Indoor Sledding!

When it's to cold to go outside, we do our sledding indoors!

We love the snow...

Ever since Olivia got to play outside a couple weeks ago, it is all she wants to do!

When Dad needs to take the garbage out she immediately starts pulling at her coat thinking she should go outside too! It is so darn cute watching her play in the snow!

The Many Faces of Olivia...

Just a normal day having some dinner....

She's the definition of a goofball!

Crusin'

Olivia has always loved her pink car but we haven't been able to use it since the snow fell.  This weekend we were playing in the snow since it was a bit warmer out - and Olivia saw her car in the garage.  Of course she started pointing and squealing so we took it out for a ride around the block!

The slushy roads made it an adventure and we had to take some detours when the sidewalks weren't plowed - but we successfully took our first walk this winter! Only 58 more days until Spring (but who's counting)!

 

Baby Jail...

Olivia figured out how to get behind her crib! It totally looks like she is in baby jail!

This could be a huge plus for me - now she can get behind there to get her own pacifiers instead of me pulling her crib out every night....

I am seriously dreading taking the pacifier away... I know it probably won't be as bad as I think it's going to be.  I just need to do it.  Next week maybe (or the week after that!), procrastination at it's best!

Stuffed Peppers

One of our goals this year was to work on coming up with a weekly menu and cooking better and new foods for dinner. 

I found this recipe on laurenconrad.com and thought they looked pretty darn good.  I have never had stuffed peppers before so it took a bit of convincing before the husband said sure lets try them. 

This recipe has simple ingredients and was very easy to put together.  Both my husband and I thought it was excellent...Olivia ate a little bit so that's a win for her! She isn't sold on peppers yet...

If you are looking for a healthy quick meal - try this, it is so good!

Playing in the Snow!

This weekend we finally got a break from the bitter Minnesota cold! It warmed up enough to play outside! YAY!!! (you have no idea how exciting this is to someone who hates being cooped up inside!)

Olivia got to play in the snow again and had a ball! She even got to partake in a little snowball fight and threw a snowball at her dad.  We did some shovel sledding since we don't have an actual sled at our house right now and we built a pretty sad looking snowman.  Nothing better then spending a day in the snow with the ones you love!

My New Favorite Gadget!

I got myself a Fitbit Force right after Christmas and I am in love with it!
    *This was not paid for or given by Fitbit, it is just a product I found and wanted to share my experience with.

It tracks my steps taken, mileage, flights of stairs, active minutes, calories burned, and it also has a sleep mode where it monitors your quality of sleep - awake and restless minutes (which is kind of eye opening!).

I also use MyFitnessPal which links seamlessly to the Fitbit app.  I use it to track my food and exercise.

It is super user friendly and addicting! I snapped a couple pictures of a few days from last week...when you reach your goal it turns green.  I have found myself doing extra until those metrics turn green - very motivating. 

So far this tool has been very helpful in my quest to get fit in 2014!

What tools do you use to stay on track?

Goofy Girl...

Seriously this little girl puts a smile on my face no matter what! It is amazing watching her grow into her own little person.  A person who chooses to do her own silly things, plays by herself, will just run over and give you a hug and kiss without prompting....

Sometimes it's hard to keep a straight face, like when I have to go into her room after bedtime because she is still fussing. I pick her up for a snuggle and some rocking and she try's to put her pacifier in my mouth and giggles when I turn my face....she thinks it's hilarious! So hard not to laugh at that!

 

Ready for the Olympics!

Olivia is ready for the Olympics! Born during the 2012 Summer Olympics....excited for the 2014 Winter Olympics... gearing up for her big debut in the 2032 Olympics (not sure in what quite yet though!) 

At least she has the wave down though right?!

Muffin Omelets

I have been searching for a quick healthy breakfast to replace my regular bowl of Captain Crunch every morning. I don't have a lot of time in the morning and there is no way I can wake up any earlier to make a warm healthy breakfast!

I found this recipe online and instantly wanted to make it! Individual omelets - such a great idea!

You can customize the omelets to your liking, we made sausage and cheese because that was all we had in the house when I decided to make them.

I had two omelets this morning and they kept me surprisingly full. Usually I have a granola bar mid morning because I am so hungry and sometimes I just eat my lunch extra early... this stops that!

I am so excited to try other combinations - what is your favorite breakfast?

Seriously Minnesota....BRR!

It is currently -18 degrees right now with a windchill of -45 degrees.  WHY DO I LIVE HERE!!! Also when they cancel school for the entire state, shouldn't non-essential businesses also be closed? (Worth a shot right!)

This weekend was pretty much the same so we mostly stayed inside, organized closets, put baby toys away, and played! It was a cozy fun weekend, just wish we weren't stuck inside the whole time!

Here is our weekend Instagram pictures!

 

 It is supposed to warm up by next weekend - 33 on Friday -- HEAT WAVE!

2014: Be Present

2013 was a great year....there were so many milestones with Olivia, we had an abundance of lake time and time at the cabin, we enjoyed so much time with friends and family... That's going to be pretty hard to top this year!

We do have some big things happening in 2014 and I am so excited! We have a date night planned to go to a Minnesota Timberwolves game (my first!), a week long camping/canoeing trip to the Boundary Waters, Olivia will be two!, we are going to continue with swimming lessons and enroll her in a tumbling tots gymnastic class, and so many of my friends are going to be having babies!

With all that said I do have a few things I want to concentrate on for 2014:

The main goal is to always be present.

 

I want to be present in actions, conversations, my marriage and especially with my daughter.

Sometimes I find myself not paying attention to her or being caught up with something to sit down and color with her.  THIS CHANGES NOW! I want to be there for her, creating memories, helping her grow and develop and to take in all of her innocent excitement for everything.  

My second goal is to be fit and strong for our canoe trip - kind of the usual but I need to be accountable... it is important that I be able to hold my own on this trip, I don't want to be the weak link!

What about you? Have you chosen one word to focus on for 2014? Do you have a resolution or goal? I’d love to hear about it! Share you thoughts!