Weekly Workouts for a Busy Mom

Holding Myself Accountable Every Week

I’m a bit of a health nut/exercise freak. And let me tell you, it’s hard to fit in all that activity when you become a mom. I think maybe once I get the hang of the new mom routine, finding time to work out might get a little easier. Maybe? I feel like it has a little bit. I can’t imagine the guilt will totally go away. I always feel incredibly guilty when I leave Jackson just because I have been away from him for 8+ hours during the day Monday through Friday. But I think that guilt stuff is normal for most moms no matter if you stay at home or work during the week.

Making sure Jackson is always moving!

 

I try to do as much working out with Jackson as I can. I want to lead by example, ya know?

A side note: I went to a baby shower on Sunday and someone gave a piece of advice:  we are the only moms our babies know and to them, we are AWESOME. I like thatJ

I also don’t know if I’m extra hard on myself because just like that piece of advice I shared, I can only go off my own mom and how she raised us. She NEVER left us. EVER. And so the bar has been raised for me. But at the same time I want to make sure when our kids (if there are more) leave our little nest, I’m able to have my own hobbies and goals to chase after. I don’t want to completely lose myself.

So hard to do. So hard. I’m working on it though.

Working on those cheek muscles:) Smiling and laughing is the BEST medicine!

 

Right now, I want to hold myself accountable to my health and fitness level and that means showing the world in my blog how I maintain my healthy lifestyle. Being healthy is SO IMPORTANT! This is the only body we get. So I thought once a week I’ll quickly post what I did for the week to get my heart rate up and pumping. And eventually include meals eaten. I do know I can’t eat a doughnut, a Dove ice cream bar and a POP-TART in a day and expect to lose weight. Yes, I did that last week. *hangs head in shame*

Jackson will be six months old next Monday. (I know. Crazy.) That means, it’s been six months since my body birthed this amazing miracle. (Still blows my mind!) My body didn’t snap back as FAST as I thought it would. Rats! Yes, I dropped a huge chunk of weight just a few days after, but all muscle tone has disappeared and those last pounds are hard to lose…even with me nursing!  So I got rid of snacking throughout the day and will ONLY snack mid-morning and afternoon.

Quick snack at work!

 

MY CURRENT STATS:

Height – 5’10”

Pre-baby weight – 154 pounds

Weight April 15, 2012 (day I had Jackson) – 192 pounds
Weight April 18, 2012 (three days later) – 172 pounds.
Weight October 8, 2012  (almost 6 months later) – 160 pounds.

Fitness for week of September 30:

Sunday – Nothing. Worst headache EVER! Had to pop some Advil and lie down. Like I was really going to work out... I am human.

Monday – 25 minute stair stepper level 11

Tuesday - Rest Day

Wednesday - 15 minute walk over lunch. 30 minute Run/Walk with Jackson outside after work.

Thursday - Rest Day

Friday - Carried huge boxes (30+ pounds) out to car, up and down stairs at work and then delivered them to food shelf for about 20 minutes. I figured my heart was pounding and I was sweating, that counts!

Saturday – 20 minutes stair stepper level 12 and 30 minute lift at Life Time Fitness

FAVORITE SNACKS (will have one mid-morning and another in the afternoon):

·         Boiled egg with pinch of salt and pepper

·         Half of an avocado with cottage cheese and tomato

·         String cheese and an apple

·         Banana with almonds and pistachios

·         Greek Yogurt

·         Peach or Pear with walnuts

·         Made yummy No Bake Energy Balls – will have a couple of these

How do you hold yourself accountable for your health as a busy mom?

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Dr. Oz's Cancer-Fighting Recipe

Chicken, whole wheat pasta cancer-fighting dish

 

serves 6

Dr. Oz's dish

 

 

My parents came up this weekend and stayed for a couple days so they could watch Jackson while we went to a wedding and then headed back to work. When I came home on Tuesday night, my dad was working on a recipe he saw on TV from Dr. Oz. He said that Dr. Oz said to eat this dish once a week and it'll prevent those cancer cells from multiplying.

