A Raccoon on day 4 (5 and 6 too)

Yesterday was a rest day.  Let me tell you I was so thankful!  My muscles were so sore!  This morning I woke up about 4:15.  No, not to get up.  I just set the alarm for 5:30 instead of 5:00.  I have nothing I have to be up early for so I figured I could cut myself some slack.

Just as I started my workout - literally I just started my warm-up, hubby comes out of the room.  He was up  a 1/2 hour early so I thought that was odd.  He says to me, "did you see what's in the window?"  I was thinking a mouse.  Since we've had 2 mice down there at two different times.  Nope.  Boy was I wrong!

Isn't he cute?!  Of course I know he's a wild animal and could have rabies.  I also know they live in the sewers and you wouldn't to keep these little guys as pets.  

But from inside our bedroom he is pretty cute!  I'm so glad we didn't have our window open last night.  I don't think he was down there very long though.  Probably jumped or fell down a little before I woke up.
  

He is trying to get out on his own.  Right at this moment, hubby was on his way outside to the garage to work on getting this guy out.  Oh and we had a chipmunk down there a couple weeks ago.  Jeff used 2 rakes to trap him and lift him out.  He really tossed him and ended up tossing toward me.  He didn't mean to, but I didn't know I could scream so loudly and so high pitched!  The chipmunk wasn't harmed in anyway.  He wasn't even scared.  He just sat there under the bush.  So back to operation Raccoon. 

You can kind of see the ladder on the left side of the picture.  Jeff put a 4 foot ladder down into the well (and ran away).  Here the raccoon was looking at me through the window and I was telling him that we were trying to help him.  I also was explaining (to a raccoon mind you - through a closed window) how he needs to climb up the ladder and go home to his family.  Then I started to wonder what to do to get him out if he would climb the ladder.  I wouldn't want to call anyone who would hurt him.  We have a nature center nearby.  I would've called them and asked them to help or give me a number of someone who could help rescue him.  

There he goes.  He slowly climbed the ladder and got out.  In this picture he slipped and almost fell off the ladder.  Do you think he ran off when he got out safely?  No he did not.  He sauntered off toward the street.  He walked away like, "it's all good.  I planned that you know."  

So I did complete day 4.  I burned 109 calories in 20 minutes.  I successfully did side to side jumps.  I think I might skip jump lunges.  That's where you jump and land in a lunge position.  Those are not fun! I feel good today.  Still sore, but I'm happy I got up to exercise.  Day 5 and 6 will be rest days as I will be off at camp.  Back at it on Monday! 

Have a good weekend!

day 3 and our date.

Day 3 is actually a rest day.  EA active recommends letting your muscles rest a day.  The calendar shows that I workout 2 days and then rest a day.  I am not complaining either.  Oh my word am I sore today!  The rest day varies throughout each week.  Since our family will be at our church family camp this weekend, I will workout tomorrow morning, and then rest 2 days in a row.  I haven't decided if I'll follow the 30 day challenge exactly as scheduled or have my rest day on Wednesdays during the week and over the weekends.  I guess I'll see how it goes.

Yesterday was our date.  It was so much fun!  We got to the field before the gates opened.  I forgot to eat breakfast before we left so I was really really hungry.  The plaza had food so we at a big dog and chips at 10 am.  It was awesome.  I also had an ice cream cone.  MMMM!  We hung out and people watched.  We ran into a kid from T's baseball team and his dad so chatted with them for a bit and then we just walked around for awhile.

Turned out it was navy day so 4 navy seals jumped from an airplane and parachuted down onto the field during the national anthem.  It was a very moving moment.  I was just amazed at the whole thing - the timing, the skill of these guys, their sacrifice for our country.

 It was a good day!  We walked a very long distance back to our car and I ended up with a major headache because I didn't have water and it was hot out.  We picked up the kids, came home and I went to bed for the rest of the day.  I have a wonderful husband who got the kids dinner and into bed and cleaned up the dishes and living room.  Such good man he is.  

Day 2

Day 2 of my 30-day challenge is complete!  Whew!  My muscles are sore, but I'll live with that.  At least I know I still have muscle in there.  I treated myself to some workout clothes yesterday.  Yay me!  Not that those will help me workout but I figure since I spent the money on them, I'll use them.  Which means to use them I'll need to workout.  I also figured that "dressing the part" will help with motivation.  Even if don't break a sweat, I'll look like I did and that will make me feel good.

I did complete day 2 in under 30 minutes and I burned 149 calories doing cardio and strength exercises.  It was quite the workout too.  The one thing I don't like is kick ups.  It's where you alternate walking and kicking your butt with the heels of your feet, and running while kicking your butt with the heels of your feet.  It really does kick your butt.  I did go slow and the next time that exercise came around the trainer scolded me!  She said, "The pace for the workout is set, stay on track!" Yikes!

