke up and went to the door that was supposed to be locked and all of my shoes were in the hall.  In their place were a whole bunch of the same basketball shoes.  Then Hannibal Lector was there all ready to eat me.  I had Tom take Morgan out of the room so she didn't see me open a can of Turbo Kick on his neck, which was just what I did.  Suddenly he turned into a mini Hannibal and I was crushing his windpipe.  Then I woke up.  I'm assuming that I won and he didn't eat me.

Speaking of shoes, my world has been shaken.  Remember how I love the Asics 2000 series and I have been wearing them for 14 years?  Well, I wanted to see if there were other shoes that I like better so I packed up my kids and took them to Wasatch Running yesterday where I tried on a pair of Sauconys and a pair of Brooks.  The Brooks beat the Sauconys easily.  Then I put on my normal Asics with the Brooks.  The Brooks felt better!  I am so brand loyal and used to my Asics that my life is a little different today.  I'll be buying the Brooks.  Maybe even 2 pairs.  In fact, I have a pair in my cart at Kelly's Running Warehouse.

Source: Kelly's Running Warehouse

If you are a beginner or a runner who hasn't invested in good shoes, my advice is to go to a local running store and try on a whole bunch of shoes.  This means that most likely you won't be going to Foot Locker or Famous Footwear because the sales people there don't know their running shoes like the people at a legit running store.

Week 9 and What I Feed My Kid

I want to talk a little about what I feed my kids -- at least the one that can eat more than rice cereal.

It's a touchy subject for a lot of people and too many moms judge other moms for taking their kids to McDonald's.  Well guess what.  I take my kids to McDonald's sometimes.  Sometimes Chick-Fil-A or even Five Guys.  We usually go about twice a month and it's a time where I can give my daughter a treat and teach her about money.  Yes, money.  Because it's her choice to go there, she gets to spend some of her chore money to buy french fries.  Then she gets to play in the play place.  I see no problem with it.

At home I try to feed her a balanced breakfast with an egg and either toast, cereal, etc.  She often doesn't want an egg so I just try to deal.  I always have her eat breakfast.

Lunch is the meal that is "kid friendly."  She always asks for mac and cheese so I do something like that or a hot dog or both.  I buy Hebrew National low fat hot dogs.  They're okay.  Luckily she likes veggies so she'll eat broccoli or cauliflower with it.  When I can I like to make whole grain mac and grated parm cheese.  But sometimes she just wants Kraft.

For dinner she gets what we're having and it is almost always something super healthy.  She'll complain but she will eat it.  She tells me she doesn't like quinoa and complains as soon as she knows that's what I'm making.  But she eats a few bites of it.

I don't make her clear her plate.  I don't want her growing up thinking she has to eat everything.  She doesn't.  She should eat until she is full.  If she only eats a couple of bites and says she's too full, I don't let her have a treat because she is "too full."  This rarely happens though.  We like to make it a game where she and I race to eat five bites.  She's super competitive and always has to win.

I had this good friend and roommate who's mom never let her and her sibs have treats.  Like ever.  When they went to college that was all they ate for a while because they were so deprived.  That's where the "freshman 15" comes in.  So I let Morgan have treats once in a while.  We don't keep very much in the house, but I have no problem giving her some candy corn (her fave) or a small ice cream cone.

I like to give her fruit and veggie options for snacks, along with crackers and cheese and stuff like that.

We don't have juice very often.  It is mostly just empty calories.  She does really like orange juice though so sometimes we will buy the fresh squeezed stuff.

I guess my point of this post is to say not to worry about feeding your kids healthy 100% of the time.  Don't feel guilty if you grab some fast food once in a while.  Your kids need to learn moderation.  A treat trip to McDonald's is NOT a problem!  Stop judging!  However, teach them the difference between healthy food and treats.  Morgan knows that chips are a treat.  Encourage them to like healthy things.  Make them for them and when you have a healthy dinner, don't let them eat "kid food."  Let them experience health too.

And, here is the 9th week of my exercise plan.  There are only 3 left after this!


Cardio: I'm on week 9.

