Hi Daddy!

Five years ago today, I found out my little Lorelai was on her way! (the doctor confirmed the news on Valentine's Day 2007) I've never posted this picture before now: this is the way Rusty Ballentine found out he was going to be a daddy!

I am SO big into milestones, anniversaries, birthdays, etc. I love the occasion to reminice about the past, and look forward with anticipation to the future, and this is a fun one to celebrate!!!

White Washing

Rusty is building a paint room, there is a big painting project in the works at the Ballentine house, yay!

Quote of the Day

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." — Ferris Bueller

Its Not That Bad Thursday

* I ran last night (for the first time this week), for 25 minutes with plenty of breaks in between. I got lapped at least twice, (maybe three times, I was too ashamed to look up). I wanted to die but kept going.

* Lorelai came to my yoga class last night. I was SO excited that she wanted to try it, and so proud to have her in my class. She's been asking about what I do and asking me if she could go too, and finally I had the opportunity to have her come last night. But... she hated it, and told me so. I'm glad she wanted to try... I just wish she would have loved it. Maybe next year? She is only 4. And she is very into copying poses from my yoga books, so there's still hope she'll be a little yogi after all.

* In happier kid-fit news L is still enjoying her running shoes, she'd been asking to run with me since before Christmas... and she LOVES sprinting around the track. Trust me, it's adorable!

* I'm back on My Fitness Pal (let me know if you do this app, and I'll friend you), but I've been over my daily goals by nearly 1,000+ each day.

* Its Groundhog's Day and only one more day until the weekend, It's Not That Bad.

Wordless Wednesday

Quote of the Day

"Would you please call me Cordelia?" - Anne (with an 'e') Shirley

The Funny Section

Quote of the Day

"Life is a special occasion." - Hallmark

Girls Night

I enjoyed a night in Tunica, MS at the casinos for my friend's Dirty 30 Birthday!

Pre-School Interview

Lorelai had an interview for pre-kindergarten this morning. She did great and looked fantastic in her pigtails and smocked school bus dress! I'm a proud mama.

Wordless Wednesday

Instagram

Photography by Lorelai

SEPL

Sunday Edition of the Portrait Lens is back!! And it's published before church... look out, it's going to be a great day! Isn't she GORGEOUS! L picked out this Cinderella smocked corduroy dress, and is so proud of it!

French Braid

In the words of Lorelai "just like Rapunzel."

January 2008

Song of the Day: Mumford and Sons "Timshel"

I added this song to my yoga playlist today, it has quickly become one of my favorite songs in the mix. And, actually makes me think of Rusty and his comittment to his brothers in blue.

If they are good enough for the Kardashians they are good enough for me.

I wore these for a, drum roll please, THIRTY minute non-stop run today!!! It was week 8 day 3, and I completed my Couch to 5k training app!
I also bought Lorelai a pair of running shoes last night, she's been begging me to run and she had a fantastic time on the track this morning!

In the news

Rusty was one of the 23 officers recognized:
http://www.wbbjtv.com/news/local/Officers-Honored-by-the-FBI-137790688.html?m=y&smobile=y&c=y&clmob=y

http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20120121/NEWS01/201210307/Jackson-officers-honored-by-FBI

Rusty was one of the test administrators:
http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20120121/NEWS01/201210308/Jackson-police-recruits-pass-physical-tests-Friday-session?odyssey=modnewswelltextFRONTPAGEp

High Five Friday

My resolutions aren't going all that well. Maybe I was a bit too ambitious? Maybe I'm still just a late bloomer and I'll get the hang of all these by November? We did make it to church this week, I made it to one morning gym class, I ran once and for close to thirty minutes, I ate clean about 50% of the time, I made an effort to choose less cuss words. And that was as close as I came to success on my resolutions this week.

That's about all I've got, I think there are at least five things in there. Happy High Five Friday, y'all!

Wordless Wednesday

Valentine Preparation

I LOVE Valentine's Day, and I already know what I want this year (yes, a whole month out)... I was flipping through Tosca's Family and Kids book, and these look AMAZING! L will love them!! I also found the cutest little matching shirts at Target with hearts on them... but I haven't bought them yet, I'm still shopping around.

Valentine's of Days Gone By: I'm perfectly ok that this year certainly won't top Valentine's 2007, FIVE years ago, when the doctor confirmed that my baby was on the way... and it won't top VDay last year when my mom and I took Lorelai to the Perfectly Princess Tea Party in the Grand Floridian at Disney World!!

