Mommy MiZFiT

Come On Over

2011-02-18T10:21:00.002-06:00

Head on Over to http://www.mommymizfit.com/.

This will be my last post...

2011-01-26T21:41:00.004-06:00

On...

This...

Blog site!

Gotcha! Well, those of you that DO read, I hope I did get your attention because...

I have a new blog/website that I will be blogging at from now on. I REALLY hope that you will follow me on over to here to subscribe and continue to keep up with our family! This new website is very user friendly and spiffy with all kinds of tabs to be able to find recipes and such much easier!

My friend, Michelle, is so awesome and has been helping me get this all set up! I am SO EXCITED! Can't you tell?!

Anyways, I want to kick off my first blog post on my new site with a FREE GIVEAWAY!

Here's what you have to do:

#1 Subscribe as a reader - yes, I am lame enough to bribe ya'll ;)!

#2 Tell me why you started blogging

#3 Guess what the prize will be

***Winner will be chosen by Tuesday February 1st, 2011 9pm CST.

My husband...

This handsome fella, will choose who the winner will be! Remember, he is a numbers guy and I am a fitness gal...so good luck!!!

I heart quick & easy meals!

2011-01-20T13:53:00.006-06:00

Pantry Pumpkin Soup

This is an easy recipe that you can throw together within minutes. It really hits the spot during these cold winter months and doesn't make you feel like you need to hit the gym right after! Pair it with a nice salad and dinner is served!

Ingredients:

1 large can of pumpkin

1 can of black beans (drained, rinsed)

1 large can of pinto beans (drained, rinsed)

2 cans of diced tomatoes with garlic & onion or 1 small jar of salsa

1/2 bag of frozen corn or 1 can (drained, rinsed)

2 cups of water

2 Tbsp. chili powder

2 Tbsp. cumin

2 Tbsp. garlic powder

Directions:

Step 1 - Mix all ingredients together into a large pot, bring to a simmer. Serve!

Nutritional Info

Servings Per Recipe: 22
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 85.1

Total Fat: 0.6 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 254.2 mg
Total Carbs: 17.4 g
Dietary Fiber: 5.0 g
Protein: 4.0 g

Snow(Ice) Day 2011

2011-01-20T11:36:00.009-06:00

I absolutely LOVE living in Oklahoma! The weather is different every day and you can count on some pretty fun times if you make the most of it!

For instance, Saturday we had a beautiful day that we were able to ride bikes down to the park without coats on.

And then today, we woke up to a "Snow Day" meaning we didn't have school! Yeah!!!

The kid's climbed into bed with me and we watched some cartoons together...then, the wild rumpus began...

And, of course, we can't let a beautiful thing like an ice covered sloped driveway go to waste...

This day is full of surprises...

Big sister finding the perfect hiding spot from little brother in order to protect her naked Ariel doll. Oh, there are days I wish I could find a tight spot to hide out in...like after my 2 year old tells me I need to wear a diaper. Hope your day has been full of surprises too!

How much television does your children watch or how often do your children play video games?

2011-01-18T14:00:00.006-06:00

Are you a family that has either decided to go "unplugged" as far as video gaming goes? Or do you have a great system in place that rewards, yet limits television time or video game playing? If this sounds like you, would you be willing to share with the 405moms.com how you manage to find balance in letting your kid's play games, but still keep them active?

If so, we would love to hear your input. Here's how you can participate: Leave a message on my blog and tell us briefly how your system works and why you chose to do so!

Weight loss & New Training Challenge for Kirsten McIntyre, Heidi Cleveland & Holly Carroll

2011-01-18T08:14:00.002-06:00

I have been working with these ladies since September of 2010. Each one being a first time mom and wanting to get back to their pre-baby weight. They have joined boot camps and group training classes. They have cut back on junk food and increased their healthy food consumption, all while learning the ropes of being a mom! They are doing great as they continue to work hard to lose inches and pounds. Their strength, confidence, and stamina are increasing. So much so, that they have started training for the Memorial Half Marathon. I am looking forward to seeing each lady meet their goals and cross that finish line. Check them out here if you want to see how many inches and pounds they have lost!

Dark Chocolate Oatmeal Pumpkin Bars

2011-01-16T20:34:00.005-06:00

You are not going to believe that these bad boys are less than 90 calories per bar! The kid's loved them! Great snack for anytime!

Dark Chocolate Oatmeal Pumpkin Bars

Ingredients:

6 oz. canned pumpkin

2 Tbsp butter

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup whole wheat or 50/50 flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup whole oats

1/2 - 3/4 cup of dark chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together pumpkin, sugar, brown sugar and butter.
Beat in egg and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, & salt.
Mix in oats and chocolate chips.
Add the dry mixture to the pumpkin mixture. Mix well.
Spray an 8 1/2 by 12 inch pan with non stick cooking spray.
Spread evening into bottom of the pan.
Bake for 20 minutes or until brown on top.

Nutritional Info

Servings Per Recipe: 20
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 86.7

Total Fat: 2.0 g
Cholesterol: 13.7 mg
Sodium: 185.5 mg
Total Carbs: 20.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.0 g
Protein: 1.7 g

This Is Why You're Fat & Healthier Snacking Options

2011-01-11T21:40:00.004-06:00

Does anyone see the irony in this picture?

Yes, the fact that this awesome book is leaning against my Kitchen Aid mixer is a huge reason why I have extra fat on my body. I love to cook and I love to eat sweets! Majority of what we eat is healthy, but during these cold winter months, it sure is hard to resist those comfort foods. It's a good thing that Jackie Warner uses me as her body double in the summer months and lets me take a sabbatical in the winter months because she knows me so well. HA!

Seriously, though, check out this book at your local library and I promise you will see some results. Better yet, buy the book, read ALL of it. Love it and DO it!!! I love that Jackie doesn't say any food is off limits. Her main nutritional method is to eat clean for 5 days and then eat what you want on the weekends. Naturally, you see results and feel so much better eating clean, therefore you are less likely to want to eat the junk as much. I like this mentality because it takes the pressure off of eating perfect all the time and it allows for you to enjoy life a bit more. My kind of gal!

Since the majority of people I know keep a very busy, on the go, and are just down right awesome...I thought I would share with you a few of my favorite protein bars along with a few that Umo (Ekpenyong) Callens, our nutritionist at Transformation Fitness Center, recommended as well.

My family loves to eat the Kashi GoLean Crunchy Chocolate Peanut bars. Umo also recommended these Odwalla bars. Here is my breakdown on the two:

Both have higher quality ingredients and do NOT contain High Fructose Corn Syrup.

2. The Kashi bar has more protein(which is a big thing that I consider), less calories, less carbohydrates, less fat and sugar than the Odwalla bar per serving.

3. The Kashi bar is more crunchy and has a chocolate coated side.

4. The Odwalla bar is more brownie like in texture.

5. Both taste really good.

My kid's really like eating the Kashi bar's, but I have always wished that there was something more geared towards kid's on the go, rather than a weight loss/maintenance supplement that I could feed them. CLIF has come out with exactly that! I was so excited to find Z Bar's at Target.

My family also likes CLIF brand bars and here are a few you might find to fit your nutritional needs. The Z BAr's mission is "Nourishing Kid's in Motion." I love knowing that there are better choices offered to give to my kid's to snack on to help fuel them while they are playing sports or on the go. The Chocolate Brownie is really tasty and has a brownie, chewy like texture. Almost feels like you are eating something you shouldn't! Not a bad 130 calorie snack! Money saving tip: There is a $1 off coupon in the Target coupon book this month too!

The Mojo bars are more crunchy, nutty in texture. They give you a sweet and salty fix for 200 calories. Yum!

For those of you (which means most everyone) who needs to get in a few more grams of protein to help build lean muscle, the CLIF Builders Protein bars are a good bargain. At 270 calories, this bar packs 20 grams of protein into a chocolate covered, chewy bar. Joshua and I love these because we can use these as a small meal replacement. (Remember, we try to eat 5-6 smaller meals a day to help boost our metabolism and to keep our energy levels up!)

I do hope to add to this list in another post soon, but these should give you a good start to healthier prepackaged snacking. Obviously, the fresher the better, so don't forget to eat fresh fruits and veggies every day!!!

Buzz and Woody

2011-01-11T15:43:00.008-06:00

Currently, Buzz & Woody are in a time out from Mr. Hayden. Mr. Hayden doesn't seem to learn through conventional timeouts. So, Woody and Buzz are in timeout together. Upstairs in the extra bedroom nightstand drawer. Hopefully, somewhere the little guy won't look.

I happen to find the idea of Hayden's Woody & Buzz being in timeout hilarious. Being that Toy Story is all about the toys living in their own world around us. Planning, Plotting, & scheming some outlandish rescue mission. Right now I imagine that they are in the middle of scheming a getaway themselves.

Hayden has temporarily forgotten about the two of them. Let's hope he gets to see them again soon.

Or maybe not.

I find that Woody, especially, seems to cause a bit of ruckus around here. Very much like Ariel does. Woody's name seems to just make things all come out wrong when you are talking to your kid's. Not that the kid's think anything of it, but I was jokingly told the other day by another parent that they didn't appreciate me telling my son to share his "woody" with their daughter.

Sorry...but, that's just NOT funny!

After that comment, I have found myself trying not to laugh at Landice when she yells at her brother, "Get your woody out of my face." Again, Not funny. I know.

Growing up with 3 brothers can give you warped sense of humor.

I guess the saying, "You get what you deserve" is proving to be true right this moment, because as I joke about "Woody," Landice walks in telling me that Hayden just drew all over the floors.

The tile.

The grout.

Oh yeah, and on poor Henry's face.

The master of disaster himself.

I am pretty sure you can tell that my parenting style is different with each kid.

Yeah, this kid definitely gets away with a lot...can't you tell?!

I guess Buzz and Woody will have another day to plot and scheme and hopefully one can dream that little Mr. will lose his orneriness.

Asiago Almond Chicken

2011-01-09T21:44:00.008-06:00

Or you could just call it, "THE BEST CHICKEN EVER!" Seriously, folks, I'm not kidding!

Step 1 - Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Step 2 - Grab 6-8 Chicken breasts to defrost.

Step 3 - place 4 pieces of whole wheat bread, a handful of fresh parsley, 2 garlic cloves, and 1/2 cup of almonds, 1/2 cup asiago shredded cheese, 1 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of oregano & some fresh cracked black pepper in your food processor.

Step 4 - Blend until mixed to a crumbly consistency.

Step 5 - Cut each breast in half

Step 6 - Cut each breast in half down the middle. This allows for quicker baking time, more chicken to go around, and a beautiful display on your plates!

Step 7 - Put crumb mixture into a medium sized bowl.

Step 8 - Pour 1/2 cup of olive oil into a small bowl for dipping the chicken in.

Step 9 - Transfer chicken that has been dipped in olive oil into the crumbly mixture. Cover completely.

Step 10 - Place chicken in a baking dish. Cook for 20-30 minutes.

Step 11 - Share this blog post with 10 of your friends and see if you can keep yourself from eating too much of this! Your taste buds and your booty will love you!

This is a great dish to serve to your family because it is quick, easy, and healthy. But, it is also a great dish to entertain your guests with! I have also made this recipe with parmesan cheese as well. Both are very delicious! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

6-8 chicken breasts

handful of fresh parsley

4 pieces of whole wheat bread

1/2 cup asiago cheese

1/2 cup almonds

2 garlic cloves

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp oregano

fresh cracked pepper

Directions:

Step 1 - Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Step 2 - Grab 6-8 Chicken breasts to defrost.

Step 4 - Blend until mixed to a crumbly consistency.

Step 5 - Cut each breast in half

Step 6 - Cut each breast in half down the middle. This allows for quicker baking time, more chicken to go around, and a beautiful display on your plates!

Step 7 - Put crumb mixture into a medium sized bowl.

Step 8 - Pour 1/2 cup of olive oil into a small bowl for dipping the chicken in.

Step 9 - Transfer chicken that has been dipped in olive oil into the crumbly mixture. Cover completely.

Step 10 - Place chicken in a baking dish. Cook for 20-30 minutes.

