HAPPY MAMAVATION (Wait, what day of the week is it...)

Holy cow, I just realized that today is Wednesday! Where did Monday go? I'm pretty sure it didn't stop by my house this week!

For those of you that follow me on Twitter and on Facebook, you know that since about last Thursday, I've had one sick little boy. I took him to the doctor on Monday, (hey, looks like there was a Monday this week) to find out that he has the stomach flu. Dr. said that he should be on the up-swing, and although he isn't having liquid poo explosions any more, he's still oozing foulness from the bum.

I'm beginning to wonder if what he has really is the stomach flu, or if it's something else, like an allergy. Only time will tell I suppose.

Needless to say, I haven't had a very productive week. I've eaten like crap, since everything had to be fast, so I could continue taking care of my sickiepoo. But I got in a workout this morning, while the lil one is napping! A whole 40 mins of Yoga Booty Ballet (not to mention a shower!)  

Victory!

I hope I have better news for you next week!

Cleaning My Way Skinny

Whew! I'm dripping sweat! And you know what that means! Burning calories!

When maintaining a household we all have to clean. Love it or hate it, we've just got to do it. And with my weekends being jam packed, cleaning is how I get my workout in.

You may not realize it, but cleaning burns a TON of calories! If you're like me, you have a "cleaning day". One designated day of the week where all most of the cleaning gets gets done. For me, this can take anywhere from a 30 mins to 3 hours.

But the longer I'm at it, the more calories I burn! Which means I can eat more food! Whoo hooo!

Some of the most common household chores also have the biggest burn. For example:

Scrubbing the bathroom, 30 mins = 200 calories burned
Cleaning glass, windows, mirrors 30 mins = 125 calories burned
Vacuuming 30 mins = 90 calories burned
Dusting 30 mins = 50 calories burned

If you're curious, all those chores over the course of 2 hours, burns about 465 calories! That's equivalent to a Taco Bell Burrito Supreme with Steak!

You can also ramp up your chore's burn. Try incorporating exercises into your chores, like doing lunges while vacuuming. Or squats while doing laundry. You'll tone up, burn calories, and improve your balance!

With all of this talk about cleaning, I'm curious. What is your favorite chore? What is your least favorite chore?

It's Party Time!

Since I found out about The Ultimate Blog Party I've been on pins and needles waiting for it to begin! This is my first year participating and I'm super excited!

Let me welcome you to Mommy Vs. Fitness!

This blog is kind of new. And I'm still working to get it where I want it to be! I know you can all relate! So make sure to follow me, and watch me grow!

Mommy Vs. Fitness is a kind of hybrid site. I blog about all things fitness. But my definition of fitness is more than just talking about how to get rid of your muffin top. My take on fitness is that it's a whole body, whole life experience. Being "fit" is a general state of well-being. That's why I cover a whole range of topics, all relevant to mommyhood and womanhood; sanity savers, butt busters, money savers, and the occasional freebie!

I also do the occasional giveaway (I'm working on one for this week as we speak--it's up now, here!), but rest assured. As I grow, I'll be giving more and more away!

I also donated a prize to the prize pool! The Yoga Booty Ballet Classics collection! So make sure you check it out and add it to your list if you want it!

I love making new bloggie friends! So leave me a lil comment love and be sure to include a link to your blog, and I'll be sure to visit you!

Let's Party!!!

Mamavation Monday- I win! I win!

This week has be riddled with setbacks and victories. The week started with the Superbowl. And I ate. I deserved a treat. So I had some Motzarella sticks and some pizza and some chicken wings. They were really good. However, my tummy didn't feel too good after eating them. So that was the end of that. I was mortified that I had consumed a derailing amount of calories though.

Monday, my son was sick. Hence not posting last week until Tuesday. And then this week, he successfully passed the torch to me! I had one horrific cold for the past 4 days, but I'm finally on the mend! Thank god too, because these little illnesses are feeling more and more severe as I get older!

All that said, as you can imagine. I didn't workout much this week. A little here, a little there. Breathing was quite taxing. But I lost 1.4 lbs this week taking me up to being down 11.6! AND I got my first weight watchers ribbon for a 10 lbs loss!

Next step, losing 10% and then 20 lbs! I can't wait!

Mamvation Monday-Chaining myself back on the wagon.

