Author: Jessica Marie

Professional copywriter, NASM certified personal trainer, mom of 2

August 13, 2013

Weekly Food Prep

The bag of food that I brought to work this morning was rather comical. The sheer amount of food would have fit into at least two lunch bags. Oh my gosh! But it’s all super clean, super healthy food, mostly lots of greens and lean protein. It just takes up space, that’s all:) As I mentioned in a previous post, I’m beginning the Jamie Eason LiveFit series this week and trying to follow the plan as closely as possible.

Today was also chest and tricep day and my arms feel absolutely lethargic. When I try anything as simple as lifting my fork or opening a food jar, I feel shaky. Oh boy! I immediately fueled my muscles with a small smoothie consisting of 1/2 scoop of Perfect Fit protein powder and some frozen berries. Many know, and as I’ve learned through my studies with NASM, that fueling with a bit of protein and carbs within 1/2 hour of strength training makes a huge difference in results. That fuel is quickly used for muscles, but you only have that short 1/2 hour window to take advantage, and I made sure I did. I also stopped to stretch my chest throughout the day today since I know I’m going to feel it soon if I don’t.

I really take pride in eating this well, so I really hope the results are for this program are all they’re cracked up to be.

Breakfast (total 359 calories):

1/2 scoop protein powder + 0.25 cup frozen berry smoothie
1/2 cup quick oats + cinnamon + 0.5 Tbsp honey
5 egg whites + veggies (tomatoes, spinach, onion and broccoli)

Saute all your veggies and just add egg whites

Snack 1 (282 calories):

2 Chicken Muffins served inside lettuce leaves
Broccoli with Mrs. Dash seasoning

Lunch (266 calories):

1/2 acorn squash stuffed with ground chicken, bulgar wheat, onion, mushroom, garlic and tomato.
1/2 cup cucumber

Snack 2 (366 calories):

2 Chicken Muffins
Kale salad with just a tiny sprinkle or raisins and walnuts with an olive oil/balsamic vinegar dressing

Dinners:

We have steak, grilled chicken, whole wheat spaghetti, turkey sausage and pork chops planned for the week. I’ll pair my lean meats with something like a 1/2 sweet potato for my starch and Brussels sprouts for my veggies, as required by the plan.

Bedtime Snack:

1/2 cup cottage cheese or Greek yogurt with 1 tsp sugar-free jam (for muscle growth while I sleep)

Yes, this is a LOT of food, much of it high in protein, with a low caloric price. That’s what happens when you start eating cleaner. You can actually eat way more. As in, a whole grocery bag full, judging by my trek to work this morning. Ha!

When I prepped my food last night, it was quite the debacle. I was getting so tired and the food prep seemed to be taking forever (although so worth it!). I went to put something in the fridge and bumped the door. Two entire shelves of condiments fell and messed up the whole kitchen floor. Then, I went to mop up the mess and accidentally put cooking oil in the mop bucket instead of vinegar–the jugs look the same! This was all after forgetting an entire jug of protein powder in the cart at Walmart and running all the way back across town to claim it. After mopping, the floor was still sticky. I just wanted to go to bed after all of that. Luckily, I was finished with my food prepping and Peanut was already asleep so I took the opportunity to duck away. Hubster promised to mop again today. He can be sweetheart sometimes!

I was able to get most of my produce from the farmer’s market this weekend. A few tomatoes, onions, and sprigs of broccoli came from my very own backyard garden. The acorn squash was definitely from my huge backyard supply. I look forward to eating stuffed squash for at least the next two weeks. I hope to share a few of my recipes as I create them. This week, I will be able to share my chicken bulgar-stuffed squash, since that’s what I whipped together for my lunches. It took me awhile to eat that whole sucker today!

And so, Week One begins!

