Simple At-Home Cardio Routine #1

Over the last week, our area has been hit with some of the densest and eerily permeating fog I have ever seen. While I'm loving pretending we live in a haunted seaside town, my cardio intentions have fallen by the wayside as a result. Time for some simple, at-home cardio circuits that are modified to be effective and doable with toddlers in the vicinity. 

:::Drumroll:::

Cardio Routine #1

This routine can be broken into three 15-minute circuits. On an individual level, you can mix-and-match which circuits you want to use for a customizable workout. 

Circuit #1 - Easy Level

Jog in Place - 300 seconds

High Knees - 150 seconds

Jog in Place - 300 seconds

Punches - 150 seconds

Circuit #2 - Medium Level

Jog in Place - 300 seconds

Jumping Jacks - 150 seconds

Jog in Place - 300 seconds

Jump Rope - 150 seconds

Circuit #1 - Hard Level

Jog in Place - 300 seconds

Mountain Climbers - 150 seconds

Jog in Place - 300 seconds

Burpees - 150 seconds

Yesterday I completed Circuit #1 and Circuit #2 with my girls and this morning my calves are happily aching away as I go about my morning routine. As female at 130 pounds, just the two circuits burned 200 calories!

As a note of point, you don't have to use an actual jump rope in Circuit #2, you can go through the motions and still be just as effective!

Give it a go and let me know what you think!

Workout Challenge - October Calendar

As promised, I present to you my October Workout Challenge as part of the 90 Day Fitness Challenge I am partaking in with friends. You can get a downloadable copy here for printing and participating. 

While I can't guarantee that you will look like a top model with this workout plan, I can tell you from personal experience (short and sweet in it's sporadicness) that these exercises will help with improving toning to the targeted areas when used in conjunction with a healthy diet. The interspersed cardio burns stored fat and the target days help increase muscle mass thereby increasing caloric burn. 

I am choosing to step it up in my life and improve my figure as I improve my overall health! Little steps each day make a lasting difference in the quality of life you will lead. 

Gingersnaps and Snickerdoodles

Voila! 

 New "acceptable" blog name,

"Gingersnaps and Snickerdoodles: Missives of a Redheaded Momma."

 Doesn't have quite the flair of remembrance as "Hooker Shoes and Sticky Fingers," but I shall take it and make it mine just the same. Granted, Miss A is adamantly trying to take over as I try to type this so we will have to see who wins. She seems to be going through the must-be-touching-mommy-at-all-times phase of turning one. Hello Separation Anxiety!

Blog Name Change In the Works

With all the time I spent coming up with a fun and catchy blog name, I'm sad to announce that I will be changing the name shortly. Hooker Shoes and Sticky Fingers is a quirky mention to being a wife and a mom, sadly, it is being looked upon in a negative fashion from some of those who have viewed my blog. 

Oh, and all those creepy people checking this blog out from search engines. You wouldn't believe some of the key words that have sent traffic this way! 

Don't despair (I kid), I am fervently traipsing through my wit in search of another awesomely fantastic title. Loves and hugs 

*muah*

Book Review: I'm a Dog, You're a Cat

First, I want to say thank you to MPressive Results Inc and NetGallery for giving me the opportunity to review the ebook version of "I'm a Dog, You're a Cat: Love Lessons from Our Furry Friends."

Second, while I've provided small reviews on Goodreads, this is my first book review on my blog so be a mite but understanding. I promise to improve as I continue to provide reviews here!

That being said, what a fun read this book was! Cattitude vs Dogsense really hit home relating to personal interactions in my life.

I am a cat, hands down. While I may have some excitable moments and enjoy interaction with others, it needs to be on my terms. Hubby is a such a dog. He wants attention and love all the time, which, truth be told, I had found annoying before reading this book. Sitting in my bathtub last night reading about dogese (language and communication style of dog-people), I realized that all it takes is a little extra effort on my part to satisfy what he needs from me. Compliments, compliments, compliments!

At only 52 pages (including pictures!), I'm a Dog, You're a Cat, was a cute and quick read. Pretty sure I'm going to have Hubby read it so that he can understand my catness better. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who wants a fun, simple approach on human interactions. The lessons learned can be applied to more than just your spouse or partner, they can be applied to children, neighbors, friends, and coworkers.

You can find my further review on Goodreads. Over and out from this cool cat!

Funny of the Day

I've been procrastinating creating a new post because I want it to be perfect. If I can't make it perfect then I should wait until I have time to do so. As you can see, that method is not very effective so I'm trying a new approach. If I think about posting it then I have to do so. Even if it's not all unicorns and rainbows!

