Check-in!

Hey, y'all!

So, it's a little past half way through the year and I thought I'd update everyone on my health/weight progress. I'm currently sitting on the couch (ha-ha) waiting for Avery to fall asleep so that I can go to the gym. I don't want to leave James and Taylor at home with a screaming baby.)

Anyways,

So I'm half-way to my weight-loss goal. And, being a lady, I will not share my weight on the internet. That's just embarrassing. But I will tell you that it is a significant amount of weight. I have gone from pant size 16 (WOWZA) to almost size 12. I can fit into my size 12's (and even into a size 10 skirt) but only if I am sucking in the whole time and only if they did not just come right out of the dryer. I have gone from size L shirt to a size M.

HOORAY.

I think that's pretty good for six months. Granted, I lost 10 pounds in January, 2 in February, 3 in March, 2 in April, 7 in May, 8 in June, and 5 in July. So, my progress is all over the board. I'd like for it to be a little more consistent, but hey, life gets in the way and sometimes I'm not able to go to the gym as much as I'd like. What has been dramatic, though, is the inches that I've lost. My face has thinned out (or so I've been told) and my legs look like legs again....and not fat, tubby, pasty, limbs. I actually bought a bathing suit this summer *gasp*.

As for my nutritional progress, I've been trying new things and experimenting with different things. I've discovered a lot about myself and my eating habits. One thing that I have found is that if I'm going to the gym consistently, I will eat better. If I've slacked on going to the gym, my diet slacks as well. Which makes sense. I've also discovered that I really can go without sweets. Every once in awhile I get a craving for some chocolate but for 95% of the time, I can go without that brownie. While researching the Paleo diet, the main things they want you to cut out are 1.)Gluten, grains (bread) 2.) Dairy and 3.) Sugar. I thought I would have the hardest time with the sugar part, but as it turns out, the diary has been particularly challenging. I can do without milk as I've discovered Almond milk, but it's the cheese that gets me. Oh, sweet delicious cheese. How I love thee. So good on tortillas and melted on chips. *drool* It's especially bad if I'm out to eat with friends at a Mexican place (duh) and we order queso. Gosh, I love queso. So no more queso for me! Only on the occasion. (That's another thing I've discovered....I don't want to be THAT friend, whose diet restricts my social life. THAT friend who cant ever eat anything or indulge even a little bit for the sake of good ol times. I hate those people, and I wont be one of them :) ) I just want to be normal. But also skinny. But also healthy.

As for my exercise progress, I have discovered a few tricks with the treadmill. The biggest one is that if I amp up the incline, I will burn lots of calories, lots more in fact than if I keep the incline at a normal level and pump up my speed. So I can go at an easy pace but be going up a steep hill. I like to call it "working smarter, not harder." When I first started working out, I was k-i-l-l-i-n-g myself on the treadmill trying to run so so so fast so that I could burn the amount of calories that I wanted. I'd be dying. Sweating. So much. It was awful. Then, helllloooo incline.

My next trick is that, after jogging at an incline for about 30 minutes, I then put the treadmill all the way back down and amp up the speed so that I'm sprinting. Oh my goodness. It is amazing. It's like I'm flying, not sprinting. Your muscles get worked hard from going up a hill so when you aren't going at an incline, it feels like there are wings on your shoes. I only do this for about 8-10 minutes and I burn about 60-70 calories. I have also become quite the pro at kickboxing. Okay okay, not really a pro, but I could kick some serious butt, you guys. The majority of the muscle I've gained has come from kickboxing. I'm sure those of you who follow me on facebook get tired of seeing all of my updates about me going to kickboxing class. It is just so dang fun. Try it. Yes, go out and try it. You will love it. It's pretty difficult at first, but if you keep going, you will love it.

My goals for the next 6ish months:

1.) Seriously cut out bread (tortillas are okay)

2.) Get rid of the baby belly

3.) Reach my weight goal

4.) Get to size 8/10 pants

I think that if I could do those things, I will be in tip top shape. I will be one hot mama! I will be queen of my own life (which, I practically am, but sometimes I am held back by my appearance insecurities) and I will feel awesome!

