Lions and Tigers and Squishy. . . OH MY!

Jonathan had yesterday off of work so we decided to enjoy some much-needed family time at the Las Vegas Zoo.  I guess I have been spoiled by the Indianapolis Zoo because I was VERY disappointed in the size and quality of this zoo, BUT we had a good time nonetheless.

The animals here seemed so depressed.

The wallabies were about the only ones up and moving around.  Matty was fascinated.

And, of course, he shares Daddy's fascination with turtles.

The lay-out of the park was kinda fun, however.  Winding paths through bamboo "forests."

Seriously. . . even the monkeys just sat around.  How depressing.

The zoo did have a LOT of birds.  I'd never seen a vulture up-close before.  Look at those eyes.  CREEPY!

*Shudder.*

The creepy crawlies didn't bother Matty one bit.

Hooray! More turtles!

We tried to get a picture of Matty on the elephant.  He wasn't too sure about it (and I was worried about him sticking his hand in bird poop!)

Hooray for turtles (even stone ones!)

I think next time we'll just head to the aquarium at Mandalay Bay instead. :)

52-Week Challenge: Week Thirteen

Greetings, all!  I have a bit more time to post this week, so hopefully this won't be as rushed.  This week's challenge is entitled:  "Eat Your Wheaties" and is all about working a balanced breakfast into your day.

When I was younger, I was avid breakfast-skipper, but now that I'm older, I have no idea how I did.  I wake up in the morning STARVING, and breakfast is very easily my most favorite meal of the day.  I know it seems like an easy meal to skip (especially if you're trying to lose weight), but here are some breakfast FAQ's to prove to you otherwise:

1.  Studies show that people who eat breakfast  have more energy, better cognitive function and memory, and a lower BMI than those who skip breakfast.
2.  A regular breakfast schedule is associated with healthier eating patterns, better portion control, and less nighttime snacking.
3.  Eating breakfast increases your metabolic speed.  This means that eating breakfast actually helps you LOSE WEIGHT, not gain it.

That being said, you must eat the right KIND of breakfast for the above to be true.  Now, I love muffins, doughnuts, and sugary cereals as much as the next person, but eating those types of things will not have the effect we're looking for.  A healthy breakfast should contain lean protein (eggs, egg whites, low-fat/non-fat milk, yogurt, and lean meats like ham and canadian bacon) and high-fiber carbohydrates (who grain cereals and breads, oatmeal, and fruit).

The book gives all kinds of suggestions on ways to eat a healthy breakfast, which you can peruse at your leisure.  However, if you're like me, you don't have a lot of time to make an elaborate breakfast in the morning.  For a quick fix, try a whole grain thin bagel with peanut butter, whole grain toast with a few pieces of fruit, or there are lots of healthy cereal alternatives on the market you can pair with skim milk (check the whole foods or organic section of your supermarket for a start).  But beware--not all of the cereals they advertise as "healthy" really are--sure, they might be whole grain, but they are also loaded with sugar.  As always, I hope you guys are continuing to read your food labels!

Best of luck!  Healthy eating!

Lied Children's Discovery Museum

We have some great friends visiting from Tucson this week, the Haugh family.  This has given me a wonderful opportunity to get out and explore the "child friendly" aspect of Las Vegas.  Today, the five of us visited the Lied Children's Discovery Museum.  It was right on the outskirts of North Las Vegas, so we had to drive through the ghetto to get there, but the museum itself was so much fun!  They even had a "BabyLand Discovery Area" for kids Matty's age.  

Here, I let him scoot around on the floor and go exploring. . . and then slathered him in hand sanitizer afterwards. ;)

Shawna's little girl Kailey has taken a real liking to Matty.  I think it's safe to say she might be his first girlfriend (even though she is almost a whole year older than him).  What can I say?  My boy likes those older women.  They really had a blast in BabyLand together.

"Look, Kailey.  There are plastic frogs in here!"

"Matty!  There are plastic bugs over here in this one!"

The little old married couple, watching their separate "shows." :)

Watching the pendulum swing.  To tell you what a huge nerd I am, all I could think of was "Lost."  I was hoping Matty and I could find the Island. :)

They had a wind tunnel where you could go in an experience hurricane-force winds.  Shawna, myself, and her older daughter Skylar went in.  Here's a great picture of Shawna trying to stay up-right!

