Allie Paints For the First Time

Allie got to experience her first time painting! Though she won't remember, she can look back at these pictures and laugh as I laughed when painting with a 5 month old.

My good friend Natalie provided the washable tempura paint and canvas, so thanks Nat! She was also a big help in the production of it all, ha!

She didn't much like the cold feeling of the paint but she didn't mind standing on the canvas!

After we let the purple paint dry we added bubble gum pink footprints!

Laughing at all the craziness!

Gotta get the second footprint!

Paint all over her FEET!

All finished! So pretty :-)

Such a fun activity to do with a baby! Loved how abstract and whimsical the painting looks too. 

Till Next Time!

Laura

Burn Calories doing NOTHING... WHAT?!

Did you know you burn calories without even doing anything? 

Quick Fact: You burn calories just living! This number of calories is called your basal metabolic rate. Also known as your metabolism! This rate is the number of calories you burn without doing ANYTHING... and I mean anything. 
This rate also depends upon your gender, age, weight and height. 

To find out your BMR check out this site: Calculate BMR

Mine is about 1280 calories. This is a rough estimate though. The actual way to find out is to be hooked up to a fancy machine that analyzes the air you breath out for about 10 minutes after a night of fasting and a full 8 hours of sleep or "rest". The test determines how much oxygen you consume. This test also determines your target caloric zones to help with weight loss. 

It's like what this woman is doing here:

So what does this number mean to you? Well you already know it's the number of calories you would burn if you sat doing nothing all day but it's also the number you need to keep in mind to loose weight. 

Weight loss happens when the number of calories going out exceeds the number of calories going in. 

EAT LESS and MOVE MORE

Remember not to deprive yourself of too many calories, this can actually lower your BMR and make your body go into survival mode making you gain weight!

So I know that I shouldn't really eat more than 1,280 calories per day and that I need to exercise more and  eat fewer calories in order to loose weight. :-)

Till Next Time!

Laura

Foods on a Diet

Now, I'm a sucker for a McDonald's Bacon, Egg and Cheese biscuit or an Egg McMuffin or a few slices of pizza from a local chain but let's be honest, I just can't eat those everyday. So I'm excited that I have found new ways to enjoy these foods without sacrificing my gut!

1. Egg McMuffin on a diet*

To make this I use an English muffin, egg beaters (southwest style for a kick), fat free American cheese and Canadian bacon (or any sort of lunch meat)

You could add spinach or tomatoes with this breakfast too

2. Pizza on a diet*

This version of pizza has 1 whole zucchini, 1 cup spinach, a few teaspoons of feta, red pepper flakes and oregano baked  all on top of pita bread

I don't even miss the loads of sauce and cheese. I love this meal for lunch. It fills me up for hours!

3. Strawberry pie on a diet

I follow the Joy of Cooking  recipe (with a store bought crust of course) and instead of using the 1/2 cup of sugar it calls for I use 1/4 cup Splenda sugar blend. It's just as sweet but with half the calories!!

 4. Banana nut muffins on a diet*

I just can't eat cereal every day. I like a little variety. So I love making banana nut muffins to eat for breakfast. It goes great with my morning decaf coffee. These muffins are made with applesauce instead of oil, made with no butter and still taste great!

Im allergic to oat and wheat but all of the above foods can be made with whole wheat flour to make it even healthier! Let me know if you want any full recipes!

*recipes courtesy of the Food Lovers for Life cookbook


Till Next Time!

Laura

Peaches, Wine and Time with Friends!

This weekend we ventured over to Knotts Island, NC for the annual Peach Festival and to sample the local wine at Martin Vineyards.

The festival was a typical country carnival style setting with craft vendors, fried food, tractor races and of course peaches, peach pie and peach ice cream!

The kids got a chance to play on the jungle gym and swings!

Allie liked all of the sights and sounds and found a new favorite toy!

After enough melting in the humid sun, we decided to grab some lunch then head over to Martin Vineyards to do a little wine tasting. (This was one of my favorite things to do when we lived in California)

Here we tried their "Five-times better than any wine" wines. I for one am a sweet wine fan, so I enjoyed their peach wine. Tasted like a peachy Riesling !
This wine also goes great with sharp cheddar or Gouda cheese.
My husband enjoyed the semi-sweet wine called Snowgoose White. Tasted like a mix of the peach wine and chardonnay.
There were also a few dry whites and dark sweet reds to try as well!

