Fit and Healthy Friday's - week# 3 of Blogger challenge

Well, I missed my post for the 2ND week and so this week will be for week two and three combined.

I don't have too much to post....I know, I know. Well I can honestly say that I have been keeping up with my healthy eating 95% of the time. This entire week I have only had variations of salmon & shrimp. I have fallen off the wagon with the fruit eating though. I know that I should really cut out the coffee and wine drinking BUT...

So! I am continuing my journey in being mobile but I still continue to just walk. I have not gotten to the water aerobics class or the Zumba class yet, but it is on my "to do list". I'm a little bit of a slow starter sometime, but the best thing is that I am doing something. I am not discouraged or disappointed in myself, because it is what it is. I think taking SMALL STEPS to a healthy life is better than taking NO STEPS. I do what I can do within my own abilities. One area of concern for myself, though is my water intake. I know that I am not drinking it enough. I don't know why this is such a challenge for me! I think this week I will try to spruce up my water a little bit, by adding mint leaves, orange slices or cucumber slices.

My partners in this healthy eating challenge are doing great! If you get a chance stop by their blogs to see what they are doing. I know you will find some very good tips there , such as a very tasty & healthy Gumbo recipe and what to eat for an organic CLEANSE . These ladies are really on the ball, which is motivating for me and I'm sure you will find it motivating as well.

I hope I do better this week...

Are You Ready To Work It Out?!

The month of April is when we really start to see things come alive. The sun is shining bright, the flowers start to push through the dirt with fresh stems and buds, the trees begin to get green and we all begin to unwrap and show a little bit more skin. Well, for some of us the showing of more skin can bring about a little bit of anxiety. We have to kind of tone up and cut back here or there, because we see the after effects of those cozy comfort foods during the winter.

Previously, I had agreed to take part in a 4 week healthy eating challenge by a fellow blogging buddy Swarthy Daisy, which is great because it will help me to focus a little bit better on...being healthy. So imagine my excitement when I was invited to attend WORLD FITNESS DAY on May 1, 2010 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta Ga. How cool is that? The whole dome filled with people ready to be lead by some of the world's most widely known fitness leaders. All working together sharing their passion for health and fitness for mind, body and spirit. Oh My Goodness! I am soooo There!

I'm very excited because some of the fitness experts that will be there are people that I grew up on. I mean come on, who doesn't remember when Jane Fonda was working it out with her fitness videos rocking her sweat band on the head, wrists and the colorful leggings? I was always entertained by the energy of Richard Simmons and when I was older I bought the Billy Blanks DVD's and tried (i do mean tried) to keep up with him in my living room. Even the Great Debbie Allen and Denise Austin will be there! It is an all star team. We will also have an opportunity to be entertained by legends such as the Pointer Sisters and Atlanta native Ludacris.

This is the first annual event, and I am sure that it will be highly regarded for the years to come. What is also great is that this event will benefit Jane Fonda's Organization; The Georgia Campaign For Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention, founded in 1995.
This is an event you do not want to miss, come out and join us as we strive to get healthy and fit. Wanna know something even cooler? If you can't make it, or do not live in the Atlanta area you can still have fun because it will be live streamed on www.UStream.TV....ohhhh, the wonders of technology! So there is no excuse not to participate.

Check out this video, it gets your adrenaline going and whets your appetite for May 1st, See you there!

Help for Isabella

Recently I received a call from a friend and colleague in DC regarding her god daughter Isabella. A beautiful little four year old with Leukemia, who in 2008 received a bone marrow transplant and was in remission until March 2010. As she told me the story of this brave little girl, I was very touched at heart, because being a parent of a daughter AND a son I cannot imagine the heartache that Isabella's mother is going through... Actually, I can imagine it. As a parent there is NOTHING worse than feeling helpless when it comes to the well being of your child.