With that being said, a quick funny for today is in order. Preceded by a small backstory of course. 

Dear Hubby called me on his lunch break while Baby A and I were grocery shopping. (Although now Baby A is Miss A! She crossed that 12 month threshold almost a month ago... eep!) Miss A's favorite thing to do is scream, "HI!" into the phone. Repeatedly. Used to be cute, not so much now a month later. 

Not long after, he posts this following picture to my Facebook page. Ignore the incorrect spelling, he was sharing the post off another page. 

Feeling very self satisfied, I posted the following in response:

I love flirting with my husband. I also have a feeling that I will be abusing this ecard thing now that I've created an account. 

More fun to come!

Staring Ugly in the Face

Originally, today's post was going to be about the awesomeness of Miss K, our eldest daughter, losing her first tooth. With both kids tucked into bed and Hubby tucked safely away into the garage, I had just sat down to begin writing.

In the blink of an eye, today's topic changed from the wonderful happenings of children growing up and lamenting of the time already passed to musing about how being a parent forces one to either endure and become better or to break and give up.

Thrice tonight my darling girl has woken up restless teething Baby A while she was supposed to be going to sleep so the tooth fairy could come. First by jumping around in her loft bed, under which Baby A's crib resides. Second, by bawling about losing her tooth out of her tooth fairy pillow. (And Hubby wonders why I queried him on making sure she knew not to play with the pillow. Silly Hubby). And most recently, by peeing on the floor.

Yep, you read that right: Peeing on the floor! Climbing down from her loft bed over an hour past going to bed and she manages to soak the ladder, floor, toys and clothing underneath. She's yelling for me down the hall, Baby A is screaming and all I can do is resign myself to the situation.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore my kids. At least up until the age of 4 1/2 when all hell breaks loose and the emotional catastrophe strikes. Constantly. I'm waiting for 6. Six years old has to be better, right?

After throwing everything into the hamper (toys included), changing Miss K, and wiping down what I could, all while holding and soothing Baby A, I came to a startling and wonderful revelation  I'm not mad. Not in the least. Where a month ago I would be snarking at Miss K over the whole situation, I find myself chuckling thinking about how the greatest adventure in life is to be a parent.

There is no great adrenaline rush packed, exciting, heartbreaking and physical endurance testing thing in life. No other way you could learn so much about yourself as a person, inside and out, good and bad, than to try and raise a child. They make you stare the ugly right in the face and never back down.

The Perfect Fluffy Pancake

At 25 years of age, I have finally discovered the secret to the perfectly delectable fluffy pancake like at Ihop. Goodbye pancake mixes and Bisquick, hello flour and vinegar!

I know, vinegar?! In a pancake! I was skeptical at first but I figured giving it one good go wouldn't hurt anything. If they were awful, well, the cats would still eat them. (And yes, I meant the cats. Our dog seems to have decided he doesn't like people food anymore... why do we own a dog?)

Anyways, back to the pancakes. This is another wonderful Pinterest find, although I've doubled the original recipe. C'mon, who can eat just two pancakes?

Ingredients: 

2 1/2 cups Flour

2 tsp Baking Soda

2 tsp Baking Powder

pinch of salt

2 Eggs, beaten

2 1/2 cups Buttermilk

4 Tbsp Butter, melted

1/2 cup Sugar

Now if you're like me, buttermilk is not something you keep on hand. Any time I buy buttermilk I'm trying to figure out how to use the remainder before it goes bad. White vinegar, however, is something I always have on hand. And often in bulk...

Did you know you can substitute milk and vinegar in place of buttermilk? Mind blown, right? Take a one-cup measuring cup, add one tablespoon white vinegar and then fill to the top with milk. Stir and let sit for five minutes. Voila! Buttermilk!

So back to the recipe:

Stir flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Combine beaten eggs with buttermilk, then add to dry mixture. Melt butter and sugar, add to mixture. Stir all ingredients until smooth (flour clumps begone!) Spread mixture on griddle and cook for between 3 and 5 minutes per side. 

I always cook our pancakes on a griddle. They turn out amazing and perfectly evenly cooked every time. These pancakes were a total hit with the kids and husband. JUST like Ihop, fluffy and delicious!

Splitting Chocolate

Like every parent, I often wonder if I'm doing enough to create an environment where my children can thrive and become worthwhile people. Am I setting the bar to high? Do I expect too much from the little people in my house? Am I letting them get away with things that will turn them into lazy, manipulative brats as they grow? Are they going to turn out as damaged as me? I think it's natural of a parent to question his or her parenting, natural to wonder what the long-lasting effects of his or her behavior and fireballs are.

