Magnet wall

How cool is my new magnet wall. That's right an ENTIRE wall that I can stick things to. I love it. My friend's husband hooked me up with it in a trade. I got the cool magnets from Target's dollar section. This is where their artwork is going to go, and someday when I get my crap together, their chore chart as well.

Land O'Lakes

What 1 year old could resist the chocolatey temptation of Land O' Lakes triple chocolate hot chocolate, while mom was busy?

Certainly not this one.

TasteSpotting

I don't believe I haven't blogged about this before

TasteSpotting

Best cooking blog ever.

Because I don't cook something unless their is a picture. An appetizing picture.

p.s. Bingy--pass this along to your mother, I don't know if she keeps up on my blog.

Ask Calli January Style

First off a big CONGRATS to my friend Calli who graduated from ASU! Sionara maroon and gold.





Being the first of the year, I asked Calli for her best tips. So here you go:



Calli’s Top 10 for 2010!!

1) Think before you eat. Before shoving something in your mouth, think “Is this benefiting my body in some way?” If the answer is NO, then put it down and move on.

2) Move more. If you have no time to exercise, then make time! If that is difficult too, then do the easy things like choosing the farthest parking spot in the lot or doing jumping jacks in the commercials of your favorite show, or do active things on the weekends instead of dinner and a movie which is sit, eat, then sit some more.

3) Produce over package. When doing the grocery shopping, spend more time in the produce section gathering fruits and vegetables. Don’t even waste your time in the cookie, cracker, and Pop-tart isles. Not all packaged foods are bad, but they take more time and investigation on your part. You can’t go wrong with fresh produce!

4) Be adventurous. The American diet of steak and potatoes has given us some bad health statistics. Be adventurous and try Thai, Greek or fresh Mexican food. Different cuisines usually offer more vegetables and colors in the meal, which always a plus! These are great places to try. Pita Jungle YC’s Mongolian Grill, Wild Thaiger

5) Eat more fish. It is tough living in a land locked state, but fish is the bomb. Some fish offer super lean protein, others offer essential fats that improve our health. Try to eat fish 3 times or more a week. You will notice a difference! Learn how to buy and cook fish here!

6) Don’t go nuts! Just eat more of them…Don’t rely on peanuts and peanut butter to fulfill this. Eat more almonds, walnuts, cashews, and pecans. One handful everyday!

7) Count your colors. The best way to achieve a healthier lifestyle, weight loss goal, or improve a health condition is to load up on the vegetables and fruits. Try to eat 3 or more different colors at each meal. Here are some great recipes! Breakfast Smoothie Vegetable Fajitas Bean and Corn Salsa

8) Cut out sugar. Banning sugar all together forever is pretty much unrealistic for most people, but cutting it out the majority of the time or cutting down is doable. If you have a sweet tooth regularly, try using Stevia. It is a natural sweetener from the stevia leaf and it is becoming more and more mainstream. You can purchase it at any grocery store. It has no calories, no glycemic load, and is sweet like sugar.

9) Frozen is Fabulous. Stock your freezer with frozen vegetable medleys and fruit/berry medleys. There is no chopping, washing, or cleaning required so a meal can be whipped up super fast using a veggie medley. Fruit or berry medleys make an effortless dessert or breakfast smoothie. Did I mention how cheap they are?

10) Set a goal and get motivated. If improving your health is not enough motivation to start making better choices then choose something to work toward. Train for a run that benefits cancer, have a competition with friends or family, or have a person close to you be your motivator or partner in your journey.

If you have a request for tips, tricks or recipe makeovers just e-mail me! Nutritionbycalli@gmail.com

My word

Instead of the list of goals I never achieve, I pick a word for each year. A word to serve as a reminder of what is important and to focus on bettering myself. Last year's word was LISTEN. I did better, not best, but better. In the running for my word of the year was TOUCH. There are so many things that encompass touch, and being that I recently read the 5 love languages and determined that my husband's love language is Touch and mine is not--it's something I have to remind myself to do. (sad I know, but when you're touched all day by little hands, the last thing I think of to do is touch more). But touch could also lend itself toward service and connection. The reason it didn't win is because I think it would have been easy. And that is not the point is it? So . . . this year, my word (technically words):

BE THERE

Inspired by this talk given by Elder Hales. I've posted this talk before.

