Sunday Social May 19th

Wow!  I can't believe we are already in mid-May.  I need to go get a poster board and get started on our Summer To-Do list ASAP!

On to Sunday Social.  I just love this link-up because it allows you, the reader, to get to know me and for me to get to know you.  That is, if you leave me comments.  So, please...leave me comments with your answers! (sticks bottom lip out and makes puppy eyes.)

1. What is your favorite kind of surprise?
I love all good/happy surprises!  Even the not so fun surprise moments, like a friend with a flat tire that needs a ride, are great in my book.  It is the unexpected that makes life what it is.  As long as everyone ends up healthy and safe, bring on the surprises!

2.  Flowers or chocolate?
Chocolate for sure!  I know neither one lasts very long, and yes, flowers are beautiful, but I just love a good sweet treat.

3.  What is your favorite summertime activity?
Going swimming!  It is so fun to get a little (sunscreened) sun, splash around and cool off, and then head home tired and ready to lounge on the couch and watch a movie.  I also feel like pizza after is a must :)

4.  Do you have any vacations planned this summer?
Not yet!  We will hopefully be going out of town for a baseball tournament and maybe a small road trip, somewhere that is around 4 hours away from KC.

5.  Favorite summer holiday?
The 4th of July!  It is one of THE best days!  Warm weather, great food, lots of time with family and friends.  And daylight until 9 pm.  Followed with fireworks.  Always a fun time.

I love fireworks faces.

Patriotic selfie.

6.  What is your dream vacation?
Hawaii.  I went when I was a teenager and would love to go back now with JF and the boys.

Your turn.  Tell me all about YOU in the comments below or link up with Ashley and Neely.

Enjoy your Sunday!

The Sunday Social

Happy Sunday!
I haven't seen the sun for days but this weekend has still been lots of fun and I am hoping for a great day today, too!

Time for Ashley and Neely's Sunday Social.
Today's questions come in 4's.  If you have never linked-up before, make today the day.  Next week's link-up is looking like fun, too, as it is all about where you were one year ago, five years ago, etc.  I love questions like that!

1.  4 favorite things to do on the weekend

1. Sleep a little later than usual.
2. Go for a long run.
3. Eat a little less healthy than I do during the week.
4. Spend time with my family.

2.  4 favorite things about your best friend

I am lucky enough to have several best friends, so this is about all of them!

1. They listen to me.
2. They are there for me NO MATTER what.  Whether we talk every day or once a month I know my best friends will be there for me in a flash if needed.
3. They remember things that I don't.  Keep your best friends.  As you get older they will remember fun stories, sad times, happy memories...whatever...that you have somehow forgotten.
4. I can tell them anything and they won't think I am crazy.  They have been through it all with me, so what is one more thing, right?

3.  4 things you would do with $100,000

1. Go to Disney World!
2. Pay off bills (borrrring)
3. Save!  (more borrrrring)
4. Buy a few dream handbags (LV Neverfull with monogram, Hermes Birkin, and a Tory Burch for running errands)

4.  4 favorite books you've ever read

1. Of Human Bondage  W. Somerset Maugham
2. The Good Earth         Peal S. Buck
3. The entire Harry Potter Series, Order of the Phoenix as favorite   JK Rowling
4. Breakfast of Champions  Kurt Vonnegut

5.  4 favorite snack foods

1. Nuts
2. Tortilla chips, preferably in strip form
3. Chocolate chips
4. Celery with babybel cheese

6.  4 things that I must do daily

1. Some form of exercise
2. Smell my children's breath
3. Hug JF
4. Eat fresh veggies and fruit

Okay...how about you?  Join the link up here or leave me your answers below.  

Have a great Sunday!

Sunday Social + Green Smoothie Recipe!

Happy Sunday!
I can't believe it is already Sunday and we are nearly to the end of April.  Time has been flying so far in 2013.

Are you taking the Green Smoothie Challenge?  It starts tomorrow and all you have to do is sign up here and add a green smoothie or juice to your day for the next week.

I have spent the last couple of weeks trying out recipes and I can tell you that on days when I have green juice I feel SO much better.  It really is a burst of energy and even my skin feels better.
Starting tomorrow and throughout the week I will be posting recipes along with Kat, Jezz, Kristine, Hope, and Ashlee. 

There will be lots of other fun posts to go along with the challenge so stay tuned!

Now, onto Sunday Social.

1.  What is your shopping weakness?
Oh, man. What isn't?  A great purse.  Cute shoes.  A casual dress that I can wear everyday.  And lets not forget make-up and body products.  I am a shopaholic and there is no way to hide it!

2.  What is your food weakness?
Pizza and sweets.  I can't say no to either.

3.  What is your go to movie to watch when nothing is on?
Spanglish, Good Will Hunting, and Conversations With Other Women are all movies that I can watch again and again.  Oh!  And lets not forget the pick-me-up movies Steel Magnolia's and Beaches.

