Hawthorn 41

I got this new dress from my #stitchfix! I love it - it is sexy and fitted while being conservative and sweet.  I dressed it up with a black glitter skinny belt and some black and white heels.  I thought about wearing a gold link belt with some gold heels, but my gold heels are uncomfortable and we wanted to go for a long walk.  Sign up for stitch fix! It's a load of fun!

 I wish we had taken this photo before I ate dinner :-) I love my handsome guy. We had dinner at Ocean Prime in Beverly Hills. It was amazing. We had the ahi tartare appetizer and I had the chilean sea bass over mashed potatoes and some kind of special puree and a side of brussel sprouts. It was an amazing dinner and I even resisted the mashed potatoes AND the amazing looking pretzel bread.

Mom

When people ask me if I exercise, I say "not really." And when people ask me if I work I say "not outside the home." Days like today make me re-evaluate my responses.  First of all, I love my #fitbit. I walk about 9 miles everyday. I walk my oldest to school and then I walk my third to school. Then I usually run an errand or clean the house a bit and then I walk my second to school. After that, i go home, clean/organize/do laundry/dishes/ put the baby down for a nap for awhile. Then, guess what I do? I walk back to school and walk the kids home. I walk to and from school at least 4 times a day. Guess what though? That's not exercise. And it's not work. Right?

Today was different though. I also had an orthodontist appointment, a parent teacher conference, an early pick up (it's minimum day), helped a friend with her kids (and she helped me with mine.) After that we came home, went through our ski clothes and I went to the temple. Honestly. Do I work outside the home? "Not really". But I work constantly. Do I exercise? "Not really." I don't go to the gym or get up early to run, as I used to do. However, I walked over 12 miles today. So, do I exercise? I might change my answer to "hell yes I do!" It's funny how we use our defenses to keep us from really appreciating all the hard work we do. I'm grateful for my fitbit that shows me just how active I am on a daily basis.

Fitness and Family - 2 of my F's!

Fitness is one of my favorite things. It means a lot to me, actually. I recently had a 23 year old watch the kids for me for a few days. Her comment was "No wonder you look great, you are so active! I don't know how you do it!" And I had another friend tell me "You must be so fit!" I love the idea of this and the values I am instilling in my children.

On a weekly basis, my boys love to golf.

 They ride their bikes to school 5 days a week. That means that I walk to school with Hunter, again with Aspen, and a third time with Landon. Then I walk to school and they ride their bikes home at the end of the day. I end up walking 6-8 miles a day because of it. And I'm always pushing a stroller (or a double!)

 Walking Aspen to school. She likes to walk or run to school. Sometimes we run while holding hands.

 Hunter is psyched to ride his bike home.

 Aspen has dance lessons - her favorite. Next year she will do soccer as well.

 The whole family - 4 kids, 2 dogs and 2 crazy (in love) parents. Some mornings, we all walk.

 Baby yoga. Even the baby gets exercise. She goes to a #MyGym class every Friday with Daddy. She needs structured exercise too!

The boys have soccer, too. I think team sports are important for many more things than just the exercise.  Strategizing, team work, sharing the glory, supporting a team and many more positives come from being part of a team. Landon is quite a soccer star. So proud of him!

 Look at what good role models they are for this little one!

 And here is Mr. Hunter with his cute team.  I'm so proud of how active we are with all of our children. I think fitness is one of the most important things we can teach our kids, and ingraining it in them while they are young is one of the best things we can do. I hope they watch us and learn from our example.  Coming up: skiing, ice skating, tubing and sledding together!

Fun on a Saturday

Creepers!

This one. She sat on the ball, looked at me and said "Cheeeeeeeeeese". Ok, I'll take your cute picture.  Then she sprinted onto the field as a bunch of 7/8 yr olds descended downfield. There's a reason she is nicknamed "Monster".

 The #8. I am so proud of him. He makes me heart swoon.

This is what my version of fun looks like. I was trading kids out today, like they were library books. I took my middle 2 to one game and then traded them for my bookends. My boys played like rockstars today. I love the fun that only a family can bring and I am so blessed to have kids. #Soccer #AYSO #Proudmama #Officialsoccermom

The Cupshe

I'd like to spotlight my new favorite one-piece swimsuit! It's from a company called "Cupshe" and has very classic looking suits.

It is totally flattering to your figure! I love this suit! Cupshe two tone classic swimsuit and it's on sale for only $18.99. Check it out (and maybe order a size bigger than you think you might need.) #cupshe

Stitch fix review

So, I love Stitch Fix. In fact, I am applying to be a part time stylist for them. I love style and fashion and I love dressing up my friends and my family.

Anyhow, I received my 10th fix from Stitch Fix. Yes, I am a bit of an addict.  I will share it with you and we can discuss.

So these Catherine boyfriend jeans are super cute.  They are so cute, in fact, that when Stitch Fix sent them to me a few months ago in a lighter color, I bought them. I had so many pairs of denim jeans that I think I will pass on them, even though they are cute and super flattering.

