See ya February!

 Happy Friday! It has been a long week. Actually, it has been a long month. Normally I enjoy February but I am happy to see the back of it. We had crappy weather the last two weeks and I am completely thrown off my schedule. I have quite a bit to look forward to in March with first and foremost the coming of spring. March is going to be crazy busy for the Francis/Bosch household. I start Women Run Arkansas on the 2^nd. I stepped down as co-director this year, but I am still involved. I will be training the beginning runners. This is going to be a hoot as I am not really a runner. I have run in the past, but not seriously for about 4 years. I am excited to get back into it and training others is the best motivation.  March also starts our fitness challenge at work. I signed up as team captain so I am excited to get this going. Hubby and I have decided to do some 5K’s together. He has been doing about 5 miles per day, mostly walking, so he is motivated to start racing again. We signed up to do the Civitan 5K in Benton on March 14, so I need to get training. Walking it is no problem, but I would like to run at least half of it or at least keep up with hubby.  Are you working towards any fitness goals? I am going to pick up stretching again in hopes to do the splits someday.

  Here’s to a fabulous weekend full of medal unwrapping, medal awarding, and high five’s! Yes, I mean the Little Rock Marathon. I am hoping for great weather on Saturday and Sunday not only for the runners, but for the wimpy weather chic such as myself.  Enjoy your weekend and do something amazing!

Hugs!

The 10 Commandments of Gym Etiquette

I present to you the 10 Commandments of Gym Etiquette. I took most of this from mapmyfitness.com with a little twist to it. Learn it, follow it. 

1.  Thou shalt keep your area contained. 

Keep your keys, phone, water bottle and towel close to you and not outside your exercise area bubble. This is for you and most assuredly for other’s safety.

2. Thou shalt not socialize.

I do not mean keep quiet the whole time, but if you are on the treadmill chatting and not using it, you will be struck down.

3.  Thou shalt respect the headphones

If you see someone with their headphones in, they are in the zone. Leave them alone.  A small wave may be appropriate, but please read the room

4.  Thou shalt share with others

Don’t be selfish and be aware of your time.

5. Thou shalt not peer at adjacent TV screens.

Give the person next to you some privacy. Eyes straight ahead are preferable.

6. Thou shalt not loiter and text on a machine

This kind of goes with commandment 2. Take care of your office business elsewhere, not on the exercise machine.

7. Thou shalt arrive to group classes on time

There are few things worse than an interruption during a class. If you are late, do not come in. Learn time management.

8. Thou shalt wipe down thy machine

Ewwwww…other people’s sweat. No, no, no

9. Thou shalt not douse thyself with perfume

You are at a gym not club. On the same subject, please use deodorant. 

10.  Thou shalt not stare

It’s rude, it’s impolite. Just stop. Whether you are admiring or whatever, just keep your eyes to yourself.

It’s the simple things that can make or break your gym experience.  Now go workout!

Hugs!

Snow and the Oscars

 Happy Snow Day from the Blizzard State, formerly known as Arkansas! Yes, another snow/panic day from central Arkansas. Schools were closed yesterday, but hubby and I braved the dry roads with a few slick spots to get to work. Hubby dropped me off because it is cold and I am wimpy and he loves me dearly and hates for me to be cold. Yes, the car was toasty warm and windows scraped before I entered the car. I am spoiled, I know it and I damn well appreciate it. Well, as predicted by local weather god, Todd Yakoubian, snowmaggedon started at about 11:15. Hubby texted and collected me by 12:00. I was the first one to leave the office, but I am very glad I did. We slid and spun all the way down Markham until we finally made it to our homestead. It was a bit touch n go as we kept spinning and could not go anywhere. There was an 18 wheeler behind us which made it even more exciting. We escaped death this afternoon. Okay, maybe I exaggerate, but still, it was scary. They closed the office about 1:00 when it was truly a blizzard so I now get paid for my early exit. Yippee! I am now sitting in the comfort of my home, under a blanket, filling out FAFSA forms for my soon to be college child. Exciting stuff, but glad to finally have it done.
 Did you watch the Oscar's last night? We did. I decided to do a running fashion commentary and had quite a few join in and it was awesome. My favorite of the night had to be this:

This stunner is a Calvin Klein original. Made of 6,000 pearls. Wow! I love all things pearl. Earring, necklaces (all kinds), bracelets and now this dress. Gorgeous! And it can be mine for a mere $150,000. What a steal! There were many fashion don'ts last night. What is up with non-Oscar hair? You have this beautiful evening dress and then you have some shaggy hairstyle? 