August 12, 2013

Weekly Workout Rundown

Monday:

40 min AM run outside
20 min Maybe Mudder boot camp

Tuesday:

40 min AM run, 3.1 miles

Wednesday:

35 min AM run, 2.8 miles
20 min Tough Mudder boot camp

Thursday:

Rest

Friday:

35 min run, 2.64 miles
30 min Jillian Michaels Shred It w/ Weights

Saturday:

40 min Insanity Power and Resistance

Sunday:

Rest

A weird thing happened on my Monday run. I took my dog with me on my run and only grabbed one plastic bag, which we used and disposed of within the first mile. I bet you know where I’m going with this… I’ll spare you the details, but someone saw the unexpected incident and admonished me. Instead of getting defensive, I simply asked him if he happened to have an extra bag. His whole demeanor changed when I told him what had honestly happened and he was cordial about it. It makes for a much better world when we all try to do the right thing, dontcha think? And remember to bring two bags next time!

By now, I’ve already completed a full day of the Jamie Eason LiveFit Series and going strong. I mean, how can you not be going strong on the first day, right? I was worried about the “no cardio” thing for the first two weeks, but my workout partner and I are still doing our lunch routine, so I do feel the lung burn at least then. I also worried that I might get hungry on the high-protein plan, but I’m actually feeling pretty great so far. I can at least tell you I’m well-hydrated by the copious amounts of water I’ve been drinking. I can’t wait to update you next week on how I did.

How are you doing this week?

August 8, 2013

How to Travel on a Budget

I am the queen of travelling on a budget. Take our recent trips to Mackinac Island, Door County and Chicago for examples. We were able to take these three exciting trips within a month of each other without robbing our regular monthly budget. I also happen to be a super resourceful person, so we get quite a lot more out of our trips than I suspect some others do. Let me clue you in to the tips and tricks I use to get every last drop out of our trips that we can:

1. Travel Sunday through Thursday: On our recent Mackinac Island trip, we did just that and the rates were significantly lower during the work week. We’ve done this before with trips to Wisconsin Dells as well, and ended up paying pennies for a week full of memories. Weekends are huge in the world of tourism, so travelling during the week can work to your advantage. If you’re taking a week off of work anyway, why not travel Sunday through Thursday? Hey, that even leaves you a full three-day weekend to take a vacation from your vacation.

2. Travel during the off-season: similar to #1 above, travelling just outside of the purported “high-season” will save you significantly. We got dirt cheap rates for a motel in Wisconsin Dells when we traveled in mid-June. It was still hot enough to enjoy all the water parks and outdoor attractions, but too early to be considered part of the high season. We got to enjoy the sites for cheaper and with far fewer other people clamoring for rides. Check to see if there is an off-season for your desired destination and plan your trip around that.

3. Stick with the envelope system: Prior to leaving for any of our trips, I always designate a certain amount of funds to fixed costs such as gas, motel, food and must-see sites. Then, I put away a little for “extras” like souvenirs, extra dinners out, parking costs and other things. We adhere strictly to this envelope system to keep our spending in check because it can be easy to get carried away with treats and unnecessary souvenirs. With my envelope system, we don’t end up with a bunch of extra junk in our luggage and really give thought to what we’re throwing money at. I’d much rather sacrifice an extra beach towel for an off-road ATV ride any day. Experiences always trump “things.” Your spending should reflect that.

4. Sacrifice a nicer hotel for more experiences: Really, we’re generally only in our hotel room to sleep. Therefore, we don’t need anything extravagant. Yes, we want something decent, but it doesn’t have to be much more than a clean bed, a hot shower and a microwave. That way, we can spare more expenses for memories and experiences. Those are much more important. You will save a significant amount of money if you can find a decent hotel with just the basics. With a little research, you can weed out the really awful places and find something just right. When we went to Chicago in June, our requirements were that we had parking, were within 15 miles of my NASM workshop, were in a decent neighborhood and had a pool to use. Know what you absolutely need and cut out the rest. With research, we ended up finding a decent, clean Best Western for a really good price and were able to spend more on museums and other excursions. You may even be able to score a hotel that is a step up by using travel discount sites like Priceline. This could be a bullet point of its own, but you should never pay full price for your hotel! Check out the prices on several travel sites before you make your final booking.

5. Find package deals. On our recent Mackinac Island trip, I was able to save a significant amount of money by packaging what we knew we needed with our hotel booking. We bought our ferry tickets and butterfly museum tickets along with our hotel room on the Chamber of Tourism website, saving us $7.50 per person. Hotels themselves often offer coupons and special deals, and some travel sites are equipped to do this for you too. If you know exactly what you’ll need for the trip, go ahead and buy tickets at a reduced price ahead of time.

