I totally have an image of that classy Jessica Simpson music video stuck in my head now. These boots were made for walkin’, that’s just what they’ll do…

See how nice I am to share that with you so you can have it stuck in your head too? Ya gotta love me! At least more than the butchering of that song, right?!

Okay, okay. I will get back to my point. Today I woke up and felt a bit achey all over. I thought I had caught little M’s sickness she has been fighting since Tuesday and was about to be seriously bummed. Then, after being up for awhile I realized I was fine and likely just needed a good dose of yoga. Fridays are my normal yoga days, but the bummer it is, I had to skip today. Makenzie woke up feeling better, but I decided to err on the side of caution with germs and not take her to the gym daycare to spread her cooties.

My body kindly informed me that I still craved some sort of activity and a walk sounded like a good option. After devouring a bowl of Oatmeal Raisin Cookie oats (oats, cinnamon, dash of creamer post cooking, raisins, and peanut butter)…

…we packed up the jogging stroller and headed out for the local Greenway path. I love this path! It is smooth, surrounded by nature, and has mileage markers along the way.  I had intentions of doing about 3 miles, but once I got started I didn’t want to stop! I enjoyed myself too much to stop. Simply being able to walk and think about the joy of my life and praise God kept me going.

Then, about a mile in, I saw an extremely fit woman running and obviously loving the challenge. Back in the day, I would have likely been jealous and let it get me down. Today, I though “Go her!!!” and then felt proud of myself for being out there and rocking my fitness too. The rest of the walk I smiled at every person I came across because I was so happy to see all these people out there honoring their bodies. I was proud of the old couple walking and sharing conversation, taking care of their relationship and health. I was proud of the dad with his two kids riding their bikes, letting them be active and have fun. I was proud of the mothers power walking with their strollers, for doing something for themselves and their health. The pure pleasure from loving and taking care of our bodies is remarkable. It made for an empowering walk, where I ended up covering 4 miles in 1 hour and 8 minutes.

For the record, walking is great exercise if you push your pace a bit. Look how sweaty I was when I got home…AFTER chilling in the A/C of my car for 10 minutes.

Hmm...guess I didn't take my own article's advice. Oops! And pause here so I can say a HUGE thank you to the handful of you who click on my link. Thank you thank you thank you! Moving on. I immediately needed something to eat. Chocolate + mint sounded a good way to tide myself over until lunch.

The rest of my day included mommy tasks such as laundry, groceries, and cleaning the floors. Not quite as mundane as normal though. My bare floor vacuum I chose to review from CSN Stores came in. Sweeping our entire downstairs is the one cleaning task I dread more than anything. And I have to say I am SO happy I took the necessity route and got this vacuum. It cleaned our hardwood floors so well! It was easy to use and maneuver, picked up all the dog hair, and even cleaned up the carpet in M’s playroom. I hope it is a long lasting vacuum, because it will be coming out at least twice a week. Thank you CSN stores for the opportunity, a wonderful product, the kind service, and the fast shipping!

Before I sign off this post, I want to say thank you everyone for the hair suggestions! I think I’m going to go for it. As some pointed out, it is just hair and I can always go back lighter if I feel better with the highlights. I just figure why not give it a shot? I’m sure it will take some getting used to though. I’m going to be nervous on Monday!

Also, I wanted to let you all know that I’m hoping to get the chance to update my blog roll this weekend. I want to make a separate page and have it be about sharing the blogger love. I know I love finding new blogs and so I want to feature as many blogs as possible in that list. I don’t want to forget any of you fabulous ladies who support me and who I love learning from as well. Soooo…if you want me to add you, please leave a comment with your name and blog address! I know I would be honored if you added me to yours as well. I just think spreading the community of bloggers as wide as possible is a great thing to do and I want to do my part. We can all learn so much from each other. 🙂

• Leave a comment if you want to go on my blog page!
• Do you enjoy walking for a workout?
• Your chance for payback…what songs easily get stuck in your head?

Wow! Thank you for all the responses to my last post. Learning so many wonderful things that help make you you puts joy in my heart. I truly consider each of you a friend and knowing the intricacies that make you all tick helps me feel that friendship grow. Love! Check out the comments to find and hear about other awesome bloggers.

In accordance with one of my pet peeves I shared yesterday, today had me considering the areas in my life where no excuses are allowed. My day began with the chance to make excuses, but I quickly decided that was not possible. Then it just continued from there.

There are no excuses…for not spending at least 15 minutes in the presence or reflection of God. Makenzie woke me waaaayyyy too early (more on that in a bit) and robbed me of my quiet morning time when I typically read my Bible and pray. It would be easy to just push those 3 short chapters of reading back until tomorrow, but that is not an option. God created me; He sent Jesus to die for me; He forgives me for oh so many things he really shouldn’t. How can I say no to spending time with Him? Especially when it starts my day on the right foot? I totally notice a difference without that time.

There are no excuses…not to eat tofu on a regular basis. It is delicious. No doubt about it. Last night, when the hubs, the lil sis, the baby, and I hit up a fave local Chinese joint I knew tofu would appear before me and thrill my stomach.

Yum, yum in my tum tum. And then this came in the mail. Solidifying tofu as a regular meal in our house.

There are no excuses…not to dance with a tiara. Oh the things you will do as a mother to bring a smile to your kid’s face. And to humiliate yourself in the blogger world. The worst part of it? That little sucker hurts!!!

There are no excuses…for charging an arm and a leg for polka dotted party plates.

I’m throwing my friend’s lingerie shower in a month. She wants black and hot pink with polka dots. Yea…$6 per 8 pack of plates or napkins later is not a pretty thing.

There are no excuses…for not clicking THIS LINK! Okay, okay. I realize that is low, but I worked hard on my next article and just a click means the world. Purrrrttttyyyy please?! It’s about massage and pregnancy.

There are no excuses…for not loving your body. You are a fabulous creation, with unique qualities and things that make you beautiful. Love you for who you are! You deserve that joy and happiness. Also, pick up things like this gem that you happen to find while out for some errands.

I definitely bought it. I think Caitlin is fabulous and I want to support her and the message Operation Beautiful shares. I can’t wait to read it!

There are no excuses…for not being organized. I also picked up a tabbed notebook today to help organize all my random blog, article, and to-do list thoughts. My previous mini spiral had serious issues.

There are no excuses…for not getting in a workout when you have no good reason to skip. M’s early wakeup call this morning came because she is a bit under the weather. That meant skipping the gym for me. I have no problem missing workouts if I physically don’t feel up to it, or simply cannot fit it into my day. Neither of those applied today. So no gym meant I pulled out this bad boy.

Yes, that would be a huge old-school CD case packed with my fitness DVDs. I have way too many. Wait. Take that back. I don’t have enough, seeing as Insanity and TurboFire are missing in this collection. This little pouch will be my best friend post baby when most of my workouts are at home. Or in days like today, where a Chalene TurboJam Cardio Party fills in for the gym.

You can always make excuses. And you can also always choose to ignore them. Choose wisely. 😉

• What do you not accept excuses from yourself over?
• What is the worst excuse you have ever given? I think mine would be not returning a homework assignment to my class and telling them “the dog ate their homework”. Sadly, it was true. How ironic is that? LOL