Giveaway #1 Winner & Giveaway #2- AbellaBlue

The Ruffles With Love winner is comment #13: EZsx5


(I don't know how to copy the actual page, so I took a picture with my phone. Sue me.)

EZsx5: email me at brandi.laughlin@gmail.com and I'll hook ya up girl!

Thanks to everyone who entered! There were 533 entries!
Don't be too sad that everyone but EZsx5 is a loser, because you can still head over to Ruffles With Love and get 15% off your shirt with the coupon code MAMA15. But hurry, that code is only good through Monday, February 20th!

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Now, onto Giveaway #2.
AbellaBlue is so graciously giving away one of her AWESOME ♥ Run necklaces!!!
I am totes jealous!


EEKKS! Isn't it so awesome!?!?!

Here's how to enter:

Mandatory
-Must be a follower of my blog. Don't leave me a comment telling me you are. Just be one it dammit.

Entries
-Pin this giveaway to Pinterest. (There is a little red "Pin It" button at the bottom of this post for your convenience.) - Leave me a comment telling me you did so.
-Head over to AbellaBlue and tell me what other item you like. (You're not going to get it from me, I'm just curious!) - Leave me a comment telling me which piece is your second fave.

That's 2 comments. 2 chances to win.

Giveaway ends February 24th.

Don't want to wait until then to score one of her pieces?
You don't have to. Now through February 27th she is offering Mama Laughlin readers 10% off all her pieces with the coupon code MAMA10. Go score one now if you just can't wait.

READY. SET. GO!

PS: I have been flooded with emails lately and I'm doing my best to get back to you all in a timely manner. Please be patient with me. Thanks bitch!

Jillian and I are about to become BFFS... again...

Sometimes when I have ideas I don't voice them for awhile. Because as soon as I do, I know that it's pretty much go time from there.
When I thought about running my first 5k ever in 2010 I actually thought about it for weeks before telling yall. Same with my half marathon. Maybe it's my way of procrastinating or stalling because once I put it out there it's on like donkey kong biatch.
Case in Point:
Talking about starting The Shred again. I bought mine at Target for like $9.99.
I love this workout because it is fast and effective.
If you have 30 minutes a day (I don't, I have 2 kids! but I FIND time) then you can do this workout.
It's hard guys. I'm not going to tell you it's an easy 30 minute workout, it's not.
BUT.IT.WORKS.
Here are my results from the first time I did The Shred this time last year:

I lost 6 lbs., a total of 7 inches, and went from a size 8/10 to a size 6/8.
I was VERY pleased with the results I got.
In conjunction with doing The Shred, I was eating very little carbs and adding in running as well (definitely not as much running as I do currently, though).

So these are my goals for this round of The Shred:
-Lose 10 lbs.
-A total loss of 10 inches overall.
-Tone up.
-Drop a pant size. (Get into my size 8 jeans.)

That's it. Totally doable.

I will continue to count my calories daily (I eat 1,200 a day), and keep on track with my half marathon training as well.

I was initially going to wait until I got to around 145 lbs. to start The Shred up again, but I figured Why wait? I'm totally capable of doing it right now. Just suck it up and do it you skank.
What? You don't call yourself a skank when your talking to.. uh... your...self?
I digress.

So I totally already took before pictures.
And let me just preface a few things before I show them to you.
1. I am three and a half months postpartum. So cut me some slack.
2. Why do you like to look at half naked pictures of other people? Because you realize YOU don't look that bad and it makes you feel better about yourself? Because you are WAAAY too modest to post pictures like that of yourself on the internet? Touche.
But let me say this- I am not ashamed of my body.
It has housed two beautiful children and has endured significant weight gain and weight loss.
So, while you may snicker or be appalled that I am showing you all this so quickly after giving birth, know that I am not ashamed. I am, indeed, a work in progress, but not shameful.
Ain't no shame in my game.
Hell, I posted pictures of myself in a bikini, why would I be embarrassed about this?
I'm not.
3. Please don't be hateful. It takes a lot of courage to do what I do here and put myself out there for the whole world to read about. Be respectful.