Love and Logic

2011-01-07T14:55:00.003-06:00

Last night, Joshua had to work late so I was on my own for dinner and bedtime. I am very blessed in the fact that Joshua's job allows him to be home 99% of the time for these two events. I am very thankful that Joshua is super involved with helping with these two events as well. So, needless to say last night was interesting.

One kiddo decides that this is indeed a Love and Logic kind of day. The kiddo only trying to test the boundaries of not going out of the backyard without permission for the millionth time. Thankfully, while I was sick last week I reread (for the 4th time) Love and Logic and was prepared for battle. The kiddo was told to sit on their bed and think about why they are there.

Isolation + defiant, upset child = calm and cool momma downstairs finishing dinner.

I go upstairs to discuss the situation and the child decided to tell me that what I said was "ugly."

Isolation + defiant, even more upset child = calm and cool momma downstairs setting the table.

I go upstairs once again to discuss the situation and kiddo still wasn't quite getting the point that they were in trouble and it was no time to bring up other people's wrong doings. During this time, I told the sad, little person to try to think again and when they were done pitching a monstrous fit, then we would talk again. Before they trudged back to their bed, the little person leans into me, weeping and said, "I tried hard, Mom." Sob *** Sob *** Sob*** "It's just not working out for me!"

I gently stroked their back and said, "I'm real sorry about that. Maybe this time it will!"

Isolation + sorrowful, less upset child = calm and cool Momma downstairs to pull the chicken out of the oven.

A few minutes later, I headed back upstairs for discussion. This time I was greeted with a repentant attitude and a calmer spirited kiddo.

Our discussion was based on how disobeying Mommy when we know it is wrong is something that "big kids" try hard not to do. They try not to disobey because they know that God is not happy with those decisions. "Babies" have to learn how to make good decisions and that is why they can't do "big kid" things. Since you are the "big kid," you get to do the "big kid" things. But, what is going to happen when you keep making bad decisions and your siblings, even though they are younger than you, get to do the "big kid" things and you don't because you are making bad decisions?

Tears begin to well up in the little man's eyes. Ah ha! I struck a nerve and Protests of the injustice of revoking elder child rights set in temporarily.

Discussion ended with kiddo realizing that ONLY he is in charge of making good decisions and that blaming others or getting angry for being disciplined does not help his situation any.

Temporary Isolation + God giving me the right words = A peace in my heart and actually feeling like a good parent for once

Being Consistent and Firm is tough, but so worth it!

It's seems like when Daddy's working late inevitably someone has to spill their chocolate milk all over the creme table cloth and the floor. It seems that that same someone feels the need to poop their pants twice, which is not normal because they are indeed very much fully potty trained. One of the two times they come in the house with an extended hand revealing poop they have felt around for in their britches.

Meanwhile, another kiddo is refusing to eat dinner, but is more than happy to oblige me with 3 horribly full and disgusting monster poopy diapers between 4pm & 8 pm.

Since this day has been quite full of adventure, I decided it was perfectly suitable to let the kid's play in the bath tub for an hour before bedtime. While I was filling up the tub I gave the kid's some instructions.

"Go upstairs, take your clothes off and put them in your dirty clothes hamper. Grab some new pajamas and underwear. Come downstairs."

They very excitedly obliged. As they were coming downstairs I heard Corban singing a little song. I didn't say anything about it. I just snickered to myself and went on.

So, the kid's play, splash, laugh and enjoy their baths. I got each kid out individually and they all screamed, "It's cold...help, it's cold." I suggested that they get their jammies on fast so they could warm up. I hear Corban start to sing that same song again. This time it came with a little dance and it went a little something like this:

Corban: I'm Shakin' my PeePee. I'm Shakin' my PeePee. Hayden, Do you want to shake your PeePee with me?

Hayden: (with his typical 2 year old oppositional growl) No! I don't a wanna shake a my Peeee Peeeee!

Corban: Why not?

Me: (Laughing) Where did you learn that from?

Corban: Oh, I just made it up...I didn't learn it from Daddy cause he doesn't like to shake his peepee.

Yes, I realize that Joshua is going to kill me...since he is already, you might think this conversation we had last night was hilarious too.

Setting: Joshua and I sitting on the couch catching up on our days events. He is folding a load of whites while I eat out of a container of chocolate ice cream. Now that's what I call a perfect ending to ANY day!

Joshua: I've gotten to where I really like working in Excel. I like getting to see how difficult I can make something, but that is very simple to use. ***PAUSE*** It's awesome. ***PAUSE***It's something I enjoy. ***PAUSE***It's how I'm created.

Me: ***PAUSE*** Eh, it's how your created? (Yes, I was paying attention)

Joshua: No, it's how I'm CREATIVE. (He said it a little louder in cause I was hard of hearing)

Me: Oh, good...I was wondering because your context was a little...weird.

Joshua: (Laughs) Yes, it's how we're created...we are all just one big excel spreadsheet...awesome! (Laughs) Accounting and Philosophy! (Begins to realize that I am not communicating back to him) Wait, what are you doing? Are you going to talk to me?

Me: (smiles as I type this conversation word for word into my phone)

Joshua: Come on! I didn't sign up to become Facebook Fodder.

Me: Nope, but you sure did give me something to blog about!

"Ariel" and "Eric" are a Hot Topic in our House

2011-01-07T13:14:00.002-06:00

Conversation during lunch yesterday brought on by Landice's "Ariel" doll laying on the counter top:

Landice: You don't like Ariel, Corban.

Corban: Well, I only like some parts of Ariel...

Landice: (shocked) You don't know like ALL of Ariel?!

My kid's call the Little Mermaid, "Ariel," so I was thinking that Corban was meaning that he only like the boy characters from the movie when I asked him this -

Me: Corban, what do you like about Ariel?

Corban: First, I like her shells and then I like her green tail. She has pretty hair and I like her body...

Landice: (a shocking gasp) Mom! Corban said "body!"

My kid's call their bottom their "body", but they also call their skin their "body" too. Things can get very misconstrued if you don't know these things.

Corban: You know, this part (while lifting his shirt up to rub his tummy)

Landice obviously thought he meant her bottom.

Corban: "ARiel," you need to take your mermaid clothes off.

Landice: No, she does not...she will be NAKED. She will be SCARED.

Corban: Well, she needs to get married to Eric so they can be happy and they can have a baby!

Landice: Okay, I will take off her "brawls" first.

They proceed to undress the dolls and act out a marriage and delivery of a baby.

Thankfully, it only involved two naked dolls. Oh, excuse me, half naked dolls, because they now make barbies with panties on. So, it only involved two half-naked dolls holding hands.

Whew! Who knew adding two new Christmas dolls to the play room would cause such a stir!

I Want One...

2011-01-05T22:07:00.004-06:00

Several of our best friends are having more babies! Two were born in December and they both live in our neighborhood...SO, I get LOTS of baby time! I never thought I would be such a baby person, but I have been named, "baby hog" a time or two. I don't mind...And man, it sure makes me want another one though.

BABY Callen - Hayden seems to be a bit confused or distressed about his current situation! It is so weird to see him as the "big boy" and not the "baby."

Baby Kayman - Sweet little guy is going to get too much lovin' if he's not careful!

I love Landice's expression in this one!

Pretty soon there will be 6 swinging together!

Did I mention that I want another one? Ain't happenin'...cause we be cruisin' down easy street...ha, I wish! Until then, we just cruisin'...

Green Smoothies

2011-01-04T13:00:00.004-06:00

My friend, Amanda, who lives in Vienna as a missionary sent me an email yesterday with an awesome blog post link about trying a new yummy smoothie. Actually, she did not say it was "yummy," more like, "Here this is weird...you are the only one I know that will try it, so here you go!" kind of email.

She knows me all too well and I did pick up some Kale today at the grocery store just to try this bad boy. Well, except, Joshua took the last pear to work and so I joyfully made up my own version. Yeah!

Simple things, really, that make me so happy!

Here is the scoop or goop, whichever you prefer:

2 leaves of Kale (tear leafy parts away from spine and chop like crazy!

1 handful of delicious spinach

1 1/2 cups of unsweetened almond milk

1 whole orange (not the rind though...so, not really the whole orange, I suppose)

1 banana

Directions - Blend almond milk, kale & spinach until green and smooth. Throw in fruit and blast that mixture a few more beats and voila! Delicious, yummy, green smoothie!

Click here for the nutritional info link to SparkPeople.com

Like Father, like...

2010-12-27T21:37:00.002-06:00

daughter?!

I was looking through some old pics and came across these two...too funny not to share!

I am officially 30!

2010-12-26T19:43:00.004-06:00

I have to say I am starting to feel like the kid who's birthday wish when they blew out the candles was for more birthday parties...I am about partied out! I say that with sincere appreciation for my friends and family who have spoiled me rotten...literally.

Seriously though, People!~ I have had 1 surprise birthday cake at Inspirations tea room,1 cheesecake in Texas last weekend,

and 3 ice cream cakes this weekend.

And, I still have one bowling party to go on Tuesday night with a bunch of friends and their spouses. It's a good thing you only turn 30 once. And, I am thankful my wonderful hubby bought me a treadmill, because my booty sure needs it right now:)!

Random thought being inserted here: My brother in-law, Caleb, informed me today that he thought that I somehow exploded last week when the whole water bottle thing went down. Glad to know...well, not really...that is kind of really a weird thought.

Anyways, I thought I would blog about 30 things I want to accomplish or try to do better this year. I will inform you that trying pickled quail eggs is not going to make the list.

Just a random stocking gift that Joshua received from Nana & Papaw this year! We left them in my in-laws fridge...can't wait to get that call!

30 Things To Try(or Get better at) While I Am 30

To wear red lip stick. I don't really wear lipstick. I think I own one stick of it...I don't really know why this is on the list other than I don't want to die not trying it out. Just don't bury me in it please!
Learn how to play doubles tennis with Joshua. I want to incorporate more activities for some of our dates instead of stuffing our faces with food and watching a movie.
Take some Ball room dance lessons with Joshua.
Actually read the manual to my camera and learn how to use it to it's fullest potential. Point and shoot is getting kind of boring for me.
Get up early to get in my workouts before the day begins and try to exercise with Joshua. We shall see how this goes, but I want to spend more time with him and be able to actually finish a conversation...oh wait, that would mean I can't work him too hard...haha...just kidding.
Read my Bible more often. I do pretty good and then I get distracted. Then, I get frazzled and then, I remember who I need to rely on more. Silly, I know.
Pray for my enemies. Not that I have any enemies, but more or less, those that frustrate me easily or just plain out drive me batty.
Be less judgmental. I feel like I hoover on this fine line of understanding what is recognizing right from wrong that goes with what God wants and flat out just indifference to my opinions and my expectations.
Spend more time getting on the floor to play with my kid's and ignoring the crumbs and junk that easily drags me away from the precious little time I have with them while they are little.
Spend less time on Facebook.
Catch up on my kid's photo albums. I am WAY behind!
Take my kid's to go visit their Great Grandparents more.
Quit putting extras on our schedule that I don't even want to participate in.
Be quick to listen.
Slow to speak. This one is really hard for me. I feel like I always have an opinion about something and I often speak before I have all my thoughts organized.
Ask for more time to think about a decision to others before I give an answer.
Under-analyze things for a change. Sometimes I overanalyzed things to death and it ends up biting me in the rear.
Create my own workout videos to sell to the public.
Ask Pioneer Woman if I can come to her Ranch and give her a workout plan!!!
Ask Pioneer Woman if I can bring my little red head along with me:)!
Ask my Grandpa to show me how he breaks horses.
Run another Marathon.
Watch classic movies that I have never seen.
Teach Landice how to do a cartwheel.
Encourage my husband more.
Thank my husband for being so wonderful more often.
Iron clothes occasionally.
Stress and Complain less.
Lean out before our 10 year anniversary trip in June.
Find more contentment in the simple things that God gives me daily!

In case you are feeling like I take myself a bit too seriously or I can't relax or maybe wound a little too tight...this picture should cure all worries of such nature! Just know that just by viewing, it could be quite contagious!

