A MUST TRY DINNER

I made this dinner last night for my family and it was INCREDIBLE. The combination of everything was perfect. The chicken is a bit on the spicy end, so I didn't put too much rub on the kids pieces of chicken. And the recipe is for 2, so I doubled it and it was the perfect amount for us, plus a little extra for lunch the next day. 

Healthy and delicious - give it a try! 

Recipe found HERE. 

Hair Product... My New Fav!

I have been so unhappy with my recent hair products. I felt like no matter what I used I could not get enough moisture. My hair has been feeling dry and brittle at the ends - yuck!

So I went to the hair supply store and talked to one of the girls behind the counter. She recommended I try this "It's a 10" line. I have tried so many different lines: Biolage, Pureology, Back to Basics, Amplify, AG, Healthy Sexy Hair, Redken, Kenra, Bedhead... and of course the cheaper brands... Dove, Garneir Fructis, Pantene Pro-V, Herbal Essence, and Suave).... and I am sure there were a few others in between.

So when the lady recommended this, I thought 2 things....
a. Why not, I have tried a million other things, what is one more?
b. She told me the shampoo and deep treatment had Keratin in it, and the shampoo is sulfate free. Bonus - I will take it.

Here is what I bought...

The Miracle Shampoo plus Keratin.

The Miracle Deep Conditioner plus Keratin

 The Miracle Daily Conditioner

 AND the Miracle Leave-in Lite

FOR REALS you guys - this stuff is amazing! My hair has NEVER... I repeat, NEVER... been so soft and shiny. I am completely obsessed and it has only been 2 washes. Immediately after the first washing I wanted to run back to the beauty supply store and give the amazing girl that recommended this to me a huge hug. I am not even sure of her name - but thank you CosmoProf Employee - you are currently my favorite person, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart every time I touch my silky soft hair.

Our Favorite Toy...

We have wanted a trampoline since before we had a place to put it. We have been looking online for sales but nothing was coming up that was cheap enough. We decided to check out Craigslist... BEST IDEA EVER. There were so many, most of which were almost half the price. We found one that was older and a few things needed to be replaced, but he really wanted to get rid of it so we were able to talk him down to $60. YES PLEASE!

This has seriously been the best purchase EVER! We have had so much fun. We put the sprinklers underneath and jump in our swimsuits, we do family time on it, we lay out on it, we have snack time on it, we play toys on it. We are on it all the time - it has been a blast!

The kids LOVE when we bounce them up super high. And we love to watch dad do tricks.

 We got the hose and sprayed the kids while they jumped. It was freezing cold water, but it was hot outside so the kids loved it!

That is of course until Scott doesn't stop spraying when Clara is yelling "too much, too much!" and then the fun and games end because someone gets hurt... :)

We finally got the new matt on. Now we just need to get the net up.... Scott is trying to talk me out of it, he says it is too restricting... agreed until a neighbor is jumping, falls off, breaks their arm and then sues us. Hmmm... pretty sure we need to get that net on there ASAP.

Favorite Workout Top ONLY 16.94

This work out top is my new favorite. It is only $16.94 at Old Navy! It is super light weight and loose. The tie around the bottom stays put too! They have a few fun colors as well... cantaloupe, aqua (pictured above), purple, and charcoal. I love mine and get compliments every time I wear them! And if you wait for a 20% off coupon (which Old Navy is almost always offering), you can get it for even less!

Kickball Saturday

The dental school had a kickball tournament. Can you imagine a lot of already competitive grad students playing against each other in kickball? Oh... and add in the "age factor" ha ha... and you get aggression and injuries.

Scott's team was "sponsored" by the Dean of the Dental Program. They were the "Dean's Dream"... but also looking like DMD when you add the molar in the middle of their shirts to look like an M. Quite creative if you ask me. Those dental students are pretty smart.

Clara was happy eating Cheetos... and of course wiping the remains of cheesy fingers on her shirt. I HATE Cheetos for that reason, and hardly ever buy them because of it. Finding Cheetos prints around my house drives me insane!

I got to cuddle with this cutie during the game since his momma was out playing hardcore with all the guys, she is brave like that. Plus she has a darn good kicking leg... mine are far too scrawny. :)

Scott kicked it and ran like lighting to first base.... he made it.

Finally - for reals finally because I was waiting 3 hours for these games to come to an end - the Dean's Dream won!

