Kiss August Goodbye

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The month of August was a hard one for me mentally and phyically. Even though there was great progress made I felt like I was in a fog most of the month. My body was in a funk. No real motivation to get moving.

If you remember I set 4 goals for the month of August, and if you don't remember check them out here.

Here is how I did:
1. Weigh-in only 4 times this month: Check! This was by far the hardest part of the month! The number on the scale pushes me to move my body.

2. Cook and Post one new healthy recipe each week.. BIG FAT FAIL. I tottally did not do this at all. I am pretty sure I shared one recipe at the beginning of the month. My poor husband.. I cook the same things every-single-week. I really need to work on this.

3. Drink 3 liters of water and log my calories every day! Check! This has become a habit for me and I am very happy with how this area of my lifestyle change is going.
 
4. Lose at least 5lbs by the 27th... well tomorrow I will find out. Tomorrow I get to jump on that scale for the first time in a few weeks. I-am-pumped.

I am very thankful tomorrow is the beginning of a new month. Kiss August Goodbye!

New Goals. New attitudes. New Mercies.

Get ready for September today.

{Pumpkin Donuts}

Hello there you little-round-orange-sugar-covered-piece-of-goodness. You are so yummy, I can't help but eat you all up and share your goodness with the world.

A couple weeks ago, my sister-n-law posted a recipe for this website. I started looking and my curiosity grew and grew and grew about baking donuts. So what did I do? I packed up the family and headed to "the big city" to find a donut pan. It was a success, despite my negative thinking about living so far away from an actual big city with actual kitchen specialty stores.

I am so beyond ready for fall, so I gave this pumpkin recipe a try. It was fun, easy, and so yummy. I can't wait to be wearing my favorite boots, a cardigan, a scarf and take a big bite of one of thsese guys on a cool fall morning.

Fall, please come ASAP.

Bake something today.

Plans

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My life is not that stressful. I don't have many obligations. My days are spent trying to take care of a little girl, and be the best wife I can be.

I need to be here to feed my baby, rock her to sleep, make her smile, and play on the floor. I need to be here to cook dinner, fold laundry, vacuum, and keep our world in "order". I need to be here to set a healthy example for my family, and others in our community.

I know that my days spent at home are so-special-and-rare, but some days I wish I was sitting in the passenger seat of a coffee truck, listening to the radio, and riding on the bumpy roads of Oklahoma with my-handsome-hunk-of-a-man-husband.

Or maybe...

I am wishing my husband was here. Running with us in the morning, playing on the floor with our daughter, teaching others how to be healthy, changing people's lives, not smelling like coffee.

 Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future",

Be patient Megan.

Wait (and wish) patiently today.

Weekend Away

Yesterday afternoon as we were driving home from Arkansas, the feeling was so bittersweet. As we all know: good things have to come to an end, and yesterday was the end of a great weekend away.

Friday morning we packed the car up to the brim and headed down the road to Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Alivia did great until the last hour of the drive. The last hour consisted of me sitting in the back seat, on the verge of getting car sick, and a screaming princess.

Finally we arrived to our destination and started exploring the town that we would call "home" for the next couple of days. The streets of Eureka were full of shops, restaurants, and people. It was a beautiful place that we enjoyed to the max.

The time away was much needed for the hard-workin'-man-in-my-life. Even though we didn't go to bed until after 11:00 PM both nights, (That's way late for us Armstrong's: We are lucky to make it past 9:00PM on a normal night at home) we felt rested and blessed to spend time with family and friends.

As we were pulling back into town on Sunday afternoon with a fussy little girl in the back seat this bittersweet feeling came over me. I was so sad to see the weekend go. Spending all day together, eating yummy food, spending time with family, going to a beautiful wedding, and falling more in love with each other and our baby girl was so nice, but there was also this feeling of welcome-ness as we parked the car and began getting ourselves back to our normal schedule.

I am embracing regular naps, quiet evenings, dinner-just-the-three-of-us, my puppy, the smell of home today.

Embrace your normal today.

Road Trip

Here we go.

Yesterday I spent the afternoon packing our bags for the weekend. We are headed out the door this morning for a friends wedding in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

Something I never-ever-ever realized before having Alivia is how much "stuff" babies require. Traveling with an-almost-five-month-old-baby-girl is absolutely crazy. The "stuff" we have to take with us grows with each trip we take. I can only imagine the "stuff" that will come with the many-many-more babies I would love to have.

We are going to need a Uhaul for summer vacations!

Praying for an easy drive, and a sleeping baby.

