January Fitness Challenge

A new month means a new fitness challenge! I decided for January I am going to do another squat challenge. It's easy to do in my own home gym, and takes no more than 5 mins each day to complete. So really I have no excuses!

I am just about 20 weeks pregnant and my fitness goals for the second half of my  pregnancy are to maintain my cardio fitness ( at least 45 mins of cardio 5 days a week) as well as focus on my leg, glutes, arm and back strength. By maintaining my fitness it will be much easier to get back to my pre-pregnancy shape, as well as make labor and delivery, and post pardom recovery that much easier! Plus, I just feel better all around when I am active and exercising. 

So I encourage all you mom's out there, pregnant or not to make 2015 the year you get active and make a fitness goal! Whether it's to run a race (5k or 10k) improve your strength, or try a new fitness activity, yoga, spinning, P90X. You and your family will be better for it!! 

So here is the squat challenge I will be completing this month. Feel free to join me and see your results come January 31!

 

Happy January!!

Blessings,

Sarah

Reflecting on 2014

Looking back on this past year I can't help but be thankful for all the things my family and I have been blessed with! A beautiful, healthy son, our home, four wonderful years of marriage, loving family and friends, the list goes on. Yet it's so easy sometimes to take all these things for granted. Wishing we have more or our circumstances were somehow different. I am reminded this holiday season and as another year comes to a close, the importance of thankfulness and contentment. 

Being thankful for all my circumstances, and all that I have can really have an affect on my my heart and my daily attitude. I want to wake up each day with a sense of graditude for all that God has given to me. Being grateful for the little blessings each day, like being able to stay at home and care for my son. For all the friends that have been brought into my life. For a loving, supportive husband. For the sun shining, and waking up to another day. 

I hope to live out 2015 with a sense of purpose each day, to be thankful for ALL the things going on in my life, and to love others as Jesus has loved me, unconditionally! 

Here are a few of our 2014 highlights:

Drake's first time at the beach in Florida at 3 months.

Running my half marathon in Estes Park 8 months after giving birth.

Drake's baby dedication to the Lord at our church in July.

Our family mountain getaway to Beaver Creek

Lots of visits to the zoo, Drakee loves the animals!

Our first trip to San Francisco to visit with family!

Surprise!! We're pregnant!! 

Drake turns 1!!

First visit with Santa

2014 was quite a year! We are very hopeful and expectant for what 2015 will bring!! Wishing you all a very blessed and Happy New Year :)

Blessings,

Sarah 

Homemade: Peppermint body scrub

Now that it is winter time and very dry, I am definitely needing to exfoliant my skin more often! I have tried several different natural body scrubs in the past. They work just fine, but can be a bit pricy. So I thought why not try making my own?! I found a super easy and inexpensive DIY exfoliant in Pinterest. 

Here is the simple recipe:

Makes a little more than 1 quart of body scrub

-2 cups sugar

- 1/4 cup coconut oil

- 10 drops peppermint essential oil

Melt the coconut oil, then add to sugar. Stir mixture. Add peppermint essential oil, (I use DoTerra oils). You can add more coconut oil if preferred, to get desired consistency. Put your scrub in a sealed container, I like to use the 1/2 quart, short mason jars. 

How simple is this? It smells yummy, is great for your skin, and cheap to make! Also makes a great gift :) 

Happy Holidays!!

Blessings, 

Sarah

Pregnancy Update: 17 weeks

I can't believe I am almost halfway through my pregnancy! Time has flown by these past few months. I must say having a toddler and it being the holidays has certainly kept me busy. At times I forget I am even pregnant! But then I look down and see my little bump and remember, oh yeah, there is a little person growing in there. 

Here are some updates about how the pregnancy has gone so far....

17 weeks (2nd pregnancy vs. my 1st)

Pretty darn close from the first pregnancy to the second. I have felt pretty much the same this time as I did last pregnancy. 

My Due date: May 24th

Weight gain so far: 4lbs ( I was super nauseous and lost weight the first trimester) I am trying to be mindful of what I am eating, maxinimizing calories I need to feed myself and baby in the healthiest way possible. If I want a cookie I eat one! Everything in moderation! 

Cravings: lots of carbs, (bread, cereal) protein (turkey, beef, peanut butter). Citrus fruit, (oranges and grapefruit.) I think my strangest craving has been a meatball sub from Subway! I never have eaten a meatball sub before but, a few weeks ago I wanted one everyday! 

Baby's Gender: We will find out the sex of the baby in January! We are excited to know if it's going to be another boy or a girl. I am a planner and would love to know what to buy and how to decorate.

Maternity Fashion: what I am wearing most these days...

-when I am at home, yoga pants, or my running capris, they are comfy and stretchy!

