Tip of the Week #4 - Multi-tasking

I know that this tip probably goes without saying, but multi-tasking is how I get through my day and I how I keep my house looking 'decent'. While Baby M sleeps, I sweep, clean the sink and fold a load of laundry and reorganize the baby gear in the living room. Everything may not be done perfectly and completely, but it does get done and quickly.

*while microwaving that bag of popcorn in the evening, instead of staring at the microwave take those 3 minutes to put dishes away, wipe down the counter or take out the trash. A lot can be accomplished in 3 minutes!

*before throwing that dirty towel in the laundry, dampen it and clean the bathroom floor.

*same goes for a dirty sock or that shirt you wore today, use it to dust your end tables and dresser. I'm totally not joking! I do it all the time.

*as you cook, clean! It's better than waiting till the end when you have a sink full of dirty dishes and a messy kitchen!

My only point today is DO WHAT YOU CAN WHEN YOU CAN! It doesn't matter how it gets done, as long as it gets done.

Dear 16-year-old Me,

I saw this video this morning and thought this was too important not to share.


When I was 16, I'd go to the beach with tanning oil instead of sunscreen. I would even use tanning beds during the Spring in order to 'prep my skin' for a Summer full of laying in the sun. Looking back I realize that 35 SPF would probably have been a wiser choice than the dark tanning oil SPF 4 that I would buy. Even today putting sunscreen on is an after thought unless I'm going to the beach or the lake. Silly me forgets that the sun is out every day even if I'm only washing my car or at the farmers market. I rarely burn and I tan easily, but I know that doesn't mean I am immune to skin cancer.

Looking back there are a few things I'd tell the 16-year-old-me like don't waste another second dating losers and take school seriously! What would you tell your 16-year-old-self?

Dairy & Sugar Free Ice Cream ... and YES it's good!

I love LOVE love ice cream. And since being on the Candida Diet I obviously haven't been able to eat any. Well I've finally gotten creative!


INGREDIENTS:

~1 quart Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk (chilled)

~1 pint Non-Dairy Creamer (chilled)

~1 dropper full of English Toffee Stevia

~1 dropper full of Vanilla Creme Stevia

Follow the freezing time and bowl preparation instructions for your ice cream maker. I used a Cuisinart Automatic Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream Maker.

Turn your ice cream maker on. Pour in the chilled Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk, chilled Non-Dairy Creamer and both Stevia flavors. Allow 25-30 minutes for the mixture to thicken. Serve immediately!

It helps to CHILL the Almond Milk and the Non-Dairy Creamer in the freezer for about 45 minutes before you begin. The consistency of this 'ice cream' will not be as thick as regular ice cream, so if you would like it to be thicker you can use heavy cream instead of the non-dairy creamer.

Other flavor options that can be added : diced strawberries, blueberries, ground instant coffee, sliced almonds, chocolate stevia, lemon stevia ... etc.

If you're looking for the liquid Stevia flavors try going to VitaCost.com, Whole Foods or Sprouts.

My worst nightmare

So this is a post that I DIDNT want to write, Why? Because
I'm humiliated
I'm mortified
I'm ashamed
I'm scared
of what...
my weight...
Before I got pregnant I had gained a few (and by a few I mean WAY TO MUCH) Since high school (almost 50 lbs) I was working out and being active but being comfortable in a relationship, (okay and maybe drinking and partying a little too much and being on the pill) Well, I'm sure you know how easy it is to
Lose control of your weight. I had lost control of my weight and BAD
THEN
I got Pregnant. I dont know my exact weight but Im guessing I broke 200 right around the time we conceived
(I want to cry just thinking about that)
(That's my awesome parents and I was wearing high heels in not that tall!Im only 5'6)
but do you see how big I was !!???!!!! UGH By the time I went in to the hospital I was 242lbs DO YOU REALIZE HOW BIG THAT IS!!??!
UUUUUUGH.... Then I had Baby girl... and granted I lost a lot of it... But I was still at 215lbs and a size 18, being over 200lbs was killing me. I was the athlete the one in shape that had a great athletic body and I felt like a flabby mess. I went to the Drs and was prescribed Phentermine. I lost 15lbs (so 200lbs) but it stopped working and then I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism which meant losing weight was difficult (felt like it was impossible)
But I didn't want to give up, I knew I could be happy with my body, I KNEW I needed to work out... BUT HOW?
Then I found my life saver
Running....
Now I know so many of you are going to say "I cant run" "I hate running" and that was SOOOOOO me but I found Couch to 5K
It has CHANGED my life...
I finished my first 4.2 Mile Race on April 16,2011 with My Dad Brother and Husband (and a friend)
I was hard, I cried many times. But I stuck with it... I lost 20 lbs in 9 weeks and I am in a size 13 again! Now I weigh less than I did when I got Pregnant!! I still have 20 lbs I want to lose (30 actually but Im setting my goal at 20 for now)
(Im in the Yellow shirt and that's my gorgeous and motivational friend Kathryn!)
So there I did it.. I shared my worst nightmare... I'm scared to death of what people will say I'm scared of Anonymous comments because I have read some really mean ones... but I want to be honest, I want to maybe help someone. And truthfully I wouldn't mind someone saying "Hey Im in the same boat! Lets be friends and we can help each other!!"