KickButt Mama= HappyMama

etc, etc, etc

I suppose I should jump on the bandwagon and update my blog, as it seems everyone else is doing it. Such a great motivator in life.

Well, I'm in Houston. I finished out my summer camp in Austin and Saturday was my first day back in Houston. If you follow me on facebook you probably have caught on to the fact that I am not happy about being here. Truth be told, it's not that I am not happy. I love my family and I love being close to them. I love how patient they are with me, because I am kind of the black sheep (or at least that's how I feel). It's not that I am not happy. It's just that I fit in so much better in Austin. It is easier to express my creativity and different-ness there. I can "let my freak- flag fly," so to speak. It's difficult to explain unless you have lived in Austin. Austin is small and easy to navigate through (I am an awful driver) and everyone is friendly and interesting. I feel so...blah in Houston with the humidity and oil&gas and wanna- be- Mexican food in Katy. Downtown Houston has good food probably, but downtown is sooo far away. I never thought I would really care where I lived. Well, I guess I would care. What I really mean is that I didn't think I would really have any kind of attachment to a place. A city is a city. It's a place you live. I suppose when the city you live in grows and intertwines with the person that you are, it is difficult to break away. Despite all of this, as my dear Aunt Amy said in her blog, it's time "to put my big girl panties on." So bring it on, Houston!

I am still essentially job-less. Hooray! I love it!

Yeah, that wasn't very convincing. I have had more interviews this summer than I can count. I have sent out so many resumes and filled out so many applications. You'd think that maybe I would have landed a job by now, right?! Wrong. I have actually been offered several jobs, but I turned them down because none of them were just what I wanted. That's either very dumb of me or very admirable of me. Either the pay wasn't enough or the hours weren't what I wanted or I'd have to give them my thumbs and half of my left eye ball. I have a bachelor's degree (which hardly means anything these days, which is why I'm going back to get my Master's degree in a few years...either U of H or somewhere cool like Seattle or Maine), I want to work full time, and I want to be challenged. Based on those three things, I feel like I should have endless opportunities. Being a white female living in middle America sure does make one feel a tad entitled, huh?! There should be employers knocking down my door with 401k's and benefits in hand to give me, right?! Wrong. Turns out I have to compete and be the best and work tirelessly if I want the best. Go figure. I'm accepting that it's a journey and that I will get there eventually. And thanks to my wonderful parents, I'm able to take a little time and figure out what it is I'm going to do.

I have big plans. BIG plans, y'all. I'll tell you what, blog-world: being homeless, with no money or resources for several months gives you a whole new perspective on life. Okay, I wasn't entirely homeless. I was bouncing around from place to place, living at a different friends' house in Austin from week to week with one suitcase and my school bag. It was as close to homelessness as I think my family would ever let me get. But it was liberating. It was fascinating. It makes you realize just how little you could get by with. It makes you enjoy so much more the times you share with the people you love. It helps you see the world in a whole new light.

And really, all I saw was beautiful.

Codes and Keys

My world is getting a litter brighter, a little better, and a little more put back together.

Not that everything was completely shattered in a million pieces to begin with. But I'm feeling more confident about the way things are turning out (for now) and I feel like I just might be able to pull this off. Im more excited than ever to set out on this journey of life with my beautiful daughter and teach her everything there is to know about everything good and bad in the world. I'm so excited share the world with her. She is the only person that will ever be mine to love. Yes, I have lots of family. But she is my child. No one can ever be closer to you than your own children. They share your same blood. She's half of me. We'll go ahead and forget about whatever blood she got from her biological father. At least for now. Until she's old enough to know about and process that huge mess.

I'm working on self improvement. I'm working on building my resume and having the dream career that I've wanted. I'm working on losing weight and being happy with the person I see in the mirror. I can't truly love another person until I love myself. I am working on being at peace with the directions my life has taken and embracing those people around me that offer words of encouragement and support. I'm so thankful for my family whom I know will always be there. I have few quality friends, but for those few, I am very thankful. They keep me sane and help me realize that my issues could be much MUCH worse. They keep me grounded.