Here are few pictures to catch you up on last weeks happenings:

*Don't worry, Next week there will be a blog about those pretty-looking-donuts on the bottom right.

Go somewhere today.

Motivation

I'll be honest.

This week my body has been in a funk.

A-big-nasty-can't-seem-to-get-my-hiney-off-the-couch-funk.

I blame two things:

one. I remember the first time I put on a pair of jeans after having Alivia. I remember bending down for the first time and pulling them up like-a-normal-person for the first time in a couple months and a pain went down my leg. A pain that I believe is a pinched nerve. Well, I am still struggling with that pain today, and running just doesn't sound appealing at all.

two. At the beginning of August I set a goal to only weigh myself 4-times-this-month. This has been the hardest thing about the month. Seeing that number everyday gets me going, and not seeing that number has kept me on the couch.

Something needs to change. I got new running shoes for my birthday, I have two 5K's to run in September, I am fitting into my pre-Alivia clothes (with a muffin top and a belly bulge, but things are still zipping!) I am out of the 150's: these are all things that should be motivating me, but for some reason my hiney is on the couch right now.

Maybe your motivation will get me going! What's motivating you?

Get moving today.

Connected

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Today  is the day!

We are back in action.

After a long week of no Internet I am happy to say that the Armstrong's have joined the rest of the world. We officially have Internet, that is 100% ours. No more depending on whoever-you-were! No more worrying about having access each day. No more using all of the data plan on my phone!

Just 5 full bars of Internet access for this family.

Thank you AT&T.

Disconnected

This week I have felt 100% disconnected.

I have a confession. For the past 8 months while we have lived in Perry: Brandon and I have been "borrowing" interent. Some gracious person has had open internet and has allowed us to us it whenever and however we like. Horrible, I know...

Well, something tragic has happened. This week our unlimited supply of free internet has been MIA. We have had no-access.

In order to post my blogs, browse Facebook for hours on end, read my daily reads, and look through pages of cloths that we can't afford to buy I have had to hang out at our local coffee shop. Alivia isn't the biggest fan of this. Her little attention span does much better in the comfort of our-little-home.

The call is being made today to AT&T. We are officially going to have our own Internet, and of course, we will leave it open to the public for at least 8 months. Unlimited access here we come!

Fess up today.

Three Month Update: Mission-Get-My-Body-Back

Well, can you believe it? Here we are again on the 17th of the month. Today marks the finish of month 3 on my weight loss journey. 3 months ago today I laced up my running shoes, changed my eating habits, and became a mom on a mission: Mission-get-my- body-back. You can read all about my journey here.

This month has been full of recovery. Last month our mileage was up. Running 20 plus miles a week, doing P90X workouts in between, and pushing myself to my limits. This month was totally opposite.

This month I have taken several days off. After our 8 mile run last month I have had some hip problems. My right hip just doesn’t enjoy moving very much lately and I am feeling it even on my short runs. I have rested, recovered, and Monday morning it begins again. I have a lot of work to do.

Here a few highlights from this month:

one. I ran my first 5k under 30 minutes!

two. I did a 3 day Shakeology cleanse. I lost 3lbs in 3 days. Read about it here.

three. I have shimmied my way back into my pre-Alivia jeans, and it is an amazing feeling (muffin top and all).

four. I have started doing 40 push ups a day. The first day I did them 5 at a time. One day soon I know I will push through and 40-in-a-row maybe even more.

On April 3rd I was in labor when I stepped on the scale weighing in at 201lbs. Wowzers. Well, I can officially say I have lost over 50lbs from that night. The night before I had my princess. Six weeks after Alivia was born my journey began on May 17th.

On May 17th I stepped on the scale weighing in at 169lbs.

On June 17th I stepped on the scale 9lbs lighter at 160lbs.

On July 17th I stepped on the scale 5lbs lighter at 155lbs.

And today (August 17th) I am proud to say that this morning the scale made me happy. The scale says 146 and that means I am out of the 150’s and one step closer to having my body back. I would like to add that I am still breastfeeding Liv. That means an extra 300-500 calories that I consume a day go to her. That is the reason why I can eat more and move less and still see results. (Don’t get me wrong, I still have been working my hiney off the past 3 months.)

That’s 23lbs down, that I won’t see again until I have another little peanut growing inside me. 12lbs left until I get-my-body-back.

Push through today. Stay dedicated today. Don’t give up today. Your body will change. If I can do it, anyone can. It doesn’t matter how fast, far, or hard you go. The most important thing is: that you are going. Accomplishing what you dream of. Take your life into your own hands.

