HELP ME, PLEASE!

I need ideas. The new year is fast approaching and I need some help. Those who have known me for a long time are aware that each year I give up one type of food (just for the year; I start eating it again the next year). This tradition started when I was in high school and all my Catholic friends were giving something up for Lent. I decided to join in and gave up chocolate, and then I decided to just keep going until the end of the year. Thus the tradition was born. I love doing it because it reminds me that I have self-control.

I've been doing this for so many years that I'm running out of ideas though. So far, I've given up: chocolate, soda, candy, chips, ice cream, peanuts, donuts, cookies, yeast breads with 100% white flour (I was really running out of ideas!), M&M's... Can't remember every single one, but that's most of them.

So I need some ideas. It has to be something that is unhealthy and also a food that I would miss (i.e. I'd have a hard time giving it up). So not something like pork rinds since I don't like pork. Also, it can't be overly inconvenient to give it up--like sugar--I'd never be able to eat anything made outside my house...

Anyway, help me out, people!

Been Doing a Little Bit o' Yoga

I've always wanted to get into yoga. Really get into it. Especially after having Micah for a roommate. She is so centered, so healthy, so strong. Back in those days, I was always training for a marathon or triathlon, and one can only dedicate so much time to working out. I was already doing two workouts most days... Ah, the excuses! I did some prenatal yoga while I was pregnant with Squeak, but not often enough to really feel like I was getting into it.

So there's a new yoga studio nearby, and they were offering one week of free yoga. After about a month, D and I were able to figure out a time when he could be here almost every day so I could go for my free week. So I started going. WOW!! I was hooked after one class. I felt so energized! I felt such a connection between my body and my spirit. I felt so alive. I came home and D said, "Wow, what happened to you there?"

Sumits Yoga is a hot yoga studio. It's awesome! The room gets heated to between 102 and 105 degrees. It's like working out in a sauna. You're able to stretch more deeply because of the heat. They also use great music as part of the routine--very loud and with a strong beat during some parts, and more slow and meditative at other parts. I especially enjoyed the warrior sequence. I wholeheartedly recommend giving it a try.

Squeak had a blast posing with me after I got home.

If you practice yoga, you'll notice that my warrior 1 and warrior 2 are kind of sloppy. Yeah, I've got some work to do!

All I want for Christmas is a 9-inch Zipper

This Mother's Day special is a bit old, but if you haven't seen it, you'll love it. "I'm not a woman anymore...I'm a mom!"

My Favorite Little People

Squeak has become quite maternal with her job as big sis!


The jury's still out about those eyes...


And that baby tub--Squeak thinks it's so fun to take a bath in it because it belongs to Pip.


Wrestling in the crib--it's the funnest part of bedtime!


Squeak was never in love with the Exersaucer as a baby--she got bored within a few minutes. But now she puts herself in it. I love how she's trying to spoon feed Pip from the Exersaucer.


Every day we thank the Lord for our fun, happy kids. They are such a delight! I'm grateful for the things I'm able to learn from them. Hopefully I can teach them a little something too.

"A little more of this, a little less of this..."

OUR awesome friend Travis sent this warning to D. He is such a wonderful friend to BOTH OF US. We laughed and laughed and laughed. It takes a few minutes to load, but it's a great one.

Para que sepan, I'm not a fan of diamond jewelry. Actually, one of my favorite gifts from D was a set of dumbbells. Just to make this fun, what is the least romantic gift you've received? My former boss told us he gave his wife a bathroom scale as part of the 12 days of Christmas--see if you can beat that!

Celebrating Physical Fitness

One of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions is to celebrate physical fitness. For many years, I ran the International Thanksgiving 4-mile race (not sure how it got to be "international" in Orem, Utah, but that's what it's called). We decided to do one of the local hikes here in Phoenix this year, Squaw Peak. Loved it! We were especially grateful for our new hiking boots and the mostly-overcast day.

Our munchkins loved the ride

There's D with his 50-pound pack (about 30 pounds of Squeak, 10 pounds of backpack, and 10 pounds of water and other hiking essentials). My pack was only about 20 pounds.

It was a nice, challenging hike--kind of like doing a continuous stairmaster (1200 feet of climbing in 1.2 miles).