 

It's a cold dish and REALLY good. The reason it's cold is so the nutrients don't get zapped! And it's garlicky, but delicious. GREAT for lunch too! Seems pretty easy to make.

 

 

1 – 28 oz can Italian Plum Tomatoes (organic is best)

4 – Tbs Virgin Olive Oil

1 – Tsp Red Pepper Flakes

2 – Tbs Capers (drained)

3 – Mashed cloves garlic or 1 clove chopped up fine

2 – Tbs Fresh Basil Leaves chopped up

12 - chopped up Kalamata Black Olives or 12 regular Black Olives

2 – 5oz cans of Albacore or Regular Tuna in water (drained) (can use shrimp or chicken too!)

1 – box 12/16 oz Whole Wheat Angel hair noodles or whatever you like

Chop garlic, Basil leaves and olives and put on side.

 

My dad also added mushrooms!

In large bowl mix Tomatoes, Olive Oil, Red Pepper Flakes. If Tomatoes are whole use mash potato utensil to smash up.

Mix in Capers, garlic, Basil, olives and drained tuna.

Mix and let stand.

Start Pasta. When done Put a pasta serving on plate and spoon on your sauce over pasta. Pasta will warm sauce up some.

Mix up and garnish with Parmesan Cheese

Enjoy with glass of white wine

You can substitute chicken or shrimp for the tuna.

 

Karl's opinion: "Whoa Gary!!! This is good. Say what!? It's cold??? If you didn't tell me it was going to be cold ahead of time, you would have blown my mind! It's really good though. I could have this seven days a week."

 

My take: Yum! Garlic city, but delicious!!! I like the chicken a lot.

 

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Time Flies - Jackson is 5.5 Months Old

I lost track of how many weeks he is... Oops!

What’s going on with our little cute Jackson man lately? I totally missed posting his 5 month picture!!! And he’s already 5.5 months old! Zoiks! I can’t believe he’s been in our lives for half a year (soon)!!!!!!!! That is just CRAZY. Time really DOES fly. Not kidding. I was trying to explain to Karl last night that sometimes I don’t even feel like I’m in my life anymore because time is going that fast and I can’t control any of it. I wake up and it’s Monday, I blink and it’s Friday. I don’t know if that even makes sense, but it’s pretty nuts.

Jackson is 5 Months Old! We had the hardest time getting a picture!

 

We’ve been working on getting Jackson to sit on his own. He’s been able to for a couple seconds and then will tip sideways or forward. It’s fun to watch because he’s so darn cute.

He’s really been pushing himself up when he’s doing tummy time. We know that crawling is coming (must baby proof our house soon). Sometimes Karl and I catch Jackson moving in his crib in a dream crawl. We’re pretty sure he doesn’t realize he’s doing it, but he’s moving from one end to the other.

In the mornings either Karl or I will wake Jackson and he’ll be on his belly, propped up on his knees, butt way up in the air and have his head turned to the left, resting on his right cheek. His eyes will pop open and he’ll smile so sweetly. He’ll just lay there all happy too. It’s the cutest thing ever to see in the morning. Nothing like starting EACH and EVERY day with that. How can I ever be in a bad mood????

Hello Mr. Cutie!

 

He’s eating solids like a champ. So far he’s had whole grain rice, whole grain oatmeal, homemade avocados, sweet potatoes and bananas. He likes all of them!! YAY!

He loves loves loves being outside. He totally tells me this by his actions. He becomes quiet and stares at everything and seems overly happy (kicks those little legs with excitement). It’s the greatest thing ever. Sometimes I wonder if this is because we started walking outside together three days after he was born (had all that beautiful April weather) and every time I drive in the car with him, I usually have the windows down. Lots of fresh air and sunshine flowing through. Helloooo Vitamin D! Speaking of Vitamin D, I make sure to get Jackson out for at least 10 minutes minimum a day to get that sunshine. Vitamin D is SOOO good for people (especially babies) but we’re getting less of it (being indoors all the time) and it gets harder during the winter. Lots of interesting studies on Vitamin D.  

I'm a happy boy!