 Keep it up today.

Birthday Recap

This weekend was full of wonderful birthday celebration. Waking up to the love of my life and my princess. Good food, family, and fun.

 Perfection.

p.s. we are having Internet issues. hopefully they will be resolved tomorrow... 

A list of 23

23 things about me:

one: my shoe size is 7

two: i am an extremely picky eater, that is trying to broaden her horizons

three: i could eat ice cream everyday, all day

four: i'm 5'7"

five: i have a maltese -manny- and a calico cat -sam-

six: i love to nap

seven: i don't like: grasshoppers, spiders, snakes, all bugs and insects in general. (including lady bugs) they gross me out

eight: i hate wearing shoes, especially tennis shoes, i feel like they make my feet look fat

nine: i love checking the mail

ten: i cry easily

eleven: i laugh often, mostly at myself

twelve: i say things backwards

thirteen: i love anthropologie, gap, jcrew, and target

fourteen: i like 1/2 blackberry 1/2 homemade icecream snowcones

fifteen: i am not an athlete. one time in 6th grade i played basketball and made one free throw. the next year i was asked to be the manager. thank goodness running doesn't require a ball

sixteen: i collect coca-cola bottles

seventeen: i feel like a girl the most when my toenails are painted

eighteen: i was married on the beaches of destin, fl 2 years ago to the most handsome man in the whole-wide-world

nineteen: i am cold natured

twenty: i get freckles on my knees during the summer

twentyone: i was born in oklahoma, moved to kansas for a few years (still trying to forget that) and moved back to oklahoma

twentytwo: i dip my grilled cheese is ketchup, judge me, i don't care. it is so good

twentythree: today is my 23rd birthday! :)

Happy Friday everyone.

It's almost weekend time!

Chicken-Taco-Flat-Bread-Pizza's

Confession: Mr. Armstrong and I have pizza in some form at least 2 times a week. We try to mix things up, not always eating your traditional pepperoni pizza. Last night I made us chicken-taco-flat-bread-pizza. YUM-O!

Let me just tell you, this yummy goodness is only 390 calories of cheesy, taco, perfection & it is super simple.

Start by pre-heating the oven to 350 degrees.

Next start cooking chicken on the stove until it is cooked through. Also, get some taco race cooking on the stove. We use Fiesta Sides-Taco Rice. The rice is pretty high in calories, so if you are looking to cut back, just subtract it! I used 1/3 cup rice which equals approximating 90 calories.

When the chicken is cooked through, strain and add in Taco Seasoning.

Spray a cooking sheet and place your flat-bread on it. I used Flatout Flatbread, Multi-grain with Flax that is 100 calories and completely worth every calorie. Serious, so good.

We had leftover blackbeans and corn from a meal this past weekend so I just got those out of the fridge and they were ready to be warmed up. I used 1/8 cup of each. Just enough to get the flavor!

Start by spreading a little salsa on the flatbread. Next layer on the rice, blackbean, corn, taco seasoned chicken, and top it off with 1/4 cup of shredded cheese of your choice. I used cheddar.

Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Pop it out and cut into strips and there-ya-go. Dinner made fast and easy.

Make something new today.

Power

Monday night a storm rolled into this small town. I was sitting on the couch nursing Alivia when the wind picked up and the storm began.

We had straight winds that blew around 80 mph, rain, hail, thunder, lightening, and no power.

That's right, around 6:30 Monday night the whole town of Perry lost power. Within minutes the inside of our house grew uncomfortable. That was the beginning to a very-very long night.

Laying Alivia down in our pitch-black house around 8:15pm she was wide awake 5 minutes later sweating up a storm. After a few wet wash cloths, and Papa Bear fanning her with a book she cooled down and went to sleep in her swing.

4-short-hours later we were up again. All 3 of us were sweating now. SO, we made the trip out to the front porch at 2am Tuesday morning. We set outside by candle-light in the silence and darkness of this small town.

It wasn't until yesterday morning around 9:30 that the power came back on. Luckily, Liv and I have some great  friends that had power and let us come get some relief from our muggy house!

Last night Mr. Armstrong and I drove around looking at the storm damage. We were so lucky that our big trees withstood the storm. Just 2 blocks away there was a giant tree that fell onto a house. Limbs were down everywhere and Sonic was ripped apart.

We are so thankful for the rain, but could have gone without the wind.

Count your blessings today. 

Victory

Yesterday victory was mine.

