TABATA

I don't know if I've told y'all about tabata training, but it's supposed to be the best way to tone and get aerbobic exercise.  Since you are doing 20 seconds of intense reps followed by 10 seconds of rest  you get your heart rate up doing things you wouldn't think of as aerobic, so you can build muscle AND burn calories AT THE SAME TIME (8- 20/10 second sets of the same exercise, then you do another 8 sets of some other exercise and so on).
You can choose whatever exercises you want- sometimes its nice to have them written down beforehand and beside your yoga mat.  Today I did Spread-Eagle situps, shoulder presses (you may need to use lighter weights), side glute/leg lifts 2x (Otherwise referred to by my bootcampers as Shumways), tricep pulls, jumping jacks, bicep curls, uhhh my brain is failing me on the others, but you get the idea-  anything you want as long as you are doing them as fast and as hard as you can for those 20 second intervals.

Yay.  I'm a limp noodle right now after today's workout,

but it feels dang good. 

Here is a free online Tabata timer:

I use the Brittish man's voice for the countdown.  :)

Have fun, crazies!

Retrokus

Gray paint on my nails

is artistry in motion

@$%!*?( Woman Driver

Today: A Massage

Tomorrow: A Pedicure

got my "pamper" on

(although I know what this sounds like, no, I do NOT wear adult diapers)

Professorism of the day:

"If it isn't broken, don't use it."

All professorisms are quotes I've personally heard a college professor unintentionally say without pause or correction (usually posted the same day it is said). Any similarity with fictitious events or characters was purely coincidental.

Start being AWESOME

 

With all of the stress that I feel with everything that's going on right now (school, moving, no health insurance, money, blah blah blah)  I find myself trying to think of all of the things that make me happy so I don't explode....  soooo here's a list of a few.

Things that have made me happy in the last few days:
1. When my kids play together uninterrupted for hours.  They love playing pretend.
2. When Matthew is shy and hides his face in me when I introduce him to people.

3. The fact that when my tooth broke on a lifesaver I was chewing today I happened to be looking straight at/speaking with my dentist after Matthew's dentist appointment, so he just brought me back and looked at it. It made me miss even more school though.
4. Lemon sandwich cookies sooooaked in milk.

5. The scale that tells me that even though I ate badly in the last week I haven't gained anything.
6. Realizing that that same scale is off by 5 pounds and I'm not going to say any more....(only makes me happy cause it's funny- otherwise punishable by death)

7. Sisters who know when something's wrong and try to make it right. 
8. A brand new neice born at home on Saturday - Hazel Jane Rasmussen (named after my great grandma and mom)

9. Quotes I've pinned 
10. The Fablehaven series I've been reading on my kindle

11. Skinny cow icecream sandwiches
12. Friends I can be stupid with in the green room.

random thoughts consolidated for your amusement.

Listening to the boys playing in the back of the van while carpooling at 7:30 this morning brought a question to mind...
What is the plural for "triceratops?"

I love school.  I love that I know people and that they like me enough to call to me from across a courtyard while I'm walking the other direction so I will come talk or walk with them.  I love learning.  I AM feeling the weight of a full schedule this semester and second guessing my choice of enrolling in 8 classes/18 credit hours.  However, from the looks of it, I chose the right teachers to overload with... for the most part... kind of...  ANYWAY, I might have some exciting news about a trip to a very north eastern popular US city for Jazz Ensemble.... to work with one Phil Mattson. BUT nothing's official as of right now, we just have to see if the college will pay for our registration fee which is.... VERY expensive. All wealthy philanthropist readers please contact me :)  We are one of  only two community college choirs selected in the nation- joined by two University choirs and 1 professional choir.  All are a capella jazz choirs. NO choreography, thank you very much. ;) it's all about the tone, harmony, and expression.

Martin Luther King Jr Day aka Civil Rights Day was a ton of fun! Among other things we went and used our last two groupons at Bahama Bucks and I got something that is now my new favorite: 1/2 Rootbeer, 1/2 Jamaican rum Bahama Mama Rama. holy cheeseballs. It was sooooo good.  I don't think I need to try any other flavors ever. ever. ever.

The other day Matthew and I were eating our favorite snack and he looked up and me and said:
Matt: Mom, I heart chips and salsa. (how cute)
Me: *smirk* sighhhh Me too.
Matt: Really, I just heart salsa.  If I didn't have a chip, I'd use a spoon.

-----and then I proceeded to teach my young padawan my "pour-the-chip-crumbs-from-the-bottom-of-the-bag-into-the-salsa, mix-and-proceed-to-eat-like-unto-the-eating-of-cereal-WITH A SPOON" technique.  I know this may be a little too personal to share on the blog, sorry :) *sniff* my little boy's all grown up..

