Pre-pregnancy prep

I don't know if you remember a few months ago me talking about needing to go see an ob gyn.  You can refer back to this post.  I hadn't gone in 2-3 years (I know that's awful) and wanted to go for routine follow but also for preconception check up.  I was contemplating about which ob gyn to see.  Well, I finally saw one recently but what it came down to was cost.  I opted to stay within the University Hospital system that I work in (as far as the ob gyn that I see) instead of seeing my friend or another physician at her "posh" practice.  Call me cheap but I don't regret it.  100% of the cost was taken care of--and I like that.

Anyway, I hate going to ob gyn visits almost as much as I hate going to the dentist but I figured it was a necessary evil.  Especially if I wanted to make sure I was on the right track (just in case I was to get pregnant).  And, I must say that my experience wasn't so bad after all.  I had to get blood drawn to check a varicella titer since I've never had the chicken pox.  This was probably one of the worse parts.  I hate sharp objects piercing my skin...creeps me out (even if it's a teeny tiny butterfly needle).

Per my ob gyn I don't need to make any changes as of right now...except to decrease the intensity of my exercise routine if I do become pregnant.  Also...

-I need to eat more fruits and veggies (but she didn't say that). 

-I've been on prenatal vitamins for over 6 months and the ones I'm taking are good during pregnancy too. (this is great since they are the cheap Walmart brand)

-I take Omega 3, 6, 9 (one pill that my husband insists I take) which is also ok in pregnancy.  

-I'm on a few allergy meds which are safe during pregnancy.  I'm not convinced so I will continue to be non compliant with them. (unless my eyes are swollen shut, I start wheezing or I'm so congested that I feel my head will explode).

-I need to cut back on the sweets.  This has been out of control since my vacation last week.  I've got this ridiculously raging sweet tooth that's intermittent.

Oh yeah, I had to be weighed at the ob gyn's office and I was not happy with the number.  This further reinforces my not wanting to weigh myself.  Remember I hadn't weighed myself in months prior to this.  Although I know I'm not obese or even overweight I miss seeing 120-something pounds on the scale.  My husband tells me all the time that weight doesn't matter but what does matter is "overall health and how you look naked in the mirror." He is so funny but I think he's right.  I do feel better and I've been more consistent with my workouts and eating better and that is what matters.  Besides I'm more muscular now than I was then or at least that's what I tell myself. LOL.  I'm really trying to get over this complex before I have kids, especially daughters.

By the way, you may remember me saying that we are not TTC  (trying to conceive) but we would be fine if we got pregnant.  I'm not sure what they call where hubby and I are at but I'm calling it NPC (not preventing conception).  What do you think?

I will probably be posting more pregnancy prep related posts in the future since I'm heading in that direction (in life) right now.

Mrs. K

North Carolina vacation recap

A brief update on life since I've been missing for over a week.  Lots of pix included.

Vacation went well in NC.  On the way we got to hang out with some good friends.  We did look at some homes but it's too early to seal the deal on anything.  We are planning on renting for several reasons: 1) we bought the house that we are living in now but can't sell it because we will lose tons of money so we will rent it.  We don't want to have to be juggling two mortgages 2) We will be in NC for at least 2 years.  We are not sure if we will settle there once we are done with our training.  We don't want to purchase a home then move again in a few years.  3) If we do decide to stay in NC, we'd like to stake out neighborhoods before we jump into a purchase.

Hun checking out one of the houses we liked in NC

The most fun yet relaxing were the last few days that hubby and I spent with my cousin and her fiance'.  They are really cool down to earth people and we had such a good time.  At the cabin we had no cell phone signal so we were cut off from civilization for a few days.  I didn't mind though.  The cabin was in the mountains and it was so peaceful.  I would have preferred to be there in the fall for the foliage but it was beautiful regardless.

One of the trails we went on, the trail map described a beautiful waterfall (see above).  It was beautiful but a lot smaller than expected.

Future Mr. and Mrs. S

Mr and Mrs. K

Goofy cousins pretending to be serious for the camera

Guys will be guys (notice the distance btw them)

My future cousin-in-law.  He is such a sweet guy and compliments my cousin so well.

Mrs. K

Vacation, pregnancy, and more...

I was a Good Samaritan on Valentine's Day.  I may be exaggerating a bit.  But on Valentine's Day my husband and I were in Bed Bath and Beyond just looking for random things.  This random guy was yelling to get my attention so I could help him out.  I know he didn't think I worked there because I wasn't dressed in "work clothes."  You see he needed my help (as a female) to help him find something to set the mood for he and his lady for Valentine's Day.  He said that he had already bought her a gift but wanted candles or one of those oil burning thingies to help set the mood.  I thought that was so funny but I was excited to help this fella.  I wanted to make sure it wasn't anything sleezy first though so after gathering some more info I proceeded to help him.  By this time my husband had wandered off somewhere else.  