6. Bring your own food. Eating out is definitely something we enjoy doing on vacation, but we try to limit it as much as we can because it can be really expensive when all added up. By bringing sandwiches, yogurt, granola bars, popcorn and other travel-friendly foods in a cooler, we always save a lot on food. We usually plan one or two special restaurant dinners out and enjoy the rest of our meals at picnics or in our room. Beach and boat picnics offer much more significant memories than another restaurant meal anyway. You will probably end up eating more healthy if you use this strategy too!

7. Take advantage of amenities: Our last hotel had one of the best free continental breakfasts I’ve ever experienced. We were able to eliminate some of our food expenses due to this. We filled up in the morning and only had to eat light lunches. There was also an on-site gym, outdoor playground and indoor water park at our disposal. Some of our food and entertainment was built right into the hotel cost! Factor in these amenities to your trip planning to reduce some of your costs.

8. Do your research: Find as many free and low-cost forms of entertainment that you can. Don’t spare expenses for what you really want to do, but do be resourceful about things you can do and see without spending a mint. Check travel websites for what other people are saying and for what locals already know. You might find some hidden gems that others don’t know about or ways to get around certain costs. We’ve found countless free festivals, concerts, historical sites, lighthouses, beaches, museums, state parks and much more that leave us with amazing memories and no travel debt! I mean, swimming in the Great Lakes and catching that colorful awe-inspiring sunset under the Mackinaw Bridge cost us nothing, but those memories will last a lifetime.

9. Check your rewards and memberships: Our local EAA passes got us into the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago for free. In fact, there are hundreds of museums across the country that our passes will get us into for free, so we try to see if there are any nearby whenever we travel. Check with your credit cards, AAA membership, workplace and other places you belong to find discounts and cash in on those points. We also like to save our reward dollars from our credit card just for trips. My and Hubster’s workplaces even offer discounted tickets on places like water and theme parks. It really pays to check out what’s available to you through your various connections and memberships.

10. Use unconventional income sources: A good portion of our trip expenses are brought to us by the cash we get from a friend who rents a room in our house. Explore new ways to bring in extra cash and then dedicate that portion entirely to trips. If you didn’t miss that income before, you won’t miss it now. I have also worked on some freelance writing projects, cashed in our credit card reward dollars, saved our tax returns and sold some unnecessary items from our home online or at rummage sales to sweep together travel funds. You could also squirrel away 1% of your normal income automatically to a dedicated savings account or earmark work bonuses for special travel occasions. Find a way to bring in extra cash, be diligent about saving, and you just might be able to go on your dream vacation–or at least head out of town for the weekend.

11. Stay a little further down the road. Staying directly in the city you which to visit can sometimes be more pricey. For example, staying for a week on Mackinac Island would probably have cost us double what we paid to stay on the mainland. We were still able to enjoy all the pleasures of the island, but we were also even able to explore much more of the upper Michigan area this way. One day, we simply drove down the road until we hit a small town. We wouldn’t have been able to do as much on the Island. Same thing with our Door County trip. Staying right in Fish Creek or Bailey’s Harbor would have set us back more than our little cabin just a tad bit down the road. Staying in a tourist-driven city is notoriously more expensive than staying just a bit outside.

12. Take shorter, closer trips: as you can tell by my family’s travel experiences this year, we like to take vacation within a day’s drive of our home. There are so many places that feel like a whole different world that take no more than a five hour’s drive. Research places in your home state that you’ve never been before and I’m sure you’ll find enough worthwhile trips to last you decades. As a bonus, you won’t have the gas or flight costs associated with further travel. Likewise, we enjoy taking shorter, more frequent trips. If you’re staying close to home, your travel time doesn’t eat up your actual vacation time as much. Also, when you break the year up into smaller slices like that, you have so much more to look forward to, it’s easier to budget for trips, and hey, your work productivity might even surge.

