Physique 57 weekend slacker....:(

Honesty is the best policy right?  So here goes...I slacked over the weekend.  I had a lot going on and just didn't make the time for my Physiqueing...a Physique 57 weekend slacker.  Bad me :( (scold scold). I'm finishing up plans for a bridal shower for Stephanie, my daughter-in-law to be (remember the mother-of-the groom dress I'm working towards?).  I made that and other family events a priority this weekend....good reasons, bad excuses.

This morning I had not just the original guilt note, but I added an additional guilt note.  It worked!!  I came right home after work, took Tiffy for a walk and headed upstairs to change into my workout clothes (Old Navy this time...real "old" Old Navy)! Many of you may think...she must be in shape, she walks Tiffany every day.  Let me be perfectly honest...a walk with Tiffy does not consist of much. One stroll around the cul-de-sac and we are done.  Plus she is so dang cute that sometimes when we are out for our walks, I cannot resist carrying her so we can cuddle as we walk.  Little legs mean short walks for this little punkin.  Have a look at my walking buddy....wouldn't you just love to cuddle with her too??

I got right into it but was tired much quicker than last week.  It is amazing to me how good I felt doing my Physique 57 regularly last week and how much harder it was for me when I missed a couple of days.  Lesson learned!!

But the most important thing, I believe, is that I got back into it!  I did my Physique 57 tonight and plan to do it again tomorrow night and the next....

I must share a proud moment tho....I lost 1/2 an inch off of my waist!!!! Yipee!!! Physiqueing is paying off.  I was thrilled...I texted my baby girl and she was proud of me.  That is worth all of the pain I get as I get healthy and fit!!  Oh and our dear friend Vanessa...wanted to know if  I was sure that wasn't me at the ballet barre...I knew I loved that girl. Thanks Nessa :)

Until next time fellow Physiquesians....

PS...my baby girl will be here in 4 days....yippee!!

Saturday quickie....Physique style :)

Happy Saturday everyone! I woke up feeling a bit sore from my Physiqueing yesterday...ouchie!  I again struggled with my inner self....skip a day, skip a day, it's ok! NO NO NO...guilt note is still posted on the TV! You are on a roll, go Suzie go!  My inner self lost!!

Upstairs I go to get out of my PJ's and into my workout clothes (Target again...I have a very limited workout wardrobe)...I put in the Physique 57 30 minute Thigh and Seat Booster and off I went.

I must say, I have never been one for an addictive personality (except for maybe Starbucks or Golden Spoon or Yogurt Land frozen yogurt) but........I do look forward to my Physique 57ing.  If I have to have an addiction, Physique 57 is a good one...if I do say so myself!!

I am realizing tho that I need better equipment. The desk chair that Holly had when she was 10 doesn't really work too well for me-it is way too short (I guess since I have been Physiqueing for a whole 4 days straight now, I am standing much taller).  So, I think I'm gonna buy this:

And I know what you are all thinking....but NO this is not me :) (thanks for thinking that tho, you did think that right?).....but maybe some day!

So now that I have had my Physique 57 workout on this beautiful Saturday morning, I am off to get showered, dressed, and head out for the day (maybe I will swing by Starbucks for a Grande Passion Tea Lemonade!). 

Until next time fellow Physiquesians.....

PS...my baby girl comes home in 7 days, yipee!!  

I wonder if she will think to bring the Physique 57 30 minute Arms and Abs booster DVD for her momma...hint hint ;)

Friday night Physiqueing

TGIF!! The week is over!! I came home super tired from work tonight...I felt like I couldn't wake up all day.  Time for a three-day weekend.  My mind started in with the excuses tho...it's Friday, I can take a day off from my Physique 57 workout - NO; I did it last night, that's good enough - NO; I can watch a little TV then do the Physique 57 Thigh & Seat Booster again - NO, I did that last night...NO NO NO! Man I'm starting to get so strict with myself.  I know...maybe I can actually get in a re-run episode of Toddlers and Tiaras then do my Physique 57 workout after that - NO.  DANG...leaving my guilt note smack dab in the middle of the TV screen worked!

Physique 57 - 1

Suzie - 0

The 57 Minute Full Body Workout won this round!

Up to my bedroom I march to put on my workout clothes (from Target); into my Physique 57 workout room I go; TV on; DVD in; Happy Friday Tanya! :) Squeezing and Pulsing to start my long weekend.  I got my groove on....threw up in my mouth a little (sorry for the visual) but it is what it is...I worked it hard!!

