Rachel's Up!

Rachel up??

Cry!!

*Looking for Elizabeth*

Rachel??

Mama!  Rachel up!!

 

Cheese!!

Little Talker

So I have to admit that Elizabeth is a completely different animal now that she can talk.  Scott and I both are amazed at the conversations we can now have with our daughter.  I may be crazy, but I swear her behavior has improved now that she can tell me more about what she wants or needs.  Well...at least we're back to even-keel after our post-traveling-and-getting-spoiled-by-every-relative-that-sees-us behavior roller coaster last week.  

Anyway, last week, we had gone to the store and one of the things I picked up was ice cream.  Elizabeth clearly noticed, asking me for it through most of Kroger.  She is a sucker for sweets (gets it naturally!).

So that night at dinner, I can't remember what we had, but Elizabeth did a pretty good job eating and we were getting up to clear the table.  My child barely glanced in my direction and turned to face Scott head-on.

"Dada, ice cream?"

Scott didn't answer, but looked at me with an expression that both asked if we even had ice cream and expressed disbelief that she had asked him without consulting me.

Before he could answer, she decided to give it another go...still looking at him, expectantly...

"Babe?**  Ice cream??"

I'm not sure who shot water out of their nose further, but regardless, it was her daddy that said, "Of course, honey, you can have some ice cream."  And went to fix it.

Pulling out the bowls, my dear husband asked me if I would like some too.

"Well sure, babe, if you're fixing it, I'll take some ice cream too."

And our little girl was very happy. 

**We have tried to explain to Elizabeth that when we call each other "Babe" or "Baby" it is just another nice name that mommies and daddies call each other.  It's been pretty confusing for her to comprehend and pretty confusing for us to explain as well.  Therefore, I completely understand why, on the Swiss Family Robinson, they always referred to each other as Mother and Father...ha!

21's!

Patience is not my strongest gift...especially when I lift biceps.  I have to admit that time-and-time-again, my arms have suffered simply because I "don't have time" to alternate curls...I would rush through three sets of quick curls and move on.  

And I would have flubby arms.  (The same holds true for lunges and my wobbly "tookus".)

So, I figured it was as good a time as any to refocus my workouts - especially on my dreaded biceps and triceps day.  My tool?  21's! (Which my husband informs me have been around forever, but they were new and exciting for me.  ha!)

You can really do 21's with most lifts.  Choose the exercise and take it through the full, first half of the concentric movement.  Then, bring it half-way back.  Then, back down.  Repeat this lifting of the lower part of the movement seven times.  Then take it back to the half-way point and go to your beginning point.  Back to half-way and back to beginning (seven times).  Then, do seven of the full lift...equaling 21 movements total.

I like to do these with single-arm cable bicep curls.  So I curl the weight and then bring my arm down half-way and then back up for seven.  Then all the way down and to the center for seven.  Then full curls for seven = dead in the water.  

If I do these on my first lift, then I know I've given it my full effort and all other bicep efforts afterward will be gravy.  I am trying to work up the guts to try these with squats...but I would just hate to fall-out at the Y!  For the record, I've been doing these for biceps for the past three weeks and can really feel a difference!  

Here was my bi's and tri's workout today  (all done in super-sets)

Warm-up 5 x 10 pushups alt. with 5 x 12 ab wheel (WEEKLY CHALLENGE!)

3 x "21's" single-arm bicep curl

3 x 15 over-head tricep press

3 x 12 cable bicep curl - with long bar

3 x 12 tricep press with rope

3 x 15 bicep cable curls with rope

3 x 12 single arm tricep pushdown on cable handle

Speaking of Breakfast...

Mama E got me thinking about breakfast foods after the shake post and I have to admit that I get in a huge breakfast and lunch rut with the girls.  I still look back at my mom and think she was brilliant for having a different, hot breakfast scheduled for every day of the week.  Thinking back, I never remember it changing.  

Mondays - poached eggs and toast
Tuesdays- pancakes
Wednesdays - oatmeal and cinnamon rolls
Thursdays - omelets
Fridays - cream of wheat or cocoa wheat
Saturdays - waffles
Sunday- Dad cooked

We always went to school with breakfast in our bellies and I now look back and admire my mom for getting up, getting ready, and preparing this for us before she went to work.  I even have friends who ask if we still have waffles on Saturdays (memories from spending the night) and my dad even made breakfast for my bridal party the morning that we got married (it was a Saturday, so he made waffles, of course!).

I feel so fortunate that I get to stay home and raise my girls...therefore, I really don't have any excuse that my breakfasts and lunches are so...boring.

This morning, I was cooking and Elizabeth peaked over the counter and yelled, "Yay!  Toast!"  

hmmmm...

Which leads me into the fact that I am eternally fired up for the $5 dinner mom's NEW breakfast and lunch cookbook!  I LOVE this woman and found her through a link for her baked oatmeal (which was a lifesaver during a particularly picky eating spell by my daughter).  I have learned so much through her shopping and cooking tips and have really saved our family a ton of money.  I use her meal planning calendar and probably reference her dinner cookbook at least twice a week. 

She is easy to read and has a great sense of humor.  I don't think the cookbook will be out by Christmas, but here is the link to pre-order it and you could always print off the picture to stick in a Christmas card for someone.  Or you could order the dinner cookbook, which I highly recommend.  

Shake it, baby!

I was talking to a good friend of mine the other day who was telling me that she wanted to start making smoothies for breakfast but didn't like yogurt.  She was looking for some healthy options that she could try.  It's really no surprise to our friends, former athletes, or the Fed Ex guy that we would suggest making a shake.

Our supplement delivery - Christmas once a month!