What a Day for a Day Trip to learn Safety First from my Son

2010-12-23T10:07:00.006-06:00

Last Saturday, we decided to make a quick trip to the Carrolton, TX area to do Christmas with Joshua's mom's side of the family. Joshua's brother, Caleb, decided to ride down with us, which I was VERY thankful for. Caleb was able to keep Joshua company up front while I entertained the kid's in the back.

If you have known me for very long or have ever taken a trip that is longer than 30 minutes with me, you would know that I am pretty much worthless company. I like to catch up on my zzzz's so I surround myself with all the pillows. Oh, yeah, and read a little bit too!

The ride down was not restful, however, between "navigator" Corban, "I wanna drink" Landice, and "fuss-bucket"Hayden, I was having to dole out food, drinks and lots of "please don't ask how much longer until we are there?" We stopped at Braum's for burgers and then a gas station for water bottles so that we could buy the ones with a squeeze top and a concealing cap. The thought behind buying that type of water bottle was to hopefully deter a major spill, since we were only going down for the day and were not bringing extra clothes besides pajamas for the kid's.

The trip was going so smoothly until we were about 5 minutes away. I signed up to make green beans with pine nuts, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil and needed to pick up those items at the Albertson's by Aunt Sharon's house. After quickly running in for those few items, I climbed back into the over loaded mini-van and plopped my rear end down in the sea of pillows next to Corban in the back. I immediately stand back up squealing and realizing that I had just received a water bottle enema.

I turn towards the back of the car(which was a bad idea when two brothers are sitting in the front looking back) needless to say both Joshua and Caleb burst into hysterical laughter. Also, needless to say, I was not a happy girl. I rode the remainder of the trip leaning over the back seat with my soggy rear end swaying back and forth as we reached our final destination with Corban repeating over and over, "Mom, safety first...Mom, you should sit down and buckle up...Safety first!"

Oh brother. As we pull up, my plan was "Guys, you do NOT say anything to anyone else about this. I will ask Sharon or Gigi for a hair dryer and take care of this privately." Great speech, right?!

Wrong! I am walking like I have ridden a wet pig for 5 hours because amazingly the only place my pants were wet was down the seam of my britches and up my, well...you get the idea.

Aunt Sharon and Joshua's mom are taking a nap when we get there, so I have to ask Aaron (who is the captain mascot for OU) to help me find a hair dryer.

He looks in each bathroom and does not find one. I spot a miniature fan and thought, "Well, I get the drying process started until the girls wake up." I turn the fan on and it breaks. Just great!

I go to the other bathroom continuing a search for the missing hair dryer and when I opened up the cabinet above the toilet a towel falls directly into the open toilet. This being an all boys household, I had Aaron do the retrieval honors with him stating, "Girl, you are just a mess...a real mess." I know he loves me:)!

By this time, my mother in-law is awake and she went and unpacked her suitcase so I could use her hair dryer. She followed me into the bathroom and started blow drying my rear end. After a few awkward moments, I turned around and said I might need Joshua's help. She insisted on continuing to help me and I finally had to tell her that I had on "special underwear," ones that can stay a bit soggy given their direct location.

With a bit of shock and hearty laugh, she gladly gave up on her efforts and left to recruit my husband's help. It took him a while to mosey on back, so I came out of the bathroom to see what the hold up was only to be greeted by Gran, who was wearing a cheshire cat grin and chuckling at my predicament. She, then, offered me a pair of her pants while she requested I pick out a pair of earrings, a pearl bracelet and green studded earrings as well. I, again, tried to ease my way out of borrowing her pants given the fact that it was my underwear that were still the main problem. Again, I embarrassingly had to explain to Joshua's grandmother that I was wearing, "special underwear." And, boy, did she ever laugh so big and said, "Girl, we are going to have to write this story down!" So, here I am doing it for everyone's entertainment!

Joshua finally shows up armed and ready to go. After an attempt to keep my clothes on to dry out, we realized it was futile. I striped down and laughed with my husband as he helped me get out. Somehow I don't think he realized what he was REALLY getting himself into by marrying me:)!

I share this with you, because I am not sure how I get into these predicaments, but they seem to follow me this time of year. I feel a bit like Lucuille Ball at times, but not near as dramatic. Last year, well, now that's a whole other story...for another day, perhaps...we'll just see how many people read this post and just maybe I will share...but, I am not too worried about that...Hope this adds a little joy to your holidays!!! Merry Christmas!!!

December 9th Will Definitely Be a Day I Won't EVER Forget!!!

2010-12-14T09:45:00.000-06:00

My day started like any other day, spending time in God's word, getting myself and the kid's ready for school and work, with the exception of my schedule being a lot fuller. My day's schedule consisted of drop the youngest two kid's off to a friend for her to take to them to Day School with her so I could go Pal at Corban's school.

I was very excited to get to do this. Thankfully, Corban was just as excited for me to Pal too. He was so cute and kept saying, "Mom, I am going to introduce you!" He also kept reminding me every day leading up to that I was coming.

When I showed up to Pal, they had a pile of things for me to help out with. It made me realize how much effort our teachers put into their jobs. I was happy to help them out and thankful that God gifted them with such a heart for teaching.

Next stop was to have Tea at Inspirations Tea Room with a bunch of my best girlfriends. With our children all being at different stages and ages of life, it is rather difficult to find a time that works for all of us. So, needless to say, I was thrilled and feeling a little ornery. I had a little trick up my sleeve.

As I pull up to the Tea room my phone rings with a number I don't recognize. I answer it and find out that it is a woman who is in charge of the 405moms.com website. She was asking me for a few tips on how to keep the family active during the winter months. She wanted to have a few quotes to put in the Distinctly Oklahoma Magazine for the January issue. How crazy is that?!

So, as I am walking in wearing this:

Yes, that is a tree skirt. And a perfectly matched tea room hat. I walked in to my very own surprise birthday party to celebrate my 30th a little early. Yes, my ornery little joke was all on me. I am pretty sure I am the only woman in history to show up wearing a Christmas Tree skirt to her own surprise party. Oh well...good times!

So, of course, I had to take a picture with these beautiful ladies in the Red Hat Society, who were there to celebrate Polly's birthday as well.

And this wonderful friend planned it all:

And these wonderful friend's took time out of their busy schedules to make me feel so special! I loved every bit of it! And love those gals all so much! I am so blessed. They spoiled me with a photo book and many other special goodies, but cmost important of all the words they wrote in my birthday cards. I will always be able to pull those out and remember what a special day this was!

Next stop was to get a much needed pedicure with this friend:

And, then it was time to get ready for baking on live t.v. with Christina Eckert and Lauren Nelson. As I was driving to News Channel 9's station, they aired a Mom on the Move segment featuring me and my kiddos. I feel so honored to have been chosen. I feel that every mom deserves to have a day to be spotlighted, because our job is a daily challenge. I know that I am personally blessed with many extremely talented and amazing friends that should be spotlighted more than I feel like I deserve to be.

It was fun to share Joshua's Aunt Bobbi's Gingerbread recipe. I love getting to share exercise and nutritional information with anyone who will listen:)!

I went to pick up my kid's from their Gigi. Gigi has watched the kid's every time I have been on air. She has made all of this happen for me. If I didn't have her help, I wouldn't have been able to go in to the station. Thank you Gigi for being so helpful and wonderful!!!

After I picked up the kid's, it was time to come home and fix supper. Chili and salad with some green grapes was soon in our bellies, all except for Mr. Hayden's. He was running a fever, which I am pretty sure were symptoms from his well baby check up shots he received last week.

What a blessed day that I will cherish for the reminder that friendship is so good for the soul! Accomplishments may come and go, but my friends and loved ones are the ones that matter most! Love you all!

Ginger Bread Muffins recipe from Joshua's Aunt Bobbi

2010-12-09T19:34:00.003-06:00

Christina Eckert asked me to come on and cook again for the 405moms segment today. She asked if I had any great dessert like recipes that I could share. I did think of one, but wasn't entirely inspired to make it so I decided to recruit help from Joshua's Aunt Bobbi, who is a holistic nutritionist in New York. Bobbi was able to share with me this wonderful recipe! Thanks Aunt Bobbi!

Gingerbread Muffins

½ c. melted butter

1 c. unsulphured molasses

2 eggs, beaten

¾ c. water

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 ¼ c. whole wheat pastry flour

½ t. salt

1 t. baking soda

2 t. baking powder

2 t. ginger powder

1 t. cinnamon

Spray a muffin tin or 9” square pan. Preheat oven to 325F.

Combine wet ingredients in large mixing bowl.

Sift together dry ingredients then add to wet, whisking in by hand until just blended. Don’t overmix.

Spoon into pan and bake muffins 15-20 minutes. If in a square pan bake a little longer until a toothpick comes out clean.

Can replace all Flour with Whole Wheat.

Click here if you want to see today's video of Christina, Lauren and I making this wonderful recipe.

Decorating our Christmas Tree

2010-12-08T10:50:00.004-06:00

My favorite time of year! I love the traditions. I love how every seems to be in the Christmas Spirit. Everyone seems more kind and giving and loving. I love how families get together and reconnect. I love how Christ is remembered in so many households. I love how excited my kid's get. I love to see their faces and how they light up with joy. I love to snuggle up under warm blankets. I love to sit by a warm fire drinking a hot drink with my man. I love snow and I hope we get dumped on again this year. I love wearing sweaters, coats and hoodies. I love seeing my breath when I go out into the cold air. I love to go look at the lights with our friends. I love singing Christmas songs. I love reflecting on the past year and setting new goals for the upcoming year. I love my God whom all these blessings flow! I love my friends who keep me grounded and remind me that I am high maintenance, but yet they still think I am worth it. I love my family who is always there loving me no matter what. I love my job that keeps my passions satisfied. I love my life and I have much to be thankful for.

Catching up...Brewer Thanksgiving

2010-12-08T10:33:00.005-06:00

We went to my parents house for the Brewer Thanksgiving the day after Thanksgiving. We had another full house there. My mom's sister and girls came along with the usual crowd with my Dad's siblings and their families. We enjoyed a delicious smoked turkey and other wonderful fixings. The day was beautiful and not near as cold as it was the day before so we were able to go outside and enjoy the horses some. The kid's love feeding the horse and donkey. We took pictures with all the cousins and enjoyed just hanging out. There is nothing like going home and spending time with family during the holidays!

Catching up...Thanksgiving Mullins/Blackerby Style

2010-12-08T10:11:00.004-06:00

What a blessed year this has been! Joshua and I hosted Thanksgiving this year for his side of the family. We were able to have all the Blackerby cousins along with their spouses. All we were missing were Ralph and Vanna. Nana and Papaw were here and we would have loved to have Bobbi and Richard's family come too. It was a full house full of fun which included delicious food, dominoes, football, Rock Band(thanks to Uncle Caleb) & lots of love. My highlight of Thanksgiving was getting Gran to shake her booty! Everyone doubted, but mission was completed and boy was it great!!! You are never too old to shake your booty in my books!

Weigh Ins with Kirsten, Holly & Heidi Plus Pilates Tips

2010-12-02T22:13:00.003-06:00

Kirsten, Heidi and Holly managed to each lose a pound over the Thanksgiving Holiday. Today they are featured with my friend and Pilates Instructor, Michelle Chambers. Michelle started with basic breathing techniques to help them reconnect with their abdominal muscles. See what they had to say about these new tips by clicking here.

20% off Christmas Cards through Shutterfly plus FREE shipping

2010-12-01T15:15:00.003-06:00

Vintage Glee Christmas Card

Shop Shutterfly.com for elegant Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

So proud of my BABE!!!

2010-11-22T15:36:00.004-06:00

This handsome fella suffered through terrible blisters, uphill both way runs in the wrong direction, and most of all the the lack of desire to run. But, since he is married to annoyingly relentless motivator he wanted to shut up, he successfully completed his first (and probably last) Half Marathon in the Route 66 Tulsa Marathon this weekend. I was happy to be his cheerleader! He is mine in so many ways in life and it felt good to be able to support him! Way to go, Babe!

Proudly wearing his cool medal that has a spinner!
Nerves before the race...
After mile 7...looking good...
Around mile 11 he had to walk a bit...
I miss this intense look he use to have all the time when he played soccer.
Crossing the finish line...woohoo!
You can tell by their expressions that they definitely want to do this again! HA!
Trading post race stories...
Guys, you did GREAT!~

What a week!

