Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Generations

This afternoon little MC and I headed to the Isle of Palms to see my first cousin Helen and her two girls Grace and Tess. They live out of town so we don't get the chance to visit often enough. Helen and I are years apart in age and have never lived in the same town but have a really unique bond. I was Helen's flower girl when she got married, that should define the age gap!

As I sat with MC on the wood floors of the beach house playing with her cousins a very familiar feeling came to me. Watching Grace and Tess play and interact with MC made all the memories of 15 years ago when I was close to their ages and sat there on that same floor and played with each of them.

Watching MC smile and laugh together with her second cousins is something that I know would have made my late grandparents' (Mimi and Big Joe) heart fill with joy.

It is such a neat thing to see another generations of family start to cultivate their bonds together.

Friday, February 26, 2010

StrollerFit - the best workout


After a 25 pound weight gain during my pregnancy, I was determined to get back to clothes as soon as possible and StrollerFit was the key. Less than 4 months after MC was born I was back in my clothes and now almost 9 months later I am 10 pounds lighter than I was before I got pregnant!

I belong to the Mount Pleasant franchise that is owned by Amy Welch. I average 2 to 3 classes a week and love it. My new love for exercise is something I hope to instill in MC as she grows up.

Here are the reasons for StrollerFit (from the StrollerFit website):

Functional Stroller Fitness - Your body gets strong, lean and energized as you perform highly effective exercises targeting your mommymuscles® (the muscles used and abused during labor, delivery and the postpartum, day to day care of your baby). With StrollerFit not only will you look great, you can get rid of those aches and pains that can come with being a mom.

Convenience - Keeping your baby within arm's reach while you exercise is the ultimate time and energy saver; no nursery or baby sitters needed. And because StrollerFit turns your stroller into a portable fitness machine, you can get a great stroller fitness workout wherever you are.

Your Baby Will Love It - StrollerFit keeps your child happy! Your baby gets the best seat in the house to watch and help mommy exercise. And when the stroller starts moving, things really get fun!

Give Your Baby the Gift of Health and Fitness - By exercising the StrollerFit way, you help your baby recognize exercise as a positive and natural occurrence in his or her life. While many children resist exercising as they get older, your baby enjoys the process. Bottom line: with StrollerFit your baby develops the foundation of a healthy, lifelong exercise habit with the best workout partner of all - YOU!

Make Great Friends - At StrollerFit, you'll be working out with moms just like you. It's a great opportunity to socialize while you exercise. You'll walk away from our classes with names and numbers for our StrollerFriends™ play groups, moms' nights out and an ever-growing supportive network of friends thats only a phone call or e-mail away.

Fun - The best kind of exercise is fun exercise. StrollerFit creates an "exercise experience" you share with your baby. The changing music, moves and motions combined with the social interaction of your instructor, other parents and babies keeps you and your baby smiling.

Safety - The StrollerFit Program has evolved from hundreds of StrollerFit group fitness classes. Since we started in 1997, our focus has been on continuously engineering, designing and improving StrollerFit exercises to correctly address the unique physical needs of postpartum mothers and their babies. The result is a highly effective stroller fitness workout that protects both mother and baby from injury.

Results - With StrollerFit, your stroller provides an ideal blend of resistance, stability and movement - the building blocks of a super effective stroller fitness workout. Because you don't hold your baby during a stroller fitness workout, exercises can be performed with the proper aerobic and anaerobic intensity to get great results.

Professional - All of our fun, friendly StrollerFit franchisees hold nationally accredited fitness certifications and are infant and adult CPR-certified. They are also specially trained and certified by StrollerFit. Many instructors hold advanced academic degrees in health sciences, fitness and physical therapy.

Interactive - A StrollerFit workout lets you play with your baby while you get fit. Your baby is the focus, as you move with and around your stroller. The exercises also encourage plenty of group interaction, so baby is always having new experiences.

More Than a Workout - StrollerFit also encourages your baby's physical and cognitive development with special music, games, socialization and new experiences. At StrollerFit group fitness classes you will enjoy making new friends, sharing ideas and learning about local programs, activities and events.



Saturday, January 30, 2010

Little Moments - January

Well, my thoughts of being a better blogger have not gone so great so far, but there is always room for improvement in February!

This blog posts is just a list of some of the little moments over the past month that have had me laughing, loving and living. I plan to do one of these every month to reflect on how wonderful my month really was, it is really easy to forget the small stuff, but they are so important!
  • B and I rang in the new year parent style in bed by 10!!!
  • MC sat up on her own for the first time
  • Our friends welcomed the 2nd child into the world
  • We started the construction of our new home
  • My dad turned 62!
  • Brad turned 31!
  • We ate at 17North (the best place to eat north of 41)
  • We enjoyed our first get together at the lot with friends for B's birthday
  • Made the GIANT cupcake for B's birthday
  • MC crawled for the first time
  • MC ate little puffs for the first time
  • My dad took care of MC all day and they both made it through
  • I found 2 pairs of Paige Jeans on EBay!
  • Harris Teeter had crab legs for $2.99 a pound (we have a freezer full!!!)
  • Found Big Sexy Hair shampoo on sale and it makes my hair look great despite the well water

Monday, January 11, 2010

Construction

Well today is the BIG day, B and I have officially started the construction of our home! Mother Nature has given us a break in the rain and the footings are being dug today. The first of many thousand steps to come over the next months. In 6 short weeks the house will be dried in and look like a house!

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Good Bye 2009, Hello 2010

It is hard to believe that on Thursday night we will bid farewell to 2009 and toast to 2010. How fast 2009 went! In 2009 B and I started our tile and stone installation business, welcomed MC to our family, sold our house, moved to the country! 2009 was a year we will not forget that is for sure.

2010 will bring us lots of unforgettable memories as MC gets older and as we start the construction of our dream home.

In 2010 you will be hearing from me on my blog a lot more! It will be part of at least my weekly routine! Until next post Happy New Year!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Blogging World Here I am

Well it has been a long time coming, but here I am blogging on the web with millions of others. After my older sister started her blog for her business I decided that I would start my own. One day I hope my blog will be as entertaining and fun to read as my friend Amanda's.

I spend my days laughing, loving and living so I found it to be the most fitting title for my blog. My family and friends are the roots to my laughing and loving. Through out my blog I will share with you the stories of the people and things in my life that keep me laughing, loving and living.

So let me start off with a brief introduction to the source of most of LL&L my family:
  • Me: I am a part-time working mom. I am the marketing director for a locally owned decorative hardware and plumbing company in Charleston, SC. I also am the bookkeeper and office manager of my husband's tile and stone flooring installation company we started back in May. I have a passion for cooking I love it! Prior to college I could not even boil water, my talent and love for cooking still leaves my dad a little perplexed. I have recently taken a liking to sewing and cake decorating I think it was part of the whole nesting thing when I was prego!!! So stay tuned for sewing and baking projects!!!
  • B: My husband is one of a kind, high energy and full of life, he never sits still. When he is not working or at home is in the woods or on the water living the Lowcountry life. He keeps my freezer full of deer, duck, dove, fish, shrimp and many other yummy things!!
  • MC: My daughter was born in June and is the most amazing thing that has happened to our family. She is a constant reminder of what life is truly about laughing, loving and living. There will be many posts about MC as she grows!
  • Drake: Our almost 8 year old black lab that was our first baby he was just a few months old when Brad and I started dating.
  • Lilly: Our 4 year old beagle that is spoiled rotten, she sleeps in the bed and requires more room in a king size bed than a full grown person!