Project: Best Bum Ever – 5 Minute Bom-Bom Workout Combo

So, it all started with this Nike ad I found in SELF Magazine a couple years back. I pulled it out from the magazine and had it taped various places around my apartment – the fridge, my bedroom wall, the bathroom... FINALLY, after two years and a move across the country, I'm going to get my best bum ever!!

I'm on Day 7 of project: Best Bum Ever, and I'm already feeling the transformation! It's fantastic. Here's the combo:

In the morning, I do the following two combos I found on Pinterest. Be ready for your biscuits to burn!

Do this one first! It will make the next combo work even better!

Check out www.30dayfitnesschallenges.com for more great fitness challenges!
 I'm going to try the plank one next! 

 My legs were burning constantly from Day 2 - Day 5. They were burning a little on Day 6, and Day 7 (today) it's not hurting anymore!

Because all these exercises are pulsing, staccato-like exercises, a good stretch after will help relieve some of the burn.

As a dancer, with a focus on ballet, I like my legs muscular, but lean; the buff and bulky look is not for me. To combat these pulsing stretches, I do a plié combination in the evening. This keeps up my twice-a-day exercise routine, but stretches out those tight muscles to get my beautiful, lean, pre-baby ballerina legs back!

NOTE: If the below is too confusing and too much work, just do the morning exercise again in the evening!

The plié combo consists of:

2 demi-pliés – 1 count of 8, 1 grande plié – 1 count of 8, and 1 élevé – 6 counts, 2 counts to prep for the next set – as one set.
Do each set twice for each position – 1st, 2nd, 4th (once right, once left), 5th (once right, once left).

Hold a passé élevé for two counts of 8 on each side after finishing the 5th position plié combo.

I hope you can feel the burn with me and get your best bum ever!!

Amber


For instructional videos on how to do these ballet stretches, see below.

The 5 Ballet Positions

Demi-plié

Grande plié

Rélevé

Passé

Blending Flavors

During my monthly shopping trip to Woodman's, slightly comparable to Winco, free samples were being offered. In Wisconsin, free samples are always fantastic. I'm not the biggest fan of Wisconsin, but I am a fan of all the delicious food: fresh cheese, a variety of mom and pop shop specialty meats, etc. The free samples that were offered this week included pizza, bratwurst burgers, BBQ sauce, and my favorite of the day, this Italian sausage with a recipe handed down for a few generations.

This Italian sausage was served in a store bought Alfredo sauce, and happens to be my favorite, and just paired with it perfectly! When I tasted this sausage, as the lady was telling me all about it, I felt like Remmy in Ratatouille, when he's explaining the feeling of blending flavors... Just mmmm!! It was fantastic. I wouldn't normally spend $4 on one pound of meat, but this splurge was worth it to me that day.

I've been dying to make this sausage Alfredo since I tried it. I held off for a few days, but finally caved and made it tonight! I stood in front of the Fettuccini the entire time it cooked to ensure it was perfectly Al dente, and poured a little milk in with the sauce as it simmered with the sausage for perfect flavor blending. I then chopped a fresh spinach and romaine salad with fresh vegetables, feta and Italian dressing, and voilà! Perfect weeknight dinner. I savored every bite, and am looking forward to the leftovers.

Call me crazy all you want, for loving food as much as I do, but when one of your passions is delicious flavor, it happens. Ratatouille explains it perfectly. :)

http://youtu.be/Yyah49_Oz78

Milwaukee

I had thought I posted this when we announced we were moving, but just saw that it was a draft still!! When I was researching Milwaukee, this was the stuff I found. I love weird laws.

Some brief facts about Wisconsin . . .
1. Average temp in the Summer: 64-80°F
2. Average temp in the Winter: 16-29°F
3. Population (Wisconsin): 5,711,767 (source: U.S. Census, July 2011)
4. Population (Milwaukee): 597,867 (source: U.S. Census, July 2011)
4. State Capitol: Madison
5. Basketball team: Milwaukee Bucks
6. Baseball team: Milwaukee Brewers
7. Football team: Greenbay Packers (it's really the Milwaukee Badgers, but we all know it's really the Packers!)
8. Closest temple: Chicago, Illinois (about 2 hours)
9. Church members in Wisconsin: 25, 686
10. Dunkin Donuts? YES! Right down from the station!

After reading some of these weird laws, all I wanted to know is what does Wisconsin have against margarine??

