WOULD YOU DARE?

Tonight I tried a couple new and amazing healthy menu items!! Healthy, baked green bean fries and an after meal watermelon drink were the first new items added to my got to try it list and today I got the chance. Let's start with the green bean fries! OMG!! Yummy and super simple and convenient. I bought a bag of frozen whole green beans. Popped the bag in the microwave for 3 min. Preheated my oven to 425. Placed foil on a baking sheet and sprayed with nonstick spray. Placed green beans on the sheet and spread out evenly. Combined 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (I cheated and used a little extra cheese) and instead of salt and garlic powder I just used a salt free garlic pepper seasoning and mixed well. Sprinkled over beans and baked for 15 min. Then broiled for 1-2 min. They are SO GOOD!!!

I also tried this amazing metabolism boosting after meal drink. DELICIOUS!! It's so easy with only the 3 ingredients but careful, it has a big kick!! I saw this on the Dr Oz show and I had to try!! Both of these items can be found on the web pages listed at the top of each picture!! Enjoy!!!

MAKE FUN BUT I FEEL GOOD!

I am odd. Know it. Ok with it. Own it! My friends and my husband make fun of me all the time for my eating habits, love of Dr Oz, and my strong urge to be healthy. I am not vegan but I don't eat red meat or pork. I use almond milk instead of cows milk for my granola in the morning. I love meatless alternatives and tofu cheese and I have a willingness to try healthy foods now matter what it looks like. I have made a commitment to myself to be in the best shape, best health, and where I need to be mentally with my life by 2014. Health nut? Maybe but not always. I am totally human and for now my mind is still set to eat my feelings. If I get over stressed, sad, or overwhelmed I will stray from what I believe would be better choices and eat the ice cream, a pumpkin scone, or a cookie or four.:) my husband joked this weekend and asked what I was going to do when I live to be 135 years old and him and my daughter have already passed. He seems to think I will be bored and lonely so I should indulge and enjoy now. I DO indulge and enjoy now but it's just not on the same things as him. Lets face it, I am not getting any younger. 30 has been a rude awakening for me. I can't eat whatever I want and not gain a pound. I deal with huge weight fluctuations unlike my fried chicken, all meat pizza, cheese fry eating husband. Women's hormones also change as we get older and cause changes with our body that we need to be proactive about. In my efforts to achieve my goals for 2014 I am willing to stand up to the poking fun and ridicule. But I WILL achieve full body, mind, and spiritual wellness by 2014 and will feel amazing. I already see a huge difference. 

Some of the little things are so simple but make me feel a ton better! Lemon water. Try it hot like tea. Yum! If I get snacky I eat a couple cashews. They are filling, good for you, and it takes the body longer to digest cashews so you feel full longer.  Over the next several weeks I am going to try recommended ways to feel better and become healthier and the use my blog as my journal. 

FORKS OVER KNIVES

I watched the most compelling film last night called Forks Over Knives. My neighbor was over and mentioned it to me and asked if I would like to borrow it. Well anyone who knows me knows I am not "normal" when it comes to food and so I said yes right away. My mind is very open to the Vegan lifestyle since I have lived on the edge of it since I was a teenager. I do eat eggs, egg whites, dairy, poultry, and fish but I in my younger days I ate a lot of tofu and soy based products instead of dairy and I almost cut out the poultry all together at one point. And thinking back on it, I was at my healthiest. It's not the "normal" way of eating but I feel like two major components drove me to that lifestyle. First thing was diet. I won't lie, I have been a diet junky since my Senior year of high school. I lost a bunch of weight after high school from changing my lifestyle and cutting out meat and dairy.  But the trick was trying to keep it off without depriving myself and at that young of an age I wasn't educated enough to do that nor did I have a lot of money to be spending on organic or at whole foods markets. I grew up in an interesting food environment with the women in my life. My Grandma always had Slimfast in her fridge or she was always doing Weight Watchers. My mom worked a lot of hours and she basically just never ate. And my sister was diagnosed with anorexia in middle school. She than after a long time of treatment turned the other way and would eat a lot but would do it in the middle of the night when no one could see her. She then decided to start weight lifting and become a power lifter. I haven't talked to her in a couple years but from what I hear her diet is pretty plant based and Gluten Free. And then there is my dad. If it's green he won't eat it. And he is a big meat eater like my husband. My husband is thankfully open to trying new things and eating a lot of veggies but he would not be open to cutting out meat, dairy, and eggs.
The second reason I chose the more vegetarian route was to become healthier after being diagnosed with my renal cancer my junior year of high school. I had it easy and only had to have one of my kidneys removed and didn't have to undergo any chemo or radiation. I think that may have been God's way of giving me a chance to shape up my lifestyle a little. A little harsh love. :)
I was talking with a friend today about this and we discussed how much easier it is to adapt to this culture or way of living in different demographics. We also discussed how sad it is for the financially less fortunate to not be able to afford these types of foods. They should be more accessible and a lot more affordable so that people can choose this healthier lifestyle not only for themselves but for their children. Although, with that being said, I am a firm believer of my child making her own decisions in life. I want her to try a lot of foods and become educated on the benefits and downsides of the things she puts in her body but also to  choose for her own way of living. She is a very smart kid and I trust she will do what is best for her. I feel like as a parent it is not my job to mandate my child's likes and dislikes but to give her the opportunity to make educated decisions based on experience and knowledge.
Point of my story is that everyone should take a good long look at what they put into their bodies. I am not perfect and have my weaknesses but if I can live life on a regular healthy plant based or whole food diet most of the time and mix in the occasional indulgences, than I think my overall health and well being will benefit. I would like to think that I was able to help in my risks of cancers, diabetes, and heart disease. In my lifetime of 30 years I have seen a lot of cancer rip through family and friends. Why set myself up to fail? If you are interested in watching this amazing film you can go to http://www.forksoverknives.com/ and watch it online. I will say it is very controversial and out of the box. But hey, I have always been way out of the box. LOL!!!