I don't feel like I need anything else. My daughter, my friends and family, love, my dreams, passion, and goals, and a career. What else is there, really? I might be a tiny bit hippy, but I'm PROUD.

You can call me a hippy but I am happy.

HippyMama=HappyMama

Transition

Well, yet again, my life is in a transitional period. I am now a single mother, trying to make it in this world. It's weird because I never thought I would ever have to write that sentence. But alas, life happens. I'm still figuring out what I'm going to do, but I have some pretty good ideas and I'm fairly certain that everything will be just fine. Even though this is not ideal, I'm kind of excited to prove how strong I am and that I can succeed in whatever I set my mind to. I am determined to be the best and provide for my daughter. I will do anything I need to do for her. And for me, too. But mostly her.

In other news, I had a job interview yesterday to teach art. I'm really hoping I get it because not only would they pay me really well, I would also love to get some experience teaching art. To make myself more marketable. I would like to be a fine arts teacher instead of just a theatre teacher.

More later! Avery is in the other room and it is very quiet. I have a feeling she is being naughty.

Healthy with a side of Adventurous

So, I'm trying something new. It's called "living the Paleo lifestyle." Though, to be honest, at this point I'm just trying out a few things, and not really converting to anything. If you would like more info on Paleo, as in "paleolithic," go to this awesome blog: www.marksdailyapple.com.

Basically, it's not just a diet, but a holistic approach to a better/healthier lifestyle. No grains, no dairy, no sugar. I know, I know, it sounds crazy. And, I know, grains and dairy are staples in peoples' diets. And as I said, I'm just trying out a few things, and not doing every single thing that Mark recommends. "A Paleo diet, also known as paleolithic diet or caveman diet, is all about natural foods to help achieve great health and a perfect physique." -Paleodietlifestyle.com

I was challenged a few weeks ago by a co-worker to try "living Paleo." I thought is sounded like some crazy fad diet. But after doing some research, I discovered that there are many, many reasons why switching to this kind of diet would be beneficial. You can prevent/avoid all of these things:

*obesity

*cardiovascular disease

*high blood pressure

*type 2 diabetes

*osteoporosis

*autoimmune diseases

*colorectal cancer

*myopia

*acne

*depression

*diseases related to vitamin and mineral deficiencies

So far, I have cut out cows milk. I have switched to Almond Milk, which is delicious, y'all. I LOVE LOVE LOVE milk so much and to have cut it out is really a big step. I have been a huge milk-drinker my entire life and I thought I was going to hate almond milk. But it's yummy. I still have to keep milk in the house for ze bebe, but I just don't drink it. My next big step shall be bread. I think this will be tough. I don't have any problem not eating bread when I'm at home. But it's those dang bread baskets at restaurants that get me. Also, tortillas. I am going to take baby steps and see how good I feel. Apparently, by cutting out bread from your diet, you can really lose lbs fast.

Here is a recipe that I intend on using. I am a lover of pancakes and have been wondering how exactly I will cut those out. Voila:

Almond Banana Pancakes

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas

1 egg

1 heaping tablespoon of almond butter

Mash the bananas, add the egg and mix well. Stir in the almond butter, adding more if you want a more pancake-like texture.

Warm butter in a pan and pour batter into small cakes. Brown each side and serve warm.

It sounds delicious to me. Although if you are allergic to bananas, I'm not sure what you could substitute. I'm also still trying to think of what I could use as a syrup substitute. I don't just want to eat pancakes sans some kind of topping. But I want to keep the sugar to a minimum. If you have any ideas, let me know!

So! Starting tomorrow: little to no bread. We'll see how it goes. Cross your fingers for me!

A healthyMama is a happyMama

Beep Beep

I can smell it. Yes, the smell is definitely getting closer. Why friends, is that the glorious smell of summer?! Oh my, I do believe it is!

