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Mom. Wife + Life. Runner. 10 4 19

October 4, 2019 No Comments

Mom.

It’s been a week. I feel like some weeks I am totally killin’ it as a mom when my child is happy and respectful and content with going-with-the-flow (which is not our norm). Other weeks, like this past one, has been anything but easy. Gosh, she has given me a run for my money.

Me: The sky is blue.

Row: (with passion and irrational irritation) NO IT’S NOT. IT’S NOT!! IT’S NOT BLUE!

Example conversation repeated 1,742 times each day with everything I say.

We’re in the ‘NO’ phase. We are also entering the ‘why?’ phase, but I enjoy that a lot more. I know my success in parenting is not based on her actions or reactions. She is a toddler, and a sinner just like the rest of us. I was encouraged recently by an older parent who reminded my husband and I to not parent out of fear – fear of failure, fear of not doing enough, fear of messing up, etc. We can only do so much. We are ambassadors of God and our children are His children. Our ultimate goal as parents is to point them to Him. If we parent with Him in mind, He will fill in where we lack. Dear Jesus, please help my child understand the sky is in fact blue.

She’s also a joy. And brilliant, compassionate, and empathetic. And we’ve had some really great days where she will tell me she loves me all on her own and say things that just blow me away. And at night I’ll go into her room just to watch her sleep and silently cry over the hard moments we had, and how she’s growing up too fast, and grieve the little time I have left when it’s just me and her. And now I’m crying…

Wife + Life.

Andrew and I celebrated our eighth wedding anniversary. We were fortunate enough to to get away for a dinner out – just us two. It was so refreshing to have an uninterrupted conversation, feed only myself, and not ask anyone if they have to pee twenty times. Before dinner we had our 28 week appointment to check on baby sister and all is well.

We updated our silicone wedding rings to Wave Rings. I chose two stackers – pink braid and white. We have worn QALO for years, but they started to stretch. I love the thin stacker version of a silicone ring. I forget it’s even there. And they’re only $8 each! (20% off discount code: CHELSY20)

Runner.

I feel like I entered my third trimester and the wheels fell off. Although slower, running has been a breeze this pregnancy. I knew it would eventually not feel this way, but I was expecting to last a bit longer. I wouldn’t say I am throwing in the towel, but I’ll likely switch to a run/walk interval and I may be in Spin class a bit more. I have been fairly diligent about making it to my running club’s Saturday runs and have so enjoyed the time with friends or just running solo. I had a recent quiet run where I was able to just get in my head and think about post-partum goals. Of course I’ll give myself grace as I ease back in to running (blah, blah, blah), but I also feel so motivated to train again. It’s probably because I got pregnant when I was super motivated to BQ again and that never really left me. I am considering the Silo District (Magnolia) Half-Marathon at the end of April. Has anyone run it?

Recent Posts

Tot School: What to do after you print a printable

Bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord

Workouts

Rings provided by Wave Rings for marketing and review.

blog, running, Workout

My At-Home Workouts Experience

September 30, 2019 No Comments

My At-Home Workouts Experience

Before having Rowan, I was fortunate enough to work for an organization that had an on-site gym and offered employees 30 minutes (paid time!!) to use it. It was an incredible benefit. I used this time to strength train and it benefited my running tremendously as well as helped in injury prevention. Knock on wood, I’ve never had a side-lining injury.

After Rowan was born, I left my job and no longer had access to a gym. I started lifting weights (dumbbells) at home, but wasn’t really seeing any results and felt like I was wasting time. So I signed up for BeachBody on Demand. Yes, I know. I am certain you have heard of them and know at least five people who sell it. I would post on Instagram that I was doing at-home workouts, but was honestly embarrassed to admit that it was BeachBody. I’m owning it now.It seemed like such a hype that I was buying in to. But the thing is, it was actually amazing and I loved having a video to follow. I stopped doing these workouts when I became a member of our local gym.

With baby sister arriving soon, I know my daily workout routine with childcare is coming to an end – so I decided to sign up for BeachBody On Demand again. But this time, I have also signed up to ‘sell’ it – because I actually do think it’s a great value and an awesome product. What held me back from ‘selling’ before was the supplement aspect of it. I don’t know that I believe in all the meal replacement products on the market. Some people swear by it, but I’ve never tried it. If you’ve followed me for a while, you know we’re a vegan family. Yes, BeachBody has a vegan meal replacement shake – and some people prefer the ease of scooping and drinking and moving on with their day. I don’t mind cooking and planning ahead of time or making a quick smoothie with protein powder as a post-workout snack (not a meal replacement).