2010-11-19T14:11:00.003-06:00

All I can say about this week is that I must be doing something right because Satan is picking on me! I can't seem to catch my breathe, let alone find peace. My Bible has stayed opened on the kitchen table all week until Joshua helped me clean up the kitchen last night. Needless to say, TGIF!!!

My kid's have been pushing and testing the limits and seeing what I am going to do about it. I have been shocked by some of the behavior they have exhibited, thus making me question my ability as a parent to stay calm AND consistent and yet do a good job. One kid has all the "but's", "how comes", and "why's," while the another one is screaming on the potty things like, "Mommy, you stink! You REALLY, REALLY stink! I don't like you," just because I made them go potty before bed.

Or they yell at me in the car after I pick them up from school and tell them they can't go visit their favorite cousins because they just threw up on another kid at school. All the while the other one is hiding somewhere trying to poop in their diaper without me knowing about it. Shocking! Absolutely shocking.

I am not sure who was more shocked though. Me, because this is all new and soon-to-be-very-OLD news, or my children who think that it is my job to be their friend and make them like me.

I will admit I let my fears of the a future relationship in jeopardy cloud my judgement momentarily, but I try remain firm. I have prayed more, read more in my Bible, and sought after wisdom from family and friends this week than I like to pridefully admit. I have shed lots of tears. Tears of fear. Tears of sadness. Tears of discouragement. Tears of failure in the moment to be successful. Tears of defeat. Tears of giving it all to God, because I want to be pleasing in God's eyes and I want my kid's to grow up to want that too.

Satan wants us to give in and listen to those fears, worries, and hurtful words. Satan loves to use our our behavior or our children's behavior to drag us down and dampen our spirit. Satan wants us to doubt our abilities that God gave us to succeed. But, Satan will NOT win.

God gave us tools to equip us for these battles. God gave us his word to lift us up, to build others up, and to share with our children.

God gave us his Son so that in moments of weakness and failure we can go to him and ask forgiveness daily. His mercies cover us and show us that we are not defined in our moments of weakness. But, HE is glorified when we make choices to follow HIS will and actions and not our selfish desires or reactions.

God gave us his Spirit so that we will always know that we are loved and not alone.

God gave us our Christian brothers and sisters for us to lean on when times are hard and we can't even get through the rest of the day.

God puts people in our lives at the perfect time. HE gives a way to stand up under the weight of what is weighing on our hearts.

God gave us our talents to be a blessing to others with. He gave us EVERYTHING we have and will ever have. What a mighty God we serve!!!

I could have sworn the devil was at Wal-Mart today...

2010-11-15T14:55:00.005-06:00

Waking up at 6:40 am this morning to go run 3-4 miles in the cold did not appeal to me as much as my nice warm bed. So, I opted to hit the snooze 2 times and crawl out of bed at 7:30 instead. I rinsed off in the shower and threw on my workout clothes that would only be worn for show because I would not be fitting in a workout myself this morning.

I toss another load of clothes from the mountain taking over our laundry room floor. Grab my Bible and try to find some words for motivation for my day. I stumble across James 3:13-14,

"If you are wise and understand God's ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with humility that comes with wisdom. But, if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in you heart, don't cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God's kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic."

Not exactly the type of motivation I was looking for, but I realized that I REALLY needed to read those words today. I need to be reminded to prove myself by living out what I say. I need to let go of my selfish ambitions and not let jealousy creep into my heart and rob me of joy. I need to not worry so much about what others think, but still try to be an example by being humble and honorable. These words repeat in my mind when I start to go down the wrong path of thinking.

Every day is a battle in some way or another and we have to go to battle or Satan will win. So, I cherish those words that were interrupted by my sweet children. I will take what refreshment I can get. I put away my Bible and journal and move on to breakfast, putting away clean dishes, finding shoes and coats so we can head out the door. I drop Corban off at school and he says a prayer for me to be "tough and brave" before I carry him to the cross walk. I love that boy so much. He makes me better every day!

The younger two and I head to run an errand and then to the gym so I can train my wonderful group of ladies and another wonderful client. I head back to the 25 minute wait in my car to pick Corban up from school. We head to go grocery shopping at Wal-Mart.

It is now 11:45am and we are all getting hungry. I normally would grab us all a snack and then eat lunch when we get home, but today I wanted to make it easier by stopping at the Subway inside of Wal-Mart.

Boy, was I wrong about that being easier! I get my kid's settled down at a table and meanwhile two other kid's moseyed on up and sat down with my kid's. Corban thought it was great and immediately made a new friend. Landice, on the other hand, decided to hiss and scowl at this precious little girl telling her that she had to find her own seat. So, I am stuck trying to tell my kid's that it is okay and try to order at the same time Hayden is rocketing his race car off the table.

I get our food and I am immediately bombarded with "gimme this" and "gimme that." I have to remind my children that they need to be patient when I am barely hanging on to MY last thread of patience.

Once I finally get food dispersed and drinks opened, Corban decides to climb under the table almost knocking off Landice's milk. In my attempt to stop that from happening my sandwich tries to do a back handspring and ends up lying pathetically on the floor in all it's former healthy glory.

I shrug it off and throw it away. Corban and I now are sharing HIS sandwich.

We get settled again and Hayden drips ranch dressing all down his front side. I stand in line for 5 minutes waiting on a 2 napkins(stingy these days) and Landice dumps half of her chocolate milk all over the table. I stand in line again and get 5 napkins this time. I throw all of the stuff away and say to the kid's, "Let's please finish our food so we can leave before we make another mess!"

Wrong thing to say! As I am saying this I pick up Hayden's milk and it spills down the crotch of my pants and then Landice spills the rest of her milk on the floor. All I could do was laugh. Hayden joined me. Landice and Corban were confused and said, "Mom, that is not funny."

I finish laughing and walk up to the counter again asking once again for napkins saying, "I am afraid this was not our day to eat at Subway...may I have some more napkins, please?" He then hands me 20 napkins. Thank the Lord, it barely cleaned up the mess.

We survived Subway. Now we head in to brave Wal-Mart. My kid's decide to beg and cry for all kinds of junk that I continue to say no to. They are pushing and pulling on each other. I am frowning. Hayden is trying to climb out of the basket while Corban tries to push the basket at the same time. I finally tell them that their once a month purchase of fruit snacks is about to be revoked. They calm down and obey. We manage to get out of the store with minimal scowls from passerby's. I think to myself, "Man, there sure are a lot of grumps hanging around this place" at the same time my frown lines are deepening. Oh drat! I am pretty sure the Devil was at Wal-Mart today.

Thankfully there is an open check out lane with a somewhat friendly cashier talking to me about the advancement of technology in China. I smile. My muscles begin to loosen from their perpetual state of tension in my neck and shoulders. I can breathe, because I know we are about to exit that place and move on to nap time - my daily sanity saver. The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want...

Except for I do...I want my house to be clean for more than 5 seconds when I labor for hours. I want to be able to blog during nap time/quiet time without interruption, I want to go for a run right now, and I want for those M & M's I just ate to not show up on my booty. All reasonable, but simply and relatively unimportant to the big picture in life.

Everything I just asked for was filled with my own selfish ambition. It was just as annoying as my kid's "gimmes" at Subway, but I am hopeful and thankful as God continues to show me how HE wants me to be. As HE shows me what paths I am to take. As HE shows me how to be more humble and patient. As HE shows me through my kid's that I still a work in progress!

This City is Going on a Diet

2010-11-12T15:03:00.002-06:00

My client, Matt Johns, is going to be featured on a cable cooking channel today, Friday November 12th at 8:30pm, on a show called My Life in Food. Matt joined Mayor Mick Cornett's "This City is Going on a Diet" challenge in order to become more healthy. The Mayor's Challenge is an attempt to help decrease Oklahoma's high obesity rate.

Today's segment is showing a follow up on how Matt manages to maintain his healthier weight. Matt has done a great job. Tune in to find out more about this bachelor who is aspiring to be a country music star. See if he can help motivate you to move more and eat better so you too can feel GREAT!

Weigh In Day with Kirsten, Heidi and Holly

2010-11-11T19:18:00.003-06:00

Check out today's update to see how Kirsten, Heidi & Holly are doing with their weight loss. They are doing great!

Tips On How To Avoid Gaining Holiday Pounds

2010-11-10T12:11:00.004-06:00

It's that time of year again. The time where junk slowly sneaks into our pantries at Halloween and drags on through the News Years Celebrations. We joyfully eat those decadent and savory foods that we all love and look forward to this time of year. We push snooze on the alarm clock and snuggle under the warm covers a little longer instead of fitting in time for our workouts. Some where along the way our waists have expanded and our thighs are screaming to be set free in a pair sweats instead of skinny jeans. It almost seems futile to try to resist. I, mean after all, what are the holidays for if you can't eat your favorite foods, right?!

Well, here are 10 tips to help you fight the battle of the bulge over the holidays:

Tip #1 - Make sure you are drinking enough water. In the winter, we tend to forget to drink because it is not usually hot. We can sometimes think we are hungry when we are in fact dehydrated.

Tip #2 - Make sure you keep fresh fruits and veggies on hand at all times. Frozen is a good choice too!

Tip #3 - When invited to a party, steer clear of the foods laden with sauce and fat. Instead, fill up on the fruit and veggies. Before going to a party, try filling up on foods containing fiber. Examples : apples with peanut butter, broccoli with hummus, or greek yogurt.

Tip #4 - Plan a "Turkey Trot 5K" or a "Christmas Crunch Circuit" event for your family to participate in. It doesn't have to be anything very elaborate. It can be as simple as emailing an invitation to join you on your 5K or 1 mile walk or do a workout video together. Something to encourage the family to burns some calories!

Tip #5 - Make sure you are eating several small meals throughout your day.

Tip #6 - Plan ahead before those holiday shopping trips. Pack a healthy snack to avoid paying higher prices on junk food.

Tip #7 - Try to only eat out once a week. Planning your meals out at the beginning of the week will help save on your pocketbook as well as your waistline.

Tip #8 - Make sure you set goals for yourself fitness wise. Try to get in a minimum 3 days a week 30 minutes(or more) of cardio and two days a week of weight training.

Tip #9 - Be aware of what you are eating everyday. There are a lot of great apps and websites to help you track your nutrition and exercise. Check out SparkPeople.com or MyFitnessPal.com.

Tip #10 - Offer to make a healthier dish to bring to your family holiday events. You might surprise a few neigh-sayers with a better tasting healthy dish as oppose to one that is loaded with calories.

I hope this tips are helpful. You can check out this blog at the 405moms.com website too. They have invited me to be a 405moms blogger. Feel free to share with me some of your favorite tricks to avoid holiday weight gain or ask questions that you would like to see answered!

1st trip to the Dentist & Parent Teacher Conference

2010-11-09T15:38:00.006-06:00

Yesterday, I took Corban and Landice to see Dr. Wilguess for the first time. They did GREAT! I thought that Corban would do pretty well because remembers having to sit in my lap when I went to the orthodontist a few years back. Plus, his Tito is a dentist as well. Landice is typically more reserved when approaching new things, but she did great too!

Dr. Wilguess and Diane his dental assistant were phenomenal with the kid's. They explained things and demonstrated things before they did them. They had fun names like "MR. Thirsty" and "Mr. Sunshine" for the suction hose and the overhead light. All things that made the kid's very comfortable.

Both kid's got great check ups, but were also sent home with some homework. Corban's homework is more for us than him. We have to floss his teeth every night because his teeth are so crowded. Landice's homework is to stop sucking her thumb before she turns 4. Her palate is shaping to her thumb and is also weakening the muscles in her cheeks and upper lip causing her upper teeth to narrow as well. Translation = tons of moolah and painful orthodontic work down the road to fix it if we don't get her to stop sucking her thumb.

If you live in Edmond and are unhappy or looking for a great family dentist, I highly recommend Dr. Dan Wilguess at Family Dental Designs. He truly cares for the patient, not just the treatment.

