Monday Motivators!

Short and sweet today. The weekend consisted 90% of work (8-5 on Saturday!) but I still managed to log 7.5 miles yesterday and soak up some fresh air and sun.

I also got to see my whole family on Face Time, so that alone will carry me through the week (I really miss them).

The following motivators are charging me up this last full week of March:

Got my yoga block in the mail, so now that 

I've nailed "half moon" (on one side), 

I'm working on perfecting this...

...and maybe this, too.

 I'm a huge National Geographic fan and was emailed their "Photo of the Month", which is on my desktop for a bit. He (she?) looks so calm. 

My dad says he looks like Jackson. 

This picture can be found on Nat. Geo's online gallery, but it's also in the most recent issue by mail. There's a whole feature on outdoor gardens. 

This is a cherry blossom garden in Japan. They're simply stunning. 

A friend is letting me borrow this book.  I'm going to skip the one I was about to start and squeeze this one in...I'll have to make the time; I heard this was an  incredible book. The story is narrated by a dog! 

How have I not read this yet?!

Will be finding some recipes that my new spices can enhance. 

Just got our order from The Spice House in Chicago.

 Hopefully I'll be posting some new dishes featuring these flavors very soon!

A four day work week didn't hurt anyone either! 

Thank you, long Easter weekend!  

Sending extra hugs and kisses to Granny & Grandpa!! 

I love you so much!!! Talk to you soon. xoxo.

Make it a fabulous week, everyone. 

Friday Five!

{it’s officially March Madness! Go Green!!}

It’s amazing how receiving a heart felt text or a song appearing on your playlist at the exact moment you need it the most can make you feel lighter, happier, and stronger all at once. I dedicate this past week to those precious moments.

This weekend I’m heading to Kalamazoo for a birthday celebration (Bar Scavenger Hunt/Crawl?) and a bridal shower. Both best friends of mine. Both in my wedding. I’m in both of their weddings. All coming this Fall. Can’t wait!

P.S. According to the calendar, it’s officially Spring?! Lies!! A blizzard (or three?) accompanied by temperatures in the teens does NOT equal Spring in my book. Color me pissed.

Friday Forte: HearMe Out – Frou Frou (rediscovered – been listening to on repeat this week)

Here are 5 things that made me happy this week:

{purple yoga pants to welcome the Spring season (and actual Spring weather soon?)}

{sometimes all a girl needs is a mini shopping spree and a cocktail – random Tuesday Happy Hour, that totally turned my week around... oh yeah and this little toy Max picked up to electrocute me}

{new lock screen image for the phone – makes me smile literally every time I look it}

{baby shower + St. Patty’s Day love that kept me going all week}

xoxox

Circuit Training – Session 3

Woof… this one takes the cake (so far). Hardest one to date (for me cause I hate cardio… working on it).Threshold Multi-Sport made me sweat yet again (luckily I had no meetings in the afternoon).

Do each exercise for one minute, then move on to the next. Then repeat... 3-4 times... 

As always, brought to you by: 

Threshold Multi-Sport (LIKE on Facebook)

Ready… GO!

1. Jabs w. 5lb weights (50)

2. Tuck Knee Jumps (15)

3. Uppercuts w. 5lb weights (50)

4. Mason Twist (20)

5. Burpees (10)

6. Mini Suicides (10 feet-ish; not 50 yards)

7. SPRINT!

OneRedBag

{OneRedBag by Mark Tomczak}

WARNING: This post is for LADIES only…

Alright ladies…. Imagine this. It’s nearly that "time of the month". You are out of “supplies”. CRAP! We all know it’s a little, or very, annoying to make a special trip to the store (even if it’s a part of your normal grocery shopping, it’s annoying) to pick up those pesky little life-ruiners.

Enter OneRedBag. One of my best friends (and bridesmaids!), Andrea, started this online company to take care of the exact problem described above (you've seen this video, right?). By ordering from OneRedBag you have the option of selecting a package that fits your individual needs. The package is $10.00 flat per month (no shipping cost!) and can be shipped at the beginning or the middle of each month to meet your specific “time crunch”.

BONUS: The first order comes in an adorable red polka dot bag (she’s great with irony), and all following orders come with something special to that month (hello! I get chocolate every month!)

So anyway, stop messing around. Go get yours at OneRedBag today!

Like on Facebook and follow on Twitter. 

{first order package}

{Valentines package}

{St. Patrick's Day package}

Monday Motivators!

Other than St. Patrick's Day parades and festivities, I can't say this weekend was too eventful.  My husband and I simply enjoyed our dogs, the beautiful weather and each other.

I did knock out 10 miles of running in and 30 minutes of yoga, which is pretty impressive considering the amount of celebrating we did these past 2 days.

Feeling fit & refreshed, the following motivators are charging me up this Monday morning.

Starting an organization overhaul of our apartment by ridding 

myself of books I have no use for. 

I'll donate them to the local library so they don't take up extra space. 

The same will be done with kitchen items, clothes and dog toys.

Listening to this  new song on repeat. 

Field trip to City Park on Tuesday with all of the kids in my PK-2 division! 

Taking a personal day this Wednesday. 

I'll start the day with a long early morning run. 

Next, I'll get a coffee & a snack and read my book at a 

cafe I've been wanting to visit (shown above). 

The day will finish with a highlight & eyebrow wax by my favorite stylist

(and maybe a pedicure if I'm feeling really indulgent). 

This week as I practice yoga, I'll be working  hard to accomplish 

my goal of conquering half moon. 

[I just ordered a block to help me with this process.]

When I actually do it myself, I'll have my husband take a picture of me. 

After this week is complete, we'll only have 8 more weeks with students. 

What a year it's been! 

Everyone, make it a productive first week of spring! 

Friday Five!

