Update since the last post.....

Why hello there!!!

I completely forgot about this blog, and stumbled across it yesterday. I read through most of it and it really reminded me of so much I forgot about! Mostly parenting stuff, and how I clearly had more thoughts back then.

Now, I feel like a robot a little. Wake up, get Elyse ready for school, Alistair for stroller strides, feed them breakfast, drop her off, go to stroller strides, come home, do at home workout, pick up Elyse, make lunch, clean kitchen, put alistair for a nap, get stuff done around the house (or nap with alistair) make dinner, clean up dinner, go teach class/or go to mixxedfit/or sit with Cole and try to get some peace and quiet, help cole put the kids down. Over and over like its groundhogs day!

Its been over a year since i've posted, (looks like about a year and a half) and I'm still doing the same things! Still working on creating my happy and healthy body. Continuing to push myself with new programs. Since the last post, I've continued running quite a few more races including a full marathon and 2 disney half marathons.

Elyse is going to be in kindergarten this fall and Alistair will be going to preschool!! Yes, after 5 years, I will finally get 4hrs a week to myself. I love love love being a stay at home mom now. I've finally learned to enjoy and embrace it more. It was a very long road there, and still sometimes when in social situations (which is rare) I get awkward about saying I stay home as my job. But I've really started to take a lot more pride in it. More often now when I say I stay home with two young kids, the response is more positive. For example: "oh you have one of the toughest and yet the most unappreciated job in the world." I prefer this response over "oooooohhhhhh......." or "must be nice to be home all the time"

Anyways, still at it with the weight loss thing. I gained a little back last year when I started working part time at Starbucks. I was working only when Cole was home since my wages were less than an hourly babysitter. It was becoming too much stress and no time as a family. After 7 months, I had to quit and remember that my main priority was my family and not any kind of career. I was a barista, so it wasn't a career job anyways, but it was fun and challenging. Also, you got one piece of food per shift and as many drinks as you wanted per shift. Lets just say all the chocolate croissants and double smoked bacon sandwiches, mixed with tons of milk and sugar did not bode well. I gained 15lbs in those 7 months working there. I was also training for a full  marathon at the time, so it really shows how having those bad foods a couple days a week can really effect you over time even with a lot of exercise.

So I spent the fall and winter of 2015 all the way to now watching what I ate and exercising a lot. I joined weight watchers and started(and finished) Bikini Body Guide. Combo helped me lose all the weight. Now I'm back to trying to get down lower on the scale (or inches) from here. Again.

Also, since then I have become a certified instructor for Fit4mom. I am certified to teach Stroller Strides, Stroller Barre, Fit4Baby, Body Back and to run a Fit4mom running club. Currently I was teaching Body Back as well as Stroller Strides and Stroller Barre last year, but right now I am only teaching Body Back which I love teaching.

I doubt I will be able to regularly post since my life is pretty much the same with the kids and their schedules now. But maybe i'll surprise everyone and actually do it :)

Seattle Rock N Roll Half Maraton

It's the tuesday after the Rock N Roll 1/2 Marathon in Seattle. I am finally feeling back to normal as far as soreness goes. I will be attempting my first short run since. 2 miles today. I want to start back up, but very slowly. 

So the RnR, it was awesome. The course was a challenge but in the end, my end time was 2:20:06 and I am very very proud of my time. I was expecting to get about 2:42 so shaving 24 min off my time is a huge accomplishment for me. Also, it was my first half marathon. I feel like all my training and all the time I spent training was completely worth it and really paid off. I ran with my running buddy (Amanda) and it felt like the run went by very quickly. We talked, we ran, we people watched and it made the time go by faster than music or podcasts. We even continued to challenge each other. When one of us was going slower, the other one would keep the other going. It was perfect!! (although the Gu station was gross)

It was a beautiful day and I couldn't have asked for a better first 1/2 marathon. I feel so happy about having accomplished something I never ever thought I would in my lifetime. Cole and I also felt the need to continue to challenge ourselves and signed up the the RnR Marathon next year. Oh yea, not the 1/2, it will be a full 26.2 miles. whew!!! so hopefully the training goes well!!!

