Could it be??

What is this bright light, and blue sky over head? Oh, it is the sun. It has just been such a long time since I've seen you old friend. Please stay and play with us today. Pretty please?!

A little gardening advice from Mrs. Green Thumb

Mr. Nomad and I have been working our fingers to the bone with landscaping this past week. We have made some serious progress, and are to the point of adding some pops with flowers. So today on our way home from classes, the kiddos and I stopped at Home Depot to pick up a few perennials. Driving into the parking lot I spied the most beautiful plants, I was thrilled. I grabbed a cart, loaded up a few and found the rest of the items on my list.

Meanwhile the kiddos enjoyed running up and down the empty aisles. . . (Reason 1001 to Home School, you get to run errands when others are at work or in school. So nice to have the place almost to myself.) Fortunately they ran all their energy off, and then were sitting nicely in the check out line. Bubby flirting with the nice grandmaish lady working the check out.

As I start the check out process, Grandma (who by now really likes the Nomad Kiddos) informs me my favorite plants. . .the very ones who called my name across the parking lot. . .are extremely poisonous. WHAT?!? Hmmm. . .I think, maybe she is wrong and just being dramatic. Yet if I buy them and ignore her advice, that would be rude. I decide to put them back, go home, do some research and return another day for the plants. Seriously, I've never heard anything like this before. . .surely she is wrong.

Or NOT! Yep, I came home and Googled Fox Glove. Not good. Click here to read more. Thank goodness The Nomad Kiddos were sweet, and grabbed that Grandma's attention. I mean my kiddos may get on my nerves from time to time, but poison them in the garden? NEVER!

See what I mean? Aren't they beautiful? Any suggestions on a similar looking plant? One that won't kill my babies?

Just Smile Bigger!

What do you think of the new header? This was taken after mass on Easter Sunday. Notice Bubby's puffy eyes? He wasn't too excited about the whole taking pictures thing. In the moment I gritted my teeth, pasted a smile on my face, and with as calm and sweet voice as I could muster said to the big kiddos, "Just look forward and smile big!" In my mind I was thinking, "This boy is gonna kill me yet."

At that moment in time, it was about getting one nice photo to remember Easter 2010. Now looking back over a month later, I think there are some tidbits of wisdom to hold on to.

Lesson number one, stay calm Tami. By remaining in control, and not freaking out (Who me? Never? Ha Ha Ha!) the rest of us were able to move on.

Lesson number two, it never hurts to put a smile on your face. Getting irritated and grumpy doesn't help. Think about the difference seeing a smiling face makes in your life. Seriously. A smiley baby cooing in the crib vs. screaming baby. Hmmm. . .something to think about.

Now if only I would have realized this, and embraced these life lessons years ago. I can think of several instances it would have come in handy. ;)

(I know Jody, you've been coaching me for years. I'm just a little slow.)

Giggling feet

Yesterday when we were walking out to our van, I gave Bubby a ride on the shopping cart. You know how you have them stand on the bottom, and hold onto the handle. Of course if you are giving a small boy a ride, you don't walk slowly. To make it fun and exciting, you have to run a bit. As we were running along Bubby says, "Mommy, my feet feel like they are giggling!" What a fun way to describe vibrations, giggling feet. I love little boys.

Tami's Tips: Step Away From The Computer

Okay, if your husband is out for the evening. . .and you are the responsible adult in charge of the household: STEP AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER. It is an hour past Bubby's bedtime, but he and Princess are playing so nicely. The General is hanging out, and it is so fun to catch up on the bloggy world. Alas I need to be the mommy, and get these kiddos in bed. Good night.

Tami's Tips: Frozen Fruit. . .YUM

Now that some of you are enjoying warmer weather (no hope of that here in the Pacific Northwest. . .we are freezing. . .but that is a whole other post), it is getting to be ice cream season. Some of you may be trying to cut back on calories, or you may simply be trying to eat healthier. Today's tip, substitute frozen fruit for high fat/high calorie ice creams.

My favorite are frozen blueberries. They are delicious, and LOADED with lots of good nutrition. I buy these 5 lb. bags @ Costco for around $7. Another benefit, frozen fruits don't go bad in the crisper drawer.

I like to serve them up in a little bowl. One serving (3/4 cup) is only 80 calories. By serving in a smaller bowl, it makes me think I've had a whole bowl of berries.

I have friends who love smoothies, and that is a nice way to sneak in fruits and vegetables. My only concern is whenever you blend, it takes A LOT of fruit, ice cream, or whatever to make a small shake. I'm always amazed when we make brown cows, how much ice cream is in each shake. For that very reason, I shy away from drinks of the blended variety. If you HAVE to have ice cream, stick to a small scoop served in one of the cute little bowls.

I heart P90X!

Back in January my neighbor, K invited me over to do an exercise video. At first we started just picking out one of the many videos, and doing what we felt like that day. Then I mentioned to another friend I was trying out these P90X workouts. She began to gush. She too was doing these workouts. Only she and her husband were faithfully doing the program. That means, following the nutritional guide, and the workout schedule. Here was the hook: She was getting great results! In just a couple months she had gone down 2 sizes.

The next day I filled K in on my conversation with my friend. I announced that we were done messing around. We were going to get serious about this P90X thing. K was as intrigued as I was. (K decided to follow the nutritional guides. Mr. Nomad & I eat pretty healthy, so I decided to just go with the workouts.)

When we started the workouts, I joked my way through much of the tapes. Seriously I thought I would never be able to do it. Did I really want to do it? It is HARD! Now, the strangest thing has happened. Each day I could do a little more, and now I am feeling good. In fact, I miss the workouts when we can't exercise. (Sounds crazy, doesn't it?)

So what is so great about this program? Why does it work? I think it is the variety. P90X is a combination of toning/cardio/stretching. You lift weights, do aerobic exercises, and yoga. The main idea is that by mixing things up, it creates muscle confusion. You are out smarting your body, thus no plateaus.

Many times us ladies are good at walking/running or doing aerobic activity. However, we neglect weights because we don't want to look bulky. This is really a myth. Toning with weights is the secret weapon. It builds muscle mass, which burns more calories (thus burning fat). More muscle means we are stronger, which decreases injuries. Another added benefit, women need the weight resistance to maintain our bone mass (osteoporosis is not a pretty thing).

Now K and I made our big commitment 4 months ago, and guess what?!? It really does work! K and I have both slimmed down. K has lost over 15 pounds, and I am so happy to be back in my pre-pregnancy jeans. (So what if my baby is 4. . .I was just pacing myself. ;)

The big thing for me is maintenance. K and I agreed, this wasn't going to be a 90 day thing for us. Rather, we wanted to get fit, and then commit to staying fit. We have 2 weeks left of the Lean schedule, and then we are starting the Classic.

I'm not saying everyone should run out and buy the P90X videos. I think the most important thing is to combine some type of cardio and weight resistance training. It can be as simple as a walk in your neighborhood, followed with push ups, stomach crunches, leg lifts, lunges and arm curls. (I've done this in the past and it was very effective.) Some people love personal trainers and gyms. There are tons of great programs out there. Find the one that suits you. Personally, P90X is the one that is working for me right now.

Wish me luck. I'll keep you posted.