Plank Fail

It's never fun to admit that you failed at a goal you made publicly.  No one enjoys that particular exercise in humility, right?  However, I believe if you made the goal publicly you need to follow it up in a similar manner.  Damn ethics...

In December I set a goal to do this plank challenge for 30 days, culminating in being able to hold a plank for 5 minutes.  Yes.  I am insane.

Several friends joined me in this challenge and I gamely started and did it every single day.  However, I can only make it to the 3 minute plank.  I tried for 2 weeks to increase my time past 3 minutes and my body just won't get there.  Frustrating? Of course.  However, after 2 fruitless weeks I have decided to abandon the challenge.  I'm still pretty proud of accomplishing a 3 minutes plank and plan to revisit the challenge in June to see if I can push it to 5 minutes.

In June of last year I started practicing yoga 3 days a week, then increased it to 5 and now I plan to do it every single day.  I've found something I love to do, is good for me fitness-wise and also has helped me meditate, focus and have more peace in my daily life.  I know, I sound like some sort of weird yoga groupie, but it seriously has made a huge difference in my life over the past 6+ months.  

However, I still want to continue challenging myself every 30 days to add something new to my fitness routine.  Although I am abandoning the plank for now (not really, I do it plenty in yoga!), I am taking on my next 30 day challenge, starting today and am pretty excited about it, so check it out below.

How have you fared in your own challenges and goals?  Anyone feel like adding to my public failure? At least I know I can meet the plank requirements of this challenge already, right? I'll take it!

A Reading Recap

I thought I'd celebrate this first week of the new year by taking a few minutes to reflect back on some fantastic books I had the privilege to enjoy in 2013.

While I am a writer I don't tend to enjoy or really excel in writing critiques and reviews, I leave that to my more talented writer friends (check out one of them here).  However, I do like to remind myself of some of my favorites of the year.

I discovered a few authors this who really stood out to me.  This short list includes specific authors whose work I hadn't read until 2013.

AG Howard - "Splintered" (Urban Fantasy/Fiction)
Dana Bates - "The Girls Guide to Love & Supper Clubs" (Chick Lit/Foodie Lit)
Mindy Kaling - "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me" (Fiction/Comedy)
Erin Morganstern - "The Night Circus" (Fiction/Fantasy)
Kate Jacobs - "Comfort Food" (Foodie Lit)
Robin Sloan - "Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore" (Urban Fantasy/Fiction)
Elin Hilderbrand - "Silver Girl" (Fiction)
Luisa Weiss - "My Berlin Kitchen" (Foodie Lit)
Stephanie Evanovich - "Big Girl Panties" (Chick Lit/Fiction)
Sarah Addison Allen - "Garden Spells" (Fiction/Fantasy)

I guess that list gives you a general cross-section of some of my favorite genres, although there are a few of my longtime favorite authors I also read this year that I can't help but mention.

Kathleen Flinn - "The Kitchen Counter Cooking School" (Foodie Lit)
Jen Lancaster - "The Tao of Martha" (Chick Lit/Memoir)
Neil Gaiman - "The Ocean at the End of the Lane" (Fiction/Fantasy)
Gail Carriger - "Etiquette & Espionage" & "Curtsies & Conspiracies" (Fantasy/Fiction)
Jim C. Hines - "Codex Born" (Urban Fantasy/Fiction)
Ann Aguire - "Horde" (Fantasy/Fiction)
Philippa Gregory - "The White Princess" (Historical Fiction)

I'm looking forward to discovering more authors in the coming year, as well as continuing to enjoy new releases of some of the ones I've listed here.  What were some of your great reads in the past year?  Any suggestions to add to my list for the coming year?

A Christmas Wrap-Up

Well, here it is, the looming end of 2013 and the post-Christmas season.  We took down our Christmas decorations last night (mostly due to the purchase of a fantastic discounted tree-storage container yesterday) and I have spent the morning cleaning the bathrooms, kitchen and master bedroom after finding homes for all of Baby Knives' new toys.

So can I just say...whew?!

We are incredibly blessed to be able to spend so much time with family over Christmas.  Aaron and I are both blessed in the in-law department, in which we actually get along really well with each others parents and siblings.  I know that can be kind of rare, but there is pretty much zero interpersonal holiday stress when it comes to family get-togethers and I love that!  However, with that much family to juggle it means that we have several "Christmases" and spread the holiday throughout the entire month.

My parents (who now live in Oklahoma) arrived the week before Christmas and spent a few days here on the Eastern Shore with us.  It was so nice to have them here, just part of our daily routine and it gave them a chance to really start bonding with Baby Knives.  My dad often travels East on business, so he sees her more often, but my mom hasn't been able to see her youngest grandbaby since last Christmas!  Those of you who are grandparents know how hard that can be.  We spent some time at the park and just playing, enjoying some low-key family time together.

Using Grandma as her own personal recliner

Swinging with Grandpa & Grandma pushing is SO FUN!

My dad is mostly a kid too - not bad for a Grandpa!

The weekend before Christmas we all caravan-ed up to Baltimore to celebrate our family Christmas at my sister's house.  Baby Knives got to play with her cousins and we got to spend time with family we haven't gotten to see in 9+ months.

We also (unfortunately) discovered that Baby Knives has now hit what we hope is a short-lived phase of getting overwhelmed by lots of people in a different environment than she's used to and throwing giant screaming nearly-inconsolable tantrums.  Any of my parent friends out there commiserating with me right now?

Even with the frustrations of a now-tantrum-throwing toddler, there were a few nice moments...

We managed to get one decent picture of the cousins!

The kids had a great time in the warm weather this year

Baby's first lollipop - kept her quiet and happy at the restaurant!

Our 7-year-old nephew loved his gift from us this year!

Following in her daddy's footsteps with her own guitar

We headed back home and started preparing for our own small family Christmas on Christmas Day.  I made traditional oyster stew for dinner on Christmas Eve night, we wrapped Baby Knives' presents from us and her relatives from out-of-state and settled down to enjoy our evening...until I came down with a violent stomach bug.

Yep.  Sick over Christmas and then my husband got it a few days later!  Thankfully Baby Knives was exempt from all the pukey fun, but it definitely put a damper on our own little Christmas.  It also is the reason you won't see many pictures of me below!

New Christmas jammies are a tradition

Me, on Christmas Eve night before I started getting sick

Opening gifts on Christmas morning

Are you still with me?  I know this is a long post, but hang in there!  Our final Christmas with my husband's family took place the weekend after Christmas at my in-law's house.  Baby Knives has so many cousins, all the kids were there and I loved being able to see them (and my sisters and brothers-in-law too of course!), especially little Layla who is only 2 weeks older than Baby Knives.  I love that she has a cousin so close to her in age, it's been fun so far seeing them grow up!

My husband's family is crazy.  Hilarious, but insane.  So, the photos definitely reflect our shared insane personalities!

My brother-in-law AKA Captain America

Our oldest niece, modeling the tiara she made

Snuggle time with "Mimi"

Exploring the great outdoors

The 2 oldest cousins hanging out

Wrapping paper carnage is heaven for toddlers

Uncle Aaron reading a new book to the kiddos

Christmas is exhausting!

And with that final celebration, I will end my post.  Christmastime this year was eventful, exhausting and stressful at times with sporadic toddler tantrums, but there were some good memories too.  Here's to a hopefully more stable toddler next year!  Hope all of your Christmases were merry and bright and here's to a fantastic new year in 2014!