So anyways. I have hopped on the bandwagon and am signed up to sell BeachBody products. But what that means to me is this: when someone asks me what workouts I am doing, I will honestly tell them and send them a link. I will be happy to answer any questions about my previous post-partum journey and working out during pregnancy. This also means I will NOT send random, unsolicited direct messages to everyone I meet trying to get them to sign up with me. So basically, if you’re interested, I’m happy to chat. If you’re not, you do you!! Or if you’re interested in hustling and making this a stay-at-home source of income – also happy to chat. Honestly, it was more cost effective for me to sign up as a Coach to get BeachBody on Demand than just paying for the program outright. Another reason why I decided to just go for it.

So if you want to more, please feel free to reach out below and I am happy to share my experience. The contact box does not sign you up for anything. It’s just an easy way to email me. Or you can just email me at fitandfaithfulfcATgmailDOTcom – or reach out on Instagram DM.

**Also, since I just signed up again, I get three coupon codes for $10 off a challenge pack. So if you are interested in that, let me know.

[contact-form][contact-field label=”Name” type=”name” required=”true” /][contact-field label=”Email” type=”email” required=”true” /][contact-field label=”Message: What are you interested in?” type=”textarea” /][/contact-form]

Blog Income Transparency: A little off-topic, but in the spirit of transparency, I wanted to talk about the income I receive from my blog. With Google ads, I made $0.45 this month. Yes, not even fifty cents. Over the life of my blog, I haven’t even earned enough for them to pay me. With the Amazon products I recommend, I make a $10 credit every few months once all the tiny commissions add up to that. So I’ve maybe made $50 over the life of my blog. So with BeachBody, maybe I’ll make something, maybe I won’t. I obviously don’t care too much about the money or I would have deleted this blog years ago. But if I can make a couple of dollars here and there for promoting something I actually believe in, why not. Just like my t-shirt sales years ago (anyone remember that?), I will donate 10% of what I profit.

blog, montessori, Printables, Toddler Activities, Tot School

Tot School: What to do after you print a printable

September 26, 2019 No Comments

I have shared my love for printables quite a bit. All the cute and creative work is done for you. You just need to print, assemble, and let your kid learn and enjoy. I first learned about Tot School through Pinterest. It’s basically a mini-homeschool for your toddler – teaching colors, numbers, shapes, letters, etc. Some parents are very organized and have a strict routine with their schooling. I have a more casual, laid-back approach that probably wouldn’t even be considered ‘Tot School’. But I do enjoy all the resources I have found and use them a few times each week in a very fun, unorganized, and non-formal manner. I have found most of my printables (for free!!) at totschooling.net.

When I first started printing the printables, I wasn’t really sure how to assemble them in a way so Rowan could continue to play with them over time without just destroying the paper. I do not have a laminator nor did I know where to go to get them laminated. I found these super easy Self-Adhesive Laminating Sheets. It’s basically like a huge sticker that you stick to the front and back of the paper. Then you’re done.

I laminated all pieces and used my Cricut Trimmer to cut them out – because I can’t cut a straight line. Rowan loves helping with this part (under my supervision, obviously).

After everything is assembled – which usually takes less than 5 minutes – we play and learn. I found a whole section of three-Sequence Nursery Rhymes from totschooling.net. Rowan loves ‘Hey Diddle Diddle’ because she thinks it’s hilarious for a cow to jump over the moon. It’s been so great to teach her the sequence of things as well as placing objects from left to right – and just reading from left to right.

For some printables, I have used Velcro dots to hold the pieces in place and give her something visual to see when matching/sorting. The printable below has velcro dots.

I have also used the printables to make magnets with magnet sheets you can cut to size (also super easy!!). We especially love these amazing and colorful calendar magnets . The calendar also comes in Spanish (and French) so we have been using that to introduce the months and days of the week in Spanish.

Happy printing & happy tot schooling!!!

blog

Mom. Wife + Life. Runner. 9 24 19

September 24, 2019 No Comments

Mom: Our library is part of a reading program called 1000 Books Before Kindergarten. The goal is to read 1000 books with your child before kindergarten. Here are the reading log sheets if you’re interested. You can either read 1000 individual books or just count a book each time it is read (even if you read the same one 50 times). Well, the over-achiever in me decided to read 1000 individual books. We are getting close to 500 and it’s taking a lot longer now that the books are advancing past board books with a single word on each page. I know this is great for Rowan to help develop her language skills and love for reading, but it’s also helped hold me accountable to making the time to sit and read with her.