My husband and I are big believers and partakers in shakes and supplements.  A very easy way for my friend to make a shake would be with whey protein.  Whey is an easily digestible protein source that is derived from milk.  You can find it almost anywhere - normally it comes in a 2 lb. tub and runs between $15 and $20.  I tend to be a brat and only drink things that I like the taste of so I normally stay towards the chocolate end of flavors and stick to brands that I know.  (Right now, we have Pure Protein - which you can find at Target or Walmart.)

My husband has a lecture that he gives on the importance of eating protein as soon as you get up, accompanied by a little voice he gives to muscles that yell, "I'm starving!"  If you're interested, I'll get him to chime in on my blog one day.  But for my purposes, I know if I don't eat protein in the morning, I don't lose weight.  Therefore, I make sure I either eat eggs or have a shake.

So...back to our shake.

Get out your blender and decide what kind of shake you want.  Throw in a scoop of your whey and some skim milk (or rice milk or 2% or soy...whatever flips your skirt)...just be sure to measure your liquid with the glass you're going to drink it in.  Now your additions are up to you.  If you like chocolate, be sure you get chocolate whey.  Add some fruit (a banana or some frozen strawberries).  Maybe you want to skip the fruit and make your liquid half milk, half coffee (like a little whey mocha).  

If you want something that sticks to you, throw in a little oatmeal.  If you want something totally fruit flavored, then I'd get vanilla whey.  I've seen some shakes brewed with vanilla whey, milk, brewed green tea, apple sauce and a little cinnamon.  Yum!  I would steer clear of adding peanut butter or something with a higher calorie content unless you're making a post-workout shake (which we'll talk about at a different time).  We normally sprinkle in a little ground flaxseed to get a dose of Omega-3 fatty acids as well!

It's beginning to look...

This may be the best Christmas ever.  If you are not around small children and get to experience their Christmas excitement, please come to my house and breathe in Elizabeth.  I have never been more pumped about a holiday than I am this year.  And it's all because of her.  

"Mama!  Kiss-muss tree!!"

"Mama! Yights!!"

Sunday, we decorated the house and she could not get enough of the lights and decorations - it really makes me wish we had more stuff.  (My husband just choked reading this, I know...)

Elizabeth, sticking the peelie ornaments on the window.  Thank you, Aunt Teresa!

I got the biggest kick out of decorating the tree.  Elizabeth would hand me ornaments and Rachel would try to eat the paper they'd been wrapped in.  "Mama, hang it ov-ah the-yah...on the kiss-muss tree!"  Of course, they all had to go high, so the poor tree is top-heavy and the girls jump all over the floor on the colored reflections the LED lights put off (like a colored disco ball).  Well...Elizabeth jumps.  Rachel swats at it.

Daddy taking a break from hauling in boxes to hold his girl.

She fusses at me to turn on the lights (yights!) as soon as we walk in the door and they both especially love the fiber optic penguin Aunt Lynn gave us.  Rachel has tried to grab it several times, with no success...yet...

We've created a dessert monster.  ERS loves pumpkin pie!!

Why are you taking a picture and not picking me up, woman??!!

Elizabeth in her new warm-up suit that her Aunt Andrea gave her before gymnastics.

I am really looking forward to December and experiencing these firsts with our girls.  Much more to come!!

Brrr...

What is it about cold weather that makes me crave carbs? I'm talking breads, rolls, cookies, cakes, yummmmm....  Last winter, I reasoned that I was pregnant and I had a picky 18 month old that didn't want to eat dinner. I couldn't let her starve, could I? So I made some sort of bread product to go with almost every meal.  Because she would eat bread.  With butter.  And so would Mommy.  Did I mention I gained over 50 pounds with my pregnancy??!!  

Homemade cinnamon rolls...yummmmmm

Therefore, you would imagine my surprise when the temperature dropped below 60 outside and I started flipping through cookbooks...  hmmm... So much for my excuses.

I don't pretend to have a cure for this disease.  I know a lot of people gain weight over the winter and suffer from a similar craving, in addition to Thanksgiving dinner (and leftovers!) and Christmas cookies. 

I've attempted to combat this in a couple ways...

1.  I have purchased new clothes.  They are fitted and cute and in style and I want to wear them.  Those of you who know me know how cheap I am, so this is a big commitment for me.  It helps in the motivation department - plus my husband is a little more than thrilled to see me put HIS sweatshirts back in the closet. 

2.  When the craving hits, drink water.  I know people say that if you're craving something then you're lacking something.  Well, I'm not lacking cinnamon rolls in any part of my being, so when the craving hits, I start drinking water or a cup of hot tea.  Most of the time, that solves my problem.  If not, then I make a batch, EAT ONE, and then package the rest and take it to a friend.  The daycare ladies at the YMCA love baked goods!!

3.  Don't make bread with dinner (duh).  I suppose my daughter isn't going to starve and she'll be forced to eat broccoli.  I tell her there are worse things in life.  And I save money at the grocery store.  Pillsbury still calls to see why I'm not buying stock in their little canned biscuits anymore!  If I truly want bread, then I make it...from scratch...a talent that I do not have.  Nothing will turn you off bread more than homemade, hard-as-a- rock, burnt bread.

4.  Eat your carbs early in the day.  If I just have to have them, then I eat them for breakfast.  I'll have pancakes or waffles or biscuits.  That way, I have the whole day to use them as energy (which is what carbohydrates are for!).  It never fails that the more starchy carbs I eat for dinner, the more weight I gain.  It just sits dormant in my hips until morning!

5.  I also crave chocolate - but instead of making a cake, I pick at chocolate chips or hot chocolate or small containers of pudding...really, anything small that I can grab and put back the container that gives me a taste and not the calories.

What about you?  How do you combat the cold weather cravings??!!