Yummy Healthy Waffles

I made these for breakfast on Sunday and even my kids ate them. 

Healthy Multigrain Waffles

1 cup whole wheat flour 

1 cup whole grain oats, any combination of oats, wheat berries, kamut, millet, bran, etc
1/4 cup flax seed (whole or meal)
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 dash salt
2 cups milk (milk substitutes work fine here)
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup melted butter or 1/4 cup margarine or 1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1 In a blender, grind up flax (if you have whole seeds) and grains to a flour-like texture. If using flax seed meal, add it to the next step.
2 Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well.
3 In separate bowl, combine wet ingredients.
4 Add wet to dry and mix until moist.
5 Cook in preheated waffle iron.
6 Enjoy!

Read more at: http://www.food.com/recipe/super-healthy-scratch-multigrain-waffles-239139?oc=linkback

Run Run

Today we did this workout.  Yikes!  Way harder in the heat then I could have imagined.  It was only a two mile run (broken up into 4 runs), but that added with the V-ups and KB swings -- enough to kill you off. 

After GPP I went to try out Body Combat.  I'm not sure if I like it, I will give it another go and see if I can grow to love it.  I just feel like I'm doing ti-bow and that I'm in the 7th grade again.

I have 3 weeks until my last marathon, and possibly race, of this season.  Wish me luck!  This marathon I've just been doing GPP and running a lot less, so we will see how the race actually goes.  The most I will run is 15. Hope I can do this!

Hope you all have a fantastic Labor Day weekend!  One of my best friends gets married this weekend -- crazy stuff!

Pear Cinnamon Jam

I have two pear trees in my backyard and the pears are coming on. I was desperately searching the intern this afternoon looking for something to do with all these pears. I came across this recipe and plan on giving it a try. 

Pear Cinnamon Jam
makes 3 pints (fills six half pint jars)

8 cups cored and chopped Bartlett pears (or any smooth, thin-skinned pear. There’s no need to peel.)
4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
juice of 1/2 a lemon

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, combine chopped pears and sugar. Cook over medium heat until the fruit can easily be smashed with the back of a wooden spoon. Use a potato masher or immersion blender to break the fruit down into a mostly-smooth sauce.

Add cinnamon and lemon juice and stir to combine. Continue to cook until the jam looks thick and passes the plate test.

Fill jars, wipe rims to remove any residual jam, apply lids (heat canning lids in a small pot over very low heat while you’re preparing the jam to ensure a good seal) and screw on the rims.

Process the filled jars in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes (start the timer when the pot has returned to a boil). When the time has elapsed, remove jars from pot and place the jars on a towel-lined countertop. Let them cool undisturbed for at least two hours. During this time, the lids should seal. Check to ensure the jars have sealed by pushing down on the center of the lid. If it feels solid and doesn’t move, it is sealed.

Rx +

This week at GPP we are doing 2-a-days!  Can you believe that?!  Yes I think we are crazy too!  

Yesterday we pretty fun.  We did lemon, which is a great running workout!  Then we were crazy enough to go run bleachers.  I know what are we thinking?!  

I love this week because it is a week of pushing your body to its limits and getting your heart rate up twice a day.  I love this idea.  Obviously, it isn't super realistic to workout twice a day always, but it is fun for a week.  Check out the GPP website to see what other crazy workouts we are doing this week.

If you want to check out GPP for a month, they are having a Living Social deal for $35 dollars for your first month.  Ummm, hello!  great deal!

I know this is a way short post, but I hope you all will find a way to push your bodies just a little further than you are used to, get out of your comfort zone.  Not necessarily for a whole week, but maybe for a day, run a little further or faster, add on a little more weight.  

What did you do to push your body?  For me, this week, but also running/training for a marathon.

Happy Wednesday!

Yummy Brownies

Ingredients

• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels, divided
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, cut into pieces
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat flour and they turned out great)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

MELT 1 cup morsels and butter in large, heavy-duty saucepan over low heat; stir until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in eggs. Stir in flour, sugar, vanilla extract and baking soda. Stir in remaining morsels and nuts. Spread into prepared baking pan.

BAKE for 18 to 22 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out slightly sticky. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.

http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/28489/easy-double-chocolate-chip-brownies/detail.aspx

Field Trip Friday

The Park is a great field trip. Kids love to play outside and there is always something to do at the park. The slide, the swing, the monkey bars and don't forget to bring a ball to kick around or a Frisbee. A picnic also adds to the fun.

Being August I'm sure you're thinking it's too hot to go to the park but if you go in the morning or in the evening it's a lot of fun and helps run some of that never ending energy out of the kids.

Run Run as Fast as You Can!

I hope your week is going well!  Mine sure is, I just can't seem to get enough of the Olympics!  I love them!  However I am seriously missing out on sleep staying up so late and not getting to other things until I watch the Olympics.  ha But I really have enjoyed them.  Keep up the good work team USA.

Today I started my day off with a workout! I decided to get this mess done early so that I wouldn't have to run in the heat.  And believe me, I was dying without the heat.  Good workout!  After the good workout, my cute friend Candice asked if I wanted to practice kipping with her.  OF COURSE!  A kipping pull up is something I am dying to be able to do (check it out here).  I am still trying to get the motion of things.  Candice was so great to work with me.  I will hopefully have this down in a month or so.  My goal is to practice for 5 or 10 minutes after every workout until I get it.

On another note, I bought new running shoes!  YAY!  They are Brooks Pure Cadence.  They are are nice to run in (well the 4 times I've actually used them since Saturday).  I like them a lot.  Go give 'em a try.  They are cushioned in exactly the right place!

 

Source

What are you favorite shoes to run in?  

What are your fitness goals?

Before You Were Born

"Before you were conceived I wanted you. Before you were born I loved you. Before you were here an hour I would give my life for you This is the miracle of life."

~ Maureen Hawkins

 

I love this quote, it is one of my favorites because it is so true. 

 

Whether you are expecting your first or your fourth, you can create an incredible bond with your baby, simply by intent. 

Take a moment each day to connect with your baby. Talk to your baby about how you are feeling, and the excitement you are feeling. Picture your baby (preferably in a head down, facing your back position...this is the best position for baby to be born in)

Take the time to create that bond. Sitting in quiet meditation, ask your baby what s/he needs. Being in-tune with your baby is one of the best ways to make sure you providing them with what they need. This bond will carry over into the birth process. You will be so connected that you will instinctively know the best positions to be in to birth your baby easily. 

Daily mother/child meditations are so peaceful and wonderful. During my first pregnancy, I found it to be some of the most relaxing times to just sit and BE with my baby. 

With my second, it had the added bonus of being some of the best quiet time I had all day. But I loved that I was able to really connect to the beautiful child I was growing within me. 

This week, spend a moment to either connect with a child, or connect with yourself. The benefits of such self connection will undoubtedly increase your awareness of your purpose for being here. 

Next Week: Is it Selfish or Self Interested?

Sunday!

Well Charisse is off in Hawaii, so I (Melissa) am writing her post.  Sorry you have to keep hearing from me.  In church today we were talking about having faith and having enough faith to say "but if not..."

I have a really hard time with this.  Right now trying to figure out my plan for life and my future not going according my plan.  So my goal for the next little while is to have enough courage and faith to say "but if not.."  Going to the Lord in prayer and saying here is my plan, but if not...then I'll be okay with it going your way.  Because how often do we get frustrated that life didn't go according to our plans, then it turns out way better when we let it go according to the Lord's plans.

Just a thought.  Happy Sunday!

Field Trip Friday:

First off, sorry about last week. I just spaced it...I'm blaming it on pregnancy.

OK, now let's talk field trips. As summer is coming to an end you can still find a few of the local theaters who offer a $1 kids movie once a week. This is a great field trip if your kids like to go to the movie and especially if it's a movie they love! It's also nice and cool inside the theater...great way to beat the heat. I haven't been but I also hear that some theaters offer a popcorn deal too.

My recommendation is to call or look online at the local theaters and see what you can find out.

Enjoy!

Good Deal Websites

For today's post I thought I would talk about a few websites where you go find great deals on a variety of different things from vacation deals to ice cream deals!

The first one is Living Social
This site has a deal including items such as gym passes, jewelry classes, window cleaning, children's products. You name it they usually have a deal for it. I have purchased deals for a night's stay, a year pass to the Aquarium, a day pass to the children's museum and of course treats like frozen yogurt and snow cones.

You need to be careful with deal sites not to over spend so my philosophy is if it i something I would purchase anyway and pay full price I should buy the voucher and save 1/2 the money! Ok and sometimes I do splurge.

Second one is more local it is called  Go Deal Go
This is a more localized deal site. Right now they just have deals in Davis County but are working on Salt Lake and Weber Counties. These deals are usually just one deal a day. They have things like places to eat or oil changes.

You can register on both sites to receive daily email updates with the newest deals. Once again just remember don't buy something just because it is a deal! If you need it or would purchase it anyway at 1/2 price then yes you are saving money!

More deals site info to come.

New Website and a Quickie Workout

First, to the workout -- my favorite part of the day.  A workout that I LOVE that you can do anywhere is AMRAP.  As many reps as possible.  I love this because you choose the amount of time and the number of reps.  I usually do this with three different exercises.  It can be done whether you have weights or not (aka good for vacations!).  So here are a few ideas I have come up with:

AMRAP for 12 minutes

10 burpees

20 overhead press (need weights)

30 lunges

without weights you could do:

AMRAP for 10 minutes (however long you want)

10 burpees (because these are so good for you!)

20 pushups

30 jump squats

Give it a try with whatever movements you are feeling that day.  Try mixing it up with different movements for different muscle groups.

Now, to this cool website that Angela showed me.  Its called Run Keeper (link to it here).  You can put in the races that you are signed up for. You can also see what races your friends are signed up for, so you can run races together!  So much more fun that way!  Anyway, give it a gander, it's pretty cool.

Thought for today:  Do you like running races by yourself or with friends/family?

I like running with my family!

Homemade Freezer Jam

I have been making lots of jam lately as my raspberries and peaches are coming on like crazy. So last week I decided to try something a little different and I made raspberry peach freezer jam. Wow it is delicious. Here is the recipe.

3 1/3 cups of prepared fruit (crushed)- I used about 1 1/2 cups raspberries and the rest peaches
1 1/3 c sugar
4 TBSP of Ball Instant Pectin

Prepare fruit (wash, peel, cut) depending on the fruit you are using. Set aside. In a separate bowl combine the pectin and the sugar, stir well. Then mix the fruit in with the sugar and stir vigorously for 3 minutes. Put in containers and let stand for thirty minutes. You can store in fridge if you will be using right away or place in the freezer for longer term storage.

So easy and so tasty!

Ten Minute Cinderella Cure

So, one of my friends has this incredible blog, Cinderella Duty She is so cute. One day she posted a challange, the Ten Minute Challenge. The Goal was to see how much you could clean up in 10 minutes.

Well, I have little kids running around, and it seemed that after I spent an hour cleaning, in ten minutes they could destroy it all again. (kids are amazing and quick like that) So I figured, if they could destroy it in ten minutes, why couldn't I clean it in ten minutes.
So, on the days that I am not deep cleaning a specific room, I will give it a ten minute cure. Cinderella worked all day, but I refuse too.

Here is my Living room before pictures. (I did not make it messy, this is how it was, I promise)

I set the timer for 10 minutes....

To make my point, I STOPPED at ten minutes and took the picture. It took just another 2 minutes to finalize everything. I did this with each of the main rooms in the house (kitchen, living room, bathroom) in all it took me 33 minutes (because I added in the hall) and my house looked great!
Now, this is not a deep clean, so I still have one room I deep clean on each day of the week. This really helps so that I don't spend all day cleaning, or spend all day thinking I should be cleaning.

We are moms, our time with out little ones is so precious. We have the pleasure of spending our days building forts, fighting dragons, and coloring outside the lines. BUT, we can also have a clean house in the process.

Hope you are having a great start to your week. I am off to help an amazing couple birth their third baby. I love what I do when I am not at home being a mom.

NEXT WEEK: Bonding With Baby, Before s/he is Born.

Thrifty Thursday

Sorry I forgot to post last week. Things may have been a bit crazy! I have been trying to think of what thrifty tip I have for this week. I was thinking about little things I do to save a dollar or to have healthier/safer items around my house. 

The one thing I thought of was making my own laundry soap. When laundry soap went up to $6 a bottle I refused to pay that price. Even with coupons and a sale I was maybe getting it down to $4 a bottle. 

Then a friend of mine told me she was going to make her own soap to help clear up her daughters bad eczema. The poor little girl had it so bad she couldn't stop itching. Once my friend starting using this soap it cleared up the problem. 


Soap Recipe (I usually double it and it lasts me around 4 months and I do about 10-12 loads of laundry a week. I have found all the ingredients at Smith's marketplace)


1 bar of felsnaptha soap
1 1/2 c of Arm and Hammer washing soda
1 1/2 c of 20 mule team borax


Grate the bar of soap and then mix with the washing soda and the borax. I think like to run the whole mixture back through the food processor to chop the soap a little smaller. 

Use 2 TBSP pure large load

Workout Anywhere!

Happy 24th of July (yesterday)!  I started my day off with a 4 mile run with the sisters, then headed up to Kaysville for a 20 mile bike ride with the brother in law.  This was the 3rd time I've ridden my bike and I totally got a flat!  Frustrating!  Good thing bikers are nice people, we had multiple people stop and offer us assistance, and someone gave us a new tube.  Thank you kind man!  Such a lifesaver!  

After the bike ride I decided I wanted to get in my GPP workout.  I know what you are thinking, man this girl works out too much!   This may be true.  But what else are free days for, but doing what you love the most.  So I took advantage of it!  

I then got to thinking, what about all those people who are out of town?!  What would I have done if I need a good sweat session while not at home.  Then I remembered this workout!

Burp-O-Rama! You do 10 burpees every minute  for 20 minutes.  200 burpees?!  Yeah...I know!  This is a calorie burner for all the potato salad and desserts you snaked on this holiday weekend.  I love this workout, but it's a hard one!

Hopefully you all did something fun and active for your Pioneer Day!  

Thoughts:  What is your favorite "go-to" workout when you are out of town or just can't make it to the gym?  Did you spend some time with the fam for the day off?

Slacked due to the holiday

Sorry this wasn't posted yesterday. I thought about it twice during the day but because I didn't stop at that exact moment I didn't get it done. So here you go. Last night as part of our holiday celebration we made homemade ice cream. What is better than that, sitting outside on the front porch eating it together as a family and chatting with the kids. It was wonderful.

Here is the recipe.

No Cook Chocolate Ice Cream

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (5 ounce) can evaporated milk
2 c chocolate milk
2/3 cup chocolate syrup


Whisk the above ingredients together. Then cover and chill for 30 minutes.

Pour mixture into ice cream maker and follow your machine's direction for making ice cream.

It took our machine about 45 minutes. Also this only made enough for about 8 decent servings so you might want to double it.
I thought it was a little too sweet so next time I might either cut the chocolate syrup in 1/2 or add 1/2 chocolate milk and the other 1/2 regular milk. I also want to try some add ins like almonds or oreos or peanut butter cups!

This recipe is from myrecipes.com

ENJOY!

Ok, Cinderella will have to wait.

Ok, my Cinderella post will have to wait. I have been running around all day super excited because......
Today I get to go pick up MY Prince from the airport. He has spent the last few days in Portland with his sister.
So, today's motherhood moment, enjoy life! Spend a little extra time with your family.
Time is precious, time is fleeting, and time with your family is some of the best time in the world.

So, I am off to the airport!
Happy Monday.

Mountains to Climb

Charisse is in Cali for the weekend, so you get to hear from me (Melissa) once more.  Charisse went to the homecoming of her Mission President.  So fun!  She is having a blast.  

Today I wanted to touch on the "Mountains to Climb" talk by President Henry B. Eyring.  You can find the whole talk here. It is a wonderful talk that I have read multiple times since it was given in April. Yesterday in Relief Society we talked about this talk.  

But before I get into that I want to touch on how incredible out sacrament meeting was.  We had our second counselor's mother and sister talk.  First his sister spoke of her challenges when she was a young single adult.  Hers of course were similar and different than ours.  She was born with Cerebral Palsy and has used a walker or crutches her whole life.  She talked about how she wanted so bad to be a wife and mother.  She told of her struggles, but how eventually she found someone who loved all of her and how she was then able to have 2 children and adopt 2 children.  She had the most incredible spirit about her, I loved it!  She mentioned at the end that the Lord really does know us and knows what we are capable of, and that we shouldn't let fear or insecurities or handicaps hold us back from becoming our best self.

Next her mother spoke of how by the age of 26 she had lost both her parents, two children, and her husband.  She was left to raise a special needs child and a son all by herself.  But she spoke of how we are never alone and that prayer is where we can turn for everything!  She was an amazing lady who has been through some very trying times.  

Now to the talk...I love this talk!  He begins by talking about Pres. Kimball and how he had prayed for mountains to climb.  He had prayed for challenges!  As if life isn't hard enough already.  He then goes into talk about how he did the same, and how much her learned from the challenges that were ahead. 

Some of my favorite quotes from this talk:

"Our choosing the right consistently whenever the choice is placed before us creates the solid ground under our faith. It can begin in childhood since every soul is born with the free gift of the Spirit of Christ. With that Spirit we can know when we have done what is right before God and when we have done wrong in His sight.

Those choices, hundreds in most days, prepare the solid ground on which our edifice of faith is built. The metal framework around which the substance of our faith is poured is the gospel of Jesus Christ, with all its covenants, ordinances, and principles."

"If we have faith in Jesus Christ, the hardest as well as the easiest times in life can be a blessing."

Hope you all enjoyed your Sunday!

Field Trip Friday:
Today my son and I went to "the farm". There is a historic farm in our area that is open to the public - Wheeler Farm. And my son LOVES to go and see the animals...best part is it's free! We went early before it got to hot and saw the animals and feed the ducks - a highlight in his book.


"The farm" is a great field trip; not only is it free - unless you go on the hayride or milk the cows, but they aren't too expensive - you can stay as long or as short as you'd like. There are plenty of picnic tables and grass if you bring a lunch and lots to see and do. You can play in the tree house and talk to the blacksmith. There is old farm equipment to play on and of course all the animals to see. If you go in the spring you'll get to see all the baby animals too.The best part is kids love to go and you can go several times a year and it's always fun for them. 


So if you don't live in the Salt Lake Valley I'd suggest doing some investigating to see if there is a farm open to the public in your area and let your kids explore the wonders of farm life.

Bars of Death!

Monday I went and did this workout at GPP!  I did this workout for the first time back in January when I was giving GPP a "test run."  The first time I did this, I thought I was in pretty good shape...apparently not good enough!  When this workout came up again on Wednesday I was stoked!  I was ready for my revenge on this guy. 

Flash back: back in January I only did half the time and I lowered the weight significantly, and still felt like I was going to die.  I remember being sore for like a week!

Monday: I used the Rx weigh and completely 23 1/3 rounds in 20 minutes.

I felt great, albeit I did kind of fee like I wanted to barf a few times during the workout.  After I was a puddle of sweat, and feeling fantastic!

After I went to body attack at Gold's because my friend was teaching.  It's a great class if you want some serious cardio.  

Give the 3 Bars of Death workout a go, its only 20 minutes.  However, I would definitely recommend using a lower weight and not going for the whole twenty minutes, unless you are sure you can handle it.

Check out this picture -- They took this of me at GPP, I felt pretty good about myself, so I thought I would share it.  I have 85 pounds that I pressed up.  Crazy is that in this workout I got up to 95 pounds.  Crazy stuff.

Thought for today: what is something you never though you would be able to do?  Push yourself a little further today!

On a side note, I didn't workout today because I slept in and I get to go see WICKED tonight with Charisse!!!

Delicious Cinnamon Rolls

Ever get a craving for delicious, soft, cinnamon rolls. Here is the recipe. Melissa gave it to me and I love everything about it including the great way the dough feels in your hands. 

However, "trying" to be healthier about my food choices I "healthified" the recipe the last two times I made it. So I have included those changes in blue in parenthesis.  Give it a try or make your own changes and let me know what works for you. 

Wish I had a photo because then you would be making them right away.

Cinnamon Rolls (make it a little healthier)

1/3 cup warm water

2 Tbsp yeast

2 cups milk (1 or 2% instead of whole)

1 cup butter (1/2 c)

3 eggs

¾ c sugar

7 c flour (2-3 cups of whole wheat flour)

1 ½ tsp salt

Add 1/2-1 cup of ground flax seed

Combine milk, water, and butter in small pan over low heat.  Heat to 120 degrees, butter does not need to melt.  Place 3 cups flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in mixing bowl.  Mix 30 seconds at speed 2.  Gradually add eggs, then warm liquids, about 2 minutes.  Mix for 1 minute longer.  Add remaining flour, ½ cup at a time, until dough clings to hook and cleans side of bowl, about 5 minutes.  Knead on speed 2 for 3-5 more minutes. 

Place in a greased bowl, turning to grease top.  Cover, let rise til double bulk, about 35 minutes.  Punch down. 

Melt 3 Tbsp butter, then mix ½ cup sugar with 2 tsp cinnamon.  Divide dough in half.  Roll into a 12 x 8 rectangle.  Spread middle third with half of the melted butter and half the sugar-cinnamon mixture.  Cover with raisins if desired.  Fold into thirds and cut into 1 inch sections.  Tie in a knot and place on greased pan.  Do the same with the other half of the dough.  Let rise 30 minutes or until doubled.  Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.  Cover with icing.

Icing: Mix together 2 cups powdered sugar, ½ tsp vanilla(instead of vanilla try orange extract this was delicious), and 3 Tbsp milk.  (Makes 24 rolls)(make them a little smaller and you can get 30 ish)


ENJOY!

Staying Healthy and Low Risk During Pregancy

So, pretty much pregnancy, babies, and breastfeeding...that sums up my passion aside from my family. I live BIRTH. I am a doula (a professional birth assistant) and childbirth educator (I teach Hypnobabies) and I am a lactation consultant. I am over the top that I am able to help families in such a personal way.
One of the things that I think it incredibly important, no matter what type of birth you are planning (home, hospital, birth center, epidural, vaginal, cesarean, etc) is to stay healthy and low risk.
Here is a list of the TOP TEN WAYS to stay healthy and low risk during your pregnancy, your birth, and after your baby is born.

1- Nutrition: 

Start by having a well balanced diet, one with lots of protein. WHO, the World Health Organization recommend 75-80 grams of protein of day for expectant moms. (more if you are more active) The best way to get your protein in, have it with every meal, and ay every snack. It is much easier to hit this mark then you might think, even for a vegetarian (me!)

2- Calcium and Iron:

Yes, you will need to make sure you are either getting enough through diet, or adding in a safe and healthy supplement. Calcium is needed to grow strong bones, teeth, and with neuro development of your baby. Iron is needed to help support your blood volume as well as your developing baby.

3- Prenatal Exercise:

Staying healthy means staying active. I am not saying you need to be at  the gym doing a spin class at 8 months pregnant (not that you can't, but speak with your care provider first) I am saying that even walking every day keeps things moving and helps to lubricate your joints. And trust me, when the big day arrives it will make a world of difference.

4- Choose a great care provider:

Choose a provider that is in alignment with your plans for birth. If you are wanting an intervention free birth, choose a provider that can support that. Make sure that their Cesarean rates are low, and their attitude supports you during your pregnancy.


5- FLUIDS!!

You need lots and lots of water, especially if you are pregnant during the hot summer months. You need to keep hydrated to support the increase in blood volume, and to support your body's natural ability to stay cool and comfortable. Plus dehydration can lead to muscle spasms, cramps, and foggy brain!

6- Sleep on your left side:

OK, so awhile back I had a mom ask if it was even possible to sleep comfortably during pregnancy.
For starters, lay in your left side to increase blood flow to your baby (and your legs) Next, get 4 pillows.
Pillow 1- This goes under your head
PIllow 2- This goes under your arm put and the side of your torso.
Pillow 3- This goes in between your legs. Make sure it is not too wide!
Pillow 4- This pillow can be used to snuggle and support your arms, or if you are nice, you can give it to your spouse.


7- Avoid Toxic Substances:

This includes alcohol, artificial sweeteners, caffeine, cigarets, Pinterest (well, this is ok in moderation!)


8- Skip the litter box:

If you have a cat, and you know who you are. You need to assign litter box duty to your spouse or other children. Expectant moms are at risk for toxoplasmosis.


9- Take a childbirth prep course:

Even if you are planning a cesarean birth or epidural birth, it is helpful and advisable to take a birth preparation course either privately or through the hospital. This will help to prepare mom and dad for what to expect leading up to birth, during birth, and for unexpected outcomes.


10- Date Night:

Yes, I am including this in your healthy and low risk information. It is very important to remember that you are still a couple, and to enjoy that time together. Bond over conversations about your concerns about birth, your excitement for the baby, and even if he/she will have your father's nose. You are becoming a family, or expanding your family. But it all started with the two of you, and sometimes it is best to reconnect in a quiet, one on one situation.

Next Weeks Topic: The 10 Minute Cinderella Cure.

Spiritual Sunday- Seek to be worth knowing.

So yesterday I heard a really great talk.  It's called "The Gospel and Romantic Love".  I'm just going to share my favorite part, but I would highly recommend reading the whole thing.  Bruce C. Hafen is giving 8 steps to find true love.  Number 6 is my personal favorite.  He says, "Remember: Worry not that you are not well known.  Seek to be worth knowing." 
Then he says,"There are times when we wonder if the Lord loves us; we wonder if other people love us. And so we mistakenly seek the symbols of success—whether that is being popular or being rich or being famous within our own sphere. You might be tempted to let someone take improper liberties with you, or you may indulge yourself in some practice that seems to bring temporary relief but only makes you feel worse in the long run.

Ultimately, however, only the Lord’s approval of our lives really matters. If you seek to be worth knowing and seek to do His will, all the rest will take care of itself. Never forget that all things work together for good to them who love God (see Rom. 8:28)."

He brings up another really great point that I think is hard to remember when you're struggling with dating- "Everybody in the world doesn’t have to marry you—it only takes one."

I thought it was really neat that this talk was given in 1982, but is just as applicable now- probably even more so. 

I like that idea of focusing on being the kind of person you should be and just trusting that everything else in your life will fall into place if you do that- after all- that's really the only thing completely in our control anyway!  :)

http://www.lds.org/new-era/2002/02/the-gospel-and-romantic-love?lang=eng&query=romantic+love

Silly Saturday

Church Ladies With typewriters . . .

They're Back! Those wonderful Church Bulletins! Thank goodness for church ladies with typewriters. These sentences (with all the BLOOPERS) actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services:

• Miss Charlene Mason sang 'I will not pass this way again,' giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.
• For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
• Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.
• Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.
• The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility
• Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM . Please use the back door.
• Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow.

Have a great weekend!!!

Field Trip Friday

We all love to go on a field trip with our kids; they need something to do and we need them to get out of the house. If you're like me you don't always want to spend a lot just to get your kidos out of the house so Field Trip Friday post will contain a lot of free or cheap field trips...not all but most.

Today's field trip is an outing to Lowe's Build and Grow (https://www.lowesbuildandgrow.com/). Lowe's offers free activities for your kids a few Saturdays a month. Your kids get to make a FREE wooden project, get an apron and other freebies. I've never been but it looks fun.

This Saturday, July 14th, is one of those Saturdays Lowe's is holding their Build and Grow event at 10:00 am - I'd check your local store to see what time it runs from there. The project is a Kung Fu Panda Spinning Attack. It looks fun, especially if you like the Kung Fu Panda movie.

So get out of the house this weekend and take those kids on a field trip.

Thrifty Thursdays!

Summertime equals lots of free time for the kids. With this in mind, I am always looking for fun and cheap things to do with my kiddos. Today we went to the library for some free fun with the Clark Planetarium. They showed the kids a variety of science related experiments. The presenter from the Planetarium demonstrated how to blow up a balloon with liquid nitrogen and showed how a bouncy ball turned hard and cracked when placed in the liquid nitrogen. The thing my kids liked the most was that they were able to touch a meteorite. It was heavier than it looked by a lot.

We left the library excited and enlightened! The kids can't wait until next week to when Scales and Tails come to show off their awesome and slightly scary reptiles. We really enjoyed this last year.

For more information on Davis County library weekly classes visit there website at http://www.co.davis.ut.us/library/kids/summer_reading_program/2012/

These go through August.
 Happy Summer

Workout!

So today I didn't have time to get in my usual amount of workout time.  The thing you should know is that I completely LOVE exercise!  Today's workout was done with cards.  Check it out!  You have all 52 cards, 4 suits, and 2 jokers.  Each suit is a different exercise.  We used: burpees, situps, pushups and squats.  Then the jokers are a 400 meter run.

Needless to say, I was a seriously sweaty mess after this guy.  I decided to to it this morning because I have plans tonight.  It was a great workout to get my day started.  This workout is great for anywhere.  Just choose your moves and have a deck of cards.  Good for vacation or a quick workout at home.  

After I ran home for a quick protein shake and shower. Then it was time for work.  In my protein shakes I like to use bananas and really any other fruit.  I mix with ice, almond milk and a hand-full of spinach (which you can't taste is you were wondering).  I got the spinach mix-in idea from my friend who blogs here.  It helps sneak in those extra veggies we have a hard time with.  

Tonight I get to scope out campgrounds at Pineview Reservoir.  After that I am aiming for a quick bike ride.  I just bought my bike and I am in love with it.  However I haven't really taken it for a ride because I struggle with my clip-in pedals.  So I guess we'll see how tonight goes.

If you check out my WOD (workout of the day), be sure to check out the article of Antioxidants. 

Have a great Wednesday!

Thought for the day: Yesterday my workout included handstand pushups, they were rough!  Can you do these?

Taste it Tuesday

Looks like the sisters are having a rough start at this blogging thing. I can't blame mine on mommy brain I am blaming it on computer malfunction! I tried to post last night and while doing so my computer was going so slow I could hardly get a word to come up. Turns out I had a virus so my wonderful husband fixed it and now we are up and ready to go. Just pretend this post says Tuesday!

I am so excited for the fun that Taste it Tuesdays holds! I think of recipe sharing, fun cooking tips and new ideas. I don't know about you but I am always always looking for new meal ideas so I don't feed my family burritos six days a week.

As it is July, I have been thinking of fun picnic, holiday, patriotic foods. One that I wanted to try is a red, white and blue trifle. I saw this on a couple of blogs last week in celebration of the 4th. One of the blogs created individual trifles in a mason jar. It was darling. So here is what you do
Ingredients
Raspberries, Strawberries, blueberries
White cake or angel food cake cut up (I saw one blog where they cut the cake into star shapes)
Whipped cream

In either a big trifle bowl or individual glass jars or cups layer berries then cake then whipped cream. You can create the red, white and blue look by doing your strawberries and raspberries then cake and whipped cream and then blueberries and cake and whipped cream. Then enjoy!

 Photo courtesy of http://www.brownpaper--packages.com (Just a side note this is an awesome website for creative fun ideas. I visit frequently).
 

Motherhood Monday (well Tuesday morning)

Ok, so I guess one of the biggest things all mothers deal with, mommy brain.
I know, "Motherhood Monday" was yesterday, but, I have mommy brain.

Boredom Busters!

Well, a topic that has been on our minds lately has been, how do we keep these energetic kids occupied. Now, I am a huge believer in individual play, as I believe it  helps the creative mind expand. But, every now and then, your kiddo may need a little help discovering what he or she can really do on their own. (or with mild supervision)

Here is one of my favorite ideas, a boredom jar (or boredom box, which we also use)
In our box we have ten great items for each kid to use. In our jar, we have activities for the family to do.

BOX IDEAS:
Dry Erase Board (one for each kid)
Bubbles
'Special Toys" (not your everyday item)
Crayons
Science Projects (think baking soda and colored vinegar...tons of fun, supervision is required)

JAR IDEAS: (places to go)
Park
Fire Station
Splash Pad
A certain cousins house (with prior arrangements)


Sometime simple is best! Remember, with kids, often times since it is something that they don't do every day, it will be fun and exciting.

Next weeks post:
Staying Healthy and Low Risk During Your Pregnancy.

(picture above is courtesy of http://hydrangeasandharmony.blogspot.com)