Now I don't know about you, but the best thing to after wine tasting is to buy a bottle and drink it outside with friends overlooking some awesome scenery. The breeze from the water was a nice plus too.

Weekends like this just can't get any better!

Till Next Time!

Laura

Friday Military Fill-In 6-24-11

1. Are you a different person than you were five years ago? submitted by Sisterly Thoughts
I feel that Im a little bit different than I was five years ago. Five years ago, I wasn't married, was teaching figure skating at 3 different rinks,was still in college and was saving money by living at home. I would say now that Im living on my own, am married and have a baby, I am much more outgoing and independent than I used to be. I've really grown up alot thanks to the military lifestyle, ha. 

2. If you could go on Amazing Race, who would you take with you as your partner and why? submitted by Thoughts from a Poekitten
I would take my husband. Most of the time we are a pretty good team. He's more of the problem solver of situations. I'm more creative and we are both pretty athletic. I think we could kick some booty!

3. Does Facebook or Twitter actually bring more stress or good in to your life? submitted byJust an Arizona Girl
I think its been good in my life. I've loved reconnecting with old friends and meeting new friends. Facebook has been a great way to keep in touch with friends we've made during my husband's flight training. (Each stage of his training we've had to move to a different base in a different state). 

4. June is National Soul Food Month- what’s your soul food? submitted by NH Girl Displace

I love pizza, biscuits and gravy and chicken and dumplings :-)

5.  If you could live in any other era than the current, which one would it be & why? submitted by Sugar in My Grits 
I love the fashion and hair from the 30s and 40s so it would be fun to live back then. 

Tortoise and Hare Workout

Here's something fun to spice up your spin workout!

We've all heard of the story about the tortoise and the hare. The tortoise is slow and steady and the hare is fast but in the end the tortoise wins the race. 

With this version, the tortoise and hare end up meeting up in the middle.

Here is what you do. With a workout buddy decide who's going to be the tortoise or the hare.

The tortoise is going to gradually add resistance 6 times, one increase/minute

The hare is going to gradually increase speed 6 times, one increase/minute

After these 6 increases in either resistance or speed, you will switch roles!

The tortoise is going to keep the resistance he/she added then gradually add speed 6 times, one increase/minute

The hare is going to keep the speed he/she added then gradually add resistance 6 times, one increase/minute

You can do this with running as well by where the tortoise adds incline and the hare adds speed. 

This is a very difficult workout but it's fun!

Be creative! Change it up how you'd like, for example instead of one minute do 30 second increases

Till Next Time!

Laura

Father's Day Gift Idea....for next year

I'm a little late with posting this gift idea so I guess it can be an idea for next year. 

I got the idea from a friend's pin on Pinterest and modified it into a beach themed gift. 

On purpose or not, I'll never admit, ha... but the lines of the poems are not perfectly pasted straight onto the paper. Makes it a little "child-like" and thanks to friends I was able to get help making a footprint in the sand of Allie's foot. We were unable to get both, haha. 

Hope you like it!

Till Next Time!

Laura

Father's Day Camping Trip

There is no better way to celebrate Father's Day than a good 'ole camping trip. 

Fresh air, warm sunny weather, lake view campsite was the perfect setting for a great weekend full of boating, wake boarding, tubing and water skiing!

Kerr Lake, NC

This was also Allie's first camping trip! 

Now camping with a 5 month old took a little creativity with the sitting, feeding and sleeping situations.

We also didn't want to have to pack the car full of her stuff. The idea of camping is minimalism. So, thanks to the Bumbo seat, Playtex drop-in bottles and diaper changing station from the pack and play, we were able to achieve this goal.

The  Bumbo seat was great to use while we ate and for her to sit in while she played with the toy we brought her and the diaper changing station was the perfect  make-shift crib. The drop-in bottle liners allowed us to only have to bring one bottle. All you have to do is clean the nipple portion between each feeding and slip in a new liner!  

All-in-all, Allie did great on her first camping trip. She loved sleeping in the wilderness, and loved spending the day on the boat. Jesse also had a great first father's day tearin it up on the water! 

Till Next Time!

Laura

Friday Military Fill-In 6-17-11

Underwear Parties, how old is too old? submitted by Wookie & Co.  