I truly hope these 12 tips give you some useful tips for travelling on a budget. It really is possible to visit new places, even with lighter income streams. Please, don’t let that vacation time roll over into next year’s paycheck. Take some time today to plan your next trip. You’ll be glad you did. What are you top ways to save?

August 8, 2013

Weekly Workout Rundown

I just noticed I didn’t post my workouts for the week. Here is last week’s workout rundown:

Monday:

35 min AM run, 2.8 miles, my 30-20-10 plan
20 min Maybe Mudder at lunch

Tuesday:

35 min AM run, 2.7 miles
30 min casual walk at lunch

Wednesday:

35 min AM run, 2.9 miles, my 30-20-10 plan
30 min, Supreme 90 Day Legs at lunch

Thursday:

Rest
30 min brisk walk at lunch

Friday:

35 min AM run, 2.5 miles
25 min Maybe Mudder at lunch

Saturday:

60 min run, 5 miles

Sunday:

Rest
20 min casual walk

Well, next week, I think I’m finally going to try Jamie Eason’s 12-week training plan. I like to try different plans every now and then to get my body wondering, try new workouts, and keep from being bored. I’m going to have a really hard time giving up cardio for those first two entire weeks though, so we’ll see if I cheat on that:) I’ve been quite the cardio queen for awhile now, so it’s time to work on my muscular development for a bit. I am a born runner though, so I’m sure I’ll have to sneak a little of it in. I don’t want to lose all the endurance I’ve built up for that either. But I’m looking forward to training my body in a different way.

Right now, I’m trying to get through all the reading, organize the print-offs, and put together a menu plan. This plan definitely requires some pre-planning and preparation. However, it really breaks everything down for you so you don’t have to wonder about anything. There are recipes, food group breakdowns, exercise guides, daily tips and so much more. It’s a wonder, with all the work that went into the plan, that it is absolutely free!

How are your workouts looking this week?

August 2, 2013

Secret Hiding Spots and the EAA Convention

Two of the most infamous things Oshkosh, WI is known for is the origin of the Oshkosh B’Gosh clothing line and the EAA convention. We host a few other big-ish events like Country USA and Rock USA, but EAA is one of the most well-renowned events that draws thousands upon thousands of people from all over the country–and beyond US borders. The airport gets jam-packed with campers and rows and rows of personal planes. People from Oshkosh even rent out their homes and yards to visitors for extra cash and everyone in town grumbles about driving anywhere remotely near the EAA grounds. But they put on quite the show. The fly-in offers everything aircraft-related you could ever imagine.

We used to play the license plate game during EAA when we were younger. We’d drive through all the restaurant and hotel parking lots to try and find one license plate from every state. I’ve even seen Hawaii and Alaska plates!

This year, we bought a family membership to the EAA museum due to the shortage of any indoor places around here to take a child during the winter. I mean, even our McDonald’s doesn’t have a Playland anymore and the closest kid-friendly cafe just shut down. There’s nothing in this town for kids to do in winter. Nothing. Nada. However, we found that the EAA museum offers a really neat children’s discovery area complete with simulators, cockpits and all kinds of exciting stuff.

Now, this membership comes in really handy during the actual EAA convention. I decided to take Peanut to the EAA museum, right on the EAA grounds, to see if we could watch some of the live air shows. The air shows are really spectacular. Every day this week, locals will see all different kinds of planes do tricks in the air. There will be plane formations, smoke shows, parachute jumps, blimps, plane dives and all sorts of other cool things. This is really cool, even if you’re not a real airplane person.

Well, Peanut and I found a secret spot where we can really watch the airshow from front-row seats without having to pay admission to the grounds. And we even took a driving route in the back way that wasn’t flooded with traffic. Now, I’ve been on the grounds before. Living in Oshkosh, at one time or another, you end up working somewhere or other there. But to pay admission every year could really wipe out one’s entertainment budget. Now, with our secret spot, we get to watch the show for free. And no one else really came around the secret spot either. We had the place to ourselves! I’m sure this will become a tradition for Peanut and I each year going forward, now that we found this great spot.

We’re spending these last few weeks of summer vacation with as much excitement as we can. EAA presented another opportunity to do just that and it didn’t cost us anything!

