'I Love My Hair': A Father's Tribute To His Daughter

Weeks ago I wrote a post about my terrible morning which you can read here.  On that day my morning didn't go so well considering I fought with Maya and then had to listen to another daycare mother tell me Maya's hair was "messy".  I stood there trying to make excuses for the lack of style when I should had be complementing Maya's hair as it was all natural (and beautiful). 

Today Dave came across this NPR article about an unnamed puppet with an afro singing a song about her beautiful hair.  Part of me wants to print this article out and give it to this daycare mother.  Maybe then she'll think twice about calling Maya's hair messy :)  Seriously read this article and share with others.  African American hair is beautiful and I want both of my daughters to love their hair. 

The following is from the article posted at : http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130653300&sc=fb&cc=fp

A little Muppet girl has started a sensation. The unnamed puppet with an afro sings a love song to her hair.


"I Love My Hair" debuted on the Oct. 4 episode of Sesame Street. It was posted on the show's YouTube page — and then women began posting the video on their Facebook pages.


African-American bloggers wrote that it brought them to tears because of the message it sends to young black girls.


Joey Mazzarino, the head writer of Sesame Street, is also a Muppeteer who wrote the song for his daughter. Mazzarino is Italian. He and his wife adopted their 5-year-old daughter, Segi, from Ethiopia when she was a year old.


Mazzarino says he wrote the song after noticing his daughter playing with dolls.
"She wanted to have long blond hair and straight hair, and she wanted to be able to bounce it around," he tells NPR's Melissa Block.


Mazzarino says he began to get worried, but he thought it was only a problem that white parents of African-American children have. Then he realized the problem was much larger.
In writing the song, he wanted to say in song what he says to his daughter: "Your hair is great. You can put it in ponytails. You can put it in cornrows. I wish I had hair like you."


That simple message has caused an outpouring of responses from women. Mazzarino got a call from an African woman who told him the song brought her to tears. "I was amazed, 'cause I sort of wrote this little thing for my daughter, and here this adult woman, it touched her," he says.
Mazzarino says he's happy to report that Segi loves the song — and her hair.

Me + Snacks = Weakness

As Dave and I continue to strive for a fit life by completing Beachbody workouts, I have to acknowledge my good and bad eating habits. I am addicted to late evening snacking.

There I said it. My big time eating weakness is the snacking after the kids are tucked in bed which is around 8:30pm. At that point my mind and my body relax and I find myself in a quiet home with a grumbling tummy. All I want to do is jump onto the coach, find a show on my DVR to watch, and kick back with a snack in my hand. Please don't think it is my TV addiction that is causing this as I am content to hang in the kitchen on my laptop checking blogs, facebook, etc. with the same old snack in front of me. Even when I try not to snack, I can't stop thinking about food!

During the day, I do snack but it is much more controlled and planned out. I do have my occasional piece of candy (grr to Halloween candy!) or my small cup of really yummy but way too unhealthy popcorn. For the most part I eat fairly well during the day.  During the workday I try to drink a Shakeology for breakfast, a piece of fruit for my late morning snack, sandwich on a whole wheat wrap and a yogurt for lunch, and a proten bar or piece of fruit for my afternoon snack with 1 or 2 pieces of candy thoughout the day.  However some days I can't resist a few more piece of candy or another snack.  I do have room to improve if I really am serious about trimming my tummy area but it is my night time snacking that is troubling me.

I have read and heard numerous times to stop eating 3 hours before going to bed. I just like to know how this is possible? Honestly, how is this possible? I try to resist the urge but then the urge gets stronger and stronger until I cave. I've tried not to have my favorite snacks in the house but then I'll turn to other items that are equally as bad especially in large quantities.

My favorite snack of all time pita chips from Sam's.  They are delicious and incredibly addicting.  I love them by themselves or with a bowl of salsa.  YUM! 

So I ask all of you reading this post, how does one resist the late evening snacking?