No parent is perfect. 

After another bout of self-incrimination on Valentine's Day for getting frustrated with Miss K, I received the best gift a mother could have: proof that Miss K is a loving, giving person capable of putting others ahead of herself.

Miss K brought home Valentine's from school, half of which contained candy, although only one contained nuggety goodness of chocolate. She knows I'm a major chocolate fiend and she wanted to eat it herself. A couple cutesy fun pouting contests with her and Miss K let me know she would thing about it and get back to me.

Final decision? She would share it with me! I broke it as close to in half as I could, but it was definitely more 1/3 vs 2/3. Without even a moment's hesitation, Miss K reached for the smallest piece and then kissed me on the cheek. 

Heart melted. 

I'm doing something right with this girl. Even with all my mistakes and human weakness, I'm doing just enough right that Miss K might not turn out like me.

Spend Time...Together??

Recently, I decided to try my hand at playing match maker. For future reference, I am never trying that again! The two definitely hit it off and are well on their way to possible being in a "serious" relationship, which is wonderful news because they are super cute together.

The downside was listening to my friend bemoan the amount of time this new guy was able to spend with her. Let's recap the week:

Saturday: Flurry of texts ensues between me & both individuals, all while I'm trying to spend time with my husband, kids, and a birthday party. A triple date is set up for the upcoming Saturday to meet & greet in a non-awkward situation. Finally, they decide it is okay to give each other their numbers and my phone goes blissfully silent.

Sunday: They decide to meet each other at a local cafe/grill because Saturday was just too far away. Everything seemed to go okay, girl friend texts wanting to say he called it a "meeting" and does it count as a "date?" 

Monday: Girl has plans that night so boy visits her at work for FOUR hours.

Tuesday: They try to make plans to visit tonight but boy has previous engagement which he offers to move to Wednesday as girl has plans Wednesday. Boy switches plans and then girl can't do it because she made other plans for Tuesday. Girl then gets upset because he changes his plans back to Tuesday and makes other plans for Wednesday. 

Wednesday: Wine tasting for SIX hours(!) getting to know each other. They have the "we're just friends" talk and it gets emotional. (Does he like me? Why does he kiss me if we are just friends?) 

Thursday: Boy stops by girl's work for a couple hours then they go out to dinner. 

Friday: Boy wants to spend time with girl but needs to go home and shower after work. He doesn't want to drive all the way back out after because it will be rush hour. 

Now fast forward to Friday evening... girl brings up that usually guys spend more time with her when they are first dating. As in, she isn't feeling that he is pursuing her so he must not really like her. 

All I can do:

http://11thscreen.com/2011/03/how-you-say-what-you-say/

It is at this point that I feel it is necessary to point out to my wonderful friend that she has spent more time with the prospective boyfriend that she isn't even officially "dating" yet than I have with my husband! From my math, she has fifteen hours give or take an hour. 

Hubby and I? .........Well, I think we have about eight hours of time spent together without racing after two children. 

Sunday: Both kids are in bed and lights out by 8:15 pm. Hubby and I clean to find our floor, kitchen table, kitchen sink... We do manage to sneak in two episodes of The Big Bang Theory (Total: 40 minutes "together" not cleaning)

Monday: I leave as soon as hubby is home from work to go babysit. Since babysitting got done early, I accept an invite to go spend time with girl (above) for a birthday party...until 2:30 am. (Total: 0 minutes)

Tuesday: Hubby has school after work so does not arrive home until 8:15 pm, just after both kids go to bed. I have a kiddo coming over the next day so I'm busy cleaning until about 10:30 pm. Hubby went to bed about 9:30 pm. (Total: 10 minutes)

Wednesday: Hubby arrives home and I leave to run an errand for a project I'm trying to finish. Flurry of activity until kids are in bed at 8:00 pm. Hubby and I decide it's Veg Night and watch The Big Bang Theory until bedtime. (Total time: 2 hours)

Thursday: Hubby has school after work so does not arrive home until 8:00 pm, again, just after both kids go to bed. He then helps me to make our new area rugs (project post to come!) and we finally make it to bed at 11:00 pm. (Total: 3 hours if you count working on a refurbishment project as Time)

Friday: Hubby comes home with more seam tape so I can finish carpet project. Kids are in bed at 7:45 pm!  We proceed to watch Law & Order while we both work on motorcycles in the living room. (Time: 2.5 hours if you count mechanical work as Time)

So at the end of the week, Hubby and I have spent just over 8 hours together IF you count refurbishment projects and mechanical work as "time together." If not... well then we have roughly 3 hours.

