Total Body Toning Workout and Grandparents Day

Last night, my husband came home not feeling well so I decided to ditch my dinner plans and made noodle soup for him and leftover lobster ravioli for myself.  It wasn't quite what I hoped for but it filled my belly nonetheless.  In the grand scheme of leftovers, I think I made out pretty well.  I'm still hoping to make that Salmon Fishbowl tonight since I can't stop thinking about it and I bought all the ingredients for it yesterday.  We called it a really early night, like 8:30 early, which meant I was bright-eyed and bushy tailed before 5 am this morning.  So much for sleeping in... Oh well, I did have the luxury of lazing in bed reading for about an hour before deciding to get up, grab a second cup of coffee, check my e-mail, and muster up some motivation to squeeze in a cross-training workout today.  Today kicks off week 4 of my 10 week half-marathon training plan.

To help motivate myself, I came up with a new workout that I really enjoyed.  While planning it, I had a couple of goals in mind...

• challenge every major muscle group
• combine weights and plyometrics
• get my heart pounding
• finish quickly

I successfully accomplished my goal with the following 32 minute circuit:

I'd love it if you try it out and let me know what you think.  Let me know if it doesn't make sense too.  I had a hard time describing how it was organized.  I'd appreciate your feedback if you decide to give it a go.  That background photo is a doctored up photo of a window in my grandparents' barn.  Cool, huh? They've been on my mind a lot lately.

Happy Grandparent's Day to all you grandparents out there, by the way.  You guys are amazing people! Here's some of our favorites...(Photo dump alert!)

Oma and Daddy with the boys.

Oma and her boys.

My grandparents (the boys' great-grandparents)  and my parents
(the boys' grandparents) with me and the boys.

Mason and his Great-Grandpa.

My parents my sister with me and the boys in Washington DC.  

We are blessed to have so many family members who love these guys.

I also whipped up a batch of flourless black bean brownies after church this morning.  It's another recipe I've been wanting to try and it didn't disappoint.  I found the recipe here and the only change I made was to use applesauce in place of the oil.  Are they as decadent as a brownie chock full of butter? No.  Are they delicious and the perfect thing to nip a chocolate craving in the bud, YES, Ma'am.  I suggest you try them out.  Don't be afraid of the black beans.  You can't even taste them.

You know I had to add chocolate chips :-)  

Thankfully, I got the boys down for an early nap this morning because we're headed to a baby shower early this afternoon.  They're brave to invite all 3 of us.  I didn't really like baby showers until I got pregnant and realized how important it is to feel so pampered and cared for when you feel as big as a house and are a little nervous about what is to come.  I have a much different perspective now.  Pregnant moms rock and deserve every party they can get.

Hope you're enjoying your Sunday.  Don't forget to count you blessings and let a grandparent or two know how loved they are.