Okay, now that that's out of the way, feast your eyeballs:


Starting Stats
Weight: 157 lbs.
Waist: 32.5"
Hips: 42"
Bust: 38.5"
Arm: 10.5"
Thigh: 20.5"

I did day 1 (Level 1) of The Shred last night and I.AM.SORE.
But it's ooohhh soooo gooood.
I am able to make it through the entire workout without breaks (something I wasn't able to do the first time I did The Shred), so I know I'm off to a better start this round!
29 days to go!

Are YOU up for a Shred challenge?

PS: The Ruffles With Love giveaway ends today. Go enter if you haven't yet. I'll be choosing a winner tomorrow morning and posting another giveaway then, too, so be sure to check back bitches! You don't want to miss it!

i got these ideas burnin' through my skull!

It's best I do this post in numbers. You know, for the sake of your sanity.
Okay, fine, MY sanity. Whatev.

1.
The Ruffles With Love giveaway ends tomorrow. If you haven't entered, do so now. All the cool kids are doing it.

2.
A lot of you have left me comments asking how tall I am. And when I go to respond to you, your email address isn't connected to your Blogger account! Annoying!
Anyway, I'm 5'6.

3.
I got professionally fitted for running shoes yesterday.
Okay, if you have not done this, and you are a runner, I TOTALLY recommend it.
I went to RunOn!, a local running store.
I don't know if they have them where you live, but certainly they have some kind of similar store. It might be at the corner of Get a Map and Fuckoff. (The Hangover, anyone?)
So, you go in, and talk to the people about what kind of running you do, what you use your shoes for, how many miles you clock weekly, etc.
They make you take off your shoes and watch you walk to see if you pronate, have high arches, etc.
I don't pronate, but I do have high arches, so the hippie guy brought out 3 brands of shoes that he thought would fit my foot best.
Mizuno, Asics, and Brooks.
I've run in Asics before, love them. Never in the other two though.
The Mizuno's were so pretty! They were purple!

And if I was choosing shoes based on looks, I would have gone with the Mizuno's.
Honestly, that's what I've done in the past.
My current shoes were UnderArmour. I loved them, but truthfully, I chose them because they looked cool.
Not because they were the right shoe for my foot.

I fell in love with the Brooks brand.

They hugged my foot and felt like I was walking on a cloud.
I can't wait to try them out for a run today! (It's supposed to be 75 degrees this afternoon!!!)
I really suggest you go find the right shoe for your foot, I promise it will make all the difference in your runs!

4.
MJ is sick. He's got a mild tummy bug and I'm at home with him today.
I had dropped him off at the sitter this morning and was in the Starbucks line getting my morning tall skinny caramel latte w/ no foam and 2 sweet n low's, when I got a call saying MJ was throwing up.
So I had to switch from work mode to mommy mode and take him to the doctor.

He just had 6 oz. of Pedialyte and is now sleeping. Poor guy.

5.
Valentines Day last night was so incredibly romantic.
The hubs and I had a candlelight dinner and then took a bath together and made sweet, sweet love all night long.

And if you REALLY believe that's how things went down, you are seriously mistaken.
I cleaned boogers out of my kids' noses, changed shit diapers, and stepped on legos all night. Hubs had class and didn't get home until 8pm.
I did, however, make him a lovely dinner.

Yep, that's a heart shaped meatloaf. I know, you're totally jealous right now.
My meatloaf goes hard. That's what HE said.
But for real, my meatloaf is the best loaves of meat ever.
If by mine, I really mean Pioneer Woman's... whatev.
Yes, you can skinny it up, I often do. But last night was all about the hubs, so I made it all fatty like, just for him.
I do my man good. Clogged arteries and all.