On to the parent teacher conference. I am not sure what I expected, but I sure know what I was hoping to hear. I was hoping to hear that my child is respectful and kind and he is at least on par for his age. We were very proud to hear that Corban is doing exceptionally well. Ms. Metzger says that he is "kind, respectful, plays well with a broad range of friends, is above average for his age AND is a typical 5 year old boy who likes to get into little tussles." Whew! What a relief to get such a great report.

I am thankful for his teachers and their philosophy on teaching. Their philosophy is: "We'll meet them where they are at!" Whether they need more work to catch up or more work to excel, they are willing to put forth the extra effort! I am excited to hear that Corban will be a part of the pre-readers group that will be forming just after Christmas break. I am so proud of my boy!

Cooking recipes LIVE on News Channel 9 with Christina Eckert and Lauren Nelson

2010-11-04T23:18:00.004-05:00

Today I was asked to join the 405 Mom's co-hosts, Christina Eckert and Lauren Nelson, again on the 4 o'clock news to share another healthy recipe. We made Honey Pecan Chicken(which I have shared with you before here) and Sweet Potato Chips. I have to say that I still felt very nervous with all the buildup to the time we were on air, but felt more comfortable this time because I knew what to expect. It was so nice to walk into the studio and have the Christina, Lauren and Kirsten say, "Hey Elizabeth" from across the room. I even got a cute, little smile and wave from the amazing Gary England. It was also nice to be able to set up the food with plenty of time to relax a bit.

The longer that we do these segments I am finding that I know quite a few people who work for Channel 9. Courtney, our videographer, (who by the way does an amazing job with angles to make you look fabulous on camera), made a stop by and shared some of her cookies from the guests who were on before I was.

Gayla Murphy, who is in sales and would love to sell you a segment on air, took me around to different cubicles introducing me to all her friends. It was very fun to be introduced to new people in different departments and to share the cooked food with them in the middle of the hall way afterwards. Another friend of mine helped me to the car with my load of stuff afterwards both times on air.

I have always been a fan of News Channel 9 because of their desire to serve our community with most up to date news. This has been quite and opportunity for me.

If you want to view today's cooking segment click here. Hope you enjoy!

AMAZING Recipe I Borrowed From My Arbonne Friends

2010-11-01T20:50:00.010-05:00

Healthy Living "Legal" Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

I recently went to an Arbonne health and wellness presentation given by my friends, Alissa Lovett and Ashley Myers. And, these beautiful mushrooms were served at their presentation. I thought they were beautiful because I thought they were little potatoes, not mushrooms. Did I mention that I do NOT like Mushrooms?!

Well, I ventured out and tried those bad boys and I am sure glad I did. They were SO AMAZING! I popped like 5 of those easily!

I LOVE ARBONNE products, but I do NOT sell them, so you will have to ask them for more info if you need it. But, I will share with you the recipe they shared with me. This recipe is one they share with their clients to help them with their weight loss journey. They have a detox line that is a 28 day cleanse that helps get rid of all the toxins we put in our body by ingesting foods that are highly processed and chemically altered. It is a VERY strict cleanse, but I feel that they do a good job of finding balance with how they go about it. Anyways, enough about Arbonne and on to FOOD!!!

The Ingredients:

One package Porta Bella Mushrooms form Sam's Club (or buy two to 3 smaller ones at your normal grocer)

3 - small yellow onions or 3/4 of a big one

2 - Stalks of Celery

3 - Roma Tomatoes

2 - Cloves of minced Garlic

2 - Tbsp of coconut butter(usually located on the baking isle, top shelf with the coconut milk)

Basil to taste

Oregano to taste

Salt & Pepper to taste

The Directions:

Step 1 - Mince the garlic cloves and chop up the onion & celery stalks. Saute' in 2 Tbsp. of coconut oil until transparent.

Step 2 - Dice up the Roma tomatoes and fresh Basil(yum!) BTW, Basil is a great herb that looks pretty and grows well in flower beds. So next spring, toss in a few basil leaves and enjoy their yummy flavor all season long!!!
Step 3 - Cook one cup of brown rice. ***Warning: don't forget about your rice or you will end up with crunchy rice and your husband MIGHT think he just broke a tooth or something:)

Step 4 - Gently wash and pull out the stems from the PortaBella Mushrooms. Lay Dry mushrooms flat side down on a non-stick baking pan.

Step - Mix in Rice, Tomatoes, basil, oregano, salt & pepper
Step 6 - Taste this amazing combination of flavors and try to stop yourself from eating all the stuffing before you can use it!
Step 7 - Spoon in heaping amounts of the mixture into the mushrooms
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until filling is brown.

Happy Halloween - The Wig in ALL it's Glory...ha!

2010-10-31T13:42:00.005-05:00

Boot Camp with Kirsten McIntyre

2010-10-29T14:57:00.001-05:00

Need some motivation to work out, but you don't want to do it alone? You might check our your local area to see if they offer any type of Boot camp. Kirsten McIntyre has joined Uma's boot camp at our gym, Transformation Fitness Center. She goes to bootcamp 3 mornings a week at 6 AM. Check her out here and see what you think?

Interesting conversations...

2010-10-26T12:44:00.002-05:00

Random cute stuff they mix up -

Landice - "Mom, here's your squirrel acre(acorn)!"

Corban - "Thanks for memorizing me (remembering me)!"

Landice - "I can't talk when I am quiet." - Hmm, Very profound!

Hayden - "Daddy (pronouced Dah-Dee), I tell oo(you) sompin (something)"

Corban says "acria" when he means acura. He also says "regliar" instead of regular.

Hayden calls his cousins David and Lannea, "Day-bid and Ben-nea!"

Hayden: "You fic(fix) it!"

Hayden: "I have a plum plum (Problem)!"

Joshua and I are teaching Landice's Sunday morning Bible class and we have been talking about Lot and his wife and how she turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back at the burning city of Sodom. So, I think this might be the origin of context for the next comment:

Landice - "I don't like big salt...it's smells like cinnapee (centipede maybe? Not sure what those smell like either though) and bath water..."

Corban : Salt is not good for you...

Joshua : That's not necessarily true...

Corban: Yeah, it is, it makes you sleepy...just kidding...salt will turn you into a tree..

I was walking out to take the trash out through the garage the other day while the kid's were playing out in the garage with their bikes -

Me: Landice, what are you doing in the car? She knows she is not supposed to play in the car because it can be dangerous for them.

Landice: I'm just sittin' here being the girl with the red hair...

Walking up to Corban and Hayden's bedroom door, I see Corban taping up a sign and writing names on it. Here is our conversation following:

Corban: You have to sign up on my door, Mom.

Me: I have to sign up?!

Corban: Well, no, you and Daddy don't, but Landice has to sign up for mine and I have to sign up for hers...

Me: WEll, what for?

Corban: You know, if you want to come in my room and give me 5 kisses or something...everyone has to sign up, except Kadence. She doesn't have to...

Yesterday, on the way to school, Corban asked me a question about ice cream -

C: Mom, is blueberry ice cream good for you because it has blueberries in it?

Me: WEll, it MIGHT be better because it has a FEW better ingredients, but ice cream should still be a treat for every once in a while...

C: Well, ice cream makes you feel better...remember the time that I went fishing with Papa and Grandpa and Andrew and Marshall?

Me: Yes...

C: ...and I got sick from eating the the catfish and we went to Braum's afterwards and then I threw up all over Daddy's old car?

Me: Yes...

C: ...I think I got sick because they forgot to cut off the eyes and scrape the brown stuff off of the catfish's tongue...Mom, you do you know Cat fish?

Me: Yes...

C: Well, they need to do that next time so I don't get sick.

My kid's make me laugh every day! They are such a joy...most of the time:)!

As long as they aren't clogging up the toilet with an ENTIRE roll of toilet paper, which makes me have to go hunt down a pair of gloves and a faulty plunger that just inverts every time you try to plunge the potty...

Which then splashes water all over the shower curtain and cabinets I just cleaned while I am standing in inch deep water surrounded by towels and two young ones trying to come to my rescue while I have their DAddy on speaker phone trying to offer/instruct/console me while I try to undo this big mess...

Which then leads to me trudging over to the neighbors house in my pajamas looking like a hot mess asking to borrow their turbo charged state of the art plunger that fixes all my problems with one nice gurgley plunge...

And I may or may not have marched back across the yard to return that bad boy wielding it like a sword...you will have to risk life and limb to find out by becoming my neighbor someday...

Like I said...they are a joy!

Reason # 324, #325, & #326 WHY I Love this MAN...

2010-10-25T18:39:00.004-05:00

Reason #324 why I love my man is because he is currently out galavanting around with our three crazies by himself...okay, he is at Braum's getting milk and probably spoiling the kid's rotten with ice cream after they have already had too much Halloween candy. You know it's epidemic when they wake up crying from their naps claiming that candy is now officially a healthy snack and it makes everything feel better.

Reason #325 - HE plays with the kid's and gets on their level. He plays wrestle-fight with them almost every night. He lets them use his office supplies to cover his handsome face with. He let's his daughter put on pretend makeup with an eraser. He just pretty much rocks!

Reason #326 - HE let's me put cute pictures of my kid's on my blog at his expense with showing a crotch shot. Okay, so he doesn't know that I am doing this and I will have to ask for forgiveness later, but it is so worth it :)!
The best reason I love this man is that he tries his best EVERY day to show me how much he loves me. I can't share all the other reasons because then he might get a big head or something...just kidding.

Actually, this post was inspired by our Wednesday night bible class that we are going to called "Who did you REALLY marry?" It is about learning how to recognize your differences and still finding them to be valuable after years of marriage, because after all those are the characteristics that made us fall in love with each other. Some where down the road of life we get disconnected and start letting those differences become a wedge instead of a bridge. Our challenge this week is to write down 12 things that we value most about our spouses. Maybe you can join the challenge too and see if you can spark an old flame!

Cousin's Day 2010

2010-10-22T18:55:00.010-05:00

We have started what I hope to be a yearly tradition of all the cousin's on my side of the family getting together to just hang out. This is our second one and I think the kid's really like it! At least, I hope they do. Let's let the pictures speak for themselves. Or maybe not, if you know me at all...must commentate...

Our day began after 1 PM when my Aunt Zina brought over the older cousins. We kicked it off with our pumpkin carving. I have to say this year's pumpkin carving must have set a record for THE messiest one EVER! We set up shop in our garage and let me tell you, it was on my mini-van, the floor, the driveway and all in the grass eventually...Flies were galore!!!

This little guy kept taking bites out of everyone's lid to their jack-o-lanterns. Crazy kid!!!

Then, we moved on to the scavenger hunt...

A little bobbin' for apples...

Then, we played a little Halloween Pictionary, which was really interesting...

We ended our fun times with a lazy Friday morning full of cartoons, X-box, & chocolate chip pancakes. It was a ton of fun with some REALLY great kid's!

Check out Heidi, Holly and Kirsten sharing their weight loss journey with us on NEWS!

2010-10-22T10:11:00.004-05:00

Since Kirsten McIntyre began her public post baby weight loss journey, Heidi Cleveland (my best friend in college) and Holly Carroll(a participant from the 405 moms segment) have also joined her. They are all new moms and are finding different and creative ways to help lose their baby weight. They are all very fun to work with and I look forward to seeing them achieve their goals. Check out their debut by clicking on the link below!

Heidi & Holly's Debut

Family...Good times...

2010-10-20T08:37:00.004-05:00

Catching up on some recent family events. Mainly watching cousins play soccer, basketball, and football, but also a late family birthday party for my cousin Andrew. I can't believe how fast they are growing up!

Isn't this one too cute of Hayden?! I love his cute grin and how his pot belly is sticking out! I don't want him to grow any more!
Alyx is growing up too fast too. I can remember being at the hospital the day she was born.
Landice with Grandma Brewer.
My Dad playing foosball with the boys at Andrew's Family Birthday party.
Joshua and Uncle Kenny with Corban and Hayden watching cousin Marshall play up on the 6th grade football team.
Grandma and Grandpa Brewer after Corban's soccer game.

Aunt Zina, Uncle Michael, Cousins Alyx and Andrew. Awesome family!
My kid's with cousin Andrew after his basketball game. It is crazy how much Corban and Andrew look alike!

