Fitness. Even for a Mom.

OK!! So I've been looking for some fun ways to tone up and better myself (or at least my appearance but I'd love some MORE energy and endorphins as well) and came across this Playground Workout and lI can't WAIT until Aiden is old enough to play at the park while I TOTALLY embarrass him with this workout that I just found!!! If anyone has the guts to do this in public (and the child that won't pretend they don't know you afterwards) let me know how you like it!! I think it'd be great fun and something to do while making sure your kid is enjoying themselves. :)


Swing Crisscross
Targets: Abs

Sit on a swing and hold the chains, then lean back about 45 degrees. Extend your legs straight in front of you with your feet together and toes pointed. Open your legs slightly to form a V, then cross your left calf over your right, contracting your core muscles to keep the swing as still as possible. Return to V position for one count, then cross your right calf over your left to complete the set. Do 12 to 15 sets.


Jungle-Gym Pull-Up
Targets: Back and biceps

Using an underhand grip, grasp a jungle-gym bar that's 3 to 4 feet high. Keep your hands shoulder-width apart and extend your legs in front of you until your chest is under the bar; place your feet hip-width apart. Pull your chest close to the bar by drawing your elbows alongside your ribs. Straighten arms and repeat. Aim to do five pull-ups; work up to 12 to 15.


Slide Lunge
Targets: Butt and thighs

Stand facing away from the slide and rest your left foot on the bottom of it; place your hands on your hips. Bend your right knee until your right thigh is almost parallel to the ground, but don't let your knee move farther forward than above your toes. Return to starting position by pressing through your right heel. Do 12 to 15 reps, then repeat with the other leg.


Jungle-Gym Standing Push-Up
Targets: Chest, shoulders, and triceps

Stand arm-length away from the jungle gym, with feet shoulder-width apart. Place your hands on a bar that's no higher than your chest. Keeping your body straight and your weight on your toes, bend your elbows until your chest nearly touches the bar. Do 12 to 15 push-ups.


Lateral Leg Lift
Targets: Hips, outer thighs, and waist

Stand alongside a step so it's on your right side and place your right foot on it; rest hands on hips. Press through your right foot to raise yourself up until your right leg straightens as you simultaneously extend your left leg to the side with foot flexed. Do 12 to 15 lifts, then repeat on the other side.


Bench Dip
Targets: Shoulders and triceps

Sit on a bench and grip the edge with your hands shoulder-width apart. Scoot off the bench and extend your legs in front of you, bending your knees slightly. Bend your elbows and lower your butt a few inches toward the ground, keeping your back close to the bench; slowly press back up. Do 12 to 15 reps.

Peace, Love, and CookieDough

HACKED!!

HEY EVERYONE!! --It's me, Aiden. My mom left her laptop running while she ran to the bathroom and I just had to log in and tell you what's REALLY going on here! I must hurry--I don't have much time!--So if I misspell or have bad grammar, gimme a break (oh yeah, that, and I'm 7 weeks old...)


Alright. Now, for starters, you've got my dad (or as some of you know him, TK) Now don't get me wrong, from what I've seen, he's a pretty decent fellow. I mean, he'll play with me... oh and he'll nag mom to death for her to feed me when he knows that I'm getting hungry... and (so far) he hasn't hung my upside-down by my feet or tied me to the ceiling fan (he says that I'm too small for that -- thank goodness!!) but seriously man!! Can't you find a new place to put those dang sunglasses?! They're always right in my face and poking out my eyes and such! You're killin' me here, smalls!


OH! And then, there's my mom! Now I know what you all must be thinking, 'Aiden, she's your mother, she carried you for 9 long months, delivered you, and now keeps you alive,' I know, seriously, she tells me ALL THE TIME!!! But you guys don't know what it's like!!! This picture is completely typical of her!! Do you see this abuse?! I am CLEARLY the victim in this picture and all she ever does is mock me!! She's always pickin' on me and making fun of the way I cry... oh, and don't even get me started on the obscene amount of pictures she takes!! Seriously, she's givin me epilepsy with that flash photography crap! Like this one of us about to go on a walk. Now don't get me wrong, I love me some walks, and especially in this sweet lil' set up we got goin here, but did we RELALY need a picture of it? For serious...



And they're even worse togehter!! I feel so.... so used around them!! Dad's always using me to try and scare mom!! He'll totally interrupt my gym workout (no respect for my nice, ripped biceps...)and kidnap me from my play gym while she's in the other room so that she'll have a panic attack when she comes back and I'm gone. Or he'll take me and hide in eerie, poorly lit corners and wait for the perfect moment to jump out and scare her!!



Oh and mom's not all sweet and innocent, she is JUST as bad. Whenever she's mad at dad or wanting to "get even" with him... she'll use ME as a punishment!! ME! Her own son... Yeah, that's right guys--diaper duty!! Seriously.. Sometimes I can't decide if this is a punishment for Dad or me.. I mean... c'mon now mom, what'd I do wrong?!



Why else do you think I'm so nice to all of our guests?!?! Oh yeah, I totally put on my cute face and cuddle up to them all adorable-baby-like and love on them, and coo & smile at them, and never, EVER cry when they're holding me because one day... one day social services is going to come busting in here and take me away from this place and when that day comes i gotta be sure that one of these nice people is gunna take me in!!! -- i just hope that day comes soon..



