Author Archives: courtmcnelis

It only took 3 years…

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to get a kitchen table. We decide to do banquette seating soon after we moved in “if” we kept the current kitchen layout, it took us 3 years to realize that we don’t have the time/money/energy to do a major structural overhaul to the kitchen. A lipstick makeover is in the works in the next year or so but for now I just needed some seating. We still have a lot to do: including finding a longer, oval table, kitchen chairs, and countertop stools.

The carpenter brought the banquette in to see about sizing, which was the 1st time I had seen the design and I was thrilled! We decided to save on cost and just hinge the top so we still have storage.

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It was installed today and I love it, as do the boys. It’s getting painted next week then hopefully a cushion down the road, when my kids decide to actually use a napkin. When I walked in this afternoon things already felt more “homey” and after 3 years I finally feel like our house is becoming a home.

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God Bless

God Bless

So I was sitting in bed the other night when Gray started fussing, I heard him loud and clear since we share a wall. I called out to him asking him what was wrong and he said that he wanted to get up. I told him it was night time and to go to sleep.

All was quiet, peace at last. About 10 minutes later I coughed, suddenly I hear the sweetest voice call out, “bless you Mommy”. Hilarious and so sweet.

My 1st AdvoCare Mixer!

Posted in The Bod by

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So I hosted my first “mixer” the other night for AdvoCare and I was super excited about how smoothly it went. My friend Kendra lead the mixer, I had never attended one so I ended up learning a lot. I was happy that my friend Stacy was able to attend who’s currently doing a 24-day Challenge so she was able to give a 1st hand account of how she was feeling. I was nervous but I’m so glad that I put myself out there and took a chance. So, what did I learn? I had read some of this info before but sometimes I’m an auditory learner so hearing Kendra go over these things was helpful.

  • None of their athletic endorsers are paid. Drew Brees is not paid by AdvoCare and he just came out with his 1st product. They are compensated in product but he could go anywhere and get a paid sponsorship. Often, athletes approach AdvoCare because they’re already using their products.
  • The medical advisory board is legit, Kendra went over some of their credentials and there are some very smart people on that board. This is huge for me because I would hate to think that in an attempt to be healthier, I’m actually putting something harmful in my body.
  • Catalyst is called “lipo in a bottle”, it was designed by AdvoCare for the 1996 U.S. Olympic Wrestling team so they could drop weight but not drop muscle.
  • Our bodies are like swiss cheese, we need to eat clean and exercise but even in the best case scenario we’re still missing key vitamins and nutrients and that’s where AdvoCare comes in.
  • AdvoCare has been around for 20+ years, it’s stood the test of time and just continuing to grow and change lives.

Since my challenge, I’ve continued with the products that I was on from day 11-24, which is Spark, MNS, & Catalyst. The MNS has a probiotic, omegas, & multi-vitamin in it so it’s a comprehensive product, which is great and one less thing I have to think about. Zach is doing the MNS, catalyst, and some items from the performance line. I have to say, he walked in the other night looking pretty buff. 🙂

What I learned at the Homestead…

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I really love spending time with my parents. It doesn’t hurt that we spent our time together at the Homestead but I think we would have a good time anywhere. My parents invited me to go with them last weekend to help settle some details for my brother’s rehearsal dinner. They would have done just fine without me but I think they just wanted some 3rd party reassurance and I wasn’t going to argue.

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We shared a lot of good meals, we were decisive and got a lot of the details for the rehearsal dinner nailed down and we got to relax by the pool for a bit.

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When I thought about writing this post about our weekend for posterity, I realized what I really loved about the weekend was getting to spend that quality time with my parents which happens so rarely these days. It was a real gift to me to have that time with them, without the distraction of kids, and just be able to talk and soak them in. They make me laugh, they support and encourage me and after I’m around them for awhile, I just feel truly loved. Our relationship has had it’s up and downs, as most relationships do, but we fought the good fight and came through on the other side in a much better, healthier place. It’s hard to talk about those things sometimes because it hurts but it’s made me appreciate where we are now so much more. They are 2 amazing people and I feel really blessed to call them Mom and Dad.

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PS. If all that wasn’t enough, they totally broke into a house with me, we were on a “hike” when we stumbled upon a fully decorated but clearly vacant home (there were bank notices on the door). We found an unlock exterior door and spent the next 45 minutes wiping drool off our chin from the beautiful interiors. I got a chuckle over the fact, that after all my antics, if I got arrested for the 1st time I would be with my parents. Oh the irony…

On a wing and a prayer- Powder Room Progress!

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So the last couple of months I’ve been helping my parents get their house, which is already beautiful, spruced up to throw an engagement party for my brother and his bride-to-be. My mom had the brilliant idea to do a Mexican themed party and that snowballed into getting the Boka truck to come and serve food. Awesome!

Well, my parent’s driveway goes straight into their garage, there’s no sprucing up a garage. So if we wanted to have the food truck, the party location was going to have to change…to my house. Insert a wee bit of panic. It also helps that we’ve lived here for 3 years and our rather large sunroom remains empty, which is great for throwing a party (and to have a bounce house). Renovating the powder room was on the to-do list but it moved up rather quickly to the top, the kitchen was thrown out there too but we decided that would be too much to tackle and not something we wanted to rush.

