2017 - Week 4

January 23.
SUPER cold and rainy day call for pjs ALLLLL day. We watched movies, did lots of crafts - Nora has been on a sea creatures kick and requested sharks, octopus and jellyfish crafts. I let her pick which ones she wanted to do from Pinterest. And nothing wraps up an afternoon like Elmo and doggie dress up (and scooter riding in the foyer hallway).

January 24.
Lunch date with our buddies Colin, Dennis, Andrew and Sydney. 4 mommas and 6 kiddos and NOT A SINGLE tear the entire lunch date! Lazy afternoon at home complete with play dough (of which Radford consumed 1/2 of it!), reading books in the tent while brother naps, and teaching Nora the art of Southern cooking using my grandmothers cast-iron skillet.. Crockpot pork tenderloin, greens and homemade cornbread were on the menu tonight.

January 25.
After church no one wanted to nap and it was 60 degrees outside so we spent 3 hours away from the house. We explored Patterson Park - running down hills and watching ducks, stopped for books at the library (which quickly ended once Radford tried coloring on the computer screen with crayons), and finished with an icecream treat before dinner.

January 26.
Nora: my little book worm - loves to pretend to read to mommy. She also loves watching You Tube Mother Goose songs and singing along. Such a type A, follow the rules, straight as an arrow sweet girl. Radford: colors on his face with bath crayons, falls when mommy isn't looking and is ALLLLL boy. He keeps mommy on her toes at all times. Mom's Night Out with with fabulous SIL, Hilaire at Mama's On a Half Shell. Too many glasses of wine, talking about life/motherhood/family/etc. and a few tears mixed in. An awesome evening where we actually got to sit at a bar and enjoy not having to take care of anyone else.

January 27.
Mother Goose story time at Port Discovery followed by exploring the Thomas the Train exhibit. Rad had so much fun that he passed out in the car on the way home. Sweet boy...it's been a long week. Sister requested another sea creature craft...so today was a Valentine's crab for daddy.

January 28.
Radford is happiest when he's holding or wearing something Mickey. He. Is. Obsessed. Nora...loves the camera and smiling/posing for mommy. Morning spent grocery shopping/meal planning before heading to a baby shower for sweet Jenny and Baby Barley. Excited to see her as a new momma in less than 2 months.

January 29.
Painting early in the morning is all fun and games until Nora decides to paint to her elbows with acrylic paint. Rad was just about as messy. After baths we put on our "new favorite dress" and did twirls in the mirror before headed to PetsMart where we thought we would be leaving with a pet fish...only to be completely satisfied with just looking at all the animals. Rad is a dog LOVER and was insistent on "petting" all the advertisements.

2017 - Week 3

January 16.
We were supposed to have a play date with Kerry, Austin and Kyle but Kerry ended up taking Kyle to the doctor and Austin hung with us for the morning...the biker gang played with cars, ate snacks, dressed up and had a blast. Scooter rides with daddy are becoming a regular pre-dinner ritual the past few weeks.

January 17.
Morning visit to Storyville with Colin and Michaela. Playing in the kitchen, practicing our grilling skills, and building blocks. Afternoon in our pjs playing with playdough while brother naps. He chose tortillas and ranch for his post nap snack...this kid and his "dip dip". He gets it from daddy.

January 18.
The many faces of my kiddos. Ha! We had a CFA date after church this week...I had to win them over for a grocery run afterwards. Afternoon at home being silly, reading books and playing.

January 19.
Brother has started sleeping with a bed buddy - his elephant that Aunt Hilaire gave him the day he was born. Sweet boy. Toured Nora's potential pre-school for next fall (which we both loved!!) followed by a visit to a new place in town called Fort Fitness...we jumped on the moon bounce, put together puzzles, practiced out gymnastics skills, and ate tons of snacks because they were so worn out from playing.

January 20.
Morning visit to Port Discovery with Aunt Hil, AvaMae and Scar. We had a blast making bracelets, sliding, playing in the music room, climbing on everything and of course pausing for a pirates booty/applesauce snack break. Historic Day - Trump inauguration. Make America Great Again...Rad showing his support while we watched the days footage. Nora surprised us and knew EVERY SINGLE WORD to one of her books tonight...daddy snuck some footage of the event. #proudmomma

January 21.
Daddy was on call, so my crew and I took a trip to the mall. We rode the carousel, shopped, had a lunch date at Zoe's and played at the play area until they were sweaty and exhausted. Everyone thought skipping naps were cool...so we took selfies, read books and had everyone sleeping before 630pm.

