One thing I have always been very disciplined in doing, is keeping up with my weight and staying active. With all the recent changes in our schedule and my having to work more outside of the home… I find myself putting my health on the back burner.

It wasn’t until a few weeks ago, when I stepped on the scale, and realized I had gained about 7 pounds since we moved to GA.

While I know I am far from heavy… being the weight I am now though, is not something I am comfortable with.

More importantly though, I need to live healthier.

I need to realize I am a few years shy of 30… and that staying active is important.

I recently joined the Quaker Heart Health Challenge, that is encouraging us to plan to accomplish 15 activities in 30 days. I sat for some time thinking about what I could do to live a healthier life style… outside of what I already do…

… and heres what I am thinking. 

1 – Drink WATER- water is so important in our diets… and I think to often we don’t drink nearly enough. It is shown to speed up our metabolism, transports nutrients and oxygen into cells, moisturizes the air in lungs, protect our organs, aid in helping our bodies absorb nutrients better, regulate our body temperature, detoxify and even protect and moisturize our joints. The list could go on! Water is so important.

2 – Stop drinking Soda and Caffeinated drinks. This will be hard! I loved having a diet coke in the morning – and found it to be one of my only struggles and real unhealthy habits to let go. But I am! The real struggle now however will be to give up caffeine as well….

I also plan to… Walk a mile or so a day, eat more veggies, eat less breads (I so love them!), cut my sugar intake drastically!! – even though we use all natural sweeteners like Sucanat, I still think less is more, I hope to cut out large meals, which I already seem to do, but making a point to eat smaller more frequent meals, playing outside with the kids more, trying to work in some yoga if possible… and cooking all our meals from scratch.

All that being said. I am trying not to focus on that number on the scale. I really desire to just be healthy… to feel good… and to be an example to my children.

These to me are very real steps to help me do that.

I would love to Invite my readers to join the Quaker Heart Health Challenge

Joining the Quaker Heart Health Challenge is my first step towards becoming a healthier me. Now I’m curious to know, what motivates you to stay healthy?

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Quaker Oats Company. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Sweepstakes Rules.

So sweet when what use to be the baby, becomes so grown. Sweet and sad in ways, because it really shows how he is growing up.

Taite sure is a great help with Owen.

I use to wonder if they’d be close, being 3 yrs apart… I always figured that age gap was just far enough that they wouldnt click as much as Caleb and Taite have being 2 yrs apart.. but as Owen gets older and Taite… things have changed some.

Its precious to see.

SO glad my boys have each other, its a blessing.

Of course… The older two are still like glue :)
& Owen is often left behind. Which is ok most days, Owen being the 3rd really does seem to entertain himself alone much better. It does however give me a yearning to one day give him a younger brother :) – in time!

After Owen’s birth I seemed to develop a slight addiction to Salsa. It was something I never really liked prior to the age of 25 :) – ask my mom ;-) – and so to become such a fan is just funny. Weird how our taste buds change.

I came across a quick and easy restaurant style salsa the other day on pinterest… and had to try it.

Here’s what you need:

1- 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1- 10 oz can orginal Rotel
1/2 small onion, chopped (small)
1 clove garlic, crushed, or cut fine.
1/2-1 jalapeno, leave seeds in if you like it super spicey
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon raw salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 – 1 teaspoon (or more – to taste) cilantro leaves
1 lime, squeezeeee ;-) aka the juice.

(fresh cilantro btw would be best, but I sadly did not have fresh, so my recipe isnt nearly as celantro-ish as the original – but it still taste amazing! Just isnt as pretty.)

Directions:

Throw everything together into a blender, pulse it for about 10-15 seconds until well blended… and serve with some great tortilla chips. Thats it! Its super easy and taste great! Makes a good amount too, so if you have a party this sunday for Super Bowl Sunday :) – this would be a great item to serve.

Enjoy! :)

How many of you were thumb suckers as babies/children?

Or, have thumb suckers? :)

I was one.

& so any time I see a photo of a baby sucking their thumb, I think its just precious!

That adorable baby is Mercy, my friend Nicholes youngest. She was one of my models today for Boba & I just had to post this photo of her & her thumb.

Even tho I remember the challenges my mother faced with breaking me from my thumb (nasty tasting nail polish, bribes, who knows what else HAHA) I still think its cute to see :) – I btw eventually stop sucking my thumb… ;-) – it just was way past the norm, hehe.

Today was filled with more Boba sessions. 2 former models I’ve used agreed to do more, so thankful. They both did so well.

While down town I stayed in a local coffee shop to start processing the images and wait for the next session (rather than back tracking and going home, then coming back) – it was weird… just sitting there alone. Im so not use to that. A friend did drop in for a bit to say hey :) – which was nice.

Then after fixing a late lunch for myself at 2pm when I got home, I then had a phone chat with Sam Hassas (awesome photographer I met at the Genesis workshop) – who is helping me with some business stuff… So kind of him to give of his time, he is so busy.

Then after the kids got up from naps… it was off to downtown again, for more Boba Pictures… but with the family this time… and afterwards we got to enjoy an evening out at a local yogurt place (its amazzzzinggg! affordable and healthy w/ fresh fruit) – & then time at a local park.

A busy, yet a good day.

I got a lot accomplished and got to also spend some sweet time with the family. We also could not have asked for prettier weather.