The Battle of the Bulge

My third baby is turning 9 months this week! 9 MONTHS! I am in denial about it. How did the time go by so fast? As I walk in and she is standing in her crib this week, I have the realization that she almost isn't a baby anymore.

And here I am 9 months later and I still prefer yoga pants to regular pants because nothing with a button is comfortable. I actually took off my jeans and put on yoga pants with boots for an event this week. I've kicked up the exercise over the past month but its not getting me the results I hoped for.

So the sacrifice begins. Over the next couple of weeks I am going to thin out sugar and flour, wean myself so to speak. Lent starts on February 18th and this year I am giving up sugar and flour. I am hesitant to put it out there like this but success is more likely with a little pressure. So those yummy bark thins will be a thing of the past in a few weeks... Until then moderation :)

Intentional Play Time

Last week I talked about New Years goals but another year has gone by for my kids.  Next year I will have a 4 yr old, 3 yr old, and 20 mo old! Most days just fly by.  It's really hard not to be sad watching the time fly.

I am trying to be intentional about several things going forward. I have to really try hard to have purposeful interactions with the kids, such as sitting with them engaged in their activity versus having them do an activity, like color or paint, while I'm trying to set up, organize, or manage the activity. I should get to color sometimes, or build blocks. Why did I decide to stay home if I'm not able to participate in the fun?

On the other hand, I have become frustrated at times when they don't want to sit and read with me, or do a puzzle, or sort beans...which was a disaster of sorts trying to find all the beans before the baby did! I have to remember that those are purposeful efforts that are not working out the way that I intended, however it is still quality time.

So to another year gone past! And many great years of learning and growing to come!

New Years Goals

Here it is January 15th and I am just getting around to blogging.  Let's face it, I am not good at keeping up with this whole blogging thing.  If I could blog in the shower, I would have it made. I have whole conversations with what I would love to share with the world. On the positive side, it is only January 15th and I have conquered the beginning of some of my goals already.

A big goal for the first quarter this year is thinning out my work appointments. They are all over place and I need a more steady schedule.  Sometimes things just work out, and now I have a little time for this list of things that I have been wanting to tackle. A a mother of multiple itty-bittys, my list of things that I want to get done is really not that long or time consuming because we are essentially still in survival mode.  I can't make overwhelming lists for myself anymore because it will be years before  any of it gets completed.

Organizing pictures and maybe getting some photo books made. Sounds like an easy one, but there is always something else that I could do instead.  I decided to start with 2013 and I'm about 8 months through weeding out and uploading to Shutterfly my photos.  I hope this project doesn't die by February. I fear I will be hit by a bus and my husband will never get to this and then my children will have no pictures or videos of themselves.  Irrational? No, just a normal mom thought in my opinion :)

Ok so blogging and updating the Real.Fit.Mom Facebook Page- hasn't happened much.  I can't decide what direction I want to go in.  I start to hold back when I seem to post the same things, like lots of food.  But no more! I am going to post what I want and hopefully it starts to morph into something with more of an identity. So share it with your friends and help me build it!!

Last goal- trying not to make too many goals.  I have about 8 more I could easily list but I don't want to be accountable for them!

Go have a great day!

Thanksgiving 2014

As we wrap up such a fun and productive weekend, I can't help but reflect on Thanksgiving 2013.

One year ago, we were a family of 4 with the uncertainty of how we were going to juggle three kids two weeks shy of 3 under 3. And yet as we sit here today with our youngest, 7 month old baby girl, who is so happy, content, and brings her older siblings so much joy, I can't help but be so thankful.

We figured the novelty of 'the baby' would wear off by now, but it hasn't.  She draws them in with her smile, and they all melt. Although this is probably it for us as far as more kids, because we can't imagine juggling any more, I'm sure we would have the same reflection if we were blessed with more.

We are excited to kick off the holiday season!!

Stroller Fit Classes Are Back On TUESDAY!

We are going to start Stroller Fit Classes on Tuesdays at 9:15!  Please bring water, a yoga mat, and have Baby in the stroller.  We will be on the move to keep Baby entertained.  

Classes are at 3904 Davila Drive.  The house is on the corner of Davila and Lenel.  Enter at the side gate near the garage on Lenel to sign in.  Classes are $15 and class is about one hour.  Please try to text me either the night before or the morning of class if you are attending so I have the equipment ready 702-338-2405. 

We will consider adding an additional class in a couple of weeks so let me know what days or times you would like to see.  Email me with any questions- dibellac@yahoo.com.

Don't forget to like our Facebook Page in case of any last minute changes or weather issues Real.Fit.Mom.

I know it's hard to make time but summer is just around the corner so make time to get back on track!

Work in that Workout!

As a Mom it is so easy to put off your workout for other things that need get done- I know because I'm also guilty of it.  It's only 10am and I've already been the cleaning lady, though begrudgingly my husband might say, and the vacuum repair man, in addition to the normal household duties.  I look like hell and the last thing I want to do is get ready to pack up MD and get to the gym. 

Yesterday I was in this predicament and the weather was so nice that we went for a long walk and later to the park so MD could also get some exercise.  There are lots of easy things you can do at home to get in that workout and cut out the time it takes to pack/unpack and travel to the gym. 

If you push the kids in the stroller, there are several easy exercises that you can do. Lunges have several variations, so about 20 minutes into your walk periodically do a set of 10-20 lunges.  You can do them walking forward, stationary, or stepping side to side to target the inner thighs.  Calf raises on a curb are also a great exercise.  You can also incorporate running intervals.  For example, one block you can run the distance of two driveways, and then walk two driveways. Maybe two block later you do the same but you sprint the two distance of two driveways and walk three driveways. 

Once you return to the house, keep the baby in the stroller but where they can see you so they are entertained. You can do pushups either on your knees or against the front steps for an easier angle.  Tricep dips and leg lifts can also be done on the steps or the edge of a deck.  And if you have time try to fit in some crunches. 

Happy Exercising! 

Making My Own Baby Food

MD teething on a carrot

When I was pregnant with my first child, my husband and I went to hear a lecture by Dr. Alan Greene, author of Feeding Baby Green.  The tag line for his book is "The earth-friendly program for healthy and safe nutrition."

The first thing that I learned from this lecture, as I have mentioned before, is that we are the parents and that we should always be learning and asking questions.  Many things are just taken for granted as "the way it has always been done or the way it is usually done," but there are always alternatives.

Dr. Greene talks extensively about what we feed our children as babies and what forms their eating habits and associations with food throughout their lifetime.  A topic in his book that I really took to is the lack of nutritional value that rice cereal has in an infant's diet, and how it is a processed food out of a box.

Until this lecture I had never thought about what I would be feeding MD beyond the hope that I could nurse him for at least the first several months.  But leaving the Dr. Greene lecture, I had my mind made up that I was definitely going to make my own baby food.  And I must admit, it has been a whole lot easier than I ever expected.

During an afternoon nap recently, I steamed and blended carrots, broccoli and peaches and also made lentil soup.  If I use frozen fruit, I let it defrost first and then blend it with a hand blender.  If I am steaming more than one vegetable for example, I will just scoop the carrots out of the steamer and then throw in the broccoli to save time.  For me cleaning up can take a lot of time so I try to keep it convenient.

I often freeze the fruits and vegetables in ice cube trays, which is about 1oz per cube.  I let them defrost for a few minutes before I pop them out and store them in a baggy in the freezer.  I have ruined ice cube trays by trying to get them out with a knife right out of the freezer. 

As for the lentil soup, I will sauteed yellow onions in olive oil before adding the water and lentils.  I never add salt.  Sometimes I will even throw in mushrooms or carrots.  I no longer have to blend soup for MD but in the beginning I would blend soup with a hand blender and then store it.  I use a nonstick muffin pan for this.  Each muffin is about 3 oz.  When you take the pan out of the freezer, let it sit for a few minutes before you try to pop the soup out.  Do not use muffin tins or papers.

When I am ready to feed MD I will put a couple of cubes in a glass bowl in the fridge overnight, or I will put them in the microwave on defrost.  The food in the picture about lasted about two weeks.  When we eat out I try to bring homemade food but I always have a "Happy Baby" food pouch with me in case of an emergency.

Thank you for letting me share!  Happy Baby Food Making!