 

Jackson survived his first cold. More like, WE survived! Dang, that sucks when your baby gets sick. Talk about tearing your heart out. It started with a cough and turned into a full blown cold. It was pretty bad for 3 days but during that time he was still smiling and playing and cute as ever, but he had a hard time nursing (breathing through his nose was the issue) and he’d cough every few minutes (sometimes the coughing led to gaging, which led to him spitting up all over me). After 10 days, he was good as new though. Phew. I wish that was the only time he'd get sick in his lifetime...  

Karl and I let my parents put Jackson to bed while we went to a wedding this weekend. It didn’t go super great because I think Jackson is so used to his special routine and me nursing him right before I put him down, that he kind of wigged out a bit on them. But soon, he crashed for my parents and slept all the way until 6:15 the next morning. We forgot to turn the monitor on and I slept SO good.

Date night for mom and dad! Rawr!

 

I am getting MORE AND MORE sleep!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE THIS!!!!!!! I never realized how much sleep can affect attitude and your mental state—but it can. At least for me, I am one who needs sleep. Otherwise, forget it. My mom said when I was born, all I did was sleep. God wanted me to sleep. I was born to get good sleep. I love you sleep!!!

This past weekend I nursed Jackson and after he was done, he cuddled up to me. Like a REAL cuddle. He didn’t move or wiggle like he normally does. He snuggled up to my chest and stayed there for 15 minutes, with his arms wrapped around me. It was the greatest feeling ever. I could’ve sat that way forever. He just wanted to be held and loved by his mama. Made me feel really happy and at peace with everything. I am doing something right!!! Gosh, I love that little boy.

Jackson is giggling more and more which is the greatest sound EVER!

I went through is closet. Newborn clothes fit no longer. We can still squeeze him in some 3 month clothes but for the most part he's on to 6 month clothes.

I love that he notices sounds and noises all around him. His eyes almost popped out of his head when he heard my mom turn the vacuum on downstairs when we were upstairs. I love how he stares at the kids riding their bikes in our neighborhood or the cars that drive by. It's like he's trying to figure it all out. So cute.

He’s trying so hard to talk. It’s the CUTEST ever. His little tongue rolls up and then he tries to peruse his lips to form sounds and words. So sweet.

I’m working on getting a routine down, knowing it’ll more than likely be me doing the work once I get home. I think I just needed to accept that my workload was going to triple and then deal with it. Deal with it means… Tell Karl what I need from him. Hire a cleaning lady. ASK FOR HELP from others AND most importantly just go with it and allow myself to make mistakes and learn the best way by making those mistakes. Man, am I hard on myself. Where did this come from???  This new schedule (working, being mom and Karl’s insane schedule) seemed like a LOT for me to handle at first, but soon I was able to adjust things AGAIN and get a system down. But just when I get a system down, something ALWAYS changes.

As a mom, you become incredibly flexible with your time and just have to go with things.

With that said, instead of my normal 45 minute walk/run outside I’d get before Jackson was born, I’ll now do a 15 minutes run with him in the stroller once or twice a week and then one workout at the gym a week by myself (I steam for 5 minutes and this is the greatest 5 minute vacation of MY LIFE). This is all I need to keep me happy and those endorphins flowing. Jackson gets antsy in his car seat in the stroller if he's in it for too long so I need to be quick, but I think we’re almost ready to eliminate the car seat and have him face forward in the stroller so this might mean longer runs….yet…here comes the cold weather. I must be doing something right because I am seven pounds away from my pre-baby weight!!!!!!!!!!!  Just lots of toning up to be done. All in good time, right?

I'm growing out of all my 3 month clothes!

 

I now have a killer system down where I write out a menu (these have to be easy, quick recipes) for the whole week and that helps with dinners a TON. I print these up, have them on the island in the kitchen and I’m able to whip something up (that’s healthy too) and make enough so we have lunch and I have time to play with Jackson during the week. I KNEW it’d all come together, but it takes time.

With that said, thanks for all your support and for not judging me or diagnosing me with crazy-girl syndrome. Being a mom is HARD and quite the journey – everyone has their own story and adventures and troubles and awesomeness. It’s nice to be able to get it out and have some of you contact me saying you are going through the same stuff (and offer up suggestions).

Next thing… Have to fit church back into our Sundays. I miss it.

