Daily Diet (2nd week) Thursday

Since I was weighed in on Wednesday , I thought I would start week 2  today.  I have still not talked with the nutritionist (although I have been in touch), so I am pretty much winging it for the diet.

Breakfast:
 Kashi with skim (my fave)
 Coffee/skim

Lunch:
Salad with veggies, homemade lowfat dressing
Homemade potato salad (leftover from the holiday) about one scoop
A couple of tortellini with olives

Snack with Ana

A handful of goldfish and homemade fruit smoothies (strawberries, bananas, grapes, skim, ice)

Dinner:

1/2 turkey burger (no bun)
a small piece of fish
4 small red potatos plain
grilled squash


For my dessert/late night snack...I will have some low fat greek yogurt...yum.

I am still on track and hope to lose between 1-2 lbs by next Wednesday.

Stay healthy,

Review: Melissa Love Dolls, adorable and handmade!

I love handmade things. Jewelry. Clothing. Toys. And beautiful customizable handmade dolls are no exception. I was lucky enough to win a beautiful handmade doll from Melissa Love and her fabulous etsy shop.  She was prompt to send me an email with my choice of:

Hair Color:

Hair Style:

Skin Color:

Eye Color:

Shirt/Dress Fabric:

Skirt Fabric:

Legging Fabric:

The choices were adorable and after hemming and hawing over her fabrics and cute hair styles, I picked a quirky redhead whose outfit would match both the playroom and Ana's bedroom. She came out adorable dontcha think?

Melissa Love is available to make a custom doll for your sweetie. She makes a wonderful present,soft and cuddly. And her skirt can be removed for easy washing! 

Announcement from her etsy shop announcement:

"Fire sale! Finished dolls are currently $15 and custom dolls are $18!

Welcome to my shop! I am currently available for custom orders! Check out my blog for more custom dolls not listed in my sold section. Feel free to email me at pixelized11 [!at] hotmail.com or contact me via Etsy. Thank you!

Follow me on twitter and my blog for special sales! http://twitter.com/#!/melifairy and http://fennelcotton.blogspot.com/

My blog will sometimes have good giveaways, so subscribe!"

**Opinions within are the author's, I did not receive compensation for them. I did receive a beautiful doll as a prize in another blog's giveaway**

Mommy Meltdown Workout 4, Weigh In 1, Week 2!

Today was the first weigh in for my Mommy Meltdown challenge through Stroller Strides and I am proud to say that even after a weekend of holiday food, and being on prednisone, I lost 3 lbs!! I had my 4th day of workouts, and it does seem to be getting easier, even if I am huffing and puffing by the end of class.  I feel great and my lungs seem to be cooperating for the time being. I am excited for summer, working out , swimming, and having fun. 

My diet? It is pretty healthy, even if it has been repetitive this weekend. I promise to share new recipes along the way. For now, it is a lot of salads, Kashi and egg whites. Not so exciting, but a great quickstart. Once I talk with the nutritionist, I will tell you what is set up for me. In the meantime I will bask in my minus 3 glow and be 17 lbs closer to my summer goal!!

Happy Week!

Memorial Day Weekend, well rested, well fed and ready to work out!

Making deviled eggs and layered salad.

 I hope you had a peaceful and fun Memorial Day Weekend. Although I do not have any family members in the military, I have the utmost of respect for those who serve our country in spirit and life.  I always think of my Grandpa, who did serve and the parades we used to go to when we were children. 

Layered Salad

We had such a wonderful weekend full of friends, family, food and fun! I feel well-rested, well fed and am ready for a fun filled, adventurous summer. The pool was open and sparkling, our new furniture was comfy and was the perfect size for everyone to sit around comfortably. I had such a great time, and though I love being a hostess, truthfully: I just loving being around people, chatting , eating, laughing...etc.  I didn't even cheat on my new healthy way of eating, filling up on crudite , salad and grilled veggies and a turkey hotdog.  No drinks. And fruit for dessert (strawberries, yum). 

