Another year has come and gone..

Well here we are New Years Eve, 2014 is quickly winding down and 2015 is slowly rolling in. 

First off I realize I haven't done a Christmas Post yet (sorry) Christmas really wasn't all that earth shattering. It was very low key. Madison was battling a nasty cold (still is) and I wasn't feeling like myself and that lovely lovely stomach bug decided it would make its self at home in our house. 

As for tonight we are planning a low key evening at home with the girls. If we make it to see the ball drop it will be a miracle. Chris and I both really need a good nights sleep. 

Last year I shared my goals for 2014, you can find the post here.
I am so happy I completed all my goals (except finishing my personal training cert. still working on that one).

This year I have a few goals again :)
1. Run 9+1 to qualify for the 2016 NYC Marathon
2. Run one race every month
3. Take a kid free vacation
4. Get to the beach more this summer
5. Finish our laundry room
6. Paint our 2 bathrooms
7. Paint the basement and decorate the spareroom
8. Blog MORE!
9. Learn to sew with my new sewing machine
10. Teach Madison how to write her name
11. Teach Elizabeth how to swim (with a life jacket of course)
12. Continue my fitness journey.
13. Monthly date nights with Chris doing something different and fun (bowling, go karts etc)
14. Read a new book every months
15. Be happy, worry less and complain less

I hope you all have a wonderful New Years!
I'll be back tomorrow with some pictures  :)

Gigabody Review & Giveaway!

A few weeks ago you might remember mementioning Gigabody and a future giveaway for it. well the time is here :)

 Gigabody is a website that provides amazing workout videos.. anywhere! You can workout from any room in your house,  a hotel, outside wherever you want whenever you want as long as you can connect to the internet!

Gigabody was created is a small company started by Valerie Lanard, she fell in love with fitness after joining an office Biggest Loser contest in 2010. She quit the gym, was doing smaller more frequent workouts and found it tough to find workout dvds to keep her from getting bored. She wanted to find videos online without having to dig through amateur videos to find the best ones.. the Gigabody site was soon born!

Here's how it works. You sign up for a monthly membership ($8.99/month) with a 14 day trial period that you can cancel at anytime! After you register you are asked to create a short profile, you then browse the videos to find the ones you want to try! Hovering over the video will give you a brief description of the video, the equipment needed as well as the intensity, length and what others have rated the video. You have many search options as you can search by the length of the video, intensity, style or collection. There are 8 instructors (all women) that lead the videos. All the instructors are great and very motivating! 

Once you complete the workout you are encouraged to rate the video, it seems that Gigabody really values their customers opinions and takes it all into consideration to make the videos better! Gigabody also keeps track of the videos you have complete as well as any you favored. It is really nice to have that info stored because you can always go back and see if you've done the workout before and if so, if you liked it or not. 

I tend to go through stages when it comes to workout videos, some weeks I love them other weeks I can't stand the thought of watching someone on my iPad and working out in my basement while I see the hundreds of other things I could be doing. I do think that they are a great option for anyone who doesn't enjoy going to the gym, someone who travels alot or someone that is busy and can't find time to get a long workout in.

For this review I tried a few different videos the main video I used was the Plateau Breaker. It was a great workout to do on days that I wasn't able to make it to the gym. I found it really hard to get through same of the videos.. mainly because I don't enjoy working out at home. I enjoy being at the gym, seeing other people and being motivated by the others there. When I did the Gigabody workouts I felt great after, I got a great workout and I still had time to get other things done after, unlike going to the gym which also includes the 15 min drive each way.

Will I continue to use my Gigabody membership? Yes, because my husband works shift work and I can't always make it to the gym with our daughters. I would totally recommend this to people, especially moms! Moms are busy and most of the time can only fit a workout in when kids are sleeping, this site is perfect for that! I worked out at 5am and at 10pm and both times found exactly what I needed! 

Pro’s

• Ability to workout whenever and where ever you want! Just sign on and go!
• Low cost & 14 day trial period
• Variety of videos to work different body parts
• Ability to chose the length, intensity, rating and body part 

Con’s

• If you accidently leave a page you can't start where you left off.
• I found they sent way to many emails recommending videos. I already get 50+ emails a day between work, family, friends, bills and junk so this just added to that I honestly stopped reading them.
• Geared towards women, my husband has no interest.

Giveaway time! Gigabody is offer one of my readers one month free membership. Just enter the rafflecopter below. Giveaway will be open through this weekend. I will select a winner and email them next week. 

enter this rafflecopter to win :) I will email the winner by Saturday Decemeber 20th.