Pie. Brownies. Cookies. Chips. Dip. Crackers. Mashed Potatos. Rolls. The list goes on and on. This is my confession of the things I have put in my mouth in large unhealthy amounts this week.

I now know why people have such a hard time losing weight, or at least not putting any weight on over the holiday season. There is food EVERYWHERE! And for a food addict like myself, this is a really bad situation.

I thought I had everything all planned out. I planned how I was going to excute Thanksgiving. I planned what I would and wouldn't eat for Hanukkah. I'm planning for Christmas (yes, I do celebrate both). But, the problem that I'm finding is that I can't plan just for the holidays. The holiday food, lasts the entire holiday season. Which of course leads to all of those extra calories adding up. I know I don't have to eat this stuff, but it's just so hard not to. It's been tradition for years. And it makes me happy. And then I am sad because I ate it all. And then I eat to cheer myself up again. It's a vicious cycle.

So I'm trying something different this week. Instead of just counting calories, I busted out my old points slider and am going to try doing weight watchers again. Everytime, I have done it, I have lost a good 30lbs plus. I know if I can just stick to the plan for a week and see a decent loss, I will continue in my efforts.

I am also going to get back on the workout wagon this week. Now that my husband has taken up doing odd jobs and is hardly ever home, and my son has gone from 2 naps a day to 1. I'm having difficulty finding the time to workout. So my goal this week is to be more active. It's getting colder and snowier here in Michigan, so my Sketchers toning shoes have hit the closet, but now that I know that Earth Footwear makes boots for toning, I really need to figure out how to get my hands on a pair (If you would like to gift me a pair, here's the website: http://www.earthfootwear.com/ I really like the "Invent"-size 10 please :)). Earth's boots would make bundling up the baby and trudging through the snow a whole lot more comfy!

This weeks goal synopsis:
1. Loose at least 2 lbs with Weight Watchers.
2. Recommit to at least 30 mins of excercise a day.
3. Get some hot new Earth Footwear boots to make walking in the snow super cozy.

Save Money On Baby Formula

I just thought I would share this with all of the new moms or soon to be moms out there. One of the things that has totally saved my life during this first year of baby care is "the formula check". I've been getting $5.00 off cans, bottles, whatever format you prefer of baby formula. Which is really nice, because if you don't know already, having a child is extremely expensive. And even more so if you don't qualify for government aid.

How to get the magical formula check-

Depending on what formula you decide to use, Similac has more offers than others. But you can get checks from multiple manufacturers.

Similac- Go to Similac.com and sign up for a Similac Strong Moms account. Fill out the info and soon you'll receive formula samples, and checks for formula.

Enfamil- Go to Enfamil.com and sign up for Enfamil Family Beginnings. You'll also receive samples of formula and checks. But you receive fewer than Similac.

Gerber (Formerly Nestle Good Start)- Go to Gerber.com and sign up to be a part of the Gerber Generation. You don't receive many formula checks, but they do send A TON of coupons for baby food, juice, etc. So this is still an excellent source of savings, particularly as your baby grows.

I personally think that it is worthwhile to sign up for all three. All babies are different and it's helpful to be able to save on different kinds of formula if you have to make many switches due to formula intolerance. That is what happened with my son, and it was very nice to continue saving.

My son needed to be formula fed, as my milk did not come in for several days and he lost a dramatic amount of weight. And once my milk did come in, it was inadequate. So for those of you that have difficulty breastfeeding, or just choose not to, I hope this information can be as big of a lifesaver for you as it is to me!

Mamavation Monday!

Happy Monday! Though some of you don't find Monday so happy...I was having one of those days today. I got a migraine from the blistering sunlight pouring in through the window of my "office" this afternoon. I wanted to VOMIT. I had my workout scheduled for when I got home, but the entire drive back home I was dreading it.

As soon as I got home, I knew that if I didn't suck it up, I would wallow in how crappy I felt and would never get my workout in today. So I did. And I was victorious. I worked out WITH a migraine. I'm not going to lie, the first 10 minutes were hell. But I persevered. I just kept thinking about my successes. I weighed and measured this morning.

Let me first start by saying that I finished the first 30 days of the TurboFire program yesterday. I lost 10lbs and 5.25 inches, 2.5 of those inches were from my hips/mama pooch alone! So that was what I thought about until the workout endorphins took over the migraine pain.

This further proves to me that if you focus on the positive, you can beat the negative!