UPPER BODY WORKOUT

Fitness is really important to me for obvious reasons but also because it just makes me feel better. It gives me more energy, I feel more confident, I'm doing something for myself and I can be alone in my thought for 1.5 hours.

I am currently on my second month of consistently working out. The first month I started with three days a week. This month I upped it to four. And I switch up from core and leg/butt days  to core/back/arm days. I also do 12 minutes of cardio before my workout and 12 minutes of cardio when I'm finished.

Since today was an arm day I wanted to share with you a typical workout for me and some pictures to help you out.

12 Minutes Cardio: 1 minute warm-up, 11 minute jog

Stretch

Abs/Core

Arm/Back: 10 reps and 3 sets of opposite arm superman

image via ourbodybook

Arm/Back: 10 reps and 3 sets of opposite arm extensions

image via popsugar

Core/Back/Arm: 1 minute, 3 sets of plank rows

image via popsugar

Core/Arm/Legs: 10 Reps 3 sets of 5lbs of bosu ball shoulder press

Core/Arms/Legs: 10 reps 3 sets of 5lbs of bicep curl on bosu ball

image via women's fitness

Core/Arms/Back: 10 reps 3 sets of seated row

image via womens fitness

12 minutes cardio: 11 minute elliptical, 1 minute cooldown

And that my friends is one of my arm workouts that I do. But always make sure to switch up your exercises to keep your body guessing. The reason you plateau is due to doing the same things repeatedly. Switch up your cardio workouts and also your strength training.

DIY: GLITTER FRAMES

With Penelope's first birthday party being right around the corner, I think back and I'm really glad I did things to prepare throughout previous months. This was the first project I took on and my plan is to use these frames for the sweets and hot dog table.

I am a huge fan of gold and I'm not going to lie when I say my inner five year old gleefully sprinkled glitter all over these frames. This project is super simple and super cheap.

Step 1. Doing one side at a time, paint the frame with glitter glue.
Step 2. Sprinkle loose glitter over wet glue and let sit for a minute.
Step 3. Shake it off and repeat!

In the middle of the glitter process, I used a trash bag to catch all the access.

After the frame is all dried and finished

PENELOPE 11 MONTHS!

Every Mom says over and over..."I just can't believe how fast this year has gone!" I am no different people, no different. 

This past month she's really started to show signs of new emerging personality traits. I've noticed instead of running off to go play at a daycare, now she'll cling on to me for a bit and she likes me to drop her off in the midst of all the children.

She's babbling. Full on grabbing a book and sitting content for 15 minutes pointing at pictures and "reading" her bookie. She has her three favorite books that we read to her every night before bed. She has just recently started learning again how to fall asleep on her own in her crib.

She loooves to play hide and seek. Disappear behind something and pop up with a massive smile on her face. In the morning when she wakes up I throw her on my bed and we chat and play for awhile before breakfast. Then we eat our scrambled eggs with feta and fruit together. Who am I kidding, she is obsessed with eggs and will take that over pretty much anything now. 

She has started waving hello and bye bye and giving kisses freely. Just like momma, when she gives a kiss she makes the loud mmmmm...MAH noise. The cutest. She throws away her own diapers and as it turns out is trained so well she throws away other kids diapers. *Head smack* 

She knows what turn the page of her books is and she is a dancing queen. Like no kidding. Turn on the music and instantly she's bobbing her head in her highchair. And if she's free of her highchair. She's doing something that looks like a painfully low squat and jumping back up...then falling over.

Her laughter is unreal. It's angelic and it's often. Such a blessing to hear it as much as I do. She got these adorable little nugget teeth. A whopping eight right now and she feels very responsible when I say "brush your teeth". Her look immediately turns serious and she brushes. 

Penelope has been dubbed as the bottle bandit. She believes that all baby bottles are communal and should be shared upon request. If the unfortunate baby does not want to share their bottle, she is confused and then frustrated. Hence carrying around a ridiculous back breaking amount of bottles in the diaper bag is necessary.

She's not into toys. She likes cabinets. And people and books pulling things out of drawers. When you put her on grass she immediately jets off into nowhere land. Did I mention she is jumping? Like feet leave the floor jumping. 

11 months is just one away from 12 and though it's bittersweet, I am so thankful I payed mind to all the advice I got to cherish it. I have so many beautiful memories and pictures with her. And I'm looking forward to seeing this little human she develops into.