Ana loves watermelon.

Ana and Willou, her adorable BFF!

    I am excited to get back into the rhythm of working out and exploring the Hudson Valley in warm weather. Have a great week!  

Folding up the 12-18 months and getting sentimental.

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My dear sweet baby is almost 22 months old, and as I plan her 2nd birthday party for her adorable & fun friends, I am filled with love for her sweetness and curiousity. She is such a talker and a singer, and a dancer. She spends hours every day singing her repertoire of songs:Twinkle, Twinkle, Rock a Bye, Happy Birthday, Hello Everybody and a few songs from our music classes. She loves to don a tutu and spin around calling herself a pretty princess (yes I know ALREADY, sigh). I love that she pretends to put on her shoes, and loves looking through mine (and I swear I never taught her that). Her lust for life, through smiles and giggles fills me with joy. She is such a dear sweet girl , and if the terrible twos have set in, I must be one of the luckiest moms in the world , since she really does not fuss. I can take her everywhere with me and am proud of her sweet nature and fun filled rosy filled eyes.

 Today I was getting so sentimental as I folded up her wool sweaters, hand knit sweaters, velvet dresses and other wintery items that will definitely not fit her next winter. I am putting away the 12-18 months and moving on to the 24 months and even some small sz 2 clothes.  She is such a tiny pixie, but I like her dresses long and most of her shorts and jeans are adjustable inside, so we should be ok.
It is so hard getting rid of all her cute things, but I made it through without crying and am excited for her beautiful summer wardrobe, plenty of photos to follow I promise.

Have a wonderful weekend and Holiday Monday....stay well and Peace!

Mommy Meltdown Day 3, Friday Daily Diet!

My current drug regime, ugh! Prednisone is helping though.

Well, I almost did have that meltdown , but it was not because of the Mommy Meltdown Stroller Sides Class today, Saturday at 9 am.  It was because on Friday, my sinus infection took a turn for the worse and D , Ana and I rushed downstate to go to my allergist's office for a check-up and drugs.  When we got there, we were rushed in as I was at the start of a bad asthma attack and was hooked up to the nebulizer for a few minutes. Then, once I was breathing and calmed down, we talked about my symptoms: stuffed nose, clogged ears, and sinus headaches. I could not breathe at all through my nose and when I cannot breathe I cannot sleep, so I only had 2 hours of sleep the night before.  After an exam of my nose, ears , and throat I was referred to go so an E, N, T doctor (ears, nose and throat), and I am going to make an appointment on Tuesday and find out just what might be causing these monthly infections and headaches.   Also, my friend Heidi (a new natural blogger): Natural Voice Mommy suggested I give up dairy for a month and see if that helps.

The class today was awesome, even though it was a marathon class for those participating in the Jogger Mom Marathon.  Since it was only my third class, and I had such lung/sinus problems this week, I did not push myself to the maximum. But, I also did not give up. When we ran, I ran slowly and then when I started to feel it hurt, I walked fast.  I know I will be up to speed soon, but I did not want to get wheezy. It was great, and I feel great. My nasal passages are clear, and I feel like I could rule the world.

As for my diet, I ate a bit more yesterday. Not sure if it was boredom or appetite, or a bit of both.  I definitely ate to make myself feel better:

Daily Diet : Friday

Breakfast:
  Coffee/skim
 Kashi/skim

Lunch:
 A big pile of lettuce/arugula with Balsamic V.  (homemade with olive oil)
 Tomato soup (made with water)

Snack 1:

 Dried Mango (a small bag of Funky Monkey chips) all natural no sugar added

Dinner:

Squash with garlic
1/2 a bowl of low fat turkey chili

Snack 2:

 Popcorn (airpopped, no oils or butter) calorie/fat free cheese seasoning) yum!


Phew, seems like a lot for this week. But, I guess it is not so bad. Still, I hope I do not retain too much water (from the Pregnisone) .

