Operation Snap Back™: Starting Over Again

Ugh. I hate that I am even writing this. I have fallen off the wagon so badly. Like, it's bad. I knew that our  my eating habits would be all over the place while we were in transition but gah-lee I turned on the bad food faucet and started drinking from it like crazy.

To add appetizer to entreé I was consuming all this food without even driving by a gym. The amount of weight that I have gained is unknown because I don't currently own a scale. What I do know is that  all of my jeans are fitting much tighter than they should and I can't afford to out grow my wardrobe sooooo.....

I'm going to start working out again. I have been living in leggings (have you noticed?) because I literally can not comfortably fit in my jeans. Popeye's is so good while you're eating it but not so great when it shows up in your thighs, the struggle....

A girl apparently can't have her cake and eat it too - multiple days in a row. So, starting July 5th, I am going to start making healthy food choices again. I'm also joining a fitness challenge that a friend of mine is starting July 11th.

Fatima from Off the Potomac and the creator of Operation Snap Back™ and I will be encouraging each other to whip ourselves back in shape too. Stop by her blog to see where she is on her journey.

Stay tuned for info about a running challenge. I need the accountability. Can't keep using the move or these kids as an excuse. At this point, it's my choices.

It's best that I break up with Popeye's before things get too serious. I'll do another update with before pics before all of my fitness challenges start. Wish me luck!

Weekend Recap: Another Saturday in Seattle

We spent another beautiful Saturday in Seattle on Saturday. The weather was perfect. Not too hot and just breezy enough. As soon as we got there we met up with my brother and his family for lunch. We ate at this delicious and fancy chinese restaurant. I hate that I didn't get any pics during our time there but sometimes you just have to be in the moment.

That restaurant had amazing views of Lake Union and all the boats. It was really gorgeous and I can't wait to eat there again. On our walk back to downtown I thought all of the bike lanes were so dope.

Things like that really impress me and make me happy...







There were tons of geese near the water. Savannah spotted these babies and she wanted to get as close as she could to them...



Seattle has tons of bright colored or mural/graffiti'd walls that are pretty stunning. We passed this one and had a little fun with it...



I'm not sure why she wanted to pose on one foot but I aim to please so... Also my leggings are Lularoe, one of my newest obsessions. I am ashamed to say how much money I have given them within the past month or so...



The boys normally end up sleeping thru most of our adventures, LOL! I never want them to be left out so here are some pics of them sleeping in their stroller. That thing is a house on wheels and I am so glad I bought one.





Once we were back in my brother's neck of the woods we stopped for pizza (because after that long walk everyone was hungry again). Sunday was the same day as the Pride parade so there was music and people everywhere.





The pizza at Zeeks was pretty good. We got the Puget Pounder and my brother ordered the Juan Candy. Both were great but I preferred the jalapeños on the Juan Candy and would def order it again.

I'm sorry I don't have any pics of my food. When it's time to eat I tend to forget about taking pics.



I don't know how those baby boys sleep thru everything the way they do. It was literally a party going on and they missed it.

On another note I feel like my husband missed his calling to be a supermodel...



Perhaps the best part about our weekend was when the Doctor called to tell us that for the first time Moses' bloodwork showed normal levels and no signs of neutropenia!

If he "passes" his next three lab visits his hematologist will consider his issue resolved. Please keep our #grandfinalebaby in your prayers. He's doing great!



How was your weekend?

Thought Bubbles 06232016

We had some amazing sushi on Saturday...

I dread going to the Post Office with three kids. Why don't they have drive thru windows by now?....

At Mikey's three year check up the Doctor's response to all my concerns were, "Don't worry about it"....

I still can't get over how beautiful these blue umbrellas were. Too bad the food gave me the BGs...

Summer is finally here and that only means one thing... Fall is approaching!...

Something about living here makes me want to try coffee...

I can't do that to myself...

Those KidzBop commercials absolutely kill me...

I never realized how much time we spent indoors (in Texas) until we moved here...

Being able to be outside has been refreshing...

I lost my Lularoe rewards card...