Disclaimer – I received two months free membership for this review through my ambassadorship with SweatPink. All opinions stated in this post are my own

Our week

This past week had a rough start.. it all started with a sleepless sunday night followed by a visit to the doctors monday morning to find out Beth had croup, that she had gotten 3 more teeth over the weekend which brings the total to 7! The week got better as it went on and it ended with a nice visit with Santa :)

 The volunteer fire department's women's auxiliary hosts a children's christmas party every year and the girls loved it! Madison got to spend some time with her friends and we got to visit with some other parents. Beth slept for most of it but woke up just in time to get her gift from Santa!

 There were NO tears with Santa :)

 We decorated our christmas tree, Madison was so happy and proud to put her ornaments on the tree! Beth slept through this as well!

After we decorated the tree Santa showed up to the house with some of the guy from the local fire department, daddy was Santa's helper for the day. Beth didn't like when Santa held her .. I haven't heard her scream that much in a long time! 

Sunday I completed my 5th race of the year.. the Dobbs Ferry Holiday Hustle 5k. In May when I ran my first 5k I struggled, I walked more then I had planned, my time was slower then I had hoped BUT I finished it and I was in the love with the feeling that came with completing a race! My time was 38:50, since then I ran 3 more 5ks and one 10k. My race today went amazingly.. I ran almost all of the race and crossed the line in 32:32!!!! I had knocked over 6 min off my time. 

I am so in love with running and can't wait to see what 2015 has in store for me!

As you may already know I am running in the Glass Slipper Challenge at the Princess Half Marathon weekend at Disney World in February.. I am running for an amazing charity and am still looking for donations. 

Please take a moment and make a donation

by clicking HERE

Xo's 

9 months

Elizabeth 

Weight: 14lbs 15oz 

Length: 25 2/4inches

Milestone: she has gone from army crawling to full on crawling and pulling herself up on EVERYTHING!!! She has also both of her top front teeth!

Sleep: Great. We had some tough nights while she was battling a nasty cold but we are back to 730-630 with only waking up once to get a bottle, which she doesn't even finish she just uses it to soother herself and she's back asleep in minutes 

Eating: Almost everything! She hates mangoes! We introduced "puffs" to her last week and she was a little confused but likes them! This weekend she will be trying pancakes and waffles for the first time!

Diapers: 2's, this won't be changing for a very long time!

Clothing: 6 months.. With a few 9 month pieces (vests) and onesies (because her 6 month ones were looking pretty ragged)

Mood: She has had a cold for the past week so she has been a little moody but other then that she's a normal happy baby!

Loves:

• Pulling her sisters hair 
• Opening drawers
• Clapping 
• Her daddy

Hates:

• Sitting still 
• Getting dressed because it means she has to sit still
• Nap time 

Cake batter cookies

How many of you have a box of cake batter sitting around your house but don't want to make cupcakes or a cake right now??

Well... Make these!

Simple cake batter chocolate chip cookies!

1 box of cake mix

2 eggs

1/3 cup of oil

Bake at 400 for 10-12 min!

Super easy, kid friendly and endless possibilities- strawberry, lemon, vanilla, you can add peanut butter .. Make whatever you like!

This time I used Golden Butter (Pillsbury), next time I plan to use devils food and added chocolate chunks!!

Happy Monday!

11.11

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
      Between the crosses, row on row,
   That mark our place; and in the sky
   The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
   Loved and were loved, and now we lie
         In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
   The torch; be yours to hold it high.
   If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
         In Flanders fields.

-Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae.

DIY Photo Coasters

If you follow me on Instagram (kimmurray36) or are my friend on Facebook chances are you saw this photo of the DIY Photo Coasters I made on Sunday night. 

I've had some people ask how I made them so I thought I would so a quick tutorial!

1. Modge Podge- matte

2. Scotch - self stick felt pads

3. Modge Podge- dimensional magic 

4. Glossy White 4 1/2in x 4 1/2in tile (can be any color you want)

Step One

Cut the photo to the size you want.

Step Two

Cover the back of the photo in a thin layer of Modge Podge. You can use a brush or sponge. I used a sponge because I didn't want pieces of the brush to come off. 

Step Three

Put your photo on the tile where you want it. Using the same brush or sponge cover the tile and photo in Modge Podge in an even layer.

