The Candygate Scandal

Dinner on soccer nights are a challenge because soccer practice starts at 5:30 and ends at 7:00.  Tonight was a soccer night, usually, I can sell the kids on yummy turkey wraps grilled with cheese. "UMMMMMMM, They are so good aren't they guys?"  Tonight, nope, "no good", they said.  "Whaaaat?, but you loooooove turkey wraps"!, I said disappointingly.  David chimes in, "Mommy you cook hot meals sooooo good"!  "Ok, I will see what I can do.", I said.  My mind starts churning, what can I whip up? Nothings thawed,  pots and pans, scrubbing, oh man, this SUCKS! So I get home, demand showers while I am whipping up my gourmet dinner.  I prepare for my wonderful children, salmon pasta with garlic and olive oil and a salad.  I opted for salad and salmon, no pasta for my dinner.  We had an informal dinner tonight, which means in front of the TV.  

I am feeling awesome about my food choices, especially since I was struggling with temptations to snack today.  I am cleaning in the kitchen and I came across an oatmeal raisin cookie.  Ooooh it looked good....yep, I ate it.  Then before you know it I was hiding from my kids in the corner of the kitchen mowing through their Easter candy.  It happened that quick!  When I finally got a hold of myself, I thought this has not happened in a long time, what triggered this.  Then it hit me, the cookie.  The harmless cookie started a sugar avalanche...from now on...if anyone ever sees me with a cookie in my hand, yell at me to.... PUT THE COOKIE DOWN!

Picture of mass destruction: (notice two reese's peanut butter eggs that made it!)

There are some starbursts wrappers, the cookie that started it all, and reeses wrappers.

Besides the candygate scandal things are going really well.  Bella is embracing soccer like a little Beckham.  See proud mama pics below:

David is always the very last guy on the lacrosse field after practice, he loves the sport.  I really love it too, when he does his tricky moves and scores, love watching that!

My husband, who is also following a training plan, Jim Stoppani on BodyScape worked out on the road. 

Link to Jim Stoppani's 12-week workout

He travels quite a bit and it is difficult for him to keep his diet and workout in check but he is managing it well with some habit changes.  He texted me a swelfie, lol.  See below:

I saved the ABSOLUTE BEST for last.  Introducing the very first "Getting Fit with Ava" video.  Our youngest, Ava is truly embracing our new lifestyle.  Our` little girl did this all on her own.  Please take a look, it is SIMPLY amazing!

Bunny Smuggling

Monday morning, the day after Easter, it's back to normal operations.  It's 8:30, it's do everything I should have done Sunday night real quick before we have to get in the car and go to school time.  I said to Ava, "Quick get your book bag so I can get your folder and empty it." She said, "It's ok, I didn't have anything in there".   I thought to myself, I don't believe her and I have to check because If there is something in there, well, I don't want the teacher thinking I went an entire weekend without cracking open Ava's book bag.  She gives me her book bag.  I said, "Ava, this is heavy".  She said, "huh, weird".  I open it up and what do ya know, there is a huge pink, foil wrapped chocolate bunny staring right back at me.  I said, "Ava, really?"  She replied, nonchalantly, "oh yeah, its for snack time".  Oh no she didn't.  That stinkin' Easter Bunny!

I am on day 3, week 1 of my Jamie Eason work out.  I have included this new thing called a Swelfie.  This is a sweaty selfie, I know it's weird.  I swear it is a thing.  I am doing a yoga move, pigeon pose, I think.  Whatever it is, it feels wonderful right about now.  I am trying to take this picture on the down low, I don't want people to think I'm swelfie obsessed. 

 

 

We are sliding right into week 4 of our transformation.  I did a little reflecting on our journey, checked in with the family and wanted to share our thoughts with you.   These are the goals we want to make our regular lifestyle:

• Eating out less
• Less boredom eating
• More fruits and vegetables
• Healthier dinners and snacks
• More family workouts
• More planning with meals and activities
• Regular workout routine for myself and my husband
• Education
• Spiritual guidance

We have had successes in most of these areas.  We do a regular family swim night on Tuesdays.  This was not easy and took some maneuvering at first because we don't get home until 9:00 on a school night.  I started giving them showers at the gym and pre-making dinner so that when we get home we are able to eat and send them to bed to read and lights out.  The bicycles were a big hit, we only did the bike trail once but I would like to do more of these outings on the weekends and include picnic brunches or lunches.  The Wednesday workouts at Jim Mack's are kind of fun according the kids, but only because of the outside speaker that plays music.  I quote, "without that speaker, I would hate that work out".  Uh thanks?

