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Who IS This Chick?

So, I’m Alison.  I’m an (early!!) 30-something Computer Programmer turned Stay-At-Home(schooling)-Mom.  There’s this pretty cool dude I married 10 years ago that hangs around here, plus the two pesky kids that insist on calling me “Mom”.  We’ve got another one on the way now too.

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This would be the place where I come to write about and share all the stuff I love:  eating, cooking, running, yoga, fitness, healthy living, gardening, motherhood – and sometimes everything in between.

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It all started waaaay back in 2008 when I lost a bunch of weight. “A bunch of weight” for me meant about 35 pounds, and it also meant the scale started flashing numbers that I’d seen before, just in a different order.

For the dozen or so years prior to 2008, any weight loss attempts were about being skinny.  I was never really successful, and looking back I can safely say it was because I was going about it all wrong.  Once it became more about being fit and healthy instead of being skinny and hungry – everything changed.

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I revamped my approach to healthy eating, I figured out how to love running and got back to biking, as well as throwing some other exercisey stuff in to the mix as well.  I’ve come to really enjoy preparing healthy meals for myself and my family – and now I enjoy sharing what I’ve learned here on my little plot of cyber real estate too.

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I’ll often post recipes I make or meal ideas I have.  Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, dessert, whatever -  if we liked it, or even if we didn’t – it’s fair game.  The big people in this house are vegetarian (although I do sometimes eat fish), therefore the recipes found here will be meat free.

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I use local, organic products and foods as much as possible. The produce section is where you’d find me snoozing if I was locked in the grocery store overnight.  Vegan, vegetarian, raw or not – I’ll try it all.  You don’t have to be a raw foodie to grasp the beauty of eating foods in their natural state.  And you don’t have to be a vegan to enjoy meals prepared without animal products either.  While not completely eliminated from my diet, I consume a lot less grain, dairy and sugar now than I did once upon a time and feel a lot better because of it.  I’m always eager to share my alternatives to conventional dietary wisdom.

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We have chosen to allow the girls to make the decision to become vegetarian themselves (or not) when they are ready.  We very often discuss where our food comes from, how the animals in our food chain are treated and that we believe they deserve to be honored and treated with respect.  Our hope is to raise them with an awareness and understanding of how the foods that we eat impact our health, the way that we feel, our society and our environment too.

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While I surely love to write about cooking and eating and food, you’ll also find my thoughts and musings about my ever-evolving approach to health and fitness here as well.  Running, cycling, barefooting, swimming, Yoga – variety is the spice of life as they say.

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I don’t have a degree in nutrition or exercise, so there are no fancy letters after my name (just a couple of interesting hand gestures sometimes) – all I have are my own personal experiences, successes and failures.  I’m happy to share what I’ve learned along the way.  My hope is that just maybe you’ll find some value in what I do and have learned too.

My suggestion is to treat what I put here like a buffet; take what you like and leave the rest.  My sincere hope is that you might find some of the things I do helpful as you travel your own personal journey toward health and wellness.  You only get one body – it’s never too late to do something amazing with it.

OK, that’s a wrap.  Who’s hungry?

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41 Responses

  • Sarah says:
    Thursday, 21st May 2009 at 7:50 am

    I was homeschooled all my life, so I can say it’s totally worth it, and I’ll always respect my parents for doing that for me. Keep up the great work! spacer

    Reply
  • Alison says:
    Thursday, 21st May 2009 at 8:12 am

    Wow Sarah, that’s great! Especially that you can look back and know that it was worth it. Homeschooling was actually Zak’s idea way back when, and I didn’t truly get on board until we met more homeschooled kids and families and saw how amazing homeschooling can be.

    Reply
  • Heather (be well & take care) says:
    Monday, 8th June 2009 at 6:16 pm

    Hi Alison, thanks for stopping by the blog. I’m enjoying yours, as well. Your family is adorable! Bravo for showing your girls how to be active & eat healthy.

    Reply
  • Priyanka says:
    Tuesday, 9th June 2009 at 12:15 pm

    Your girls are adorable!! Great blog!

    Reply
  • A says:
    Wednesday, 17th June 2009 at 1:09 pm

    Hi! I just saw your guest post on The Daily Balance. Just stopping by to check out your blog. Very cute! I will be back!
    -A

    Reply
  • Alison says:
    Wednesday, 17th June 2009 at 1:20 pm

    Thanks A! spacer

    Reply
  • MAMASWEED says:
    Monday, 22nd June 2009 at 7:47 pm

    THIS IS THE BAND MAMASWEED SAYING HELLO TO ALL YOU WEEDS …. PUT ON SOME MUSIC OF MAMASWEED TO YOUR WEBSITE

    Reply
  • Alison says:
    Wednesday, 24th June 2009 at 6:37 pm

    LOL, a Mamasweed band?! That rocks! (Literally.)

    Reply
  • april says:
    Saturday, 27th June 2009 at 10:33 pm

    Thanks for stopping by my blog! You have a beautiful family!

    Reply
  • Mrs Myers @ Eat Move Write says:
    Tuesday, 30th June 2009 at 7:02 pm

    What a wonderful family you have! Adorable! I love it. Keep up the good work… Your weeds are growing fast!