How are you taking advantage of these last few moments of summer vacation?

August 2, 2013

Celebrity Crushes

Ok, I admit, I may occasionally have the propensity to be starstruck.

This past weekend, we went to a little thing called Deerfest, which is a huge festival in our city dedicated to everything deer-hunting. I even picked up a little Realtree camo for $4, in case I should ever need it (although I hate hunting, so figure that one out).

What truly inspired this trip was when Hubster noticed that Troy and Jacob Landry from Swamp People were making a special appearance. Oh, and then we noticed the people from Lizard Lick Towing were going to be there too. Both shows our household actually catch on-the-fly sometimes, and we’re big fans. Um ok, let’s go then! Plus, Hubster has gotten really into hunting in the last two years, so we thought we might as well check out all the toys and equipment too, you know, while we were there.

So, we bought our tickets online. We knew we’d just be getting back from our Mackinac Island trip, but we just shrugged our shoulders and went with it anyway.

The line for Lizard Lick Towing was pretty small when we got there, so we met with the guys, Ronnie and Bobbie, right away. But of course we had to come back later when Amy was there. She looks totally different in person than on TV. Her deep southern drawl is quite the same though! I envy her guns–she was a record-holding powerlifter in the past! Fitness fanatic that I am, I tried googling her workouts, but came up dry. Hey Amy, if you’re reading this, I’d love to know what your workouts look like:)

Amy is also a petite 5’2″ with a tiny waist and is only 3 years older than I am. Details, details, but I just wasn’t expecting that! She’s also a mortician and went to school for radiology at one point. And Ronnie is an ordained minister. That’s quite the background story!

Look at those loaded guns:)

Then, we got in line to meet Troy and Jacob Landry from Swamp People. I have to admit, Jacob is a very nice-looking man in person:) And Troy was very open and sweet. I even got a hug, haha!

Other than getting all fan-girl on celebs (haha, actually I’m too shy), we also got to test-drive some ATVs and bought some really amazing local cheese, which is only fitting for this land of Cheeseheads. This was just a fun little experience that will go down in the memory book. If you can make it next year, I give it a two thumbs up!

What celebrities meetup stories do you have to share?

July 31, 2013

Peanut Turns 5

Peanut turns 5 today. We’re trying to convince him he’s turning 3, because time moves backwards, right? I mean, there’s no way my 4-year-old could be turning 5. Oh, we had a good laugh about that last night. He asked for a glass of milk and I told him “No way! If you drink milk and grow your bones, then you’re going to turn 5!” He giggled and I relented. But seriously, how do 5 entire years pass by in such a wisp, like a moving cloud?

This little boy is one of the best gifts a momma could ask for. He’s intelligent, he’s considerate, he’s helpful, he’s sensitive to others’ needs, he’s spiritual, he’s headstrong, he’s a born leader, he’s athletic, he’s funny and he’s all mine. I’m so proud that I get to be his momma.

Every year, I write him a letter and tuck it away for him for when he gets older. It’s a special little tradition that I hold close to my heart. I tell him what I’m thinking about him at this particular stage in his life, so it sort of is like a record of his life and a confession of what being his momma is really like for me. You see, as a writer and mother, these things are so much easier to write and record than to ever explain to him out loud. Someday, I hope he appreciates these letters.

I also purchase a special coin set for him every year from the US Mint. He has quite the little collection building that I hope someday makes him smile. We have one coin set minted from every year since he’s been alive.

I just love my little Peanut to pieces. I must’ve done something right for God to give me such a sweet little kid.

Happy Birthday Peanut!

July 31, 2013

If you’re ever in Mackinaw City Michigan

A few days ago, I offered some insider peeks into our trip to Mackinaw City/Mackinac Island, and I thought it would be great to follow up the post with a virtual itinerary if you happen to travel there. From my experience, these are some of the highlights of the area that you should definitely try:

1. Pick a lighthouse, any lighthouse. Since the Mackinaw straits are narrow and freckled with islands, lighthouses are pretty essential for water travel. Shipwrecks are pretty notorious in the area, so towering beacons abound. Some are only retained for historical value while others are still in use. The Old Mackinac Lighthouse right by the bridge in Mackinaw City costs and comes with a guided tour, but there are a few just down the road that are free and self-guided. It’s neat to see how the lighthouse guardians lived. It was a pretty lucrative career back in the day, but also highly particular. Your house had to be immaculate and you were required to take scrupulous notes about everything from the grounds to the weather to transportation reports.