6.
I am going to start another cycle of The Shred soon.
Of course, I'll do before and after pictures.
I had such great success with it the first time, and have even higher hopes this time.
I am shooting for a 10 lb. loss, and a 10 inch loss.
I'll post before pics soon. So be on the lookout for them.

Happy Wedesnday you whores.

this post is NOT about valentines day. it's totally random crap you probably don't care about. get over it.

Are you so sick of the Valentines Day posts?
Vomit in my mouth hole, I AM!
Lets count how many bouquets of flowers get posted to your Facebook wall today.
I'm gonna guess at least 18.

So instead of showing you the flowers that I TOTALLY got, I'm going to show you the best part. The card.

Ahhh, my husband knows the way to my heart... the word 'Skinny!'
No chocolates for this gal. And that card is going to be stuck in my mind all day today when I'm tempted with those delicious chocolates.

******

Thank you for your feedback on Big T's Valentines Day cards.
This is the one I chose:

They turned out really cute.

Disclaimer: I may have had 2 of those suckers. They were only 45 calories a piece. Suck it.

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I made scrimp tacos last night.

I shant be sharing the recipe, because quite honestly, it wasn't great.
I still need to perfect it.

******


Yes. I actually spent moneys on that.
TOTALLY WORTH IT.
pacifier found {HERE}

******

Have you entered the Ruffles With Love giveaway yet?
It ends Thursday.
What's Up Dallas What's Up? Jump on it. Jump on it. Jump on it! (Sir Mix A Lot anyone?)

Hope you have a great VD! not venereal disease. i don't think it's possible to have a great venereal disease.

MILF Monday: Hot Mess Express

Thank you all for flooding my inbox this weekend.
Every comment you all leave gets emailed to my phone and I read every one of them.
Hotdamn yall want you a Ruffles With Love shirt.
I totes don't blame you, they rock pretty hard core.
Wait till you see my other giveaways! ;)

If you haven't entered the giveaway yet, you can do so {HERE}.
It ends Thursday, so get on it!
And if you don't want to wait 'till then, or you want to score more than one of those awesome shirts, head over to Ruffles With Love because they are offering Mama Laughlin readers 15% off now through February 20th with the coupon code MAMA15!

Now, onto MILF Monday.
For the new readers, every Monday I do a segment called MILF Monday.
I usually post weight stats, full body shots, and fitness related stuff.

This morning's weight:

Thank the Lord Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints that I'm out of the 160s.
7 more pounds until I post another set of progression pics.
Holla!
Snapped this morning before work:

jean size 10- Abercrombie & Fitch (circa 2005)
(Ps- I can't WAIT to get back into my 8's!)
shirt size small from Express
necklace from Express
shoes from Rossome (Ross + Awesome = Rossome)

This weekend was spent cooking.
I usually don't cook much on the weekends, but I was in a mood this weekend so I made the following:
Pioneer Woman's Corn & Cheese Chowder

Do yall know about PW? She rocks. Weightloss enthusiasts beware: her recipes are full of fat, fat, and more fat!
Of course, it is always possible to 'skinny' her recipes up.
On this particular recipe, I left out the bacon, used reduced fat cheese, 1% milk instead of half and half, fat free ckn broth (no sodium added), no salt added corn, and served it in a bowl made of glass (or ceramic... whatev), NOT bread.
It was awesome!

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

I 'skinnied' these up by changing the following:
Truvia instead of sugar, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter instead of margarine, Reduced Fat Peanut Butter, and 1% milk.
Now this was my first time to make no bake cookies, so I'm not quite sure the consistency is right. Especially since I changed up the ingredients. I had to refrigerate mine so they would harden a little and not be so gooey.
But when you take them out of the fridge they get gooey again. FYI.
They are still really good, however.

And last night I made pork tenderloin in the crockpot.
Holy juicy meat, that shit was amazing.
Poured some worscteshiwirelyafsdhf (am I the only one that doesn't know how to spell that damn word??) on top of the hunk 'o' meat, added some sliced onions and chopped new potatoes.
Wow.
Juciest meat I've put in my mouth all week. That's what she said.