January 22.
I love numbers in my workout, so when the treadmill hit this number, I knew it was time to stop. (1 min walk, 2 min jog, 1 min sprint..for 51 minutes will kick your rear!) I literally kicked myself during one of the sprints. Lazzzzzzy day at home...watching movies and football, laundry, bike rides, lots of cooking and enjoying each others company. Dinner was garlic green beans and mushrooms and paleo chicken picatta. YUM!!

Tillman Home Gym Inspiration

So part of my New Years resolutions were to take my workouts more seriously. I was working out daily, but only for about 15-20ish minutes and wasn't busting my butt and sweating like I use to...nor mentally feeling satisfied like I use to. So I basically begged Chaz for a treadmill so I could get some cardio into my daily routine. What a game changer! (**We also have a 24# rubber body bar, and dumbbells: 5#, 8#, 10# and 20#.**) Chaz also joined a crossfit gym, so has been waking up at 4:30am to make the 5am class...since I wake up when his alarm goes off, I've started lacing up my shoes around 5am too. It's amazing what getting your sweat on and having completed a workout before 6am can do for your mood for the day! Especially with young kids who make it difficult sometimes to actually have "routine" in your day...it's nice to know I'm not trying to squeeze a workout in around them. I can spend my entire day focused on them, activities, meals, house stuff, etc.

So...for some inspiration, I thought I'd share my workouts from the past week. It IS possible to workout at home, sans $100+/month gym membership and keep yourself in shape. Each workout took about 35-45 minutes and I was POURING sweat after each one. Obviously each of these could be modified to be longer or shorter as needed. If you want any home workout suggestions, message me. I love (and MISS) helping people with their fitness.

Sunday:
400m Run (.25 on the treadmill...about 2 minutes)
15 power snatches (body bar)
400m Run
15 power snatches
400m Run
15 Overhead squats (OHS)
400m Run
15 OHS
400m Run
15 squat snatches
400m Run
15 squat snatches

Monday:
8 rounds:
6 Power snatches (body bar)
9 OHS
12 Overhead alternating lunges
15 Bent over rows
18 Mountain climbers
2:10 Run

Tuesday:
35 Minutes:
1 min walk (4.0)
1 min jog (6.0)
1 min sprint (8.0)
*At the 10, 20 and 30 min mark stop and do 30 burpees

Wednesday:
4 Rounds:
5 min Run
1 min sumo deadlift highpull (SDHP) with bodybar
1 min strict press
1 min back squats
1 min burpees
1 min REST

Thursday:
1 mile Run
20 dumbbells swings (20#), 2 squat clean thrusters, 5 burpees
18 dumbbells swings, 4 squat clean thrusters, 5 burpees
16, 6, 5
14, 8, 5
12, 10, 5
10, 12, 5
8, 14, 5
6, 16, 5
4, 18, 5
2, 20, 5
1 Mile Run

Friday: (what I have planned for tomorrow)
8 rounds:
1 min Run (6.5)
30 sec Sprint (8.5)
30 sec Walk (4.0)
25 Renegade Row (10# dumbbell)
25 Russian Twist
25 Jumping squats

This week I've been able to workout, put dishes away, shower, hair/dressed, my daily devotion (!!) and be ready for the day before my kids wake up. Obviously the goal is to continue this routine...thinking my REST days will typically be on Saturday so I can sleep in! YAY! Here's to my new routine.

2017 - Week 2

January 9.
Lazy Monday at home. Painting by 8am - brother is waaaaay messier with paint than sister is, but LOVES doing pictures. We did some rearranging of the kitchen after brother kept pushing over their play kitchen...Nora kept saying "what are you doing brother?!?!" A trip to Target for a booster seat - he's eating at the big table now and meal time is way more pleasant. BOTH kids napped for the first time (at the same time) in forever...we had a no pants nap. Ha.

January 10.
Sister wanted to be just like mommy and do her makeup for the day. Early morning visit to Storyville with my crew before music class. Playing in the fishing room, costumes, and construction. These kiddos LOVE to eat...and were so excited about portabella mushroom pizza night. Rad was a HUGE mess with this meal - straight to the bath...but he did receive a clean plate award.