Here is an excerpt:

"Finally, be there. Each of us was there in the Council in Heaven to choose the great plan of happiness we now enjoy. Young men, when you have made a commitment to yourself, your family, your bishop, your employer, be there. When it is time to be in church, at Mutual, or fulfilling a priesthood assignment, be there. When it is time to graduate from school or training programs, be there. When it is time to serve a mission, be there. When the young woman you love most kneels at the altar of God’s holy temple, be there (and not as a witness). When your family is gathered in the celestial kingdom, be there. When the Savior waits to greet you as you return with honor from your life on this earth and your Heavenly Father wants to encircle you about in the arms of His love, be there."

So Be There it is.

Be There at mutual for my girls.

Be There (present minded) when my kids are on my lap or talking to me.

Be There when my husband gets home from work or school to touch.

Be There for friends who are talking (and incorporate last year's LISTEN)

Be There for me for scripture study, meditation and deep breathing (so I don't go crazy)

Be There at the gym.

Be There at the Temple once a month.

Be There whenever and wherever I am supposed to BE.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all those that I didn't send a card to. And also to the others, i.e. Ashley N., Ashley R., and Cami, and a few others, whose cards are still in my purse.

Annabelle the . .. ???? Reindeer???? Wishes you a Merry Christmas Eve.

(It's fun, the things I find on Photobooth)

Someday I'll

These are the things I find when I stay up late chatting with my husband on the computer. All things I want to do, that will go in my folder on my desktop and probably never come out again. But wouldn't it be so great if they did?


Tutorial HERE


Tutorial HERE


Tutorial HERE

Red Dress

About a year ago I saw a gorgeous red dress in Anthropologie. Of course I wanted it, but I couldn't afford it. And I've ALWAYS wanted a red dress. Now I check mod cloth and I see this one. I want it. $90.00. I have no problem spending that amount of money on a dress, because the dresses I have in my closet I have had for years. And this one is bright, hip and long enough. But Hy's in school and it's not in the budget. Seriously . . . I'm trying to figure out how to swing it. And then I'm also telling myself that it would show up and not fit right and I'd be disappointed--that's how I try to make myself feel better.

BFF

For those who knew me from any time prior to 1996 or so, you may be wondering what my best friend is up to. I did some photos for her and I thought I'd share. She has a fabulous husband, super cute and cool kids, and she runs a preschool. More on my photo blog.

Tooth Fairy

This kid. I tell you. Is always a good time.

She lost her first tooth, and the tooth fairy came and even left some fairy dust (pink sugar cookie decorating crystals)

She came to me the next morning,

"Mom, the tooth fairy came and brought money. And there was fairy dust"

"But there is a problem. I sprinkled some on me, and Annabelle sprinkled some on me and I STILL can't fly!"

(which reminded me of when I encouraged her to try harder when she was trying to fly once)

And then when she came home from school today she said, "Close your eyes . . . now open your mouth . . and don't peek"

Then she put a sticker on my shirt. Why she had me open my mouth??? No idea.

The Goods

Remember when I talked about my favorite new lipgloss in THIS post?

Well you can get some at this boutique. I'm sure it will be filled with super cool stuff besides the lipgloss.

So go get some What's your Virtue lipgloss and other goods.

Buy it --now

This is a MUST this holiday. I saw the title in Target and started reading it when I realized that OF COURSE it was written by Mo Willems--our favorite childrens author.

You see, he write books for adults disguised as childrens books. So both mother and child enjoys.

This one is fantastic.

Crafty Hankerin

I got a hankerin' to do some craftin'

My tree needs help and I think these are the solution.

Who's in?

Cicily, I'm counting on you.

Rich

Trader Joe's dark chocolate Sea Salt Caramels

So amazingly delicious! If you like sweet and salty--this is your gig. Course chunks of sea salt on top with dark chocolate.

The description on the box reads:

Buttery smooth caramels drenched in Belgian chocolate, then sprinkled with crunchy rock salt from the Dead Sea.


That's right my friends. Just one is all you need.