First time on LIVE TV!!!

2010-10-15T14:35:00.004-05:00

Click here to see my first time on LIVE t.v. making power balls with Christina Eckert and Lauren Nelson.

Both ladies are really sweet and beautiful! I feel honored to get to be a part of what they do every day for just a short while! I have to say that I had no idea what to expect, but they have their work cut out for them. They put a ton of effort into their job to bring us the news every day! What a cool profession to be in!

People have been asking if I was nervous about doing this. The answer is, "YES!" I was nervous because I didn't know what to expect. I was on in the later part of the show and had plenty of time to fret about the worst things that could happen. At one point I had a very Lucuille Ball vision pop into my head in which I was reaching for items to put in the mixer and I totally whiffed and sent all the food sprawling across the news room floor and I start laughing hysterically. Or crying, depending upon which version you pick.

Thankfully, that did not happen and they only caught a glimpse of my "ugly smile." Yes, I have an "ugly smile" that I can feel come on as soon as someone says we have to smile and it has to look just right then and there. AHHH!!!

What does this look like? WEll, it is a half snarl, half quiver with a moment of, "I think I will throw up, break out into hives, or run away as fast as possible, but I know I can't."

Oh, the joys of being weirdly human.

Overall, my experience was great and gave me the same tickle in my gut like I use to get before my first basketball or soccer game of the season. I am thankful for this experience that God has given me and I look forward to see what happens next!!!

Triple Threat Thursday

2010-10-13T14:06:00.005-05:00

This week's Triple Threat is featuring Turkey Bacon! I love to have bacon every once in a while and Turkey Bacon is a healthy substitute for many recipes. It helps cut on all the saturated fats that typical bacon has and it still has lots of crunch and flavor. I won't lie, it is a little chewy, but it gets the job done!

When I cook up my turkey bacon, I do the whole package. I don't want to have to clean up a big greasy mess more than once, so I plan out a few meals that require it's use. Here are some of my favorite ways to use Turkey Bacon.

Add it to your typical morning breakfast OR have Breakfast for dinner.

Use any extra Turkey Bacon on a yummy BLT sandwich made with

whole wheat bread for lunch!

OR Make this Turkey Bacon Quiche Recipe

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray pie pan with cooking spray

Place three whole wheat tortillas in the bottom of the for crust.

Note: the third tortilla is torn in half to complete the pie crust

Chop up desired veggies to toss in the quiche - Here I have spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, and green peppers.

Use 11 eggs - 3 whole eggs, 8 egg whites

Mix eggs together with 3/4 cup low fat cheeses, 1/2 cup light sour cream, 1/2 cup low fat milk

Mix well.

Mix in veggies

Add cooled and cut up 6 pieces of Turkey Bacon

Mix well.

Pour in to ready made crust.

Bake for 25- 35 minutes. Should be slightly brown on top!

Now sit back and see how much your family loves this recipe! This has been a family favorite for a while now!

Stay tuned for next week's Triple Threat Thursday Challenge!

The joys that my kid's bring me are priceless...

2010-10-13T13:39:00.007-05:00

Corban's drawing of our Family

Corban's drawing of Joshua and I...can you guess which one is which?

Things we found on a scavenger hunt last week

Here is a fall wreath that I put together a few week ago. I wanted to make on last fall, but I was to intimidated to do it. Glad I got over that!

Here are a few pictures of why my kid's no longer have their marker boards in their rooms and are grounded from the t.v. today(a.k.a. punishment for me too).

Enter "Spotted Leopard" #1

Let's not forget "Spotted Leopard" #2

You know, I think they purposely send people door to door trying to sell you something trying to convince you that THEY have a "million dollar brain" and "YOU will be the biggest blessing to them" while you are in the middle of cooking and your kid's are still awake so they can make sure you WILL in fact be a big fat sucker (or something like that) and buy a $30 magazine promoting FAMILY FUN that you will not receive for 90 days. Family Fun and million dollar brains that will be getting families off the street was not on my mind when I found this:

But at the end of the day, I will know that I at least was able to provide/allow one sweet person a blessing of some sorts. My little one's blessing was that he was able to put chap stick on all those paperclips. The small things in life that are just priceless...(insert gritted sarcastic smile & wink).

He always knows...

2010-10-12T14:05:00.002-05:00

God always knows just what I need. I have an anxious heart this week because there are some extra stuff on my plate that throws a little kink in my routine little schedule I call life. I worry when I don't know all the details or am not in my element. I let all the burdens rise to my shoulders and right on top of my heart weighing me down and keeping me from doing the next thing. I had my sweet boy remind me that I need to slow down and see what God has created and spend a little one on one time with him.

I hate to admit this, but it was a struggle to make this decision. I had bills to pay, receipts to enter in, errands to run, exercise to fit in, and the list can go on and on. All the while my heart is saying, "Just go play the rest will get done in due time." I usually drown out that voice telling me to relax a bit and enjoy my kid's more by the vacuum cleaner or the washing machine or the typing of my fingers because I HAVE to get it all done. Well, sadly laundry keeps showing up on the laundry room floor as do the crumbs on the kitchen floor. I think I counted 8 times in washing off the kitchen counter yesterday and I only vacuumed the living room. The bathrooms are still beckoning their cleaning, but today they must wait.

Today, I had a great day with Corban. He requested Sonic and Hafer Park and that's what we did. We watched the kid's feed the ducks, turtles and fish. We talked about the leaves changing colors. We found short cuts off the trail. We stopped at the exercise station per his suggestion. We ran down all the hills. We ran into some of his school buddies and enjoyed the beautiful weather. I even managed to run a couple of errands.

My heart is lighter and my load soon will be too. Thank you ,God, for your blessing of children and how they teach us to be more like you and less self focused.

Delicious Soups

2010-10-11T15:19:00.002-05:00

Butternut Squash & Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup = YUM!!! ENJOY!!!

Kirsten's Weight-Loss Journey Week 1

2010-10-08T14:18:00.004-05:00

I have had the privilege of working with News Channel 9's Kirsten McIntyre. She recently had a baby and is now trying to lose her baby weight. Check out this video to see how her journey is going!

Also, you can read more about her journey on the 405moms.com website. They feature Kirsten's blog called Worth the Weight.

If you want to start you own weight loss journey, you can start a weekly nutrition log to help get you started on healthier and more mindful eating! Make sure you write down EVERYTHING that you eat at each meal including what you drink. You can check out SparkPeople.com or add the SparkPeople APP onto your phone to help you track your food & exercise!

Stay tuned next Thursday at 4 pm as they will have me on the show LIVE(Eek! Please pray for me!) to talk about healthy snacks while making Power Balls!

Triple Threat

2010-10-07T08:04:00.014-05:00

The Triple Threat approach in Basketball is an athletic position holding the basketball just so that you can either:

Dribble
Pass
Shoot

I am taking this amazing approach to the kitchen to show you how to prepare your veggies to be used either:

1. Chopped up fresh

2. Tossed on as a topping

3. Thrown in as a filling ingredient.

Let's talk about #1 - Chopped up Fresh

By immediately chopping up those veggies before they get forgotten in the bottom of your crisper, chop them up and put them an easy accessible container for easy snacking.

Moving on to #2: Tossed on as a topping

My kid's LOVE to help in the kitchen and this is the perfect recipe for your little chefs.

Chicken Pita Pizza

1 package whole wheat pitas

1 jar of pizza sauce

1 bowl of mozzarella cheese

1 bowl of chopped broccoli

1 bowl of fresh spinach

1 bowl of chopped green peppers

1 bowl of chopped squash

1 bowl of rotisserie chicken

Preheat oven to 350.
Place Pitas on baking sheets.
Spoon on 2 tbsp. of pizza sauce.
Top with few tbsp. of cheese.
Add toppings.
Toss in the oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted!

The Set Up

The Chefs

The Sauce

Giddy with Excitement

Ready to pop in the oven

Yum!~

Great for lunch the next day too!

And most perfectly last, but not least # 3 - Thrown in as a filling ingredient

Egg White Omlette

Place 1 Qt size baggie in a cup or bowl to ensure the bag stands upright.
Crack 6 eggs and separate the egg yoke and discard.
Toss in leftover veggies from pizza toppings.
Seal and store in fridge for a quick and healthful breakfast!

A few egg yolks a week is good for you, but when making an omlete you can save 360 calories if you toss them out!

Delicious

I hope you have enjoyed this post and will share with us how YOU are a triple threat for your family in the kitchen! Blessings on your day!

Cutting out the Sugar...

2010-10-06T17:05:00.002-05:00

Yes, even us personal trainers who know better sometimes have to push a "reset" button and cut out some of the junk that has snuck into our pantries and made us consider to pull out the "fat" pants. This is an ongoing battle for me because I LOVE sweets! I love just about all there is out there to offer except soda. So, after several mini-vacations this summer in which I seemed to have loosen up too much on I am having to reset my sugar cravings. This is the perfect time of year for me to do this too. I love Halloween and the candy. I love Thanksgiving and it's yummy decadent desserts, forget the Turkey, give me the good stuff! And, who doesn't love Christmas?! So with that said, I struggle like the rest of you. The one good thing I have on my side is that I also LOVE, LOVE, LOVE exercise. I manage to find a balance most of the time and maintain my weight fairly well, but sometimes those sneaky pounds like to tell me that I need to back off the chocolate with a little subtle jiggle & a shake.

I am on Day 3 without sweet stuff. I am not being too strict, just very balanced. If I am having a sweet craving I will make myself a cup of green tea or peppermint tea. I also might grab a Greek yogurt or a piece of fruit! I have also stocked up on more veggies like snap peas, jicama, carrots, & cucumbers. I found this cool app by SparkPeople that keeps track of fitness & nutrition. Just being more mindful of what I am using to fuel my body has made me more alert - minus yesterday when I dumped the bucket of mop water down my body and all over the hallway wall & carpet. Also, never mind that I dusted the whole house with stainless steel cleaner instead of pledge. Or the fact that I forgot to buy Joshua hair gel today when I was at Wal-mart specifically for that and diapers! Okay, so I am not making a very good case for myself am I?

I guess that just shows that we as Mom's have a tough job trying to juggle every day life taking care of everyone in our family, but we can't do our jobs well if we don't take care of ourselves. I am going to encourage you to join me in cutting out the sugar from your diet or maybe for you it is just junk food or fried food. Whatever your nutritional pitfall is I want to encourage you to cut it out! See how much better you feel and if you can drop a few pounds!

Pumpkin Patch Tradition

2010-10-04T14:57:00.011-05:00

I love Fall!!! I love our tradition with the Hobbs of going to the Parkhurst Pumpkin Patch and then to Pops afterwards! Look how much our babies have grown in just a few short years!

Dinner with "Old" Friends and Their Precious New Baby

2010-10-02T18:48:00.004-05:00

The great thing about having dinner with "old" friends(which now translates as college friends) is that they don't mind pitching in on baking an insanely large amount of Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread! Joshua had bought huge cans of pumpkin and the recipe I used called for half the amount in the can. I decided to double the batch without reading how many loaves one batch would make. So we ended up with enough to feed the neighbors a few times over and it was sure a fun time!

Battling with Post Baby Weight Loss with Kirsten McIntyre

2010-10-01T17:09:00.000-05:00

Battling with Post-Baby Weight Loss - These bloopers are hilarious

Chicago

2010-09-28T21:23:00.004-05:00

Last weekend, I went on a work related trip to Chicago. Since having my kid's I have had to try to get in my continuous education online or by our Oklahoma state conferences. I missed last year's conference and I had not attended one yet this year due to Corban's soccer schedule. So, I was two years behind and needed to catch up. To alleviate this problem I flew to Chicago by myself and actually traveled the "L" train system on my own. I was very proud of myself because I have NEVER traveled by myself and when we do travel I depend upon someone else to navigate. This was such a liberating experience. I met up with my friend, Anthony (he was in town on a work related conference too) and we went to a Chicago Cubs game. It was an incredible experience. He made sure I was on the train safely before we parted ways and I completed my journey back to my hotel by the O'Hare Airport.

My co-worker and friend, Rachel, was able to come on the trip too and flew in late that night.