At the end of my investigation I felt I knew enough to help him.  Well, I knew enough at least to direct him to a different store.  He was wanting to buy two of those smell good oil burning thingies.  BBB only had a few available and the oils they had were not so good.  When I directed him to the Body Shop and Bath and Body Works, he was like "oh, this is not one of those places."  He was looking for Bath and Body Works but came into Bed Bath and Beyond instead.  At least I was able to help him brainstorm what colors, scents his lady friend would like.

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I've started the P90X workouts and they are going pretty good so far.  This is only week one but I've noticed that these videos are very different from the Insanity workout videos.  I'll try to compare the two but I think that's difficult to do because the concept behind them are different.  P90X is slower paced and to me less intense.  I mean, I still get a good workout but it's different.  I think P90X is a better maintenance video as compared to Insanity.  Insanity was kind of rough and I can't see myself doing that year round but I can take pulses of it once in a while.  

I was used to the fast pace of Insanity so it was weird switching to P90X.  I miss getting my heart rate up rapidly then bringing it back down slowly.  Also P90X videos are longer, which is a pain in the butt because I do most of my workouts in the morning and this means I have to wake up earlier -- no hitting snooze a few times.  But that's ok, I feel good at the end of both workouts.  Anyway, I hope you guys are starting up are maintaining some kind of workout schedule too. Oh by the way, I'm so proud of hubby -- he's been working out regularly and eating better too.

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Hubby and I on vacation in Utah last year--at the Jazz vs. Hornets game (in the nosebleed seats--lol)

In other news hubby and I have a week vacation off together and we are so looking forward to it.  We will be going to North Carolina.  The first few days will be for work -- trying to find a place to live since we'll be moving there (NC) in less than 6 months.  The last few days will be for play.  We plan to stay in a cabin in Asheville for a few days and relax.  Of course we'll be doing some sight seeing, hiking and other outdoor stuff.  I can't wait.  I'm mostly looking forward to having a few days off with my honey.  I think the last time we had that much time off together was in October (I think).  We are trying to cherish those moments because once we have kids we know this will be more difficult to do (solo that is).  Oh yeah, we'll be meeting up with my very close cousin and her fiance' for 2 days so I'm looking forward to that too.  We are usually crazy when we are together.  Her fiance' is goofy like my husband so I know we'll have a good time.

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I'm definitely becoming more comfortable with the whole getting pregnant/baby idea.  I love kids and for sure want them but I'm an organizer (when it comes to my life) so I've been waiting for the perfect time.  I know there's no such thing but I think there's a better time.  I think we are at "that better time."  We are not trying to conceive right now but we are at a point that if it was to happen we'll be fine.  It's kind of nice to be at that point.  There's no pressure to conceive but there's no fear of getting pregnant either. LOL.  I like that and hubby does too.

Mrs. K

Brain Teaser

I got this via email recently.  I only got 3 right but I'd like to think that with less pressure and more time I would do better.  Actually, I'd probably do the same but it's nice to think I'd get a higher score.  Let's see how you do:

"There are only nine questions.

This is a quiz for people who know everything! I found out in a hurry that I didn't.  
These are not trick questions. They are straight questions with straight answers.

1. Name the one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends.

2. What famous North American landmark is constantly moving backward?  

3. Of all vegetables, only two can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons.  All other vegetables must be replanted every year.  What are the only two perennial vegetables?

4. What fruit has its seeds on the outside?

5. In many liquor stores, you can buy pear brandy, with a real pear inside the bottle.  The pear is whole and ripe, and the bottle is genuine; it hasn't been cut in any way.  How did the pear get inside the bottle?

6. Only three words in standard English begin with the letters 'dw' and they are all common words.  Name two of them.

7. There are 14 punctuation marks in English grammar.  Can you name at least half of them?

8. Name the only vegetable or fruit that is never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form except fresh.

9. Name 6 or more things that you can wear on your feet beginning with the letter 'S'.

 Answers:
1.The one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends: Boxing.

2. North American landmark constantly moving backward:   Niagara Falls . 
(The rim is worn down about two and a half feet each year because of the millions of gallons of water that rush over it every min ute.)

3. Only two vegetables that can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons: Asparagus and rhubarb.

4. The fruit with its seeds on the outside: Strawberry.

5. How did the pear get inside the brandy bottle?  It grew inside the bottle.  
The bottles are placed over pear buds when they are small, and are wired in place on the tree.  The bottle is left in place for the entire growing season. When the pears are ripe, they are snipped off at the stems.

6. Three English words beginning with dw: Dwarf, dwell and dwindle...

7. Fourteen punctuation marks in English grammar: Period, comma, colon, semicolon, dash, hyphen, apostrophe, question mark, exclamation point, quotation mark, brackets, parenthesis, braces, and ellipses.  

8. The only vegetable or fruit never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form but fresh: Lettuce.

9. Six or more things you can wear on your feet beginning with 'S':  Shoes, socks, sandals, sneakers, slippers, skis, skates, snowshoes, stockings, stilts." 


So how did you do? Hopefully a lot better than I did. LOL.  Have a great day!