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Crock Pot Zuppa Toscana (Copycat)

I have minimal time (like 10-15 minutes) during the week to cook, so now I plan my recipes the week before by going on Pinterest and pinning easy, fast (and healthy) looking recipes. I have like 250+ recipes pinned right now. YAY! I've made a bunch and all are AWESOME. This one caught my eye because I LOVE OLIVE GARDEN and it looked fairly easy. Maybe not the healthiest with the heavy whipping cream, but still AWESOME! ENJOY!

serves 5-6

Original recipe

Just like Olive Garden!

 

1 lb. Italian sausage (I like mild sausage)

2 large russet baking potatoes , sliced in half, and then in 1/4 inch slices

1 large onion , chopped

1/4 c. bacon bit (optional)

2 garlic cloves , minced

2 c. kale or 2 c. swiss chard , chopped

16 oz. cans chicken broth

1 quart water

1 c. heavy whipping cream

 

1. Brown the sausage links in a pan OR cook it in a 300 degree preheated oven on a sheet pan for 25 minutes (or until cooked).

2. Cut links in half lengthwise, then dice into 1/2-inch slices.

3. Place cooked Italian sausage, chicken broth, water, garlic, potatoes and onion in slow cooker.

4. Cover. Cook on High for 3-4 hours until potatoes are cooked and soft.

5. Optional: Mash the potatoes a bit with a potato masher for texture.

6. Turn the crock pot off and add the kale.

7. Return the lid and let sit for 5 minutes.

8. Add whipping cream and serve.

My take: Love it! Should have chopped up the Kale a little better, but really good! I'd even add more bacon. I cut everything up the night before so all I had to do was dump in the crock right before I left for work. I put on low for like 10 hours just because that's how my schedule works. No way around that. Still turned out amazing! The more garlic, the more flava flave!

Karl's opinion: "You could do without the Kale, babe. Otherwise super good." (That's the healthiest part!!) 

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Is Making My Own Baby Food Really that Hard? - Month 5

Trying New HEALTHY Baby Foods

 

Jackson has now been eating solids for a full month. I was a little nervous about him eating solids at four months just because all these studies show that if you start babies on solids too soon, they have a higher chance of getting food allergies. Are these studies accurate? I don’t know. One day we’re supposed to be drinking coffee. The next we’re not. We can eat egg yolk. Then we can’t.

So what is it???

But Jackson was definitely ready, and I knew it. He was giving us all the signs, especially going from sleeping 5-7 hours a night to 2-3 hour spurts a night and needing mom's milk a LOT. He was guzzling 5.5 ounces three times a day at day care too and cried for more. He was growing and moving tons and burning through all that milk and our pediatrician saw that first hand.  

Yep, holding his own spoon!!!

 

First thing we offered Jackson was organic whole grain rice cereal mixed with my breast milk. He did NOT want anything to do with it the first feeding. Made me sad just because he was looking at me like what are you doing??? Help me! But we were also battling his evening meltdown. So we learned that we had to feed him around 5:30/6:00, any later and we were in trouble.

Day two, things weren’t that much better. More crying. And more looking at me like…NO! I want you, mom!!!

Finally day three, he seemed a little interested. Took a couple spoonfuls and thought about it. Then was done.

Day four, he was grabbing the spoon himself and wanting to feed himself and making “mmmm” sounds. So CUTE!

After each meal, I nurse Jackson too. Right now he'll maybe eat 3-10 minutes per side after eating solids. There are times he arches his back and screams though. But I have noticed he's very efficient at eating now. I also nurse him right before he goes to bed an hour or two later. It's a short feeding. Sunday night he FINALLY slept through the ENTIRE night. YESSSSSSSSS.

I wouldn’t say eating all of a sudden became easy after he accepted the food because it’s a messy process. Jackson loves sticking his hands in his mouth while he has just taken in a bunch of cereal. He loves grabbing for the spoon. The food runs down his chin, down into his neck, onto his clothes. Sometimes he’ll sneeze or cough and it goes into mom’s eye. All that fun stuff.

