Archives for March 2010

tracy anderson arm workout

I like to change things up when it comes to my workouts.
At the moment, with my many kids….it’s hard to get to the gym so I tend to workout at home for the most part.
When I can’t meet with my trainer, I go to my videos….and the last few weeks I’m back on the Tracy Anderson Method routines.
Anyway, just thought I’d share a little clip of a weighted arm workout of hers I just found online.
Enjoy!
Try to do up to 20-25 reps of each for those teeny tiny arms she raves about!
© 2010 “Le Musings of Moi”
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fashion friday

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{dress: mark.com, blazer: f21, boots: f21, watch: la mer, bracelet: twisted silver}
~~~~~~~
Whew.
I just barely survived this week with three kids.
Besides doing quite a bit of chocolate stress eating,
I think I held it together pretty well.
I am definitely sleeping better than ever, thats for sure.
It’s just crazy how different things are around here.
It’s a balancing act more than it’s ever been,
and when emotions are running high,
I have to be way more sensitive to whats really behind it all.
Especially with Taylor.
Anyway….
So, I totally forgot to point ya’ll to my blog crush of the week
and….
And this weekend, I’m really really really going to post pictures of my clothes for sale.
Stay tuned.
Mwa!
© 2010 “Le Musings of Moi”
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what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger

I know that a lot of people I care about are going through some hard times right now….
and rather than try to find a way to say,
“I understand,”
I thought I’d repost something that will prove I do.
Originally seen here.
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Recently, Jimmy and I were talking about how it is really uncomfortable to feel pain.
I really believe that we are such a painless society.
When we have a headache, we take medicine.
When we feel bad, we look for a way to feel good.
Pain sucks and we will do anything we can to make it go away.
I’m certainly no exception.
Hellllo???
I love love love epidurals.
So, we got to talking about God’s timing,
and how sometimes,
he doesn’t exactly move as quickly as we want him to.
We pray, we medicate, we seek our own way,
and yet the hurt is still there.
We wonder,
why isn’t God taking the pain when he is plenty capable?
I’ve been in that place.
Almost two years ago, what started as a panic attack
(after spending a week watching and helping to care for my grandpa in his final days),
slowly turned into month after painful month of intense and constant anxiety.
Every single moment was painful.
I wanted to sleep, yet I couldn’t.
I wanted to eat, and I couldn’t.
I wanted to cry, but there were no tears.
I was in this prison, praying out to God that he would just take it away.
I didn’t feel like myself.
The real me was somewhere inside, trapped, and I wanted out.
When I realized the pain wasn’t going anywhere,
my prayers went from,
“Please, take this from me!”
to,
“Just please get me through this.
Help me to learn the lessons…
Mostly, just help me to make it through the next day,
or hour,
or five minutes,
sometimes even through the next few seconds…..”
For me, there is no pain greater than emotional pain.
And yet despite how incredibly awful I felt inside,
I knew I had nothing that I was truly unhappy about.
My grandpa was in heaven, finally released from his disease.
I felt incredibly surrounded with love by my friends and family who knew what I was going through.
And both Jimmy and Taylor were unbelievably sweet and gentle with me during that time.
Everything was amazing.
Besides, of course, the fact that I was in deep emotional pain.
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And yet in my pain, I learned to trust.
I learned to live moment by moment.
I learned humility.
I learned the true meaning of joy.
I learned to be content in even the worst of circumstances.
I learned that what doesn’t break me only serves to make me stronger.
I learned more than anything,
that sometimes,
it’s just neccessary to feel the pain.
And it’s important to trust in God’s timing.
Even when it doesn’t seem like he’s working,
He is.
I promise.
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And in the end,
he will bring beauty from the pain.
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© 2010 “Le Musings of Moi”
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potty talk

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Chloe was quiet for all of two minutes the other day,
when we decided that her silence couldn’t be a good thing.
Annnnnd….it wasn’t.
It was so freaking funny though, that I couldn’t be mad.
Especially since it wasn’t me that got to clean it out.
Today it wasn’t NEARLY as funny when I discovered my Fitflops in there…