So the reason I asked for foundation recommendations is because my face is ridic.
It seems as though starting at 3 months postpartum that my face decides it's going to go all crazy pizza face on me.
It happened to me around the same time after I had Big T as well. I got these dry, itchy, red patches on my face around 3 months postpartum.
I figure it's the last of the pregnancy hormones trying to escape from my body.
That's gotta be it.
Also, this just in: my hair is falling out.
AWESOME!
Now, I have VERY thick hair to begin with so I'm all for a little self-thinning, but eff, that shit gets everywhere!!!
So anywho, my regular Makeup Forever foundation isn't cutting it.
I need something heavy right now.
I have used Bare Minerals in the past, and I love it, but for right now, it's not heavy enough to hide this postpartum teenage face I got goin on.
So thank you for all your product advice!
Last time this madness cleared up after a few months, so I'm hoping it will do the same this time because I am a Hot Mess lately!

Now, have you seen this cuteness that is floating around Pinterest??

Oh yes, we are recreating it for Big T's Valentines Day party at school tomorrow.
Here are a few of the pics I got. I'd LOVE some help deciding which one to use!
#1


#2


#3


Which do you think??

I'll end on some pics of my sweet babies!



Mental note: when you are holding a baby that is throwing up be sure to CLOSE YOUR MOUTH.
Yes, I got thrown up on last night. ALL OVER. and even in my mouth hole.
NOT awesome.

HAPPY MILF MONDAY!

Giveaway #1- Ruffles With Love

My first giveaway will be from Ruffles With Love.
Ruffles With Love has the cutest workout tops!
I love the racerback tees (no pit stains!!!) and the cute bow in the back! PERFECT for hot Texas summer workouts! Or even paired with a long sleeved undershirt in colder months!
Here are a few of her shirts:




Aren't they so cute??
You get to choose any shirt from her website! How awesome is that?

Here's what you have to do to enter:

MANDATORY- you must be a follower of my blog. (do not leave me a comment telling me you are a follower as an extra entry. just be one dammit.)

ENTRY #1- Go visit Ruffles With Love and come back here and leave me a comment telling me which shirt you'd choose.

ENTRY #2- Pin this blog on Pinterest and leave me a comment telling me you did so. (I have added a convenient little "Pin It" button to the bottom of each post for your convenience. You.are.welcome.)

ENTRY #3- Leave me a separate comment telling me what your favorite makeup foundation is. (What? I need ideas, OKAY!??)

So that's 3 separate comments. 3 separate chances to win.

Giveaway ends February 16th.

Don't wanna wait until then to score one of these awesome shirts?? I don't blame you.
Ruffles With Love is offering Mama Laughlin readers 15% off now through February 20th with coupon code MAMA15!
Go grab you one!
They are super great "time-to-get-this-fat-ass-of-mine-in-shape" workout shirts!
Or just "lounge-around-on-the-couch-and-dream-of-working-out" shirts!
Whatev.
You can bet your ass THIS MAMA will be rockin' em!


Ready. Set. Go!

GIVEAWAYS & MJ's 3 MONTH PICS!

Okay, first things first.

Ummm... I hit 1,000 followers.
Holy ball sacks.
When I started this blog in 2008 I'm pretty sure I was just writing to write. Or maybe to hear myself talk. Whatev.
But I never thought that this little 'ole blog would reach so many people.
Through my own personal struggles and successes I have helped to encourage and motivate people to know that it totally IS possible to become a MILF.
That your life isn't over after you have kids.
That you can still be sexy, and maybe even sexIER.
That even if you DON'T have kids, that if THIS mom of two can do it, you CERTAINLY can!

I love that, and it makes my day when I get emails from you guys telling me I've inspired or motivated you.