Week	Sunday (Rest)	Monday (Easy)	Tuesday (Cross Train)	Wednesday (Easy)	Thursday (Cross Train)	Friday (Rest)	Saturday (Long)
1	Rest	30 Minutes (3 Miles)	30-40 Minutes	30 Minutes (3 Miles)	30-40 Minutes	Rest	4 Miles
2	Rest	30 Minutes (3 Miles)	30-40 Minutes	30 Minutes (3 Miles)	30-40 Minutes	Rest	5 Miles
3	Rest	30 Minutes (3 Miles)	30-40 Minutes	30 Minutes (3 Miles)	30-40 Minutes	Rest	6 Miles
4	Rest	35 Minutes (3 Miles)	30-40 Minutes	35 Minutes (3 Miles)	30-40 Minutes	Rest	7 Miles
5	Rest	45 Minutes (4 Miles)	30-40 Minutes	45 Minutes (4 Miles)	45-50 Minutes	Rest	4 Miles
6	Rest	45 Minutes (4 Miles)	30-40 Minutes	45 Minutes (5 Miles)	45-50 Minutes	Rest	8 Miles
7	Rest	50 Minutes (5 Miles)	30-40 Minutes	50 Minutes (5 Miles)	45-50 Minutes	Rest	9 Miles
8	Rest	45 Minutes (4 Miles)	35-45 Minutes	50 Minutes (4 Miles)	45-50 Minutes	Rest	6 Miles
9	Rest	50 Minutes (5 Miles)	35-45 Minutes	50 Minutes (5 Miles)	45-50 Minutes	Rest	10 Miles
10	Rest	45 Minutes (4 Miles)	35-45 Minutes	45 Minutes (4 Miles)	45-50 Minutes	Rest	7 Miles
11	Rest	35 Minutes (3 Miles)	35-45 Minutes	35 Minutes (3 Miles)	45-50 Minutes	Rest	6 Miles
12	Rest	30 Minutes (3 Miles)	30 Minutes	30 Minutes (3 Miles)	Rest	Rest	13.1 Miles Race Day!

Resistance:

WORKOUT DAY 1 Date:
Dumbbell Chest Flyes On Ball - Chest Sets: 3 Reps: 10 Weight: Speed: 2/4/2 Rest: 60 sec
	Weight	Reps		Weight	Reps		Weight	Reps
Set 1			Set 2			Set 3
Dumbbell Chest Press - Chest Sets: 3 Reps: 10 Weight: Speed: 2/4/2 Rest: 60 sec
	Weight	Reps		Weight	Reps		Weight	Reps
Set 1			Set 2			Set 3
Dumbbell Shoulder Lateral Raise - Shoulders Sets: 3 Reps: 10 Weight: Speed: 2/4/2 Rest: 60 s
	Weight	Reps		Weight	Reps		Weight	Reps
Set 1			Set 2			Set 3
Dumbbell Shoulder Press Standing - Shoulders Sets: 3 Reps: 10 Weight: Speed: 2/4/2 Rest: 60 sec
	Weight	Reps		Weight	Reps		Weight	Reps
Set 1			Set 2			Set 3
Arm Extension Machine - Triceps Sets: 3 Reps: 10 Weight: Speed: 2/4/2 Rest: 60 sec
	Weight	Reps		Weight	Reps		Weight	Reps
Set 1			Set 2			Set 3

WORKOUT DAY 2 Date:
Walking Lunges - Legs Sets: 3 Reps: 10 Weight: Speed: 2/4/2 Rest: 60 sec
	Weight	Reps		Weight	Reps		Weight	Reps
Set 1			Set 2			Set 3
Inner Thigh Machine - Legs Sets: 3 Reps: 10 Weight: Speed: 2/4/2 Rest: 60 sec
	Weight	Reps		Weight	Reps		Weight	Reps
Set 1			Set 2			Set 3
Ball Squats - Legs Sets: 3 Reps: 10 Weight: Speed: 2/4/2 Rest: 60 sec
	Weight	Reps		Weight	Reps		Weight	Reps
Set 1			Set 2			Set 3
Outer Thigh Machine - Legs Sets: 3 Reps: 10 Weight: Speed: 2/4/2 Rest: 60 sec
	Weight	Reps		Weight	Reps		Weight	Reps
Set 1			Set 2			Set 3

WORKOUT DAY 3 Date:
1 Arm Dumbbell Row - Back Sets: 3 Reps: 10 Weight: Speed: 2/4/2 Rest: 60 sec
	Weight	Reps		Weight	Reps		Weight	Reps
Set 1			Set 2			Set 3
Ball Cobra - Back Sets: 3 Reps: 10 Weight: Speed: 2/4/2 Rest: 60 sec
	Weight	Reps		Weight	Reps		Weight	Reps
Set 1			Set 2			Set 3
Standing Dumbbell Curl - Biceps Sets: 3 Reps: 10 Weight: Speed: 2/4/2 Rest: 60 sec
	Weight	Reps		Weight	Reps		Weight	Reps
Set 1			Set 2			Set 3
Standing Hammer Dumbbell Curl - Biceps Sets: 3 Reps: 10 Weight: Speed: 2/4/2 Rest: 60 sec
	Weight	Reps		Weight	Reps		Weight	Reps
Set 1			Set 2			Set 3
Lower Back Extension - Back Sets: 3 Reps: 10 Weight: Speed: 2/4/2 Rest: 60 sec
	Weight	Reps		Weight	Reps		Weight	Reps
Set 1			Set 2			Set 3