New Year, New You (& Me!)

It's been a long time since I last blogged and I hope that you welcome me back into your routine blog readings so that we can catch up on the time that's passed by.
Wow, life has changed A LOT for me over these past 6 months.  Between dealing with a financial crisis, family up's and down's, new jobs, new beginnings, and new opportunities, I am glad that I went through so much 2011.  Because now 2012 can start fresh and be even better than 2011!  I am so grateful for all that I and my family has been through, because without it, I wouldn't be where I am today, with all of the amazing and incredible people in my life, as well as the amazing opportunities that have presented themselves to us.
2012 is going to be such an incredible year.  I have been able to pursue my passion through continued education thanks to an amazing friend, Robyn, who went with her gut, and called me up to tell me that she had just made my dreams come true.  She was given an opportunity to give a free scholarship to someone of her choice to attend IIN (The Institute for Integrative Nutrition) and she chose me.  She and I had been talking about the school and the education she received from attending IIN, and I knew that it was something I was meant to do.  I read the catalog front to back in 20 minutes and felt like it was written for me.
I had began to find a passion and slight obssession with nutrition when I got pregnant with my son.  I had always been overweight for most of my life, and hadn't paid much attention to how or what I was eating.  It wasn't until I had gotten pregnant, and realized that the little baby growing inside me depended soley on me for nutrition, that I started to really do some research on the good, the bad and the ugly in the world of nutriton.  The only problem was that I was getting information overload.  I would read that one thing was healthy for you and the next article would negate those health benefits and say it was no longer healthy.  So I got discouraged.  I tried my best to eat right, switch many food items, especially dairy to organic, and tried to go with what I felt was right.  When my son was born, I made a vow to teach him how to eat healthy.  He loves his fruits and veggies and even loves smoothies as well.  
I on the other hand, found it difficult to stick with the heathier eating once I came back to working full time.  As any working mother would agree, your child comes first, and so when things get busy you tend to not take care of yourself so that your child has all that he/she needs.  But I was finding that when I let my own nutrition slip, I had a lack of energy, I was tired all the time, and I just wasn't being the best mom I could be.  Throw in hard financial times, and my husband being laid off, and nutrition really took a back seat for me.  It wasn't anyone's fault but my own.  The way I deal with stress is food. We made sure our son was continuing to eat healthy, but I kept finding it to be a hard balance between dealing with stress, work and family.  I still do.  My husband has now found a great job and has been working since October.  Woo hoo!  He gets home earlier than I do, so he feeds our son dinner before I get home usually.  Which means that when I finally get home from work, I rush to eat dinner, I get to play with my son for about an hour, then it's bath time, story time, and bed time.  After that it's my husband and I's time to catch up on each others day, and try to get done what we hadn't gotten done througout the hustle and bustle of the day.
You're probable asking yourself, well then why did you choose to go back to school?  And the answer is, because it's my passion.  It's knowledge that I can pass down to my son, to my family, to my friends.  It's the one decision that I have made recently where I really felt amazingly good about it.  It was like a light went off and someone was shoving me from behind saying, "you have to do this!  This is the opportunity and the education you've been waiting for!"  The best part is that I can finally develop a part time business and have supplemental income.  Something that I've been looking for since our finances took a hit last year.  And I get to help people in the process.
So join me on my journey to obtaining optimal health for myself and my family.  I hope that you'll be an interactive audience and share your experiences with your own health, wellness, and personal journey as well.  Here's to an incredible 2012!