Wife + Life: I basically finished How Toddlers Thrive: What Parents Can Do Today for Children Ages 2-5 to Plant the Seeds of Lifelong Success. I read about 2/3 of it, but had to skim the rest because it was due back at the library. I highly recommend it (and The Toddler Brain – my husband even read and enjoyed this). I am currently reading Bringing Up Girls and it’s pretty eye-opening. I am so glad I am reading it when my girls are young/”on the way”. My husband is reading this with me as there is so much emphasis on the importance of the father-daughter relationship. (The author first wrote Bringing Up Boys.)

Runner: As I am in my 6th month of pregnancy, I am really taking running one day at a time. I stopped running my final trimester with Rowan because I was too nervous; however, I plan to run as long as I can during this pregnancy. Since Rowan was born a month early, I feel myself already getting a bit anxious about when baby sister will arrive, so that may put my running to a halt the closer I get to her due date. FORTUNATELY, I have become friends with my doctor and his wife since having Rowan who are both super talented athletes – so I feel like I am in good hands. I am honestly really loving the treadmill right now. The heat and humidity zaps my energy and literally just takes my breath away. I can run forever on a treadmill still – plus I can do it at the gym with childcare and no stroller. Win-win! Like I mentioned in my post about stretching, I have been incorporating more short Yoga videos to keep my hips and back healthy and feeling good. I was doing a strength training class at the gym, but I have had to modify so much that it’s not even fun anymore. I was doing my own little workouts for a while, but now I am starting to use some of my at-home workout videos again. It’s been so helpful having a video tell me what to do and keep me moving through the workout.

In case you missed it, check out my Tot School post on with favorite printables.

Faith, life, motherhood, Parenting

bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord

September 23, 2019 No Comments

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, because this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise, so that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life in the land. Fathers, don’t stir up anger [do not exasperate them to the point of resentment with demands that are trivial and unreasonable or humiliating or abusive; nor by showing favoritism or indifference to any of them]in your children, but bring them up [tenderly, with loving kindness] in the training and instruction of the Lord.”

Ephesians 6:1-4

Commentary in italics by Joyce Meyer from Ephesians: Biblical Commentary

I have taken note of this verse every single time I come across it. Especially, “…bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” Perhaps I have run across this verse all of my life, but until you become a parent it feels as if it doesn’t apply to you. But now, what power, meaning, and responsibility these words bring.

I’ll be honest. I know the basics of the Bible. I can repeat some children’s bible stories, but I do not have the confidence in my understanding of the Bible and ‘instruction of the Lord’ to bring Rowan up in it. Since having her, and mainly beginning our disciplining phase, I have felt so convicted and moved to truly know (and live out) God’s word. But I have also felt so overwhelmed with where to begin and feeling like I need to know ALL of it and know it fast!! I tend to do that. Feel overwhelmed, start to cram, get burnt out, and quit. So I started small.

We have a new pastor at our church, Jonathan Pokluda, who joined us from Dallas after leaving a massive young adult ministry he built and lead, The Porch. I highly recommend his podcasts. In a sermon about temptation, he had his two younger daughters come up on stage. He would ask them questions and they would respond with a memorized bible verse. It was incredible to see and inspired me so much for Rowan to truly know God’s Word and be able to use it in every day situations. But in order for her to know it, I have to know it and teach her (bring her up in the training and instruction of the Lord). I re-watched the sermon just to write down the questions and verses. I have shared them below:

You are tempted by something beautiful and charming…

“Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised.” Proverbs 31:30

You are tempted to find your treasures in this earth but not the kingdom…

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” Matthew 6:33

You are tempted to do something bad with your body…

“Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own.” 1 Corinthians 6:19

You are tempted to be anxious…

“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

You are tempted to feed your heart with something bad….

“Guard your heart above all else because it is the source of life.” Proverbs 4:23

You are tempted to talk bad about someone…

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up.” Ephesians 4:29

blog, motherhood, Printables, Toddler Activities, Tot School

Tot School: Printables

September 19, 2019 No Comments

A new hobby of mine is finding printables on Pinterest. (list of two supplies needed at the bottom). I found this incredible website (https://www.totschooling.net/) with a ton of free printables. I plan to share these quite a bit on the blog because I just love them so much. I am in no way affiliated with this blog nor do I get anything for promoting it – I just love it that much!! This is my favorite TotSchooling printable right now and Rowan will spend 30+ minutes doing it over and over again (so long as I am doing it with her). For reference, I made the Red, Blue, Yellow page for Rowan when she was around 18 months. She didn’t get it at all, but it was so great to introduce her to it and allow her to stick the difference colors on to the velcro tabs. I recently brought it back out at almost 2 1/2 and she is an expert color matcher.