{max birthday celebration!} 

This weekend, I look forward to relaxing and can't wait to celebrate beautiful Kinsley's pending arrival to the world next month.

Max is heading up north so I will have the place to myself for the first time in months. I will miss him, but I look forward to doing anything I want. Maybe I'll partake in some Body Combat, or watch the entire series of True Blood (I have some serious catching up to do). Maybe I'll clean and organize while sipping mimosa's. The sky's the limit!

I do wish I could celebrate St. Patrick's Day like the good old days, either living it up in Chicago or getting crazy in East Lansing, but that's just not in the cards for me this year. Be safe people, and enjoy green beer or an Irish car bomb. Who knows, maybe I'll join you from the comfort of my own couch and sweaties.

Friday Forte: Of Space and Time - City and Colour
(no words to describe how much I love his music)

Here are five things that made me happy this week:

{new coffee table book - seriously can't wait to decorate our own home}

{sweater that took 6 weeks to get to me!}

{easter candy}

{i love him}

We Love Lists – Favorite Movie Edition

I love lists. Always have. Everything from to-do lists, to shopping lists, to things I want for my future (whether something as deep as goals, or something as trivial as basics that need to be added to my closet). I also love silly lists like, what are your favorite songs, cities, movies, you name it. 

I love lists so much that I decided to implement a “We Love Lists” label to the blog. A space where we can store these types of posts when the mood strikes (I do not think Court will have a problem with this…).

To follow up on my sister’s post here, I decided to put together a list of my favorite movies. I could watch these movies over and over (and over… and over). I always wonder how many people share these in their top ten (these are in no particular order):

1.     Cruel Intentions

2.     Forces of Nature

3.     For Love of the Game

4.     The Proposal

5.     21

6.     Donnie Darko

7.     The Social Network

8.     Time Travelers Wife

9.     The Hangover

10.   The Notebook

Also LOVE:

The Bodyguard

Juno

Sex and the City (first movie, NOT the second)

image above via

My Kinda Seasonal – Spring Music Edition

I know I probably say this for every seasonal music edition I post, but these songs might represent my favorite memories. Ever. There is so much promise with the beginning of Spring. You have a little more pep in your step, a little more daylight and an overall better attitude about life (increasing temperatures and sunshine tends to do this…). As I mentioned in an earlier post, March is the best for so many reasons. I must say that more than one of these songs reminds me of the phase of Max and my relationship before we were “FBO”. March and April of my senior year at Michigan State were the best two months of my life (followed by the most stressful 2 months of my life, or maybe that's now... we won't go there). The list below represents all songs that remind me of this feeling and every time I hear them (especially in the Spring) nostalgia kicks in and immediately brightens my mood. 

1)       The Sun and the Moon – Mae

2)       Videotape – Radiohead

3)       Reckoner – Radiohead

4)       Comin’ Home – City and Colour

5)       Save Your Scissors – City and Colour

6)       Passion Play – William Fitzsimmons

7)       23 – Jimmy Eat World

8)       Some Will Seek Forgiveness, Others Escape –  Underoath

9)       Shipping Up to Boston – Dropkick Murphys

10)   Out Loud (Live) – Dispatch

image via

Monday Motivators!

I may have lost an hour this weekend with daylight savings, but I gained a burst of positive energy. 

This weather is amAzing!

The air is warm, the sun is shining and everything just smells NEW...

The dirt, the flowers, the trees...all of it. Ahhhh....I just love this aspect of living in the tropics. 

This weather also makes it harder and harder to remain focused on work and the things that should take priority. 

                           

We educators are coming upon an extremely busy time of year. If you're in administration like my husband and I are, there are the added pressures of enrollment, staffing, and procedures for the upcoming school year.  We also both work on leadership teams of turnaround charter schools, which brings the added stress of overcoming the schools' past challenges. 

It is, without a doubt, rewarding work, but it's also a heavy load to bear.

Anywho...at the onset of this weekend, I started to get overwhelmed by it all... so I opened up our French doors to let in spring air, carrying the scents of moist soil & new magnolia blossoms, and decided to take it all in stride. 

The things I did this weekend reset my attitude in a way that I will carry with me in the coming week. As Meggie stated in a post earlier this week, it's all about perspective...and who has time to focus on the negative angle??

The following motivators are charging me up this Monday morning: 

I'm greedily enjoying 3 books right now (one of them is audio...come on, I don't have that much time). Reading--only 2nd to running--is the best way for me to relax and redirect stress.

                                           
By next weekend, I am hoping to start  this one. I've been waiting to read it for awhile now. I heard the author interviewed on Fresh Air on NPR back when I lived in Chicago.

                                

All weekend I thought about the 3 cumbersome reports I had to complete for my own PreK-2nd grade team; I brainstormed about the middle school team changes I'm trying to assit with in order to improve some of their systems.  I checked my calendar and was reminded that I have an after school event each night this week (some requiring more preparation)!

Needless to say, I had hours of work that needed completing. 

So yesterday I woke up early, 

I double-checked my to do list...

...and then got in my car and signed up for (and ran) a 5K. 

Why not?

There's nothing like avoidance &  procrastination when you're swamped with responsibilities! 

Newly discovered pictures of Meggie & I from when we were little.  

                
                                             I keep this one in my wallet. 

Oh, the point...always pointing her toes...our little gymnast. 

This Saturday marks the annual St. Patrick's Day parade right along our street! Each year, a parade featuring floats much like those seen at Mardi Gras roll down Magazine Street.  This is because we live in the neighborhood known as the Irish Channel. Festivities will start in our front yard. 

Last year's parade, just steps from our front door.

The crowded streets, post-parade. 

Our buddy is also coming in from Texas to celebrate March 17th.  

Seeing him is always a treat. 

Have an amazing week, everyone!