Umm.... I would say these type of parties probably arent going to happen any time past college.... but pajama  parties could work at any age :-)

What was your favorite class in high school? submitted by Adventures of M-Squared

 My favorite class was drawing and painting. My teacher was color-blind (which I thought was awesome) and he also allowed me to get to class late because I had to train at the ice rink before school. I still remember some of the projects we did in class. He gave me such an appreciation for both types of medium and techniques. Some of my favorites were scratch board, pointillism and of course watercolor.

Have you ever convinced packers/movers to pack something they aren’t supposed to for a PCS? submitted by Ground Control to Major Mom 

I can't say we have but I do remember getting through the California Border Customs stop with a huge plant in the front seat of my husband's car that had the top down. Little did we know, plants aren't exactly allowed across the border. Border patrol realized the plant's existence right as the car was given the ok to pass through. Lets just say, the patrol guy waved for a few seconds but then decided it wasn't worth it. Ha!!

Blogging plays a growing roll in the media. If you were asked to embed as a blogger with a deployed military unit, would you go? What do you think your blog would be like? submitted by To the Nth 

I would think that would be a thrilling experience. I would love to hear about the stories of these deployed soldiers. My blog would probably be about their lives and the real-life conditions they are living in. I would say kind of like that Carrier series that was on PBS. 

Do you think kids should attend year-round school? submitted by Marrying the Navy

I feel that year round schooling could work if there was every intention to focus more on all parts of education instead of just what is needed to pass the state standardized tests. The belief is that year round schooling allows for more time in the classroom. So I would hope that students could spend some of that time learning about the arts, more physical education or take more field trips. I do like year round school's break schedule and this may allow for less learning loss that happens on a typical summer break. I also feel that year round school could work if there was enough money to pay teachers and staff appropriately (this is hard enough as it is) as well as keeping the school building itself functional during the hot summer months. 

Eat More When Exercising??

Do you ever feel like exercising makes you eat more amounts of food? Have you ever caught yourself thinking, "Go ahead and have that second helping...you had a hard workout today?"
If so, you are probably guilty of using food as a reward for exercise.

According to research, a good hard workout actually tends to suppress the appetite for several hours unless you reward that hard workout with food. 


I know I can be guilty of it. I have caught myself several times, especially during long bike rides craving a root beer float, ha! I tend to fight this urge with my small amount of will power but I can see how hard it can be.

I for one want to get away from using food as a reward, so I got to thinking about other rewards I could choose instead of helping myself to more food.

First things first though here's a tip:
In order to combat the hunger after exercise, it's best to have a carb/protein rich snack within 30 to 45 minutes after completing a workout. My favorite is a small glass of chocolate milk. Other snacks include, yogurt with some fruit, string cheese with a few crackers or a slice of bread with some peanut butter on it.
Waiting too long after a workout can actually cause you to over eat at your next meal or journey towards the evil junk food or sodium rich quickie meals! 

Now that we are not hungry anymore lets get back to thinking of other rewards besides food!

1. Download a few new songs onto your iPod. Changing up your workout mix can really help you stay motivated
2. A nice long bath or shower 
3. New workout outfits or gear! I recently did this as a reward to myself for loosing most of my pregnancy weight. 
4. Get a massage or mani/pedi. It's a great way to relax those aching muscles after a hard training schedule. Obviously, you cant get a massage every day (I wish) but making this a reward after reaching a fitness goal is a GREAT reward.
5. Take a mini vacation! This can be getting a sitter and having a night out with friends or an actual vacation! This will help you stay motivated to hit the workouts so you can look your best!

I hope this helps those of you that find yourself frustrated by the fact that you are eating more while exercising. I hope that you can find your own personal rewards besides food to help you stay motivated to look and feel your best!

Till Next Time!

Laura

Worldless Wednesday: When my husband feeds the Baby ;-)

Mom and Baby Exercise Part 1

I love exercising! I love how I have a great gym close by that has a great day care to watch Allie while I do my spin classes or run on the treadmill. 

This is all great but I also love finding time to exercise with Allie. 

Mom and Baby exercise is a great bonding experience for both mom and baby!

Quick Fact: Exercise can help decrease symptoms of  postpartum depression, help build those bones, muscles and joints and increase stamina. 

Because we all know it helps to have a strong body and some stamina while raising a little one!

I will be blogging more exercises in the future but I wanted to start with one of my favorites! 