Step Four

Once the Modge Podge has dried apply a thin even layer of the dimensional magic on top. This a very shiny product that I think finishes the coaster off nicely, because of the shine you should make sure you have nice even brush strokes. Let dry for 3+ hours.

Apply the felt pads to each corner on the back and voila! It's finished and you have a perfect personal gift! 

(Finished product is from the first set I made- the one used in this post is still drying :))

Good luck!

If you have a chance to create these beautiful coasters tag me in a pic! I would love to see!

8 months

Weight: 13.7oz (she has lost a little since she started crawling!)

Length: 24 1/4in (updated 9/11/14)

Milestone: we now have a mover! Beth gets around fast now and it will only get faster. She doesn't quite crawl .. It's an army crawl with one knee! She now has 4 teeth and 4 more are coming in! Clapping!! Beth has started to clap when you ask her to, AND she will growl back at you! She sat in a grocery cart for te first time! She was always kept in her car seat ... That's done with unless she's sleeping!!

Sleep: We are in a messy spot with the sleep again thanks to the time change! Night time is a mess because of teeth, she is waking up around 2 or 3 and goes back to sleep after we go back in and turn her sound machine on. Naps are great she will take small 20min cat naps in the car and 1 really good 2-3hr nap!!

Eating: Everything! She even had penne vodka and some of her sisters french fries the other day thanks to Aunt Lala (Beth's godmother Lindsay who has been our saving grace with Beth's feeding issues). We introduced yogurt this weekend and she loves it, just like her big sister. 

Diapers: 2's, this won't be changing for a very long time!

Clothing: 6 months.. 9 months is way to big on her!

Mood: She is a happy baby.. Even with 4 teeth coming in she always smiles!

Loves:

• Food
• Crawling
• Clapping 
• Going for walks when the weather is nice!

Hates:

• Teeth!!!!
• Being hungry!
• When she can't reach something

The Doc is in...

Last Halloween I was pregnant with Elizabeth and was already thinking about the fun sibling Halloween costumes that would soon be in our future. I thought about Alice in wonderland and the rabbit, or Queen of Hearts and the Mad Hatter, a chef and a lobster, firefighter and a Dalmatian ... The ideas were endless! I started to get nervous in August that Madison would NOT want any part of it! She was going to fight whatever costume I picked and my sibling costumes would be gone.

To my surprise when I asked her what she wanted be she said Doc McStuffins and Beth should be Lambie! For those of you that don't know who Doc and Lambie are they are a new disney show that came out about 2 years ago, it's about a little girl who's mom is a pediatrician and had given Doc all of her old tools, so Doc uses these tools to fix stuffed animals and toys! They come to life with the help of docs magic stethoscope! There is always a coordinating "people problem" to go with the toys problem!  Lambie is Doc's favorite stuffed animal and sidekick.

My plan for sibling costumes was a success and it was all thanks to Madison's suggestion of Doc and Lambie :). Finding a doc costume was easy, finding Lambie however was not. I was not going to pay $50 for a lamb costume that I didn't even know if Beth would wear, and I was not having one made for her(for the same reason), we actually got super lucky and found a white and pink lamb costume in her size for $10 at Party City!!! All I needed to do was remove the bow from the neck and add a pink tutu which cost us $5.99 at Target!   Here was the final product:

Everyone thought it was the cutest! I am biased BUT I think it was the cutest costume of the year ;)

This Halloween was also Beth's first!!

Xo's

Pumpkins, pumpkins everywhere

I love all things pumpkin, pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin latte.. I could eat pumpkin flavored items all year. I am so happy that my love of pumpkin has been passed down to Madison! She was asking me all week to make her favorite fall treat- Pumpkin Cupcakes!

They are a super easy and kid friendly snack that everyone will love! 

Ingredients

1 box yellow cake mix

1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

That's it! Mix them together bake at 350 for around 8-10min - pay attention because everyone's oven is different.

This recipe only makes about 12 cupcakes.. If you would like more cupcakes and less of a pumpkin taste then follow this recipe ...

1 box yellow cake mix

1 can of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

1/2 cup of water 

1/3 cup vegetable oil 

4 eggs

Combine and back at 350 for 8-10min (or as needed depending on your oven)

Now comes the good part- icing!! We make our own cream cheese frosting! 

Ingredients

4 ounces unsalted butter, softened 

4 ounces of cream cheese, softened 

2 cups powdered sugar 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl beat butter and cream cheese together (if you have an electric  mixer - USE IT!). Slowly add the powdered sugar until it's smooth and creamy. Whip in the vanilla extract and voila!