Now that I've got all that out of my head, it's time for ... no, not haiku Wednesday, but a Wednesday Limerick!!
 
I went back to my school this week
To learn how to add and to speak
to tell girls from boys,
play keyboards with poise
And learn about rocks like a geek.

Wow, I pretty much covered all my classes except for choir and voice....  I was going to do this for the last line:

And go sing for Phil in NewYeek <-----but I would've had to do new yeek instead of new york. and thats too weird for 90% of my readers.  I personally would've giggled every time I read it, though. Dang, I should've put it.  I'm such a sell out. hanging head in shame and going to curl up with my kindle to read a few chapters for my Psychology & Gender Differences and Public Speaking classes tomorrow.

books

Wow.  If I buy all my books new

(which I will be doing for a majority of them which are published in 2012- reallly!?? 2012?  You guys are on your game. [the game of ripping off students])

then I will be spending $515.00 this week on insanely overpriced paper full of information of which I will only learn 40% this semester. 

That's a lot of money. sheesh!  At least I have Monday to enjoy as my last weekday of freedom before the semester starts- which will include a Bahama Mama Rama from Bahama Bucks and I'm sure some lazy reading-time and some cleaning-time. 

And some making crystals at home with the kids-time. 

I just have to stop by the store for some ammonia first. <---yes, I know that was random.  But hey, my life is random.
Hasta!  Enjoy your Martin Luther King Jr day!

PS- Aaron is behind me watching Doctor Who (Doctor 9 season). how's that for random?

Music Viday-os

Here are a few songs I like. (they are somewhat strange videos but if you don't like them just close your eyes and listen- but I like 'em)

you're welcome 

for expanding your musical knowledge.

or as some people on facebook say,

"your welcomed"

Out of Towners day everything else

see Out of Towners day 1 here

Really, the rest of the events of our week out of town kind of glommed together in my mind with no particular timing or order so I’ll just tell you some stuff we did in the order they might have happened… maybe?  

We went to Provo Towne Center for some last minute gifts and the kids got to try out the hurricane simulator. HA! So much for the faux-hawk. (he asks for them all the time-his hair was WAY too long for it this day- I ended up cutting it before church on Christmas Sunday so he wouldn't look like a shaggy dog)

 excited with anticipation......

VIDEO COMING SOON! (as soon as it uploads to youtube)

 rattled and de-faux-hawked ha ha- nice acting, Matthew.

We visited the Salt Lake Temple with my family to see all the Christmas lights. 

It was CHILLY!  See my nose? frozen!

Here's cute Megan who is growing up WAY too fast...

And here’s uuuuhhhh I'm pretty sure that’s Matthew… 

Speaking of that kid, after asking him repeatedly to get his gear back on he decided that he didn't need his jacket, hat, scarf and gloves post potty pit stop in the visitor's center and was left with a short sleeved t-shirt and jeans when we went back outside....  I was already really frustrated from butting heads with Megan about taking her shot and so I just held his stuff and said,

“ok, fine, we’ll see how long you last out there.”

5 minutes.

 Of course everyone who saw him during that time thought we were bad parents… oh well. ;)

Then we stopped in at the Lion House Bakery in the JSMB for hot chocolate and mixed nuts (which actually consisted of many cups of spilled hot chocolate, a few burned tongues, and the realization that we had failed to adequately communicate with our Salt Lake friends when we’d be there and so didn’t get to fraternize like the old days- SORRY LORI!! Apparently WE were the mixed nuts)  and then we posed for pictures in front of the tree in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. 

 Megan and her poses.. jeesh... I can't tell you how excited I am for her to be a teenager.... uhhhh yeah....  I should've known. She's been doing that sassy leg thing from the very beginning....

here she is at age three:

HA!

Of course we had to get one of just us... awwwww.

 The next morning the kids went sledding with the dads

Uncle Rob is such a good sport

William cracks me up- he is all boy- a very busy boy, just like Matt was..uhhh...is.

Meg and Eve

 Matt told me later that he almost died when Rob took him down an icy staircase on the inner tube.... My heart about exploded when he told me that... if any of you remember Aaron's incident sledding down an icy staircase 5 years ago, you understand why.  ROB! 

We had an awesome Christmas dinner of  YESSS!  Mexican food! ay ay ay! I'm going to miss that when we leave...  And of course I have no picture- we were busy eating, yo.  I made that amazing punch that everyone's pinned on pinterest- It's the second time I've made it and they're not kidding, it is REALLY amazing. 