4.  What is your go-to breakfast food?
A banana sprinkled with cinnamon with a dollop of peanut butter.  I feel best when this is how I start my day.

5.  Do you drink coffee?  If so, how do you take it?
Hells to the yes I drink coffee!  Daily I take it black, but I do enjoy a 2% latte for a treat and I have been known to add cream if I am at brunch.

Now it's your turn!  Answers the questions, grab the button and link up!
Not a blogger?  No problem!  I still would love to hear your answers, so leave them in the comment section below.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Sunday Social - All About Twitter

Happy Sunday!
I had a great Saturday, spending the day spring cleaning, going for a long run and then on a much needed date night with JF.  Sushi + stopping by Lush to get some bath treats.   Oh, and a round of mini golf where the score was tied!  Perfect.

Okay...time for this weeks questions which are about all things twitter:

1.  When did you join twitter?  Not too long ago.  Just about a year ago.  I know...so behind.

2.  Who is your favorite non-celeb to follow?  I really like seeing tweets from Diana of Our City Lights.  Her tweets range from funny to informative to inspiring.  I feel like she is a celebrity in my part of the blogosphere/Instagram/Twitter world, though, so maybe I am cheating on this question :)

3.  Who is your favorite celeb to follow?  Michael Ian Black.  His tweets make me actually laugh out loud, which is a big deal as I mindlessly scroll through twitter.  Yes, some of his tweets are childish or non-PC, but most of them are SO funny!

4.  Have you ever had a celeb respond to a tweet?  YES!  Brooke Siler and Lisa Hubbard, celebs of the Pilates world, respond to my tweets sometimes.  It's an honor and makes my day :)

5.  What is your favorite store/brand to follow?  Sephora and Lululemon are two of my favorites.  I also really like following ENERGYbits because of their health tips and athlete profiles.

6.  Give us three tweeps we should be following:  @MaryAscension  @HealthyLiving  @MichaelIanBlack

I would love it if you come join me on twitter!

To join the Sunday Social link up head to Ashley or Neely's blogs :)

How was your Saturday?  What are you up to today?

Sunday Social March 24

Don't forget!

Todays theme seems to be inspired by spring.  I need a breath of spring as we just got even MORE snow over night.  
At least I get in one more shoveling session this year :)

1. What is your favorite thing about spring?
The days start to get longer, everything is green and growing and coming back to life!

2.  What is your favorite kind of flower to grow and receive?

I love to grow geraniums!  I know they are hardy and inexpensive, but I don't have the greenest of thumbs and geraniums and I get along well.  I am usually able to keep one alive for multiple seasons!
I love to receive any kind of flowers!  Just knowing that someone thought of me enough to give flowers is the best.

3.  What is your favorite nail polish color?
Foie Gras by China Glaze for the Hunger Games collection.  Its a subtle plum color that just makes me happy to look at.

4.  What is your favorite outdoor activity?
Running!

5.  Do you have any fun spring plans?  Details?
The plan has been to run the Trolley Run with E and some of his friends/friends parents.  The race is not until April 28 so I am hoping that we still have time to train for this 4 mile race.

Okay, now it's your turn!  Blog about it and link-up here OR leave me your answers in the comment space below.

As usual, a big thanks to Ashley and Neely for hosting this link-up!

Is it just me or is there a lot of basketball on TV right now?

Happy Sunday!

Sunday Social, March 17

Happy Sunday and Happy St. Patricks Day!  I can't wait to eat corned beef, cabbage, and beer bread for dinner this evening!  

How do you spend you St. Patricks Day?

Question time!

1. What is your favorite thing to do on a rainy day?

I love to go running in the rain!  It feels so good to have the rain fall on my face and it makes the miles fly by.  Of course, watching a movie, snuggled up on my couch is always great, too :)

2.  What is your favorite thing to do on a summer weekend?

I LOVE to go to the Farmer's Market!  There are several great ones in my area and there is nothing better than getting to know people in the community, chatting with everyone at the market, picking out veggies and fruits as a family and then going home to prepare what we bought.  I am so looking forward to it this year!

3.  What is your favorite spring activity?

Finally getting to get outside and run in lighter clothes, play with the kids later into the evening and impromptu visits to the park!

4.  What is your favorite way to spend a winter day?

If it's a true winter day with snow and cold then staying at home working on fun crafts with the boys is my favorite way to spend it.  Last month when we had two big snow storms we got out a leather crafting kit, made play dough and baked cookies!

5.  What is your favorite season and why?

Summer!  I LOVE warm weather, long days and the overall laid back feeling of summer.  Baseball games keep us busy but we counteract that with lazy afternoons in the woods, swimming and, of course, I try to catch a longer run once a week.