Daily Diet (Wed and Thursday), Mommy Meltdown Workout 2

  Though most of  Tuesday my muscles ached (especially my shins, which I did not properly stretch out or warm up I guess), by Wednesday's class at the Mall, I was raring to go.  How hard could a Stroller Strides class in the Mall be (I thought foolishly).?? Boy oh Boy, by the end of the hour, my clothes were soaked, my legs aching again and even my arms were shaking.  I was lagging behind on the final lap, but I feel stronger already, and I have a feeling in a month I will be able to get through the entire class at 100% and do my lost 1 and a half minute plank with no shaking.  My plank is still pretty strong, so my abs are there, hiding under the leftover flabby mummy tummy, but my arms have weakened considerably since Rev Abs and my workout regime before Ana.  I need to strengthen them with weights and as soon as my legs catch up I will head back to Gold's Gym to do Zumba and arms on my days off from Stroller Stride.  I loved the class on Wednesday, I did push myself and I cannot wait to see the challenges that tomorrow brings.   For now I will be taking class Mon, Wed, Fri, and then Wed, Fri, Sat so we don't miss our weekly playdate every week. I don't want Ana to forget all of her wonderful new friends and Mama miss the great group of ladies I have met!

I am a day behind on my diet because I was out all day today, and went to sleep super early last night to get up this a.m so here are the past 2 days:

Wed:

 Breakfast:
Blueberry Yogurt (fat free Greek)
Coffee and skim

Lunch: (met DH in the mall ) :
Salad bar at Ruby Tuesday .  I had grilled chicken (no sauce) and veggies, no butter. I gave my buttered side to DH and Ana, no bread.
Iced Tea, unsweetened

Dinner:  (friend's house):

 Raw Veggies
 Roasted veggies in olive oil
 Brown Rice
Chicken

No desserts, no snacks, no cheating!!! I feel great. I got rid of the diet soda and only have one cup of coffee a day now. Let's see if I can keep that up.


Thursday (in the city for Breakfast and Lunch):

Breakfast:
Small bowl of Kashi and skim
Coffee and skim

Event:
     Organic fruit and black tea (no sugar)
             Fresh Fruit salad (melon and berries0
            one small 1/4 of a sandwich (salmon and cream cheese smear)

Lunch: 
   Salad with mixed raw veggies, light vinegar and oil dressing on the train

Dinner:
   Grilled Chicken , a tsp of bbq sauce, squash and garlic

I might have a snack of yogurt or fresh fruit while watching Real Housewives tonight, lol.

 Thanks for reading and hopefully you are inspired to eat healthier and workout more.  Will let you know how tomorrow goes :)


Stay healthy and have fun,

Daily Diet (part of Mommy Meltdown) Day 2

 Blech, it rained all day and the rain matched my mood. Still reeling from my sinus infection, my legs aching and general rainy gloom, it turned out to be an okay day , diet wise.   I hope that the workout kick starts my metabolism, which seemed to slow down drastically after giving birth. I do not know it is just hormones, nursing, or whatever but weight just seems to be falling off slowly nowadays. However, I will stick with things as long as I can, and I find success,

Daily Diet:

Breakfast: Egg white omelets with onions, peppers, jalapenos and 1/3 cup of Weight Watchers Mexican cheese and 2 pieces of lowfat turkey bacon
Coffee and skim

Lunch : Lowfat strawberry greek yogurt

Dinner:  Miso soup
             Edamame
              2 chicken spears (grilled, no sauce) with onions
             2 sushi rolls: jalapeno and yellowtail, spicy tuna

Not bad, I think.    I should lose about 2 lbs this week, since everything has been kickstarted. :)

Mommy Meltdown: Day 1 , OOh my aching legs!

The first day of Mommy Meltdown was a success. I had no idea what a Stroller Strides class would be like, but believe me it is not a joke! We started out with a jog, and did intervals with bands, and then ran! We did laps around the park, and even though I started at pace with everyone else, by the end of class I was falling behind and winded. Part of it is my asthma and sinus infection, so I had trouble catching my breath, but part of it was being out of shape and not doing extended cardio lately. Which is ok. It might take me a little bit of time to get up to speed, but you can bet after class 3x a week, I will be able to by the middle of the summer!