I absolutely love this Fruits of the Spirit printable I found on Etsy (again, not affiliated). I much prefer free printables, but I NEEDED this. Our church’s children’s ministry just covered the fruits of the spirit over the summer so I thought this would be perfect to keep it all fresh in Rowan’s tiny brain that is soaking up everything she hears. She obviously doesn’t grasp it because she’s two, but she will say the different attributes with me as she matches the shapes. Her memory is incredible – it’s actually a little scary the things she can remember – so I figured why not put it to good use and start teaching her about God’s word.

Our Children’s Ministry is now going over Creation, so I purchased the bundle on Etsy and made this amazing printable.

I am by no means crafty or creative. I think that’s why I love printables so much. All the neat, organized, cute, creative work is done for you. I do not have a laminator at home nor do I have access to one, so I bought these super easy Self-Adhesive Laminating Sheets and Velcro Dots on Amazon. I had it all done within 20 minutes of a naptime. Oh, and I also can’t cut a straight line, so I went ahead and bought this Cricut thing too.

Here are a few other TotSchooling.net printables I have made.

blog, Workout

Workout: When you really dislike Yoga, but know you need to stretch

September 17, 2019 No Comments

I’m a runner and I don’t stretch. Imagine that. I know I need to, but I just never make the time to do it. If I do, I feel so bored and unproductive that I rush through it and really don’t get much out of it. I feel like the only times I do make time for stretching is when I feel an injury coming on and by then it’s too late. Sound familiar? I know I’m not the only one…

One of my goals during my second pregnancy was to work on my flexibility by incorporating Yoga into my weekly workout routine. I started with different yoga videos on YouTube, but honestly YouTube overwhelms me. There is ~~so much~~ too much content to comb through and I spent more time browsing which video I wanted to do (during my limited time I have during nap time) than actually having time to do the video.

I mentioned on my Workouts tab that I started using these at-home workout videos again like I did after I had my first daughter. They have a whole library of different Yoga videos and most are 30 minutes or less. During naptime after a hilly 8 mile run, I was able to do a Muscle Recovery video and it was amazing. My hips have been pretty achy after my longer pregnant runs and I had no pain the following day after actually making and taking the time to stretch. I loved that it was short and to the point and just so easy to dive in to.

I took a few screen shots of some of the other yoga/stretching videos they have. They even have a pre- and post-natal section and a video on Diastasis Recti. And a Yoga for Runners video, which I have not done yet.

The membership is $99 for the full year, or $39 for three months. If you sign up as a ‘coach’, you get a discount – which is what I did this time around. Again, if you’re interested, happy to chat. If you’re not, go find something active you love and do it!

If you aren’t sure what these videos are all about and how to view/use them, it’s basically just an organized library of at-home workout videos you can access from any device (TV, computer, phone, etc.). I use my phone.

blog, Faith, life

Live Life ON Purpose FOR A Purpose

September 16, 2019 1 Comment

I have been studying Ephesians lately using Ephesians: Biblical Commentary by Joyce Meyer and have loved it. I started with her study on James: Biblical Commentary and cannot recommend it enough. I have never actually studied particular books of the bible – or really even really God’s Word. Yes, I have read verses from the Bible, but it has normally been as supportive text to a topical bible study on marriage, parenting, etc. Since having Rowan, I have felt such a strong desire and desperate need to KNOW God’s Word. I want Rowan (and baby sister) to grow up hearing and seeing the Bible in action. (“But be doers of the word and not hearers only…” James 1:22). I want to discipline them with scripture and Truth and not just laying out rules ‘because I said so’. (“bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord…” Ephesians 6:4) The Bible is the best parenting book you can ever read. God is our Father and we are His children. He is the perfect example of parenting with love and grace-filled discipline.

So like I said, I want to KNOW and DO God’s Word. I was reading in the Ephesians bible study shortly after I started this blog again and was really moved to share this text.

“Pay careful attention, then, to how you live—not as unwise people but as wise— making the most of the time, because the days are evil..”

