Target Tuesday.

We are so excited to be bringing you our first post in our new feature, Target Tuesday. You'll see this feature pop up a couple of times a month and we'll be sharing with you our current favorite Target finds. Targets in Utah are incredibly popular amongst the young mormon mommy population and with only a couple of Targets (and I literally believe there are only TWO) in Utah county, the good stuff goes fast. My favorite Super Target specifically, is usually wiped of all size 7 women's shoes, Medium sized women's clothes and somehow, the exact 2T girls and 5T boys size kids clothes that we need.  (Dad doesn't always share the same love for Target that the rest of us do)  When we get lucky, and get to Target first thing on a Tuesday morning however, sometimes we score AWESOME finds that we just can't help but share. 
This weeks feature will be focused on Target's Christmas Clearance Sale.

Target starts at 50% off their Holiday section the day after Christmas and after some time it goes to 75% off and then 90% off, if they have enough product left over. Last Tuesday, we scored BIG TIME when we shopped around Target's Holiday section with everything marked down 75%. We are suckers for a bargain so we were elated when we actually found product, more than just our usual wrapping paper and tissue paper, at such discounted prices.

Our first great find were ornaments. Kevin and I have been married 5 years this year and we have never bought new ornaments for our tree. Our first Christmas together we spent $4.75 at the local thrift store for a box of silver bulbs so our tree wouldn't be so naked. Over the years we have slowly added a few "yearly" ornaments from family and for the kids and so our tree has looked a little homely.  We couldn't believe the deal we got on two big boxes of ornaments during Target's Christmas Clearance sale.  For $9 we got two big boxes totalling over 90 bulbs in some incredible colors.  I cannot wait to see these beauties on my tree this year. 

Next we were able to find a strand of Christmas lights.  Our tree is pre-lit so we've never seen a need to buy string lights but after some searching on Pinterest, we figured we could put some lights up in the kids rooms windows to make more of the house more Christmas-y. They are also perfect for decorations or backdrops when hosting parties. Normally $8 a box, we were able to grab a couple of Warm White LED Icicle Lights for $1.98 per box.

This year we found some adorable kids tableware.

We picked up 3 kids place sets including place mats, plates and cups!  How adorable are these sweet holiday settings?

Our kids LOVE divider plates and cups with straws so we were thrilled to find what fits our needs.
Finally, since it's almost mandatory at these holiday clearance sales, we picked up wrapping paper and a few Christmas bags. 

We loved that this wrapping paper was not as holiday specific which will allow us to use it for birthdays also.
This weeks Target Tuesday features over $60 saved. Who doesn't love to save money when spending money?!!
You can always check with your local Target during the Holidays to get a feel for what they may or may not have left over after Christmas.  Waiting until 90% definitely lowers your selection, other than wrapping paper and tissue paper, so be sure to think of items you may want to buy when deciding what discount to wait for.
We hope you enjoyed this post of Target Tuesday. We'll be bringing you tons of posts about Target's clothes, cleaning supplies, toys, movies, holiday products and our favorite, The Dollar Section, so be sure to follow by email so you can be notified of our next Target Tuesday post.  (Follow By Email in Right Side column) 
Happy Targeting! 

Fit2BMom Monday (Week #8 and #9)

Two more weeks have come and gone. It has been such a busy couple weeks with my new job, family in town, Hayden's blessing and Easter but I have been staying 100% true to my Fit2BMom Challenge!  I am so excited that I have made it 9 weeks and have seen some real progress. This week I noticed some REAL definition in my arms! This is HUGE for me since I have ALWAYS felt like I have had "Relief Society Arms" (aka flabby arms). Not anymore! I am on my way to more toned and defined muscles. I am excited the weather is warmer so I can start running outside!  I also have plans to try Zumba for the first time on Tuesday. My friend Callie teaches the class at The Legacy Center and it always looks like such an intense but fun workout. I am excited the busy weekends are over so I can focus again on finding and making healthier meals again. I have had to "proportion" lots of meals the last two weeks with the holiday and family in town. My sweet cousin-in-law shared a delicious yummy quinoa recipe that I am dying to try!  I have been hesitant to try quinoa for a long time because I had no idea what it tasted like or how to cook it but Cassidie gave me a quinoa confident boost. 
Today I am excited to feature our second Fit2BMom. Readers, Meet Amy!  Amy and I went to school together in Sacramento and this sweet mama of two adorable little girls has joined us today to share her weight loss journey!  Here is her story:
____________
Weight loss has been a long journey for me. My family belonged to a gym before I was even allowed to be on the floor. But my parents liked me to use the machines that they had in the kids area while I was there. Sports was never my thing...I sang in choir since kindergarten, and while in high school, I took voice lessons. And since I would be missing out on practice once a week, I was told by the coach that I couldn't play in the games. So, I decided that sports were not going to do. Which left me to the only workouts I got done were those in class.