Clarifying moment in our marriage: We need to spend more time together! We really need to stop and focus time with each other where we are not doing other things and only half-there. I remember when we were first starting to date that Hubby would come over every single night and we would just talk. For hours!

When you have kids, life gets hectic and things get out of control. To make a marriage survive, the two individuals must spend time growing together as a couple. If they don't grow together, then they will just grow apart.

Meal Plan: February 2013

Finally, back into the swing of things with monthly meal planning and prep.

*huge sigh of relief*

The holidays threw our family for a loop and it has been helter-skelter trying to get back into a routine. I have been absolutely lost without a meal plan to go off of. 

On a positive note, hubby now understands WHY I started doing meal planning in the first place! What a mess at 5:30 pm trying to figure out what to make with random ingredients in our house while acting out children have us bouncing off red line. 

Eesh! No more, no how, no thank you!

So, in all of it's grand splendor, I present to you our February 2013 (dinner) meal plan!

I (also) plan on getting some of these recipes loaded up in the next few weeks so that will make my wonderful plan more applicable to my readers. Things to come, things to come... (adding to I-really-need-to-do list)

Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Ice Cream (Dairy Free!)

Worst part of nursing a lactose-sensitive infant? Having to go dairy-free! No cheese, no milk, no ice cream! It has been six achingly long months since I have had a glorious bite of ice cream. No cake batter with brownies from Coldstone. No ice cream sandwhiches. 

Nothing.

It has been just awful!! And yes, I know they make special dairy-free ice cream. It just doesn't taste the same nor does it come in cake batter flavoring!

About a week ago I stumbled across (on Pinterest) this recipe for dairy-free banana ice cream. Sweet and simple so I gave it a go. Wouldn't you know it, the taste is unbeatable! As such, I just had to give my mini tutorial on how to make this easy, delicious, and healthy treat!

Ingredients:

1 Ripe Banana

1 Tbs Peanut Butter

1 Tsp Cocoa

1) Peel ripe banana and cut into slices.  (This really does work better with riper bananas. I have even taken to purchasing the half-price ripe bananas that are starting to brown.)

2) Freeze banana slices. (The tutorial said for an hour but I found that two hours was necessary in my freezer. I have also found that I can cut a whole bunch at a time and freeze them in separate bags.)

3) Frappe banana slices in blender (Oh yes, I said frappe. Seriously, blend the dickens out of those banana slices. They get thick and creamy.)

4) Add peanut butter and cocoa, to taste. Blend. (I use the above amounts but for my hubby or post workout for me, I would add more peanut butter).

5) Serve and enjoy! (Definitely my favorite part.)

This is such a sweet and delicious treat that I forget it's actually healthy to eat! The only sugar is from the bananas, which is all natural. Rock on! I think I'm gonna go make another batch now! 

Free Entrance Days 2013 National Parks

Our family loves hiking and exploring. Definitely high on our lists for fun, free family outings. Unfortunately, with less money going toward parks and outdoor areas, annual access passes have become mandatory to even visit some of our favorite locations.

The National Parks and Federal Recreation Lands Pass is one of three passes that our family needs. (More information about the available passes through the National Park Service's website). This year the NPS Annual Pass is $80.

Although our family has developed a system of one pass each year on a rotating schedule to get the most benefit with our budget, it is hard not being able to visit some of our favorite places.

Luckily, there are several days in 2013 where anyone can visit National Parks without having to invest some serious ducats into an annual park access pass.

• January 21 : Martin Luther King Jr Day

• April 22-26 : National Park Week

• August 25 : National Park Service Birthday

• September 28 : National Public Lands Days

• November 9-11 : Veterans Day Weekend

One of my personal favorites is the San Juan Island National Historic Park. Looks like we are taking a trip up to the island for my birthday during National Park Week! *hint hint cough cough*

Target's New Low Price Promise

I discovered this past year that Walmart will price match identical products with any local retailer's print ad. While this definitely opens up possibilities for great savings, it has a drawback of having to make a special trip to Walmart to capitalize. 

A regular month's shopping for me includes grocery shopping twice a month at a local store (most often Safeway but I am considering a switch to Albertson's), one Costco run, and one Target tour. Walmart is completely out of the way and not on my list of normal activities. Nor is it going to save much money spending the extra in time at the registers and gas to get there. =/ 

So great concept, just not attainable by me. 

