Excitement for the next event

One of my favorite things to do is plan my next organized run! Today is no exception as I signed up for the Wheaton Hot Cocoa Run! This will fall right in between both of the 1/2 marathons I am signed up for (in September and November) so it will be the perfect competitive long run to keep me motivated. And there is nothing better than a Hot Cocoa Run.

What's so great about Shakeology?

I joined Beachbody because I LOVE Shakeology. It is still my number 1 product! Before I tried it (and researched it), I was convinced it was a scam or gimmick (this was also when I was eating McDonald's once a week and probably that many veggies LOL). Shakeology has transformed my families eating.

10 Things YOU should know about Shakeology:

1) Shakeology is a nutrient-dense meal replacement SHAKE not just a protein SHAKE!
2) It is not just for WEIGHT loss, this is a product of good NUTRITION, therefore everyone CAN and SHOULD make it a part of their DAILY nutrition. My kids even drink it! They have 1/2 scoop and it was Dr. approved.
3) It will help you fight cravings, irritability, sluggish feelings which you may be experincing from nutrition deficiency (bye bye nightly ice cream)
4) Shakeology vs other shakes in the market...doesn't have SOY fillers , artificial sweetners or artificial taste 
5) Super food benefits include super fruits/antioxidants blend loaded with natural antioxidants
7) Super Protein blend to help build muscle. 
8) Shakeology is loaded with natural probiotics, fiber, and enzymes to help nutrient absorption and regulate your digestive system
9) Reduces chronic inflamation in the body
10) Its been linked to help people lower cholesterol levels plus helps support healthy blood sugar levels

Want to give it a try? Contact me or visit my shop at www.novakbefit.com

It's my Birthday!

I'm 37 years old this birthday and I feel better (not just little better but fantastically better) than I did at 27 years old. Granted at 27, I had one little girl and was working full time trying to juggle being a wife and motherhood, working as a banking professional in a stressful career and trying to squeeze in a workout during my lunch hour at work. Fast forward to 4 kids later (and still trying to juggle being a wife and mother...that will never change now but my responsibilities to these little bodies have increased). I feel like I have a routine that works and I want to share it with you. So many people, especially mothers, ask how I squeeze in my workout daily? It is because I have learned I need to make myself a priority. If Mama doesn't get her workout in than nobody is happy!! 

During the school year, I still have two little bodies home with me for the majority of the day so my day starts before my older two get on the bus at 7:30 am. About three days a week, I go for an early morning 3 mile run while my husband can supervise the morning commotion. The other days, I run downstairs with my other kids in tow the minute I get them on the bus and pop in my daily 30 minute workout. 

So it was my birthday but instead of just having my cupcakes (or 2) I made sure I got my workout in first...because I matter!!!

Fixate: Healthy Mac N' Cheese

My kids LOVE mac and cheese. And we used to have it quite a bit of those blue boxes a few years ago until I looked at the box and I started learning about labels. I was shocked when I discovered how truly horrible Kraft is (supposedly Kraft is taking out the ingredients beginning in January 2016 but I will not switch back). 

We transitioned to Costco Back to Nature brand and Annie's. I was excited today to try Autumn Calabrese's easy homemade macaroni and cheese with broccoli and chicken. So easy to make! I didn't include portions because you can't mess this one up. Increase or decrease based on the size of your family.

• boneless, skinless chicken breast cooked and diced
• brocoli steamed and chopped
• whole wheat macaroni noodles boiled and drained

1. Add some butter to a large pan and melt
2. Pour about 1 cup milk to the melted butter
3. Add grated or cut sharp cheddar cheese and melt
4. Stir together
5. Add himalayan salt and black pepper to taste

Pour in the noodles, broccoli and chicken and mix. Easy!

Eating out of frustration

I did it today...that is I ate the food that I always tell my kids we don't eat. I am sure I confused the heck out of them when we went through the drive through. Yup, we really don't go through drive throughs. And to make it worse we went to the golden arches. Yup, that is the one you are thinking of. The chemical ridden, no real ingredient food. I ate it because I wasn't prepared with my normal food that I pack and because I was frustrated with last minute changes to my kids school schedules.

Lessons:

1) Eat BEFORE heading out (we were doing errands) and that moment of weakness overrode me

2) Be prepared to tell your kids no! I should have said let's just go home and make our Shakeology (yup again...should have had it before I left the house)

3) and my final lesson make sure you eat ENOUGH. When I don't consume enough calories I find that I am more willing to make a choice I wouldn't have had.

Summer is coming to an end

As summer is coming as a Mom I am stressed. I know that working out is a great release for me. If Mommy doesn't feel good than the kids will sense it. If you feel guilty about working out for 30 minutes to an hour please don't. My kids have learned that I do this daily and they expect it. They have no problems playing while I work out. Everyone wins in this situation. I. promise. you. will. not. regret. 30. minutes!!!!!

Podium Family

First all family 5K together with our daughters (they previously did the color run with me and their friends but this was the first with Mommy and Daddy). The girls did fantastic. Never underestimate kids as they are born with the ability to move their bodies and not hold back. Even better is they listen to their bodies. Things we forget to do as we get older. The focus was on fun and being active but knowing the Novaks you know we are competitive and of course tried to win! Actually I didn't try I thought I was going to come in last but came in 3rd place for the woman. Go Mommy!

