Marvelous in My Monday

Hello Monday! You just sneak up so fast sometimes! I do love you though. ;)

We had such a nice weekend over here, and I think that is why I am feeling Monday just kind of got here so quickly. Guess I wasn't ready for the fun to end.

Maybe sharing some of the highlights with all of you will take me back and satisfy me before I start in on this week.

Thursday night the kids and I went out to eat with some friends of ours. This restaurant was pretty fun. The atmosphere was perfect for the baby. He was able to run around and not bother anyone else.

Everything on the menu had really weird names. When I ordered the girls their "camel toes" they gave me a look like they were not going to eat "camel toes"! {It was just the insides of bread topped with turkey and cheese.}

Check out how these sandwiches are shaped too. I had to ask them to cut mine in half. I wasn't sure how else I would be able to eat it without making a total fool of myself.

Every Friday night our family does pizza and movie night. I decided to bail for a bit though and take our dog for a walk. It was still 70 degrees at 7 pm and she hadn't been on a good walk in a long time. She was over due. And, I sure didn't mind having some peace and quite for a bit. :-)

In fact, when I got home, I left again to run out to T.J. Maxx to find some new pants. Well, I didn't even make it over to the clothes section. I shopped in home decor, picking up a few new fun things for our place.

Something I totally needed! Ha!

Saturday morning, My Hunter and I got in a quick workout and then we went on a family date to the orchestra. It was geared for the kids perfectly. They told a fun story to go along with their songs and it was just the right length to avoid an embarrassing melt-down that I knew wasn't far away from the baby. After the performance, they had a "petting zoo" where the kids could test out the instruments. Pretty fun!

Orchestra Bound!

Saturday afternoon and evening we spent out at our friends. The guys went shed hunting, while Jenny and I had some girl talk and the kids played. Once the guys got home we all sat down to a wonderful home-cooked supper and enjoyed some great family time.

Sunday was spent mostly at church. My friend and I are preparing a women's conference that will be coming up at the end of this month. We had to announce it at each of the services and then spend time at the registration table talking with the other women. I am really looking forward to this conference! Definitely keeping me busy!

I did pick up some of these *amazing* lemon covered almonds while we were out. I plan to put these in some of the kids' Easter eggs. Somebody doesn't like the fact that he has to wait another week to have them. :-)

This week ahead is super busy for us. You would think with us not living near family that we wouldn't have many plans with it begin Easter week and all, but I think the only day we don't have something going on is Wednesday.

Hope you all have a marvelous Monday!

Thank you so much, Katie, for hosting this link-up!

Questions:
Do you ever go out shopping for something that you specifically need and then come home with everything but?

What was your favorite highlight from your weekend?

Do you have a busy week ahead with Easter?

Stay Strong Over the Weekend

I know how the weekends can go, because I used to do it myself. You work hard, stick to your goals, workouts and meal plan all week long, and then the weekend rolls around and everything you invested the past week goes right out the window. For some reason, now it seems okay to eat four slices of pizza, have a bowl of ice cream or end the evening with two too many drinks. Sleeping in on Saturday and Sunday is the way you start the day, which throws everything off and means not getting your early morning workout in or eating breakfast because it is now noon. You start to wonder why you aren't seeing results. "How can the weight not be coming off when I ate so healthy all week, stuck to my snacks and meals, and even worked out?"

No matter how healthy you are during the week, if you give everything up over the weekend and make it a free-for-all, you will just end up un-doing the week of healthiness you just had.

But, I have good news, it doesn't have to go this way! And I am here to share some of the tips that I have found to be helpful in reaching my goals and making this lifestyle change.

1. Keep your same routine! If you are in bed by 9 or 10 during the week and up early to workout each morning, continue with that schedule. I know that when I stay up even an hour or two later on the weekends, I am exhausted the next morning. It throws me completely off, and I have a hard time getting up in the morning, as well as accomplishing the tasks I had in mind. Having a schedule like this, where you are up later on the weekends can actually hinder your weight loss goals too.
2. Plan! I take time on Saturday to plan out my meals for the following week. Sunday, while we are out, we run to the store to pick up the groceries needed, and then I start meal prepping when we get home. This just ensures I will stay on track and has me prepared for the days when we are super busy.
3. Eat normal! Why change eating habits just "because it's the weekend"? If you think about it, it's kind of silly to have that mentality, but I get it because I have, and still do at times, think that way. The most helpful thing I have found is having that plan ready to go that I prepared the previous weekend, with snacks and meals all laid out. If I know we are going to be out and about on Saturday, I will have our food ready to go and pack healthy snack options in my bag in case hunger strikes and we are not around options I would prefer to have.
4. Workout! I used to take the weekends as my rest days, but now My Hunter and I workout together on the weekends, which has become a favorite time for him and I. With it being the weekend and having more free time, we are able to get in a longer workout than normal. 
   
5. Get outside! Our family is big into the outdoors. It is just so refreshing to "unplug" from social media and get out to enjoy nature, breathe in the fresh air and spend time with my family.
6. Watch your drinks! As I mentioned above, you can sometimes get in the habit of having wine, beer or pop over the weekend, and while those things are totally fine in moderation, you don't want to end up going overboard on them. There are a lot of calories in some of those drinks, and they can add up extremely fast when you aren't paying attention.
7. Relax! Isn't this what weekends are all about? Take time to read a favorite book, go to a movie, get out to dinner with your spouse or a friend. Unwind from the week you just had and the one that is coming up.
8. Have a treat! You don't want to deprive yourself or you will completely fail. It's totally okay to have a scoop of ice cream or a slice of cake every now and then. Just watch portion sizes and make this an occasional thing versus an everyday occurrence. 

You can be strong over the weekends, and you will learn how. The best part is, once you carry your healthy habits through your weekends, you will find you have more energy, which makes family and friend time even more fun.

Enjoy your weekend! Enjoy this time away from your hectic day-to-day week!

Have a great Saturday, friends!