Currently, Isabella is in need of another bone marrow transplant but does not have any prospects. Why? Because, only 30 percent of the patients in need find a matching donor in their own family. Which means that they will then have to turn to the National Marrow Donor Program. That should solve the issue right? Wrong! There are not enough minorities/people of color registered to be a donor and so people of color have the hardest time getting a donor match. Which means there is only One in a million chance of getting a match. How sad! This was a eye opener for me, because I did not know that in order to receive a bone marrow transplant the donor has to be of same or like ancestry.

I began to wonder "why is it that so many minorities are not represented in such a needed area?" Well I believe it is because of a lot of misconceptions within our communities. So I did my own research and came across the Be The Match Registry (also known as the National Marrow Donor Program) . This website is full of information, one page that I found very informative was the MYTHS & FACTS PAGE where I learned that I was wrong in my knowledge about being a donor. It is not a overly painful procedure that is done without anesthesia, and there is more than one way to donate. You should check out the site, perhaps there is a myth that you believed too, but can learn the truth to. Go to www..marrow.org

Please check out the site find out where you can go locally to register and learn what you can do to help Isabella and children like her. And imagine, what would you want for your children if they were in her shoes? How would you feel if YOU were Monica, Isabella's mother fighting for the survival of your child which is dependant on the sacrifice of others? A serious matter, deserving serious attention.

Here is another site that I found for those who want to help but want to do so without the use of blood. I know that personally I want all of my needed surgical procedures to be performed without the use of blood transfusion. If you have the same beliefs or concerns then this site www.noblood.org is a great place to start looking for bloodless alternatives when donating and receiving for transplants.

Let's give Isabella and others like her a fighting chance.

Who can resist this face?

Look at that face!

Flying by the seat of my pants

Recently a friend on facebook asked the question :

..".What makes you feel most alive? Don't try to figure out what the world needs more of; try to figure out what you do that makes you feel most alive. The minute you find the answer go do it. What the world needs most is people who are alive... What makes you feel most alive?"

I thought about this interesting question and came up with a few simple answers . But then yesterday my children, my cousin and I decided to take in the sights at the Atlanta Dogwood Festival. We had no definite plans other than we knew we wanted to go. It had been decided that because there was so much going on in the city, driving was out of the question and so we took the public transportation.

We got on the train in the right direction but not sure of what station to get off on. But that was okay, we figured we will get there one way or the other. After riding for about 10 minutes we figured it out and got off on the correct stop. ...No biggie. Once we got off we were not sure which shuttle to take , we asked around and figured it out...No biggie. Once in the park We are enjoying the arts and of course people watching, not really going in any specific direction. A few times my cousin asked " which part do you want to walk to?" "what do you want to look at first?" My reply was simple " doesn't matter, lets just go with the flow, do whatever". And so we walked arm and arm..doing whatever and loving it.

Later on we realize as it is getting dark that there is a big outdoor screen in the open field. There was about to be a movie played outdoors. Oh wow! We were excited, but then we notice we have no blanket, no snacks or beverages...totally unprepared for this activity. Did our lack of preparation deter us? NO WAY...we simple improvised. We found a store withing walking distance and bought the items we needed, came back to the park and enjoyed the screen on the green. We had everything we wanted and needed, except a blanket. We improvised, huddled close together in the night air laughing and cheering with the crowd...No biggie.

At the end, my dear husband came to pick us up ( because of course we missed the last shuttle and did not want to ride the train back home)...No biggie

To some of you reading this you might think that I am a little crazy for doing all that without any real forethought. Thinking that we just was flying by the seat of our pants. Well, sometimes we do, but that is what makes life interesting. There is always an adventure waiting to happen and THAT is what makes me feel ALIVE.

The SNEAKY housewife chronicles

Like most wives, I take pride in my home. I love the sight of a clean kitchen, and the smell of clean linens on a freshly made bed. NORMALLY, I would work very hard to keep my home looking good. I enjoy knowing that my husband will come home from a hard day of work to a clean home and a home cooked meal.