Dream A Little Dream

When you were a kid, did you ever dream about what you would be when you grew up, or the places you would go?  The other night I read the Dr. Seuss book, "Oh The Places You Will Go" to my son before bedtime.  I received this book from my parents for my college graduation and it has been a favorite of mine ever since.  Do you ever find that when you read a book out loud it suddenly has more of an impact?  I couldn't help but think of all the dreams I had when I was a kid.  Some have come true, some have faded with time, and some are still out there waiting for their time to shine.  I remember when I was in elementary school, a friend of mine and I would sit and talk about how we would become "famous".  I would become a singer and she would be an actress.  We would talk about it for hours at a time and would daydream often about it.  In every yearbook, our entries always ended with, "See you in Hollywood."  Needless to say, my singing took a big backseat in college and has now been reduced to singing lullaby's, nursery rhymes, and to myself in the car.  As for my friend, she's not in Hollywood yet, but who knows.  Maybe she'll make it there some day.
Another dream I had was to travel, A LOT.  I've traveled to a few places that I've always wanted to go, but I still have a long way to go.  I believe that the reason I haven't traveled to those places yet is because I'm meant to experience them with my husband and child(ren) and I'm looking forward to those trips in the future.  But one of the main dreams I had as a kid was to help people.  It didn't matter how, but I just wanted to help people in anyway I could.  This is still something that I seek out on a daily basis.  Working for such an incredibly wonderful company allows me to do what I can to help others through charitable events, food drives and volunteering.  I'm looking forward to doing all that I can to help others and plan on having my family participate in more volunteering projects throughout the year.
I often think about what my sons dreams will be.  Will he be as interested in music as I am or as interested in sports as my husband?  Will he love both?  Will he want to travel?  I hope to be the mom that he can count on for advice and who he knows he can come to for anything.  I am looking forward to watching him grow and watching him live out his dreams.  I'm doing my best to continue to learn as much a I can so that if he ever has any questions, I'll be able to answer them.  That's something that I have learned from my mother.  Somehow she always knows everything.  No matter what I ask, she always has the answer.  It is a dream of mine to be as great of a mother as she is to my sister and I.  That dream will always be a work in progress since the greatness she exudes is something that is not easily attainable and will require constant work and perseverance.
Do you remember dreams that you had as a child?  Are there dreams that you're still working towards?  I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

Christmas in July

Have you been seeing all of the sales for Christmas in July lately?  There are some incredible sales out there!  So good, that it might be a great time to stock up on some amazing Christmas presents now.  It could possibly keep you from having to battle the crowds at the mall on Black Friday.  Although I haven't been very good at planning ahead for Christmas in the past, I plan on being ambitious this year and will buy my presents throughout the year, instead of all at once around the holidays.  I think it's a little easier on my wallet if I spread it out over time as well.  So it's a win win situation.  Disney has some incredible sales around this time online, as well as Personal Creations.  I've also come across some great deals on snapfish.com and many sites that have one day sales like onekingslane.com, ruelala.com, and many others.  Take advantage of all that these summer sales have to offer.  Some sites like Gap.com are having sales on their spring line so you could get some great items at bargain prices.  And don't forget to use your coupons.  Some sites, like Bill Me Later, have a cash back option for their participating merchants, where when you make a purchase they'll give you a portion of it back!  
Have you come across any great sales that you'd like to share?  Do you do your Christmas shopping throughout the year, or get it all done around the holidays?  I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

Shopping Up A Sweat

Tonight I attempted to go clothes shopping with my 13 month old in tow.  He wanted to walk and not be carried so I allowed him to roam around the store as I followed him and tried to look for clothes at the same time.  Ha!  That was a not so smart idea.  I barely got to see what size the clothes were let alone pick up any to try on.  Not only was I following my son around the store, but he was giving me a good workout also.  I was literally sweating, or as I like to call it, glowing.  The only time he stopped moving was if he was asking me for a cracker, or he saw a mirror.  He LOVES looking in the mirror.  It's almost like he sees an instant friend once he sees his reflection.  Needless to say, I didn't try anything on or make any purchases at that store.  