Have a safe and happy Labor Day!! 

Until next time fellow Physiquesians....

PS:  8 more days till my baby girl comes home!  I'm gonna be one happy momma.

Me and my best girl!! xoxo

30 minutes of Physiqueing

So, I got home tonight and saw it....the guilt note.  Ha...you are not gonna get me down again guilt note, not tonight! But, I will keep you there for a while longer as my reminder tho...but now I'm in control.

I marched upstairs, put on my cool workout clothes (from Target), headed to my Physique 57 workout room and decided that today I was gonna do the 30 minute Physique 57 Thigh and Seat Booster.

Now, I definitely need help with my seat...it serves me well and all, but it could use some work.  I use it 9 hours a day at the office, but it would be nice if it were smaller and firmer, so off I went. I took my position, started to high step it, getting my arms and knees up higher and higher each time, and kept going for 30 minutes..30 lonnng minutes.  Why did my Physique 57 Classic 57 Minute Workout seem easier last night than the 30 minute Physique 57 Thigh and Seat Booster did tonight?  I gotta tell ya Shelly...that booster busted me. I was beat!!

But....I have a new mini goal so I must keep at it.   My Holly is coming home in 9 days.  She and I were having such a nice conversation this morning and she said "Mom, I definitely want to lay out when I get there..I need some sun" (we have this awesome backyard with a beautiful pool that hardly ever gets used) and I said "sure honey, we can even go to the beach if you want"....WHAT, why did I say that?  NOOOOO. Now I have to put this much needed Physique 57 work in progress body into a bathing suit. Yikes...why didn't I just leave well enough alone and say "sure sweetie, we can lay out all afternoon if you would like".  Man did I set myself up.  So now I need to squeeze and pulse for the next 9 days because I refuse to wear a bathing suit... to our beautiful sunny California beach with my beautiful well-toned and in-shape daughter...I refuse to wear a bathing suit that has a SKIRT! I think I need the Physique 57 30 minute Arm and Abs Booster now!!  I do believe Tanya will get me thru this potential disaster tho...because she does say... when you are at the beach, you can walk away without your towel wrapped around you because your bottom is firm!! I'm counting on that Tanya.

I must admit tho...I walked around today like I thought I was all that! I was Physiqueing for 57 minutes last night and thought I was totally transformed today.  I was standing taller, holding my tummy in, keeping my shoulders back...heck, even the doorman at our building gave me an extra look today (or so I thought)....So, feeling like I was all that, I thought to myself... I am going to treat myself to some LuLu Lemon for by birthday because I am a Physique 57 girl and I want to look like the other Physique 57 girls who wear Lulu Lemon....besides, I figure by that time, I will be super cool and can give up shopping at WalMart and Target for my workout stuff....I think I will buy my LuLu Lemon workout stuff in the Physique 57 blue color!!

Until next time my fellow Physiqueians....

The benefits of a leak...

Back in February, just as I was getting ready to go and visit Holly and Matt in Jersey City, a crazy thing happened.  I was in the kitchen making Tiffy's food to take to Grandma and Papa's....she was staying with them while I was gone...anyways...I was cooking and doing dishes at the same time and "lo and behold" (that's a direct quote from my mom) I noticed that my checkbook was a little wet (it was sitting on the edge of the counter) so I wiped it off. I continued my culinary task for Tiffy (CTT) and noticed that, yet again, my checkbook was wet. So again I wiped it off and went about my business.  And I was either experiencing a "hat trick" or "three strikes and you're out" but I noticed it was wet yet again. What the heck was going on??  I looked up and noticed a big bubble like thingie in my ceiling above the kitchen counter directly above my checkbook.  Ah ha...we have a leak. It was coming from the upstairs bathroom down to the kitchen counter (thankfully it was clean/clear water).

I quickly called the plumber who then called the restoration company who had to come and set up for an emergency dryout in our house. Yikes, I'm flying out in the morning, what am I going to do?  "No problem they said, it will take the whole weekend to dry out the house so we can just remove all of the big fans when you get back".

So I figured if I am gonna have to file an insurance claim I might as well take advantage of the different trades coming in to do the repairs and do some upgrades we have wanted to do for a long time...after all, we have lived here since 1987 and man oh man was our house dated. Total 80's house. That was about to change.

Here are some great before and after pictures....

We removed the drop ceiling and added...

Recessed lighting...on a dimmer no less.