6.  What is the best birthday you ever had?

I love every birthday I have!  This year was pretty great.  Celebrating my birthdays with my grandma in St. Louis were probably the best.  We both have February birthdays so shared celebrations and shared cakes sometimes happened and made for some great memories.

Okay...now it's your turn!  Link your blog up here!  

Not the blogging type?  I would still love to hear your answers so please comment below!

Don't forget to follow me on bloglovin'

Sunday Social FIVES

This is going to be fun!

1.  5 songs you will listen to the rest of your life:

1.  "Particle" Better Than Ezra
2.  "With or Without You"  U2
3.  "Littlething"  Jimmy Eat World
4.  "Cecilia"  Simon and Garfunkel
5.  "Daydream Believer"  The Monkees

Geezo peezo.  I need at least 15 here.  Oh well.  I think I got some good ones.

2.  5 things on your bucket list

1.  Skydive...   Eeps.
2.  Go to Europe
3.  Go to China...  Double eeps
4.  Have a book published
5.  Do a triathlon

3.  5 celebs you would love to hang out with for a day

1.  Michael Ian Black
2.  Rachel Antonoff
3.  Kevin Griffin  (not sure if he is a celebrity.  He is to ME!)
4.  Tony Hawk
5.  Bette Midler

4.  5 things you always carry in your purse

1.  Lip balm
2.  Epi Pen
3.  iPhone
4.  My drivers license (duh)
5.  Clonozapam  <---nope, not an addict.  I have had the same tablet in my purse for, gosh, at least a year or more.  But, it is an my anti-anxiety medicine of choice so, having that one .5 mg tab in my purse wherever I go is my Dumbo's Feather.

5.  5 books on your reading list

1.  The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing
2.  Silver Linings Playbook
3.  The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
4.  The Witches
5.  A Moveable Feast

6.  Share the last 5 pictures on your phone  FUN!!!

Pasta Carbonara that JF made for dinner on the anniversary
of when we became boyfriend and girlfriend.

Me doing yoga for an upcoming post!

Leevs snuggling with JF

AcroYoga, Whitaker style :)

The boys at an arcade.

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Now it's your turn!  Link up here or just leave your answers in the comment section below.
C'mon, it's SO fun!

Have a great Sunday.  I am off to celebrate my birthday with friends!

Sunday Social 2/17/13

The theme for today Sunday Social is Valentines Day!  I wish the theme was birthdays, as mine was yesterday :)



1.  What is the best Valentine's Day you've ever had?
Honestly, they all sort of blend together.  I worked as a server at a fine dining restaurant for years so my Valentine's Days were spent sleeping a little late and then heading into work early.  I loved working Valentine's Day because it meant a full section and big tips.  I would come home and have a heart-shaped Papa Murphy's pizza with JF and was happy.  My absolute favorite, though, was my first Valentine's Day with JF.  He thinks that I hated it, but it was so much fun.  I got off work at the restaurant and went to his house, where he made us pasta carbonara.  I then got a stomach ache, so that's why he thinks I hated it...but in all honesty, the ill feeling probably came from the 10+ chocolate covered strawberries I had eaten at work rather than his cooking :)

2.  What is the worst Valentine's Day you have ever had?
This one.  I was pulled over for speeding and I KNOW that I was going the speed limit.  How do I know?  Because I have been watching my speedometer like crazy since last Tuesday, when I also got pulled over.  I honestly can say I was not speeding on Valentine's Day.  I told the officers that.  I explained that I had just pulled onto the street from a stop sign and I couldn't imagine that I was going 13 mph over.  They more or less laughed at me.  So they ruined my day.  I was having a great one.  Was able to go to both boys school parties.  Surprised them with Shatto milk in the morning.  And a nervous cop + asshole cop team completely ruined my day.

3.  What did you do for Valentine's Day this year?

Quick treadmill workout and mat Pilates!

Painting at EZ's party.

Strawberry float at L's party!

A magical unicorn cookie from JF :)

Pizza for dinner.  Yum!

 It was a crazy-busy day.  I left the house at 9:30 am and didn't return til 8:30 pm.  I taught at the Y and the Studio but managed to squeeze in a workout of my own, get to both boys parties at two different schools, and then have a cozy, pizza-eating night at home.  My kind of Valentines Day for sure.
 
4.  What is your best Valentine's idea if you are single?
Work at a restaurant!  Trust me, the mushy couples won't bother you at all because they will be paying extra for their romantic meal and hopefully tipping generously to impress their date!

5.  What is your favorite Valentine's Candy?
Toblerone!  Ever since a client got me a Toblerone bouquet one year for Valentine's Day I have been hooked!