What to Wear or Should I Say What I'm Not Wearing

I am officially a mom.  Big surprise I know but it is true.  It dawned on me last Saturday while shopping at the mall with my sister.  I am wearing my 3 year old GAP bootcut jeans, a new Old Navy cardigan with a new boring old grey shirt underneath, and my 2 year old pair of black flats.  I thought I looked okay.

As I am walking through the mall and stepping foot into the grand opening of Forever 21, it hit me like a ton of bricks.  I am out dated.  Yep, I am living in the past.  I might think I look okay with my bootcut jeans and black flats but I couldn't be more far off the current trend.  What is everyone wearing?  Skinny jeans or tights, long draping shirts, and hip slouchy boots over the top of the jean. 

As I walked through Macy's, I couldn't help but noticed an entire department dedicated to leggings.  I also noticed most of the shoe department sported all styles and colors of boots made for the skinny jean and legging.  At one point, my sister and I just started laughing as we couldn't believe how out dated we were.  We even got a picture of me with what I am apparently suppose to be wearing. 



I am starting to think I could be a good candidate for the What Not to Wear show on TLC (is that show even on anymore?).  Honestly, I find the new trend very appealing and some women are really able to pull off the look.  As much as I laugh about it, I am not ready to join the skinny jean club.  I kind of like my bootcut jeans, boring old cardigans, and black flats. 

Please tell me I am not the only one not following this latest trend?  Is there anyone else out there like me?

Mom's Tip #2 - Save Money!

Anyone with kids knows they come with a price tag. Little ones require diapers, wipes, formula and bottles, food, and don't forget about new clothes every few weeks considering how fast those little peanuts grow.

Thankfully there are ways to save money on all the necessities with minimal effort. Here are some ways I have found to save money.

Diapers - If you use Pampers or Huggies, you can sign up on their websites to track points found on the individual diaper and baby wipe packages. These points are redeemable for merchandise or retail gift cards. I personally have turned my Pamper points into Shutterfly merchandise. Another benefit of signing up, you may also receive random coupons in the mail.

Pampers - http://www.pampers.com/
Huggies - https://enjoytheriderewards.com/

Formula - Depending on if you use formula and which kind you choose, each brand has its own website. Once you sign up, you will receive emails, coupons in the mail, and maybe even some free samples. My girl's daycare uses Parent Choice from Walmart who also has free samples which you can find here.

Baby Food - I am a Gerber mom. In order for me to save, I simply signed up on the Gerber website. By doing so, I received many coupons in the mail and email newsletters.

Gerber - http://www.gerber.com/

Clothing - Kids seem to grow at record pace and it seems like I am constantly buying new clothes. Yes, I love to shop but it can get old buying new outfits all the time thanks to growth spurts.

What I have found is I tend to shop at the same stores over and over again. These stores are local and online. How can you save money? First off, you can sign up for the retailers reward program at the retailers website or at the store itself. Again, by doing so you will get coupons via email and in the mail. Another way is to tuck away the coupons you are given at the checkout counter. I am a Children's Place fan and I usually always get a coupon each time I shop.

Other money saving tips:

• Swap coupons with co-workers and friends
• Start a coupon box in your work lunchroom - great way to swap coupons
• Shop at my favorite store Target where they will track what you buy and coupons will print along with your receipt
• Follow sites such as Freebies 4 Moms which has many great saving opportunities such as free samples, coupons, and free diaper codes
• Stay organized by purchasing a coupon container that you can toss into your diaper bag or purse to ensure you have it at all times. I bought mine in the dollar area at Target.
• Receive 1 free book per month by signing up for the Imagination Library from United Way. Each kid receives 1 free book per month up to age 5! (I only signed up Maya as I hate to get duplicates of the same books)

My sister laughed at me yesterday when we were out shopping as I did tap into my retail coupons. In my opinion if you are going to spend the money regardless, why not save a little while doing so.

Do you have any money saving tips? If so, please leave a comment and share it. And if you like this post and know others who may benefit from it, please share it with others.

Fitness Is A Priority In Our Family

Fitness is a huge part of our daily lives.  It is something we do together as a team days each week.  We love it and we love being fit together.