However, I WAS the photographer for our traditional Christmas Eve Live Crèche and reading of Christ’s birth in the bible.  Megan was super excited to be an angel.  Matthew is the shepherd in the front with the staff and Aaron is the wise man in the very back sitting on the couch.  Katie invited her friends from Portugal to join us for Christmas Eve- Louie and Maria and their baby- I wonder what they thought. lol.  I was kind of sad to not be in this picture with the entire family, but when I posted it up here I saw a reflection of myself holding 2 cameras in the big mirror :) yay! I'm not an outcast after all! 

Christmas Day:

YAY!

We have a tradition that everyone congregates in someone's room until everyone is awake- yeaaahhh we pretty much wake everyone up since we have no patience.... 

they're not excited....

We go to the top of the stairs (in Gilbert we went to the bottom of the stairs) and get in line youngest to oldest and then dad (now named grandpa) goes to check to make sure Santa came. Then he comes back and brags about all the stuff Santa brought (without ruining the surprise) and makes the kids all anxious and crazy with excitement and then gives them the ready, set, go-ahead to race down the stairs and discover the joy that is the Christmas Morning Frenzy. lol 

RUUUUUUUN!!!!!

The kids each got their stocking filled, one small gift from Santa and one gift from each other (they're wearing our gifts to them- Christmas PJs that they unwrap every Christmas Eve)  We prepared them for the minimal gifting since we are going to be getting rid of everything we own in the next few months and didn't see the need to spend $ on what would become future Goodwill fodder.  Besides, they got gifts under the tree from aunts and uncles (my brothers and sisters) and grandparents, too.  They knew that their real Christmas present was a trip to Utah to see family that loves them (and they even tell people so when they're asked :)

Some of my favorite gifts:

 ...since I can't take all my books with me...

 I love this picture of our little family

 yes, you're seeing homemade chocolate-covered cinnamon bears. yurm. These didn't make it back to Arizona... well, not undigested, anyway...

 and caramel-chocolate covered pretzels. to die for.  ok, not literally, but they're dang good.  And other home-made-with-love treats.

We had a great drive home (much better than the drive up [see out of towners day 1])  and a very Merry Christmas with my wonderful family.  I hope you did, too.  But not with MY family, you crazies.

Haiku Wednesday

Planting season starts

with hope and wild abandon

Start your garden now~

Planting Schedule

Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

We went to a couple new years parties on Saturday- the pre-party at Betty Thude's and then the Goodman's Chateau party. I think we got home around 4am.  We brought my brother Rob and his wife and kids along for the ride since they were visiting us this weekend. There was a rock climbing pillar, a huge obstacle course bouncy thing (that's the official term) and then a regular bounce house, a dance floor, the best DJ ever, and it was catered by our favorite BBQ- Coopers BBQ (good friends of ours). 

 

I submitted Aaron's name to sing Van Morrison's Brown-Eyed Girl on Karaoke.  I even dedicated it to his green-eyed girls (myself and megan). ha. then of course after he sang, the DJ called me up (at Aaron's behest) to sing Aretha Franklins respect. grr,  I had just taken a huge bite of a pulled pork sandwich. boooo! I think I remember punching Aaron in the chest as I passed him on my way up to the front. lol  It sounded fine except the words on the screen were not the words that are in the actual song. lame. The karaoke was intermingled with songs for dancing which was pretty awesome since a purely karaoke party is a downer.

There was a freeze dance contest which Aaron and I won. We and our friends Nick & Shelly were the last four on the dance floor after about 25 had been cut and then it was cut down to just Aaron and me so they just called the Shumways the winners since we would've been there all night trying to beat eachother. Us?  Competitive?  nah...... 

no, we're not having a who can look stranger competition. this is just us. I swear.

The prize: A Chia Tweety. BOO-YAH!

Nothing says "this is gonna be a good year" like winning a Chia Pet.

Here're Megan and me gettin down with our bad selves at the end of the night as the numbers dwindled.  I think one of her moves is inspired by jump roping in PE :)

Oh man am I a dork. I look drunk. And no, I wasn't. 

Party like it's 1999 y'all!

Our friends, Jon and Courtney Tanner, came to the Chateau party and we gave them a tour (I was one of the original tour guides a couple years ago, remember?)  I freaked Courtney out by talking about ghosts staring out the attic windows and Me and Jon ran to the other side of a laundry shoot to freak her out when she looked in the cupboard door....  I love a good scream.

Happy New Year, people.  This is gonna be a good one.  And if not, MAKE it a good one!