The things I take for granted...

My husband is on the road for basketball this week. He left Tuesday for a tournament in Vegas and does not come back until Monday! Being married while he is in school totally has its perks. We get to pretty much hangout all day minus the few hours of class and few hours of practice. We both don't know how we are going to handle when he has to work a 9-5 because we have literally been attached at the hip since we started dating. With Chloe in the mix, road trips seem to be a little tougher! Especially now that she is older, I realize how much my husband really does help out!!! I made a little list in my head of the things that i take for granted when he is around and that i miss terribly when he is away...

-Family prayer

                                       -Diaper duty (he has always been pretty gung-ho about helping in the diaper

department-so this is definitely missed!!

-Watching the babe for just 10 minutes so i can shower or clean

-Taking the garbage out

-Helping around the house

-someone to watch movies with
-foot rubs
-turning the heat down before bed hehe I always leave it scorching
-locking the door before bed

There are so many more, but of course when I go to write them down, i draw a blank! Next time I feel like I do it all, I am totally turning back to this entry and remembering what it really feels like to not have any help!!! I am counting down the days until Monday!!!

A Wonderful Wedding Weekend

This last weekend was my brother-in-law Brett's wedding!!! We headed over to the farm on Friday for the fun filled weekend. It was so great having all of Roby's brothers and sisters there in one house! We played my favorite card game, 9 innings on Friday night and the laughs were endless. Saturday morning we made our way to the Temple for Brett's sealing. The 40 minute drive to the temple allowed me time to just sit and give thanks for having such a wonderful and amazing blessing so close by! The sealing was very moving and the Spirit was so strong. Arianna (Brett's bride) looked stunning!!! The rest of the day was filled with lunch with both families and then a gorgeous reception at the church. It was definitely a great family weekend! 

Congrats to Brett and Arianna!!!

How GORGEOUS is this bouquet!!?

At home workouts

I have been involved in sports my entire life. Even when i was 8 months pregnant, I was doing bootcamp and kick boxing classes. So, after having Chloe, i wanted to find a way to stay as active as possible, which was tricky with Roby on the road all the time for basketball. Some at home workouts I found to be awesome was just a simple card workout that i would change each day for which muscle group i wanted to target. I could also change the level of intensity from week to week as i got back into shape. 

So, grab a deck of cards and get ready to sweat!!!

-If you are a beginner and just getting back into working out try half the deck.
-Get a note card or any scrap piece of paper to jot down what each suit stands for.

Mine would look something like this...

Hearts = Burpees

Spades = Jumping Squats

Diamonds = Lunges


Clubs = Abs 

So if i drew a 9 of spades, i would do 9 jumping squats. Aces are 15 reps and face cards are 10 reps. By the time you get through a whole deck, i can promise you, you will be feeling it!!!
-Allow yourself a break half way through your deck

-You can change up the workouts from arms to legs, to a mixture of both!
Some other awesome substitutions are...

-push ups
-calf raises
-dips (just grab a kitchen chair or the edge of a couch)
-mountain climbers

My fav Eat Clean meal

I ordered a few Eat Clean cookbooks and found some amazing recipes that i just have to share!!! Eating Clean is a lifestyle based on dietary logic. It is a nutritional plan that maximizes one's intake of protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants by incorporating "whole foods" from every food group. Eating Clean focuses on foods that have been minimally processed and are as close to nature as possible. I always find that when i really focus on eating clean, I not only feel better, but my energy is through the roof!!! I would love to say that I am 100% clean in my eating, but sadly me and my sugar tooth are not even close. Here is one of my all time favorites!! (My 6 foot 5 husband even finds these meals filling and delicious!)

Brown Rice Pilaf

(The best part of the rice, is the leftovers are amazing! Try them in a wrap)

-1/4 C chopped mushrooms

-1/4 C chopped celery

-1/4 C chopped green onions

-1/4 C chopped red pepper

-1 C dry brown rice

-2 1/2 C water

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a large 3-quart casserole dish with cooking spray.
• Briefly saute' veggies in small fry pan until translucent or soft, but not mushy! Place all the ingredients in casserole dish and cover. Put in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. 

(I always add more mushrooms and even include some sweet onions! Pretty much whatever veggies you enjoy and have lying around are a perfect addition.)

Chili Chicken Kabobs 

-3 Tbsp best-quality olive oil
-1 1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- Juice of one fresh lime
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 large onion, chopped into thick pieces

-1 large green or red pepper cut into thick pieces (I add the pepper-the flavor with the marinade is awesome!)
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
- 1 tsp  cayenne pepper
- Sea salt, to taste

-Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
-1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast*, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

• In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, vinegar and lime juice. Season with chili powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, and pressed garlic.
• Place the chicken in a shallow baking dish with the sauce and stir to coat.
• Preheat the grill to medium high. Thread the chicken onto the skewers, alternating with chopped onion pieces. Discard the marinade.
• Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill the skewers for 10 to 15 minutes or until the chicken juices run clear.

My little girl is 1!!!

WOW! Time flies!!! My little bundle of joy turned the big 1 on November 2 (little late posting.) We had a fun family get together and our little house was busting at the seams with all the family and little kiddos that made it to the party! The cousins got to decorate aprons with glitter pens, markers, stickers, and eyeballs. After that, they got to decorate sugar cookies!!! They added gummi bears, worms, chocolate chips, gum balls, and of course sprinkles. Chloe dove into her giant cupcake and was in heaven! (the as seen on TV giant cupcake!!! It was huge, it took literally an entire box of batter to fill the mold!) It meant so much having both sides of the family there to celebrate an awesome little girl who is clearly loved by so many and brings so much happiness to all our lives!!!