This is just all wrong. The dress, the hair and what is up with the pockets. Poor dear. Fire your stylist now. Right now. Patricia Arquette was a mess yesterday. She looked like she just woke up from a nap and started drinking and never stopped. I thought Melanie Griffith and her daughter, Dakota Johnson, were going to scrap right there on the red carpet. Seriously, go see the damn movie, mom. Support your kid. Even if she is tied up on four posters. Love and support the kids. It's our job as parents. Don't make them beg. There were many things right at the Oscars. Anna Kendrick: beautiful, Julianne Moore: breathtaking, Magic Mike, I mean, Channing Tatum: hot. The best of the night was Lady Gaga performing selections from the Sound of Music. I will admit, I was nervous and had remote in hand ready to change. I love the Sound of Music. I have seen it no less than 100 times and was not wanting it butchered. If you missed, go youtube it. It brought tears to my eyes and goose bumps on the skin. I knew she could sing, but wow. Amazing. I was in awe and then when Julie Andrews came out???? I lost it. She is the epitome of elegance. There is none like her. Sigh...made my night. Again, I would like to thank all who participated in the Oscar commentaries with me. It was loads of fun and I had lots of giggles. 

 Well, the warm snuggles of my hubby is calling me, so I bid adieu, to you and you and you. Stay warm and be careful out there!

Hugs!

Snow days and understanding

Who is ready for summer??? After this latest snowstorm, yes, in the south this is considered a snowstorm; I am ready for flip flops and shorts. I will admit it was fun watching the kids turn from cool teenagers into giddy pre schoolers when they saw the snow. They bundled up and took turns sledding down the hill. Hubby even took the dog and I went down our driveway. We have a great sledding hill, which, of course, means we are stranded when we get ice on the road. We do not get a lot of sun either so we were stranded for two days. The first day was fun, but after I could not get to work the next day, I was done. Plus, all I want to do on a snow day is eat, watch TV or read.  So yesterday all I did was eat and read. I did manage to get outside for about 30 minutes to help shovel our driveway. Which was pointless when we had another blizzard attack us at 10:00, but exercise is exercise, right?

  Speaking of exercise, I need a new challenge. I am thinking of revisiting the plank challenge. Planks work all sorts of muscles in the abdominal area that need some help right now. I might add a squat challenge as well. The gluts need some TLC right now.

  I hope everyone had a great Valentine’s weekend. I did, for the most part. Hubby and I had some miscommunication which led to some arguing which led to some deep conversations, which led us to a deeper understanding of each other. Marriage is a constant learning process. I am trying to understand that my hubby is not me and celebrates differently than I do. I go full force all out. Hubby is low key so we have come to a mutual understanding that works for the both of us. That way no one has any hurt feelings or unrealistic expectations. Compromise is vital in any relationships. I do hate when hubby and I argue, but good things always come about after we argue and then there is always the make-up part.  I love the making up part.

Have a great Wednesday and stay warm. 

Hugs!

Can you do the splits in 2 weeks?

  A little over two weeks I found a challenge on Pinterest. Can you do the splits in one week? This peaked my interest. After researching on WikiHow, I decided to take the challenge. Did it work? You tell me:

 The top one is day one, week one. The bottom one is day 14, week two.I would say, no you cannot do the splits in two weeks. Did I consider this a failure? No way. First, I think my form is much better from day one to day 14 and I felt much better going into the splits after two weeks then the first day. I learned I love to stretch before bed. It releases the tensions of the day and I do feel more flexible. Anytime you try to challenge yourself do not consider it a failure.

Hugs!

Love, tuition and other things

  It’s Hump Day! Get to humpin people! Seriously. It’s  almost Valentine’s Day. Have you made plans? Do you celebrate? I do. In spades! I have something special planned with hubby, a little something for the kids, and my office is decorated and very festive. The kids, you say? Yes. Valentine’s Day is all about the love. Friend love, romantic love, family love, pet love. Express your love to all. I know it is geared toward the romantic love, but I put my own spin on the holiday. I love, love. Why not celebrate all kinds? Now, don’t get me wrong. I do have a nice romantic day planned out with the hubby, but hey, so was last Sunday and last night when we went out to dinner. We celebrate our love all the time not just on one day. I celebrate my love for everyone often. It is just extra special on Valentine’s Day. So, go love on someone this Saturday. Just make sure it’s appropriate and the loved one belongs to you.  ;)

  I know I said I was going to post my split challenge results yesterday, but yikes! Life has been busy. I will wait until Thursday which is the end of the two weeks to report. I know, you are disappointed and I apologize.

  Hubby, the ex and I went to High School Orientation for princess last night. She is going to attend an all-girls Catholic school. The same one my sister and I attended. The ex is not super happy about this option, you know the whole paying tuition versus free public school, but hubby and I feel this is the best place for her, so we will be paying tuition on our own. I cannot say I am not disappointed about his decision, but it is what it is. It is his opinion and I cannot change it. Anyway, princess is excited about attending the Mount so making the sacrifices to pay tuition for her is a burden we are willing to take on. So if you are keeping up, next school year we will have two in college, and two in private school. Good thing we both have good paying jobs! Oldest step son has decided to jump back into college after a break. His first year was not successful academically so we told him if he made a certain GPA this semester, we would reimburse him half his tuition cost. Sound harsh? Kids need some skin in the game in order to be accountable, especially if they have struggled the first time around. I want nothing for the best for him and hope he finds happiness and success in whatever he pursues.

 It’s gym day today. I think arms. They are getting wobbly and swimsuit season is right around the corner.

Have a fabulous Wednesday! 

Hugs!

Lost Forty, here we come!

 Happy Monday!