How I love being a teacher and having my summers all to myself!

*LOUD ANNOYING BUZZER SOUNDS* Correction! I am teaching summer classes.

Well, for a moment, I loved being a teacher and having my summers all to myself. It was like getting one lick of a delicious ice cream cone, and then accidentally dropping it on the ground. *sigh*

The good news is that I am teaching an art class this summer and it will be oh-so-fun. I mean it. I am looking forward to it, times a-million. I haven't quite worked out all the details, but I'm pretty sure that it will be a two week class, meeting everyday from 10-2. I *might* need my dear mother to watch avery for a week of that because goodness knows I do not have $400 to pay for babysitting for those two weeks. So, mother, if you're reading this, let me know if that would be okay.

Anywho, I've pretty much been guaranteed (I cannot spell that word without having to spell check it) a spot on the faculty at the theater where I'm interning. Sadly, this is happening mostly because of process of elimination. The other two interns are not turning out to be doing so well, so I guess that just leaves me. It would be a lot more impressive if all three of us interns were great and amazing and the director of the theater had to make a very difficult decision which took her several days to reach because we're all just SO GREAT AND AMAZING. Alas, it looks like I'm the only great and amazing one. What can ya do??

I typed up and sent in my proposal to teach a film class next semester. This was done in the pretense that all three interns are writing proposals, so make it really good, and it will be a contributing factor in whether or not you get the teaching position. But, since I'm apparently the only one who was asked to write a proposal because, again, I'm just so great and amazing, I think my proposal will be accepted and approved.

I shall get off my high horse now.

These last few weeks have been really great. Avery has been a ray of sunshine and really so well-behaved. I mean, as well-behaved as a 16 month old can be. She's been eating really well and sleeping really well and being quite the charmer during the day. She has been consistently taking good two-hour naps and sleeping all the way through the night. Note: I am now knocking on wood.

Life is good. What a HappyMama am I.

Untitled.

Wilson has always said that I am too sweet. Up until now, I never thought that that quality might get in the way of my life. Well, now it has.

I am quitting one of my teaching jobs. My main teaching job. It hurts me a little but the business that they're running is seriously, less than ideal. I don't get my paychecks on-time (like, 3 weeks late), I can't ever get anyone to sub for me, should I need a day off. And let me just say, that in the two semesters that I have worked for them, I have only needed ONE day off. And no one was willing to sub for me and my bosses were less than empathetic about me needing a personal day. EVEN THOUGH I always sub for anyone who needs a sub and have done countless favors for my bosses. I just can't do it anymore. And I know I should probably just tuff out the last month and a half that's left of the semester, but I've run into another job opportunity that not only pays me more, but that I know for a fact will not only be better for my family, it will just be better for me.

But the thing is, I just hate quitting. I just hate it. I hate being irresponsible and I hate just giving up. I hate letting people down, especially people who really do mean well, like my bosses. They just can't quit seem to get it together. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings or be confrontational or be anyone other than someone that you can trust.

So I've written an email to my boss, which I have saved as a draft until I have the cahones to actually press 'send.' I'm figuring that writing an email is fine, seeing as how they do all of their business via text message. In the email I've stated that I am quitting due to personal reasons. It's such a lame, unoriginal cop-out, but it's the best I could come up with. It's all I could bare to write. I didn't want to say that I hate it there because my boss is 38 weeks PREGNANT and goodness knows she doesn't need all the stress. Am I awful?! Gosh, I know I must just sound awful. While explaining this to Wilson, he says I am too sweet and that I should just rip the bandaid off and quite already. And, also, I bet I sound pretty shifty, seeing as how I also quite my other teaching job last semester, due to not liking it there, either.