Healthy, yummy goodness

 

What we needed was a good bib. And thanks to Karl’s cousin (who has three boys), she gave us a few bibs after Jackson was born and said they were a must. She had to search all over for them but found them at K-Mart! She was right. Nothing compares to these bibs. The brand: Dex Baby.

Best bibs ever!

 

After two solid weeks of the rice cereal mixed with my breast milk, we moved on to homemade avocados also mixed with my breast milk. He liked those a lot and didn’t make any disgusted faces at all.

I let him enjoy for a week and then moved on to organic whole grain oatmeal. He made some faces with this. Three days of oatmeal and we’ve moved on to homemade sweet potatoes.

OK...but the honest problem is: I have been flying through my breast milk when mixing with the cereal and a lot of times he doesn’t eat it all. So I have toss. What!??!? Toss my hard pumped liquid gold breast milk??? Such a waste. So I made the tough decision to mix in water and a little formula when it comes to the cereal. Does that mean I’m a bad mom? Does that mean I don’t “exclusively breastfeed”??? Who knows. Labels. Annoying. It's like I'm not part of the popular crowd anymore or something.  

Getting ready to freeze the sweet potatoes

 

Pretty simple to make all Jackson’s fruits and veggies though. I simply heated the sweet potatoes up in the microwave and scooped out all the goodness and pureed it. Same with the avocados. Scooped out the insides and pureed (didn’t heat those up though)….sometimes still adding my breast milk to these to smooth it out.

Glad we registered for this awesome wedding gift. Putting it to use now!

 

Now Jackson opens his mouth as soon as I sit down in front of him. And he smiles and says, “Mmmmm.”

I’m going to have a lot of fun with this!!! Jackson gets to try all kinds of fruits and veggies and I'm hoping this will make him less of a picky eater in the future and give his immune system some “good army guys” to battle off all those bugs out there.

What's your baby's favorite dish?

 

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Slow Cooker Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats

Yummy (healthy) Breakfast Goodness

I wanted to make something healthy to kick off fall. I think of apples and their aroma (especially when they’re cooking). YUM.

Throw this together at night and it's ready for you in the morning!

 

I saw a recipe on Pinterest (my new obsession) of apple cinnamon steel cut oats in the slow cooker. I was so excited to try it but I didn’t have any baking apples at the time or steel cut oats. That was, until I went to work and remembered there are several apple trees loaded with tart apples. I picked about five of them with the intention of making this delicious hot breakfast.  

 

Steel Cut Oats are incredibly healthy.  A little bit of information I found on them since I'm always like...what the heck are steel cut oats and what's all this buzz about??  

Steel Cut vs. Rolled Oats

Steel-cut oats come from the same plant as rolled or instant oats and other oat products. The difference between steel-cut and rolled oats is in their processing. Steel-cut oats are never cooked and start from the whole grain that is then passed through slender blades that cut the oat kernel into thin slices.

Steel cut oats could be considered a "power food" because they are an excellent source of protein, soluble and insoluble fiber and select vitamins and minerals. The benefits of steel cut oats exceed the benefits of rolled oats because of the way they are processed. Steel cut oats are dense and chewy as a result of being passed through sharp, steel blades that cut them into thin slices that helps retain more fiber and protein. Steel cut oats, just as any whole oats, make a healthy addition to your regular diet.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/358909-benefits-of-steel-cut-oats/#ixzz27UOl6Knr

Apple Cinnamon Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats Recipe:

3 cups water
1 cup milk
1 cup steel-cut oats
1/2 cup brown sugar (or more if you're like me and have a wicked sweet tooth)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
1/4 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
2tbs butter
1/3 cup raisins
a bunch of apples, cored and diced*

Mix it all together in a slow-cooker on low for 8 hours. I added more liquid than the original recipe because I like my oatmeal a little looser and also, I started it at about 10pm, knowing no one would be awake to eat it until at least 6am, so I didn't want it to get too thick and clumpy.

*I used apples from a tree in my backyard and the apples are pretty small. I used about 4 or 5, which seemed like kind of a lot, but we LOVE apples, so it certainly wasn't too much.