How did you lost weight or overcome your worst nightmare?

Keepin things shiny!

So I'm not going to sit here and tell you my house is SPOTLESS...
In a perfect world..
the floors would be mopped
Every bed made with perfect tucked in corners
every meal would be home cooked and delicious
Baby Girl would be dressed in a cute outfit
Having fun while learning (And being a baby Genius!)
I would have the cutest Dresses with sexy High Heels
and always wear my Apron
and Mr. N would be making millions and not even going to work...
Sigh.... I can dream right!??!!
But like ALL that is EVER going to happen.
So I do my best!
I have tried Flylady and it worked for awhile
It really helped me start getting in the habit of cleaning
However I fell off that wagon once I started working again
I have been figuring out what to do, how to get "back on"
but have failed miserably
Then I found something that totally works for me
Martha Stewart
(I never thought those words would cross my lips ha)
My problem was I need a list and Flylady's was just a tad to in depth for me
I was to... um... {un} Organized (hehe) to create one myself
And Martha amazing Martha Created these super general
Yet totally perfect checklists











I printed these babies up and added them to my
Family Management Binder
(Cover Page is by iHeartOrganizing If you havent seen her blog GO NOW!! AMAZING!)
BAM! Who is excited to clean? This girl :)

Now this isn't the answer to keeping a spotless house
But its a step in the right direction!
So if this is something that might work for you go print off those checklists!

How do you keep your house clean??

Candidas

I recently had to go on the Candidas Diet. We had taken little M to a holistic doctor in Santa Monica to see if we could remedy his spitting up and his low (but steady) weight gain. During Dr. Karlin's testing we came to find out that little M has Candidas. I was on so many antibiotics because of the C-section that they had killed off any and all of the good bacteria in his digestive track. The solution? I had to go on the Candidas Diet and we both had to start taking probiotics. If you've never heard of the Canididas Diet, take a second and look at it here : The Candida Diet. It's tough. The first few days are the hardest, especially if you are like me and have a sweet tooth. My next few posts will be a few recipes that are sugar-gluten-dairy-yeast-free!

Though it's been a challenging 3 weeks, the benefits make it worth it. I lost 12lbs of baby weight!! Only 8 more to go and I'll be at my goal!

Tip Of the Week #3 - Date Night (at home)

Who doesn't love getting a babysitter and getting out of the house for the night?
(Im pretty sure I can say EVERYBODY!)
However, with finances so tight lately
and exhaustion from going all day with a lil
its sometimes IMPOSSIBLE
So what to do?
AT HOME DATE NIGHT BABY!!

What do you need? Not much
I had pictures... where did they go.. have no clue ha
Dinner
Something that you dont always cook or his favorite meal, heck order out!
A black (or any color) table cloth
I actually used a sheet!
Rose Petals
From my favorite place in the whole world... The Dollar store!!
Music
Pandora is awesome
And Dessert!

Put the kiddos to bed or in the spare room with a movie,
and spend dinner just the two of you
Little moments like that will help strengthen your relationship
and who doesn't love that!

Check out The Dating Divas They have some FABULOUS ideas

Check back for more home date ideas!