13 Bean Soup

The Eat Clean Diet is inspiring all sorts of fresh blog worthy food! Ingredients: 13 Bean Soup mix (the only ingredient in the mix is the thirteen types of beans, and I bought it at Big Lots... score), canned whole tomatoes (no salt added), one can of stock, water, chopped onions and garlic, and chili seasoning (it was supposed to be straight chili powder presumably to cut down on salt, but we didn't have that), and it didn't call for it but there is also a pork tenderloin roast in it that should shred, adding a great amount of protein to an already hearty meal!

Week 8 Day 2

c25k was supposed to be a solid 29 minute run. I did 24, walked 1 minute, and ran the last 5. I am pitifully slow, but I want to be able to run for 30 minutes for exercise without wanting to die half way through, I'm not concerned about speed for now. Maybe this will always be hard for me? I know I've already run a 5k without stopping, so it's possible... I just have to keep going. Ugh.

1st Camp Out

On Friday night the remote to the tv was missing... as we took the couch cushions off searching for it Lorelai grabbed them up as fast as she could and started making a tent with them! It was SO cool, some things are classically timeless, you just don't have to teach a kid what a furniture fort is!!!

I never thought I'd be the parent to suggest camping... but she was just so excited about the cushion tent that I suggested a real (living room) camp out for Sunday night (since today is a government holiday)!! Rusty stayed up for s'mores (not clean) and watching Madagascar (hey, it's got animals and is as close to the outdoors as I really want to be anyway)... then, Lorelai and I bunkered down in her princess tent (after zipping Seuss in so she couldn't escape of course)!!! I offered Rusty a spot in the tent, heck I even offered him my spot in the tent (because camping isn't my idea of fun) but he declined. He did however make an for awesome bear/ Sasquatch each time he passed by outside.

So anyway, Lorelai and I roughed it until 10:30 when she declared "I want to get in our bed, this is ugly". Hahahahaaa. She is so my child. And, that concluded our first camping adventure!!

Curry Soup

I've never been one to blog about my food before (then again the sacks of Krystal burgers never actually made it out of the car and into the house so I didn't have a chance to photograph that delicacy)... but this curry soup is clean, with all fresh ingredients, and the begging to be blogged about!!!

MISS AMERICA

We're ready to watch, go Miss Tennessee!!!

Clean Eating takes 5

I had to take a little break, my best friend has been missing her favorite restaurants since the new year kicked off! She was thrilled to be back at Chik-fil-a for breakfast this morning!!! And, I tried the new limited time tortilla soup (not clean but delicious)!!

Blue Lipstick

Also known as marker ;)

Lorelai learns to write!

I stopped home for lunch, and was going through some bills, etc. Lorelai wanted to help too... she is a GENIUS!

She's only 4 years and 2 months old, and she's copying free-hand... not tracing the letters or numbers!

*** My bestest friend, Leigh, called after viewing the above video asking "Um, is your child wearing hot pink eye shaddow and a wig?" For my other readers that might also notice this fashion faux-awesome... the answer is yes, indeed... that's how we roll (she did her own make-up to compliment her Rapunzel hair), she also still has on her footy jammies at noon too ;)

High Five Friday

1. My clean eating is going really really well. I'm sipping lemon water, avoiding sugar, and noticing results. I changed my mind about taking the before and after pics and entering the contest... I'm just going to stick with it because I like it, and maybe I'll get lucky and Tosca will come close to me for a book signing or something. My favorite meal is so far the steel cut oats for breakfast with coconut oil.

2. It's a three day weekend, and Friday the 13th, and freezing out. I was planning on taking L to see Beauty and The Beast 3D tonight, but she has decided against it because she doesn't like wearing the glasses (me either). So, I'm thinking we'll stay in tonight and maybe try out our fireplace and watch a movie at home with air popped pop corn!! I also have plans for make your own "clean" pizza tonight! We did it last Friday night, and it was very high five worthy... you take Ezekiel brand english muffins, top them with tomato paste, fresh ingredients (mine were pineapple, chicken, garlic infused olive oil, cilantro, and Kraft Italian shreaded cheese, Lorelai stuck with plain cheese).

3. I did ALL my laundry before work this morning! I set my alarm for 5:00 AM for the gym (I still haven't made it to a single morning class), well.... Lorelai woke up when I got out of bed and said "Mama, please stay"... so I tucked her under my arm and nestled back in, there will be plenty of time for other stuff when she is too cool for me (she is turning 5 this year and I can hardly wrap my mind around it, even though I think about it all the time and already have awesome plans in the works to ring in the BIG 5). I live for those moments and I'll soak them up as often as I can, I slipped back out of bed to clean up after she was asleep again... and hey keeping my house organized/ picked up IS a resolution too!