I LOVE MY HUSBAND

Sure he drives me insane with his quarks and he can never find anything on his own even if it is right in front of him, BUT he is an amazing man who works hard to support his family and make me feel good about myself. He supports every one of my own quarks and crazy ideas. From weight loss, overall health, couponing, fundraising, and every other "bright idea" that I have, he has been there for me. He is human and a man so trust me he is not perfect, but I truly feel I am one of the luckiest woman on the planet! For my 30th birthday he made a huge dream come true and took me to New York City for a week. I am a huge romantic and he not only took me on a horse drawn carriage ride through Central Park and took me to see Phantom of the Opera on Broadway, but he did all of the little corny things on my list. He has made my dream of going to Napa come true and even scheduled a couples message on our trip. He works very long hours and has even spent a lot of time traveling for work. We have been through several rough patches throughout the almost 10 years we have been together but each time we power through. It isn't always overnight and it isn't always pretty but in the end our love pulls us back together. He has become a great father to our little girl too. In the beginning it was rough. He wasn't a hands on dad and he was traveling all of the time. It was hard for him to bond with her and he struggled to find his place with her. He loved her to the moon and back and was so proud of her but he just simply didn't know how to jump in there when he was only around 2 days a week. I used to get so stressed and so upset. I didn't fully understand. Now that he is not traveling anymore he is a total different dad. He still loves her to the moon and back and he is still very proud of her but he is so much more hands on than he ever was. However, Makayla has not made it easy for him and still to this day insists that only mommy does certain things. But I can see that slowly, very very slowly, changing over time. And the bigger point of it all is that he is trying. I love my husband very much and am very blessed and thankful to have him in my life. It's corny, but he does complete me and I don't know what I would do without him. I am also very thankful that neither of us have given up on each others weaknesses and have been able to grow and learn from our mistakes.  I can only hope that Makayla one day finds an amazing man like my husband to spend the rest of her life with.

SLIGHTLY LOST BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

Well hello there! Long time no see! I have wanted to jump back on this for so long but just couldn't find the time. I loved doing this last year. Although it has been forever since my last post, lets give it another whirl!!! I have so many topics spinning through my head that have effected me over the last several months. This blog was meant to be my outlet to write about topics that I love and the fun and amazing things in my life and the amazing lives of the awesome women that surround me. I want to get back to that! I am working on a post right now that I hope to have posted by end of day. If I have any followers left this may be a shock to see this blog up and running again! LOL! But I want to have fun with it!! Hope you stay tuned!

IT'S OFFICIAL

I am officially 30 years old as of yesterday! I am a mess of mixed emotions! I feel grateful and blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life and I look at what I have accomplished this far and I am even more pleased. I have a good husband who no doubt tries my patience, frustrates me, and drives me crazy but he also loves me unconditionally and works very hard to provide for our family. We have hit a rocky patch a time or two but neither of us is ready to give up on what we know is true love. God works in mysterious ways and although I have found myself questioning his motives some times, I am rest assured by the belief that if I trust in him he will not misguide me. I have an amazing, healthy, happy, beautiful, and comical little girl that is no doubt the very best thing that has ever happened in my life. She is my joy, my laughter, and my reasoning for doing anything I do in life. We have a beautiful and cuddly golden retriever who is one of the best friends anyone could ever have even if she does leave you full of dog hair all over your clothes. We have made ourselves a wonderful home too. We live in a quiet subdivision with good neighbors (from what we know anyways) and appears to be a great school system and environment to raise our child or children.
Although our families are a ways away, they still are here for us and are blessing to have too. Our friends who are also a ways away are the best friends we could ask for and we miss both our friends and family very much.
I will be blunt and honest and say that I am scared that I didn't make some of the right decisions along the way to this point in my life. Should I have gone back and finished college? Did I make the right career choices? Is the option of change really on the table? Have I loved the way in my heart I know I can love? Am I being selfish too many times? Could I have tried harder at things?
I am angry at myself for not pushing myself harder to do the things I want to do in life. The things that not only bring me happiness but also bring life to my soul like my charity work and being with my daughter. I love working with and being around woman. I feel inspired. I feel like woman put themselves last and yet are the most powerful people on this planet. Woman have drive and passion. And let me stop myself right there and say that I don't think men lack these things but they are for sure wired different. Priorities are different.
As a woman in my (gulp) 30's I would like to start to laugh more, live more, stress less, love more deeply, and apply myself for all that I know I can be as a woman and as a person. This year will bring lots of changes. And hopefully will be the year I truly find and become the person I know I want to be.
To quote my beautiful and inspirational Mary Kay director, " Lots of love and tons of belief".......
                                                                                      This 30 year old lady named Theresa