We shared a hotel room and I enjoyed getting to know her better. It is refreshing to meet a

younger person who knows who she is and what she wants in life.

A couple of "firsts." I tried my first taste of Sushi at Shaw's Crab House. It was not bad, but I

didn't feel like it was so so good that I HAVE to have it again. And, I did NOT feel guilty about

being gone. It was so sweet to hear my babies tiny, little voices and my sweet husbands

proclaiming how much they missed me and wanted me home. But, I loved being able to do

something for Me. I love fitness and learning all that I can to make me a better trainer and this

was so rejuvenating for me. I am thankful for such a blessed and safe trip.

Thoughts on the stage of life we are now in...

2010-09-22T12:35:00.002-05:00

Several things have just hit me recently. The first one I am almost afraid to write, type, or say it out loud in case it all backfires, but things are GETTING EASIER!

Wow! I thought I would never say that.

When you go into parenting, you are throw into the fire and you do the best you can to surround yourself with a support system and resources to keep your hiney from getting too singed. Seriously, there are so many things about raising kid's that can get you down or frustrate you to no end. With our situation of having our kid's so close together things have been intense, shall we say, for a while. Looking back some of that intensity could have been lessened if I wasn't trying to do so much. Gradually over time I have, by nature of our life changing so much, had to cut out some stuff. Some of that stuff can be some REALLY great stuff, like getting together with friends, going to all the church functions, hitting up all of our kid's friends parties and such. But, nonetheless, the removal of extra stuff has helped simplify our lives. It has given us the freedom to relax when there is nothing on our plates without having guilt. If you would have told me 5 years ago that I would have to disappoint people by telling them we can't make it to their event, I would have laughed because I am an effort person.

Effort person or not, you reach your limit on what you can do, give, or achieve in 24 hours a day/7 days a week. So, this is me. A change in the making. Admitting that I have once been in that place that I expected what I thought others expected of me. I am happy that I am changing. I am glad to have freedom to do what we can, when we can and not feel obligated or expected out of guilt. Part of why I am this way is that I don't like to back out of things. I like to be dependable. I also know that I wish I had learned this sooner.

I like being busy and productive, but I also like being at home more than not. I like feeling like our house is a place to enjoy instead of a place to clean and stop in for a shower and food every once in a while. Last night I was working on the family calendars (that I have color coordinated for each person). It is SO colorFUL!!! I loved that I could just click on an event and click "cut this event" to open up more family time. It was so freeing.

I don't say all of this lightly as if other people's stuff isn't important. I am more clarifying the fact that we can't do it all and that's okay.

The second thing that has been on my mind is...well, I seem to have forgotten...oh, wait...it just came back to me. The second thing is that it is nice to choose to be involved in our kid's lives. Joshua and I have been enjoying coaching Corban's soccer team. We talk strategy on what they can learn at this age, how to run practice, how to keep the kid's attention at this age, how to address different learning styles and personalities in each boy on our team. The BEST part of it is that we both realize that this is something that we can do and it has brought us closer in our marriage too. God blessed us with the common love for this sport. Our love for it is transforming into one that we can teach and pass down to our kid's if they choose to play it long term and to other kid's.

Sometimes in life it is hard to recognize things that we CAN do for others and to be willing to make that sacrifice. I am thankful for those things that are made very clear and are easy to decide to do. It makes life a little more enjoyable using our talents for good.

Gran's 75th Birthday Celebration

2010-09-19T21:10:00.004-05:00

WE had a wonderful weekend celebrating Gran's birthday! This is a picture of Joshua's Grandma and her sister, Keitha!

Cake and yummy food!
Me and Gran
One thing about Gran is that she LOVES to spoil people. She always has a little something for the kid's when she comes into town. Here is the necklace/bracelet making kit that she bought for Landice.
Here is Joshua's cousin, Asa, helping teach Hayden how to build stuff with legos and cars.
Hayden sneaking more watermelon with Gramps!
Brothers.
Joshua's cousin, Lannea(on my left), and his cousin Adam's wife, Jennifer(on my right)! Fun times with fun girls!
Caleb and his Mom!
Caleb and I were reenacting a picture like one we took when we were in college.

Sweet Lannea playing with Landice and Hayden. Tonight Landice prayed, "Dear God, thank you for Gran and Gramps and Lannea and Jason and Keenan because they are so nice to me! AMen!" I love it!
Most of the Blackerby gals, Yvonne(Joshua's mom) was in the kitchen putting stuff out for lunch.
Aunt Sharon letting Hayden feed her birthday Cake!
Cousin Jason and Nathan pushing the kid's in the backyard!
Our weekend also consisted of singing songs from hymnals, playing 80, weird games with a banana, and lots of football. WE are so blessed!

Lemonade Stand for The Village of Hope

2010-09-17T23:31:00.003-05:00

In just one short hour, the kid's managed to raise $53 by selling single cups of lemonade to our neighbors. I accidentally miscounted and thought it was $80. Not sure how that happened...I guess I will make up that difference:)!!! Apparently it pays to hit up the guys who are coming back from playing golf and only have $20 and we have no change! It was fun to see Corban get excited about a possible customer. He would holler at the neighbors who were obviously NOT thirsty to come on over for some lemonade. We may have a VERY excited salesman or lawyer some day.

Very supportive Grandparents and Great Grandparents!

BK & Pre-K

2010-09-15T16:59:00.005-05:00

Here are some pics from last Sunday's BK group. We love getting together for BK. It is a great time to visit and enjoy a meal with some of our friends from our Bible Class. It was at the Myers house this last time and Ashley offered to to pay each one of the kid's $0.50 to pull out 4 sunflowers. The kid's tugged and tugged and got a few. Corban just kept going until he was worn out! I was proud of him for not giving up too soon. He has been acting a little more mature these days, which is so nice to see some growth. This morning before school Corban showed us 2 pushups in the middle of the kitchen floor. I have to say that they were pretty solid ones too! His Dad asked who taught him that and he said a kid on the play ground did. Hmmm...never mind the fact that his Mom does those in the living room about 3 times a week, but oh well.

I told Corban today before school that after lunch I was going to get my hair done and that he was going to play at a friends house. As soon as I picked him up from school he asked, "Mom, are you going to have your hair surgery?"

Later today, Corban asked Landice if she would play "Tag-your-it" and she said, "No!". He replied with, "Fine. You just gave me a broken heart!"

A friend of mine and I both have our younger kid's in the same Day School. Even though our oldest kid's go to a different Pre-K, we have worked out a trade out so we can have one day a week to ourselves. Here are some of the activities that we did this week:

Here is Ady and Corban playing a game with their sight words. Each kid had their own colors and they would place them on the word I would call out for them. "But" was a word that we worked on that day and Ady said, "That's "but!" I know "buts" really good!" Haha! So of course, I couldn't help but laugh which led to them saying "but" every time they didn't know one of the words.

I picked up some preschool paper so they could practice their Letters of the week. This week they were doing an Apple unit and practicing upper case and lower case A. Corban came home from school asking for us to have an apple tree.

Fun times with oreos after all that hard work.

Side note: I have freaked out twice this week over little things. I freaked out over forgetting to send an apple to school with Corban. So, I immediately plugged everything into his calendar so I would not forget again. WEll, today is picture day and it totally slipped my mine. . I am pretty sure he was sent to school in a t-shirt and his hair not combed. I would like to blame it on the fact that he was almost late to school because Landice and I were having differences of opinion and attitudes, but in reality I just plain forgot. I know I will look back and think that this is totally silly to get stressed about, but I guess I freak because I think I will forget some BIG stuff too. I had a good long run and chat with God and turned some stuff over to him and I know he will see us through! Blessings on your day!

Someone I have never met, but I want to someday...

2010-09-14T20:55:00.002-05:00

This gal I am about to describe to you came across my blog through a friend on mine's blog(they are related...I won't go into the details about that). I don't quite remember how long ago this was, but I was very struck by her encouragement. I added her instantly to my blog roll so that I could keep up with her. What I have been most intrigued about is this gal does not whine like I do about my rough days and she does not brag about how well she does things. Instead, she offers great words of wisdom, tons of encouragement, and truly inspires me to be a better child of God. She does share with us how proud she is of her boys and how close knit her family is through Christ. Everyone's journey is full of ups and downs, mountains and valleys. I am sure she probably has many days like I do and could complain about it too, but I am thankful for her words of encouragement and for her faith. She has been an example to me even though we have yet to meet. Check her out and you will not be disappointed...Thanks, Amy!!!

Stuff said by the kid's to get me back in the mood to blog...

2010-09-10T18:57:00.002-05:00

Corban: (choking because he just took water up the nose while he was drinking from his new lightning McQueen cup that his Gigi gave to him)

Me & Joshua: Are you okay? Did you just take water up the nose? That's not good...

Corban: (still coughing a bit) No, it's not bad to take water up the nose...it's actually good. Did you know that it helps you grow?!

Landice: Daddy, AstroBoy has jets on his butt and I don't want to be like Astro Boy and have jets on MY butt.

Joshua: (Laughing too hard to correct her from saying the word "butt")

While at the mall, Hayden falls out of the van and I attempt to catch his face with my foot. I succeeded in cushioning the fall, but his nose did start to bleed. For the remainder of this torturous trip Hayden succeeded in throwing knockdown, drag-out fits which caused his nose to bleed each time. I was THAT parent holding their child during a raging fit and had to glaze my eyes over to shield the ugly looks I was getting. I am pretty immune to any and all beings that want to test my patience with their unsolicited comments and looks.

While I was using the bathroom today, Landice informed me that there would be a helper to come. That helper turned the lights off and flicked on their Cinderella wand to help me see better. I was not aware that I needed a faint glow to help me go potty, but there you have it!

Lately, Corban has been getting his mouth sprayed with Back Talk spray (Tarragon Vinegar...yuck!). He is slowly getting use to the fact that he will not get to use his words to be ugly to us and it has been quite interesting. He starts off by sqwunching his face up in all distorted ways and inhumane noises exude from his body, some that resemble a dying seal even. He finally gets that he will open his mouth for the spray or more corporal punishment will be delivered as well as the spray. Once the bitter taste sinks in, he asks for a drink, but none is given. However, he is told that he needs to think about the bitterness he tastes because when he uses his words to say ugly things they don't make God very happy.

Joshua found Corban hiding in the hall closet sneaking the last of the chicken nuggets. When Joshua asked him why he did it he replied, "I think I lost my mind."

Hayden is still yelling, "NEVER!!!" at the top of his lungs while backing up as fast as he can when he knows he is in trouble.

Hayden would not get off the practice soccer field in our back yard last night despite our attempts. Instead he would throw his half-naked self onto the grass and waller around a bit. It was just easier to let him get trampled to let him learn. Natural Consequences...Good luck, buddy!

Landice is very much super picky about what she wants to wear and how she wants her hair fixed. She doesn't like wearing bows anymore. She will wear a head band, a pony tail, a pony tail with a straight braid, two braids, one long pony tail, on top pony tail, two pony tails, giraffe horns, and lastly and her most favorite - stringy and in her face with food stuck in it.

The kid's fight in the car over who is going to sing the "Hips & Lips" song Corban was taught in his Pre-K class.

Hayden has been interested in helping "clean" him after a poopy. He also thinks it is fun to sit on his little potty and say, "I go pah-yee, I go pah-yee."

Questions Landice was asked for her Day School class:

What is your favorite color? Pink

What is your favorite food? Mac and Cheese

What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Chocolate with sprinklers and M & M's

What is your favorite pizza topping? Cheeser

What is your favorite thing to play with? My friend, Karli

What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy? Clean my room with her and cook

What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy? Play games

What do you want to be when you grow up? A Christian and cook dinner when I'm taller.

Corban: What if a chicken crossed the muddy mud puddle?

Me: What?

Corban: It would fall off the bridge into the muddy muddy puddle...hahaha!

Corban: What if a cat crossed the road and it got ran over a train and it wanted to get across the road to get to his eggs that were by a cabin and he got trapped by a train trapper chicken?

I am still alive!!!