and Jimmy wasn’t home to fish them out.
My life is SO glamourous.

{this has been a part of Wordful Wednesday}

{P.S. I have been THE worst at blog reading and emailing this week and last…once I adjust to life, I’ll be back.
I promise!}
© 2010 “Le Musings of Moi”
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a gift unwrapped

I couldn’t see anything but his smile and his trusting eyes,
when I promised him he could stay here for a long time.
My heart soared when I heard him say he wanted to go play in “his” bedroom.
I almost cried when he snuggled up on the couch with the family for night time devotions and prayers.
And as I sit here and listen to the giggles and whispers coming from the boys’ bedroom,
I know that he is a gift unwrapped for our home.
I am incredibly thankful that we are able to offer our home,
our family,
and our unconditional love to this amazing child.
But, I am even more thankful for his smile, his trust, his laughter….
and his own incredible heart.
It’s so much more than fostering,
it’s a home made complete.
{this has been a part of Tuesdays Unwrapped}
© 2010 “Le Musings of Moi”
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my vlog for the new york times

Not much can come between me and my Monday Muse posts….
except for when my girls are under attack.
Nobody puts my babies in a corner.
Or um,
puts them down in the New York Times.
The article is okay,
kind of open to interpretation if you ask me…
but the TITLE!!!
“Honey, Don’t Bother Mommy. I’m Too Busy Building My Brand!”
That’s one of the things that really bugged me.
{among a few other things}
Know that I want to think the best of the writer,
and hope that maybe we all mistook what she meant.
Maybe she really WAS trying to make mommy bloggers look great and wise and brilliant,
and it just came out horribly wrong.
My intention here AND IN YOUR COMMENTS is NOT to bash the author.
{who is a mom herself from what I hear}
I guess, more than anything, I wanted to address what the title insinuated.
And beware,
I bust out in song at one point.
{Cause, remember, in my world, I wish life could be a musical.}
I actually wanted to cut that part, but you know what?
It’s what I do in real life, so why not expose the truth?
{I’m so embarrassed.}
And to be clear for those of you who didn’t note the sarcasm….
I don’t really ignore my kids ALL day.
Just parts of the day.
But, it’s only because I believe it builds character.
At least that’s what my mom taught me.
{kidding mom.}
And a few afterthoughts…
Everybody has their own goal with their blogs,
so each to their own.
Right?
I am proud of my mommy’s.
{most}
I’m proud of their blogs.
{again, most}
And I love that we can all be here to open up our hearts and our lives,
and attempt to make a difference out there.
Now enough about that….
let’s get back our regular scheduled programming.

{p.s. For unspoken reasons, I suddenly have a fear of vlogging.
Know that I don’t really take myself all that seriously, mmmkay?
And I don’t really say OMG.
And I only sometimes bust out in song.
And….I love my kids, I don’t ignore them, ever.
And, they totally come first.
And, it isn’t my intention to start anything with this post,
I just wanted to stand up for what I believe in,
and….}
© 2010 “Le Musings of Moi”
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is that it????

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Whew, 21 days just FLEW by.
Okay, not really….
honestly, I think it was the longest 21 days of the year.
Gotta love those self challenges, right?
But, today is the last day!!!!
And I am relieved and excited and completely rejuvenated.
To be honest, I didn’t excel.
I wasn’t perfect.
But I ended up being okay with that.
And I think that was my biggest lesson in all of this.
But there was more…..
I learned:
That I have to let go of trying to accomplish all things in such a way.
That I am human.
That change is a process,
and I deserve grace just as much as anyone else.
That I love the blessings journal.
That I need to work on the self talk
so I got this workbook and my two best friends and I are going to go through it together.
I started a new way of writing my To Do lists that motivates me more to get things done.
I now begin the day with my bible reading and morning pages,
time for me….
time for reflection.

I let go of a friendship that was unhealthy.

I said goodbye, and I moved forward.
I had moments of giving up,
and moments of persevering.
I struggled with faith,
and managed to stay true to it at the same time.
I sighed,
I hoped,
I laughed,
I cried,
I learned,
I grew.
~~~~~~~
Your final challenge….
write out what you learned,
good and bad.
Most importantly,
take note of what will be held in your heart as you walk away from these three weeks.
© 2010 “Le Musings of Moi”
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fashion friday

