Dear Misty: What do you really NEED on your registry?

So, you decided to try and brave Babies R' Us and had the necessary panic attack when you realized a tiny person requires a metric shit ton of gear? Well, the good news is that a) I'm pretty sure all parents freak out when they decide to try and figure out what they need and b) you don't generally need everything you think that you "need". Here are a few tips that came to mind after surviving the first year and then some of having a little person!

1. Check out LuciesList.com and PregnantChicken.com. I swore by their websites for helping get information on the best versions and brands of pretty much everything we got. Those lovely ladies have devoted so much time to trying out car seats, pack and plays, swaddles, bottles, pumps...you name it, they have an opinion for you.

2. For us, I decided to not go cheap on two things: our stroller and our car seat. Getting a safe car seat is imperative and I desperately wanted a stroller that I could jog with, take on hikes at First Landing and so on. After hours of searching and reading reviews we decided on the Chicco KeyFit carseat and the BOB SE stroller. The best part about my being crazy about the car seat was that it turned out to be one of the best for NICU babies, that worked out, huh? We also got the matching play yard (pack and play) from Chicco, which we used in our room until he moved into his at four months. Just for fun, you should check out the baby gear by 4 moms, they have some amazing stuff!

3. Find a diaper bag that you can put a TON of stuff in, but don't break the bank. I found a $65 bag at Babies R' Us that I thought was pretty cute but most importantly, I could probably put the baby in there. It hangs well from the stroller and I can put stuff in a million pockets. I really wanted a Petunia Pickle Bottom bag, but then when I found one at Nordstom I realized that they kinda suck when it comes to space.

4. Find a monitor that you like. We have the Summer Infant video monitor with a thermometer. Maybe you don't need the temperature, Ryker's room isn't insulated as well as ours, so I found that pretty handy. They did have a recall recently for batteries overheating, but we've never had a problem.

5. We went to Target for our crib and we love it! We decided not to do the typical baby decorations and mostly used stuff we had, besides some pictures we got off Etsy. You can use all sorts of things in his room that aren't necessarily meant for babies. Our diaper holder? It's a two tiered fruit bowl made of wires that looks pretty cool and divides the inserts and covers. The chair we have in his room (which we never use, I always fed him in the living room) is from Sam's Club, a comfy leather chair with ottoman.

6. Get an awesome swing. For the love of God, get a good swing. We had this Graco glider and it was amazing. Ryker slept in that thing for months, it knocked him out so well and helped keep our sanity. (We actually still have it if you want to buy ours for cheap!)

7. Go slow. Register for everything at Babies R' Us, even if you'll buy it yourself. If it is on your registry you get a year to return it, so make sure that when you buy it or anyone else does that they take it off your registry. Another good idea is to check Amazon, you can get great prices off there. Also check out Amazon Mom!

8. BURP CLOTHS. Burp cloths for days. And then some more burp cloths. I hope your little guy isn't the fountain that Ryker was, but maybe stock up on some cute ones and mostly the cheap cloth diapers, they make amazing burp cloths and you can get a whole bunch for next to nothing.

I hope this helps a little! We returned a ton of stuff that we never used, so go slow and don't worry about stocking up on too much of the little things.

Back in the sling of things: Part Two

We're back to pain meds, arm slings and ice packs. Luckily, it's not me this time! Vic just had his surgery yesterday, the exact same one that I had four months ago. His doctor was very highly rated and gave me great information about how the surgery went as soon as he was done. I even got pictures that he had taken while he was in the surgery with the scope. CRAZY! Vic is recovering well, a little sore but nothing too bad. I got a ton of work done in the waiting room.

Things are going great with school, I really like the two classes that I am in right now. I just had to sign up for a third course that will start the first week of September. I've never taking three classes at once, it's always seemed like a really horrible idea, but I'll have four units of tuition assistance left over for the fiscal year that will go wasted, so I figured I would give it a shot! I'll keep you posted on how that goes. At that pace, I should be able to finish my Masters this Spring, a little bit ahead of schedule! Maybe three classes will be a great idea and I'll always do that many so that I can be done sooner.

I'm planning to take the personal trainer exam with the American College of Sports Medicine at the end of this month. As soon as I have that certification in hand I'll be offering online training! I tried that a few months back and really enjoyed that set up and can't wait to start my own little personal training business! I am so passionate about this and I am really excited to be able to help others make healthy, fit choices.