I am so proud of him! Ha ha... more proud that it was time to BBQ some hamburgers get my grub on and then go home get in my pajamas and be lazy... because sitting on the sidelines is exhausting.

DRINK... MORE... WATER...

I have been trying to fill my belly with water, water, and more water! 

I can do water plain, but their are 2 items I love to add and do so on a regular basis:

Peppermint Oil

Fresh Lemon

You can check out the benefits of lemon water HERE. 

Peppermint oil (in the purest form) has SOOO many benefits! When I add it to my water it soothes my digestion and I feel more refreshed and invigorated. It also freshens the breath and reduces the buildup of bacteria that can cause dental plaque and gum problems!

*If you choose to use oil, make sure to use quality and pure peppermint. I currently use the Young Living brand, because that is what I have. BUT... I really want to start on the DOTERRA oils. I have heard so many good things about DOTERRA and their potency. If you are starting new, start with that brand. And if you need a distributor - I know several that I can recommend you to. 

Windy Beach Day...

I LOVE LOVE LOVE that Scott is done with Boards. Now when he has an afternoon off we can actually enjoy it. He came home early one day and with in 10 minutes we had decided to pack up and head out to the beach. It was so spontaneous! I love doing stuff like that!

It was windy. Which made it a little cold. And Scott still applied sunscreen to the kids. I think all his Medical classes are making him much more cautious. I don't mind it one bit!

The first thing I said as we were walking to the water was, "Wow, those waves are really big today." And because of that one sentence - Jackson refused to go down to the water. Ha ha... my sweet and terribly paranoid boy, I love you. 

 Love love love her hair. Love.

 My little cuddle bug.

I can't wait for it to get warmer. I want a beach day that makes me want to get in the water and not cuddle up in the towels to keep warm! Come on sunny California... bring on the SUMMER DAYS!

DONUTS to VEGETABLES!

Usually the new year starts with a lot of new plans to be "healthier"... "work-out more often" ... "cut out sugar & soda"... ya know - the typical for most of us.

I am usually in the same boat, especially after all that holiday eating... but this year was backwards for me. I don't think I got to the gym until sometime in February and even then, it was more of a 1x a week (if that) occurance. It felt like we had family in town every weekend, and if there wasn't someone staying with us it was because I was out of town visiting family or friends.

My last trip was Utah and this was a picture I sent to Scott of my dinner on the drive home.... no joke. A bag of donuts. This was not me at all... but months of "vacation eating" had drastically changed me. I could not wait to get home and de-junk my house, my body, and my habits!

Monday morning I went straight to COSTCO. Hello veggies!

It has now been over 1 week and I am feeling so much better! I have been taking the change in diet somewhat easy... I haven't cut out sugar or soda completely... I felt like I would do better if I took it slow.

*I load my days with veggies. The main dish in all of my meals? Veggies!
*I still indulge in sugar. I would love to cut it out - but I am not ready yet. So I have been allowing myself 1 (sometime 2) treats a day. An example is: 1 handful of peanut m&m's, 1 fun size candy bar, 2 cookies, a small bowl of ice cream... get the point.
*I love fruit. I wish I could eat a bowl of cut up fruit and call it good, but I try to scale back and focus on the vegetables and protein. And often times I leave it for after I eat my meal to help ease the sweet tooth that seems to come on after every meal. :)
*Dairy - I try to cut most dairy out because it seems to always make my tummy churn, but I love cottage cheese, frozen yogurt, and greek yogurt - so I make a few exceptions there as well.
*Carbs... I have been trying to keep these low as well. But when I do add these into a meal it's ALWAYS brown. Brown rice, wheat bread, wheat pita... and I try to make sure its high in fiber as well.

Anyways - it's working for me. I feel good. It's nothing too dramatic - but it's change and I am pretty sure it's progress from my Hostess Donuts... ha ha!

What do you do to stay healthy and focused on good nutrition? If you have any tricks... please share!

Easter Time!

Saturday we died Easter Eggs with the kids. Clara ate most of the eggs before we could actually get them in the dye... and then once she remembered how it all worked she went a little overboard with the GLITTER!

*Nothing like dying easter eggs in your swimsuit. :)

Jackson of course was Mr. Creative. He loved it... loved mixing colors and doing half and half... then waited for them all to dry to add the stickers. And heaven forbid I throw the things away that we didn't use... nothing gets into the trashcan without his consent. He feels like we should keep everything... I think I have a "child hoarder" - no joke. :)

 Sunday we had friends over for a BBQ and egg hunt for the kids.

