Hooray, hooray, hooray it’s Friday and time for another fabulous week of #AskAwayFriday!
What is #AskAwayFriday? Well…
#AskAwayFriday was created by the amazing Penny from Real Housewife of Caroline County as a way to connect with other bloggers with a great Q & A session of 10 questions and 10 answers! By offering a wonderful opportunity to get to know others while allowing others to get to know you and of course there is also the added bonus of making great friends along the way which is one of the best parts of this online world!
Now to welcome our wonderful #AskAwayFriday hosts…
Tamara from Tamara Like Camera,
Tiffany from Mrs. Tee Love Life Laughter,
Christy from Uplifting Families,
Stacey from This Momma’s Ramblings
and
Amber from Bold Fit Mom
Welcoming a brand new co-host, for the next two weeks is the amazing…
April from 100lb Countdown!
April is a wife, mom, blogger, entrepreneur, author, and fitness guru who blogs about the things that make up her daily life as a SAHM focusing on her family. Be sure to stop by April’s site to check out her wonderful recipe offerings and money making opportunities or to just say “Hi”!
So…grab our brand, new button, follow our amazing hosts and co-host, hop through the great link ups and make some amazing new friends!
This week, I exchanged questions with
NJ from A Cookie Before Dinner! We both love snail mail! I haven’t gotten to talk to about it yet, so you have to check out her site so that you can find out more about her regularly sending out a little note to a loved one. Although she doesn’t actually eat a cookie for dinner, I loved the spirit of the sentiment because it’s something my mother always said. She has been doing this for a while and even has a great post the
10 Commandments of Blogging!
1. What does summer look like in your house? Are you guys traveling anywhere fun? I actually don’t know. We’ve been in a state of transition since we’ve moved. In previous years, we have worked to spend time in Florida with family and now we’re already here! I don’t know if we’ll be doing much traveling because we’re going to California in the fall. I plan on doing a lot of things with the kids, museum trips, summer camps and whatever else that we can get into that’s cheap!
2. I have just started my get healthy journey. I’m not calling it a weight loss thing because for me it is more than that. There is also some spiritual things I need to work on. I recently realized there are times I love food more than I love Jesus. Do you have any scripture you could recommend I memorize to encourage me as I start my shift? I actually have three:
Psalm 120:1 ~ I call on the LORD in my distress, and he answers me.
1 Corinthians 10:13 ~ No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
Hebrews 12:11 ~ For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
3. What are you favorite high protein snacks? I wasn’t big on nuts before, but I’ve gotten into grabbing a handful of almonds (with a few raisins for sweetness). With three kids, and normally two in tow, I have to take something quick and easy, that I can pack in a bag and probably eat with one hand. I also like jerky, but often that has a lot of sodium. I will also hard boil some eggs and keep them in the fridge. I have gotten used to the taste unflavored, because of lack of time.
4. I get up early in the morning because I like my house quiet and my coffee hot. It is just about the only time of day that is truly mine. How early do you get up and what is your morning routine? LOL! I used to be an early riser. In college, I used to wake up at 6 a.m. to be able to go to the gym before my 9 a.m. class. Now, I’m much more of a “get out of bed at the last possible moment”-type of gal. I don’t like to rush, but if I know I could get it done in 15 minutes, I’m not getting up a second earlier. My routine typically consists of me changing my girls’ diapers and clothes, brushing my teeth, quick brush of my hair, grab my bag of almonds, make my coffee and out the door. My husband typically makes sure that my son gets ready (and brews the coffee). Then we’re out!
I would love to get quiet time in the morning, but I almost always end up doing “stuff” but never what I need to do!
5. What advice would you give a newly engaged woman? Take a good look at the man to whom you’re engaged and ask if you could accept him, flaws and all. Not just the good stuff, but the bad stuff, because that will be the stuff that annoys you after you get married. You may be able to make changes in your spouse, but believe me, if they do make any change, it’ll be LONG and SLOW before you see it. It’s not that they don’t want to, but whatever it is you have to remember, it is their habit. If there’s something you don’t think you can live with, see if you can work to change it. But DON’T EXPECT the wedding/marriage to change it. Also, as much as they say opposites attract, you need to make sure that you discuss the core issues and values that you have. If those are the same, then other things can be “opposite”. If you believe going to church is important and he does not, it will cause contention at some point. I’m all about living a smooth life. There are tons of things being thrown at your outside of your marriage, you don’t need it within.