 Airplane Ride 

While lying on your back (back pressed to the ground) with your knees to your chest, place baby on your shins! Talk/make faces at your baby as you move them up and down and side to side!

This exercise mostly targets the core and lower body.

This is also a great tummy time exercise for those babies that are not as comfortable with being on the floor during tummy time. (This game is kind of a distraction)

You can also add a leg lift to work on the quadriceps muscles.

Start with your legs at a 90 degree angle, lower legs moving your heels towards your glutes then back up again. I make sure to always keep my lower back pressed to the floor during the whole exercise. 

Remember to always hold onto your baby!!


Till Next Time!

Laura

References: 

Myers-Smith, C.(n.d.) Mom and Baby Exercise. Retireved June 14, 2011 from http://www.dswfitness.com/docs/Mom&BabyExercise.pdf

Polak, N. (n.d.) Get Moving! Retrieved June 14, 20011 from

http://www.babyzone.com/mom_dad/fitness_nutrition/article/mom-baby-exercise-pg4

Motorcycle Memories

The time finally came in deciding to sell our motorcycle. In combination with living in a city and having a baby, we just weren't using the bike like we used to while living in a more rural area and before having Allie. 

So thanks to Cycle Trader, our bike found a new home.

I started thinking of all the great memories we had with that bike. Some of my favorite memories are:

Driving behind Jesse on the trip back from buying the bike in Stillwater, OK. We were about 15 miles from our house in Enid and he runs out of gas, ha!!

One of the first pics with his new bike

Getting my first motorcycle helmet and jacket

\
Weekend day rides with friends in Kingsville, TX. We would stop and eat at Baffin Bay Cafe. I sure do miss their jalapeno poppers and after dinner mints!

Watching my little brother take his first ever motorcycle ride on the bike

I really also miss the excitement of being on the bike, lets just say I'm a tiny bit of an thrill seeker.

It was a great bike and we'll miss it but I'm sure we will buy a bigger, more powerful one in the future and share great new memories on that bike!

Till Next Time!

Laura

Sunday Family Dinner: Summer Curry Salad

Keeping with my theme of our meals staying on the "lighter" side, this Sunday I decided to try the recipe from Women's Health magazine called Summer Curry Salad. 

The recipe is full of healthy carbs and protein with the quinoa pasta, almonds and garbanzo beans and about 431 calories per serving (4 servings total).
I also love Indian flavors so the curry with the lime flavors was a great pairing. 

Finally a meal where adding chicken is not necessary. 

Till Next Time!

Laura

Fun in the Sun

This weekend Allie got to experience her very first boating trip and another trip to the beach.

She did extremely well on her first boating trip. She didn't exactly enjoy her life jacket, crying every time I tried to put in on her. She definitely cheered up when we got out of the no wake zone and were able pick up some speed. It was hilarious watching her blink as the wind or drops of water hit her face. She wasn't quite sure what to think! She also loved watching her mom and dad water ski and wake board.

Did you know that you can burn about 100-300 calories in 30 minutes of water skiing or wake boarding? (This all varies depending upon your weight and skill level)

Plus the additional calories it takes to put your skis back on after you face plant into the water. I don't know about you but that part is exhausting! 

For me because I cant quite do all the tricks yet, this sport is more anaerobic than aerobic but it sure is a blast. It's a great workout for your forearms, shoulders, back and triceps.

First time in a life jacket

Broad Bay, where we skied

Heading back

Passed OUT!!

The next day we spent a little time at the beach. We went to Target and got a new umbrella. Wahoo, so exiting! I was not about to lug her car seat out to our spot again. Ha! It worked out well and she got plenty of shade! Hopefully it will work when it's really windy. 

Allie also put her feet in the waves for the first time! She just stared at the waves as they hit her feet after she got over the initial shock of the freezing temperature of the water. 

I think we might have a water baby on our hands! 

Our new umbrella!! 

Chillaxin! We got her a SPF rash guard from Target.
They only had a blue one (in the boy section)
Ohh well, she looks good in blue!

Ok, this time she didn't like the water so much 

                                                                 

Till Next Time!

Laura

Harvard University. (2004). Calories burned in 30 minutes of people of three different weights. Retrieved June 11, 2011 from http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Calories-burned-in-30-minutes-of-leisure-and-routine-activities.htm