What's next!? Amanda and I have entered as a group into the Nike Women's 1/2 marathon in San Francsico. It is a very popular race so people are selected by random draw. We find out this week if we are picked. We really are hoping to be picked! It's the day after my 30th birthday and would be an awesome way to celebrate my 30th! If we don't get picked for that, we still want to do a 1/2 marathon. So we are toying with the idea of doing the RnR LA or the Long Beach 1/2 Marathon. I'm currently leaning toward the RnR LA because I would get an extra medal for running 2 RnRs in one year, and then Cole could do Tough Mudder that same weekend. But the Long Beach one seems much flatter. So we will see!!!

Last time I blogged, I had lost 22.6 pounds since January 2014. As of today, I have lost 34lbs. I am more than half way. I am looking to lose another 14lbs, but it will take some time. I hope to keep it up!!

Spring is here!

I know, I have been absolutely HORRIBLE at updating my blog and I should do it more often(I say this every year, almost every post!haha) It's been 2 months (almost) since my last post, so its about time :)

What can I really say though. My main focus these last two months is getting my weight down and under control. I have been really dedicated to the cause (FINALLY!) and since Christmas I have lost a total of 22.9lbs! Woo hoo!! I am a numbers and results person. My motivation is seeing the improvement. When I don't, I lose all motivation. It's addicting too. Although I am happy I've lost as much as I have, am still not even half way to my goal of what I want to lose. But I am close to half way!

Some may say to me "why do you want to lose so much weight?". Well, for one, I never lost the weight from when I got pregnant with Elyse and just gained MORE when I was pregnant with Alistair, and then didn't lose that either. I was at the biggest I had ever been and I wasn't carrying a child. I was avoiding seeing people and going to parties. I even went to a party of people I hadn't seen since befoore pregnancy and the look on their faces was a little surprising. Although I know it wasn't intentional and not meant to hurt my feelings but it made me realize, I am huge. I am not only bigger than ever, I hate how I look. 

I was avoiding cameras and people. It don't want to be a mom that doesn't take photos with my kids. I don't want to think "my looks are fading" or my "best years are behind me". I want to be the size or close to the size I was when I first moved to Seattle. I was a happy, confident person. I was comfortable with how I looked. So thats my goal. 

How am I doing this? The first thing I did was buy a fitbit. I have worn my fitbit flex every single day since the day I got it. It was one of the best investments for my weight loss. It made me realize how inactive I am/was. I was aiming to hit a goal of 10,000 steps a day. I got one back in August of 2013. Still to this day, it is hard for me to meet that goal, but I am trying harder to get there than I first did.

Then I joined stroller strides. This was a decent workout that I could do without dropping my kids at daycare. Unfortunately, the franchise I was at closed at the end of October 2013. So then I tried Barre class, and that was AWESOME!! the workout was sooo hard, but it was really expensive, so that didn't last long. Finally, I signed up for the Jingle Bell 5k in Dec. I ran it and it felt so rewarding since I am a self-proclaimed "non-runner".  Then someone new was buying the Renton Stroller Strides so I went to a "meet and greet" she was having. There she mentioned how she how she was going to teach the Body Back Program.

So I decided to sign up for Body back over stroller strides. Best decision ever. Body back really made me realize how much improvement I needed and that I could do it. On top of that, as I mentioned before, I am training for a few runs. I did a 5k in early march and beat my last time by abound 10 min. MY next run is the Seahawks 12k in April which I have been training for. Next I have the Run like a Mother 5k which I hope to beat my last time.  Then Bay to Breakers in May, but I heard you can't really run because it's so crowded. Then lastly, I signed both Cole and I up for the Rock n Roll half Marathon on June 21st. So that is what I will be training for after the 12k. whew!! its going to be hard but I can do this!!!

So with the training and Body Back (I signed up for another session) I work out 5-6 days a week. On top of that, I use Myfitness Pal app to track my calories. This has been a big contributor to my weight in my opinion. I start every morning with a cup of water water and half a lemon squeezed, I cut out caffine, but I still drink decaf drinks, and count my calories for the rest of the day. Also my fitbit connects to the MFP app and the more steps I get the more calories I can eat. I log or scan all my food. I also have my food journal open so others can see it. It keeps me honest and more accountable. I also have given up desserts for lent and hope to continue to cut out desserts. Not completely because, what kind of life is a life without desserts?!

 But before all of this, the first thing I do is weight myself, every morning. I look forward to it, and I spend my day making better choices so that the next day when I get on the scale the number changes for the better :) 

It is a fitbit scale so it also syncs to the MFP app which shows me how much I lost which is great!