2. Catch a sunset at the beach. You won’t be alone. The night we went, there were people everywhere on park benches and lawn chairs. It’s so incredible to watch all the colors and the city-scapes. And hey, of course it was a full moon when we decided to wander down to the beach. Bonus!

Peanut learning how to skip rocks while we wait for sunset.

I happened to read this verse in Psalms while listening to the waves: “The voice of the Lord is over the waters.” And oh, was I hanging onto every word.

3. Try a pastie. I have never been introduced to a pastie in my entire life. As we headed to Upper Michigan, we started seeing all these pastie shops everywhere. We wondered what they were. So, when in Rome… we decided to try some. We finally did so on Thursday night. Basically, pasties go back to the time of mining when the miners’ wives would pack their husbands lunches. They packed meat, potatoes and veggies in this pastry shell. Reason being is they’re easy to carry along to the jobsite and very filling. We tried the taco and stroganoff pasties at one of the award-winning pastie shops. Yum!

4. Swim in the Great Lakes: When the weather stays hot for several weeks and the water finally warms up, a good swim in these giant freshwater lakes is refreshing. The clearness of the water is also impeccable. I couldn’t believe how clear Lake Huron was, but I guess I’m jaded by our yucky Lake Winnebago waters. Just make sure you bring water shoes! It’s really rocky everywhere, and you’ll appreciate the reprieve of aqua socks.

Wading in Lake Michigan

See how clear Lake Huron is? And oh so rocky.

5. Visit the butterfly museum on the island. It’s off the beaten path a bit, but sooo worth the visit, especially if you have children. They even give you a butterfly guide so you can even decipher the different types of butterflies. Standing in a greenhouse waiting for amazing ornate butterflies to land on you is pretty magical, if you ask me.

6. Try the fudge and ice cream. This is pretty much a given. Mackinac Island Fudge is pretty famous, and for good reason. You won’t make it one single block on the island or mainland without running into a sweets shop. Just give in at least once and see what all the fuss is about.

7. Travel via horse or bike. You have to anyway. No motor vehicles are allowed on Mackinac Island, except for a select few emergency vehicles and such. Even the UPS/FedEx/USPS guy delivered packages via horse-drawn carriage. You can plan ahead and bring along your own bike on the ferry or rent one. The clippety-clop of horses everywhere is just neat. It’s like you’re being transported to a whole different era.

8. But explore some of the island by foot. You miss some of the incredible details while you’re on a faster-moving vehicle. Horses and bikes cost by the hour (unless you bring your own on the ferry), so you’ll have a great opportunity to explore by foot as well. If you were to walk the entire perimeter of the island, it’s only 8.3 miles anyhow. These are just some of the neater details I caught:

Guests were building these Inukshuk-style statues everywhere along the rocky beaches.

Ornate details of a dragonfly

Beautiful residential details, flower-lined walk path and iron gates.

View of the shore from the topmost part of the island.

Hey, is that a groundhog? Why yes, yes it is.

9. Check out the local thrift stores. The prices in these stories in upper Michigan are much more friendly than the ones in the “big” cities. I couldn’t tear myself away from the kid’s section at the thrift shop in Cheboygan. No shirt was priced more than $1.50 and I got Peanut this handsome little button-down wardrobe–and a shirt for me–for less than $15, and they were all in great shape. It’s a nice way to inherit a few name brands that we wouldn’t normally pay full price for.

10. Get a load of the magnificent Mackinaw Bridge. I mean, unless you get to travel the San Francisco bridge every day, this is a pretty significant site. The towering bridge and story of its construction is just amazing. It does cost $4 each way to cross the bridge. Our ferry ride also took us under the bridge so we got to see it from all sides.