January 11.
Lunch date with Sweden and Dawn after church today - sweet Sweden holding Rad's hand. It was 70 degrees outside...so we escaped for some swings and bike riding. It was a huge tease of spring...but totally worth skipping nap to enjoy the weather!!

January 12.
We walked the 2 miles to the Aquarium early this morning to meet Aunt Hilaire, G, and the cousins. The kiddos had a BLAST seeing the fish, sharks, giant turtle, dolphin show, jellyfish, and more. Lunch afterwards before walking all the way back. Brother opted for a stroller nap, so we stayed outside for another afternoon at the park - slides, swings, and digging for rocks. Beautiful, fun filled day!

January 13.
Helping Mandi out with her girls this morning while she recovers from pnuemonia. 4 kiddos under 3 for 2 hours was like WOAH crazy...but fun! We snacked, played dress-up, and made a huge mess of the playroom. Kicked off Friday Family movie night watching Monsters Inc and eating guacamole and chips for dinner. Ha!

January 14.
Fun filled Saturday with a girls day...Nora's first manicure with mommy at the nail salon. She was SOO giddy about getting it done. Followed by a birthday party for Kyra at My Gym. Nora was in heaven with the pall pit, trampoline, swings, and more. Brother had a guys day with Daddy, Pops, Uncle Pat and Michael getting his hair cut at the barber shop and going for a drink. Thanks to G and Pops chili and football that afternoon.

January 15.
Wrapping up the weekend with a huge project - organize the unfinished part of the basement to make room for mommy's new "home gym" complete with a treadmill purchase. You don't realize how much stuff you have until you have to reorganize all of it! We played in pjs a good portion of the day - making a mess of the kitchen and playroom. Got my first run in since my race in October...I'm gonna be hurting but do excited to get my early morning workouts back on the regular.

2017 - Week 1

January 1.

Kicked off the new year with our traditional meal: black-eyed peas (which only Radford really liked), kale greens and crock-pot shredded pork. We had a day filled with my huge "to do" list...putting away Christmas, writing thank you notes, organizing my kitchen cabinets, organizing all the kids art supplies, paying bills, cleaning out closets and creating Goodwill giveaways. These things are are waaaay harder to do when you have 2 kiddos wanting to mess things up as you go!

January 2.

Another lazy day for Team Tillman. Everyone still isn't quite right with their sicknesses...we watched 2 movies, played with stamps and other Christmas goodies, "helped" deep clean bathrooms, do a zillllllion loads of laundry, and enjoy having daddy home for one more day.

January 3.

Stamps are a daily occurrence around here these days. Rad loves them...and yogurt smoothies, obviously. Sister begged me to watch Mickey even though I told her we were on a "no tv" week - I needed a break after the holiday binge watching. Grand plans of running errands were halted because of TONS OF RAIN. Saw this post on IG and saved it - SAHM's dreams definitely test their faith in God and His plan for us. Jeremiah 29:11.

January 4.

"Look Mommy! We look like astronauts!!" Love how they "assist" in doing dishes. HA! We pushed nap time back after church to escape into the 50+ degree weather and pretend it was spring time. We splashed in puddles, did swings, blew kisses to dogs, chased squirrels, and watched the school kids have recess. Everyone was allllll smiles to have gotten outside for fresh air.

January 5.

BACK to the doctor with this crew. Brother woke up with a croup cough and was scaring mommy and daddy with his gasping breathing. All is fine, but they gave him a prescription for a steroid to help with the inflammation in his airway. Got them to check Nora - turns out she STILL has a double ear infection - back on medication. Killing time at Target waiting for meds is always entertaining. And brother cant go anywhere without a Mickey something. :)

January 6.

Slowly feeling better. Lots of snuggles, movie watching, making beanie baby trains, chocolate chip cookies with breakfast and book reading happened today. SOOOOO over everyone being sick and this weather.

January 7.

Morning snuggles with daddy during this snow day. We got about an inch or so outside...too cold to play and not enough to go to the park and sled...plus these runny noses and coughs are NOT JOKE. We opted for eating snow instead - each consuming about 3 bowls. A slow day at home meals momma has time to make a more intricate me - paleo chicken picatta. (See here for recipe: http://www.noshtastic.com/easy-chicken-piccata/) yummy. Even the kiddos approved.