See, let me just explain something to all you out there who might be reading my blog. Here's the thing (I'm going to start at the national root of the problem and work my way down to how this all affects me): America has issues with education. I think we are all aware of this. This is not breaking news, people. America has somehow gotten it into their heads that education is just another pain in the ass institution that must somehow be funded and it is just another tick mark on the to-do list of people who really have much better things to do. Teachers are ridiculed, spat-upon, under- paid and over-worked. Teachers must struggle to hold onto that sliver of hope that someone, SOMEONE will give them a break. Someone will realize that education, and the teachers who work continuously to foster creativity and intelligence, IS important. All teachers in America are suffering right now. Highly-educated teachers who have mastered their trade, who likely spent a lot of money to go to college knowing that they will have to work much harder at their job than most. And Fine Arts teachers?? HAH! Who gives a flying finger about them? "Hey, let's CUT arts' education! Yes, we will then have much more money to spend on football programs and ADHD programs!" I wish America would understand that the arts' could benefit so many children. The arts helps in ways that nobody could even fathom. There are so many life skills that one could learn if America would just embrace Theatre, Music, and Art class. But, alas, parents don't want their son to be in Theatre class because they don't want him to be "gay." Parents don't want their daughter to excel in Art class because there is no money to be made there. Parents don't their children to stay after-school to be in the choir group because that child will never make it to Broadway, so why not do something more practical like, go to law school.

I'm not saying that going to law school is not also great. But, just go with it.

Because Theatre is not considered important, schools cannot have a theatre class in school. So, little independent theatre education companies start popping up in order to provide any school who might still want to have theatre present in their schools, but don't have the budget to fund one. These independent theatre companies are all contract jobs, meaning they can't pay their employees much (and then they might have to pay beaucoup de taxes just for working with that company) and really can't provide their employees with any benefits, and really no stability or structure whatsoever.

Thus, I get paid three weeks late.

Soo frustrating.

My argument might have fallen apart mid-way, but just humor me. I'm just really sick and tired of not being able to find a job in an ISD (and thus having to settle for a contract job), because of the hiring freezes, because America doesn't want to fund education as much as they want to fund immigration control, political campaigns, football, and McDonald's.

Hnnnnnnnn.

That is all.

Oh, and on another note, Avery likes to dip her french fries in ketchup. She does it ever so gingerly, so as not to get all messy. What a doll.

ArtsEducation=HappyMama

Beautiful

Sometimes I have to step back and and just comprehend how beautiful my daughter is. Like, I can't even believe I created this precious little kid. It's mind-blowing sometimes.

Behold:

She is also quite the kick-in-the-pants. Sooo funny. And also a little bit poopy. She wants to have her way all of the time....because, duh, she's my child and also she's human.

She's going to come home from Kindergarten one day and be like "mom, my friends won't do what I tell them to do!"

Avery runs around saying "mom. mom. mom. mama. mama. mom. mom. mama." And she will keep going until I say "yes? what do you need?" And then she smiles her big cheezer smile. Usually she wants a snack.

My favorite thing that she does is the sound she makes when you ask her what a cow says. She doesn't just say "moo." She keeps her mouth closed and goes "mmmmMMMmmm." And she tilts her head back a little. Gosh, I can't explain it in a way that gives it justice. Seriously, so cute.

If you would like to hear about more cute things my child does, feel free to ask. I could go on forever.

HappyMama loves her HappyBaby

Good Advice

Hey y'all!

Let me just say that I am very proud of myself for losing 9lbs in January! My goal was 5, so I'm definitely doing something right. I'm gonna work hard to make sure that this keeps happening! Although, I can't lose 10lbs every month...because then I would weigh, like, 60 pounds by December. Not good.

While reading an article about how to improve your work-outs, I came across this paragraph:

Don't work too hard. This might sound counter-intuitive but hear me out. We all know how important rest and recovery is to any workout plan, but also think about how your workout affects the rest of your day. If you spend an hour at the gym sprinting and doing lunges, you might burn 600 calories in a short amount of time, but if that intense workout completely wipes you out for the rest of the day, the extra calorie burn might not be worth it. Be honest with yourself and definitely push yourself, but not so hard that it gets in the way of other daily activities. After all, the goal is to improve your quality of life.

This is pretty good advice if you ask me.

