Yesterday was crazy busy. I never knew I could pack so much into one day! I woke up early to get a head start. That’s probably the only way it could have happened.I showered and dressed. I packed the diaper bag. I prepared breakfast for when the kids awoke and snacks for on the go. I piled everyone into the car by 7:30 am. What for? Not the gym. I tried that schedule out today for the first time. Success in case you were wondering.

Yesterday I set out to conquer something else. I set out to conquer the children’s consignment sale.

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These sales are basically huge garage sales where hundreds of moms come together to sell their gently used children items. Its the only way I buy my kids clothes. One third the cost and just as nice? Don’t mind if I do!

I hit up one sale from 8:30-9:30. I had to shop fast to keep the baby in the carrier and the toddler in the stroller from spontaneously combusting. I still managed okay..

After we got home it was the usual nursing and playing routines. And hearing Makenzie rave about her new clothes. “Mommy, soooo cute!” “Ooooohhhh!!!”

Then, from 1-2 pm I participated in the 4all by jofit webcast as part of the Team 4all.

Can I just say how much I love this company and working with them?!

I still had more to do after the lovely chat, though. As in fitting in my workout. I completed a Turbo Jam DVD. It wasn’t the best workout. I need some new shoes specifically for cross training.

It worked well as my warm-up for round two. That’s right. Round two. I had another consignment sale to visit last night. I figured paying the $5 to do the presale was worth it. Not so much for getting in a night early. More so to not have to fear the spontaneous baby/toddler combustion previously mentioned. I got to shop alone. It was a mad hour rush. Once again, I think I did okay with my haul…

Perhaps its a good thing I only had 2 hours to shop between the two sales. 😉

Obviously with a day like that I needed to take the easy route where I could. It was a leftovers for lunch kind of day. Fortunately, I had the perfect meal for leftovers. And a perfect recipe to share with all of you thanks to my friend, Danielle. It may sound familiar because Caitlin just did a spin on it after I shared the recipe with her. Check out her version as well.

Mexican Black Bean Tortilla Casserole

• 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 lb. cremini or button mushrooms, trimmed & quartered
• minced garlic (I used about 1 Tbsp)
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• course salt & ground pepper
• 15.5 oz. can black beans, drained & rinsed
• 8 corn tortillas, warmed & halved
• 2 cups salsa or basic marinara (I did the marinara bec of spice & b'feeding)
• 4 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 400. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until browned, 7 minutes. Add garlic and cayenne; season with salt & pepper. Add black beans and stir to combine. Cook until beans are warmed through.

Arrange 5 tortilla halves in a 8x8 baking dish. Top with half the bean mixture and 1/2 cup salsa/marinara, then sprinkle with one-third of the cheese.

Repeat with another layer. Top with remaining tortilla, salsa/marinara, and cheese. Cover with foil and bake until center is hot and cheese melts, about 10-15 minutes.

Uncover and bake until cheese is bubbling, another 10-15 minutes. Serve and savor.

You know I don’t post recipes unless they’re something special. So, what are you waiting for? Make this!!! And the leftovers? Taste even better the next day. Gotta love that!

Question of the Day – How do you like to score a bargain? And what’s your favorite casserole dish meal? This may have just topped my favorite chicken enchiladas that I shared in my first post!

Thank you all SO much for your comments and support on yesterday’s post. It appears to be a hot topic and I’m glad we could all discuss here on FFF! Moving on…

I love my workout time. You all know that. I choose workouts I really enjoy and I have no problem getting them in. For example:

Monday – Upper Body Weights & Week 4, Day 1 Couch to 5K

Check out my post for how I create strength training plans.

Tuesday – Lower Body Weights (Cathe Butts & Guts DVD)

Wednesday – Week 4, Day 2 Couch to 5K

What I’m not  loving? The workout time…as in time of day. I miss my morning workouts!! I hate going in the afternoon/evening when Peter gets home. Seriously. HATE.

I have always loved morning workouts the best. Before Braedon, I happily went at around 8:30 in the morning after M and I ate breakfast. I followed that little routine time of day from the time I began bringing her to the gym until the end of my pregnancy. It works for me. I have energy. The gym is not too crowded. It leaves the remainder of the day open. It starts me off on the right foot and puts me in a good mood. I will say it again - I miss my morning workouts!

I knew I couldn’t utilize the gym childcare for a short while after Braedon’s arrival. I planned accordingly and made time for myself to get in my workouts after Peter gets home. I thought it wouldn’t cause a problem and I would still love going at that time of day just as much. Scratch that thought.

Going EVERY afternoon for a full workout drives me batty! It makes the whole afternoon and evening one big rush fest. Peter gets home. I finish feeding Braedon. I rush to the gym. Its crowded so it takes me a bit longer to do some things. I get in my approximate hour, then head home to make dinner. We gobble up dinner and then its time to get the kids in bed. By the time all is said and done, I haven’t had any real family time in the afternoon and Peter & I only have 1-1.5 hours of time to relax just the two of us. Every night. See why I hate going in the evening?

I want that 8:30 workout time back. And its doable now that baby B is 6 weeks old and I can bring him to the gym child care. So what is holding me back?

Mommy guilt. I fear being judged by other mommies if I chose to bring my child to the gym daycare at such a young age. Mommy friends. Mommy readers. Mommy gym workers. Actually, when I started writing this post I intended to ask for advice on the scenario. Now I find myself realizing the ridiculousness of that.

The child care has a completely separate section for infants. B would likely stay in his car seat asleep the entire time. I brought M to the gym child care without problems from early on. I would only take them a few days a week right now since I have DVDs I do at home on Tuesday & Thursday. It gives us more time to spend together as a family during the week. It works for me. Why do I need validation in that?

So, I’m going to give it a shot tomorrow. Mommy guilt be damned. If it doesn’t work out I can always go back to evenings. But it will be because its what works best for me and my family – not because its what I think others deem appropriate.

Question of the day – What’s something you have felt needlessly guilty over?