Meals are successful as well, way less boredom eating because we are always doing something.  They are playing a lot more.  I am almost positive it is because they have way more energy.  They are getting more and more adventurous with their food choices.  For example tonight I made an Asian inspired ground turkey mixture and rolled it into rice paper, brushed it with chili garlic olive oil and baked it.  Ava was eating the meat out of the wrapper, and I said, "don't you like the wrapper?" She said, "Uh, I don't eat paper."   I told her, "it's not REAL paper girl! You eat it"  She ate it and said, "this is deliciousness!"  Oh my!  I also made muffins with greek yogurt, subbed out oil with apple sauce and coconut sugar, not bad.  My husband and I were rocking and rolling tonight and he made some egg and sausage muffins, they are portable, just pop them in the microwave and off ya go. 









OK, OK, so it has not been all easy peasy lemon squeezy, we had maaaaaaaaannnnnnyyyyyy bumps in the road.  I think the most important thing is planning and preparation.  If you do not have these two things you are IN TROUBLE.  I have had lack of motivation, during these times my kids push me, I make myself do it, my husband motivates me, or I give myself some grace to take a break.  I can honestly say I have not given into the convenience of fast food, pat on the back for me. WE have gone to a restaurant or two as a family.  This blog has kept me motivated and really I love writing to all of you about the new things we are trying, learning, and most of all making us closer as a family. 

Mama vs.The Bunny:Dawn of Health

Today wasn't just a cheat day it was an EPIC cheat day.  Two Easter dinners, enough chocolate bunnies to outfit a football team, and desserts?, don't get me started on desserts.  Everywhere I went, it was don't eat too much candy, you will get sick.  Remember all of the great things we have done, lets keep it up; and on and on.  I remember saying at one point to Ava, "PUT THAT BUNNY DOWN!"  She said, "But mommy I just want the ear!"  By the end of the first dinner I felt like I had gone 10 rounds in the ring with my new arch nemesis, "The Bunny".   Halfway through the second dinner I experience what boxers call a TKO (total knock out)!  I was finished, done, "The Bunny" won!  Not only did the kids succumb to the pressures of the holiday, yep you guessed it, so did I! One Reese's peanut butter bunny led to a chocolate oblivion that I now regret, a little :).  

Easter Egg Hunt Pics

The inspiration for the title of my blog comes from the movie I saw on Friday night, Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice. The movie depicts a battle between two relatively decent guys who happen to be superheros fighting for their causes.  Their causes just happen to conflict so one has to go, causing the battle.  I think this parallels nicely with Moms and the Easter Bunny, as health conscious mamas, we are fighting a candy battle with a relatively innocent character, the Easter Bunny, see my point? 

 Back to the movie, I thought originally, I was doing this for my husband, you know a sacrifice to show my love.  I ended up LOVING it!  I had no idea my childhood hero, Wonder Woman was making a cameo.  When she made her appearance for a brief moment, I morphed into a 5 year old little girl in her Wonder Woman underoos, magic bracelets, and tiara.  I literally jumped out of my seat with excitement!  Now I GET IT!  I know why my husband loves these movies, these characters are HIS childhood heros! Connection made...Mind Blown!  

Date Night

Wonder Woman Underoos

What could wonder woman, fighting with the Easter bunny, and moms have to do with each other? Well, I knew I was going into the weekend and it was going to be tough, food-wise.  I had to tap into my inner Wonder Woman!  I fought for what I could control and that was fitness.  I will go into detail about our fitness activities later.  I knew Sunday's battle would be hard-won, I gave it a go, but in the end was being a stickler, enforcing rules, and not allowing the kids to enjoy Easter candy going to really be a failure for our transformation?  My thoughts, no.   I want our healthy lifestyle to include things like candy, eating out, popcorn at the movies but in moderation.  Did we eat in moderation today, no, not really.  Did we do better than in the past, absolutely.  Are we going to do better next Easter, you bet!  Unless you were born with the coveted moderation gene it is a learned behavior. 