My take: AWESOME. YUM! YUM! YUM. It's not too sweet (don't like anything too sweet in the morning otherwise I get uber tired) like the individual packaged apple cinnamon oatmeal. This tastes healthy to me and that is a good thing. I topped with flaxseed and ate. For next time, I would use ½ cup less water and use all milk instead - no water. But I usually make my oatmeal with milk so I'm used to the creamier taste and I think I'd add a slice of butter too. 

 

Karl's opinion: I poured some in a coffee cup for him so he could eat while driving to work. He was actually behind me at a stoplight. He was nodding his head as he ate it and looked like he was enjoying thoroughly! I haven't heard a peep from him so that means his belly is full and he's happy!

 

 

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Writing Mommy-Style

Can you still be a writer AND a mom?

 

I think most of you know I have this major dream of becoming a writer. Sometimes I can even visualize myself as a published author. This is how it plays out.... Supermom to my son Jackson by day, writing and living out my dream by night AND being able to provide for the three of us. I don't want to give myself false hope, but that is what I see. Yet sometimes things don't always happen as quickly as we'd like them too or at all like we planned them. And we have to keep trying until maybe...just maybe... one day that new door of exciting opportunity will open for us.

Yes, oh, yes...it's easier to give up on all those personal goals and dreams than keep fighting for them sometimes. Okay, a LOT of times. But those who keep at it and keep believing are usually the ones who grow and make it. 

Back in 2010, I wrote my first novel and then in 2011 started to query it out to agents. I had a lot of bites, but no offers of representation. What I did get was a lot of great feedback from agents and learned a lot about my writing and the ins and outs of the publishing industry. In short, it's very subjective out there. Currently I have a few requests out to read my first 100 pages of my manuscript (yay!) but am also in the midst of revising from all the feedback I have received.

The problem I'm dealing with is finding time. I work full time. I have a five month old. I'm a wife. I am the keeper of our finances and house and nutrition....OK...pretty much everything. So how does one still follow her dream, not lose sight of oneself and all those big goals, AND still be a good mom and wife?

I don't want to lose myself! I'm deathly scared I am and sometimes I cry because I grieve the old Christie and the life I used to have. Oh...all that time I used to have. Where did it go? And all that control... buh bye. 

While writing my first book, I joined a critique group. This group is full of wonderful woman - with all different backgrounds. Some are just getting married, one lives in Brazil, others are having babies and one is a full-time mom of three kids. I can relate to her. She's quite the amazing woman. She drinks coffee like water, sleeps little and powers through novel after novel, even finding time to read too. I admire her so much and asked her how she does it.

In honor of her latest book, Love Blossoms, coming out (which I was able to critique for her), she wrote a guest post on my blog!!! This is how awesome she is. She even makes time to leave a post for me. Wow. Where on earth does she find the time, you ask???? Read below...

Writing Mommy-Style

Hi, Christie! First, let me thank you for inviting me over to your blog. I’m super excited to be here. It’s been seven months since my debut novella launched the new Honey Creek imprint at Turquoise Morning Press. Now, I’m back with book two in my Seeds of Love series. I’m hooked on this enchanting little town and can’t keep myself away for long. But, sometimes, life demands I leave the books alone. A mommy’s life is like that.

The fabulous Julie - author (and mommy) of Seeds of Love Series

 

 

My youngest child is four now. She was a tiny little thing when I started writing. She was waking a few times a night and nursing every time I turned around. I had a potty training son at the time and was starting my first year as a home schooling mom for my five year old. Times were crazy. Time was nutty nuts wrapped in nougat. And I discovered writing helped me feel sane in the midst of it all.

Four years have passed since that time. I’m still out of shape and caffeine addicted. (Some things didn’t change). But, I’m still in survival mode. Today’s format is just different. It’s still a circus over here. Things get easier, but more complicated. I get more sleep and I’m done changing diapers, but my kids need more things than they used to. Rides to ball games and gifts for friends’ parties. Homework help replaced potty training, and dating advice will soon replace that too. I’m glad to have something just for me, even if I don’t get as much time as I want to do it today. Words makes me happy. I try to find time to read and write when I can because it’s my escape. Thanks to the Kindle, I learned to read on the treadmill. Multi-tasking at its finest. And it makes me a nicer person. Trust me. My love of writing will be here when they’re gone.