But in the mean time, I'll try to continue hacking into mom's blog and giving you updates on what's REALLY going on. Please keep me in your prayers. Come visit often, I beg of you... they seem to act a lot better when other people are around.. (heck, they even clean up around here when we're going to have company!!)


Oh crap!! Mom's out of the shower!! I gotta run... time to work on those biceps...
Peace, love, and drool

Desperate Housewives

"Mine wants me to wear fishnet stockings" hahahaha..

Hope it made you laugh too. I guess we all gotta count our blessings for what we have... it could be worse... we could have ended up living out the REST of the "fairy tales" that no one ever gets to read.. Me? I'm very pleased with my King, and our new little prince. (its true.. TK stands for The King. Point of fact.)

Peace, Love, and Cookiedough :)

Home-Maker

I have always wanted to be a homemaker-stay at home and tend to the chores of the home while my kids are at school and my husband works to bring home the bacon in his freshly pressed dress shirt.

I want to have hot cookies cold milk ready when the youngins come home from filling their noggins with useless information :) and helping them practice retaining this useless information through the concepts of "homework" so that one day they can continue on to Law School or to earn their Doctorate.

I want to pack their lunches for the next day, after we've all sat down together to a hot meal that I had prepared, and sneak in little notes to remind them how much their mother loves them.

I want to have family prayer and tuck each of them in every night and let my husband get some rest and relax before he's compelled to return to the perilous work force the following morning..

THIS is the dreamm.....

and i thank the Lord every day that my kids won't be in school for at least 5 years.... plenty of time to find ANOTHER dream to follow before I have to face the reality--"I'm no super'mom' "

Peace, Love, and CookieDough

Hey guess what?! I have a new post!!

DUDE!!! We're parents!!!! yeah.. crazy.. i know.. I guess we need a recap since its been so stinking long since i blogged last...(don't we look just so dang proud!!)
On Friday August 6th: TK and I went to the hospital at 6 AM. and after 11 hours of labor, a kick-butt epideral, a few rounds of UNO, and one hour of pushing... Aiden Dante Sheppard was born at 8:04 PM.
He weighed 7 lbs 2 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. He had brown hair (even though they always covered it up with a hat) and BLUE eyes... and they still are that gorgeous blue and hopefully will stay that way.. unlike his hair (which he still has more of than his dad) that is turning more and more blonde everyday. YUPP!! That's me and my boy. Such a big bundle of awesome!! My love for this little boy grows more and more everyday!! its crazy how much i care for him already....
On Sunday August 8th: our (now 3 person) family went home and showed Aiden his new bed and clean home!! (thanks to grandpa rick!! he put in so much time to cleaning our place, only to give Aiden a false idea of what his new home would typically look like. ha) This is TK getting Aiden ready for the ride home, (obviously) his first car ride!

On Monday August 9th: Dad (Grandpa Rick) left us to return to his own home.. i cried. more than Aiden has, in his three weeks of life, thus far. We miss you, grandpa!!!I love you dad!
On the rest of the days that followed until now: Its been different to have a new little guy in the house but it has been such a blessing!! We've loved getting to know our new son (who wouldn't??!?! i mean, look at that FACE!!!)
TK returned to work at AMC Theatres, and also began a new job for a painting company. Its been a lot of work, little play, and even less rest. But he still takes time to spend with his boy and help out his wife.Yay for Father/Son NapTime :) haha they are both so stinkin cute!! I'm such a lucky girl!!! Aiden has been working on his kung-fu skills lately. He's getting so good at it!! He even managed to break my finger with his Kung-Fu grip yesterday! okay, okay. not really, but he DID wrestle a patch of hair out!
And when he's not taking naps (with or without his dad) or eating/pooping (photo unavailable due to inappropriate content)... he likes to fill his time lookin like a stud, skyping with the family and friends that for some reason refuse to move out here...And me? I've been trying to adjust to being a stay-at-home-mom and know that I still have a very long way to go. Our house is far from in order, dinner is far from being a scheduled event, and laundry is lucky that it hasn't stacked up or else we'd all be suffocating from nasty smells--I'm serious, the fear of my house smelling like baby poop is the only motivation i have had to do the few loads i have.. ha. But regardless of how much time i put into cleaning.. it always seems to go right back to chaos...But hopefully Aiden and I will get into a "schedule" soon enough and I'll be able to get more accomplished on a daily basis and allow my husband to return HOME to a fresh-smelling, well cleaned, apartment with a hot meal prepared, a content son waiting to play, and a happy wife ready with a kiss after his long days out in the hot sun (doing something he hates just to provide for his family. He is SUCH a great dad!!! and husband) one day.. not TOday.. but SOMEday...
So yeah.. that is what our life has been (more or less) for the last 3 weeks! I can't believe this boy has grown so much already!! its crazy!! but he's crazy adorable so i guess its okay...

So hopefully I won't take as long to post next time.. but who knows.. life has been crazy and unpredictable since the beginning of time... i don't see it changing for me anytime soon....

Peace, Love, and CookieDough (which I can eat again now that i'm not pregnant!! woot woot)