I'm not even sure what the reward is but I do know that I only have 4 more items to go to earn my reward...

I changed my hair and I love it....

But now I miss my haircut...

#girlproblems...

It was National Selfie Day one day this week...

This morning when I woke up I thought it was Wednesday...

But it's actually Thursday...

I hate losing a day during the week...

How does that even happen?....

A friend of mine wants a hard copy of my book...

That made my day ☺️...

If I can get up enough guts I'll do a book reading on FB...

If that's something you'd be interested in (along with a Q&A session) let me know!....

V I D E O: Costco and Commissary Grocery Haul

I haven't made a meal plan since our move. I have yet to get to that place where I'm planning meals because I'm still trying to get everything settled. I'd like to start meal planning again in July.

We recently purchased a deep freezer and it is my new favorite thing. I no longer have to cram everything into my freezer and things aren't falling out on me when I open it. I am in love.




The commissary here is always super busy. At our last duty station one thing that I actually liked about the commissary is that it was never "packed" or crazy busy. There were absolutely times where the line would be a little long but the store never felt like a zoo to me. This commissary is a zoo.

The Costco here has a weird layout. It will take me a few more trips to learn the store. The strawberries and mushrooms that I bought had furry mold on them the very next day - very disappointing. My goal is to check out the Farmer's Market for produce from now on. There's one every Tuesday not too far from the base.

Not that this has anything to do with groceries but I finally checked out the Target closest to me and I am not a fan. I didn't even know it was possible to not like your local Target. I'll be venturing out a bit more to check out another one soon.

I hope you all had an amazing Father's Day weekend. If you have any questions about my grocery haul feel free to ask me in the comments!

Mikey Turns Three

Today Mikey turned three. Where has the time gone? I feel like I just had him yesterday. Mikey was born at 35 weeks because all of my fluid leaked out and he's been on a roll ever since.

Mikey is my daily challenge. A fearless and strong little boy that gives me a heart attack at least twice a day. He is all of the things a three year old should be. My little Mikey is full of so much mischief but he's also a sweetheart...

You may have seen him on snapchat flat out ignoring me but it's all in love. His personality is so funny. From birth Mikey hasn't really been here for any games. He's a man trapped in a three year old body.

For his birthday we did all of his favorite things. We colored, ran around, ate french fries and pizza (and cupcakes!) and we played with his new monster truck. He was in threenager heaven.

I love that Mikey is the complete opposite of his sister. It keeps things fun and interesting around here. Watching him grow and change has been such an amazing blessing. Happy Birthday to our sweet boy!

Army Wife Life: We Have Too Much Stuff

If I open one more box of crap I just might pass out. Like, really. No one needs this much stuff. When I mean to tell you that the number of crayons and pencils we own is right up there with Office Depot - I'm not kidding.

Unpacking an entire house with three small children has been a test of my patience. I might be failing that test too. I'm not a person that can live in clutter so having boxes and their contents all over the place is sending me to a bad place.

This picture does not do the mess justice. It seems like the more I unbox, organize and setup the bigger the mess gets. I have been making Goodwill piles and trash bags left and right. In three to four years when it's our turn to move again I swear I won't be in this situation again.

I have managed to get the kitchen, laundry room, garage, additional storage space/craft closet and the kid's rooms all done. The only room left for me to do now is the master bedroom. Once we get rid of all the donation piles I think this place will finally start to feel like home.

I'm ready to start enjoying our new home. We have a fenced in backyard that I am dying to start focusing on. The kids will have a blast playing back there. The fact that they can go out and play and I don't have to worry about chasing Mikey has given me so much life....

I just love looking at all the trees that are back there. Many of my favorite mom bloggers are decorating their outdoor spaces. I feel inspired to give my little patio a makeover. I'm on the hunt for some patio furniture and a fire pit.

Hopefully this place will be fully unpacked and "done" in a day or so. Have you seen any cute patio sets? Tell me where to shop for them in the comments!