Thanks to this article by GeekMom at Wired.com, I am especially excited to discover that Target has decided to go the way of price matching with major competitors! While not exactly the same as Walmart's policy (item must be in stock online and not on clearance), most particulars of Target's new Price Match Guarantee are the same. One notable exception being that Walmart has to be print ads and Target is willing to accept online prices from selected sources! Meaning you can price match with Amazon.com, just not the smaller third party sellers!

I plan on taking extreme advantage of this new policy the next time I head into Target! You can find the particulars for Target's new Low Price Policy here. 

Spa Time! Let's Get Naked!

Prior to this last weekend, I had never set foot in a spa. Sacrilegious, I know, I'm just not big into the spending money on pedicures, manicures and foot scrubs that I could give myself for free. I'd much rather spend said money on cute new shoes or add it to my savings for some new race plastics.

So when a friend asked me to join in her birthday celebration at Olympus Spa my husband bade me go and pamper myself. Said it was high time for me to experience "girly time" and to get out of the house, away from the children. I took about two minutes to feel guilty for abandoning him with the girls and proceeded to happily skip out the door and on my way.

Nothing screams "newbie" like when a person wanders around wide-eyed and nervous. I had no idea what to expect and was a little uncertain about all the women walking around naked in the locker room. I just figured it was the changing area etiquette, everyone would be in robes from there on out, right?

Oh, how I have never been more wrong! I followed my friend into the pool room and about died. There were naked women EVERYWHERE. I swear, there were at least seventy women in the pools and wandering around the large room bare-butt-naked. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with naked bodies. But goodness gracious, there should have been a disclaimer! 

"Beware! There will be naked bodies galore, women of all shapes, sizes, colors, ages, and adornments frequent these facilities. Do not expect robes!"

It took about fifteen minutes to be completely comfortable with the amount of skin I was seeing everywhere, but once I accepted that I was not the only one sneaking sly evaluatory glances around I became more at ease in my own skin. 

A person can really, truly begin to appreciate the human body when unexpectedly plunged into the midst of skin skin skin. While I went into my first spa day as a way to relax and enjoy the freedom from responsibility, I came away with something much more precious: a greater value in my physical being and self. So many different women, so many different lives. All brought together in the search of self-care and healing. 

I cannot wait until I can bring my own daughters to Olympus and share with them the experience of self-discovery and acceptance. While I do not fault my upbringing, I have had terrible physical insecurities my entire life. I want my children to grow up with the knowledge that they are blessed with their own bodies, with their own peculiarities; it is not something to be ashamed of or to hide. I believe the unabashed openness that I discovered could give any girl the faith in themselves and their physical being. 

Overall, what a wonderful experience! Olympus Spa has many different herbal relaxation rooms ranging from 60 degrees all the way to 150 degrees. I stayed out of the super hot rooms but the 115 degree rooms were plenty comfy to lay down and just relax. No responsibilities or demands. While I had originally planned on being home within two hours or so, I didn't drag myself out of the spa until four hours later... and only then because I needed to get ready for a pre-existing girls dinner out. 

So, a wonderful thanks to my amazing husband for kicking me out of the house, and to my best friend, for introducing me to something I desperately needed: my post-babies body is still wonderful and unique. Even if I do not look like I did five years ago, my body has provided my life with two wonderful joys and I should not expect it to look like that of my 18-year-old self. I am allowed to look like a WOMAN instead of a girl.

Back from Hiatus

Mini blurbity blurb blurb.

Pretty sure I might have gotten my head back on straight enough to get back to my doings. 

I've done some major-danger soul searching the last month and have figured out some priorities. Shifting schedules and focuses.I'm going streamlined, keeping to-do's under lock and key-smee, going to get some stuff accomplished and completed! 

What?? That doesn't sound plausible? I thought it sounded just dandy, thank you very much.

Naysayer! Boooo!

 *pout stomp pout pout* 

Okay, so not so much on the major soul-searching and enlightenment this holiday season. More so I did some precarious dealings with teething baby 800+ miles away from home alone with a cracked out 5 year old, hormonal readjustment twinges (damn pregnancies!), scratched my massive reader itch, and taken care of an entire house of vomiting people whilst sick myself. 

Oh ya, priorities discovered! And howdy-doody fast might I add. Plus, on top of this whole reorganization-of-the-organization (that's me in case you missed that), I got a whole hour nap this morning and yesterday morning so I'm feeling awful perky. 

More to come soon!

Possibly.

No guarante on anything. 

And no refunds! Booya!