As for my nutrition, I have yet to set that up, But I started by cutting out dessert and bread carbs today. I had a very healthy if not undercaloried day. But some of it was my sinus infection. I really did not have much of an appetite, between the headache and sinus pressure.  I did go to the doctor and got some meds, so it should be better by end of the week.

My daily diet:

Breakfast:  blueberries and low fat Vanilla Greek Yogurt , one cup
                  coffee with skim milk

Lunch:  Squash with garlic
             Lean Cuisine Chile Lime Chicken

Dinner:  Leftover Chicken (grilled, no skin) white breast meat
              Small red potatoes plain

Lots of water and my afternoon skim coffee.   And that is it. No snacking today. No snacking until I talk with the nutritionist and find out what I should be eating. Probably fruit and nuts, which works for me, :)

So that was my first day.  Next class is Wednesday and I will be there bright and early, with Ana in stroller.   Tomorrow I will blog before photos , yahooooo :)

Stay healthy

Do you go "Treasure Hunting"? We love garage sailing....

 So, I have been meaning to post a new weekly post all about how we love garage sailing/treasure hunting in this household and try to go every Saturday. It is such a fun adventure, we meet Grandma and then always have lunch out with her.

  At first I didn't want Ana to have anything "used" as I knew she was going to be an only child and deserved to have beautiful new clothes, toys, etc. BUT and this is a big but, then I realized all of the beautiful things you can find that are gently used or even still have the tags on them and it felt silly to buy everything new at stores or online. And wasteful.  I know that I am guilty of being  an over consumer and collecting things, and gorgeous clothes for Ana is no exception.  But how could I pass up dresses and outfits that are in perfect condition for $1 or $2 a pop??

  Bet you want to see what we find huh? It is so fun to find that special treasure for her, I get giddy when I find a new sundress from The Gap, or a cute outfit from Children's Place, and that rare boutique piece. Also, we have been lucky with beautiful toys as well.  Here are just a few things we have found recently:
 $2 at a Church/Nursery School Sale

Modern Dollhouse from KidKraft

$15 at a yard sale in Pleasant Valley

Step 2 Horse in Blue  $2
 Yard Sale in Maryland (while visiting friends)

Little Tikes Castle Slide  $5 at Church Sale. We have found lots of  Little Tikes Cars as well, Ana has two of them including her cute Black Pickup Truck.

Just wait until you see all the cute clothes we have found too!!  Do you hit up sales? What have you found?

Happy Mother's Day to you and to me!!

Hello Dear Readers:
 I have a confession to make:  I was not sure that I  ever wanted to have children. I just didn't have that maternal pull towards babies. Kids in groups annoyed me, especially in NYC where they are rude and loud and well, children.   "I don't even really like children. "  That was how I felt before I met Anastasia.

  I really enjoyed my 20's into my 30's happily married , splitting my time between NYC and Beacon/NY and loved being able to travel at a whim, stay up super late and have plenty of time for frivolous activities. Spa days. Sample sales. Spontaneous Shoe Shopping at Saks. But even more surprisingly the real confession is : I cannot imagine never having had the experience of Anastasia.

  She is amazing. I could never begin to describe in mere words what my daughter means to me and how she makes me feel as her mother. I would have to write a dictionary's worth of flowery words just to begin. So I will make this blog post short and sweet and print it out for her to read someday.  Being Ana's Mama has made me a better woman. She has taught me patience, brought out my sense of humor and tugged at my heartstrings. She fills me with love and makes me see the world through her beautiful and wondrous eyes. I have a new appreciation for even the little things that make day to day living amazing. A bird tweeting. A flower petal. A doll's fake cry, now makes me smile and laugh and fills me with joy. Her love of music, dance and learning fills me with awe and her little body rocking to the beat is adorable. Conversations about tea parties, A,B,C's and the playground make me giggle and pulse with delight. I just want to bottle up her innocence and hug her tight to me every minute, and keep her safe in this world. She is my daughter . She is my world. And I am her Mom. Mom. Me. Mommy. That's Me. I love you Ana. May you always look at the world through your beautiful point of view, filled with laughter and love. I love you dear girl. Happy Mama's Day to me.