Dave and I both have very unique fitness stories on how we reached the point of being fitness enthusiasts.  We both agree it is extremely important to be a positive role model for our children and to make our personal health a priority.  We have fallen head over heals for Beachbody workouts specifically ChaLean Extreme and Insanity.  It has taken us years to reach this point where we agree on workouts and where we exercise together.

How did fitness become apart of me? Looking back I have always lived a fairly active lifestyle. Growing up I was involved in a few sports, rode bike with my friends, and had an amazing metabolism. When I left home to attend college, I quickly gained the freshmen 15+ and no longer could fit into my clothes. At that point I knew I had to do something as I was no longer playing any sports so I joined a gym.

Throughout my adult life, I have continued to exercise to a point. There were a few years which I had a gym membership but never found my way there to utilize it. Thankfully I had a job in retail at the time which kept me moving despite the lack of exercise and good eating habits. Once we moved to our current town, I made the decision to get fit so I joined an all women's gym. This gym really changed my view of exercise and I found myself consistently craving more.

As a member of the gym, I met my good friend Kimberly who is a personal trainer. I had the privilege of training with her and learning new exercises while trimming my body. I loved the results.

As our trainer/client relationship turned into a friendship, Kimberly talked to me about the Beachbody workouts and about working out at home. She spoke very highly of it and thought I would enjoy it. Honestly I never thought I would ever be motivated enough to exercise in my own home so I always dismissed it until Dave decided to incorporate fitness into his life.  (For the rest of my story click here).

Dave's story differs than mine as Dave had been overweight for most of his adult life and regrettably the two most photographed moments of his life, our wedding and the experience of bringing home our first daughter, he was at his heaviest.

Here is Dave's story:

I have been able to lose weight in the past, including 20 pounds by following the Atkins diet back in 2002 as well as when training to run a 1/2 marathon in 2006. The weight came back.

I have never been a fan of the gym, joining one in every city we have every lived in, and usually paying for a membership that I never used. I found it monotonous and had no vision on what I should be doing.

The change in my life came in late 2008 when I saw that my employer had a program at an area hospital to create a custom diet and fitness plan for those considered obese. I inquired into the program and was told that my BMI (body mass index) of 29 was not considered obese (the cut-off was 30) and to call back if I gained some more weight. Seriously, an employee of a health organization recommended that I gain some additional weight to join their fat club.

I decided to do something about it on my own. The following January I hired a personal trainer and for the next 6 months I learned the basics of fitness and gained the confidence I needed to believe in myself by seeing the results. (For the rest of Dave's story click here).

If you are like us and want to incorporate fitness into your life or maybe you already have, we would love for you to become a follower of our fitness blog found under the fitness tab.  Our goal is to blog about the ups and downs of fitness, talk in depth about our Beachbody workouts, and blog about other fitness stories or tips we have learned along the way.  If you find you have questions, please contact us and we will do our best to answer them.  We love Beachbody so much that Dave recently became a coach!  You can view Dave's personal coaching website here.  The site will allow you to ask questions, learn more about the products, and even order the products! 

Please follow our journey and share your story with us.  We would love to hear from you and see how fitness is changing your life.

Wordless Wednesday - Love Maya's Face!

You Say It's Your Birthday...

Today is my birthday. Usually I am so excited and love everything about my day. I love the attention. I love meeting friends for lunch. And I love knowing the day is all about me. Selfish I know but I used to love my birthday.

This year is different. I am actually sad, really sad. I simply can not believe I am another year older. Today I want to actually forget my birthday and not make any mention of it to anyone. I just want the day to go on as normal.

I'm not really sure why I feel this way. Maybe it has to do with being another year older and feeling younger than my age. Maybe it is knowing that everyone around me specifically my family is also a year older. Maybe it has to with how I feel like I should be doing so much or have accomplished so much more by now. Maybe it is just me being a girl with hormones. Who knows really.

Thankfully I have a wonderful husband who will not let me pretend it is just another day. Dave always makes me feel special and I love him for that. I also have some amazing friends who volunteered to cook us dinner which I am very much looking forward to.

My birthday is going to be great no matter what.

Happy Birthday to me!  Ha!