11. Gain access to an indoor waterpark, especially if you have kids. Several of the motels in Mackinaw City offer free indoor waterpark wristbands while other motels have waterparks built right inside them. On days when you’re not travelling and the weather turns sour, you’ll still have something really fun to do.

12. Visit the sand dunes. When I mentioned to my boss that I was visiting the area, she told me that the beautiful white sandy beaches were used for stand-in Caribbean photo shoots because of their similar geography and appearance. Many of the bigger sand dunes have a “look but don’t touch” kind of warning, and recent news stories about boys buried in sand dunes should give you a good idea about why you might want to stand back and admire from a distance.

13. And last but not least, when your son asks you to marry him by offering you a hand-picked upper Michigan wildflower, always say “yes.”

I genuinely hope this post is informative for those of you that are making the trip soon or even inspires you to make a special trip to the Mackinaw City area. If you go, stop back here and tell me about your trip! Or, if you’ve already been there, I’d love to hear about your experiences or if you have anything else to share.

Shortly, I’ll be back with a post about staying fit on vacation, based on my experiences on this trip as well as many previous trips. So, stay tuned for that!

July 28, 2013

Mackinac Island Trip Highlights

Oh my gosh, I can hardly believe it. I have not been on the computer in an entire week! Usually, my job has me tied to a computer for 8 hours, and sometimes when I return home I might spend another hour or so online with blog posts, etc. But this week, I was completely unplugged. Seriously, the only phone call I even made was handed over to Peanut so he could talk to his grandma. I think my poor overworked eyes and brains enjoyed the break.

That being said, I was really itching to get on here to stay connected with all of you and give you some updates on our fabulous trip to Mackinac Island. I have four other posts in development as well on maintaining fitness habits on vacation, turning family trips into learning opportunities, travelling on a budget, and a where to go/what to see post about Mackinac Island itself. The trip gave me a big hit of creative juices.

Let me just say, the weather turned out to perfectly coincide with what we planned each day. Outdoor swimming days and Island exploring days were met with perfect weather. Indoor movie days and lighthouse exploring days were windier and chillier.

Sunday: We left on Sunday for a long 5-hour drive “up north.” The weather looked pretty ominous the entire way, but we never hit any real rain. We got to cross the glorious Mackinaw Bridge on our way to our motel. We checked in, had a snack and decided to explore our surroundings just a bit. Mackinaw city is comparable to downtown Wisconsin Dells. Lots of tourist shops, wineries, restaurants and even a Haunted House. Most ridiculous $7 ever spent was at said Haunted House. Oh geez! It was cheesy, but I screamed at least 3 times and it will be one funny memory our family will always have. Sunday night, we endured a huge rain and thunder storm. It was exciting to watch and listen to it from our hotel room.

Amazing sandy beach rest stops along Lake Michigan

It wouldn’t be summer if I couldn’t walk around with a perpetual pinch bouquet in my hands.

Monday: The weather was impeccable on Monday. Hot enough to swim in the Great Lakes. Swimming in Lake Huron, though rocky, was fabulous. The water was so clear and refreshing on that hot mid-summer day. We drank it all in.

Swimming in Lake Huron

A girl could get used to this!

Peanut getting his swim on

Check out how clear that Great Lakes water is!

Tuesday: The weather turned cool on Tuesday, so our plans to catch Despicable Me 2 were perfect. The movie is very cute. We also explored a lighthouse on Tuesday–a great place to be when the wind was whipping and turning the lake into relentless undulating whitecaps. After all of that, we took a trip into Cheboygan where we stopped at a local thrift store and let Peanut wear himself out at the indoor playground at Burger King.

Wednesday: We decided on the midweek point to hit Mackinac Island. That way, we had something look forward to, but we also had an extra day padded in, just in case we decided we wanted to go back to the island the next day. Again, we couldn’t have asked for more perfect weather. It eventually warmed up into a comfortable temperature where we weren’t cold but weren’t sweating and the wind had dramatically died down. On the island, we took a guest-driven horse carriage ride, explored some historical sites, visited the amazing butterfly museum and had a lovely lunch out. The butterfly museum was the highlight of the trip for me.

