Saturday Chores and Sunday Funday

Yesterday morning, I made a to-do list a mile long with hopes of tackling the whole thing before my parents arrived that evening.  We got off to a bit of a slow start but picked up speed as the day wore on.  I was able to check everything off the list except picking up books from the library...not bad, I must say!

I vacuumed and did laundry while the boys played and ate breakfast.  Then we made ourselves presentable and hit the road for some errands which included a trip to the gym for a great full body weights workout...

I followed it up with 20 easy minutes on the elliptical.  It was an EXCELLENT workout if I do say so myself.  Makes me feel a little better about just taking a walk with my mom and the boys today.  I'll get back to the gym tomorrow.  Today it was much more to walk, talk, and soak up some sunshine while checking out ArtsFest.  I may or may not have gotten a little too much sun...woops!  

Yesterday also included a stop at the grocery store so we were well-prepared for our company...

SCORE!!!  

I had to dig into my emergency snacks on the way there and I must say, these simple bars are divine!!   I found them at Target and they only have 5 recognizable ingredients.  They could definitely satisfy a cookie craving....

While the boys napped, my next task was prepping a lasagna to be thrown into the oven for an easy, yummy meal for our company.  I tried a new recipe for eggplant parm lasagna and can't wait to test it out.  

I also had time to vacuum and skim the pool while the boys were sleeping.  After that, I was spent, so we spent the rest of the evening relaxing and goofing off...

Gotta love their muscle shirts!!  They are really starting to love the camera.  Can you tell who's who???  

Mason is in the red and Colton is in the blue.  

Since my parents got in late last night, the boys were already sleeping, but they wasted no time in saying hello this morning...

Sorry Grandpa and Mimsy...there's no sleeping in in this house. 

After spending most of the day outside and just finally filling our bellies with a yummy lunch, everyone except me is napping.  Time to take advantage of the quiet time and do some daytime reading.  Almost done with my book...

I have a feeling the rest of our day will involve lazing around the house.  Fine by me!!  

Tomorrow's a big day...we start our intense swimming lessons.  I can't wait to see how the boys respond to the program.  I have high hopes for them!!  My mom and I have some pedicures on the agenda for tomorrow as well.  Yippee!

Full Body Pyramid Dumbbell Workout

This week I've gotten in some great workouts, including today's (Friday) 5 mile stroller-free run which I finished in less than 41 minutes.  Talk about a nice way to start the day!  To top it all off my husband had breakfast waiting for me when I got back and he'd filled up the boys as well.  Score!

I was glad this run felt easier than Sunday's 7 mile easy run.  (It didn't feel as easy as I hoped it would.)  The heat really got to me that day and I struggled pushing the stroller over the bridges.  I'm still glad I did it though. 

My favorite workout this week took place on Monday and I've been meaning to let you in on this great workout ever since, but as you all know...life gets in the way sometimes.  Anyways, I came up with a new pyramid workout which I thoroughly enjoyed.  I completed the lower body portion as well as the back and chest exercises using 20 pound dumbbells.  I used 15 pounders for the biceps, triceps and shoulders.  Feel the burn!

Full Body Pyramid Dumbbell Workout

Complete 6 sets of the circuit, using the following number of reps for each exercise:

• Set 1: 25 reps
• Set 2: 20 reps
• Set 3: 15 reps
• Set 4: 10 reps
• Set 5: 5 reps (Don't let this set fool you.  It's kind of a rest period for the next set.)
• Set 6: 25 reps (KILLER!)

Complete the following exercises:

• Overhead press (Shoulders)
• Hammer curls  (Biceps)
• Triceps kickbacks (Triceps :-) )
• Dumbbell bench press (Chest)
• Bent over rows (Back)
• Squats (Glutes and Quads)
• Deadlifts (Glutes and Hamstrings)
• Lunges (Quads)
• Plie Squat Pulses (Inner thighs - I used one 20 lb dumbbell held in between my legs for these)

You'll notice the reps add up to 100.  Nice, huh?  I rested for a minute or so after each set but didn't rest in between exercises. Keep that navel pulled in to the spine on every rep and you'll be sure to engage your core as well.   

Another great workout I tried this week came from the Peanut Butter Fingers blog.   It's called the burpee sandwich and it was a great addition to my plyometrics workout on Tuesday.  It looks like this: 

Since I was stuck at home, I jogged in place for 5 minutes before and after the burpee intervals.  I also tacked on one minute of each of the following exercises:

• Jumping Jacks
• High Knees
• Jump Ropes
• Mountain climbers
• Butt kicks
• Heismans
• Jump squats
• Up-down planks
• Switchkicks 
• Mummy kicks

Wednesday, I got in a great little 3 mile run, some plank work, and did a quickie arm workout.


Thursday, I did some intervals on the elliptical and did my dropset legs workout.  

The plan for Saturday is active REST!!! I earned it.  We're hoping to take the boys on a bike ride and maybe take a walk downtown sometime if the weather cooperates.  Might be more of a pool day if it's too hot.  I'm good with whatever happens.  Hope your weekend is wonderful!