Weird laws in Wisconsin:
- While all cheese making requires a license, Limburger cheese making requires a master cheese maker’s license.
- It is illegal to kiss on a train.
- Margarine may not be substituted for butter in restaurants unless it is requested by the customer.
- As people used to smuggle it in from Illinois, all yellow butter substitute is banned.
- At one time, margarine was illegal.
- State Law made it illegal to serve apple pie in public restaurants without cheese.
- You are not allowed to put litter into someone else’s trash receptacle without express permission.
- Tattooing is illegal unless it is done for medical purposes.
- Condoms were considered an obsene article and had to hidden behind the pharmacist’s counter.
http://www.dumblaws.com/laws/united-states/wisconsin

Once-A-Month Menu Planning and Grocery Shopping List

I've had a lot of people ask me what my tricks are, and how I plan all my menus for a month in one sitting. "It seems too difficult." That's what I hear the most. But, what if it really isn't? Personally, I think trying to come up with something an hour before dinner should be served is harder. I'm going to share my full process with you today. Trust me, it's really not hard at all!

SIDE NOTE: If you want the abbreviated method, look for the bold text throughout the post and see the examples.

First, write a list of family favorite meals. What are your family's favorite meals? I'm sure you can come up with at least 5 favorite meals on the spot. Write all these down. Keep thinking and writing, then keep this list nearby your monthly menu so you have it for next time. For example, here is my list of family favorite meals:

Don't be intimidated! I started this list nearly 3 YEARS ago. I've also added, removed and refined this list almost on a monthly basis. Just start with what you can think of, and go from there. Trust me, it'll grow fast, especially if you keep trying new things.

Second, plot out a monthly menu. A month sounds pretty intense. Really, it's not. Especially if you formulate it. Looking at the blank menu for the month is scary, but if you break your month down into "theme nights", then you don't have 28-35 meals to plan, you have 7 "themes" of 5 meals. Doesn't sound anywhere near as bad, does it? Below is an example of how I plan my monthly menu:

I start my menu on Thursday because I do my grocery shopping on Wednesday.

See? Breaking it down makes it seem much less tedious and scary. Anyone can do this with a little spare time. It took me about 10-20 minutes to get this menu together. In this menu example, I've moved some things around a bit. I don't make nachos or philly cheesesteaks in the Crock Pot. But, the idea of theme night gives you an easier idea as to what to cook and breaks it down some.

Confession: I don't always stick to the specific days. I don't religiously have left overs on Tuesday and pizza on Wednesday. This is mainly just to get my plan going. Once I have all the meals planned for the month, I'll mix the meals up on a weekly basis. Example: the 5th row. I'll stick with those meals for week 5 of this month, but I'll probably have pulled pork sandwiches on Sunday and the rice bowls on Saturday.


GROCERY SHOPPING

I do about 75% of my grocery shopping at the beginning of the month. I have a warehouse, employee-owned store about 12 miles away. They have the best prices around on most of the stuff I buy on a regular basis, so I'll go there only once a month to save on gas. I'll buy just about all my non-perishables this day. That way, if the perishables for a meal on the third week go on sale on the second week, I have everything I need to make that meal on the second week already, so we can swap meals week to week as needed.

Because grocery prices are so much more expensive in WI than they were in CA, I've started couponing and price checking prior to purchasing anything. It takes a lot of time, but I've been able to stay in my CA food budget, which, when we first moved here, we thought was going to be impossible. I'd say the prices of everything are between 25%-50% more in WI than in CA. This made me crazy! In CA, I could get everything for the month I need, and had plenty of money left over for snacks and treats. When we moved to WI, our snacks and treats immediately went away (bye-bye ice cream!), and we were eating spaghetti just about every other night! It was pretty awful. Once I started to get to know all the stores in the area, what the standard prices were at each store, when things went on sale, and I noticed we got coupons sent to us on a weekly basis, my grocery life got a little bit easier. Still, I spend about an hour once a week marking up the circulars to ensure I get the best prices, and clipping coupons, but for me, saving the money is worth my time. It's not for everyone, but if you have the time, you can save a lot of money if you do it right.

So, how do I do it? Here we go.

First, write out your shopping list for the entire month. Below is a template I use for my shopping list.

With this, I start by writing everything I need for the meals on my menu, whether I'll be getting them on this initial shopping trip or not. EVERYTHING. Then I'll add staples not needed for my dinners, like breakfast and lunch items, fruits and veggies for snacks, other snacks and treats, random condiments, etc. So far, for April, my list is 3 pages long, and will probably be at least another page by the time I'm completely finished.

Next, write in the prices for comparison, or mark which store you plan on getting each item at. I'll use receipts from the month before for the price comparison, or just bring my list with me, to the stores I visit weekly, the week before I do my initial trip and gather the prices there. I also use the circulars and write in the sale prices too. I'll mark on my list if I have a coupon for that item as well, either manufacture or store coupon.

While I'm getting my grocery list started, and using it throughout the month, I'll mark my circulars with big hi-lighted boxes around what I'll get at the store. 

