Butt, Cardio, Core, Fitness, Plyo, Shoulders

Trying to Keep it Classy

December 5, 2013 Kim 58 Comments

Today’s 44 was just a hodge-podge of moves combined to make a challenging 44!! I used my agility ladder –

I forget about this when I'm not using it everyday! — I forget about this when I’m not using it everyday!

I jumped back to a plank with my feet in the middle 2 rungs – jacked my feet out to the outside rungs then back in to the middle – jumped into a squat (sort of squat and not sure why I kept checking my butt out) and repeated!

This move worked my entire body and got my heart rate way up – perfect 44!!!

On tap with Insanity the Asylum vol. 2 today – Back and 6-Pack (I hope it works!!). This workout was only 40 minutes and, like the name implies, full of moves for the back and abs – complete core work today!!! The funny (not in a HaHa kind of way!) thing is we did moves similar to the one I used for my 44 just without the ladder – good times!!

We all know that I’m not elegant at all!!!

prime example of the opposite of elegance

And, I already showed you my house which is festive but will never be elegant (just very lived in!!).

But – over at the Governor’s Row House (our event venue) I have been working on putting up some Christmas decorations and trying to keep it simple and classy. It’s a huge learning curve!!!

The previous owner had a few things in the basement and then I’ve added quite a few more – not sure how classy it is but it’s starting to look Christmasy!!!

front room - mantel — front room – mantel

I just put some small ornaments in glass jars to add color on the mantel. And, I found an old tree that had some colored lights – I added a few clear to fill in the gaps – for the front window.

The staircase is pretty by itself but I wound some garland around the rail and put a few splashes of red along the way.

In the front hall I removed a couple of chairs and put a couple of cute little lighted trees.

There is another fireplace in the room with the bar –

The ball room is fun – I put up 2 unique trees I found downstairs, added a couple of tree skirts and am in the process of hanging lights around the top of the room.

only corner of the ball room that is complete

So, hopefully even though I don’t do elegant, it is festive without being tacky!!!

Now, I’m off to climb up and down a ladder a couple hundred times to finish lighting the ball room and then I have to clean the place to get ready for tomorrow night’s event!!

Happy Thursday!

Kim

Butt, Fitness, Thighs

Names – How do you Choose Them?

December 4, 2013 Kim 71 Comments

Today’s 44 was nice – only because I got to lay on the floor while doing it! I did a leg lift to the front.

If you do these in a slow controlled way (no swinging!), your hips will start to burn after just a few reps – by 44 my hips were screaming!!!

And, since I don’t want to be unbalanced, I had to flip over and do the other leg.

Truly, the best part was relaxing on the floor!!!

Today’s InsanityAsylum vol. 2 workout was brutal – Power Legs. It was only 50 minutes but I was dying!!! After the super active warm-up, you use this cute little band –

I think we spent about 15 minutes doing moves with this around our ankles – plyo moves!!! Not only were my legs dying but my heart rate was way up there!!! Then, just for fun (I guess) at the end you spend 5 1/2 minutes holding some form of a pulsing squat, plie or lunge (with a dumbbell!!!) – YIKES!!!!

Yesterday for some reason I started thinking about names and all the people I know who are named for someone – in our family alone the list is long:

Jordan Earl – Chris’ grandpa was Earl
Hunter Jack – my Poppa was Jack
Thomas Christopher – Chris’ dad was Thomas Wayne (he went by Wayne) and his paternal grandpa was Thomas ______ (I can’t remember). We thought about continuing the tradition and using Thomas Jordan but it wasn’t my favorite so…
Amanda (Mandi) Lou (my sister) – Lou was my Mema’s middle name
my sister’s son is Hadley Max – her husband’s (Eric) dad goes by Max
Isabel Kay (my niece that was here last week) – Kay is Stacy’s mom
Hays Matthew (my cute little nephew) – Hays was my Mema’s maiden name and Matthew is Sam’s middle name
Jennifer Bailey (Tim’s oldest daughter) – Jennifer is for her mom’s , Dina, best friend – she goes by Bailey
Emma (Tim’s youngest daughter) – our paternal grandma’s middle name was Emma but Tim didn’t realize that until after they named her
Seaver Hancock (Tim’s son) – Hancock is my Mema & Poppa’s last name

I think lot’s of people name their kids after family (or friends). Other names are picked just because people like the way they sound. Some people (I might be in this category!!!) like symmetry in names. (both of the boys first names have 6 letters and their middle names 4)

I’ve never been overly excited about my name – Kimberly Lyn – sort of plain and no reason to it. My parents didn’t know they were having twins (no ultrasounds back then) but they thought that rhyming names (Kim & Tim) would be nice.

Reading blogs it is interesting to see the names people have chosen for their blogs – some have a specific reason behind their blog name (I always love reading about how people picked the name of their blogs!!!) and some people change their blog names as the blog evolves.

Are you named for anyone?
Do you like your name?
Is there a good story behind the name of your blog?

I guess that’s plenty of questions – so much to learn!!!

Happy Wednesday!!!

