NEW

Just had to post quick to brag about MY NEW SHOES!! Check out these kicks…

Special shout-out to the gentleman that helped me at Scheel’s last weekend. He knew a ton about Asics and answered all of my questions. It’s been so long since I bought new running shoes that they no longer even make the style of shoe I had. Yikes. But this is the Cumulus 15 in black and pink and let me tell you, they are amazing! They’re so light that I feel like I’m springing forward when I run. Absolutely no complaints here.

In other news, be watching my blog for some changes this weekend. Eek, I’m excited for new things! More to come… :)

Mommy Time Management

It’s 5:00 a.m. and my alarm is sounding. BEEP BEEP BEEP! Can it be morning already? Please tell me it’s not true! Maybe if I ignore the time, cover my head with the pillow, and wish it all away, I can somehow squeeze in an extra hour of sleep. Or, I can pull my little butt out of bed and get to the gym. *Sigh* Get to the gym, Kris!!

Ok, this is a typical weekday morning for me. You can bet I’ve spent a lot of the last few months evaluating how to be more efficient. For example, I’ve come to realize that morning workouts are truly the best option for me. They get me prepared for the day and it’s nearly an entire hour I have ALL to myself.

I knew that it would be harder to accomplish everything I wanted to in a day with a little one in the house, but I never realized how hard it would be. I have stupidly been trying to continue on as if I don’t have Makenna (i.e. doing all the house work in one night, cook every meal, finish the laundry, etc., etc.) and then end up disappointed by the end of the evening because I didn’t get to spend much time with my little missy. My husband tells me I need to let a few things go. “Seriously, cleaning the stove can wait.” Cue my eye roll here. (I hate letting him know he’s right.) :)

So, in order to accomplish what’s important to me and feel like I’ve spent ample time spoiling my sweet little girl, I’ve come up with a list of priorities. Bear with me… I realize this post is getting long.

·         Get in my daily workout – 5 a.m. really is the best time. Then it’s done and I’m revved up for the day! If I go without, I seem to drag all day. Picture a hunched over cave man dragging his hands on the ground. It’s ugly, folks.

·         Complete one house cleaning item a day – Sorry, I know it might seem weird, but keeping a clean house is just important to me. So I take 15-20 minutes and pick one thing. Then it’s checked off the list!

·         Provide a fruit and vegetable at every meal – This task has been a little more daunting. I don’t always have time, but I’m trying to get things prepared over the weekend if I can. Providing a balanced meal for my family is extremely important to me. I want my kids to grow up healthy and understanding the importance of living a fit lifestyle.  

·         Spend as much time with my family as I can – I love my family! I want to give as much of myself to them as I can. I’m even experimenting with mixing in healthy activities we can all do together. I know, crazy right? :) 

Well, I had better call it a night. It's nearly 10 and I have to be up in... 7 hours and 11 minutes. But who's counting? ;)

Happiness found in a sweet baby girl

Hello all! It has been so long since I last posted again, but I have a new full time job - Motherhood! I'm so pleased to announce miss Makenna Kay Larson:

This was taken the day we brought her home from the hospital. Isn't she a doll? She was born on my exact due date, March 31st, at 1:45 in the afternoon, coming in at 7lbs, 10 ozs, and 21" long. And my life has never been the same since. :)

She's now almost four months old and this sweet picture was taken just a few days ago:

She has her daddy's hazel eyes, but my dark hair. For now, anyway. My family has become my new number 1 priority and I can't remember what life was like before there were 3 of us.

  

I still have a passion for fitness, and plan to post on that later this week, but I wanted to make give my sweet pea a little intro first. Our lives are forever changed. :) 

Snow Day Joys

Nothing like relaxing on the couch watching the snow fall. Especially when it's probably the most snow we've had all year combined. I'm definitely a summer girl, but every once in a while, I enjoy watching the snow fall so gently to the ground.

So today, I took some time to soak it in with pure "snow day" essentials.

{What's more heart-warming on a cold day than a hot crockpot of chili?}

{A hot mug of cocoa is a must!}

Also, as I am a warm-weathered gal, I did take a few moments to enjoy my flowers that are thriving so well indoors. Gotta love the pink! (And the reminder that spring is right around the corner. Hopefully...)