On that note, here's on of my workouts from this week:

I just ordered a bar and weight set, I'm so excited to be able to do even more workouts at home! And here's a great soup recipe that I threw together for today's lunch!

Two pounds of chicken breast
1 48 oz box of 365 Chicken Broth (Low Sodium)
2 cups of water
2 tbs of cumin
2 tbs of chili powder
1 tbs of minced onion
1 tbs of minced garlic
1 large red bell pepper
2 tsp of salt
1 tbs of basil
1 avocado
Cholula or similar sauce to taste.

Toss the chicken breasts and the chicken broth into the slow cooker on high for 4 hours. The broth should cover the chicken. Let that cook until it is easy to shred, remove and shred the chicken. I like to shred it in my Kitchen Aid mixer, that thing is amazing! Toss the chicken back into the slow cooker, with the extra water. Add enough to make it look like a good broth to chicken ratio, 2 cups worked for me. Then add in all of the spices and chopped red pepper and let them all hang out for about 20 minutes in the slow cooker on low. I garnished each of our bowls with half an avocado and it was amazing!

I also got in another order of our Juice Plus+ today, I just had to try the Complete bars and I ordered more of both the chocolate and the vanilla protein. I'm obsessed with putting the protein in my oatmeal and the bars are AMAZING! It's really difficult to not eat the whole box, but I have to hold back so that I have some available for our JP party on the 5th. Interested in trying some (you're crazy not to!)? Head over to ckassel.juiceplus.com or email me if you have any questions!

Oh, and guess what? Ryker is a walking machine! He's all over the place now. He walks to us and gives big ol' hugs. It's very exciting here in our little piece of the world.

Workouts, nutrition, school and my boys!

Oh, hey there! It's been too long, right? Things have gotten a little crazy over here, but I wouldn't have it any other way. So, here's a wrap up of the time that has passed since the last time we talked! I finished my Nutrition course and my Statistics course and luckily squeaked by with a B+ in both. I can't lie, my Nutrition professor was giving a ton of work, so I may have phoned it in just a bit towards the end, but I did get an A on my final project, click here to head over and watch it! I've started my next two courses, Strength Training and Anatomy and Motor Control and Learning. They both seem pretty interesting and I'm really excited about how they will help me with programming as a personal trainer!

Speaking of personal training, I'll be certified at the end of the month! Vic and I are so excited to take our exams and you know what? I know we're going to pass with flying colors. We are in a six week seminar for it right now and we are acing it. I love it. I've also already gotten a friend of mine all set up to be my first client and I couldn't be more excited! 

Last weekend, I got to participate in the 31 Heroes WOD, which memorializes and helps us honor the 30 men and their service dog that passed away serving their country three years ago. The turnout was amazing, which it is every year, and the workout was killer. It's a partner WOD and I partnered up with Misty's husband Pat. I could hear Ryker screaming for me during the whole workout, over the cheering and the music, so for the last round I grabbed Ryker and used him for thrusters and took him on a 400 meter run in the rain and he loved it! It's amazing getting to have him and Vic there to support me, getting them involved is even better. 

Like I said before, I've started practicing my programming for myself and for Lucille, who will be my first client. These workouts have been great for me this week, give them a shot and let me know what you think!

My involvement with Juice Plus+ has taken off and two of my friends have joined me on this path to spreading health and wellness through prevention and nutrition. My mother, brother, and two of my grandmothers have also started using Juice Plus+, along with my little family and I am so glad that they are taking care of themselves a little better with this extra step. 

I couldn't be happier right now. I start my days at 5:15 so that I can sip some coffee in a totally quiet house until 6:00, when I head out for my workout. Unfortunately, the sun is starting to come up later and later, but it's still not so bad to run first thing because I get to see the sun come up most mornings! After that, I'm straight off to work, I get home and generally have a call or two with my Juice Plus+ team before or after I start dinner and then it's time for Vic and I to have some time to ourselves and then it starts all over the next day! It's crazy and some days I worry that with adding training and Juice Plus+ to my school and work schedule is absolutely nuts, but I am so confident that this is our ticket to the exact life that we want. Everyone has to put in the time on the grind, right? 

I'm so ready for football season, are you involved in a Fantasy team at all? It is so much fun! Even though it is only poopy preseason, it still means that it is football time and I'm stoked. I love fall, I am so over the hot weather and the humidity. I'm a sweaters, Uggs, and leggings kind of girl. Here is a picture of Vic and I at our first annual trip to an NFL game!