In college, I joined a moms (even though I wasn't one) bootcamp. I was in it for a year, and completed my first triathlon through the bootcamp. I loved being in the bootcamp! The women in the group were amazing, and very inspiring. With that said though, I joined the bootcamp for someone else. I wasn't working out for myself, and so I never stuck with it, and didn't put my all in it. I did learn a lot, which I am thankful for. 

Overtime I have belonged to 3 different gyms. But like I said, working out was never for me. So, it never stuck.

Well, here I am. A mother of 2. I think what got me to start working out again was my daughter (soon to be 3). She would ask me to play, running around outside, or play in her (fold up) tent. When I told her that "Mommy couldn't play in her tent because she couldn't fit and would get stuck", well that kind of caught my attention...that I need to do something about my weight. Not just for me, not just for my husband, but for my kids. God willing, we won't be done after 2 kids. And I wanted to be able to run around outside with them, and to be able to play with them however they wanted. I didn't want to keep telling them that "Mama was too big". And so, I decided to start working out, and watching what I ate. I texted my sisters and some other people to be my support system. A little challenging with them being in CA and me in TX. But we are making it work! After talking to one of my sisters, I started using the 'my fitness pal' app to keep track of food. (By the way, this all started January 2014). After a month or two (once I knew, and kind of proved to my husband that this wasn't just another "I wanna lose weight phase") we decided to use his "good job" work points to buy an elliptical trainer (since that was what I liked using at the gym). It is nice! Just a basic model, but I'm not a runner and never seemed to get into workouts on dvd. And just recently, we were able to get my a heart rate monitor (since I noticed/getting frustrated that the elliptical was saying that I was only burning 100 calories or so in a 30 minute workout)!  I got the polar FT7 and LOVE IT!!!!

And here I am, beginning of April, and have lost (almost) 22 pounds!!! I have a long ways to go to reach my goal. (Ps...in one of my previous phases, my husband bought me a dress that was a size smaller than what I was....needless to say, I have NEVER wore that dress. And its been at least 5 years.) So that dress is my goal...to be able to fit into it! 

Sometimes I am afraid that the weight loss will just stop, and I won't be able to wear that dress, but then I think about losing 22 pounds so far. I have reached the point (I think) that I can seriously believe that I can keep going! I told myself at the beginning that "I can do this" but then it was kind of a far stretch in my mind.  But today, after I weighed myself and seeing the under 200lbs and the -22lbs lost, I really believe that I can do this...I can keep this up!
Here is Amy 1month Post Baby & Again in December 2013.

Here she is this month! 

Way to go Amy! 22lbs lost is so awesome!  Thanks so much for sharing your journey with us. You definitely have some new friends cheering you on.
Amy expressed how she sometimes worries the weight loss will just stop. I also have had that fear that I will just hit a plateau and wont be able to lose ALL of the weight I want to.
What are your suggestions for weight loss plateau?  Please comment below and share! 
Happy Monday Fit2BMoms.

New: Friday's Hot List.

Happy FRIDAY Readers.

I have decided to add another weekly feature to my blog.

Each Friday I will be sharing a few of my favorite things of the week. 

Clothes, foods, products, TV & Movies, books, stores.. you name it.

Anything hubby, baby or I consider HOT for our week.

It will all be here in this new feature I'm calling "Hot List" 

Enjoy!

Turns out all of the items on this weeks Hot List are PRODUCTS.

Top row are hot items for baby Hunter. 

-Aden & Anais swaddles as he grows bigger and to keep him warmer as the nights get cooler.

-Boogie Wipes after his monster BOOGERY sneezes. 

(Hunter loves these. Soft on baby's nose and has saline in them to break up the mucus)

Next row is for Mom.

-Amazing purple skinnies I bought at Nordstrom Rack a few weeks back are still sitting in the bag, on my floor, in the bedroom BEGGING me to wear them. Maybe tomorrow?!

-New Bare Minerals Foundations. I decided to switch from my normal BM foundation when the lady in the shop gave me the mini make-over with it. It looked great. Sadly, it may be a shade to light (I look GHOSTLY white) and is causing me to breakout. 

I am really hoping the breakouts are from stress and being sick all week because I really do love the way the new foundation feels on my skin.

Last row is Dad.

The sickest of us all this week.

-He's been wearing these sexy surgical masks to protect baby Hunter and I from his vicious cough. (Seriously it's been 6 days and counting of deep chest coughs, coming home from work early and headaches. Poor Dad)

-And of course cough drops for a little relief.

We are going to the Utah State Fair tomorrow. 

What are your plans?

Have a lovely weekend everyone!