In order to balance out the sugar intake due to the holiday, I planned lots of activity.  Friday, they played outside all day at their grandparents house.  On Saturday, we had swimming, a lacrosse scrimmage, and a bike ride on the lower Enola trail.  I was extremely excited about the bike ride and rightfully so, it was a beautiful experience. My husband and I loved it so much we are going again on Monday, (shhhhhhh) without kids.  

Lower Enola Bike Trail

On a spiritual note, the Easter holiday can be a confusing time for my kids.  The mix of tradition and Christian values can get confusing for them, especially when they were younger.  This year, I felt that they really understood the true message of Easter.  They understood that  Christ's resurrection was the focus, and the bunny was for fun.  There is a tradition in our town that is done by close friends of ours. It is an Easter egg hunt on their farm for the community preceded by a telling of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.  Laurie, my friend who graciously hosts this event also gives the prayer of salvation for anyone to invite Jesus Christ into their heart.  It is such an amazing day.  I love it!

Happy Easter from Us!

Mama Out!

The Bicycle Diaries

The anticipation of yesterday was building for days.  I knew my husband and I were going to surprise the kids with early Easter gifts, brand new bikes.! We researched these bikes for weeks, secretly got their input, and prepared them for the possibility of an early Easter bunny gift arrival.  The reason we were going to do an early Easter gift was I had a picnic bike ride on the Lower Enola Trail planned for their day off.  There was one issue that stood in the way for our bike ride, our youngest, Ava is still riding on training wheels.  My mission in life was to get Ava ready to hit the trail on Friday sans training wheels.   I knew this would not be a problem, she is more mature, coordinated, and well, how difficult could this be?
 
I won't hold you in suspense, lets get right to the best part of the day.  I could NOT wait to grab the kids from school!  I asked Miguel to put their bikes in the drive way with their helmets, little cute bells, and baskets so that when we drove in they would see them right away!  When they saw them I was more excited than they were and they were through the roof happy!   They were super ecstatic looking at their bikes, getting their gear on, and riding up to the neighbors house to ask them to ride their bikes.  Everything was so wonderful and just how I imagined it until.... it wasn't. 

I was proudly watching Ava try to learn how to ride her bike, she was wobbly, a little scared, but her daddy was reassuring her the whole time.  Then there was that moment when she has it, you let go and she takes off on her own and we all cheer and yell..Yay Ava!  You did it!  I quickly woke up from that dream as Miguel let go and Ava crashed and burned!  She was ANGRY!  She jumped up and screamed, "DADDY!  Why did you do that?"  Well she was DONE!  Miguel was FRUSTRATED.  This represented shades of years gone by and our bike trials with Ava.  Everyone in the neighborhood rallied around her, I wiped her tears, there were heartfelt speeches, but Ava was not to be moved, she wanted training wheels.  I was like okay, we can do that.  Her Daddy on the other hand, said, and I quote, "I will cut my leg off before a training wheel goes on that bike".  This begins the Ava and Daddy stand off...
 
Miguel, "If you aren't even going to try the bike is going back."
 
Ava, "I want the bike Daddy".
 
Miguel "Awesome, lets go try again"!
 
Ava "NO!"
 
Miguel "Bike is going back".
 
This went on for sometime,  Miguel actually said to me, "where does she get that stubbornness"!  I said, "I have no idea!" (Did he actually say that?)
 
The story has a happy ending for Ava.  She is riding her bike...see below!







Ava happily on her bike!
 

Ava's Bike
 
 




I know what you are thinking, first it's vegetables, then training wheels and before you know it...fill in the blank...but really?  Look at that face!  Did I mention she is my baby, the last one?  Do you want some more excuses?  I have about 7 years of them in my back pocket!  Honestly, all of my kids get over on me, I hate to admit it, but I am a spoiler!  Right HERE! Guilty! 

 Everyone got bikes including my husband and I for our fitter lifestyle.  We are planning on riding different trails over the coming months.  We did not go today because of the rain, but we plan to go on Saturday!
 

 

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Fitness UPDATE: Anyone that showed up to Jim Mack's on Wednesday for a workout, I apologize for my absence, my daughter had a fluke soccer practice.  I hope to see you there next week, weather permitting!
 
I made a decision!  I am training for (key in suspenseful music) the Harrisburg Half on September 11, 2016. My sister is super organized, so she printed out my schedule, she makes sure I run, she really is my motivation partner for these runs. I could NOT do it without her! 

