Lovins for her baby sister.......

----A beautiful salad for dinner and the pushup----

I love salad's !! I have certain requirements for a healthy salad however. One of them is no ice berg lettuce, that is the kind that is shaped like a ball, absolutely no nutritional value, just cellulose. When choosing salad greens, the greener the better (green equals vitamins). I use a little romaine, a little red leaf lettuce and some spinach for a base. Another requirement is that the dressing is on the side, even if it is fat free. By dipping your fork in the dressing, then getting a bite of salad you will use a lot less and lower the calories. Dressings are full of sugar and fat, so a little should go a long way. One of my favorite dressing's is Brianna's Saucy Ginger Mandarin. It very high in calories, so again you just need a little. I also really like the new spray dressings!! The Asian one is yummy. If you are a Ranch or Blue Cheese person, just try to find a fat free one.
Toppings are a must, strawberries, apple cubes, fat free cheese, craisins (dried cranberries), sliced almonds, cucumbers, avocado you name it !!! If you have small children, let them choose what goes in the salad, they might want to try it themselves. Be creative and don't be afraid to mix odd things together, you would be surprised what tastes good together. I am vegetarian, but I still eat eggs, so I use a hard boiled egg and black beans for protein. Diced chicken works very well, however if you are trying to cut calories you really don't need it. Also crackers, chips and croutons add a nice crunch, just try and choose something low in calories or baked not fried. I have found that just having a nice salad for dinner is a great way to bring the scale down in the morning. You might even wake up hungry, which is good thing !!

Now to that upper body and strengthening those arms. Please do not attempt if you have any wrist, arm, shoulder problems. If not, then try a push-up. Start out on your knees with ankles crossed, hands below your shoulders about shoulder width apart. When starting out, do not go all the way down, any movement downward is good, you have to work up to it. Try 10 at first. Remember not to put your bum in the air, that's cheating !!! Also I have discovered a store called 5 below, it's like the dollar store. They have a fitness section that carries dumbbells. 1-5 pounders. Go get yourself a pair of 5 pound weights and do some bicep curls. Good luck and try something new this week !!! Take some time for yourself, you deserve it !! Namaste....

What makes a man sexy ??

I am sure you are all dying to know my opinion on most things !! Ha ha. However when it comes to what makes a man sexiest, I think I know. Lets not forget, there are many things in combination that are attractive, eyes, hair, muscles, voice and shoulders etc. However the sexiest thing for me is to watch my husband play and interact with our daughter !! Watching Jason and Maddison play in the ocean on Sunday was so great. He played with her, and for a long moment in time she was the only one in the world. It is in these little moments in time that you realize the important role the father has in the family. As I watched them it became so clear to me, I am so proud that I chose this man to have babies with !! He is so patient and so kind, and he is all ours !!! We love you Jason.....

Blogging about Nutrition and Exercise !!

Disclaimer : I am not a licensed nutritionist or a personal trainer. I am just a Mother and a Wife who knows quite a lot when it comes to trying to stay healthy and feel good. Exercise is good for the body and the soul, we know this. Having a bad day, put the ice cream down and go for a walk, you will feel better. That being said I am going to blog about diet and exercise, however I am not responsible for how the information is used. My goal is to be helpful, not harmful. Please do not hurt yourself and if I help you let me know, also if you have a question, please ask (Just leave a comment). Namaste......

I have this plan to begin posting about diet and exercise. We shall see how well this goes after the new little girl Rolfe is born !! For now, I just was thinking about how easy it is to loose a few pounds (when not pregnant of course) by simply changing a few of our daily habits. One idea is to just not eat all that you put on your plate!! Simply cut what you would normally eat in half for a week, and you will be surprised at the fact you will survive from a smaller amount of food and you might even feel better by not being so full. Another bad habit many of us get into is eating just because food it's there and not because we are actually hungry. Listen to your body, are you hungry? Or are you bored?? If you are bored, try an apple !!!