I then attempted to go to The Children's Place which was right next door to the store that we were "exercising" in.  I thought, it's a children's store, so it has to be kind of child-proof.  Nope.  My son found every pair of sunglasses and shoes he could get his hands on in the 30 seconds he had before I scooped him up and attempted to hold him for the remainder of our time in the store.  I was looking to see if they had sneakers for him, but much to my dismay, they did not have anything in his size.  I was kind of glad they didn't though.  I was able to leave the store quicker and get my gumby-like son back home to run around the house, take a bath, and head to bed.  In a matter of a week he has gone from the boy who listens when you say no, or make one of those annoying noises if he touches something you don't want him to touch (moms you know what I'm talking about), to the boy who gives you a devilish look and laughs at you if you tell him no.  I have to say, it's pretty funny and so hard not to laugh when he disobeys me and my husband.  But I want to give him his space to explore and not tell him no all the time.  It's easier to do in my own home because it is childproof (except for the dogs water bowl that he is constantly sticking his hands in these days). But when we go to other people's homes who do not have children, or they are younger or older than my son, it causes us to have to tell him no constantly.  We still take him everywhere, but we're trying to teach him to not touch everything he's not supposed to.  We say words like "yuck" if he goes towards the garbage can, but unfortunately it sounds a lot like duck, which is one of his favorite words to say these days.  We also say "hot" if he gets too close to the oven, but he doesn't really understand why that is a bad word since he THANKFULLY hasn't had to find that lesson out.

Each day we all learn something new and he's learning MANY new things everyday.  They say that a child's brain is 90% developed by the time they are 5 years old.  So as parents we have a lot to do to prepare our child for everything they need to know by then.  We are the people they turn to to learn about morals, values, language, emotions, love, and guidance.  I don't know about you, but I'm having a blast showing him all that I know. Not only is he learning so many new things, but I'm learning so much along the way too.  I can't wait to see what we'll both learn tomorrow!  I'm thinking that he may try to learn (from my husband and I) that the dogs water bowl is not a mini bathtub and he cannot splash around in it, and I might learn that taking my one year old son shopping in a stroller with toys is a better idea then letting him run amok all the clothes and customers in a store.  Although the customers and employees thoroughly enjoyed his visit.  

Do you have any stories of your child running around a store and giving you a good workout chasing them?  What kinds of things are you and your child learning about each and everyday?  I look forward to hearing from you.

Is Happiness a Mindset?

I've read a lot about happiness lately.  It's been the topic of conversation on other blog posts, Facebook posts, and even on TV.  In these hard times, during what some are considering a time close to the great depression, happiness is hard to find sometimes.  People are stressed out about money, their careers, loss of a job, relationships and more.  So for some, or many, happiness is hard to find.  If that's what you think.
Happiness, like any other emotion, is a mindset.  It's how you look at your situation that allows you to be happy or stressed about it.  It is so easy for most of us to just dwell on the negative, but what about dwelling on the positive?  Granted, most of our first reactions to anything stressful or fearful is to think about the negative, but we need to train ourselves to change our mindset to positive.  If we sit and wallow in what is a dreary place in our minds, then how can we really get what we want out of life?  There is a quote: "Worry about tomorrow tomorrow."  What does worrying really do?  It stresses us out, makes us think up crazy scenarios that never happen, and makes us go crazy thinking about every possible horrible outcome to something that we don't know the outcome of to begin with.  Why not think about the great outcome of an unknown situation?  Why not have faith in knowing that everything will be OK?  This question is hard for so many to answer.  
Why do we worry?  Do we feel guilty if we don't worry?  I had this conversation with a great friend of mine just the other day.  She was worrying about a situation that she was dealing with regarding her family and I asked her why she was worrying.  She said it was more of a fear of the unknown then anything else.  I asked her if she thought that she was worrying because she felt like if she doesn't people may think she doesn't care as much as she actually does.  And it was like a light bulb went off in her mind.  Why do we feel the need to stress ourselves out about a situation that we don't know the outcome of instead of concentrating on the positive?  We still don't know the outcome, but if we choose to stay positive at least we don't have to deal with the consequences of unneeded stress.  The aches, the pains, the headaches, the fuzzy and unfocused mind.  Stress is damaging to our bodies and our minds.  
I've learned so much about positive thinking from my mother.  She is one of the most positive women I know.  When my husband was laid off from his job, we were unbelievably upset and extremely stressed out.  But when I spoke to my mom about it, she said that his last job was just a stepping stone to something wonderful for him and that everything happens for a reason.  She said that he is bound for something amazing and that the next company he works for is going to be exactly where he should be at that time in his life.  Now if that isn't exploding with positive vibes, I don't know what is!
Life is meant to be enjoyed.  Everyday.  When I had my son, life became a whole new ballgame for me.  I want to get the most out of each day because he's growing up so fast.  I don't want to miss anything.  I want to do more, travel more and just live a happier life.  Don't we all?  What is holding you back from living the life you're meant to live?  Are you happy with where you are in your life right now?  If you're going through a stressful time in your life, can you find a positive way to look at it?  Can you have faith in knowing that everything is going to work out well?  Are you able to think positively without a underlying negative thought in the back of your mind?  I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