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So, I think I found a way to love skinny jeans.
They have to feel and kinda even look like leggings.
And these are definitely a lot closer to being a love of mine.
My neighbor was wearing a pair awhile ago and I couldn’t stop oohing and ahhing over them…
A week later, she brought them by for me…
A pair of my own in just my size.
And she just got them too,
so if you want them,
run to ROSS like, now.
The rest of my outfit is all from either Ross or TJ Maxx,
and it’s all old news as far as my closet is concerned.
Shoes are Madden Girl…
Oh, and of course my beloved La Mer watch…
matched with bangles from Walmart.
Walmart & Le Mer, that’s how I roll.
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Okay, so this week was probably one of my toughest so far…
{this year, anyway}
being that I lost my best friend of 18 years.
We broke up.
Over Facebook.
So 2010, right?
It was time though…
we were both such different people as adults,
that it just wasn’t healthy for either of us anymore.
It didn’t end as well as I hoped,
so ya,
that kinda sucked.
But now that the first half of March is over,
I’m happy to leave all the sucky behind…
and move on to the next happy happy joy joy half!
Because……

I have GREAT news!
As of Monday, we will become a family of five!
{for awhile, anyway}
Social services came through, and I seriously couldn’t be any happier!
And while, for safety reasons,
I won’t be posting too much about it….
just continue to keep the whole situation always in your prayers.
{In fact, don’t be surprised if one day I delete all reference to this. We just want to keep everyone safe.}

So now this weekend I will REALLY be ordering the bunk beds.
And I will be eating chocolate cake.
And pizza.
And maybe even breadsticks.
Oh, and yes….
Soda too.
{and then I’ll do some Tracy Anderson Method to make up for it!}
I’ve got some celebrating to do!
~~~~~~~
If you’re following along with the 21 day challenge to a better you,
© 2010 “Le Musings of Moi”
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i gotta crush on you

I have a crush, and it’s name is mark.


{my very own mark store}

Well okay, mark.com actually.
Seriously, my little marky mark baby is stepping it up,
and I am only slightly obsessed with all that I am seeing.
And um, buying.
And what’s worse, is that my sister and I feed each others addiction.
Before every order, I call her first to see what she has bought and loved,
and after almost every conversation,
I add more to my cart.
As was the case last night.
But you know what?
I am IN LOVE with every little thing I purchased…
Wanna see?
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Two steps in one quick click of the pen:
This innovative lip color goes on like a high-shine gloss,
then wears to a rich stain that lasts hours and hours more.
Minty fragrance adds a fresh kick.
{um, I got all 4 colors….because you know how I am with decisions}
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A fresh version of one of our favorite antique designs,
this burnished brass and faux stone ring borrows a floral shape and a throwback charm.
{again, bought both.}
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This season, statement necklaces have gone soft.
Case in point:
Our lacy, filigree-stamped necklace that’s both delicate and statement’making.
{just bought the bronze one, already have lots of silver}
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Two looks, one style (quilted with a chain strap)- how sweet it is!
Beige with monochromatic stitching and gold chain strap,
a very go-with-everything option, screams 50’s charm;
black with hot and light pink stitching and silver chain strap gives the classic style a totally reinvented, edgy feel.
{this was a hard one, I wanted both, but I got the black instead. In fact I already regret not getting the tan one too.}
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Perfect for the makeup you bring around in your purse.
And how amazing that you can clean it out easily?
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If I had the small one, I needed the medium one as well.
Right?
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Aren’t you totally in the mood to shop now?
This is what I do when I resist the sweets.
I shop.
It’s so fun shopping online because, well, you get the joy of shopping.
And then when the package comes, you get the joy again!!!
It’s genius really.
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If you’re following along with the 21 day challenge to a better you,
© 2010 “Le Musings of Moi”
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have you ever tried vaseline?

And so begins another embarrassing story.
Only this time, my youngest sister had the honor of this fun lil conversation.
So, this is the text message that I got from her the other night at 10:30:
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Have to tell you a funny story!!
At work (Starbucks) there’s a guy –
he’s hilarious,
32,
just got married and just became a believer….
so we chat a lot at work since we have a lot in common.

Tonight, he leaned over and asked me,
“Have you ever tried Vaseline???”

I turned bright red and my mind went racing –
how do I answer???

So I asked,
“For what?”

He goes,
“For anything!”

I go,

“Vaseline???”

And then he said,
“NO!!!!
Fasting!!!!”

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Can you say AWKWARD???
I seriously laughed so hard that I had tears streaming down my cheeks.
Not sure what it is about my sisters and their sex talk,
but it definitely makes amazing blog material!
And after an emotional week
(ahem, two weeks, but who’s counting?)
I thought we could all use a lil cheering up, right?
Thanks B-dogg!
~~~~~~~
If you’re following along with the 21 day challenge to a better you,
© 2010 “Le Musings of Moi”
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