We were featured on the Wall of Change which showed inspiring stories of individuals who changed their lives for fitness and health. 

and special thanks to Grandpa for helping us and watching and playing with kids so we could run!!!

Rust-oleum bathroom golden oak remodel

When you have been in your house for 10 years and you made cabinetry choices when you were in your 20s your tastes will have changed. So we are in the need of some major changes but the price tag to replace all this wonderful golden oak that is throughout the house. And what happens when you have one you need to replace? Well it is a chain reaction and everything suddenly is in need of replacing. So instead of a huge, heavy re-model (well we do have some re-modeling overhaul coming up but stay tuned for that) I decided to be a DIYer for the first time in my life.

Here is our BEFORE:

Recommendation...take a picture of the hinge before you take it off. I was actually really proud I was able to take these off with a screwdriver. My hubby was out of town for work and I decided to completely surprise him with undertaking this project (and never in a million years would he guess that Princess Kristina would pick up a paintbrush). Truth...I didn't even know how to open a paint can and had to buy a tool (who knew there is such a thing) that opens paint cans.

I took all my drawers out and examined my base/frame for any areas that were damaged.

I decided to give everything a very good scrubbing and used Method wood cleaner. I have also read that some people have used Simple Green.

My kids were amazing through this whole process and they helped me clean the cabinets really well.

Well except for some silly heads that made us laugh.

I love Pinterest and there are so many pins about people who have transformed their bathrooms and kitchen (yup, that is coming couldn't you guess) who the Rust-oleum kit. I purchased the smaller (or Furniture) kit since I had less square feet of cabinets. Truthfully I didn't measure and even called my Dad in a panic and wondered if I should have purchased two. (I had about a 1/4 of the products left over so I could start another projet with it yippee!).

By the way, important note you need to have the paint store mix up step 2 the bonding. There are a bunch of colors on the box and you need to pick which you want ahead of time so come prepared and know which you want before you go. I went with Kona which is a dark chocolate brown.

There are 4 (5 if you include cleaning) steps:

1. DeGlosser
2. Bond Coat
3. Optional Glaze (I chose not to do this)
4. Protective Top Coat

One last before with all the drawers removed.

Very proud moment was figuring out how to get off the baby locks, hinges and towel bars. But I did it!

If I could do this you could do it. 

The kit recommends making a diagram so you know which cabinet goes where. When I took everything off I kept it by the spot it was till I could come up with a plan.

I decided to set up shop in my bedroom which is rather long. I laid down tarps and just set up in the same way the cabinets were laid out in my bedroom. That helped keep it orderly and easy to remember where it went when done. 

Look at the mess these Baby Locks left. We had wonderful Tot Locks which were magnets but they left a huge mess. I patched (who knew I could do that too). I ended up leaving that magnet in the middle because I had no clue how to get it out. The rest I patched and then sanded.

Then came step 1 which is the Deglosser. You wipe it down with a lint free rag. I was surprised how soapy it was. After you wipe (in the direction of the grain) you wipe it with a damp cloth and then dry with a dry cloth. Then you let it sit for an hour before step 1.

 For step 1 and 4 I recommend wearing a mask as the fumes don't seem strong but can give you a headache.

While that dried I taped up the rest of the areas so I wouldn't accidentally get paint on it.

Then came the fun part which was painting the color (I used a 2 inch high quality paint brush. It is recommended not to roll it). I was little nervous when it first went on as it seemed little streaky. The trick is to work in the direction of the grain (and start with the backs of the doors so you have practice before you get to the front) and paint it like a square. Then go up and down. I found it looked better when I did a thin but very thorough  first coat. 

Look at the difference when it drys. That was when I started to get really excepted about what the finished product would be like. 

Doesn't it look amazing so far??

I wasn't really sure how to do the frame. I just started in one direction and worked my way over. There was not any special tricks just painted up, down and horizontally. 

This seemed to go on and on and on...

and more and more.

I was impressed how clean and crisp it looked. 

The whole frame painted.

The drawers were really easy to pain. I just started at the top left corner and brushed over from left to right. Then I did the sides, top and front again blending it all.

Here is a door with 2 coats dry. It is recommended you wait 2-3 hours between each coat. Mine seemed to dry really fast. It was 90 degrees outside so I had my air on and no humidity in the house.

and the frame with 2 coats dry.

Then came time for step 4 (I skipped step 3 the glaze since I was really happy with the way it looked and was afraid to mess it up. The kit said that the effect would only be subtle on dark colors so I figured I didn't need it). I got the worst headache from this step. I needed to have a mask (bought one for the future). The glaze went on really streaky and milky looking. I had confidence in the end result.

My hubby took pity on me I think (or was grateful that I did this without him) and put the doors back on (saved me a lot of time figuring out the hinges). 

 The end result was looking so great before I even finished that I started even more cabinets in my house!

and now for all the afters! It turned out better than I imagined. I am LOVING the new look and finally have hardware after 10 years. Whoops, next time I won't wait so long.

So at this point my wonderful hubby arrived home and he LOVED it. He was so surprised at what I did. I had planned to do everything my self but he was nice and helpful and put the hinges back on and screwed them on. 

We picked out the hardware for our finished project and voila a $35 project just saved us $5,000 from new cabinets. It turned out better than I hoped and looks professional.

The end product looked so good I immediately start doing my kids bathroom cabinetry and the laundry room (yes, which still had golden oak cabinets on the other side). Stay tuned!