I looked over my inspiration file on Pinterest and noted that I like a bold wallpaper, I don’t like over-the-mirror vanity lighting (not in this space, with the mirror I’ve been hoarding in the attic), and Zach’s request was for a powerful toilet for these 3 boys.  So I just started pulling together the different elements we needed; sink, toilet, flooring, lighting, mirror, faucets (hardware), wallpaper. Here are some of the different things we’ve picked out so far…

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lighting

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The lantern will be painted a bronze (or another yet to be determined color) and mirror will remain white, unless we need to soften it once it’s hung the space. The floors went down to today and after much stress yesterday, we ended up with a white carrara marble that has a warmer tone with bronze veining. Here is the before picture, the hallway it’s off of, and the “in progress” pictures:

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Fingers-crossed all these different pieces of the puzzle come together and create a fun little space…fit for a fiesta!!

AdvoCare’s 24-Day Challenge

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So Zach and I just completed AdvoCare’s 24-day Challenge and thought it was great! I happened to see a college friend’s post on FB talking about the challenge. The words that stuck out to me were energy and weight-loss, therefore I was interested.

Now, Zach and I had a rough Fall and Spring, I had my 1st miscarriage and my grandfather found out he had cancer and took his own life. I went into an epic funk after Thanksgiving, that made me appreciate that I didn’t have to live with that kind of sadness on a daily basis. This Spring my mom went into the hospital with a bowel obstruction and got very sick, very quickly. We had our 2nd miscarriage and my mom had to have surgery that was more involved than originally expected. Of course, mixed in with all that are 3 amazing boys  and A LOT of good times but it had zapped me. I had put on a few pounds and my energy was in the tank.

I researched (googled) the heck out of the Challenge and I kept seeing nothing but great reviews. I liked the philosophy behind the company and the medical board behind the products. Full disclosure, I love this kind of stuff. If I could go back in college, I would Iove to study nutrition and I’m fascinated about how our bodies use food and nutrients to heal itself. I’ve taught fitness classes, which I loved doing because I enjoy encouraging other women, but my real passion is this kind of thing. Naturally, you would think that I eat really healthy because I’ve read most the books and watched every documentary produced about our bodies and food, but no, I would still give my right arm for a Krispy Kreme donut. So I’m a work-in-progress for sure, especially when my energy is low. I know what I “should” eat but I’m reaching for chocolate for a quick fix. That’s why this program was appealing to me because it wasn’t trying to be a quick fix, it encourages clean eating & exercise combined with their vitamins and supplements to live your best life physically.

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I was on board, so I talked to Zach who wanted to be on board too and we both ended up taking the challenge. The first 10 days are a cleanse and the next 14 days is called the Max phase.  Zach went completely off coffee which is unheard of, I’m surprised the Starbuck near us didn’t close-up shop. He also lost 9lbs. and was able to step things up at the gym. I lost about 6lbs. and gained a TON of energy, which was my main goal. I think I got more accomplished around my house in the last 24 days then in the last 6 months. I’m not falling asleep in the car taking the kids to preschool and I’m less grouchy at Jackson during homework time.

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I know it’s good because things are going much smoother around my house but I’m not embarrassed to tell my friends. I told myself if this was a bust, nobody would be the wiser, except for Zach. But I actually want to tell people because I think a lot of us, especially Moms, are dragging ourselves through the day and it doesn’t have to be that way.

Tweet-it Tuesday

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So I heard on the radio that it was Tweet-it Tuesday which must be cousins with Throwback Thursday, I have no clue what you’re suppose to tweet about (I didn’t catch that part) but thought it was an easy way to document the goings on around here.

-Every morning on the way to drop Palmer off at school, Gray screams “man” which means he wants me to play Aloe Blacc’s The Man about 10 times.

-Palmer had his 1st playdate at our house today but he wasn’t feeling well so he just cried the whole time because he couldn’t find his Batman PJ’s to wear and show his friends. He crashed the minute they left.

-Jackson keeps talking about hanging after a PG discussion on Judas’s suicide the other night…lovely.

-I’m up late writing this post because I can’t stop watching “Orphan Black”, one season in 2 days.

There we go my first Tweet-it Tuesday, all wrapped up.

 

 

First Post-No Pressure!

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So this isn’t my 1st blog rodeo, I tried this after I had Jackson pre-Palmer and it fizzled. So the pressure is on (put on myself by myself) to make this work. My memory is the WORST, it’s probably the #1 thing I would change about myself so I’ve always wanted to start and *keyword* maintain a journal but the evidence is not in my favor. Now, even more than ever, I feel the need to document and process all the things that are happening in our family and within myself.

Mother’s Day was yesterday and this year was hard due to the fact that I should be giving birth to our 4th baby this week or in December but that’s not happening either. I didn’t expect it to be that hard and I’m not sure those around me did either. I was able to reach out to a friend that was in a similar situation, so if nothing else, maybe I was able to help another Momma out there. I want to put myself out there more.

I want this blog to be about all the things that are important to me and that I love. I’m not sure at 28, when I started the last blog, I really knew what those things were. I’m still trying to figure it all out but not trying again and again and again, if need be, is not an option anymore. I’ve learned some things about myself in recent years  (or weeks) that often once I fail at something I won’t put myself out there again. If I do, it’s half-assed so I can blame my failing on the fact that I didn’t give it 100% but that’s no way to live. It’s certainly not what I want to teach my kids. So here it goes, a new chapter, a new blog…