Ephesians 5:15-16, CSB

To live with wisdom is to know what is true and know what to do with it (loosley quoted from Jonathan Pokluda). I believe God desires time with us. Not just desires it but is jealous for it. I think a lot of the reason I signed off of Instagram and blogging was the conviction of how I was spending my time. Every single day I signed on to Instagram. Every Day! I will honestly admit that I did not open my Bible every day – I still don’t. Some days it didn’t even cross my mind or by the end of the day I had run out of time. And it wasn’t just my time online I felt was ‘unwise’. Trust me, I knew to the tenth of a mile how many miles I had run that week. I had never gone to bed at night and forgotten to go for a run. I either intentionally ran or intentionally didn’t. My point is, I prioritized what was important to me – and knowing God was not that. I still struggle with this.

There is nothing more important in life than serving God and loving others. (“Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37-39) You spend time with people you love, you spend your time doing things you love, you spend your mind soaking in and reading things you love. Where does God fall in to all of this? So this is the Truth. We are called to love God and love others. It is wise to know this because we can read words spoken by Jesus himself. So we should be paying close attention to how we live – ‘not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time.’

“When God is first in our lives, we put Him first in our time, and then He enables us to accomplish all the other things we should be doing.”

Joyce Meyer, Ephesians: Biblical Commentary

I encourage you to truly MAKE time for God. You make time for yourself, you make time for your kids, you make time for your spouse, friends, family, hobbies, etc. MAKE TIME FOR THE CREATOR – the one who created and blessed you with everything you are making time for. If you are currently enjoying a bible study, encourage and share it with a friend.

“God wants us to live on purpose for a purpose.”

Joyce Meyer, Ephesians: Biblical Commentary

life, Printables, Toddler Activities

Mom. Wife+Life. Runner. 9 12 19

September 12, 2019 2 Comments

Mom:

Rowan is just shy of 2 1/2 years old. She is not spectacular at independent play so we do a lot of things together. She currently loves our PicassoTiles and uses them to build stables for her horses or houses for tiny people I painted using these pegs from hobby lobby.

I am really into finding fun printables for us to do together. https://www.totschooling.net/ has been an incredible resource for free printables. I found this printable for our PicassoTiles.

We’re potty training. Or maybe we’re done. I am not really sure. Rowan just told me one evening that she was potty trained and didn’t wear diapers anymore. I have been rolling with that for three weeks now with only 3 accidents, so whatever that is. She has yet to tell a gym childcare worker or church nursery volunteer that she needs to go potty, so she is basically only potty trained if mom or dad is around. She is really great at holding it though so I am sure her confidence to tell a stranger will come eventually. I have not read this book, but have looked up the process on Pinterest and loosely followed the suggestions – we were basically just diaper-free at home for several months to get a lot of practice. We tried potty training 6 months ago when she turned two but failed. I was planning on trying again when she was closer to three and after baby was here, but I felt selfish telling her that mommy wasn’t ready to potty train when she clearly stated she was ready.

Wife+Life:

We just got back from our final family vacation of just us three before baby sister gets here. It was really nice to get away and made me realize Andrew and I need some time away also – just the two of us. I have missed less than 10 bedtimes since Rowan has been born and have never been away for the night so I have a bit of anxiety with leaving her. Everyone says it’ll be good for us and she will be alright – I know this is true, but it’s still hard leaving.

I have been reading a lot more. I am currently reading How Toddlers Thrive by Tovah P. Klein, PhD and studying Ephesians by Joyce Meyer. Both are incredible!! How Toddlers Thrive has been so helpful in attempting to minimize tantrums by understanding the world from Rowan’s point of view – as irrational as it may be. I have never really “studied” the bible before. I have always done more topical devotionals. I have really enjoyed actually knowing and understanding the Word. I want Rowan to grow up knowing God’s Word and being lead and disciplined by God’s Word. In order for that to happen, I have to know and follow it myself. “…bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4

Runner:

I recently ran a 5K and was incredibly happy and surprised with my finish time. Andrew killed it with a 5:58 pace while pushing Rowan in the stroller – all while feeding her snacks and handing her water. This pregnancy has been almost identical to my pregnancy with Rowan so I have felt pretty great and have been able to run. In fact, I’ve been running more than I did with Rowan because I am less worried. I will average around 20-28 miles/week, but also feel like that may not last much longer. My hips are much more sore this time around and I don’t really see the point in hurting myself just for the sake of “running while pregnant”. I’m taking things one day at a time. I honestly think deleting instagram has helped so much with the pressure of feeling like I NEED to run to prove something to someone. I also think in my time away I have gained a sense of confidence in myself as a mom and runner so I am considering getting back on Instagram. We’ll see….

P.S. I don’t know if I will post on Instagram much and may only use it to announce a new blog post. So if you’re interested in following along, go ahead and subscribe!

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