 The top: A Geo print sheer cover in navy and sky blue with a sky blue camisole underneath.  It is really cute and loose fitting. I could really have a big dinner in this shirt. I have recently received a lot of shirts along these lines with a similar cut. I work really hard to maintain my 0/2/XS body, and don't need so many shirts that are baggy. It is a nice shirt though and I know a lot of women who would look fantastic in it!

 This outfit. I like it. The stylist specifically suggested I wear this shirt with this skirt and tuck it in - so here it is. I can wear a long strand of freshwater pearls or a long, thin, golden chain with it.  I like the skirt, and will purchase it even though I bought a similar skirt from them in March. I like the material of this skirt and it is very comfortable.

 I love the color of this shirt. It is a great fall color and would look fantastic with brown flat boots and my dark denim skinny jeans. I can't wait to wear them together (if the weather EVER cools down!)

 This dress: I don't love it. I love the colors. I love the design. I usually look fantastic in faux wrap dresses. I just don't think this one is very flattering. I can't decide why. I just don't. So I will probably pass on this dress too.  I think it's a great dress with fantastic, bold colors. I think there are a lot of people who will look good in it. I wish I could dress my friends because I am picturing one who would really rock this dress.You could wear boots with it or heels - probably even flats if you are running around town doing errands.

Dinner tonight

Ok, I admit that I'm a little bit of a health nut. Tonight I made chicken tacos without the tortilla. The chicken was marinated and then I used real spices to flavor the chicken - onions, cilantro, salt, pepper, etc. I allowed cheese, even though I don't usually eat cheese.  The baby, we will call her Monster, has an upset tummy. I added rice to her plate to try to help calm it down a little bit. She decided that food tastes better off of the table than off of her plate.

 This is what I had for dinner: 3 large heads of broccoli, a little bit of carne asada (about 3 ounces), with salsa, a little cheese and some beans and corn. I had a big glass of water.  The biggest tip I've learned for keeping off unwanted weight is to drink about 100-125 ounces of water per day! It's a lot of water, but it keeps my skin glowing and it keeps me from retaining water. I highly recommend this meal as a nourishing and healthy meal that satisfies you! All 4 kids and the husband enjoyed it! Score!

Exercise

Ok, let's talk about exercise. What do you like to do? Well, I was injured in April and I am still going to Physical Therapy. Boo! So I was a big runner and now I am a walker. I will be running again before long! 

These are my amazing #Nike #NikeFree5 shoes. I've had them since January, so I will need new ones soon.  I'm a huge fan of the #barefootrun. Some people say that you should only run short distances in these, but I've run up to 13 miles in them and my feet are strong and happy!

 On the #nike theme - I adore these short shorts. I get really hot when I run and these shorts along with this #Niketop is awesome. It's a #dri-fit cool breeze top and #NikePro 3 inch shorts. I usually wear my favorite running socks, the #Nikeelite cushioned running socks. They are tight on your feet and help support your arch. The first time I ran in them, I was unsure. The second time, I was addicted.  Also, they come in 6 colors and you can match your outfit to them. I love them! Go Nike!

Fashion, Fitness, Food and FUN!

This is my first blog of many!

I've decided to write about 4 of my favorite things: Fashion, fitness, food and fun! I love to take care of my body and I work hard at doing it. I've had 4 kids, and losing baby weight after each one was difficult.  After my fourth, I figured out exactly how to do it and most of the weight melted off. Now, I love to exercise and eat to maintain my shape so that I can indulge in fashion (and hopefully look good while doing it!) I've found the challenge of maintaining my figure while taking care of my 4 kids (ages 7, 5, 3, and 1) is actually really FUN.  I look forward to sharing fitness tips, recipes, and fantastic outfits.  I hope you enjoy all I have to share.  Feel free to ask questions and share my blog with others.

To begin, I will share my absolute favorite dress designer, #TedBaker and my fantastic shoes #ChineseLaundry, both of which can be purchased at one of my favorite stores: #Nordstrom!  I am not a huge fan of big chunky jewelry. It has a time and a place and the place I love to get it is #h&m. I do love #realjewelry. Tonight I chose to wear 2 strands of freshwater pearls that my mom gave to me. Some days, I wear more arm jewelry but tonight we went to a beachy fish restaurant and I didn't want to be overdressed for it. The open toed booties brought the dressiness down to an appropriate level.

 There is rouching in the middle of the dress that allows you to not look chubby when sitting. It also causes the dress to give a little bit. You can't see the detail work amazingly well, but this dress has a cute pattern down the front of the dress. I tried to find it on Nordstrom.com, to show to you, but it is no longer on the site! Let's keep an eye out for its return!

 The zipper is a solid zipper, not one of those silly invisible zippers that breaks the first time you use it.  You will notice that this dress is #conservative and #sexy at the same time.  That is Ted Baker for you. <3