I'm not a big fan of granite for my counter-tops (man I never realized they looked so awful)...
so I decided to keep my cute white tiles and get the counter tops stripped, cleaned, and re-grouted...amazing!

After!!

I had always thought about a backsplash..I think they look so beautiful...

I think I found just the right one.

I love, love, love my backsplash.

Notice my beautiful white cabinets. I love them too!

No more yucky linoleum...we have pretty wood floors now.

We put this beautiful flooring in the entire down stairs...I think it looks so rich.

Looking from the top of the stairs down to the livingroom

The finished product

Holly and Matt introduced me to accent walls..our color choices.

I decided on this color.

So when all is said and done...it was a long 6 weeks, Tiffy was at my mom and dad's house the whole time but so worth it. I love the way our house looks now. So pretty, so updated, so fun to be home and just enjoy it.

Draggin' my feet to Physique!!

I did it, but I'm not proud of myself.....last week I reverted back to my old ways making excuse after excuse to skip exercising.....I'm tired - work was hard - my back hurts - I have laundry to do...blah blah blah...anything so I didn't go and look at my "workout" room that holds all of my Physique 57 stuff.

This morning was pretty rushed...I woke up feeling very tired.  I hurried to get ready for work and feed Tiffy so I could get on the road and I forgot that I had written myself a guilt note that would greet me when I got home this evening.  Boy was I surprised when I did get home.....the note was really mean!!  I thought to myself...man, I hope I am not that mean to other people because I was really mean to myself (I don't think I am tho...phewww!). Hey, it worked. I marched my bootie up to my "workout" room, rolled out my pink mat, turned on the TV, loaded the DVD and patiently waited for Tanya.  Helllllo Tanya, I'm back.  Did you miss me? I missed you!! BTW... Just to be safe...I'm gonna leave the guilt note up for a while!

I was slow to start...missing a week really did me in, but there was no way I was going to stop especially when Tanya kept telling me..don't stop...don't stop.  I did it. I finished it. I made it thru the Physique 57 workout and wa---la...I felt great!!

I want to keep doing it...I have goals to meet. My beautiful Holly Boo is coming home in 10 days!!! Yes, 10 days..I want her to be proud of me. I want Holly to be able to tell that I have been Physiqueing...that I have been pulsing and squeezing.   I need a Physique 57 crash course...I only have 10 days, I feel like I am cramming for a final, yikes!!

My son, my Jonathan, my baby boy, is getting married in January...only 5 months away...that's it! I am mother of the groom...our shining moment...all eyes are on us when we do our Mother/Son dance. I want him to be proud of me...I want to buy a beautiful dress...not a  "mother of the groom dress" but one that is "OH WOW! That's the mother of the groom dress!" I gotta keep Physiqueing so I get that dress!

I know I am supposed to be doing this for myself...and believe me I am, but I also want to do it for my family so they are proud to say, hey...that's my mom, that's my wife....look how fit and in shape she is.

I want to go from this....

Just for the record tho...this is not a true representation of my waistline...I guessed! :)

To this.....

See how much smaller the tape measurer is... :)

This was a good blog session for me...a little fun...a little lecture...a little therapy...

Until next time fellow Physiqueians....

Happy Birthday Mom!!

Yesterday Tiffy and I headed out to Riverside for another great family day...to celebrate the (early) birthday of the best of the best...our Mom!!

Tiffy ready to go see Grandma...looking so pretty with her purple bow...Grandma's favorite

I am the person that I am today because of my mom.  I am the woman, wife, friend and amazing mom that I am because of my mom.  I can say with total confidence that I am an amazing mom because I know that I am an amazing mom...because of my mom. I always wanted to be like her and I know that I am....and I'm very proud of it.

She deserves a real crown...

Often the recipient of someones joke....she is so dang cute when she mixes up a word and we ask her to repeat it and she does.....she hasn't lost her Eastern accent after being in Cali for over 55 years....so needless to say, we and her grandkids, repeatedly ask her to say one of her ever so Eastern Accent words....and she does, and we all chuckle and she just goes with the flow...always such a good sport!!!

The birthday guest on honor gets to choose where we go, so off to an Italian Feast for the birthday girl....Carino's Italian Restaurant it is.

Mom and her favorite guy..

Mom's favorite...Eggplant Parmesan

Mom and #1, #2, #3, missing #4

A party of ours is not complete without a photo shoot and a yummy desert..

Happy Birthday Mom...you are the glue that holds this family together. I hope you know how much you are loved and appreciated by every single one of us.

So proud to be your #2!