Fork in the road...

Day 12 (YAY -I'm back to caught up :D) photo is Fork.  This is a typical meal in our house worth of forks :) Two 'little' ones, two big ones!

Tip for better nutrition:  Go nuts! Almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans, peanuts, pistachios all contain
healthy monounsaturated fats that lower you risk of several diseases. Grab a small handful 3-5 times per week.  Notice the recurring advice?!  Not only are they 'healthy', they are good for your heart, they are easy and unless you have an allergy to nuts, they are a good source of protein (especially if you don't like meat!)

"It's hard to detect good luck-it looks so much like something you've earned." ~ Frank A. Clark ~

Talk is cheap...

Day 11 - someone you talked to... Really?!?  At least it was a weekend day :)  But I still choose this picture.  These three crack me up -  it's my kids and their cousin (about 3 months younger than my 2 1/2 year old...)  They are funny, especially when all together :D

Nutrition tip:  Chew on schedule. Too much time between meals can drop your energy levels, decrease your metabolism and result in overeating. Space your meals evenly throughout the day and eat a healthy snack between each meal.  Not going to lie.... I don't do this on a regular basis.  #1 reason, we just don't always think about it.  We KNOW it works (and it helps lose weight for those looking for those tips too) but scheduling doesn't ALWAYS allow it work out that way.

"It is better to be born lucky than rich." ~  Author Unknown ~

Quiet time...

What's that?!  I'm a SAHM....there's very little quiet time in my life (and I LOVE it!!) but Day 10 wants something loud...SO.... a mall play area full of kids or a room full of 10 3-5 year olds with tap shoes on?!?!  Or just the everyday music/parade/playing stuff we do?!?!!  You decide... .:D

Nutrition tip of the day:  Eat 4-6 servings of vegetables daily. High in nutrients and low in calories, veggies can help prevent diabetes, stroke, heart disease and more. One serving is equal to 1/2 cup.  In my house, I think my husband and I have no problems doing this...but our kids, a little more picky.  Don't get me wrong, I TRY to give them at least one veggie at lunch and dinner, but sometimes getting them to eat it is the trick.  We've started doing carrots and dip for snack, or letting them pick the veggie of the day and that's what we eat...they have to eat at least as many bites as they are old, especially if they pick it :D

"If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can  totally transform one million realities."  ~ Maya Angelou ~

I saw

RED!  *(a little Warrant moment, anyone?!?!)
Not only that, just a reminder... High Noon will be re-uniting on March 25th for a benefit for Mary Solberg (wife of HN Drummer, Mark. )  It's only happening once a year or so...so get out there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (If you're in the MN area :D)

Tip for better nutrition:  Start at the perimeter of the grocery store. Fruits, veggies, dairy and grains, which should make up the bulk of your diet, are located here. Eating these unprocessed foods boosts your nutritional intake and promotes health.  How funny....this is how I've started making my lists too...because generally speaking every store is set up like this!  (I did it based on the store I shop at the most, but I've found it true at many, MANY stores!)


"I never knew an early-rising, hard-working, prudent man, careful of his earnings, and strictly honest who complained of bad luck."  ~ Henry Ward Beecher ~

Look out the

Window...you never know!!

Tip for better nutrition:  Slow down. Savoring your food in a calm environment helps you tune-in to your body's signals. You're less likely to overeat and experience problems like acid reflux when you take your time to really enjoy the moment.  We USUALLY have a sit down meal with all of us around the table.  I believe in two things at meal time... 1) Family time! 2) Sitting down and slowing down, are good for, not only digestion, but mental states.  Relax!!

"I find the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have."  ~ John Heywood ~

Letting go...

Day 7 wants something you wore... I have a hard time moving past Tony Stewart not racing for Home Depot anymore, so I still wear my Tony (orange) stuff and wear it proudly - it all says Stewart, so it's still cheering for Smoke, right?!!? ;-)

Nutrition tip:  Avoid trans fats. They increase your risk of heart disease. Foods with "partially hydrogenated oil" as an ingredient contain trans fat (even if the label says 0 grams) and should be left on the grocery shelf.  Again, it can be a tough thing to start doing, but once you do it, it's so worth it!!!

"I don't know anything about luck.  I've never banked on it, and I'm afraid of people who do.  Luck to me is something else; hard work and realizing what is opportunity and what isn't."  ~ Lucille Ball ~

It's 5 o'clock somewhere....