Anyways, hopefully what I am doing continues to work and I can get to my goal weight someday!!

How's the resolution going??

Usually at this point, many people have forgotten their resolutions and there are the few that are still going for it, and then there are the others that have decided to just give up. Well, I'm happy to say, I am still full-blown working on my resolution. Everyday reminding myself that I am doing this for the good of myself and family and no one else. 

I have signed up for a great program through Stroller Strides called Body Back. It is an 8 week long program with a meal plan and workouts twice a week plus homework(more working out and reminding us to stay motivated). I'm doing this with my friend Amanda and we are four weeks into it. So far, so good!! 6 lbs down and I feel so much better! The meal plan is easier than I had expected too which is really helpful!! On the days we aren't in class, Amanda and I have been starting to train for the Seahawks 12k run in April. (It's April 13th and cole is doing it as well, so if anyone wants to come and babysit, that would be awesome!!!)

I also have a 5k on March 5th, but at this point in the training, it will be a breeze. Honestly though, I am not a runner, never have been. I have really impressed myself with amount of running I have been able to complish lately!! Yesterday, according to my training plan, I needed to run 2 miles. So I went to the gym and ran 2 miles on the treadmill, and went home and felt like it wasn't enough. I took the kids and went on a walk/run of 3.75 miles. Yes thats a total of 5.75miles rather than the 2 I needed to do. 

Now, when I say I "ran" 2 miles, I mean I ran as much of it as I could. I am not yet able to run 2 miles straight. But I run about 95% of it which is more than I have ever been able to do. Also, I run very very slow and I am okay with that. When I try to run faster, I end up walking more. So I prefer my slow pace. I saw this great quote that I repeat to myself daily "I run slower than a pack of turtle through peanut butter, but I run." It's me. Plus, I love turtles and it makes me think of my old turtle Arnie, going through peanut butter :).

On a different note, YAY to my SEAHAWKS!!! Super Bowl Champs!! Also, I must say, everyone is giving Sherman soooo much flack for this interview after his ninners game and at first, I was pretty turn off by it all. But when I think about it more, I think its ridiculous how much people are upset by it. It's a game for the rest of us, this is his job, his career. He was heated and got passionate and it was on TV. He said in an interview, people want him to be a robot on tv and he's not. He is a person and I believe he has the right to get upset. For those pointing the finger and saying "shame on you", have you never gotten upset at work and cussed under your breath or even at someone??? yea... didn't think so. His just happens to be on TV and everyone gets to see him at the best and worst of times. No one is perfect. So yes, after its all said and done. I like Sherman. There I said it!

Go Hawks!!!! On to many more victories!! 

Lastly, HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

New year, New Dreams

Belated Hello!!!

As usual, "It's been awhile!" haha

Well, another new year, and another new dream. It's that time where everyone talks about their New Years resolutions. If you're anything like me, I break them or forget by the time valentines day comes around. A whole year is a LONG time to remember a resolution. I decided that this year my resolution will be more vauge and hopefully more attainable!

So my resolution is stop thinking about what everyone else thinks of me, and do things to make myself a little happier. Since being a stay at home mom, I have been more depressed and unable to see the good in what I do and always the bad. I constantly worry about the sterotype and in the beginning it was about losing who I was. I didn't realize how much having a child would turn my entire life into a different one. I mean, I knew, I heard people telling me, but it's one of those things that you can't really know till you get there. 

Anyways, there no "lose weight" goal or "write a novel" goal. Simply, (or not so simply) stop caring so much about everyone else and work on myself. How am I going about this without being uber selfish? Well, when I think about it, the things that would make me happy is 1) having a happy and healthy family. 2)have a happy and healthy body 3) having happy and healthy relationships. 

For the first, the more I do and with my family and not try to give myself "pinterest stress". Also stop comparing myself to other moms and wives, and just do my own best the better off I will be. Keeping a postivie attitude (but I am still allowed to get upset) and just not beat myself up so much for not being the best at anything. Having dinner on the table when I can, get my kids to eat better foods and teaching them things wheter they actually pick it up or not. I have also realized, I'm a better mom when I get a break. So I am trying to find a new hobby that helps me gett away for a few hours a month. Right now I have tried painting, but it's $$$ so I don't know if I can keep it up. 