SO, in light of yalls awesomeness, I will be posting SEVERAL giveaways over the next couple weeks. I have hooked up with some amazing women (in a total non-sexual way) who have made it possible for yall to get free shit.
And who doesn't love free shit?

First giveaway will be posted tomorrow, so check back for the deets!
And again, Thank you all so much for following my boring little life and always being a source of motivation for ME!

*********

Now, onto the cuteness that consumes my every days.

PS- did yall know I have a 3 month old?
A 3 MONTH OLD!?!?!
How is this going by so fast?? I just don't get it.
SLOW.DOWN.

But PLEASE, look at what cute freakin babies I make.
I seriously think I should get some kind of award for making such beauts.
I should probably make more. I mean, who am I to deprive the world of beautiful children?
And dammit, if they weren't so expensive, I totally would!






Look how much he changed this month!

I swear, he just keeps getting cuter and cuter.. if that's even possible!

MJ UPDATES:
-wearing size 2 diapers
-3 month clothing
-TEETHING in full effect! Boy has been FUSSY and DROOLY
-sleeping anywhere from 8-10 hrs at night. I put him to bed at 9pm and he usually wakes up at 5am whining for his passy. I get up, walk across the house and go put it in his mouth and re-swaddle that wiggle worm who has ninja-ed his arms out of the swaddle. He sleeps again until 7am.
-eating 5 ounces every 3 hrs.
-just started laughing last night. BE.STILL.MY.HEART! Is there ANYTHING better than baby laughs?? I think not.
-loves bathtime
-starting to babble more
-smiles like crazy
-not sure of weight, will check at 4 month appointment next month.

I just love that little man!

See ya back here tomorrow for an awesome giveaway!!!

Skinny Pepperoni Roll Ups

I made the most awesome EASY dinner last night...

Skinny Pepperoni Roll Ups


I got the recipe from Pinterest via this chick. Then I substituted all the ingredients for a "skinnier" version. Because that's how I do the damn thang.
Don't follow me on Pinterest yet? Well you should. I pin cool shit.

All pics are courtesy of that chick's blog. I didn't take any because I'm a totes loser. Sue me.

INGREDIENTS:
-Reduced Fat crescent rolls


-Turkey pepperoni


-Sargento light mozzarella string cheese


DIRECTIONS:
Unroll crescent rolls and lay out 4 slices of pepperoni and 1/2 string cheese inside crescent rolls.

Roll up crescent rolls to secure pepperoni slices and cheese.
Put on ungreased baking sheet.
Bake according to directions on crescent rolls.

TA-DA!
Each Roll Up is only 136 calories.
(I may have had 2...)

****Do you make cool shit? I am looking for a sponsor for my next giveaway when I reach 1,000 followers. If you are interested, drop me a line!****

The Difference 20 pounds makes (Roughly)

I still don't know what I weigh right now.
After my day of AWESOME eating and running 5 MILES!!!! last night I feel pretty damn skinny today.

Yes, you read that right, I RAN 5 MILES!
More on that in a minute.

First I wanted to show you the difference 15-20 lbs. makes.
In this picture from November 2010 I weighed around 142 lbs.


And this is a picture from this morning (guessing around 160 lbs.)


Same outfit, but anywhere from 15-20 lb. difference.
And since you're asking, the jeans ARE different.
The 142 pic the jeans are a size 10 from Charlotte Russe.
The 160(ish) pic the jeans are a size 11 from Target.
So basically the same size.

Here's a side by side comparison:


But it's pictures like that that make me want to keep going.
Because while I don't look TERRIBLE at 160(ish), I know I will look (and FEEL) better at 142. And hopefully even smaller.

Now, onto my 5 miles.
I have several new readers (thanks to Pinterest) and I just wanted to let you all know that I have not always been a runner.
I started running in 2010 at almost 200 lbs. and I could barely run for 30 seconds straight.
My thighs rubbed together and it physically hurt my body to run.
So I did the Couch to 5K Program.
I've talked about it a hundred times.
It is the BEST running program (IMO) for those new to running.
I could barely do each workout. But I took it one day at a time.
And by the time that 9 weeks was up, I was down 30 lbs. and I was up to running 3 miles at a time.