2010-09-07T17:29:00.003-05:00

Life has been life...crazy, busy, too much to handle at times, never how you think it is going to turn out(thankfully), exhausting, and never boring...and sometimes I wish I could just walk around lookin' like this and get away with it!

Here's to a great weekend away...and now on to catching back up...maybe...

Summer Time Fun

2010-08-21T22:25:00.002-05:00

I love that my Mac makes me feel soo smart and computer savvy...actually, it's like having a really talented friend and taking credit for all the talent, but I don't feel so bad about that! You should try it sometime...well, not to a real friend, but a Mac doesn't have feelings so there...freedom to make magical memories is all yours!

1st Day of Pre-K

2010-08-19T15:39:00.004-05:00

First Day of Pre-K

A great start, I'll say

Get dressed, eat Breakfast & little devo

Pictures with family, now off we go!

First Day of Pre-K

A new start, learning a new way

Drop off lines, floods of parents & kid's

Saying good bye for a short while with tear rimmed lids

First Day of Pre-K

I'm okay mom, you know I'll be fine

Teacher will read us the Kissing Hand

Then you can join in the BooHoo Band

First Day of Pre-K

Prayers are said, Instructions are given

He's growing up, it's going by way too fast

But God's in control, enjoying this now before it becomes the past.

Corban,

You did great today! You are so ready to be in school! You walked right in and found your name tag. You didn't hesitate, not even for a second! You want to follow the rules, but somehow wrestling with the boys was too big of a temptation. Here's to your first official school time out and hope that it's also your last! Thank you for telling on yourself and letting me know that you messed up. I appreciate your honesty and hope you will always feel you can tell me when things don't go so well! I am proud of you and I know you are going to do great! Love you, Mommy

One of those days...continued...

2010-08-11T09:29:00.001-05:00

So after a uneventful and calm lunch, the kid's went upstairs to play while I had a few minutes on the computer to blog. Bad idea, I guess. I think that they are doing great and decide to switch things up a bit so we can end our day on a more positive note. I decide to do a tea party story time, instead of reading, then nap time, then snack time.

I make lemonade and popcorn and head upstairs, which in itself is a huge treat to have a snack upstairs. As I tell the kid's they get very excited. Then, Corban says, "Hey Landice, let's go get the OTHER snacks so we can have them too." I am confused by this until he submerges under his bed and and emerges with a bag of pretzels (those darn pretzels again! Toddler drug of choice these days), a bag of Craisins, and a bag of tomatoes!

I am so torn. I want this to be fun and the kid's had to go and be sneaky and now I had to make it not fun. I told them to follow me downstairs after trying to figure out who all was involved in this stashing of food behind the winter clothing tub. The older two had to sit on the couch while Hayden enjoyed his snack. I know that he was involved somehow, but he isn't smart enough (I think) to know to hide food from me. He is the one that will proudly showcase his misbehavior very proudly.

I told the kid's we would still read books, but there would be no snacks. So, we read books and they took their naps. While they were napping, I made homemade chocolate chip cookies along with our dinner. When I woke them up to leave for the gym, I asked Hayden if he would like a cookie. The other two immediately chimed in and said they wanted one too. I said they couldn't have snacks for two days as a reminder for them to listen and to obey Mommy and not to hide stuff from me. (We have already had this discussion about sneaking food out of the pantry and if they are hungry to ask for a snack and I will get them one.)

There was weeping and wailing. Then, there was Corban's frustrated attempt to justify. In the end, he realized that I meant business and it was futile to resist.

I came home after work and the kid's were in bed but still awake. They start calling my name and I go give them hugs and kisses. They tell me all about their time with Daddy and it is then I realize that I know I did the right thing. I will admit it is hard to be a consistent and firm parent. But, it is necessary for them to be taught early so we hopefully won't have as many battles when they are older.

I decided to finish writing this day out for myself and for others whom I know are in the same daily battle. I have my Aunt Zina to encourage me to "Stay firm" and to "Be consistent." I know that if I didn't have her help and guidance from her own experiences that I would be floundering. I try to stay up on all the parenting books and such, but they only go so far as to how to handle each situation. Love and logic is the approach we strive for, but we don't always succeed. I just have to remind myself that this is a journey and we learn as we go. Today's battle will hopefully be yesterday's success and if not then we will try, try again!

Just one of those days

2010-08-10T13:15:00.004-05:00

You know the kind that begin with spilled cereal and drying your crazy hair via the air conditioner in the car...

The daily battle called life...and parenthood...and womanhood...and life...sigh...

Okay, so I am not one to usually whine and complain too much, well who am I kidding, I complain too much, but that is not going to stop me from this blog post.

Joshua's day ended at midnight last night and began this morning at 4:50am this morning. He is nuts I tell ya! He is helping a guy out with his business on the side and trying not to let it interfere too much with family life. YEah, right! Anyways, I am trying to be as supportive as I can and let him do this. He doesn't ask to go out with the guys and if all the guy wants to do with his extra, extra time is to help someone out and make a few extra bucks then so be it!

So, Joshua goes to a meeting at 5:30 AM and comes back a quickly as he can so he can feed the kid's breakfast. Okay, enter my guilt because my alarm is set for 8:30 am because I don't have to be at work until 10. But, wait a minute, he is choosing to do this extra stuff, so why do I feel guilty! Maybe because he comes in to rub my back before I wake up. Maybe because he is doing way more than I would if I was doing "extra stuff." Who knows?!

So, he goes to work and I drag my sluggish body out of bed. The one that has barely worked out in a week and has stuffed itself with all kinds of chocolate and decadent things while on vacation. Surprisingly the scale has been nice to me, because I don't think I could have handled tipping the scales too!

I am welcomed by an, "oops! Mom, I spilt my milk and cereal all over myself, the counter, the chair, the brick lining the wall under the cabinet, and the floor" and an, "oh yeah! Hayden is in the pantry eating all the pretzels!" Needless to say, I was not thrilled or excited to be awake.

I clean up the mess, Hayden and I battle over who will win the "Pretzel War" and he obviously looses and ends up in a timeout. Thankfully, he stayed in timeout to avoid the next level of discipline. So, I am content to finish cleaning up messes and change out the never ending pile of "Mount WashMore."

Just when the little guys timeout is over, I find him sprawled out on the tile floor. I tell him that he can come out of timeout and his reply was, "I seeping (sleeping)!" Oh boy! When did my not yet 2 year old learn how to talk like a teenager?!

I get the kid's dressed, make beds, while folding a quick load of laundry I find HAyden squirting Windex on the family pictures. When I tell him that is a "no-no" and clean it up he tells me, "Der oo go, tank u." Translation: There you go, thank you! As if he was only helping out in the whole scheme of things.

Thankfully, even though I didn't get up in time to spend time reading my Bible, God has granted me some kind of "free-be patience card" that has not run out yet. So, I go take a quick shower...

It is time to load up so we can turn in our utility bill for proof of residence, so that Corban can attend Pre-K this year! I am feeling a bit overwhelmed as this is all new territory. I want to get it right so that we can have a good first time experience. I want to make sure that I don't miss something. Yesterday, I came too early to turn in the paperwork (with all three kids) and they told me to come back later or tomorrow. I am not starting off too great! But, we shall persevere!

Why is it that when it is "go time" that everything seems to fall apart or go missing? Corban's shoes are knotted, Hayden needs a drink, Landice can't seem to find a reason to complain today, and actually gets into her carseat and buckles herself. No complaints there. I had to wrestle Hayden into his car seat and listen to him scream while I tied Corban's shoes.

During this event, I start to sweat A LOT and got a little bit frustrated and admitted to Corban that I was struggling to have a good morning. He said, "It's okay Mom, you will get better, but you really need to not sweat!" I told him that I couldn't really help it because I am always busy taking care of you guys. He replied, "Well, you need to do a better job taking care of your kid's..." Uh, What?! Excuse me?! I go into a very unnecesary tirade about how everything I have done this morning was for them. I very dumbly asked, "What do you mean I need to do a better job of taking care of you kid's?" He said very pitifully, "I just mean that you didn't let us watch any t.v...." Ooooh boy! I was not a happy momma. I very calmly asked, "Corban, are you the boss?" He replied, "No, you are!" I said, "I'm glad that you can still remember that and now you are grounded from the t.v. for the rest of today for talking to me that way. Now, go get in the car.

I get in the car, back up, close garage door. Hayden continues on his tirade. I put it in park and march around the car. As I do this, Hayden knows what is coming next and starts yelling, "No, pankin, no pankin!!!" I unbuckle him and lay him on my chest and just hug him real tight. I them tell him that I will put him back in his car seat and he will NOT give me any more trouble or he will get what he has been asking for. Wow! It actually worked. Thankfully, by this point I don't think I had any more patience left.

It is now too late to stop by the school and take all three kid's out again to drop off the paperwork. It will have to wait until later. Deadline is noon. No problem. I will go train my two clients: one at 10-11am and the other 11-11:30am. No stress at all. BTW, it can't be turned in any later either! AHHH!!!

As I drive to work, I use the highest level of A/C to air dry my hair on the way. I get weird looks and I ignore them because I know that I am not the only Mom that has air dried their hair just so they can get to work on time...right?!

I love work. Work is seamlessly easy compared to parenting. I got a break from my reality and was able to help someone out. I feel better. My 11 gets her schedule mixed up and is a no show. This works to my advantage so I am able to get to the school without rushing or feeling stressed anymore.

All this said, I am not in control and I do the best with what I can. I will be kind to myself and be patient with my kid's. I will not let this day get me down! I will not feel guilty for resting and I am not going to compare myself to anyone other than Jesus. I will survive...I hope:)!

Vacation Traveling Day 1 & 2

2010-08-07T17:17:00.005-05:00

Slight 2 hour delay on our trek to Colorado caused by a dead battery that did NOT want to be replaced.

No worries...it left plenty of time for entertaining ourselves...

Okay, this sweet, sweet girl is my Cousin Alyx. She is quite the teenager, if I say so myself. We invited her on an all expense paid trip with our quiet, well mannered, well behaved, always a dull moment family. ANd, of course she accepted because we SOOO fit that profile...NOT!!! Actually, she chose on her own to push back her drivers ed class and totally skip a swim meet just to join our 5 ring circus. Little did she realize that we would be breaking the law before even leaving the state of Oklahoma! LEt's just say that when you do have to pull off the side of the road to deliver a much needed spanking to a screeching, kicking, spitting walrus that you can in fact get back on going the same direction. Because if you don't there might NOT be an exit for another 10 miles and you might have to convince your never before broken the law nor had a cavity husband to turn around at the police turn arounds that are clearly marked DO NOT TURN AROUND. He, of course, donned a bad attitude and peeled out with a slight touch of spousal frustration. I, of course, just explained to him that if we did get pulled over that the police officer just might let us off because I am pretty sure that most of those people in prison needed a few more spankings or at least he could give us an idea to know what to do with that walrus.

Anyways, back to Alyx. She was a trooper. She with stood us dragging her around and letting the kid's jump all over her. She gave piggy back rides and helped without us having to ask. Here is a picture of her with all of her "I love Alyx, " "I miss you," & "Ping Me" stickers that were strategically placed all over each item of clothing in her suitcase by her loving brother. She didn't find the humor or love in it, but we sure thought is was hilarious!
The kid's favorite person
Daddy singing the boys to sleep
Alyx saying prayers with Landice

We were stopping in Denver for lunch and on a whim decided to catch a Colorado Rockies Baseball game! So fun!

Vacation Day 2

2010-08-07T17:02:00.005-05:00

We shared a condo with the Hobbs. Here is the "play room" where our kid's slept in their sleeping bags! They loved it! Alyx didn't love it so much because the kid's would wake up in the middle of the night and get into bed with her!

My cousin Alyx and Landice! Pretty girls!
Landice and Kadence!

Cute boys!
Hanging around!

I love this picture with Landice and I! She is so precious...even though she didn't act too precious most of the trip!

Vacation Day 3

2010-08-07T16:53:00.002-05:00

We went in to Breckinridge to ride the Alpine Slides. The rain kept us from actually riding the slides twice! But, the gondolas were free and a ton of fun for the kids!

During a rain intermission, we sought out an ice cream parlor. And, boy did we find a good one! This place was really great!