-leggings (faux leather or printed) & skinny jeans

-loose tunics and sweaters

-wearing what I can while I still can! I am not quite ready for all my maternity jeans and tops. I have plenty of time to wear those when my bump gets bigger :)

Workouts: now that my energy has returned, I am enjoying working out again! I love staying active and knowing that my baby will also benefit from exercise.

My daily workouts consist of one of the following: 

-walking/jogging on treadmill for at least 30 mins

- Tracy Anderson pregnancy project DVD (holy butt workout!!) 

-lifting weights focusing on my arms, shoulders, back, glutes, and legs

-And of course, lifting, carrying, chasing and playing with my 24lb, 13 month old son all day! It's a great arm toning workout :)

I feel truly blessed by the fact that I get to help nurture and grow this chid in my body! I want to do the best that I can with this. But, most of all I want to cherish this special time, with my husband, with my son,,and every moment God has blessed me with this gift of motherhood! 

What I Wore: Boyfriend jeans as maternity wear

We're having some unseasonably warm weather this week, so I decided to break out a fun, fall-like outfit and enjoy not bundling up for a change! 

I am still loving my boyfriend denim these days. Especially since I am pregnant! They are loose, comfortable, chic and stylish, when paired with the right top and accessories. When I wear this style denim I like to pair them with a dressier top, or jacket, shoes or scarf to dress them up. By simply putting on a pair of heels, or boots you and elevate your look, from super casual, to date night ready. It's that easy!

As my baby bump is now making an appearance these days, I totally appreciate the relaxed fit of boyfriend jeans. I can continue to wear them as I grow and still feel stylish. All you pregnant Momma's out there hear me loud and clear...maternity clothes do not need to make you feel frumpy! They can be cute and still on trend. It's my mission this pregnancy to show you just that! You also don't need to got out and buy a whole new maternity wardrobe. Use what you already have. Just learn to buy a size or two larger. 

Boyfriend jeans: Gap

Tweed Moto-Jacket: Gap

White tee: Target

Boots: DSW

Scarf: Target

Blessings,

Sarah

Sunday Best Outfit and 14 weeks!

Well, I am 14 weeks pregnant and feeing great! My energy is back and I am feeling like my old self again, which I am so thankful for!! I am also still able to fit into my regular jeans, YAY! So, I am wearing them as long as possible!  But, I must say by the end of the day feel a little tight in the waist, as my bump expands :) 

I am determined to wear non-maternity clothes for as long as I can this pregnancy, to avoid buying a whole separate wardrobe. I think my first pregnancy I was so excited to show off my growing bump and wear actual maternity clothes, I went out and bought a ton of stuff I didn't need until I was 7 months along! 

This time around I will be able to wear my maternity wear from my previous prenancy, along with some newer regular sized items, that are loose fitting and larger sizes. I want to prove to ladies you can feel cute and fashionable, while rocking your growing baby bump :)

I have stocked up on a few of my maternity wear staples, over the last few weeks, in anticipation of my growing waistline. I will be sharing those with you soon. 

My Sunday Best outfit for church:

Fur Vest: thrifted

Blouse: Old Navy

Skinny Jeans: Levi's 

Boots: Anthropolgie

Necklace: The Deal Diva online boutique 

Blessings,

Sarah

We're expecting baby # 2!

My husband and I are thrilled to share the happy news that we are expecting our second child!! We feel beyond blessed to be able to grow our family, and somewhat unexpectly! It was a wonderful surprise in early fall that learned of this awesome news. I am due the end of May, 2015! 

The first trimester was not an easy one. Plagued with morning sickness, (all day long) and incredible fatigue. Not to mention caring for a baby, now newly toddler, and all our family lives out of state! We were in survival mode for the month of October. Most of my time was spent in sweats on the couch, while my son played on the floor with his toys and books. My house was a disaster, cleaning was not a top priority for me! Cooking was not an option for me, so we ate carry out and bland foods. 

But we made it through the first trimester  and I am incredibly grateful for my husband stepping up and helping out in this very busy and trying season. He is such a wonderful, hands on Daddy to our son. Even though he works an incredibly tough job in law enforcement, he made time to help out around the house, cook, clean, grocery shop and graciously love me even through my hormonal meltdowns! I am so grateful for him and realize I am a very lucky woman!!

Now that I am in my second trimester, I am excited to share my journey of pregnancy with all of you and be transparent about all of my moments; the good, the bad and the ugly!

I will be posting about the following:

*My maternity fashion 

*Fitness and weight gain 

* Nutrition 

* Natural Childbirth 

* Adventures of raising a toddler

* And all that I am learning along the way!

Thanks for following along :)

Blessings,

Sarah