It is the same program I used immediately after I had MJ.
I finished it (for the 2nd time) a few weeks ago and am now on Hal Higdon's Half Marathon Training Novice 1 schedule.
And last night was my first ever 5 mile run.

I have to be completely honest with you and tell you I was dreading it.
I am usually ALWAYS dreading my runs. But I know I'll regret it MORE if I don't do it.
So I lace up my shoes and hit the pavement.
In my mind as I'm running I'm cheering myself on.
Sometimes.
Sometimes I'm saying to myself "I'd much rather be sitting on the couch right now".
I'm telling myself my knees hurt, I'm tired, or that I can't breathe.
Then I give myself a little peptalk again and keep going. Because I KNOW I'll feel so amazing when it's over.
Running is a total mind game.
Your body may hurt and your mind may think you can't go any further, but you have to dig deep and push yourself.
That's why I like running.
Because it's always a challenge.
I never go out for a run and am like "man, that was easy!"
I'm going to push myself hard because I know I can.

In my runs it takes me a good 2-3 miles to get warmed up.
HAH! I remember when 2-3 miles sounded impossible!
Those first 2-3 miles are the hardest. Then I get in my groove and I just.keep.going.
No matter how hard it is, or how badly I want to quit.

Last night I was ready to quit after I finished that 4th mile.
But I found my favorite running song (Fort Minor- Remember the Name) on my ipod and I got in the zone, and kept on.
And I finished my 5 miles.
And you know what?
I could have gone longer. (that's what she said)
It wouldn't have been easy, but it definitely could have been done.

And now? Now I'm excited for that 6 miler next weekend!

I've said it before and I'll say it again:

Who IS this girl??

MILF Monday: Ignorance is Bliss

I was out of town all weekend.
Therefore every meal from Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon were eaten out.
Sometimes you just can't avoid things like that.
Life goes on, even when you are trying to lose weight.
So, while I didn't do FANTASTIC, I didn't do HORRIBLE either.
There may have been one night when pizza was ordered at 1:00 am and I went to bed right as it arrived to avoid eating it.
I call that a success.
This morning I didn't weigh because I honestly didn't want to see the number.
I'm sure I'm retaining a bit of water due to all the eating out we did, so I didn't feel like the number would have reflected well anyway.
So I'll just take it as it is and say Ignorance is Bliss this week.
As of last Wednesday I was hovering right around 160, so I'm sure it's not far off from that.
Fingers crossed that next week I'll FINALLY hit that 159 (or lower). I could already be there, who knows.

I did not get any runs in this weekend either.
Like I said, sometimes it's just not happening, and that's ok.
I'm not going to let it derail me, however. I am moving my long run to tonight (5 miles), and will adjust my training to fit it all in.
It's not the end of the world.

Basically our weekend went like this:
Get off work at noon on Friday.
Pick up MJ.
Big T was staying with his grandparents all weekend (I missed him like crazy!)
Drive 5 1/2 hours to Rogers, Arkansas w/ 3 month old and friends. (MJ did really good both ways)
Visit friends.
Hang out with friends.
Attend a baby shower of friends who are having TWINS today!
Hang out with friends again.
Get X Ray on teeth. (Friends are both endodontists).
Get told I need a root canal done on my canine and my existing root canal REdone.
AWESOME.
:/
But am a little excited that I'll be back so soon so I can meet the babies!
Drive 5 1/2 hrs. home with friends and 3 month old.
Get home at 6:30pm.
Laundry.
Kids.
Etc.

So yeah, it was a pretty packed weekend and I'm not upset about not getting in my workouts.
I'll just work extra hard this week.

Until then, here are a few pics of MJ from this weekend.
Precious little guy!



Haha, this makes me laugh.


And one of the boys' first bath together: