I have a blog?

Wow. I haven't written anything in almost a month! Yikes. I have very good reasons though. A 10 month old daughter and an 11 week old puppy! These two keep me on my toes almost every minute of the day. I will get back to posting more when things settle down. Posting about my weight loss, zumba love, family fall time, etc. For now I will leave you with a pic of the pooch.

Til Next Time.....!

Changes

I am excited about some upcoming changes to my blog. I am ready to make more time for blog. It will only require me waking up earlier which I have been meaning to do for months. If I don't wake at the crack of dawn the rest of the day is a sluggish depression. Waking up earlier to make time for my blog and to get a little makeup on this face will surely make the day better. I already feel a million times better than I have in a while and soon baby H will rise and shine with a big smile for her mama. Our day will be filled with caring for a little two year old who I watch a couple days a week for extra spending money. Money towards things like my new haircut pictured below. Have a blessed day everyone!

E :)

Remodel

Just as a garden needs tending so does my personal style. Every since I had Baby H everything has gone down hill physically of course but now my wardrobe has gone down hill as well. Nothing obviously fits since having a baby and working out is slow progress so I really feel as though some new shopping items need to be added to my closet and a new hair do is calling. That is where this lovely weekend will come in where not only will I invest in a new outfit and jewelry possibly but I will also be chopping of my hair and getting it colored back to the chestnut color that always seems to suit me. I am beyond excited for this new outward change! Any new changes going on in your lives? Let me know! I'll be adding a picture later this weekend!

In the greatest spirits,

E :)

How was your Labor Day weekend? Were you laboring away or spending quality time with the family? I did a little of both. Over the weekend we got to take Hailey on her first zoo adventure. She absolutely loved all the animals of course! She has just started putting words to things. Simple words like bird, tree and bee. She is getting so big and it is just amazing seeing her learn and love the world around her. I just want to foster all her creativity night and day! Babies are just too amazing! They have such love and wonder for everything around them. I wish many adults had still kept on to those traits into adulthood. I see way to much judging nowadays and it really scares me to think about what my daughter will have to encounter in her life. As a mother I just want to keep her locked away from all that bad stuff but I know she must encounter things to grow. Truly the best job in the world is being a mommy! I just wished we got paid! It isn't easy and moms are waaay overlooked! The laboring part of my weekend was house cleaning! Boy there are just now enough hours in the day to be an attentive mother and keep the home spotless! Motherhood should also come with a lifetime cleaning robot crew! Luckily the hubby really chips in and I am so grateful to have such a caring and hands on partner in life. He made the cleaning not so bad although I'd still rather have been having fun with my family at another zoo! :)

Little sneak of our zoo day!

Til next post,

E

Love watching Sex And The City from the beginning on E! on mornings when the hubby is still sleeping and the baby is taking her early morning nap. Simple things a mom can get extreme enjoyment from. Every mom needs her guilty pleasure, piece of chocolate and a relaxing pedicure every once and a while. Sometimes mothers are so busy caring for others that they neglect themselves. So take some time for yourselves fellow mommies of the blog world. I personally get enjoyment from decorating for the holidays and all these new fall items are calling to my bank account to empty itself and enjoy in a little fall cheer. I cannot wait for my little girl to get bigger and be able to share in my joy of decorating for the holidays. I hope we can make a tradition of making, buying and decorating the house every year together. This is something that she can never really grow out of! When they grow up so fast it is good to know that I can still freeze time with my daughter while decorating for the holidays. And NO I am not one those people who gets waaayy excited for the holidays when they are still a couple month away ;)! I'll leave you with an adorable pic of my heart and soul who just happens to have been entered into the baby Gerber competition by her adoring number one fan...her mommy!

ZUMBA!

I have fallen in love again....this time with Zumba. Tonight I did my first Zumba Tone class and one word comes to mind..FUN! I cannot say enough good things about the exercise program. If you haven't tried it yet go and find a class asap! Stop with the excuses...if you want to try something new or improve your health and life go for it NOW because you never know when later will happen! I encourage everyone to live their best life for themselves. Even if it just a new hobby you want to try like sewing go for it because we only have this one life to live.

Neglect!

Boy have I been neglectful to my blog or what!? Blogging really is such a stress reliever for me that I should do it more often but being a full time mom to a 9 month old and working part time really leaves me exhausted by the end of the day. So that is why I am back on my weight loss kick since I really don't want to be overweight for baby # 2 someday. I have joined the Body By Vi 90 Challenge and so far I looove it and cannot say enough good things about it. The extra energy is boost is amazing and I really can tell the difference from when I didn't take shakes before. I really want to be healthy for myself and for my daughter. I want to be her best example and being overweight is making feel as though I am failing her in some ways. I feel such a huge responsibility in raising my daughter and I want the best for her. She is the greatest blessing and I know as she grows she will want a mommy who is able to run around with her each and every minute of the day!

Im finally back! Being a mother is the busiest and most rewarding job I could ever hope for! This Friday I am putting together a list of favorite things from the upcoming week and favorite things going into the weekend.

Zumba- My husband surprised me with a kinect and two Zumba games to go with. The workouts are fun, fast-paced and have me exhausted even on the easy level! But it is so worth it to get healthy for baby H. I need to lose about 60 pounds but taking each day at a time and not focusing to much on the number.

Friend Friday- One of my good friends from my high school days will be visting baby H and I today for a fun playdate and lunch! I love seeing my baby light up around other children so today should be full of fun and laughter.

Upcoming-This upcoming Sunday is the Orthodox Easter celebration. I cannot wait to see family and friend and celebrate Christ!

I hope everyone has a fullfilling and loving weekend with family and friends!

Til Next Time!

Work Out Time

Today is my first day of exercise since I have had since having baby H. Wow! I never expected how hard even simple routines would be. While baby H slept I started off with a simple yoga routine that you use to be a piece of cake for me and today all I felt was pain and no flexibility. Next I did a ten minute cardio workout with lots of jumping jacks and squats that had me way out of breath! I am so dissapointed at the level of fitness my body has dropped to. But I know I will improve over the months. I just have to keep swimming as they saying goes. I wish everyone the best of luck with their workout endeavors and I really hope you all keep them up!

http://www.barbellesathome.com/....This is a great site to help keep you motivated!!

The hubsters and I have also been eating alot better and trying tons of new receipes that I can post one here:

Directions For A Healthy Chicken Teriyaki

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed with a garlic press or minced
• 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 pounds skinless chicken thighs
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Combine the soy sauce, sugar, sherry, vinegar, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes and stir until the sugar dissolves. Transfer to a resealable plastic bag and add the chicken. Seal the bag and marinate the chicken in the refrigerator, turning once, for 1 hour. The chicken can be marinated for up to 4 hours.

Heat the broiler to high. Arrange the chicken on a broiler pan skin side down and broil until brown and crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. Flip the chicken and broil until almost cooked through, about 8 minutes longer. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and cook until the seeds turn golden brown and the chicken is done, 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Make some Brown rice with this meal and throw in kale as well for a healthy dinner!

Happy New Year!

I cannot believe it is already 2012! I haven't posted since 2011 but things have just been so hectic. Baby H blessed us with her presence in November and since that time my life has been baby overload. Between holiday parties, playdates, music classes and mommy and me time there really is very little time for anything else. I couldn't be happier though because baby H has been the most amazing blessing to our family. I do not know how I ever lived without her. A mother's love is truly indescribable and must be felt. Our labor was quite the ordeal and I will be do a post soon with details. I had gone into the labor thinking I could deliver with no epidural and all natural but in the end that isn't what happened. But all that matters is I had a beautiful healthy baby girl. Baby H is now almost 2 months! I cannot believe how fast the time has gone! I will be using this blog to document my journey with her and hopefully everyone finds some connections in my tale!