Use Your Words

My son has been saying a bunch of words here and there for about 3 months now.  He will be 14 months next week. But he does a lot of pointing a grunting also.  My husband and I have been telling him to use his words and have been showing his pictures and teaching him new words.  He loves to say "Momma" all day long and to him, everyone's "Momma".  My husband, our dog, Uncle Larry, and even his toy car.  I love to hear him say new words.  He's so innocent saying them.  When he says "apple" or "bubble" or "duck", he gets so excited.  I can't wait for him to start talking in full sentences.  He's growing up so fast, but I am enjoying every moment of it.  My nephew is only 2 and tells knock knock jokes and speaks so well.  My son loves to see him and my niece who is only 9 months old.  They're so close in age it's just wonderful.  They can learn from one another and can have wonderful play dates!
My son is in daycare during the day, so I am unable to work with him one on one unless it's in the evening or on the weekends.  But I'd love to teach him more words and associations.  Do you have any suggestions on how to get more learning into a small amount of time?  Would you suggest any particular books, videos, or puzzles that we should use to help him learn more words?  Looking forward to hearing from you all.

From Walks To Weight Loss and Some Family Values Along The Way

Now that the weather is beautiful, my family and I have been taking long walks around our neighborhood.  We even found a giant playground at the elementary school close to our home that my son now loves to play on.  Granted, he's only 1, so there wasn't much for him to play on, but he loved the slide, the swing and a few other great sections of the playground.  As we were walking, I starting thinking about how the exercise we were doing will impact our son.  It's showing him that getting some form of exercise, whether it be a walk around the neighborhood, or a game of touch football when he gets older, will be what he needs to do to stay healthy.  It wasn't until I had my son that the phrase, "do what I say, not what I do", really proved to be completely false.  Kids do what we DO, and hopefully what we say.  If we eat junk food, our kids will eat junk food because they think it's OK.  If we don't exercise and just sit on the couch watching TV, then our kids will do the same because they think it's OK.  Well, it's not OK.  We're in charge of HOW our kids grow up and what they learn as they grow up.  We need to show them right from wrong.  We need to show them that eating right and exercising is how you stay healthy and fit.  

So, as a person, and now a parent, that has had my share of issues with exercising and eating right, it's my responsibility and my husbands responsibility, to show our son the right way to lead a healthy life.  And not only a healthy life, but a fun life.  I have to say, I had the best childhood growing up.  There was definitely no shortage of fun and laughs and things to do.  We always had our cousins over to play with as well as our neighborhood friends, and we were always outside until we were told to come home for dinner.  We had pool parties, sleepovers, and lots of fun trips.  That is something else that we will definitely be passing onto our son.  Have fun, be outside as much as possible, use your imagination often, and always have play dates with your cousins!  We're lucky enough to still have a very close relationship with our cousins and my sister, brother in-law, niece and nephew only about 5 minutes away, so he'll definitely have plenty of play dates ahead of him.  We also have a bunch of close friends with children so our son will have a lot of friends to hang out with too.  I know that my son will have as wonderful as a childhood as I had.  Great food, great family, great friends, and most of all, unconditional love.  My husbands childhood was a little different than mine, so he is making sure that our son doesn't have to go through what he went through growing up.  He's the best father to our son and our son adores him.  

So here's to more walks around the neighborhood, more healthy eating habits, and lots of play dates with friends and family!  Do you remember some great times from your childhood that you'll be passing onto your kids?  Do you have any great recipes that you make for your children to help them eat right?  I'd love to hear from you.