For the second, I can't go on any kind of diet. Its not my personality and it will cause me a lot of mental stress that I am already trying to avoid. Instead, I will try to make better choices but still allow myself some of my weaknesses (smores). Food makes me happy so I can't deprive myself of it. Plus, when trying to cook for a toddler and adults, it gets tricky. Instead, I want to work out more. I enjoy working out but finding the time is VERY difficult. I've signed up for a few runs coming up! the Seahawks 12k at the landing and the hot chocolate run :) Looking ot sign up for more. Those are also not cheap but it keeps me from flaking and I have to run no matter what!!! (plus I invested in lots of running/workout stuff this christmas so I NEED to use it!)

For the last, I always worry about bugging people or offending people. But I shouldn't with my friends. So I am going to try harder to be myself. Also to just invite people to do things even if i feel like I am bugging everyone. I know I would rather be invited to something I can't go to then not invited at all. Also to focus on those that also focus on me. I spent a lot of my life making lots and lots of friends and for a long time (when I didn't have kids and had the time to maintain all those friendships) I had a lot of friends. But since becoming a mom, it's been very difficult. Not only do I have a hard time staying friends with some people, it's been hard to make new friends since my whole world revolves around being a stay at home mom. So I want to be a better friend to those that have decided that I was a friend to keep and am still friends with. Those are obviously the important ones. But I am going to to try to not stress about the friendships that have drifted apart. 

To finish this up, its a lot when I think about it. But by the end of the year, I want to be a happier person and hope that some of that happiness willl rub off on others :)

Belated Happy Holidays!

Alistair by weeks

I've spent a lot of time collecting photos apps and making these fun memories of my son. I wish I had done this for Elyse too.

Some of these are "old pictures" for some of you, but I thought it would be fun to see them side by side and see how far he's come :)

ps the last post about arbonne was written 2 months ago and i just noticed it didn't post. So I sent it through again. 

Arbonne!!

Some may have noticed some of my recent posts on facebook and pinterest about Arbonne!

What is Arbonne and why am I posting about it? Well it's this great company I have decided to work for as an independent consultant. Arbonne is a company that produces botanically based ultra premium skin care products, cosmetics and wellness products. I have been using the skin care and wellness products and love them. I think I am borderline obsessed with them actually.

They contain no chemical dyes, fragrances and carcinogens, 100% vegan certified(which means no animal testing and no animal products or by-products), paraben free and swiss formulated. It's wonderful!! I feel like for the first time in my life that I am actually taking care of my skin and enjoying it!

What do I do as an independent consultant? Currently, I am in training, but anyone can become one. But once I am comfortable, I can have people book parties with me where they invite friends over and learn about Arbonne. This is something that is going to take some time for me to be comfortable with and learn more about the products and company, but it's something I am really excited about and hope I stick with it.

If you are interested in learning more about Arbonne or want to host a party(oh and as a host you can get discount on products based on sales at the party and a small free gift!), email me hsvangundy@gmail.com.

Why am I doing this? Well, I have been a stay at home mom for over two years now. I enjoy staying with my kids a lot but am also looking for a way to get some social interaction, get out of my work out clothes and pjs, make a little money and keep my brain educated by learning new things! Also, I really do like the product and learning about the key elements and active ingredients in things, then comparing it to what I use on myself and family on a daily basis.

It's not easy to do right now or give it my 100% all. Adjusting to life with two kids at home and having a happy family is still my main focus in life. This is a nice and exciting side project for me that I would like to try to be successful with!

So if I ask you "can you host an arbonne party for me?" I apologize now if it's annoying, but I have to at least try! You don't have to buy anything at all, if anything just hear what I have to say about the company and products. I really do believe in them.

For example, right now I am using the RE9 anti-aging set face set and also the RE9 Firming cream among many other products. I am using the Firming cream on my ugly stretch marks I have gotten from my most recent pregnancy and I can already tell the difference. They aren't gone (yet!) but they are absolutely fading!! It's amazing!!!

The other thing I really like is the ABC Arbonne Baby Care line. I got it for Alistiar. He's a lot more fair skinned than Elyse was/is and I notice red blotches on him from time to time. After I started using the ABC on him, they faded! Now they are mostly gone! Their diper rash cream is great too. It's not as thick and pasty as most diaper rash creams are so a little goes a VERY long way!

Anyways, posts might be shorter lately due to my kids demands, but I wanted to post about it really quick. I will continue to post about my progress and of course the family :)

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