I'm not quite sure what the point of these goggles were, although you were supposed to put them on and then try to shoot a basketball.  They reminded me of the "drunk goggles" people would bring in school to try and show you how horrible alcohol really is for your body.  I'm hoping they weren't REALLY drunk goggles in a CHILDREN'S MUSEUM. . . but, then again, it IS Las Vegas. ;)

The part Matty enjoyed the most?  Looking at himself in the mirrors.  Because, of course, we don't have mirrors at home or anything.

The museum has a traveling Curious George exhibit on loan from a museum in Philadelphia.  Absolutely love this picture of Matty.

Excited to get out and explore more "child friendly" Las Vegas this week.  More pics to come soon!

52-Week Challenge: Week Twelve

Sorry, this is coming super late.  We have houseguests for week, and I am behind on my blogging; this will be a quick post.

This week's challenge is entitled "Take A Deep Breath."  Once a day, dedicate five to ten minutes to breathing deeply.  Deep breathing accesses your diaphram in addition to your lungs.  Using these muscles sends a message to your brain to relax, which then transmits this message to your entire body, decreasing heart rate, slowing breathing, and reducing blood pressure.  It is one of the quickest ways relax, even in the midst of chaos.

While breathing is one of the most natural things in the world, this challenge is all about being deliberate during your deep breathing sessions.  Sit or stand up straight and take a deep breath through your nose, exhaling through your mouth.

To save time, I would recommend pairing your deep breathing with your daily stretches.  The combination of the two is a great way to relax and de-stress.

Kiss Me, I'm Irish

Kiss ME?!

No way!  You're silly!  How about you kiss my feet instead?

If you kiss me, you'll wrinkle my outfit.  Don't I look handsome?

Alright, fine.  Come here.  Let's get this over with.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! :)

52-Week Challenge: Week Eleven

According to my Kindle, we are 23% through this book so keep it up:  almost a quarter of the way through the challenge!  Woo-hoo!  I hope you all are keeping up with the previous week's challenges.  I can't say I'm still doing EVERYTHING, but I'm still doing quite a few of the things; enough that I feel like I'm actually making a positive change in my life.

How did everyone do with last week's challenge of stretching more?  I added some more yoga stretches to my work-outs and also stretched first thing in the morning.  I didn't really find it hard to add these exercises into my day, as it felt natural to stretch after getting out of bed (why didn't I think of it before?!) and adding a few more yoga poses to my routine actually felt like a more complete work-out when it was all said and done.

Anyways, onto week eleven.  This week's challenge is "Read the Box."  Learn to read the Ingredient List and the Nutrition Facts panel on packaged products so you can make healthier choices.  I've always wanted to learn how to do this, so I'm actually excited about it (I know, I know--NERD!)  I feel I know the basics of nutrition labels, but I'm interested to know more.

Here's some basic information to get you started.  The ingredient list has all the ingredients of a product listed in order of their weight, with the heaviest ingredient first (what the food is mostly made of), going on until the lighted ingredient.  Beware of foods containing high levels of things such as refined flour, processed (i.e. unnatural) ingredients, oils, fats, and sugars.  A good rule of thumb is that if you can't pronounce it, you probably shouldn't be eating it.  The book also gives you a list of all the aliases for sugars and fats, but the list would be way too long to type out here.  But, it's yet another good reason to be following along in the book (or at least doing a google search for "sugar and fat aliases).

The nutrition panel gives a detailed break-down of nutrients in a particular food.  Important things to note on the nutrition panel:

1.  Serving size.  Most people seem to ignore this.  For example, you can look at a package of Pop-Tarts, see that it's listed as 200 calories, and chow down, not feeling too guilty.  However, if you look at the serving size, you'll see a serving size is ONE pastry.  That means, if you are eating a whole pack of Pop-Tarts (which, let's be honest, we all do), you're actually eating 400 calories, which is a good reason to feel guilty.

2.  Calories from fat.  Simply looking at the total calories in a product isn't enough.  In general, 20-30% of your caloric intake should come from fat.  That means you should consume a maximum of 30 fat calories per every 100 calories of food.

