Monthly Archives: February 2012

Once Every 4 Years

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On December 31st, every year, there is talk about what the new year will bring, what we will do differently in our lives, and what positive changes we will make. Yes, like everyone else, I also made my resolutions.  However, like most, many of those resolutions went by the wayside.  That is why, on this Leap Day, I think that it is the PERFECT opportunity to “leap” into those resolutions and tweak them or make new ones.

What does it mean to “leap”?

As a verb, leap is defined as

      -to spring through the air from one point or position to another; jump: to leap over a ditch.*
       -to move or act quickly or suddenly: to leap aside; She leaped at the opportunity.*
As a noun, leap is defined as:
        -a sudden or abrupt transition: a successful leap from piano class to concert hall.*
*definitions from dictionary.com
As a family, we will be making the leap to a better organized home (stay tuned for tips in that area).
As a mother, I will be making leaps to increase my patience level and finish reading that darn Chronicles of Narnia series out loud to the boys.
As a teacher, I will be making leaps to continue on my journey of teaching my boys to the best of my ability and taking the time to recognize when we need breaks from “normal” schoolwork and perhaps need to spend time with our many board (educational) games.
As a wife, I will be leaping at opportunities to continue being my husband’s cheerleader, teammate, sounding board, and partner in all aspects.
As a husband/wife team, we will take the leap of paying off both vehicles over the next 12 months…WOOHOO!!!
As myself, I will be leaping at all opportunities that land in my lap:  being the newest member of the FitCity Moms blogging team, creating and sustaining my health counseling/fitness training/menu-planning/etc. business (STAY TUNED FOR ANNOUNCEMENTS IN THAT AREA!), spending more time reading/studying about my faith, and taking more moments for myself and realizing that by doing so I am creating a better wife and mother for my family.
What areas will you take a leap in, or what will you be leaping to?

New article on FitCity Moms

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Hello, my friends!

Remember me telling you all that I had been named a finalist in the contest to be the new FitCity Mom?  Well, thanks to all of you, I WON!!!  My very first article for the blog has been posted and I would LOVE it if you would hop over there to read it/comment on it/share it on Facebook or Twitter.  The topic is something that I truly wanted to share, but it was difficult for me to want to share it.  You see, I decided to be completely honest about my struggle with my body and my fitness. As I hit send on my e-mail that contained this article, I immediately had second thoughts because now my secrets were out there.  So, please head over to FitCity Moms, because I Have a Secret for You .

Invasion of the Body Snatchers?

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I think that I can fully understand why, in some species, parents eat their young.

Our 12-year-old old must be having a spike in his testosterone levels, that can be the only reason that I can think of that my sweet, first-born boy has been replaced with this monster.  I want my child back who will listen, joke, laugh, complete chores, follow directions, and not stare off into space when I talk to him and answer me with a surly attitude.  I am hopeful that after a bit of time with him creating a slide show on the computer today that he will return to normal.  I feel like this may be the male version of what my friends with daughters deal with when their girls are PMSing.

Our 10-year-old old has turned into a somewhat moodier version of himself. If my agenda does not line up with his it seems to become optional.  Other than that, he hasn’t changed too much, and if I were the type of parent that ate my young he would still be safe.

The brand new 7-year- old would probably be the first to be eaten.  He is nowhere near the angelic  boy he once was.  Apparently, he doesn’t need to shower unless he feels like it.  He also doesn’t need to put his dishes in the dishwasher, clean his room, or do anything other than play Lego or be on the computer. He feels like he should be allowed to dictate what he does and when he does it.  Needless to say, this does not fly well with us.

I am sending a plea out to whomever took my awesome boys and replaced them with these versions that look like them to please switch them back, otherwise we may have to resort to eating them.  Quite frankly, I don’t think they will sit well in my digestive tract so please consider my plea.

Cooking & Happiness (how are they related?!?!)

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If you know me, or have been checking in on my blog for any length of time, then you know that I LOVE to cook.  There is something very satisfying about putting a few things together, that on their own are just fine, and ending up with something amazing, nourishing, and delicious.  However, even I get stuck in a rut every now and then and have the desire to throw my bamboo cooking utensils across the room (especially during February…this must be all around rut month – more on that later!)

We’ve all been there, we’ve all succumbed to crappy drive-thru food.  Well, what if you could go to a nice restaurant for a change? Here comes the happiness part:   I’m here to give that opportunity to you!  I have ONE $50 Restaurant.com gift certificate to giveaway to a lucky reader/subscriber! Restaurant.com has GREAT restaurants located all over the place.  This would be a fabulous date night!  Happy, happy, joy, joy!!

Let’s make this contest related to happiness.  After reading the quote below and posting what you will do to be happy this weekend,  like this post and head over to my Facebook Page Hip2BeMom and like it.  The $50 giveaway is posted there with the opportunity for up to 10 entries! The contest runs until Sunday, so get crackin’, I can’t wait to see what everyone’s happiness factor is!!!

GOOD LUCK!!!

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

-Mahatma Gandhi

What will YOU do to be happy this weekend?

Warm Spinach/Kale Dip

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I had a hankering for greens last night, but I wanted it in more of a comfort food style.  After opening the fridge to see what was in there that could satisfy this, I saw my kale (too time consuming to make kale chips), my spinach (hmmmm, creamed spinach?), my kefir and some cheeses.  ”Now, this, I can work with this!”, I thought.  Here is what I gathered:

 

  • 2 cups  shredded  cheese (I used gouda, but havarti would be nice as well)
  • 1  cup kefir or greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup mayo
  • ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 clove garlic,  minced                                                                                                                     
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped red pepper
  • 1/8 tsp black pepper
  • 1 cup chopped artichoke hearts, drained
  • 1 cup each  blanched, cooled and chopped spinach and kale

I combined everything EXCEPT the cooked greens until they were well incorporated and then I added the greens in, making sure that they were evenly dispersed throughout the spread.  I scooped the mixture into individual ramekins (so I can freeze small portions and reheat as needed), but you could use one larger oven-proof container. Pop into a 350 oven for about 15 minutes. Serve with your choice of “dipper”.  I love carrot and celery  sticks with mine, my boys like pita chips and crusty bread with theirs.

It was perfect, and totally cured my jonesing for greens!!!

Wow, I’m a finalist!!!

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Remember last week when I posted about why I needed to be the next FitCity mom?  Guess what??  I am one of five finalists!!!!  C’mon, do the happy dance with me!!!

Now that I have made it to the final round, I need your help.  Please visit the link below to my entry, and in the comments section, post “I vote for Bridget”.  That’s all there is to it!  I am so excited for this opportunity and would love to get on board with the Fit City moms so that I can help others achieve their optimal health while working on mine.  Thanks, in advance, for the love and support!

 

http://blog.fitcityindy.org/meet-fitcity-mom-finalist-bridget-parker/