Tag: Father’s Day

Weekending & Life Lately Catch-Up

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Good morning! I hope you all had a great weekend 🙂 Mine was really pretty great and I actually took pictures so I thought I’d spend today sharing those with you! But, before I get to that, let’s catch up over the past couple of weeks. I can’t believe we’ve been back from Italy for over 3 weeks- seems like just yesterday we were packing up to go there.

  • I’ve been working out outside a lot- whether in the form of running or bootcamp style workouts. With the nicer weather upon us, I just want to be outside as much as possible!

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  • But, I’m also loving being back in the gym with weights and strength training! Feels so good to leave the gym with jello-feeling everything 🙂

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  • I’m participating in Neghar Fonooni’s Bikini Rebellion challenge this month and am more than obsessed with it. If you follow me on Instagram, then you’ve probably seen some very personal, “leave it all on the table” types of posts, which has been hard, but also really refreshing.
  • We’ve been loving healthy, light meals. In the heat, it’s awesome to throw something together quickly!

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  • My curly hair is back… BIG and back! I was afraid my curls were going away over the winter, but fear not… it was just the dry weather that made my hair less curly than usual!

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Weekending: Local 149, drink maple. review, Quick Trip To Maine

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This past weekend was just what I needed: a good mix of some girl time, early nights, Maine and family time. The only thing missing was time with RM… whomp, whomp.

Friday night, the Shapleigh girls were supposed to have a girls night, but Rachel ended up being sick and couldn’t join 😦 Danielle and Amy and I still decided to go out, though, which was a nice way to unwind from the week. I’ve been DYING to get to Local 149 in Southie, so I was so happy when we decided to go there. I have to say, it totally lived up to my expectations! We started with wine and then ordered a number of apps- it wasn’t the healthiest meal I had all week, but it was damn good! I can’t wait to go back.

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Saturday I taught a great kickboxing class, but only one of my “front row” girls was there! Where were the rest of you girls??

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From there, I headed up to Maine. Mom and I met for lunch at Mill 67 which is a new restaurant built in an old mill building right on the water. I loved everything about it! The atmosphere, location, service, food and wine. We shared the Warm Kale Salad and Tomato and Basil Pizza.

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What I loved about the restaurant’s menu was that it was all locally made/grown and they offered gluten free options (even pizza dough… which we didn’t do because I wanted regular pizza). I can’t wait to go back.

Father’s Day was low key, but I think it was just what dad wanted. We went to church then picked up some fried seafood for him and sat on the patio. I hope he had a great weekend!

On my way back to MA, I stopped by my friend Caitlin’s house hoping to catch the tail end of her son Tucker’s 1st birthday party. Sadly, everyone was gone, but it was good to catch up with her- even though it was too short of a visit!

drink maple. Review
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A few weeks ago, I was contacted drink maple. to see if I wanted to try their product. When I read about it, I decided I would take them up on their offer! Here are some stats from their site:

maple. is pure maple water is a natural refreshing, hydrating water with a hint of maple flavor. It contains fortifying vitamins, minerals, polyphenols, antioxidants, prebiotics and is naturally low in calories. We tap maple. straight from the tree and bottle it with absolutely NOTHING added. It is the perfect way to hydrate and nourish your body the same way it nourishes the maple trees. DRINKmaple.

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After going to see Fed Up!, I’ve really tried to cut back on unnecessary sugars and be more away of labels and what’s in the food and drinks I’m putting into my body. Post workout, I’m always looking for something to help me rehydrate, but the normal drinks I turn to: Vitamin Water, Gatorade, Propel, etc., are filled with sugars and other ingredients that I can’t read or understand. The only thing in drink maple. is pure maple sap- love that!

So, after class on Saturday, I decided to check it out.

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The verdict? Initially, I didn’t like it as much as I wanted to, but after a few sips, it started to grow on me. It wasn’t that I didn’t like the flavor, but more that it was weird drinking a lightly flavored drink without fiz! I ended up saving half and putting it in the fridge at my parents and decided I like it better when it’s nice and cold, rather than cool like they suggested. I want to get my hands on some more of this because I really think it’s a great drink to have after a workout! Thanks for letting me try it out 🙂

Questions for you: What was the best part of your weekend? Have you been to Local 149 or Mill 67? What did you do for Father’s Day? Have you heard of drink maple.?