Sounds good don't it? Yeah well, I have a confession to make. I have turned into the sneaky housewife. My husbands schedule causes him to only be home a few days and nights a week. The rest is on the road. So, some how I have developed the pattern of doing absolutely nothing while he is gone, staying in my pj's, letting the laundry pile, and barely cooking a meal worth talking about. Only to make a complete turn around on the day of his scheduled return! I wake up and begin making a mad dash around the house, vacuuming and washing clothes and dishes, while trying to prepare a culinary delight for dinner. I even get all spruced up, hehehe!

It's a shame I know, I don't even know how it happened. I didn't even realize it as it was happening. Maybe it's a phase, maybe I'll get over this soon. This can't be permanent, right? In the meantime I'll just continue my facade, what he doesn't know wont annoy him....or does he know? Bwahahahahahahahaha!

Fit and Healthy Friday's - week#1 of Blogger challenge

Okay so here it is the end of week number one of the healthy eating blogger challenge. As I mentioned before there are a group of us blogger's engaged in this challenge for the month of April. What you see above is a collage of pictures and information about ourselves that each blogger is required to post...as if you don't already know much about me anyway. Hehehehehe!

Anyhow, I'll go ahead and tell you about my week. Good things first, I started to get mobile! I got off my but and went walking a few times this week. The weather has been great and so I was encouraged to get out and walk for about 45 minutes. Yay me! I can see it now...my thighs will be shrinking!

I have increased my protein intake and cut out the fried foods. My diet this week has consisted of primarily grilled fish and skinless chicken breast, along with a green salad. I have had very little starch and I am increasing my fiber by eating about 3 apples a day, often before a meal, along with drinking 8 ounces of prune juice each morning.

The bad things...I am still craving my snacks and so I have not totally given them up. What I have done is put limits upon myself. Changed my portion size of a snack, such as only eating about two table spoons of the ice cream instead of three scoops (less guilt). I went to the movies on Sunday and indulged in popcorn and soda. I managed to have control though...instead of my regular two buckets of popcorn, I only had ONE bucket. TRUST ME that is a huge accomplishment. I LOVE MY POPCORN.

I plan on kicking things up a notch or two next week...I'm gonna join water aerobics! Stay tuned for next Friday's post.

Loving Me, Loving You

This weekend my husband and I went to see the movie; WHY DID I GET MARRIED TOO?
This movie touched on so many topics and emotions within a married relationship. Of all of the situations that each mate was dealing with, i have to say that the character of Angela struck a cord with me the most. Of course everyone knows that Angela is totally off the chain with her antics and shenanigans. Always creating havoc everywhere she goes. No one understands her when she gets this way, She is a lovable person but she keeps up an unbreakable exterior.

Whenever I see a person that is so tough, all it does is make me wonder about their insecurities. What are they trying to protect? What are they hiding underneath all of that tough skin? Well, Angela in the movie revealed it; INSECURITY along with a LACK of SELF LOVE. She did not see her own value and because she did not appreciate her own worth she did not understand why her husband loved and stayed with her. Which led to self-sabotage of her relationship. She did not believe she was worthy of someones true love. She abused her self and expected him to do it also in return. Underneath her tough exterior she is a fragile & vulnerable person, who wants and desires a loving, committed relationship but does not know how to receive it in a healthy way.

Love of self is so vital to a happy and clear path in life. Some people learn this lesson early and some have to go through a lifetime of troubles before they "get it." When someone does not love themselves they most certainly cannot love others PROPERLY, which can and will make for dysfunctional relationships. We all know of an "Angela", perhaps SHE is YOU. Whatever the case, share this insight with her. Help her to see the light and the gifts within herself.

Here is a great way to get started www.openthegifts.com

TO LOVE YOURSELF IS TO KNOW YOURSELF AND TO LOVE YOURSELF IS FREEDOM