6. What advice would you give a woman who was recently married for the first time? Communicate, communicate, communicate. Learn your and his personal communicating and arguing styles, if you don’t know them already. I know the best place to talk to my husband is in the car. Normally, neither of us is already angry about something and I get his undivided attention. Plus, I also understand that his discussion style it to internalize the information. He may not get back to me for a day or two with a response. It’s up to me to be patient and wait. Don’t be afraid to communicate your feelings, but DON’T treat him like your girlfriend. Most men want to “fix” things and if you aren’t looking for a real, practical solutions, don’t complain about the same thing over and over again.
7. How do you fit in your workouts with kids at home? I do them when they are around. I find that there’s rarely a time when they’re not, and I don’t always get those days. I’ll be doing a post on it soon, but often I incorporate them into the workouts.
8. What is on your nightstand? Bonus points for a picture. I think
I answered this a while back. Nothing exciting. It’s just a pile of papers that I swear I’m going to go through! It pretty much looks exactly the same!
9. What post brings you the most traffic on a monthly basis? Why do you think that is? The Starter’s Exercise Plan… well, because a lot of people feel like they are just starting out. Working out can be overwhelming and even though we used to “play” from dawn til dusk on any given holiday, now finding 30 minutes is tough.
10. What is a typical weekend like at your house? We don’t have a typical right now. Often my older children are at my in-laws which typically means that my husband and I will do one or more of a few things: binge watch television/movies, clean up the garage, or just have adult time.
Be sure to check out our Facebook page “” for a great place to meet up and send out a #BuddyRequest if you need a partner to swap with!
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Want to catch up on some of my other #AAF entries, check out these (it’s getting lengthy!):
In week 1, I told Amber whether I plan on practicing as an attorney. In week 2, Heather got me to show you what I had under my bed. In week 3, Stacey had me tell you about my unaccomplished dream. In week 4, I told Christy all about the best parenting advice I’ve ever received. In week 5, I shared with Penny how I think boys are different from girls. In week 6, Sarah wanted to know my favorite room in the house. In week 7. I talked to Tiffany a little bit about how to “healthify” her favorite snacks. In week 8, I shared with Rabia the women who made a positive impact for Women’s History Month. In week 9, Bev had me share some recent pictures and the stories behind them. In week 10, Sonya got me to sing… almost! In week 11, Wendy got me to admit to my biggest weight loss hurdle. In week 12, I admitted to my legal woes to Lanaya In week 13, Rea asked about what I felt was a big problem in the US. In week 14, find out which cause I’m passionate about by Beth. In week 15, Stephanie got me to open up about my practicality. In week 16, I tell Sherri how I maintain my marriage. In week 17, Danielle asked about my favorite bible verse. In week 18, I had a double header talking about my perfect summer evening, looking to blow your socks off! In week 19, I talked more about how much I hate camping! In week 20, I talk about my pet peeves!
Make sure you take advantage of the awesome Beachbody offers over to your right! Hip Hop Abs/Rockin Body and Insanity are on deep discount!
Hi April! I like almonds too but always find them a bit bland. I like your idea of mixing in a few raisins…I've also recently discovered thanks to influenster…LOL…blueberry oven roasted almonds and they are AWEsome! I've heard they have strawberry too so I will definitely bye looking for those soon. Always great to stop by a visit a bit! 😀
Great advice to newly engaged and married women, too. I agree so much, especially the communication being key when being married to someone.
I always feel like I'm being repetitive, but I think more people talk to hear themselves, than to listen to the other person! I love seeing long lasting marriages!
I love hard boiled eggs, cheese sticks, jerky (the natural kind from co-op but it's still high in sodium) and pistachios. I think almonds might be healthier, though.
I love your advice for an engaged woman – (FLAWS) and a newly married woman (communicate). I wish I could go back in time and talk to myself first!
I think there's always something you wish you knew before you did something. Thanks so much, Tamara !
I enjoyed the variety of the questions NJ asked but I couldn't find her name anywhere. Am I blind? And, as always, it was nice to get to know you even a bit more. I envy you that you get weekends to ENJOY and relax.
No, you weren't. Somehow in my attempt to get it done in the car, I ended up skipping her intro. It's there now!
Some of these totally remind me of me – the getting up earlier before kids thing totally rings true! Now I’m like pllllllease another 5 minutes, before I was bouncing out of bed like an energizer bunny – I think this is self preservation!