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Happy Father’s Day!

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Good morning! Happy Father’s Day to all the dad’s out there, especially mine!

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When I asked my dad what he wanted for Father’s Day, he simply said “for you to be home”. Easy enough, right?! It’s great to be here in Maine with him on this special day- he really is the best dad a girl could ask for. He’s always there to help me with bill questions, apartment issues/questions, gardening questions and general life issues and questions. So, dad- thank you for that. You have no idea how much your love and support means to me! I hope you have a wonderful Father’s Day!

This Week {A day late… again…}: Workouts, back to a normal schedule and things I’m looking forward to

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Hey everyone! I feel like I haven’t popped in to say hi in a while- life has been a bit crazy lately, but it’s all good, fun and exciting stuff so I can’t really complain! Did you catch the awesome guest post from Tony that I posted on Friday? Here it is if you did- it’s worth a read: Guest Post: How To Prepare For A Triathlon.  I just got home from the most wonderful little weekend getaway with RM, so I can’t wait to catch you up on that. But first- the workouts. I ended up getting in 2 workouts while away, which I wasn’t planning on or expecting, but since RM wanted to sleep in and I was up, bright eyed and bushy tailed ready to go, getting in a quick workout was a great way to give me something to do while I let him sleep.

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- Since it was my first day of work at my new job, I got up and did my workout in the morning. I was really sore from my 6 mile run the day before, so I just did this HIIT scorcher from the Fitnessista before doing some strength circuits.
  • Tuesday- I got up to workout before work again so that I could get a pedicure after work. I ran a tough, sucky 3 miles (how is it that I had just ran SIX miles that felt great, yet last week my 3 mile run was like the death of me?!?!) and called it a day. I ended up walking for about 30 minutes during lunch which was a nice break!

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  • Wednesday- I ended up running 4 miles on the treadmill for National Running Day before I taught my UXF Burn class. Was a great day of workouts!

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  • Thursday- I taught SHRED and Cardio Kickboxing. I used a new format in SHRED that, in my head, was perfectly easy to understand, but when I went to teach it, the members were so confused and couldn’t remember what to do. I hate that! I set up 8 stations with various things at them: medicine balls, BOSU balls, stability balls, weights, towels, steps, etc. and then at each station I wrote down 3 exercises for the small groups to do. They did each for 60 seconds and then again for 30 seconds before moving on to the next station. I loved the workout, but unfortunately wasn’t able to do it all with them because it was a bigger group and they needed lots of assistance. That left me plenty of energy for my kickboxing class, though!
  • Friday- Rest day. We had a 9am flight and I had been up early every day so I decided to sleep instead of workout. Good decision on my part. We ended up doing a decent amount of walking between the airport and walking around Miami.
  • Saturday- I got up and ran a SWEATY 3 miles on the treadmill (and walked a half a mile) before completing a small circuit and some extra core work. Great way to start the day… and earn my poolside cocktails 😉 RM and I also went for a nice walk!

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  • Sunday- I woke up feeling surprisingly good after having drank a lot the day/night before, so I went to the gym for a quick workout. I did 10 minutes on the treadmill and then some supersets- I felt it yesterday!

This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I didn’t do anything yesterday. We wanted to get to the pool early and I was tired so I decided to sleep.
  • Tuesday- My plan today is to get a 3-4 mile run in after work and then some core exercises.
  • Wednesday- The usual: probably a run and then teaching UXF Burn.
  • Thursday- Teaching SHRED and then Kickboxing.
  • Friday- I might rest on Friday pending on how I feel. My new work schedule is working from home on Mondays instead of Fridays so I’ll be at the office. I may try to get in a walk during lunch.
  • Saturday- I’ll be at the YMCA teaching my cardio kickboxing class!
  • Sunday- I’ll be up in Maine (again…) for Father’s Day so I’m sure I’ll get something in!