An exciting journey for 3 months :Mommy Meltdown

  I am so excited to tell you all about this adventure that  I signed up for that is taking place this summer. A local one stop shop, The Little Bloom is sponsoring the Mommy Meltdown and I was chosen as one of the three participants. I made a short video detailing how life has changed since Ana arrived, and I just do not have the inspiration to get back into the gym and work out on a regular basis.  Because I was chosen, I get to try out Stroller Strides for 3 months, at least 3 days a week and have access to a nutritionist to help me set up a healthy eating plan.  I would like to lose the last 10-15 stubborn mommy pounds and look fabulous in time for my 20 year high school reunion in October of this year. So that is my challenge, and I will be documenting it on here the whole way. I just need to make a before photo/video (ugh) and  I will definitely post that here too.
  (Please be kind).


(My before photo, before I had a baby that is!)

Video and more details coming soon as soon as I know! I am so super excited .....

Giveaway! W and J Fashion Designs Tutu

Hello readers-

  I am so excited to offer my readers a chance to win an adorable Green, Yellow and Pink Sparkle Tutu from W and J Fashion Designs . W and J make all kinds of pretty girly things like bows, tutus and flip-flops.

  Whitney and Jen hand make all the pretties that are perfect for the spring and summer months, and especially as a feminine gift for  the special girl in your life.

  They met nearly 2 years ago as Marine wives and decided to start a business to offer their items at an affordable rate through facebook. Check out their official page for more great items: W and J Fashion Designs, or find them on Facebook:
 W and J on Facebook. Check out their photo albums for more great designs like the tutu featured, which one lucky reader will win!

Enter at the Rafflecopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Planning a 2nd Birthday Party! Over the Rainbow...

Hello dear readers:
  After planning a big birthday party with catering, a tent, and a candy table last year for Anastasia's 1rst birthday, I really want a low-key party for Ana's 2nd birthday. Since her birthday is July 31 which falls on a Tuesday, we are going to have a swimming party with pizza and ice cream sundae table. Hot cha cha.

  I have chosen the theme "Over the Rainbow" simply because I bought Ana the collection of Madame Alexander Wizard of OZ dolls for her birthday and she has a beautiful pair of ruby slippers. I am going to have a cute tutu-dress made for Ana and maybe even stick Ginger (our 4 lb long haired chihuahua ) into a basket for photos, heehee. What fun. Also, I found a cute sheet cake with a yellow brick road on it, and am having fun pinning rainbow photos of banners, and cupcake picks (though I am NOT making cupcakes this year). We are trying to keep the invite list down to close friends and family and a few of the girls from Ana's playgroup. Ideally, I would like to limit it to 10 kids, and their parents.

   I just started researching rainbow design options and found the perfect invites. Expect the next week to be full of birthday blogs whatever I discover out there on the net. :) And there is a lot. But I will edit, pin and add the best of the best here :)

Review: Hill's Science Diet Ideal Balance Dog Food

 Hello dear readers:
 I have two little picky chihuahuas Chai and Ginger, who are not getting any younger. They are sweet sleepy doggies, who will always be puppies to me. They are my little babies and before Ana arrived they were the belles of the ball. They have a comfy bed, cute little outfits, and will eat only the best of food. So I serve them Hill's Science Diet, which they love. Imagine how pleased I was when Bzz Agent chose me to test out the new Hill's Science Diet Ideal Balance Dog Food. My doggies love it! It is Grain Free, which is good for their digestion and is nutritious too. Make sure to try it out if you love Hill's Science Diet as much as our household does! As Chai and Ginger do!