I know I'll be making this again soon for Madison to take to school to share with her friends!

Xo's

Fitness Friday -- on a Saturday

Oops! I wrote this Thursday night in preparation for Friday and I forgot to post it .. I just noticed I can actually set a post time for it and it will post for me! This blogging thing just got a bit easier!

Anyways.. I am so excited to share with everyone that I am now a Sweat Pink Ambassador!  

Never heard of it? No problem...  I will fill you in! I will write up a post this weekend about why I wanted to become an ambassador and what it means to me! In the mean time ...

Check them out over at www.fitapproach.com

Anyways.. The reason for this post! I was chosen to do a review of a fitness video website called Gigabody (www.gigabody.com)! I will be giving 1 lucky follower a free month membership to Gigabody! Stay tuned over the next few weeks for my thoughts and progress using the site and for details on how to win! 

Happy Halloween :)

Or now... Happy day after Halloween and good luck with all the candy!

10k - check

Fitness Friday is back!

Last weekend I ran my first ever 10k, I have run 3 5ks this summer, which was less then I hoped for but things happen.  I needed a 10k to have a time to submit for my half marathon in February! 

The weekend itself was extremely busy so I wasn't fully rested for the race. I woke up at 415 Sunday morning and jumped on the train to the city. The race was on Roosevelt Island to I got to cross something off my NYC bucket list - ride the tram!!

Once over on the island I headed to Starbucks for a pre race pick me up! It was freezing cold and windy so I stayed in Starbucks for as long as I could!

Once it got a little closer to race time I started getting good luck messages and I started to get butterflies in my stomach. I sort of had a time goal of 1:09:13 which would be an 11:15 per mile pace. My other goal was to finish. 

I am proud to say I finished :) 

 

Here is my official time and results 

It was slower then I originally wanted but it was the first time I ran in the colder weather, it was the first time I've run more then 4.5miles and well I didn't properly train. Training has started for my races at Disney in February .. I hope to run my 10k with a time of 62min! 

I've had so many things that have attributed to my setbacks in the past 2 months.. Getting back on a work schedule has been one.. I sub at a preschool so my weeks are unpredictable, even if my plan is to take Madison to school and head to the gym it doesn't always go that way! Chris has been working a different schedule as well so my 5am gym workouts are out of the picture since he leaves at 530am! I have no motivation to work out at home at that time. Evening workouts are tough because that's time I get with the girls and Chris or to finish any household chores I need to finish.  

Lastly I have some medical issues that workout against me.. Litterally. My body attacks itself. I have Hashimotos Thyroiditis. Short story- my body produces thyroid antibodies that attack my thyroid. It is all easily controlled by taking medicine daily.. BUT I have not taken my medication since May... At my doctors recommendation.  My levels were in a good place then and we wanted to see if it was a fluke or if I am part of the small percentage of people that just get over it! 

Well I'm not one of those people. Your body actually stores thyroid hormone and that's what happened back in May and slowly my levels have been getting messed up again. I have been gaining weight (totally against what I'm doing), exhausted at all times, hair loss, mood swings, and intolerance to cold. 

As of this morning I am back on my medication and am hopeful my levels will be better in a few weeks when I go back for more testing! 

Hopefully in the coming weeks I will be back to my motivated self ;)

Here a few photos from my race .. If you need some motivation think about this - 1 year ago I was pregnant with my 2nd child, had never run more then the miles required by whatever team I was on and now I am finishing 10ks!  

Doesn't matter what your skill level, fitness level or weight.. You can do it!!!

Catch up post #1

Time to do what all bloggers love best - catch up.  

The lack of posts is due to the fact I have no extra time.. You would think how long does it take to write a few words about what we've been words and post a few pics BUT it really does take a good 45min- 1hr to finish this post. 

Anyways .. To the point. First catch up post is about MADISON'S 3rd BIRTHDAY!!!

 I can't believe our little munchkin is already 3. I remember feeling like my pregnancy would never end, then feeling like labor would never end and now I wish time would slow down. This little girl has an attitude which we could do without but she also has a sweet side that makes us weak in the knees. Madison is a great big sister, she brings Beth her bottles and toys and is currently trying to teach her to crawl. 

Figured we do a "Beth style update".

Weight: 27lbs (10percentile)

Length: 36 3/4inch (25 percentile)

Milestone: Spells her name!!! We are working on writing her name but she can recognize her name sometimes, she can spell it and she will point out any m she sees and says "M for Madison!"