Getting Back on Schedule

Over the past 3+ weeks, my schedule has been, well, non-existent. Between ending my old job, taking a week+ for myself, starting a new job and then going to Miami, I’ve been all over the place and any sort of routine or schedule has been completely thrown to the wayside. I have to say, though, it’s been really nice! My weeks were so regimented: breakfast was the same, lunch and snacks were the same, I had the same stuff after work, etc. It’s been a good change to not be on a schedule and it’s given my body time to get off of all the normal things it eats and does. With that said, though, I’m ready to be back on some type of schedule- I’m ready to tone it down on the eating out and can’t wait to be making my lunches again and cooking up nice, healthy dinners!

Things I’m Looking Forward To

I’m actually excited to be back in the office this week. I’m really enjoying my new job thus far and can’t wait to be in the full swing of it. I’m also looking forward to Friday night because the Shapleigh girls are having a night out! I bought a Groupon for the Brahmin a while ago so we are going to go for dinner and a few drinks. Lastly, even though I’ve been home to Maine so much lately, I am looking forward to spending Father’s Day with my dad and going to Tucker’s 1st birthday party! And, let’s face it- I love going to Maine!

Questions for you: What was the best workout you had last week? Did you participate in National Running Day? What are you looking forward to this week? Do you find yourself eating the same thing day after day during the week?

Baby Tucker and Father’s Day Recap

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Even though the weekend was a bit hectic and busy (literally nonstop the whole time!), it was so much fun. Last week, my friend, Caitlin, had her little baby boy, Tucker and I was dying to go visit the two of them (and Matt! Don’t want to leave the hubby out!). Luckily, our schedules aligned on Sunday morning so I headed over after I finished up some blog work.

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Look at that hair! Tuck was 8lbs 2oz, 20 inches long (right Cait?)

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(Sorry this one is blurry!)

I was so happy that Tucker was awake the whole time I was there. His blue eyes literally melted my heard and listening to him coo and watching him squirm around was so fun. He totally stared at me, too… love at first sight! 😉

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Caitlin said she, Matt and Tucker are having a great time so far, which is always good to hear from new parents. She and Sara are going to get together since Zeke and Tucker are just about a week apart! Maybe they’ll be besties 🙂

I let them get to giving him a bath and I headed home to spend time with papa bear on Father’s Day. He cooked a rotisserie chicken (aka, Rostis Chick in our house- we love abbrevs!) on the grill and WOW did it come out great.

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Before we ate, dad decided he was ready to open his presents. I got him a pressure canner that he asked for. He and my mom like to can their veggies from the garden, but have never had a pressure canner so I am excited to see how much better and easier it will be to can now that they have one!

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“Now let me read all that this pressure canner can do, ok? And then I’ll open it”

Needless to say, dad LOVED his gift and that made me so happy! Granted, it’s not hard to buy the right gift when you receive an email stating exactly what to buy (love that about you, Dad!). On top of the pressure canner, mom got him a funny little garden turtle because, well, dad has had some serious issues with snapping turtles this year.

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For some reason, they love the gardens and I swear one has it out for him. He literally drove it 2 miles down the road near other water and somehow it made it back to our house 2 days later. Needless to say, dad has been having nightmares about snapping turtles coming after him, so hopefully this little bugger will keep them away!

After presents, we served lunch and even ate in the dining room- a shocker!

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This is probably one of my favorite meals, except we were missing the stuffing 😦 Chicken, tomato-zucchini casserole, garlic smashed potatoes and asparagus. Yum! It was nice to sit down and have a nice meal together. But, what was even better than lunch was looking out the window and seeing a little deer!

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Maine living. There is really nothing like it!

On our way back down to MA, we made a quick pit-stop at Sara’s mom’s to see little Zeke one last time. We won’t see him until the 4th of July and that makes me so sad:( He’s going to be so big by then!

We hit a little traffic, but got home with enough time for me to go grocery shopping and cook dinner. Here’s a teaser… I’ll post the recipe later 😉

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Looks good, huh?

Questions for you: Would you rather someone tell you exactly what they want for a present or would you prefer to do it on your own? Have you had an issues with animals destroying your garden? What was the best part of your weekend?