Unforgettable Childhood

The scale still isn’t moving, but I finally did. . .

Last week I got to the gym 4 out of 7 days and walked outside 1 more day. That is the most exercise I have gotten in a month. It felt really good to finally get back into a rhythm.

I ran hard on the treadmill last week. The funny thing is, I really enjoyed it. Maybe there is an inner runner in me yet! I did a lot of abs last week, too. This week I need to add back in more strength training. Unfortunately I do not go to a huge gym and the heavy weightlifters take up a lot of space. I need to find the right time to go so that I can even get to the weights.

We had a lot of fruits and veggies in the house last week. The girls did a great job adding them to meals and eating them as snacks. I did get in a few servings, but I have a long way to go.

The next Mamavation Applications are being accepted until April 1st. If you are interested, you can find out more information here. Even if you are not interested in applying there is an amazing support system of women called the Sistahood that will motivate you and keep you moving.

This Monday night Leah @Bookieboo is giving away a pair of Earth Footwear Shoes! All you have to do is write a Mamavation post and link back to the Mamavation site.

Tune in tonight for Mamavation Monday on Mingle Media TV Network at 7pm PST/10pm EST.

Our newest Easter treat creation was Bird’s Nests. These were another super easy treat. Not quite as much fun to make for the girls because the hot stove was involved so they couldn’t help as much as they would have liked.

The only ingredients you need are 2 cups of marshmallows, 1/4 cup of butter, 4 cups of Chow Mein Noodles and whatever you would like to fill your nests with.

First you melt the marshmallows and butter.

Then you mix in the Chow Mein Noodles until they are fully covered.

Butter your fingers and press the noodles into 12 muffin cups.

Place them in the fridge for 10 minutes to set.

Add goodies to your nest. I have seen these with Jelly Beans. We like to use Robin’s Eggs (Malted Milk Balls). This time we also made a few birds out of Twinkies, Lemon Slices and a little Decorator’s Gel and White Frosting.

Here is our finished product.

Stay tuned next week for more Easter fun.

I am linking to the Girl Creative’s Just Something I Whipped Up!

We are starting to gear up for Easter at our house. Today we tried a new recipe that has been in my recipe box for years, Peanut Butter Eggs. They really were easy to make and they were very yummy. Ours are already gone. . .

Here are the ingredients.

6 T butter softened

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 cup marshmallow creme

1 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

3/4 pound milk chocolate candy coating, chopped

2 tsp shortening

Colored Sprinkles

My Little Helper

In a small mixing bowl, cream the butter, peanut butter and marshmallow creme until smooth. Gradually beat in sugar. Drop by the tablespoon onto waxed paper lined baking sheet (we made ours a little bigger than that). Form into egg shapes and freeze 10 minutes.

My recipe says to melt candy coating and shortening until smooth in the microwave. I don’t ever use my microwave to melt chocolate, I do it the old fashioned way.

Dip eggs into candy coating; allow excess to drip off. Return to baking sheet, immediately decorate with candy decorations. Let stand until set. (See the word immediately, they really mean that. I started dipping like crazy and forgot to sprinkle half of them. Then they were already set and didn’t get sprinkles)

I am glad I took pictures right away because they were gone by bedtime.

Stay tuned for more Easter fun at Unforgettable Childhood.

I really wanted to get a post up on Monday for Mamavation, but it didn’t happen.

I have been working hard on a new website and I haven’t had the opportunity to write much for my own sites.

I finally got myself back to the gym. And I am loving it. It is amazing how quickly you can get out of the habit of going when you take a couple of weeks off. I told my husband I don’t know why I haven’t been working out. Once I get to the gym I love it.

I started some intense intervals on the treadmill this week. I am sprinting on that thing. I didn’t realize I could run that fast on a treadmill. I do get a little nervous that I am going to slip and hit the brick wall. Tonight a gal started talking to me when I was going 9.0 on the treadmill and I didn’t want to look at her for fear that I would lose my footing.

I stocked the fridge with fruits and veggies. My girls love green peppers cut up in strips. If I have them in the fridge they are gone before I realize they have eaten them. I bought a package of strawberries yesterday and they are already gone. Now I just need to get myself to eat them, too.

I am going to start getting back on the scale next week. I have about 8 weeks until my trip to Florida so there is no time to slow down now.

The mamavation applications for the next campaign are being accepted now through April 1st. You can go here for more information. The next campaign will begin on April 13th. Voting for the next Mamavation moms will be April 5th-12th. Stay tuned for details on the Twitter Launch party on April 12th.

Oh, and a little side note on the project I am working on. . .Gather Inspirit went live today. It is what has been keeping me from the gym. Head over and check it out.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

This morning the girls woke up to this note. . .

They went on a hunt for Leprechaun’s Gold (yes. . .I spelled Leprechaun wrong in the note, but they didn’t notice)

Treasure Found.

Last night we made Rainbow Cupcakes for the girls to share at school today. I first saw these cupcakes at The Idea Room. Thanks for the great idea Amy. She got the recipe here.

You mix up the batter and split it into different bowls. You just need to decide how many colors to use. We decided to do four.

Here is the finished product. Yum!

Do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with your kids?

I am doing my Mamavation post over at my Unforgettable Childhood site today because this week my kids got in on my getting healthy challenge.

It was a big basketball week for us. Our hometown girls made it to the State High School Basketball Tournament so we watched a lot of basketball. That always gets the girls excited to play. So on Sunday afternoon we headed to the gym.

We all had a lot of fun and got some exercise while we were at it.

I did not get on the scale this morning. I have been maintaining, but not losing. It doesn’t help that my daughter’s Girl Scout Cookies arrived last week. . .I am trying to be good.

I am headed to my parent’s house this Wednesday for a nice long weekend. Which is wonderful for my mental health. The hard thing is that my dad is an awesome cook and my mom is an awesome baker. . .

I am hoping the weather is nice enough to get outside and run while I am there.  I am going to try to fit in a couple of trips to the gym in the beginning of the week.

The snow is finally starting to melt in South Dakota. I can’t wait until it gets a few degrees warmer so we can walk and ride bike instead of drive. We all need some nice weather to motivate us to get moving.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week full of success. Don’t forget to join Mamavation tonight for the finale of this Mamavation Campaign at 10pm EST/9pm CST.

The new Mamavation Campaign will begin on April 13th. You can start submitting your applications to be the next Mamavation mom from March 22-April 1!

A couple of weeks ago I received this package in the mail from Kroger.

I was really excited to try this new product. I received Shampoo, Conditioner, two different Body Washes, Hair Gel and Lotion. I have been using the products for the past two weeks.

I thought that the shampoo and conditioner left my hair feeling soft and clean. I wasn’t sure about the conditioner at first because it did not feel as smooth after I washed it out. However, after I got out and combed and dried my hair I was happy with it.

I have really dry skin and I thought the body wash offered a little extra moisture to it. I really liked the lotion. It didn’t leave me feeling oily, but it nourished my skin.

If you want more info from Kroger and a $5 off coupon go here. I received these products courtesy of The
Kroger Company for review and giveaway as a part of the Global Influence Network.

You can receive a package just like the one I received! Just leave a comment for an entry to win. This giveaway will close on Wednesday, March 17th at midnight.