Kim

Butt, Fitness, Quad, Squats

Counting Down with Gratitude

December 3, 2013 Kim 77 Comments

Today’s 44 was a fairly simple move made a little more challenging with a band – a small tight band.

I did a step out to a squat – right and then step out left for 1 rep. (so each rep had 2 squats)

The 44 went quickly but my legs were burning by the end.

Insanity the Asylum vol. 2 was up again – Upper Elite. YIKES!!! 60 minutes of upper body with just a few cardio bursts thrown in. More push-ups than I cared to count, biceps, triceps, shoulders, upper back, core – some of everything!! I’m still shaking and I finished over 30 minutes ago. I actually had to do some of the push-ups on my knees – hopefully next time through I will get them on my toes.

December is the month of counting down!!! We started doing Christmas count-downs years ago and the boys still do them even though they aren’t little any more.

Every night the boys do all of the different count downs. Years ago they used to fight about whose turn it was so I started the odd/even – whoever is the odd age gets odd days. This system has worked perfectly for many years!!

We have a couple that you just change the numbers –

One that you move a little star around –

A Santa full of doors – we start with all of the doors open and close one each night.

A Santa with a big beard that starts out empty and will be full on Christmas –

But my favorite countdown is one that requires a little more effort. We have a row of 25 little stockings –

Every night during the month of December each of the boys take a little piece of paper and writes down something they are thankful for. At the end of the month (or when I take down the decorations), I type up the list. It is really fun to go back and look at lists from years ago. (I type it exactly as they wrote it – spelling and grammar errors and all!!)

I love Christmas but I really want our boys to know how very fortunate they are and for them to take the time to appreciate all of the goodness in their lives.

Do you have a count down tradition?

Happy Tuesday!!

Kim

Core, Fitness

Not Elegant just very Festive

December 2, 2013 Kim 99 Comments

Today I did another move from Nellie’s Weekly Wednesday Workouts – a weighted side bend. Holding a dumbbell in each hand, bend to the side trying to make sure your hand goes past your knee.

I did all 44 to the right side and then switched and did 44 more to the left.

I think my obliques might be a little sore tomorrow!

I started a new program this morning – Insanity the Asylum vol.2. WOW!!! It is going to be a great month of pushing myself. Today was Agility Tutorial (don’t let the word tutorial fool you!!!) – almost 30 minutes of jumping and quick feet moves. Then I did X Trainer – over 50 minutes of hard work!!! At one point we did flying push-ups into 1-arm burpees – good times!!!

Yesterday we worked all day on Christmas decorations – now we can just enjoy!!! I have never been an elegant person (in any way) and our decorations aren’t at all elegant but I love having them out!!!

Most of the rooms have some sort of theme at least for the tree. And, I have Santas everywhere!!! The tree in the kitchen is our “family tree.” Frame ornaments with pictures of our friends and family.

The dining room has more Santas and the tree is a cooking themed tree.

In our upstairs living room we have the Santa tree and many, many Santas!!!! On the tree, all of the ornaments are Santa and no 2 are alike. One year I said, “If you can find an ornament on the tree without Santa I will give you $20.” I didn’t think there was one but there is 1 that is just Mrs. Clause – Jordan found it!!!

(All the cookbooks and other normal decorations have been moved!!)

The guest bathroom gets a tiny tree and a little decor, too.

(a few Christmas cookbooks!!)

The guest room is my “tacky” tree – it has retro ornaments and colored lights!

Our bedroom has all gold decorations – it makes me happy to lay in bed at night with the lights on!!

Downstairs gets decorated, too!!! The “play” room has my Texas Longhorn tree (orange lights and all!) and the workout room has my favorite tree – red & white!!!

The family room downstairs is the tree we put our presents under. This tree is the most random – it has ornaments that the boys have made, ones we have been given and the ones that we give the boys each year. (this year Hunter got a cello, Jordan a trumpet and Chris got the next airplane in the HallMark collection)

The boy’s bathroom and their rooms also have some Christmas cheer. Hunter’s tree is a KU tree (he wanted colored lights) and Jordan’s tree is an owl theme.

Hunter's tree, boy's bathroom, Jordan's tree — Hunter’s tree, boy’s bathroom, Jordan’s tree

So – now we are all festive and ready to enjoy the month of December!!! (at some point I will shop!)

11 trees – some big, some small – all make me HAPPY!!!

Do you love Christmas lights/decorations? Clear lights or colored?

Happy Monday!

Kim

Butt, Fitness, Hamstrings

All Good Things Must End

December 1, 2013 Kim 52 Comments

Today I did a bridge move for my 44 – it was a walking bridge.

Start in a bridge position with your feet on a bench (or a chair which is what I did) –

This move was a challenge – hard to keep my hips lifted the whole time. (a right and left foot up = 1 rep)

My family is leaving today – always a sad thing because it will be awhile before we get together again!!!

I really wish we lived closer!!!

While Sam & Stacy were here they wanted to try and get some pictures for their Christmas card – we went over to our event venue and I took a few – fun times for sure!!