"It's always 5 in Margaritaville".... hahahahahaha! (PS - I LOVE THAT SONG!!!)  (yep, a few minutes late...........) 

Tip for nutritional month:  Drink water. It's the only beverage your body really needs and craves. Gradually replace soda, flavored coffees, sugary drinks and other high-cal liquids with water. Aim for 8-12 cups each day.  Hard to do, but not really?!?!  I use an online tool to help track my water.  And the simple body improvements (weight loss, regularity, etc) from drinking more water - awesome!! :)  

"Good luck seldom comes in pairs, but bad things never walk (come) alone." ~ Chinese proverb ~ 

Just smile....

Today's photo... a smile :)  

Nutrition advice for the day:  Too busy to cook healthfully? To save time, use your Crockpot, cook and freeze large batches of food, buy pre-cut or pre-cooked ingredients, and keep an organized grocery list.  I think I only agree with half of this advice. Even as a SAHM, my crockpot is my best friend in the kitchen!! :)  I don't like buying many pre-cooked items...and if you're on a budget, pre-cut and pre-cooked often up those prices.   So be careful...just know it's better to eat at home, so do what you need to do ;)  

"Good luck is often with the man who doesn't include it in his plans."  ~ Author Unknown ~ 

TIME OUT

Taking a quick time out from the 'normal'... 


Here's a 'recipe' that I've been trying to remember to find for a few weeks.  My youngest (still in diapers) has a terrible rash right now and regular wipes, no matter what kind or how gentle they are, always make him cry.  (He's teething and his bottom is the one to suffer the most.)

Last week, I made a new container of homemade wipes, so I thought I'd put the recipe online.  I LOVE these wipes.  They are really absorbent and super easy to make.  They are also cheap!  GREAT money saver - try it once-what will it hurt?!?! 

Ingredients:

1 roll Bounty Select-A-Size paper towels

1 1/2 tablespoons baby bath

1 tablespoon baby oil

2 cups water

Start with 1 roll of Bounty Select-A-Size paper towels.  They really need to be Bounty.  I use off brand paper towels for general use, but I tried them once as wipes and they fall apart and don't clean baby bottoms nearly as well as Bounty. 

 Pull the wrapper off and place on a cutting board.

 Using a sharp non-serated knife, cut the roll in half.

They will look like this.  Keep one and put the other one away for next time.  

You need a container to place the wipes in that is big enough to fit the paper towels.  The cover also needs to seal well so they don't dry out.  I found this one at Target.  It's a ClickClack 2.9 quart.  

Measure out 1 1/2 tablespoons of baby wash.

Then 1 Tablespoon of baby oil.  Add both to the container

Add 2 cups of water to the container.

Mix together

Place the roll of paper towl in the container.  I place the cut side down.

Place the cover on the container and turn the container upside down.  Keep it upside down until the paper towels are soaked through.

Open the container.  Pull the cardboard center out of the paper towels.

This is how they look!  We love them!

Come to my

Bedside :)  The photo of day 4 - (I couldn't decide which 'bedside' I wanted to use, so you get both views :D)  

 (This is my actual bedside stand)

 (This is my side of the headboard :)

Nutrition tip of the day:  Know your "red flag" menu words. Avoid restaurant items described as: battered, bottomless, breaded, buttery, cheesy, country, creamy, crispy, fried, giant, loaded, smothered and stuffed. Yep, that covers about 90% of the menu of the places we go.  Just another reason why we don't eat out much anymore!!!

"Good luck comes in slender currents, misfortune in a rolling tides."  ~ Irish Saying

Who are the people...

In your neighborhood?!?!  That's the question for day 3 :)  Really it's just a picture of your neighborhood, so here ya go - one way (the way we know MOST of the people ;D)

Nutrition tip for the third day:  Enjoy 2-4 servings of fruit each day. Fruits are rich in nutrients, fiber, phytochemicals and antioxidants, which all help prevent disease. One serving is equal to 1/2 cup. FRUIT! FRUIT! FRUIT!  We eat A LOT of fruit.  My kids LOVE it, it's so good for you and it satisfies many cravings (crunchy, sweet, sugar....etc)  We easily get 2-4 servings a day :)

"Each misfortune you encounter will carry in it the seed of tomorrow's good luck." ~ Og Mandino

Fruit of ....