HappyMama, indeed.

Don't have to eat like a bird to look like one!

So, as most of you know, I am trying to lose weight. And I am! So far this month, I have lost 6lbs. I have my final weigh-in this Saturday...we'll see what the verdict is. My goal is to lose at least 5lbs a month, so I'm doing good! I might need to set a more realistic goal for myself if I find that I can reach that goal mid-month. Wouldn't that be awesome!? To lost 10lbs/month?! I'd be a skinny minnie in no time! Keep dreaming...

Anways, so I'm losing weight and I've had to figure out foods to eat that don't mess with my progress. Also, foods that my whole family will eat but that are still healthy choices. I don't want our pantry to have to be split into two sections: Karie's side and everyone else's side. Plus, I don't want to always be longing for foods that I know I shouldn't have but hmm I'll just eat one cookie and then I'll be done and before you know it, I've eaten the entire box.

So here are my alternatives:

These are great for when you're on the go and you really shouldn't stop at McDonald's for breakfast or lunch. They're pretty satisfying and come in a variety of flavors. Strawberry is my favorite. 10 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber.

These guys are in the refrigerated section at your grocery store by the cookie dough and such. They're 60 calories per brownie so you can only eat one or two but you aren't sacrificing flavor. Great for an after-dinner treat. Sometimes after I work out I get that little voice in my head that says "hey, you just worked out! Why don't you treat yourself to a big ol bowl of ice cream or cupcake! You've worked hard and you deserve it!" And I have to tell myself, no no, I really shouldn't. These Sweet Moments brownies are good to get the voices in your head to shut up.

I am a cereal fanatic. I could eat cereal everyday for every meal. It doesn't even have to be cocoa puffs or fruity pebbles or some really sugary cereal. I love healthy cereals, too. I love these oatmeal squares because they're just lightly cinnamon-ed and help to reduce cholesterol! Just like Cheerios! But you don't have to add a tablespoon of sugar to them, like you do Cheerios (didn't I just say that I like all cereal, even if it's not sugary??). They stay crunchy and 1 serving fills you up and gives you enough energy to last until lunch time.

I really like these little guys. Green Giant Weight Watchers frozen vegetables. My favorite ones are the broccoli and cheese and also the broccoli, rice and cheese. Each box has 2 1/2 servings in them and each serving is 60 calories. Even if you eat the whole box for lunch, that's still only 150 calories. What's nice about these are that if you want to make a whole box, you can grill some chicken to put in it. That's a great dinner! It will feed two easily and it's tasty.

And now, for my favorite. I just love Cheetos. They're probably my favorite chips. That's not saying much, though, because I'm really not a chip person. Aside from tortilla chips and salsa. These are all-natural, no artificial colors or flavors, no preservatives and 150 calories for an ounce (1 serving). These are a good snack to get you through until dinner. Soooo yummy.

I hope you have enjoyed my recommendations and try a few!

Yummy food= HappyMama

Turbo!

On Saturday mornings at 11am I take the bebe and we go to the gym so that I can take a Turbo Kick class. I drop Avery off at the Kids Club and I take my fat butt upstairs to the class room. Turbo Kick is really intense and sometimes I can hardly keep up. Here is the description of the class from the gym website:

Are you ready to sweat?Learn kickboxing skills choreographed to energizing music. Using no equipment, this kickboxing workout incorporates a number of upper body punches and lower body kicks. Most suitable to participants of medium to high fitness levels, but newcomers are always welcome – just let your kickboxing class instructor know. Mix up your routine with the balance, coordination and strength building moves of boxing or kick boxing while burning 300-600* calories. These high-intensity classes are a great full body workout, incorporating a broad range of punches and athletic drills. No matter which group boxing class you choose, training like this will physically prepare you for whatever punches life throws your way.