4. My yoga classes are really full, and I have a nice mix of students from last year along with some newbies. I LOVE my class, and want to high five them all. There are so many yogis who have made SO much improvement in just the short time that I have been teaching the class. It is AMAZING to see yogis who came into the class and couldn't even reach past their knees a few months ago and who can now reach the floor without bending their knees. Flexibility in life and and yoga is so very high five worthy! (And, y'all thought I might stop mentioning my yoga class in 2012? No way, it's still a hi-light of my week and hasn't even come close to getting old for me).

5. I toured a pre-school this week! Lorelai will start school this fall, and it is weighing VERY heavy on my heart. She is my only baby and I am so reluctant to send her off into the world. She missed the birthday cut-off for kindergarten by 20 days... so she will be doing pre-k next year, and kindergarten in 2013. Interviews, tuition deposits, etc. are all in our future... high five little Loreali, you're growing up into a little girl so very fast!

Challenge

I got this image from http://www.eatcleandiet.com/ They are having a challenge, and the prize includes an hour session with TOSCA RENO!!! Since I am currently obsessed with her, I am taking my before pictures tonight, I would LOVE to meet her!

I am doing pretty well on the Eat Clean Diet so far, but Monday night was a doozie. I went to a football party and you would have thought I was a famished child from The Grapes of Wrath.... if I am going to do this challenge I don't want to have anymore nights like that! Some of my resolutions aren't going as well as I had hoped, but I'm not giving up on them yet. I know my faithful blog readers want status updates, but I really don't have too much to report on.

Also, I am back to doing my C25K app. I am still in week 8, I ran 28 minutes yesterday. It was supposed to be without stopping but I took a one lap walk around the track at minute 20 before starting back up again. I'm not sure that counts as success but I'm going to keep on trudging along until I can run 30 minutes without stopping! On a happy note, when I started C25K it was a 9 week training program, since then there was an app update and it is only an 8 week program... ha, I guess technically I'm in my last week!

And, in other happy fitness news... one of my readers took pity on my shopaholic post, and my new Lululemon tank is on it's way!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Quote of the Day

"If something is important to you, you make time for it." - Mia Maestro

The Nutcracker

My parents took L to see The Nutcracker before Christmas and took this adorable picture of little L, I LOVE it... they just peeled it off the cell phone, and I'm thrilled to have it!

Sick Baby

Lorelai was up almost all night. She tossed and turned and was still wide awake when my alarm went off at 5 AM to go to the gym. I haven't been to a morning gym class yet because this happened one day last week too. Poor thing just can't kick this round of sickies. I'm at work and Rusty just sent this picture to me, thank goodness she is getting some rest and relief this morning.

PS Angie, she is wearing her new Snow White t-shirt! She got sick on her jammies and when I came back in with the her new shirt she gave me a little sleepy smile!!

Another Oldie

Lorelai was only 22 months in this picture, and it is still sitting in a pile waiting to be put away.

Instagram

I jumped on the Instagram bandwagon, and I'm putting away a few old pictures today (it's so over whelming, it's no surprise I always give up). Anyway, this picture from over three and a half years ago is still siting in a mail stack on my keeping table, so I thought I'd play with my new app instead of putting it away!

More American Girl

I can't believe I didn't get one single posed picture of me with Lorelai at American Girl... these pictures are excellent examples of my resolutions though... my entire outfit (excluding accessories) was purchased at Goodwill... and these pics are perfect examples of how crappy my posture is, and why it needs improvement... I have to delete every snapshot because I look like The Hunch Back of Notre Dame. Aren't our hats the cutest though?!

Eating Clean Day 2

I binged in Chicago, and on NYE shoveled ole bola in my pie hole and even licked my finger and sopped up the sugar granules from the plate.

But with the stroke of midnight I got serious, and struck out today to find a tiered fruit/ vegetable stand to organize my loot. Despite my resolution to first shop thrifted items I went first into Pier 1 and got this on clearance for $9.99, what a deal!

Eating clean is hard, and I still have a half a pack of Oreo's in my pantry. Tosca recommends throwing all junk food away, but it would be a shame to throw away perfectly good Oreos, right?

Pez

L is currently OBSESSED with Pez, and Derek caught this precious mouthful on Christmas morning while she was running in and out of her room opening and closing her door and giggling with glee!

Shopaholic Sunday

I tried this on in Chicago, and I can't quit thinking about it. My birthday is only 3 months and 27 days away, shop early, avoid the rush.... I'm a size 6 and want the heathered black shown here!

http://shop.lululemon.com/products/clothes-accessories/women-tanks/Run-Back-On-Track-Tank?cc=9762&skuId=3432215&catId=women-tanks