Christmas is officially 3 days away! I don’t feel ready at all – not one bit. Every year I promise myself that I will get shopping done ahead of time, along with everything else I need to do, and every year I am rushing right down to the last second. Why do I torture myself? Next year, I will be prepared for the holidays – mark my words!
In the midst of running around like a crazy person this past week something occurred to me – actually it stopped me in my tracks – my mom always made Christmas time look so easy when we were kids. She still does. Seriously, there are 4 of us and we were not angels. We’re still not. My mom worked full-time outside the home, put up with 4 kids, fed us good food for every meal, kept the house spotless, and always made sure all of us had what we needed. And no matter how busy she was my mom always made sure our house looked like a winter wonderland complete with tons of presents under the tree Christmas morning. She still does. To this day my siblings and I still get presents from Santa. Thanks Mom! She embodies the true spirit of Christmas. This is something I need to keep in mind and be intentional with as I go into this week. It is a priority that my girls look back on me the same way I look back on my own mom. I am responsible for that and need to make sure that happens – just like my mom did for me.
My mom is the little Italian lady to the left of me in this picture. The others are my sisters and our kiddos.
Let’s get right to my exercise schedule. There is no weigh in this week. Sorry, but I forgot to step on the scale yesterday morning. I need to schedule that into my phone because like everything else – if it’s not in my calendar it does not exist.
On a positive note I did great with exercise last week. I followed through with my morning exercise routine 4 times. It kept exercise on the brain for me and I plan to keep the momentum going this week.
Here is my schedule:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Sat, and Sunday
Cardio
- Treadmill 45 minutes (10 minute warm up, 25 minute run, 5 minute powerwalk incline, and 5 minute cool down)
Core
- 2 (30 second planks)
- 100 crunches
Arms
- 24 modified pushups
- 24 bicep curls with resistant bands
- 24 tricep extensions with 5lb weights
Legs
- 50 squats
Make ahead meal plan
My meal plan is going to be a little off this week because of Christmas and family being in town. I spend a lot of time at my parents and usually eat over there. I will try to plan as much as I can but I need to give myself flexibility too with the holidays.
Here is my meal plan on Plan to Eat. If you subscribe to this meal planning service and friend me (username organizeyourselfskinny) you can have access to all my recipes and meal plans. This means you can easily print out grocery lists and swap out other recipes if you want.
Breakfast
Make ahead tips
- I will make smoothies the morning off.
Lunch
Peanut Butter Chocolate Overnight Oats
Peanut Butter Banana Overnight Oats
Make Ahead Tips
- The PB & Chocolate one was made last week. Even after a week it was still great. The PB & Banana Overnight Oats will be made tomorrow. I am eating these for lunches because they are easy and I have a ton of oats in my pantry. If you have questions about overnight oatmeal then check out my tutorial.
Snacks
Make ahead tips
- I made this today, cut into squares, and stored in the refrigerator.
Dinner
Buffalo Chicken Chili (2 nights)
Christmas eve and day dinner
Leftovers
Slow Cooker Char Sui Pork
Make Ahead Tips
- I have 2 containers of Buffalo Chili in the freezer that I made a month or so ago.
- Char Sui Pork will be prepped the night before I cook it.
What is on your meal plan this week?
Kate @KateMovingForward says
Hey! I just found your blog through pinterest and have enjoyed reading! I’m curious if you do that entire workout–cardio, abs, arms and legs–on one day or split it over the four days? Thanks!
Katherine says
Merry Christmas Tammy! Your website has been a big part of my year and I’ve shared it with lots of people. I just wanted to say a big thank you and wish you the best for 2015!
Tammy Kresge says
Thank you so much! I really appreciate it! Have a great New Year!
Julie says
What a beautiful post about your Mom! I’m a Mom of a 4 1/2, 2 1/2 and 13 month old. This is the first Christmas in two years that I’ve had to work full time outside the house. It’s really not easy juggling everything and still keeping it together. Kudos to your Mom for doing such a wonderful job and creating beautiful memories for you and your siblings. Thank you for the reminder to be intentional this week. I also want my kids to look back one day, and have warm memories.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you Tammy! Thank you for being a part of our lives!