The day #2 :)  

The tip for better nutrition today:  Eat breakfast. It boosts your energy, metabolism and mental focus. Plus, breakfast eaters consume fewer calories throughout the day than people who skip this meal.  I used to be a non breakfast person, but seriously, the difference it's made in my weight plan, my energy and my overall health is amazing!  Even if it's a piece of toast as I go out the door.  Or a thing of yogurt before the kids get up... AMAZING!! :D

"Don't believe in miracles-depend on them." ~ Laurence Peter

Up, Up, Up....

I'm going up from here :)  Day 1 of March's photo a day! 

Nutrition tip for Day 1 of March:  Keep a food diary. Before you can improve your diet, you have to know where you stand. Record everything you eat and drink for five days and use these tips to improve your diet a little bit each day.  There is a great site called Spark People Join (use me as a referral if you need to - JudyRinMN) and use their online tools to help you get started!!

"A sure-fire recipe for good luck? Consciously and continually look for opportunities-and then take action."   ~ Steven Scott

In like Lamb...

At least in our area of the country.  We had beautiful weather after a system that gave us our first snow day of the season.  But there are some areas that are still getting nailed with strong/severe weather. Please pray for them all as they try to pick up the pieces of their lives that are being blown around (literally).  

Here's the PHOTOS for each day in March!!

Another new month!!

Somehow we made it through February.  That went fast, or maybe it's just me?!?! :)
March should be an interesting month!  It starts with me taking the two kids (2 and 4) to The Fresh Beat Band show at The Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul.  THEY LOVED IT!!!!! If you aren't familiar with The Fresh Beat Band, you must not have preschool-3rd grade(ish) aged kids in your house :D   They are today's version of The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse/Kids Incorporated, etc...am I dating myself yet?!?!  HA!!!
Then we dropped the husband off at the airport for his China trip (Yes, it feels like I just did this - oh wait, I did!  Back in December!)  Oh well...the wheels must keep turning and thanks to technology, we won't ever not really be in contact!  Love him!!!
Swimming lessons start up in about a week.  The 4 year old is moving out of the toddler class to the preschool class.  She is super excited, but I'm freaking out!  Just a growing moment for our kids.  The 2 year old gets to take her place in the parent/child class with me :)  At least we got them at the same time so I don't have to run back and forth and back and forth!  And it gives the husband about an extra hour of 'quiet' time to sleep on Saturday mornings for 8 weeks!

Another new month brings a new month of photo challenge...  Thanks to one of my BF's....she is keeping me on my toes (and I think making sure I post on here somewhat regularly ;D)  Thank Shannon!!!

Let's see, this month, let's do a month of  Healthy Diet tips...since it's National Nutrition Month :D  (I know...you are SO excited :D)

All starts in the next post :)  Thanks for making it to March!!

Listen...you might just learn...

The final day of LEAP YEAR February... I started with something I'm listening to (like the 'rules' says)  which was the ever popular YO GABBA GABBA in my house :D

But that quickly changed to:

The news of Davy Jones passing away at the age of 66, is still, somewhat, hard for me to grasp.  It's not like I KNEW the guy, but I grew up adoring The Monkees - all 4 of them.  Yes, I'm only in my mid 30's, but I have been a HUGE Monkee fan since I was probably like 7 or 8 :)  It's kind of like my Elvis :(  RIP Davy...may the music live on!!

One more heart tip: Take a hike. Because it's leap year, you get an extra day to work on your heart's health! Go for a walk today--even if you only have 10 minutes. Short bursts of light activity strengthen your heart, just like longer, intense workouts do. Take advantage of this extra day and your heart will thank you!  Please try to keep this up for the whole year/the rest of your life :)   We enjoy you reading our blog, we enjoy you in our lives and we want you around for many, Many, MANY years to come ;D  

"Those who haven't loved somebody else, more than they love themselves haven't even begun to live" ~ Source Unknown

I want money...

Or at least that's what the picture Day 28 is saying ;-)

Heart tip of the day: It's never too late to start a healthy lifestyle. By implementing small lifestyle changes like these each day, you can improve your heart health and quality of life. The important thing is to stick with it.  That's exactly what we're working on this year (and hopefully FOREVER) in our house!  We want to be around for many more years to come - we have two small kids that need us, a grown son-who soon enough-will have his only family that we want to be a part of, and many years of living ahead of us!!!

"I laugh, I love, I hope, I try I hurt, I need, I fear, I cry. And I know you do the same things too, So we're really not that different, me and you." ~ Colin Raye