Mrs. K

Final Insanity Results

So the Insanity is over and I've been on my rest week.  I was planning on resting for 2 weeks but I know myself very well.  Two weeks would turn into a a few months so I've decided to only take 1 week.  I've been doing light cardio this week and my knees are so grateful.  I plan to start P90X on Monday.  I'm getting excited about it.  I've got a few other blogging buddies who are getting/staying fit.  I love it.

Anyway, here are my final results:

MOVE	FIT TEST 1	FIT TEST 2	FIT TEST 3	FIT TEST 4	FIT TEST 5
Switch Kicks	60	63	66	66	77
Power Jack	53	57	66	73	75
Power Knees	63	92	109	117	125
Power Jumps	31	39	39	45	60
Globe Jumps	4	7	10	12	12
Suicide Jumps	13	16	17	17	19
Push-up Jacks	8	20	25	33	34
Low Plank Oblique	36	56	68	75	75

I'm pretty proud of what I've been able to accomplish over the past 2 months.  I'm very much looking forward to the next few months with P90X.  It's so good to have an alternative to going to the gym.  I will keep you updated on my P90X progress.

Get active and stay active!

Mrs. K

Partnering Up for Valentine's Day

So I'm NOT the biggest fan of Valentine's Day.  I've never been and this is nothing new to those who know me.  I don't really have any particular reason.  It's just something that my husband and I (even when we were boyfriend/girlfriend) never made a big deal out of.  Well, actually that's a lie--I take that back.  I think that in our first year of dating (while we were in college), I made him a heart-shaped pillow.  I even hand sewed it and stuffed it with cotton.  That took  a lot of dedication and hardwork. LOL.

Anyway, although I'm not a big celebrator of Valentine's Day I know that some of my readers/followers may be.  With that being said I wanted to draw your attention to my friend's coffee company.  Remember this post about the company a while back?  

Well BeanFruit Coffee Company has partnered up with the Peru Paper for Valentine's Day.  There is a deal where you can send that special someone a bag of organic Peruvian coffee and a handmade greeting card made in Peru.  

Guess who took this picture with her handy dandy digital SLR?

Briefly, BeanFruit Coffee Company purchases coffee beans from different farms located in countries such as Ethiopia, Peru, Brazil, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica.   One of the many passions of the owner of the company is coffee, so he started his own company.  It's amazing how much this guy and his wife knows about coffee.  Anyway, besides being great neighbors they are good people in general.  A portion of the money they make support a local charity and an international one.  

The Peru Paper Company is also awesome.  The owner is local.  The handmade greeting cards are made by women living in Peru (from recycled materials).  This company allows some of Peruvian women to be able to work from home and still be able to help provide for their families.  I am doing it no justice trying to explain--just check it out for yourself.  By the way, interestingly some of the award shows such as the Emmys has used cards from the Peru Paper company.  Isn't that neat?  Some famous people who has her handmade cards include: Sandra Bullock, Tracy Morgan, Natalie Portman, Morgan Freeman.

These two companies are very impressive.  What a great Valentine's Day gift.  Not only are you giving something unique, beautiful, and useful to your significant other.  Your gift to that special someone is also blessing others miles away.  Although hubby and I don't really celebrate Valentine's Day or drink coffee I plan to purchase a package for support.  Also although we don't drink coffee I'm thinking about using it to make a coffee dessert. Mmmm....

Please visit both sites to get more information.  Here is a direct link to the special package.  Enjoy your Valentine's Day!...but TRY to be sweet to your spouse everyday. LOL ;-)

Mrs. K

Fit Test 4 Results

I'm in my final week of the Insanity workout videos.  I can't believe I've been doing this for two months.  Here are my Fit Test 4 results (the second to last fit test).  I'm about 1 week late with posting it but here we go.

MOVE	FIT TEST 1	FIT TEST 2	FIT TEST 3	FIT TEST 4	FIT TEST 5
Switch Kicks	60	63	66	66
Power Jack	53	57	66	73
Power Knees	63	92	109	117
Power Jumps	31	39	39	45
Globe Jumps	4	7	10	12
Suicide Jumps	13	16	17	17
Push-up Jacks	8	20	25	33
Low Plank Oblique	36	56	68	75

I was telling Rhonda not too long ago that another reason why I like Insanity (despite the 1 million other reasons) is because of the easy to follow calendar.  I think it's one of the main reasons I've been so compliant with it.  I just look at the calendar, pop in a video and start working out. 

A few days ago I had the "now what" thoughts.  I was wondering what I would do next since Insanity was coming to an end.  I knew I did not want to jump into another round of Insanity right away.  Besides I don't think my knees would permit that anyway.  But I wanted to remain active because I know myself very well.  A short break will no doubt turn into a long journey to a place called...sedentary.

Knowing this I came up with a plan.  I will finish Insanity on Sunday.  I will do 1-2 weeks of yoga/stretch (not so bad on the knees) then start up P90X.  I probably won't do Insanity again until another few months.  I'm getting excited about P90X.  Since I like the format of the Insanity calendar, I've created one for the P90X with a similar layout.

Anyway, I'll keep you updated.   Get active and stay active! :)

Mrs. K