Harrisburg Half Marathon October 9, 2011
Left to Right Abby (sister), Val (friend), Me

I start the Jaime Eason weight lifting program tomorrow, that is 12-weeks long, I will post my progress on here, if anyone wants to be my virtual training partner, friend me at libbymiguel Crespo on facebook and message me. 
 
One last noteworthy win:  Last night we went to the grandparents to paint Easter Eggs, normally this is a barrage of can I have this candy?, that cupcake?, extra pizza?, a million lollipops? of course I say no.  Next think I know they have it and I say "why are eating that?" and they say, "Paw Paw said, "its his house, his rules".  Thanks PAW PAW!! WELL, last night it was one slice of pizza and not another word about anything!  I was awe struck! They played outside, painted eggs and for once food was not the battle of the century!  Go kids, you rock!

 

Mama OUT!

Fitness with a Little Twerking!

Tweaking!  I meant tweaking! NOT twerking!...gotcha!  This week I weighed myself and the scale has not budged since I started this fitness revolution, 150lbs was staring straight back at me.  I am 5' 1 and 1/2'' and I am currently considered overweight  by medical standards, read on.   When I was in the Navy, I felt very comfortable in my skin at a fit 127-130lbs.  I have been 20lbs away from that since the birth of my last child, 7 years ago.  I have successfully lost more than 30lbs in the past with baby weight so I know how to do these last 20lbs.  My BMI or Body Mass Index is 27 which is considered overweight. I included a chart below that shows the weight to BMI ratio. 

What is BMI?

It usually does take about 3 weeks for my body to decide if this is a practical joke or if it is time to take the changes seriously.  I  know deep down I can do more, so this is where the tweaking comes into play.  I am going to:

• Stop eating protein bars, they are really easy, but they are also really processed. I think I need to pick either shakeology protein shakes or bars not both.  I need to fill the rest of my day with whole foods. 
• I definitely need to get serious about exercise.  I want to start adding some cardio goals into the mix.  I want to start training for either a 10k or a half marathon. I have done both, I just have to decide how much time I am willing to devote to training for this goal.  I also know Insanity, by beachbody and Shaun T. works, I lost 25lbs doing this program, but it is INSANE, 'nuff said!
• Start banging some weights around.  I did this yesterday, I am paying for it today.  This will be the hardest of all the changes I am making because I hate lifting.  It does not give me instant gratification, it is boring, and annoying.  I know, however, that this is a necessary evil.  I usually follow Jamie Eason's workout plans.  She has an APP that is super easy to follow on your phone while working out.  It is definitely worth checking out:

Jamie Eason's Website

 

I think for now, these changes will keep me in check.  I will keep doing the things I am doing with my family.  We went to the pool last night to practice for Bella's Kid's Triathlon at the Hempfield Recreation Center on April 16th.  Ava practiced her swimming strokes to pass the swim test and try out for the swim team this year.  Her brother and sister are both on swim team and have been since they were old enough to try out.  This is an excellent way to get ALL of us out of bed during the summer and out the door to start our day. 

 

One last picture of my "what's in my pantry/fridge" creation for dinner.  I have to say, kinda awesome!  I call it, wait for it...Chickpea Chipotle AL'Orange over Spaghetti AKA Melt Your Face off Pasta! It was spicy.  I paired it with a lemon balsamic dressed spinach salad.  Overall very health dinner, using smaller plates and protein enriched pasta. 

 

Mama Out!

 

Hangin' with the Boys!

Ah, The Mother/ Son Retreat at Joy El Camp, this is an annual escape for David and I.  It is honestly a unique experience for me to have an entire weekend that I don't have to compete with the IPAD, daddy, friends, etc.  It is also nice because we are able to bond in a God-centered environment.   We had several other boys and moms from our area and the Release Time program join us this year.  It was an amazing time!

One thing that always amazes me about the retreat is not only do I have an opportunity to improve a relationship with my son, I always walk away with a heart filled with real connections, new perspectives, and wisdom.   I always wonder why I am able to connect with other moms so quickly in this environment? what is different?  When I thought about this during the weekend; I remembered a recent conversation I had with a friend. I mentioned that without being vulnerable, meaningful relationships are hard to achieve, well in my opinion, impossible.  Unfortunately, it is hard to take off the mask and show people more than our highlight reels.  Sharing our stories, including the messy stuff  helps us grow intimacy. It could also impact another person by changing their perspective, offering insight, or just simply knowing they are not the only one.  The retreats are a win/win, total blast, and the food is not bad either!