Guest-driven horse carriage rides. We wanted to go horseback riding, but all the stables told us that for insurance purposes, no one under the age of 10 is allowed to ride. Carriage ride it is!

Cool old Studebaker we found behind the Fort.

Like my live butterfly hairpiece?

Wings on Hubster’s shoulder so gorgeous they almost look fake.

The Grande Hotel

Some of the views we enjoyed on Mackinac Island

Trinity Church on Mackinac Island

We ate at the Seabiscuit Cafe, which was perfect. The portions were more normal-sized, which is ideal since one can’t possibly carry leftovers with them for the rest of the day on an island.

I had the Honey Nut Chicken Salad Sandwich with sweet potato fries. The petite little sandwiches were just enough to be satisfying. The whole meal was oh so good!

I splurged on a white wine citrus fruit sangria that cost more than my dinner. So entirely perfect for a cheers to a great family trip.

Peanut even tried the local beer. Root beer that is…

We took a sobering meander through St. Ann’s cemetery

This gravesite was marked as the oldest one in Saint Ann’s Cemetery. It was a poor sweet little 8 year old girl who lived from 1825 to 1833.

Thursday: Our last full day on vacation, we did a lot of sleeping, giving the pool one last run, and leisurely enjoying the day. We took one last trip down a road out of town to see where it would take us. We ended up at a few more amazing places quite by accident. One more lighthouse, Heritage Village and a place called the Headlands. The Headlands is one of only a handful of designated night sky viewing areas in the entire country. Because it’s so secluded and tree-covered, night viewing is impeccably clear, especially for meteor showers and Northern Lights. Lining the road is a self-guided tour explaining the myths, legends and facts behind each of the planets.

Lighthouse staircase

Mackinaw City Lighthouse

Wigwam at Heritage Village in Mackinaw City

On the trails

Old home at Heritage Village that was originally built by hand from logs in the 1800s that stayed in the family until the 1950s. Insulation came in the form of crumpled up newspaper in the walls.

Heritage Village family kitchen garden. There was even a compost heap.

Friday: We left right away in the morning, and with the time change, got back home relatively early in the afternoon. The rain was monsoon-like on our drive home, but again, the weather was timed perfectly with our plans.

We’re safe at home and glad to have the weekend to rest from our vacation, you know what I’m saying? Tomorrow we’re heading to Deerfest to meet some reality TV stars and browse hunting gear. Next week, EAA is in town, so we plan to take Peanut to the viewing tower inside the museum to watch the planes go in and out. Peanut’s 5th birthday is also this week, so we have a lot planned. I’ll be taking tomorrow and Sunday to relax before kicking it up again.

Hope you had a great week! I’ll be back with a “If you’re ever in the Mackinaw area…” post real soon. Stay posted!

July 19, 2013

Summer Mission List

I’ve been trying to formulate a last-stretch-of-summer mission list for Peanut and me to complete to really get the full experience of summer before it’s gone again. Mostly I’m looking for free or very low cost experiences that still provide enough of an impact to form special memories. I think that the Advent calendar should carry over into other parts of the year, don’t you? It’s too easy to be distracted by the little parts of daily life that sometimes keep us from enjoying the season. These little Missions give us a chance to be completely intentional about our time and productivity, ensuring that we don’t just let time pass, but we take control of our time and make it the best we can make it.

These are just some of the things I’ve been dreaming about:

1. Painting sticks
2. Taking a photography tour
3. Identify some local birds
4. Trip to The Well ice cream shop
5. Trampoline fun
6. Baseball at the park
7. Camp in the backyard
8. Watch the airplanes from the kids’ “tower” during EAA
9. Using twigs to write letters
10. Make popsicles
11. Try disc golf
12. Go to an outdoor concert
13. Have a picnic in a new park

This weekend we head out for Mackinac Island, Michigan. I can’t wait to visit this location that is purported to be like being transported to a whole different locale. White sandy beaches, local fudge shops, indoor water parks, sand dunes, horseback riding… Oh I just can’t wait. We’ve been doing quite well for traveling this summer, and it’s been doing well for us. Can’t wait to stop back in here and give you guys some snapshots of what we’re up to.

Enjoy your week!