Family Day Out in Seattle

The last time we spoke I think my family was still living the hotel life. I am happy to share that we finally have a place to call home. We had originally planned to live off base in a suburb nearby but once we got here and saw the lay of the land we decided to continue living on base.

I am a fan of living on base. Maybe I'll share my reasons why in another post.

So, we're in our house but the movers haven't delivered our household goods yet. They may not be able to deliver them until after the 14th. Between now and then I see lots of hanging out in our future.

On Saturday we headed north to Seattle to spend time with my brother and his family. The whole vibe of city is infectious. I absolutely love it and I understand why my brother does too.

There was live music all over the place. If you follow me on Snapchat (@TheChicSAHM) I shared as much of it as I could. Infectious. We walked around the city and took in all the sites. We stopped at an ice cream parlor to get a cool snack before heading down to the water for lunch. 

Ice cream before lunch, I know, I know...

My husband and I grabbed some Seattle friendly caps from a souvenir shop...

We made it to the waterfront for lunch and it was glorious. The sound of the water, the smell of seafood and the views of the mountains made for a perfect lunch.

I had a shrimp po' boy sandwich that was delicious. Savannah and Mikey had a cheese pizza. My husband had some type of fish sandwich that looked better than mine. I hate it when that happens.

After lunch we snapped some pics on the pier before venturing over to the Space Needle.

I have to say I expected the Space Needle to be bigger. I don't know how much bigger I wanted it to be but I guess I was expecting to be overwhelmed by the size of it and I wasn't. We're going to ride up to the top of it on another visit. 

We wandered over to a fountain (that I can't remember the name of) and that is where we ended our day. 

Mikey had no interest in the fountain. He was happy playing with a truck his cousin gave him.

Savannah didn't want to pass up the opportunity to play in the water so she went down there "in her school clothes" and had a blast.

The day was so perfect. The weather and the scenery, perfect. We returned the minivan to the rental company yesterday. Our cars should be getting delivered to us today. I forgot to take pics for a minivan post but let's just say I now completely understand why people love their minivans.

I'll be sharing more about our move as things progress. Hopefully we can get our things delivered sooner rather than later. 

Army Wife Life: Live from the Pacific Northwest!

This is my first post from our new place! Well, not our house, because we don't have one yet but I am writing from our new zip code and that's basically the same thing. Either way I am excited to be in a new place.

Before I start showing you all that is the beauty of the pacific northwest I thought I would catch you up on how we got here.

The movers came last Thursday and packed up all of our things. They came back on Memorial Day to load it all on the truck. I couldn't believe that they were willing to work on holiday.

Our cars were scheduled to be picked up on Monday too but they weren't because the driver on the truck wanted to eat hotdogs and drink beer instead of driving his route. I can't blame him but it did suck to be stuck with the stress of finding someone else to ship our cars at the last minute.

If I'm being honest, I kind of had a feeling that I would end up having to hire someone else to ship our cars. When I woke up Monday morning I just knew he wasn't coming. Maybe I'm psychic?

Going back to Thursday - I checked us in to the hotel on base to wait out our last few days in Texas. We stayed there while everything was in boxes. This room was small. Real small. I don't know how we keep ending up in these tiny rooms when we request suites but such is life and we deal with it...

We took a shuttle to the airport Wednesday morning. A friend was nice enough to follow us in his car carrying our luggage. I'm not sure how we would have made it without the help.

Once we were on the plane everything started to settle down. I was relaxed and happy to be starting something new. Then Mikey started screaming his head off snapping me back into reality. This ain't no vacation.

He cried for about 15 very long minutes. There was nothing I could do. I offered him candy, a drink, an iPad, my soul - he turned it all down for the attention of a meltdown. Once he was tired he took a seat on the floor and was happy for the duration of the flight.

I'm sure our entire plane appreciated that.

I was "one of those Moms" with a screaming kid and I was so unbothered by the stares. A friend told me not to worry if something like that happened so I didn't. I just watched him until the show was over.

We landed in Washington, rented a minivan (that I feel needs a review) and we've been working on getting settled. I can't wait to share tons of pics of our adventures here. This place is truly so beautiful.