I think having an escape is the key to semi-sanity. And really, semi-sanity is what I aspire to these days. Sadly, as my kids grow, they need me less and less. *sniffles* And one day my house will be spotless because I will be alone all day, wishing the house was still cluttered with kids and their friends eating chips on my couch and wearing shoes on my carpet. But that’s then, and this is now. Today, I’m trying really hard to embrace the now because too soon I know it will be gone.

About Julie:

Mother of three, wife to a sane person and Ring Master at the Lindsey Circus. Most days you'll find me online, amped up on caffeine & wielding a book.

You can find my blogging about the writer life at Musings from the Slush Pile

Tweeting my crazy at @JulieALindsey

Reading to soothe my obsession on GoodReads

And other books by me on Amazon

If you’re in the mood for a sweet romantic read with a very happy ending, I hope you’ll visit Honey Creek. The sun is setting, bullfrogs are croaking and the crickets are singing, “Come on.” Sweet tea or hot cider. Fresh summer strawberries or crisp fall apples. You’ll find it there. And taking a trip to Honey Creek is as easy as Amazon : ) I hope to see you there!

Love Blossoms:

Jillian thought she had everything she needed until Jackson walked through her door…

There’s a wedding coming to Honey Creek and the whole town’s preparing for the party. When Jillian Parker agreed to host a few groomsmen at her inn, she had no idea what she was getting into. One of those groomsmen is Jackson Tate, and he’s making her concentration completely impossible. He’s funny, fascinating, frustrating, and leaving in a week. Jillian does not have time for that level of distraction. With Jackson nearby, events to coordinate, a bride to please, and an ex-fiancé to dodge, her peaceful life’s getting crazy fast. With any luck, she’ll survive the week and put the whole thing behind her as soon as possible.

…But not if Jackson has anything to say about it.

Excerpt:

“You used to cause quite a stir,” Jackson said into Jillian’s ear. “I bet you haven’t danced since you came home.”

Jillian smiled the demure smile she’d perfected long ago and slipped out into the night beside Danielle. A laugh split her friend’s face, and Danielle hollered into the night sky. Watermelon Crawl boomed from the truck speakers. An outrageous smile spread across Jillian’s face until her cheeks ached. Memories flooded over her, and she was instantly 10 years younger. Her muscles tingled, and the steps came back like a reflex to the sound of her friends’ laughter and the sight of embers floating in the night sky.

Her skirt swung left and right along with her toe. Material caught her thighs and infused her with energy. Beth’s squeal blasted out of the kitchen door, and she nearly took Jillian down dashing onto the dirt beside her.

“Wooooo!”

Nothing mattered. How could anything matter?

The small troop of dancers stomped and turned in the firelight. Fireflies and golden embers floated and blinked against the deep navy blue sky. No walls contained them; no neighbors complained about the noise; no traffic sounds interrupted the cricket and bullfrog chorus. There was no more freedom on earth than she had right there. A round of clapping went up as the bodies slowed and ambled in place, laughing and congratulating one another. They still had it.

Giggles seasoned the air, and the music changed smoothly to another lifelong favorite. Fishin’in the Dark . She thought of all the groomsmen planning to night fish before Mrs. Prattle’s punch kicked in the night before. In a flash, men and women sided up ready to twirl and swing in pairs. For a moment, Jillian stepped back to watch the couples, but a massive shadow blocked the light from the fire. Jackson hitched an eyebrow and nodded her way.

In the space of a heartbeat, the group was in motion, and so was she.

“You haven’t lost it, I suppose,” he said as their bodies came together.

She made the most of the time they were apart, enjoying his audience, strutting her stuff. When they met again she said, “You’ve noticed.”

“Honey, every man in town’s noticed.”

The couples began to swing, but Jillian found her body airborne. Like a feather in the wind, her feet swung left then right of Jackson’s hips. Clapping and hooting

ensued. No sooner was she grounded again than she began to twirl. The rush of endorphins and joy shot up from her feet to her hair, and her heart threatened to fly her to the moon.

 

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