6.  Favorite Valentine's memory from childhood?
I can't remember the exact year, but I made a Valentine box using red wrapping paper with tiny white hearts.  I outlined the box with strands of tiny plastic pearls.  I think I used white glitter, too.  Duh!  I loved that box and kept it until I couldn't dust it anymore.

Thanks to Ashley and Neely for hosting the link-up!  Join in!

I want to know:

How was your Valentine's Day this year?

Are you looking for a way to add more protein to your diet?  A way to get vitamins and essential  amino acids?  Check out my ENERGYbits giveaway!  It's not a supplement, it's food!

Sunday Social February 3

Hooray!  It's February!
Today has been a beautiful day.  Chilly but warm enough that E and I went for a 1 mile run.  Pancakes and coffee for breakfast.  And now on to my best friends NEW house for a Superbowl Party.  I am not really, at all, into football, but I like friends and food so I am excited.

Okay...onto Sunday Social.

They Come In 2's

If you were stuck on an island what 2 material items would you want to have?

Toothbrush
Warm blanket

What are 2 TV shows you would watch over and over?
Kate and Allie
Sex and the City

3. If your house was on fire, what two things aside from family, pets, etc would you grab?
As many pictures as possible and this little wooden box with trinkets in it from the Chicago World's Fair that came from my Grandma.

4. What are your two most favorite articles of clothing?
Gray Target Boyfriend Tshirt and my black leggings.  I would wear them everyday if possible!

5. What two movies that you saw in the past year would you recommend to us?
I rarely see new movies, so pardo me if these are ancient picks!
Conversations With Other Women--it is several years old but I just found it on NetFlix.  It's odd but very good and I find myself thinking about the plot every now and then.

Eek!  A second movie.  Hmmm.  The Queen of Verailles was a very interesting/sad documentary.  It's on NetFlix, check it out!

6. What are your two biggest guilty pleasures?
Sweets.  It's horrible.  I am a fitness trainer, it's my job to be a beacon of health.  But I just love cookies, ice cream, cake...you name it.  I try to eat them in moderation and I usually do, but I typically eat something sugary everyday.

Grey's Anatomy.  It is so not good anymore.  They are all annoying and I hate myself for watching the show and still being mildly invested in the plot.  But I can't quit.


I would love to hear your answers to these!  Join the link up here and let me know that you posted OR feel free to leave answers in the comment section below!

Don't forget I have a giveaway going on right now for a Mantra Whisdoms bracelet.  Hand-stitched, custom designed and just wonderfully upcycled!

Sunday Social Vol. 2

Happy  Sunday everyone!  We have been cleaning ALL morning!  I found some great ideas for cleaning lists on Pinterest and we are finally putting them to the test.  I just love the feeling of a clean, organized house.
How is your Sunday going?

Alright.  Time for The Sunday Social Link-Up.  Thanks to Ashley and Neely for hosting this!  Head to their blogs to say hi and join the link-up!



Top 3 Favorite Kinds of Food

• Sushi
• Pizza
• Sandwiches.  I know.  Sandwiches sounds kind of boring or weird, but I really love a GOOD sandwich.  Good bread, lots of veggies, cheese and some fun condiments.  YUM!

First 3 things I do in the morning

• Push a kid or two off of me.  Seriously.  Both L & E have been making their way into my bed each night/morning.  It's cozy but also chaotic.
• Check my phone for emails/texts/missed calls.
• Drink a full glass of water.  I keep a glass on my night table so whatever is left from the few sips I take during the night I finish.  I have heard that this is a great way to start the day since we go 8-ish hours without water during the night.

Last 3 things I do at night

• Turn my phone to silent/make sure my alarm is set.
• Take a sip of water.
• Give JF a goodnight kiss :)

3 TV shows I never miss

This is going to sound very hipster-elitist, but I don't really have 3 show that I never miss.  On a weekly basis at least.  We don't have cable and I work 2 weeknights.  Combine that with sports and other activities and I am not home much to watch TV.  I do occasionally fire up hulu to catch up on these:

• Grey's Anatomy - I hate all of them.  Every single character.  And I am so over all of their problems.   But I have been watching the show since episode 1 so the folks of Seattle Grace Mercy West are kind of like that annoying family member that you don't really want to catch up with but find yourself unable to detach.
• Modern Family - I love all of them!  I would live in Modern Family world if I could.  Such a great show that speaks to so many people.  I can't get through an episode with out laughing out loud at least once.
• Portlandia - not on hulu, but NetFlix.  Love this show.  It's the only TV show we all watch as a family.  Is that weird?

3 places I want to visit

• Italy
• NYC - I mean, who doesn't?
• San Diego

3 people I can always count on

• JFW
• My mom and my inlaws
• My bestest friends VDog and SStarr
• Adding a 4th--my aunts and uncles. :)

Now it's your turn!  If you blog, write your own post and join the link up.  If you aren't a blogger just answer below in the comment section!

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a great weekend!