{Beautiful}

And for one last look for the day, here was my view from the living room window late this afternoon. It has continued snowing so I will have to take another picture of tomorrow's final snowfall.

{Looks so peaceful in these pictures}

And that's a summary of the day! Hope you've all enjoyed watching the snowfall also! Safely from your living room window of course. :)

Sunday Brunch

Oh my, do I have a Sunday brunch treat to share today!

{Makes my mouth water!}

For those of you who know me, you know that I have an unapologetic love for pancakes. They are my favorite thing to make on the weekends while catching up on the news and relaxing in my PJs. Perfect with a nice, warm cup of coffee. Wish I could spend every morning of the week that way!

Anyway, my love for pancakes has sent me on a search for a healthy, guilt-free version that doesn't exchange taste for healthfulness. And today I think I found the golden ticket! This recipe was discovered through Pinterest and I have fallen in love with this blog: skinnytaste.com. The author bases all of her recipes on weight watchers points so it's nice to see some healthy options that can fit into every day life.

So, on to the recipe:

Whole Wheat Pancakes

You will need:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour 
• 4 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups + 2 tbsp fat free milk
• 2 tsp vanilla

{Everything you need}

Now mix all of the dry ingredients together, then add the wet ingredients. Mix well until there are no more dry clumps. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. (I actually used my large griddle on the counter top so that I could cook more at a time). Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto the heated surface. When the pancakes start to bubble, you may add fruit if you wish. I had a half a carton of blueberries in the fridge that needed to be cleaned up so this seemed like the perfect way to do so.

{Halfway done}

{Fresh blueberries}

When the bubbles settle and edges begin to set, flip the pancakes. Repeat with the remainder of the batter, and enjoy!

I added just a little bit of syrup for sweetness, but the blueberries do add a lot on there own.

{Yummo}

So yummy, it's still making my mouth water.

This makes a total of 14 pancakes at only 172 calories for two. Delicious and low in calories! Plus I had plenty left to freeze and reheat for breakfasts later this week! Or you know, for lunch... or dinner. You can never have enough pancakes!

Baby Stuff :)

Be prepared for a pink overload tonight! While the main focus of my blog is based on living a healthy lifestyle, I can't help but have a post here and there regarding baby Larson. Only a few weeks left to go and we just had two baby showers last week, so the nursery is really coming together and I just have to share!

{The hubby set this up a couple weeks ago}

{Now we have all of the beautiful bedding, too!}

{Pink, pink, pink!}

The ultimate theme of the room is just pink and gray. I have a few elephants here and there as well as a this whole bedding set of little pink birds. It's just too cute! Once the nursery is complete, I will post more pictures.

In the meantime, my friends Amanda, Jenny, and Chelsey managed to throw me an amazing shower this past weekend:

{It's a Girl!}

{Check out the wall decorations!}

{A few gifts - Amanda created this bathtub complete with diapers and toys}

Last, but not least, I have to share a belly picture. These were taken a few days ago when I was at 32 weeks. I'm actually starting to lose track of how far along I am because it's getting easier to count down instead. So, in these pictures, I only have 8 more weeks to go before the due date!

{How much bigger can I get? :)}

Ok, that's all on Baby Larson for now. But I will still be doing updates here and there. I want you all to see what she looks like in a few weeks, of course! :)

*February Resolution*

February marks the beginning of my second resolution of the year: Organize, organize, organize! I have to admit, Cory and I are pretty organized people, but we have certain areas of our house that are... less than put together. (Namely my closet) :)

I'm using Pinterest to help me get some ideas on how to keep things accessible, yet functional. I'm all about efficiency!

Here would be my dream closet:

{Beautiful}

Sadly, I do not have an extra room in my house that I could selfishly turn into a closet, no matter how much I would love it.

So, here's more of what I have in mind for my (much smaller) closet:

{You can find just what you're looking for}

Well, I do have the month ahead of me, so who knows what I'll come up with. :) All I know is that the nursery closet will be reorganized after the showers this month, and my closet certainly won't be far down the list. I think some of the drawers and cupboards in the kitchen could use some TLC, too. Looks to be a busy month!