Sleep: Madison goes to bed between 7 and 830 depending on how her day went. Yesterday she didn't want to nap, reason - "I'm 3, I don't need to nap"

Eating: This girl can eat! Finding sometime she likes is tough! Her diet consists of waffles, crackers, gummies, yogurt, broccoli, chicken nuggets, fries, ice cream, cake, grilled cheese and cheese burgers!

Diapers: Only pull-ups at bed time! She has been completely potty trained since April!

Clothing: 3t!

Mood: She is a full on "threenager" .. 3year olds body but a teenagers attitude. Her mood changes every hour.

Loves:

• Ballet
• School  
• Frozen
• Coloring with chalk! 
• Her sister

Hates:

• Being told what to do
• Pizza
• Bed time!

Well catch up post #1 is complete! Check back tmrw for a Fitness Friday post! Can't wait to share my experiences running my first 10k last weekend!

7 months.

Elizabeth 

 

I can't believe it's already time for the 7th month post!! Beth is closer to 1 then a new born!!! 

Weight: 13lbs 2oz

Length: 24 1/4in (updated 9/11/14)

Milestone: this girl is ready to go! She is getting to frustrated with not being able to crawl.. Only a matter of time! She currently rolls every where and gets everything. I can't even keep track of how long she sits for!  She said DADA and MAMA!!!  More so dada but that's ok.. For now ;) She has started reaching for people when she wants to be picked up or go to them!   She is also finally big enough to sit at Mima and pops table!!

Sleep: Beth loves her sleep! She is doing 10-11hrs straight at night! Napping is still a foreign concept to her. She will only nap when she's with Mima (which is great for her!!) 

Eating: Great!! As you can see in the above photo she is eating everything (spinach and peas). She loves apples, pumpkin, squash, sweet potato, pineapple, avocado and more!!!

Diapers: 2's, this won't be changing for a very long time!

Clothing: Finally 6 months!!!

Mood: She is a happy baby.. Even with 4 teeth coming in she always smiles!

Loves:

• Food
• Rolling around 
• Sitting infront of a mirror!
• Bath time with her sister 

Hates:

• Her car seat
• Waking up on her stomach. 
• Getting stuck when she rolls herself into something 

Madison

Check back next week for Madison's 3 year .. Yes 3 YEAR Update!!

Xo's 

26 things for 26 years

Over the years my feelings towards birthdays have changed ... As a child it was all about the party and presents and then it became about the party and now it's all about time with my family. I used to count down to my birthday starting September 1st .. Doesn't happen anymore. I used to think I should have a "birthday week" .. Not anymore. 

My 25th year was a fun, trying and wild ride. We found out we were expecting our second little one a few months before my birthday, we decided to sell our townhouse and move 25min north, we lived with my brother in law for 2 months during the move. We moved into a our new house when I was 32 weeks pregnant, we welcomed our second little lady into the world. So many amazing things happened... We are so lucky to have each other and our health.

I decided to set 26 goals for my 26th year! 

1. Drink at least 5 glasses of water per day (I am horrible about drinking water)
2. Paint our kitchen. 
3. Run 2 half marathons.
4. Drink only one cup of coffee per day.
5. Do the 9+1 to qualify for the 2016 NYC marathon!
6. Finish my personal training certification.
7. Plan and go on a kid-free vacation for Chris and I to celebrate our 5th anniversary. 
8. Keep kitchen counter clutter-free! 
9. Cook dinner at least 4 times a week. 
10. Buy a new fridge & Redo kitchen floor.
11. Become active in church. 
12. Prioritize monthly date night with Chris. 
13. Pay off our SUV loan and buy a new car! 
14. Teach Beth to crawl and walk!
15. Teach Madison how to skate!
16. Read 1 book a month .. I am open to suggestions.
17. Lift heavy at twice once a week.
18. Stick to a budget. 
19. Make sure all my mascara is off before going to bed .. Black marks on pillows aren't pretty. 
20. Eat clean 80% of the time. 
21. Travel to a new place.
22. Continue working out and getting into the best shape of my life.
23. Spend more time working on letters and numbers with Madison. 
24. Have a weekly movie night with Madison with our phones on do not disturb... Even if Chris is working.
25. Put in a play structure in for the girls. 
26. Make our bed every day, and teach Madison how to make hers. 

These goals are all over the over place, sorry for that! 

Check back in 6 months to see the progress!

Back to enjoying my tea before the girls wake up and we start our day. 

Xo's