As for exercise ideas, I have tons. My main one right now is to try something new !! Get out of your comfort zone and go to an exercise class that you have never tried before !!! Do not be scared or feel embarrassed, everyone else in that room is probably feeling that way too. Why should you deny yourself the benefit of exercise, be selfish please when it comes to doing something that is so good for you !!!!!
Our family belongs to the local YMCA and I love it !! We pay a very small amount per month for membership and child care is FREE !!!! They offer many classes and have nice people that just walk around to help you if you need it. What more do you need ?? Just remember your water !!!

"Pain is just weakness leaving the body"

Dreaming of the Caribbean water......so turquoise, so warm...

After living on the tropical island of Saba for almost 2 years, the island just becomes part of you. You are never the same. Snorkeling in the warm blue-green waters was so peaceful. Life was so amazing and difficult there, I really miss the simplicity of most things.

Jason and I have made a promise to ourselves to go back to the islands for a well needed vacation, just the two of us. The idea of this trip is so exciting to me, a place to just be, relax and soak up the serenity that only the Caribbean can offer. I am dreaming of the sun, the sand, the water, a very yummy cocktail or two, and my husbands uninterrupted conversation and company. Don't get me wrong, we love our daughter and we love our unborn little baby girl, however there is a selfish side to us that longs for some time for just us. Someday....... a girl can dream.

Maddie is such a crafty girl !

We have had 2 trips now to the Paint and Play store at the mall. Maddie loves painting the ceramics and it keeps her busy for hours !! Our last project is a cute little doggy dish for our dog. We pick it up next week when they are done cooking it in the oven. It will be a great looking bowl, with every color imaginable on it, lots of layering of the colors and Tuesday's name on it. As we were there she was picking out other projects !!!!

Almost 29 weeks (7 months) !!!

Ok, so we are 1 day shy of 29 Weeks !! I am starting to think about labor pains, and caring for a newborn again, very excited. I am hoping to have this baby without an epidural just like I did with Maddison, but we shall see. Jason thinks I should try it with, just to compare. Maddie is also excited, she talks about "what a great big sister she is going to be to her lovely new little baby !!!"

Happy Birthday Papa ......

Today would have been my Father's 74th Birthday. You will be in my thoughts today papa, as you are everyday. We miss you and we love you.

The funny side of having a huge belly

O.k., so gaining weight again has not been fun for me. As I still completely REFUSE to wear maternity clothes because they are designed by very mean men, I am proud to say I am still in my normal clothes. With that being said I have noticed that my belly is getting very round and big. This comes in very handy for resting a bowl of ice cream or a bowl of cereal (that Jason is eating Ha Ha). Also I can no longer see my feet let alone reach them, which means I need to go for a pedicure more often.
My belly now touches everything before I do, no real advantage to this, and I am sure the little baby girl is getting tired of the bonks on the head. I also have become even more clutsy than I usually am. I contribute this to my balance being way off.

So just a few funny things about having a big belly. Have a great day !!!

She waits for this all day !!

Maddie waits all day for Daddy to come home because it is time to wrestle with him and she gets to jump on the couch. We are so glad our 10 year old couch can take all the jumping. Playing with her Daddy is the best part of both her and Jason's day. I see a trampoline in the backyard someday !!

Just being her "Cheeky" little self

You might think this picture is posed, however our little girl is very girly and this is one of her standard stances. She has those hands on her hips quite a bit. She just loves her rose bud swimming suit. I am actually happy I have a picture of her in the backyard with something covering her body. She usually is running around naked.

The fourth of July !!

We made blue berry pancakes for Daddy and we

let him sleep in. Then we packed up and it was off to the beach for the day.

Taking a break from swimming and eating a peach.

Maddie and Daddy waiting for the fireworks to start. She loved the fireworks. This was the first year she stayed up late enough to enjoy them. She said "Mommy they are so amazing and beautiful, can I touch them?" "I am so happy to celebrate Merica's birthday !!" So neat to see the world through her eyes.
We hope you all had a great 4th of July.