    Reply
  • Cindy says:
    Tuesday, 21st July 2009 at 3:20 pm

    HI, I just ran across your blog from Andreas wellness notes!

    another Mama living healthy! yeaaah!

    I have a toodle bug, 16mos old and a teenager!
    we’re busy too and I am enjoying your blog!

    I just wanted to say HI!

    Reply
  • Lizzy says:
    Tuesday, 4th August 2009 at 7:28 pm

    Alison you are such an inspiration! Thanks for writing!

    Reply
  • Rosey Rebecca says:
    Wednesday, 5th August 2009 at 1:18 pm

    Allison,

    Wow what a small world!! We should have a blogger meet up at Dinosaur BBQ! lol

    I love your blog by the way!!

    Rebecca

    Reply
  • peanutbutterprerogative says:
    Thursday, 6th August 2009 at 4:53 pm

    Hey Allison! I just found you through the Healthy Everythingtarian. I loved your guest post and your tips on running. I can’t wait to read more!

    Reply
  • Lainie says:
    Friday, 7th August 2009 at 1:04 am

    Gorgeous, beautiful family!!!

    Reply
  • KatieF says:
    Friday, 7th August 2009 at 7:39 pm

    Hi Alison! Thanks for stopping by my blog. I love “meeting” other locals in this healthy eating/living blogland. Your kids are adorable!

    Reply
  • akhomeschoolfun says:
    Friday, 7th August 2009 at 11:36 pm

    Hi Allison,
    I’m a homeschool mom from Alaska. While we do occasionally eat meat (usually as a side dish or part of a casserole), we prefer homemade vegetarian meals. I’m bookmarking you to try some of the recipes you have. Best wishes for the upcoming school year.

    Reply
  • blueberrymuffins says:
    Friday, 14th August 2009 at 2:01 pm

    Hi! I am new to your blog! Your family looks super cute spacer What a great idea about letting your girls choose, I can’t wait to read more spacer !

    Reply
  • Jenn says:
    Thursday, 27th August 2009 at 8:01 am

    You and I are a lot alike. I was actually wondering if it was possible to feed my little girl so healthy but I’m working on it and it is working out great. Your site is a real inspiration I hope you don’t mind if I link you from my site.

    Great job keep up the awesome blog.

    Reply
  • Erika says:
    Tuesday, 1st September 2009 at 9:31 pm

    Hello, just found your blog and I am so happy to find another blogger who is balancing kids/workouts/eating etc. I am trying to teach my kids good eating habits now so it is less of a struggle for them later in life. Can’t wait to keep reading!

    Reply
  • aunt teresa says:
    Wednesday, 2nd September 2009 at 10:35 pm

    Finally got here sweetie! What a fun and informative site. I’m so proud of all the hard work you are doing to keep your family healthy and filled with joy! I love you and will visit now and then, Aunt T.

    Reply
  • heidi says:
    Monday, 7th September 2009 at 11:24 am

    Oooh yum, I never thought of juicing my beets and beet greens. I’ll have to give it a try. haha, I probably won’t share with anyone though, even if it’s a teaspoon!

    Reply

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  • James says:
    Monday, 30th November 2009 at 12:23 pm

    You go girl!!

    Reply
  • Christina says:
    Saturday, 5th December 2009 at 9:28 pm

    hey hey! I was wondering if you would like to do a guest blog. I decided to take a little break from blogging during the Final Exam time. If you would like to do a guest blog- you can just send me the info/pictures…it can be on whatever… recipes, running/working out, life…anything! If you are too busy that is totally fine too I just thought I would check in and see! Thanks!!
    Christina

    Reply
  • Heidi says:
    Tuesday, 5th January 2010 at 12:08 am

    Hey Alison, I came across your blog and I am absolutely enjoying it. You are a hilarious writer. I could not stop laughing after the Fish Tale post. I am relatively new to blogging and looking for to join a community of like minded runners/eaters. Mind if I add you to my blogroll?

    Reply
  • Beth says:
    Thursday, 7th January 2010 at 6:55 pm

    I just found your blog! I am from Rochester, but live out west now and as soon as i saw the pictures I kept reading because I thought “Geez, that really looks like home”. Congrats on your weight loss and I look forward o reading more and seeing pics of Roch!

    Reply
  • Whole Body Love says:
    Friday, 8th January 2010 at 10:11 pm

    What a great approach to a healthy lifestyle! I’m glad to see another mama in the health blog world!

    Reply
  • Jenn says:
    Thursday, 18th February 2010 at 2:10 am

    I randomly found your blog and I’m so excited. I’m a homeschooling mom who loves health and fitness too!

    While I’m not a vegetarian I am trying to reduce our meat intake a bit b/c we really can’t afford to buy all grassfed/free range organic meat and I don’t like to support factory farming. I will definitely be checking out your recipes!

    Looking forward to learning more about your life!

    Reply
    • Alison says:
      Thursday, 18th February 2010 at 10:35 am

      Hey Jenn! How fun to find another homeschooling mom who’s a health nut! It’s always nice to be reminded that I’m not alone out here!

      I’m on a bit of hiatus right now but will be back, can’t wait to check out your blog, glad you found me, thanks for your comments!

      Reply
  • Lancy
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