The challenge for today?  Keeping my calorie intake in check.  Why is that such a challenge you ask?  Because I'm going to a baseball game today! Hubby and I are going on a date!  The smells and the sounds at the ball park combine to just pull you in and suck the calorie counting out the window.  I guess if you go to a ball park and plan on eating, then there is no point in counting Calories.  Kinda takes the fun out eating, I guess.  Besides isn't the nachos grande (or whatever it's called) like 2000 calories in itself?  What about the dinger dog - at least 700 calories.  I don't care.  I'm going on a date with my handsome husband and I'm going to enjoy being with him all day!

30 day Challenge - day 1

So today was day 1 of the 30 day Challenge.  Last night I spent a few minutes adjusting my bedtime routine to adding in getting ready for my morning workout.  I made sure the game was out, the nun chuck, resistance band and leg strap were out, and balance board charged up.  I made sure to set the alarm for 5 am (yikes!).

I woke up at 4:25 am and very briefly considered turning off the alarm.  Then I thought, well, I don't have to get up at 5.  I could get up at 5:30 or wait until my hubby wakes up at 6.  Well, wouldn't you figure that this morning was the morning, K woke up right then.  My first thoughts were, "great.  Of all the mornings you need me, it has to be the one where I was going to get up at 5."  Thankfully those thoughts just stayed in my head and didn't come out of my mouth.  I got K settled in my bed and I went out to start my workout.  As I began my workout, I decided that maybe K waking up was way to keep me getting up like I had planned.  Actually I am very thankful that he woke up that early, because otherwise I just might have set the alarm for later.

So, back to my workout.  I burned 129.3 calories in about 20 minutes.  I worked up quite a sweat so I figure that was good too.  I kept hydrated and ate a yogurt before I started because I can't do much on an empty stomach.

After my workout and everything was put away I made my hubby lunch and put the dishes away while the coffee brewed.  It's been a good morning so far.

*just so you know, I'm no fitness expert.  I'm journaling about my experience with the 30 day challenge and am in no way offering any kind of fitness and diet advice to anyone else.  Anything that I may write, is just my journal so that I can look back on what I did to see what helped and didn't help in my journey to physical fitness.  

30 day Challenge

I have decided to recommit to using my Wii EA active sports workout game.  I guess it's not really a game, but whatever.  My point is that I'm not too happy with what my scale says today and I need get moving.  I was doing really well for a long time back in the winter time.  Then...I got sick and never picked it back up again.  Oh and I'm sure my husband's bacon wrapped deliciousness hasn't helped either.  But I'd rather pick up the workout habit and still eat the bacon instead of giving up bacon altogether.  Seriously.  Who does that?  

So tomorrow morning, bright and early, I will attempt day one of the 30 day challenge.  That means getting up early - like 5 am early.  I'm sure it will be worth it.  It will be.  Won't it?  Yes.  Yes it will.  And I plan to  blog about my adventure.  Not because I have readers - I don't.  But because I think it will help me keep myself accountable.  I have friend who has been my workout accountability partner and that's been great.  Hi Jess!  It's been nice to have support and encouragement from a friend when the going gets tough and you don't really want to exercise.  Also it's motivation for me when she would workout - I knew I could do it too.  Like I said before, I haven't been good about keeping up with exercise or our accountability so hopefully this will help.  Better go so I get rested for my early morning.  

Oh by the way.  My hubby and I are going on our first date (alone!) of the year in a couple days!!  Can't believe we haven't been on date with just us at all this year!  EEk.  I guess that is what happens with 4 kids.  We have got to try harder at getting those date nights in.  We are good about having date nights after the kids go to bed where we watch a movie together or cook a nice dinner together.  But date nights are so important.  We are very excited!  

A day at the pool

Earlier this week I brought the kids on a mini day road trip to meet a friend of mine and her boys at a water park that is about half way between our houses.  It was about 1 1/2 drive one way for and about an hour for her.  We met in Wisconsin and the kids were so excited to go to another state (even though they have been to Wisconsin before).  The day was windy and not as humid so it turned out to be a beautiful day.  Here are some pictures that I finally uploaded from that day.

K zooming down the water slide!  

T climbing across floating tree stumps

M cooling off in the water.  He told me he was a fishy.

My friend J's son who is 2 1/2.  Such a ham!  He also loves wearing his sun glasses.  I was very impressed with that.  Not all kids keep their sunglasses on.  

I was hoping to get T and H with K but at the time I had my camera out and these two spotted, T was off playing somewhere else.  All three older ones got a long great!  

M and C even got along.  M was sharing his boats (which is huge for him) by the end of the afternoon.  

All 6 of the kids during a water break.  This is the second time we've all gotten together but the first photo of all 6 of them together.  I took about 20 pictures of them right in a row to try to get at least one good one of all of them looking.  It's a lot easier than waiting for them to all smile and look at the same time.  With a 3 year old and a 2 year old it's near impossible!  This one turned out pretty good though.  

Back at it

I haven't blogged in while.  Due mostly to time - 4 kids home right now because of summer vacation.  Also due to the fact that I have no idea what to write about or post about.  I guess since this is just my bloggy journal, I can most whatever I want no matter how uninteresting it may be to readers (if there are any, ha!)  :)

A father's day picture of my wonderful husband with our 4 kids.