 Is this weather in Little Rock fabulous or what??? This warm weather girl loves it. Yesterday, hubby and I put the top down and went for a glorious afternoon drive. We had some great conversation and much needed catch up time. Our kids are at the stage where they are making some major transitions in their lives, so all of our conversations center around the kids and we sometimes forget about each other. We did a little bit of house hunting as well. We are a bit torn about our house situation. We kind of want to downsize or just make a change, but we love our location. So, I think we have decided to do some upgrading and stay where we are. It is so convenient and when we cannot climb stairs anymore, we can move upstairs and still have all our amenities. I do love our house. It finally feels like our home.

 After driving we felt like having a beverage (as hubby says). We headed to Lost Forty Brewing. OMG! It was awesome! Please go check it out. The beer was yummy-we had the flights so we could sample them all. For munchies we had the jalapeño pimento cheese-wow! And the homemade bread with flavored butters-another wow! The bread is made from the grains leftover from the beer. They send it to Boulevard Bread and then they create this yummy multi grain perfection. The atmosphere was just as wonderful. It is in an old warehouse and full of character. They also have an old fashioned arcade game, Dig Dug! We of course had to play a couple of rounds. This will definitely be in the Francis rotation.

 Speaking of food, Saturday night after taking millions of pictures and saying good bye to the Catholic High Winter attendees (oldest son looks amazing in a tux and his date was beautiful), hubby and I headed to Terry’s Finer Foods to check out the pizza we have been hearing so much about. Oh my. Heavenly. Seriously. Not joking. We had the Quattro Stagioni. This pizza was split in 4 sections: artichokes, olives, mushrooms and Prosciutto di Parma. The pizza crust was melting in our mouth and the ingredients were so fresh. For dessert we split the pecan ball which is a ball of vanilla Loblolly ice cream rolled in this incredibly chocolate sauce and then rolled in pecans. MMMMMMMMMM good. We took a slice of apple pie home and it was equally as divine. Go check this place out. The staff knows their stuff and is ridiculously friendly.

 Split Challenge Update: I will blog about my progress tomorrow, complete with pictures! It has been a fun challenge and I am pleasantly surprised by the results.

 Almost forgot! Congratulations to the Horace Mann Varsity basketball team! They won the LRSD championship on Saturday. It was an exciting game to watch and the last game for Princess to cheerL.

 Have a fabulous Monday! Get out and enjoy the weather. I most certainly will!

Hugs!

Resolution Check

  In order to make sure I am keeping up with my Resolutions for 2015 I am checking over the list on the first of every month to keep myself in check. Here is the link to my resolution list:  http://healthygirlslove.blogspot.com/2014/12/new-years-resolutions.html Let's see how I am doing:

1. Take better care of myself: Check. I am eating better, appetite has returned!, and I am working out more.

2. Meal Planning: Working wonderfully. Should have done this sooner. Cheaper grocery bills and we are not eating out as much and we are eating better.

3. Home Organization: Slowly but surely

4. Taking hubby overseas: Looking into a destination. We are thinking of somewhere in Mexico, the Bahamas or Jamaica.

5.  Budget: Doing much better. Savings account is growing and we are sticking to our budget about 75% of the time.

6. Dance lessons: Nothing yet

7. Let it Go: Yes. Always feels good. I highly recommend it.

8. Strengthening my backbone: I have had to do this about three times now and wow did it feel good. I am letting my voice be heard and it is not as scary as I thought.

All in all I think I am doing well. How are your resolutions coming?

Hugs!!!

Super Weekend!

 Happy brrrrr Monday! Coldness has hit Little Rock again. Yes, I know it is nothing compared to the blizzards up north, but I do not live up north. I live in the South. I need warmth! I bundled up and braved the walk to work which is much quicker when it is freezing outside. The wind was especially brutal this morning. On the brighter side, it was not raining or snowing so it could have been worse.

 Did you have a fabulous weekend like I did? Saturday night I painted with 6 of my closest friends. It was awesome. I am not crafty. I can barely paint by numbers. But our instructor was fabulous and I have a new piece of artwork for the living room! Sunday was the super bowl and youngest’ s step son birthday celebration. The very wrong team won, but I had a house full of family from all sides and I was in my super happy place. Oldest stepson came over and wanted to try a new beer that hubby had purchased. He will be 21 in March, so I let him have one and made sure it was his only one and that he was waiting awhile before he drove home. It is really strange to drink with your kids. I assume as they get older I will get used to this, but not right now.

 I meant to finish this post last night, but I was exhausted. Something about a Monday, I guess. Yesterday I got back in the gym after a terribly long absence. I worked on legs and it felt so awesome. My legs are a bit sore and wobbly this morning, but that is a wonderful feeling. I did a bit on the eliptical-love that machine and worked on my stretches for my split challenge before I went to bed last night. It is coming along. I do not know if I will be able to get a full split in two weeks, but it does look promising. I am getting lower on the right, but feel like I am getting nowhere in the middle. I may research the middle splits and see if there are some tips on some extra stretches I can add in so I can accomplish that goal as well. Do you have some goals you are working on?
Hugs!!!!!