Yes, it is true. I do sweat. Quite a bit. Not always ready for it though, the gallons of sweat dripping down my face. Stings the eyes. And did you read that part about it being "most suitable to participants of medium to high fitness levels?" Heh heh heh, I am totally not at the level. I'd say I'm more of a beginner. BUT I always finish the entire hour! I don't stop! I keep going, no matter how much a fool I look! I'm sure everyone else in the class with their tight gluts and toned arms think I look really stupid. Who cares.

And would you like to know why it is called "Turbo" Kick? Oh goodness. Intermittently throughout the torture hour the instructor- who is the most sculpted, toned, lean piece of woman I have ever seen- speeds up the music and says "It's TURBO TIME!" And she says it like some sort of drill sergeant and we are all scared little bunnies about to face our doom. I shake in my boots, err, tennis shoes at this point. Turbo time is when we do high-intensity cardio that lasts for 2 or 3 minutes. 2 or 3 minutes? That's not that bad, you say. Oh no, it is painful. The whole time you're just like make it stop make it stop!! Where is my mother!? The instructor makes you run all over the place with your arms going up and down, punching high and low, with the jumping jack and the squat and the combo jumping jack squat and add in the five lunges across the room and then the jump! jump! jump! higher! jump! All the while with your hands in ready position like you're about to deck someone in the nose. Jab, jab, hook! Jab, jab, hook! Jab, jab, hook! Lunge! Lunge! Kick, kick kick! Jumping jack, kick! And don't stop! Let's do this whole thing five more times!! Five more times, she says! Yes, do it! BAAHHH!

And then you get a small water break.

Okay, really. I feel so good after that class, y'all. Like, so good. I feel like I have just conquered the world. Like I could do anything. And I burn so many calories. Like 800 y'all. I feel really bad for anyone that happens to look at me between the time I bolt out of the classroom door, down the stairs [pant, pant], across the gym, into the Kids Club, and out the doors of the gym. I look just awful. Face: bright red. Pitts: drenched. Hair: hot mess. Glasses: fogged.

But it is worth it. They always say beauty is pain. Unless you're just coming from TurboKick. Then you have no beauty and all of the pain.

TurboKick makes me a Happy[sweaty]Mama.

Let's make a SPARK

My New Years resolution this year is to lose weight (just like everyone else's, i know i know). But not just to lose weight, I really want to be healthier. And, really, I mostly want to lose inches...who cares what my actual weight is. When I worked at 24hour fitness I encountered people all the time who would come and work out for an hour a few times a week. Hooray! But you know what? They never lost any weight. Why? Because they weren't changing their lifestyles. They still ate an enormous amount of calories and didn't do any other physical activities outside of going to the gym. And I would always think to myself: "why spend all this money on a gym membership and never see any results?"

Losing weight really has to be a small part of a LIFESTYLE CHANGE. It can't be all about the number on the scale, because there will always be a number on the scale and you might find that you are never satisfied with that number, no matter how big or small that number is. SO. To fix this problem and be a happier you, you really gotta mix it up. Go to the gym, eat better, go walk around the park or go for a jog. Set healthy goals, turn the t.v. off and get out and do something.

I have found something that has really helped me to change my lifestyle. It's called SparkPeople. SparkPeople is a free, online tool that will help you in your weight loss. It might be similar to WeightWatchers, but I hear that costs $$. SparkPeople offers meal plans, calorie counters, exercise options, etc, etc. I have found it to be very helpful. You can enter your weight loss goal, and it will tell you how many calories you need to lose each day to attain that goal. You can enter in what you eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and it will tell you how many calories each of those are, how much protein you have eaten so far, how much fat, and carbs. You can input how much water you have drank. You can also put in what types of exercises you've done that day and for how long. It will help you plan a grocery list. It will educate you on how depression, insomnia, menopause, IBS, high cholesterol, and allergies all play into your overall health, fitness, and weight. SparkPeople is a holistic approach to better health.

You have to be diligent with it. If not, then what's the point? So many people make New Years resolutions to lose weight and then by March, they're back to their old eating habits and have stopped exercising. You have to make this website a part of your daily routine, just like you check your email and Facebook a million times a day. Not by a computer? That's okay, you can download the app to your Blackberry/iPhone.