Hebrews 10: 24-25 "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another-and all the more as you see the day approaching."  

The boys!

                                       

The exercise of turning junk into remarkable!

The Dining Hall and Rachel and I hitting up the coffee bar!!

Worship! Singing, learning, loving!

Archery

Making something remarkable from junk!

We turned our junk into Jesus!!
Can't get any more remarkable than that!

Go Karts

By the way, so proud of Honbear for holding down the fort while I was gone!  It does not work if one of us is not on board. This statement is proven in our house.  It is TRULY a Family Affair!  That is what this blog is all about God, Family, and Health.

Mama OUT!

Wifey Away..Is our Health Doomed?

With my wife and son at a Mother Son Christian retreat for the weekend..I'll be your guest blogger tonight. This happens about once or twice a year where mommy is away and daddy is holding down Casa Crespo. Normally, I'm the one out of town with Fit N Fun Mama running the program. I've been guilty in the past of pretty much picking up the phone ordering food, throwing whatever finger food the kids want and pretty much bracing the house together until mama comes home. Now since we've embarked on the GodFamilyHealth challenge, will my downward trend continue?? Let's see: what's next was my day today (Dads everywhere will totally understand this and Moms who read can get a picture of life when you aren't home):

The morning started with my new ritual (which is always a lot better with my wife being on the couch with a hot cup of coffee; come on guys..gotta score brownie points here) of doing my AHA devotional. Today's devotional was about taking action when you've acknowledged wrongdoing; I won't preach but it did set me up to take this day seriously and not lose the traction we've made so far on this journey. Well challenge one came early today; our youngest Ava had swimming lessons so I decided we'd get our family workout in before her lesson and then give the girls are special treat (spoiler alert: for the first time it didn't involve food). Now I wasn't ready for my pre-workout; getting two opinionated girls dressed. My girls every morning know exactly what they want to wear depending on their mood, Mommy can usually change their mind because she's their fashion muse however Daddy is just on the tracks and the train is coming. After 5 different outfit EACH and 30 minutes of "Daddy mommy knows where that outfit is", they graciously accepted Daddy's outfit choice...Thank God!!! We didn't let that get us down, we marched over to the Hempfield Rec and swam laps in the pool 15 minutes before and during Ava's 30 minute swimming class. Ava was inspired and determined in class today; she must have felt the energy of the day. This little girl attempted one of her biggest fears; the olympic pool swim test. She has to swim the length of the pool without stopping so she can swim freely without an adult in the pool with her. Today after 45 minutes of hard swimming and water exercises, she went for it. Unfortunately, she only made it 3/4 of the way but no doubt next class she's got it. So after swim class, I gave my girls their surprise. Skyzone baby!!
Skyzone is a bounce palace with trampolines everywhere, dodgeball, huge pit dives, etc.. The girls jumped, bounced and flipped their little hearts out for 45 more minutes.

Now on to dinner; this is where disaster has struck but I was determined to make this health thing serious. Our menu consisted of:

• Lemon and Jalepeno-Cilantro Salmon/Shrimp Tacos
• Baked Red Potatoes with Garlic, Bacon(Turkey) and Cheese

The dish I'm most proud of tonight is Daddy's Apple Pie Protein Bars; I figure with mommy away daddy will play in the kitchen. I replaced the flour with vanilla protein powder combining cooked cinnamon apples, rolled oats, flax seed and brown sugar. The girls loved them; they are good. Hopefully there are some left before mama and David get home...;)

Finally the introspection part of my post. I'm proud to continued the journey my wife has started and really the best feeling in the world is supporting my queen and the gift God has blessed me with. I often call these weekends, Wifey Appreciation Weekend, I learn just how much this life isn't complete without my co-pilot, how God built this family on our strengths together and how blessed this life is when it functions with the Lord at our center. So in closing, I hope I have done this blog justice but I'm sure you have the same feeling I do "I can't wait for Fit n Fun Mama to get back"..Well no one wants that more than these 3:

                                                Bella said "Daddy he likes Honey like you"
                                                        
                                                        Until next time..Honbear is Out.