Guest Post by Beautiful Mom Of Four

Many months ago my friend started a blog on her journey to 30 and a mother. She was on a journey to self-discovery of who this new person is that was once her. She requested a guest blog and up until now I have realized I have been on my own journey to self-discovery that is still under construction.

Call it lack of sleep from a baby who decided to wake up at 5am laughing at me, probably thinking, ‘If I smile big enough she won’t care that its so early!” I am inspired this morning.

Another friend of mine has started a journey of her own. Before I continue I realize journey is a word I am using a lot and feel its necessary to define for myself and those reading. Journey: a. The act of traveling from one place to another; a trip.
b. A distance to be traveled or the time required for a trip: a 2,000-mile journey to the Pacific; the three-day journey home.2. A process or course likened to traveling; a passage. As a mother this process of travel is most often just to the grocery store is an adventure and your learning something new from your kids, but in this case we are looking at the bigger picture. Back to my friend starting a journey of her own. She continues to inspire me with her strength and compassion and decided to go full force with women’s ministry, with me in tow. I have four boys, so understandably the opportunity to be with women was an amazing concept. Although I was spear heading I found that I couldn’t wait to help influence these women through a bible study, because just like when I taught preschool, I learned so much more while teaching than not!

So now, here I sit, having been up since 5am realizing that although my world is dirty diapers, meals, snacks, and then throw in every boy toy you can imagine I am truly blessed. I read stories of mom’s whose struggles go so far beyond 5am wake ups and whiny 2 year olds.

I know a mother who waits everyday for her autistic son to smile at him. I remember this when my 2mth old can’t take his grin off his face and then I have three more right behind him waking up with a smile. How can I can complain?

I know a mother who waits in a hospital room watching her 3.5-year-old son struggling to breath waiting for lungs. A life long battle of fear and questioning since he was diagnosed with cancer. How can I complain?

I know a mother whose 1 year old’s first hair cut will be from a neurosurgeon because of a chromosome disorder he was born with. Everyday is doctor’s appointments, and questions of what next and she continues to care for her other children, provide for other children outside of her home, and smile and love life despite the journey. Again, I ask, how can I complain.

In the end, we all have our own struggles. The women I listed above are just a few that influence me everyday. Not to compare my life’s struggles but to realize that life is what you make of your circumstances. Sometimes they really suck! Lets be honest! Sometimes life truly does throw lemons right at your head. You can dodge them, or try to catch them to take with you on your journey. Lets be honest with out those ‘lemons’ or trials to be metaphorical, we can’t look at the positive things in our life as blessings.

So now my post is becoming rambling so I will get to the long and short of my story. I am a mom of four beautiful boys. They are 5, 4, 2 and 2mths olds. Typically when I say their ages I get looks of disgust, awe, and just plain shock. There are days it truly is chaos more often than not, but they are best friends. I sell Thirty-One Gifts, a Christian based company that inspires women everyday and it continues to bless this family. I continue to do photography when I can, and if I can watch kids on the side. At the end of the day I am Matthew, Ben, Joe and Sam’s mom. I am Bill’s wife and I wouldn’t ask for another title. I have found myself as most moms do saying after I am ready to go out, “I don’t look like a mom of four, do I?” To which my husband responds, “I don’t know how to answer that, so I will just say you look beautiful.”

In asking that question for what feels like the hundredth time, I realized I need to rethink myself. I need to see myself through other’s eyes. I am a mom of four boys. Some days I am a mom to four superheroes, which makes me pretty proud. Although that title may seem mundane to me some days, others see it as so much more.

I am blessed to have such strong women in my life, I am blessed to have such an amazing family, and I am most definitely blessed to serve the God I serve. I could make this post so much longer, to be able to call out each of the persons in my life that bless me everyday, to show them their struggles are not in vane and are touching others, but for now I will just let each person know that they make my life better. If you are reading this feel blessed today knowing that whether you are in a time of trial or blessing, today is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. I received that text this morning for another virtuous woman I am blessed to know, what a way to start the day J!


25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
Proverbs 31