This week, I don't have any coupons for anything I'm going to get, but if I did, I'd write 'Coup' across the box with a hi-lighter for the items I have coupons for. I'll take my marked circulars with me to the stores, along with my grocery shopping list.

The day I do my initial shopping trip, I make sure my kitchen is spotless and mess free. That way, it's not so overwhelming when I bring home a million bags of groceries.

After the initial trip is done, I'll put everything away and prep everything as needed. More on that in a later post. I'll take pictures, add my tips and post that in a couple weeks when I go!

Hope this can help you save time and feel better about planning your menus!

If you would like a copy of my Excel spreadsheets for my monthly menu and shopping lists, please email me at amberstocksdale@gmail.com. If you have any questions, please leave a comment.

The Year in a Nutshell

It's that magical time of year when you receive letters from people giving a short, concise recap of the past year or so of their lives… If you don't care to read what the Stocksdale's have been up to well good news, we'll never know! You can just skip to the bottom to where we say Merry Christmas and enjoy the picture. But if you actually want to find out what we have been doing, well here we go…

We made it! Our family moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin back in June and it's been a huge change for all of us. It's hard to believe it's already been 6 months since we left California. We are having fun with what Wisconsin has to offer, but we do miss sunny Palm Desert and having so many friends and family nearby.

Now to the person you're most interested in, Miss Adelaide. Addi is a very busy little 2 year-old learning lots of things like her letters, numbers and colors. She also started a dance class this year and loves every minute of it. Addi experienced her first real snowfall a few weeks ago and likes the idea of snowball fights, just not freezing her little hands. (PS It’s true what they say about the Terrible Twos.)

Amber has been working with Pilot Publishing for more than three years now and has been very involved in publishing the company's Bahamas & Caribbean Pilot's Guide. Since starting with the company, she has learned to do a lot of new things including graphic design and cartography. It's been a great opportunity for her to work with this company and is now working remotely from home part time for them. Amber has been enjoying the opportunity to stay at home with Addi. Amber has also been enjoying much of what Milwaukee has to offer, most of all the delicious cheese.

Adam got a job as a Producer for Today's TMJ4, which is why our family moved all the way to Milwaukee. He works all night because his newscast starts at 6AM and the news doesn’t write itself. Adam also received a very big honor this year, winning his first Emmy for a newscast he produced in Palm Springs. 

That about sums up our lives for the past year on one page. If you want to keep track of our fun-filled adventures throughout the rest of the year check out our Facebook pages. Amber also promises to start updating our blog again, "The Many Adventures of the Stocksdale Family" on blogspot.com.

We hope you and your family have a Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year.

Much love,

Adam, Amber & Adelaide Stocksdale

Cheesecake and Chick Flicks

As everyone knows, Valentines day is a day of expressing ones love for another. When I was single, I decided I would express my love for myself. Some people might read that and say, "wow, how vain..." Never. How can you love another if you can't love yourself? I, at times, had a hard time loving myself for being me. I'm sure many women (and people in general) can relate. So, in honor of Valentines Day, I would gather as many girl friends as I could and would go to the movies and see the newly released chick flick and then treat us to cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory. We always had a blast! It was fantastic. We enjoyed each others company in celebrating being us, alone, and being happy with who we were at the time.

Now that I'm married and have a little one, it's nice to look back and be able to say that I was happy on my own, being just me. I think it's important to have some time being you, by yourself and finding who you are, alone. It's important to be able to love yourself for who you are. It makes such a difference in how you love others. That respect for yourself gives you the opportunity to love others more fully.

This Valentines Day, Adam took me out to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner and cheesecake, then took me to see Safe Haven. It was a wonderful evening! It reminded me of who I was, and who I've become. I look forward to many more Valentines Days, especially the ones involving cheesecake and chick flicks.

To all ya'll girls who are single and may be lonely this year, take yourself out once in a while and remember who YOU are and who YOU want to be. You can be happy without being attached to someone else. Your happiness should not be determined by another. Be happy with you.

Fitting In

As I'm microwaving my lunch, I noticed the most wonderful thing... I fit perfectly in my trousers again!!! I bought some expensive and very nice Banana Republic trousers when I was probably eight weeks pregnant. Since having the baby, I hadn't worn them much, due to not fitting and I had a good pair of blue jeans that works fine. Once my blue jeans gave out (huge hole in my left knee... Always the left knee since I was little), I had to wear the trousers. I had to squeeze my fat thighs and muffin top into them, but they stayed on.

Well today, after about 4 weeks of being aware of what I eat (not really changing what I eat) and doing some yoga and toning most evenings, I've lost 8 pounds and fit fantastically in my trousers! So excited!! I still have about 13 pounds to lose, but I'm feeling great and look forward to fitting in to more clothes.