 I found myself once again looking at my closet with this feeling of: nothing fits the way I want it too.

I was tired of wearing the same 2 pair of shorts that I bought after I had Alivia because I knew I would need shorts for this summer, even if they were 2 sizes bigger than I would usually buy. So, I made a bold move. I picked up a pair of my pre-Alivia jeans and tried them on.

After a few wiggles and jumps they were on and zipped.

I am not going to lie. For the first couple of minutes I thought the lower-half-of-my-body was going to fall off, but the longer I wore them the better they felt.

It was such a sweet reminder why I am one this mission-to-get-my-body-back. 

Celebrate every victory today. 

A Day in My Life.

Today I am linking up with Gussy Sews for her Inspiration Workshop and The Anderson Crew's Embrace the camera.

and

Today's prompt is: A Day in My Life...

So, here is a glimpse of my sweet life:

We usually start the day out with an early morning run.

Then, we spend most of the morning watching the fan. It's Alivia's favorite pass time.

Nap time is next. Oh, sweet nap time.

 Followed by snuggles.

 In the afternoon we impatiently wait for Papa Bear to come home.  

Now, it's Daddy time. He loves to read to his girl.

Then, It's bath time! She loves her baths!

Before long, bed time is way-over-due.

This is my life. Beautiful and simple. Dirty diapers, piles of laundry, tears, giggles, and love. My life as Mrs. Armstrong is completely better than I ever imaged life could be.

Celebrate your life today.

Images

Sometimes when I am feeding Alivia the whole world freezes. Images of the 4 short months we have had together flood my mind. The first time we met eye-to-eye. Her little head on my chest. So new. Beautiful.

I find myself praying everyday that those images are engraved in my mind for-ever. I want the feeling of her little hand wrapped around my finger to linger on my skin forever. I want her smiles to never flee my memory.

I know the day is coming when she will no longer need her Momma so much. The day when she no longer needs me to eat, sleep, and the comfort of my body. So, as that day approaches faster than I ever imagined I am breathing in every second.

Every smile, laugh, roll, coo, snuggle, and slobbery kiss.

Today I am not wasting a second of this life that is passing  before us at hyper-speed. 

Are you?

Enjoy life today. 

August

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Well, here we go! Another month is starting, a great month: I might add. August is my birthday month. On the 12th I will be twenty-three years old. What a wonderful day it will be celebrating so much that has happened in the last year and all that is to come.

Yesterday I spent most of my day racking my brain  about what my goals should be for the month of August. Here is what I came up with:

one: Well, I am a little bit of a scale-freak. I weigh myself every morning. I like to know how hard I have to work that day to get where I want to be. My goal this month is to allow myself to weigh-in only 4 times. Including this morning. This will be a very hard habit to break.

two: For the next 5 weeks I am going to fix at least one new healthy recipe each week and share that recipe with you each week. (Mr. Armstrong is getting tired of chicken, chicken, chicken.)

three: Continue drinking 3 liters of water each day & Continue logging my calories everyday.

four: Lose at least five-more-pounds. We have a wedding to attend in AR on August 27th. I want to be under 10lbs away from my goal weight by this day.

My goal is to be open and honest with you so that you can hold me accountable.

Set goals today.

Share them with me so I can keep you accountable too.

July Goal Recap

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If you remember I set a few goals for July. You can read about them here.

Well, to start out I would like to say, I did not achieve every goal I set out to in July. This month did include failures and successes, but nothing to dwell on. The journey continues.

First goal I set: Sarah's water challenge! CHECK. Everyday in the month of July I drank 3 liters of water which is well over the amount I needed to achieve this goal!

Second goal: Run 8 miles! CHECK. Last Saturday my sister-n-law, my husband, and myself set out for an 8 miler! We completed it and felt great.

Third Goal: Track my calorie count everyday. Well, I was doing great... Then July 30th rolled around (with one day left in the month) I totally forgot to even log into myfitnesspal. I think I had a crazy-mother-moment and my brain just turned off for the day. That is also the day I ate a Cheeseburger and Fries from Red Robin: Turns out that has 1,152 calories in it. OUCH!

Forth Goal: Weigh in the 140's by August 1st. This morning I stepped on the scale two-pounds over this goal, BUT I am so not discouraged by this at all. I set a high goal for myself in this area, and I also took a much needed break last week. I know the day is soon when I can-kiss-the-150's-goodbye!

Did you achieve your July goals? Tomorrow I am sharing my goals for August. Please come back, read, and keep me accountable!

Work hard today.