t-tapp

A quick post to talk about the exercise program I've been doing for about a month. Some of you have have heard of "t-tapp" from the askmoxie blog. I looked into the program and loved what I read in the book. T-tapp is a 15 minute workout that uses just about every muscle group in your body. You need no weights or additional equiptment. The workout helps move lymph extra well, but most importantly, it uses the entire muscle fiber legnth so that you build long lean muscles using isometric isolation.

Form is critical with t-tapping, and while the moves don't look hard, it only takes one session to see that looks are deceiving. One of the exercises uses so much muscle activation, it lowers blood glucose by 65-85 points within a few mintues of doing it - that is faster than a shot of insulin! But that is just one of the reasons why t-tapp is so good for diabetics and those with autoimmune diseases.

While the book was great for common form mistakes, it wasn't as helpful with the movement flow. Fortunately there is a t-tapp trainer right in the Pittsburgh area, so my mom & I booked a session with her. It made a huge difference, and we purchased the beginner instructional DVD to follow along with. (For what it is worth, our trainer is in her 40s and has 6 kids - I'd trade bodies with her in an instant! And we have the same "body type"- she is proof of how good t-tapp can be for you!)

In 3 weeks, I'd lost 11.5 inches doing a 15 minute workout daily!! I feel really energized and the results are quick enough that Miss Impatient here knows it's working and thus feels even more committed to the program.

This past weekend we went to a t-tapp workshop that our trainer hosted. It was great to get those important form tweaks and we're going to start going to a class once a month just to stay in our best form. I wish we could go more often, but our trainer's class is close to an hour away, so once a month is the best we can do. We're still t-tapping ourselves about every other night; with the way I'm feeling and the results I am seeing, I'm not planning on stopping anytime soon!

I have to admit too that the compliments I'm getting from so many people are really nice. We've gotten about 10 friends & family to start t-tapping as well. I hope they like it as much as we do! If you'd like more info or have any questions, just let me know! You can also visit the t-tapp website or our trainer's website.

Beach Wrap-up

This is an over-due post since so many people have been asking for pictures and how the beach vacation went.
I think saying that we had a great time is an understatement! We really relaxed and played and laughed and enjoyed ourselves. The only "negative" aspect would be the highway traffic to and from Corolla, but now we know and can plan accordingly for next time! Yep, we had such a great time that we already know we'll be back every year. And driving our scoping out future rental homes helped ensure that. We stayed at an awesome beach house with a private (solar heated) pool and lots of pluses.



As much as I'd like to say this is where we stayed, this is just a little place I have book-marked for next time. This shot helps convey our digs.... Cori was playing with Aunt Molly and loving Uncle Mikey:
Oh, wait, before I go much further, I should probably show a picture of the first thing Dave did.... you may need this picture to believe that other pictures of him really are in fact, him. Dave requested that Mike shave his hair off (with a beard trimmer no less - note Molly's laughing expression!) 45 minutes later, we had the next recruit for the army...

We ate out a few times at some great seafood places, and we cooked in mostly. But when you have 7 pounds of king crab legs and 3 lbs of shrimp and a ton of clams as the main dish, I think it's okay to say that you ate in that night!

The beach wasn't as big of a hit as the pool. Cori didn't mind the sand, but the picture below shows her general reaction to the ocean. I guess when you're little, the ocean is a loud and big unknown. We did meet up with Dave's step-sister and her family who happened to be vacationing 2 miles away from us. Cori's cousin Theo is 2 and loved the water; Cori seemed a little less inhibited watching Theo run into the waves. So maybe next year we'll spend more time at the beach.

So for now, we just have a little fish on our hands, and because of this, we spent most of our time at the pool. It probably worked out better since I am a classic over-packer, our house was 3 blocks from the ocean, and Molly had a boot on her broken left foot.

Even though we were pool side with Cori, we still were able to go to the beach often. Every time we were there I saw dolphins swimming not far off shore, which was just incredible! (Everyone would just watch them for minutes at a time; one group would go past only to be followed a few minutes later by another group.) Dave and I had a romantic evening walk on the beach and I got up early one morning with my mom to watch the sun rise. We'll no doubt make this a tradition together since it was just so beautiful.
On the very last day there we took a boat out onto the sound and went parasailing at 1200ft. I have a lot of pictures and video of this adventure (and luckily none of the sea-sickness that followed- gah!) so that will be a post for another time.

Out of pocket

We're going to be out of pocket for a bit as the Spragues head to the Outer Banks for a beach vacation with the Petruskas. We can't wait to relax, have margaritas in the hot tub, cold beers pool side, and play in the sand by the ocean! While I'll have the laptop with us (have to file for my unemployment week while we're gone) I can't promise to be around much. After all, it is a vacation!

Two things I believe in for long car drives - snacks and a clean car. Snacks can make or break the trip, and everyone knows bugs stick better to a clean car!



In other exciting news, Cori has a top tooth that has broken through and has another one about to come through.

And most exciting, Cori has been assisted walking! She will go for quite some time (and we have the sore lower backs to proove it) and then her little legs tucker out and she stops. She gets frustrated and wants to keep going but can't. It may be one of the cutest things ever! She is also pushing her walking toys at quite the clip. Sometimes they get ahead of her and she can't keep up and falls. I am resisting the urge to install rubber all over the floor.

Independence Day

Franklin D. Roosevelt once said "In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved." I've always been a huge history fan and the patriotism of Independence Day always makes my heart swell with pride.

This weekend I am honoring the patriotism of my grandfathers who served our country during WWII. I've registered them on the WWII national memorial website. I hope to get a chance to visit this memorial in person on our way back home from vacation.

Only 1 of the entries has been published so far and I wanted to share it with my friends and family. It makes my heart swell with that familiar pride every time I see it. Happy Independence Day!

Fun in bed

Get your mind out of the gutter - the title of this post pertains to Cori's latest play area - our bed! In addition to good old fashioned jumping on the bed, she loves to bury her face in pillows. Cori will often quickly come up to them and just push her face right into them. I tried to get good pictures but as quick as she is down, she lifts her face back up.
Cori often just likes to suddenly lay down on the bed, the floor, or where ever she may be. Don't misunderstand her intentions. She isn't tired; she is just stopping to take a break. As quickly as she is down, she gets right back up and continues on!
And we're not sure if she is lacking depth perception, or just doesn't care, but apparently beyond the edge of the bed isn't any danger to our daughter! Trying to escape over the edge of things happens daily, at various spots, multiple times.
Just a quick update to the post below - and thanks to everyone for their thoughts. Cori seems to be slightly better thanks in large part to the advise of a sweet pediatrician friend. She had suggested giving Cori time to decompress after daycare via some cuddle time with mom. It seems to be helping, but I think a lot of it is just because Cori is so social and loves playing with the other kids. It's quite dull here at home! Sometimes we think she is bored with just us, especially on weekends! Good thing the next 2 weeks are filled with playdates and activities. Now if we can just get her to eat table food for us like she does at daycare! Oh, the power of peer pressure...