So go check it out. Maybe you like it, maybe you hate it. Either way, make today count.

Here is an article from SparkPeople that I found very interesting:

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=1260

HealthyMama is a HappyMama

Put a little Boogie in it

Yes, it certainly is that time of the year for sick kids. Everywhere I look, I see runny noses, cough cough cough, and drippy droopy eyes. Being a teacher, this is no good for me because I am constantly surrounded by all of these germs. I'm really glad I have a good immune system. I would never make it as a teacher if I didn't. Just yuck.

Well, Avery is no stranger to this kid sickness. For close to two weeks now, she's had this runny nose. It's like someone turned on a faucet in her head and it's been running constantly.

There is nothing I can do about this HOWEVER, y'all I have found a product that is magic. It's like I struck gold.

Boogie Wipes.

Aside from feeling a little silly when I say "hey, pass me the boogie wipes," these things are wondrous. All it is is a wipe with saline added. So when you have to wipe your child's nose ten of hundreds of thousands of times their little noses don't dry out, turn red, and crack open. There are assorted scents- my personal favorite is the fresh scent- and they feel so wonderful on your nose.

NOW, I would not replace these with my regular household Kleenex because they're much too expensive for that, but these are really good if you or your child get sick and are in need of a heavy duty wipe that won't hurt your little button nose. And yes, I am aware that they do make Kleenex with lotion, "Puffs Plus," or whatever. Those do not even compare to the awesomeness that is a boogie wipe.

Boogie Wipe= HappyMama

Howdy

Thanks for visiting my blog!

I want to use this space to share what I'm doing to self-improve, motivate, and make a happier me. I hope that you find my posts on here helpful and useful.

Okay, so to keep your attention, I knew I had to start with something awesome. And yummy. Now, since I am trying to lose weight, most food posts will be low-fat. Boo Hiss. HOWEVER, I think you might like this recipe. It's not as low fat as it could be, you shouldn't eat a dozen of these and not think twice because they're "low-fat." But, it is a good alternative to you're regular, 1000 calorie Betty Crocker brownie.

Low-Fat Brownie Recipe

(yum-o)

3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2-oz bittersweet (or semisweet) chocolate
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp low fat sour cream or yogurt
1 large egg
1 egg white
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8 or 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper and lightly grease it.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
In a small bowl, melt together bittersweet chocolate and butter. Transfer to a large bowl and whisk chocolate mixture with sugars and sour cream. Whisk in egg, egg white and vanilla extract. Gently mix in the flour mixture, mixing until no streaks of flour remain. Batter will be thick.
Spread batter into prepared pan.
Bake for about 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached.
Cool brownies completely in the pan. Store in an airtight container.

(courtesy of bakingbites.com)

Now, I did make a few adjustments. Not to the recipe, just to how I baked them. I didn't use a round pan, I poured dollops of batter into mini muffin cups. So they looked like brownie bites. And I didn't use a special mini muffin pan either. I just used a regular muffin pan and put one mini muffin cup into each of the 12 muffin spots. I was worried at first that this might not work, but lo and behold, it did. So there ya go.

I also wanted to jazz up the brownies a bit. So I whipped up some raspberry glaze to go on top. Ohhh fancy, you say. Well, yes, I think so, too. I had some seedless raspberry jam on hand and I mixed 2 tbsp raspberry jam with 1 tbsp of water and drizzled it on top. The tartness of the raspberry mixed with the sweetness of the brownie is heaven, for realz y'all. You'll feel like you're indulging in a decadent dessert. But really, you're eating a low-fat brownie. Tip: Add the raspberry glaze on top right before you eat the brownie. If you let the raspberry glaze sit on the brownie for a while, the brownie will soak up the glaze and not be as pretty. It will look like your brownie is, um, wet. Brownies with watermarks are not cool.

That's all for today! Stay tuned for more things that make me HappyMama.

p.s. I would like to thank Mickey and the gang for entertaining my little one while I made these.