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