LOL! When I have that extra few minutes, I feel like I can conquer the world because so many things get put on the back burner… so I'll do what I can for the day during the day, then at the end of the night I tend to get to the "needs". It is! I LOVE my sleep and miss it so much!
Hey April, those were great scriptures yoy listed. I need to memorize those. I'm trying to really limit my sugar intake over the next month (even fruit). So these should help me out. It's great that you get to have some couples time on the weekends. Looking forwar to reading your post on how to incorporate exercise into a busy schedule. Have a great weekend.
I'm trying to do at least one post a week… I used to be more consistent with those posts… before I had the two little ones. Now, that's all changed! LOL!
Well said:)) Pinning!
Thank you!
Mmm, Almonds and raisins sound so good right now!
I'm surprised that a 1/4 cup mixture can hold me for hours, Echo… and I try to do two parts almonds, one part raisins. just a touch of sweetness. I'm going to have to check out Tiffany's suggestion of blueberry roasted almonds.
I so agree about communication and waiting for your spouse to be ready to talk. Nagging just does not help. Unfortunately, I learned the hard way. Tsk
Sadly, I think most of us do. We see nagging on television, and don't realize that it doesn't work. We think Urkel on Family Matters "I'm wearing you down"… and really it goes in one ear and out of the other!
Before kids, we were such different people huh???? I used to wake up not early, but definitely earlier than my husband. While I try to get up before the kids, this only happens on the weekdays because I have to go to work. Otherwise, I just wake up when they wake up (6:30am) on the weekends. Before, I used to be mad to not be able to sleep in (I mean, what was I expecting anyways?). So, last week, I decided to put my attitude in the garbage, and no matter what time they woke up, I was going to get up happily. Totally changed my weekend – I actually enjoyed it. And I must be blessed because even though I had to wake up happily at 5:40am Saturday, I got to sleep until 8:45am on Sunday b/c my baby fell back asleep in our bed and miraculously, I didn't hear a peep from my son (in his room) until 8:45am.
Changing our perspective changes a lot. I thought I would fight getting up harder yesterday, since it was the first day of vacation on and my son was still sleep. Both my daughters woke up before 7 a.m. Instead of being upset, I rolled over and kissed them both (because they were of course in my bed) and started breakfast! Made for a great, but busy day!
I think you have the perfect advice for an engaged and newly-wed woman! I'm pretty sure I'm doing sooo many things the wrong way and until now I admit I'm still figuring out how to fix things that we often argue about in marriage. Thank you for sharing!
It's never perfect, but for some reason we can't get real about the important things in life. We will talk endlessly about gun control and abortion, but we won't have a serious discussion about what makes marriages successful, finances stay fiscally sound and what are effective ways of raising our children! Although it seems the children convo is opening up lately!
Since embracing the Paleo-ish lifestyle, I too have become a nut eater. I've been meaning to share some Paleo bar recipes on my blog… I need to do that soon.
I think it's great that you work out around the kiddos…. it's important to see health is important to their most important person
XOXO
Oooh! Paleo bars? Do share! I would love to try some. Yes! And they are the most important thing to me!
I love that first verse – I need to put that up somewhere so I see it regularly!
I have been running with my older son. It feels so good to be exercising again, and I also feel good about introducing him to a healthy habit he could do as an adult.
It's so great to teach them young! I'm trying to get my inlaws on board because my son has packed on some weight since we moved. Mainly because his diet has completely changed! What would be considered his "cheat" meals used to be once a week (we've never used that term with him, but I kept that in the back of my head). Now, he gets normally a weekend worth of meals with my in-laws, some healthy, some not… and they ALWAYS have snacks!
I have never been a morning person and I have always waited until the last possible moment to get out of bed too. Now I get out of bed whenever my little boss gets up.
Wow, I love the high protein snacks…I have often thought about keeping hard boiled eggs in the fridge to just grab for something to munch on. I wish I could eat more nuts, but they are not so great on my teeth. It is so wonderful to find fun things to do with the kids in the summer…I just signed lil miss up for our library's summer reading program and they give some neat prizes as they complete their goals. Hope you have a great weekend, April!
It's much easier to boil them in a group. Almonds are pretty soft. What about butters… softening the nuts into a spread with a little sugar. I need to check into the library for their summer reading program. I don't know if they have one. I know that they have this great deal when you bring in your library card and you get a free trip to the library! Hope you have a wonderful one too!