I am so grateful for these girls! They are my family here and we always have so much fun together.

Good food!

The kids went wild looking for all the eggs. Some had money in them - if I had known that earlier I would have been out there with all of them searching through all the eggs. ;)

 And they all gathered on the trampoline to search through, trade, and indulge in the goodies!

Garden Time!

Now that we are finally in a house with a yard, I could hardly wait to start my first garden!

It was the first thing I did after coming back from Utah... besides catching up on sleep and a few lazy days filled with pajamas and pure laziness.

I picked up all our supplies, I bought some things at Home Depot and some things at Walmart... solely based on prices. Getting all the materials from the back of my car to the back yard was the worst part... until I put the toy car and kids to work! This was the BEST idea EVER.

I started half with plant and half with seed. All my herbs, tomatoes, and strawberries were started with plants. The rest I did with seed.

Here are my supplies. Two gardening boxes... I got these from Home Depot for $35 each. A great price if you don't want to build your own. Lots of planting soil, pete moss, fine wood chips, black tarp to protect against weeds/grass growing through, and tomato cages.

I built the boxes and the kids helped me dump the dirt in and mix it all around! They loved this part! I really want them to be a part of the garden, to help take care of it, and then see what comes from the work that went into it.

The helped with all the plants. Clara in particular, LOVED planting everything. Jackson wasn't too into it - but still helped out.

AND.... Our final product! All the veggies are in the boxes... lettuce, spinach, carrots, cucumbers, zucchini, radishes, tomatoes, sugar snap peas and string beans. I put 4 tomato plants along the back - pretty sure that is too many. I might have to take one out, move it or do something... but I was just so excited to have fresh tomatoes (one of my fav's!).

All the herbs and the strawberries are in the the pots.

I can't wait for the seeds to start growing in! Sometimes I feel like if I sing to them while I water they might grow faster! Ha ha! 

Does anyone else do gardening and have any good tips for me?

Nature Walk

Our last day in Utah was packed. We were trying our best to fit everything in before it was time to hit the road back to California.

We stopped at a cute little park not far from my sisters house that has a little forest/hidden pathways behind the park. I started out by telling the kids to watch out for "Lions and tigers and bear, oh my!" and that totally freaked Jackson out. He did not like being back there.

Check out cute Peter in his dino sweatshirt. I made him this for Christmas and I was so happy to see him in it! He looked as cute as I thought he would. :)

 I was enjoying the peacefulness and beauty of the area when my sister Candice reminded me to watch out for "needles"... um yeah... this was kindof the perfect place for that sort of thing to happen. But no, we didn't see any... but it sure did freak me out. It put me and Jackson on even playing fields of paranoia! Ha ha.

Beautiful right?

Jump Around Utah

OKAY... this place was amazing. The kids had so much fun! You could have called it your typical bounce but really - it was much cooler than some of the others we have been to. They had a big climbing/play area... similar to the McDonalds ones. But it was clean and bigger, and open, and because food is not allowed on the toys -- no random french fries for nugget pieces. And I know this because I was in there - climbing, sliding, crawling... yeah... and I am not just saying this - but it was really fun!

They also had this amazing ballooned trampoline type thing for the kids to bounce on. It was AMAZING!

Super super fun morning.

Hogle Zoo

We planned a day at the Hogle Zoo. The weather was in our favor. Most of the animals were out and it was not crowded at all. It was a great day.

Nana treated all the kids to a ride on the carousel. I love how excited kids get over these little things. They could not stop waving and smiling!

I never realized how small and {old} this zoo was until this trip. I guess because I grew up with it I have never thought anything of it... but now that I live by the LA ZOO and have been to other Zoo's in bigger cities I have realized... the Hogle Zoo is SM-ALL... and half ghetto and so sad that animals actually live there... BUT in the Zoo's defense they have been working double time to improve the zoo and the quality of the habitats the animals live in - hence the reason I said it is only "half ghetto". :)

BUT... let me also say... we still love LOVE it. And always will. And, the kids had a blast!

 We were so lucky to have my mom come and spend the afternoon with us. Her schedule was more than insane but she still chose to drive down and enjoy a day with the stinky animals... and of course the 8 grandkids that were wondering the zoo.

 Sisters and mom. Love them all. so. much.

 I am one lucky momma. These two are adorable.