4.  Fat break-down.  "Total fat" explains how much fat total is in a certain food.  It is further broken down into "saturated," "trans," and "polyunsaturated and monounsaturated" fat.  Avoid saturated and trans fat at all costs.  If the nutrition label doesn't specific the amount of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, then add up the numbers for saturated and trans fat; if the numbers come close to equaling the total number of at, you can be certain there is very little healthy fat in the product.

5.  Cholesterol and sodium.  Always opt for products that have low levels of cholesterol and sodium.

6.  Carb break-down.  Minimize carbs that come from sugars (i.e. the number next to the label "sugars" should be low) and eat more complex carbs and those that are high in fiber.

7. Percent daily values.  These percentages are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, which is not recommended for all people.  Therefore, these should only be used a guideline and not an end-all-be-all.

Wheew.  That was a lot of information for the week. . . and I only skimmed the top of the information presented in the book.  If you want more tips (and a cheat sheet with all of this information), I highly recommend checking out the book.

Good luck everyone.  Happy Reading!

Motorcycles and Milk (or Grandma and Grandpa's Visit)

For the past few weeks, Jonathan's parents have been here in Vegas for a much-needed visit.  "Much-needed" because we missed them and they missed their grand-baby, and also much-needed because they drove all the way across country with a U-Haul to empty out our over-flowing garage (not much room for Jonathan's custom-made bar in this house) and bring us our much-needed stress-relievers:  me, a treadmill, and Jonathan, a motorcycle.  

Yep, that's me hanging off the back of a motorcycle with no helmet and flip-flops.  But don't worry, we just went around the block.

Having them here was such a huge help.  They took over feedings. . . 

. . . and took the kids for walks. . . 

. . . and generally just made it so Jonathan and I could get more of this. . . 

. . . and more sleep leads to more enjoyable playtime with Matty and less stress.  So thank you, Grandma and Grandpa, for doing so much to help us ALL out! :)

"Who you talking to, Grandpa?"

Jonathan worked most of the time they were here and they spent a lot of time enjoying the sights and sounds of Vegas, but we were able to get in a trip to Floyd Lamb State Park before they left.  I've written about it before here; it's one of my favorite spots here in Vegas because you don't feel like you're IN Vegas.  It's only a 10 minute drive from our house, but it feels like you're a million miles away.  Bliss.  And one of our favorite things to do there is feed the ducks.

Grandpa was the only one brave enough to let the ducks eat out of his hand.  These ducks HISSED.  I'm not kidding.  Who knew ducks could HISS?!

Matty enjoyed watching the ducks, too. :)

Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa, for visiting!  Come back anytime!

*Cough*Cough*

As I'm writing this, the wind is howling.  Literally.  High wind warning with gusts around 70 mph tonight.  While high winds here are nothing new, this is my first experience with a dust storm.  I snapped a few pics from inside my house (no way I was going outside!) of the incoming clouds of dirt.  

That's not a storm cloud.  It's pure dust.  Bluh.

Normally you can see the Strip from our backporch.  Today. . . not so much.

*Cough*Cough*

The only bright-side to a dust storm here in Vegas?  Breathing it may make me cough, but at least it won't give me cancer like a dust storm in Korea. :)

52-Week Challenge: Week Ten

Hard to believe we're 10 weeks already!  Looking back, I can honestly say that I am still doing at least half of the challenges every single day.  Things like drinking more water and taking my probiotic are flat-out habits now and while I might need reminded more often to do other things, such as taking my shoes off and eating more veggies, they are slowly but surely becoming a fixture in my life.  LOVE that this whole thing is actually leading to REAL changes in my life.

Last week's challenge, "getting some alone time," was actually easier than I thought it would be.  My in-laws are in town, but they are awesome enough to allow me some alone time.  They would take Matty and Oskar for a walk in the morning, and I was able to go for a run or read a book.  I have to say, I really did feel less stressed this week because of it.  How did you all do?

This week's challenge is interesting.  It's entitled "Take Time to Stretch."  The author recommends stretching a minimum of 20 minutes 3 times a week to maintain flexibility.  I stretch before and after my work-outs, but she recommends stretching at other times too.  I have never thought as stretching as a type of work-out in itself, but she claims it is.  She outlines several stretching techniques, which I won't get into here, but if you have the book, check-out her diagrams for ideas on stretching.  If you don't have the book, I'm sure googling "stretching techniques" will lead to some great examples.

As for me, I fell in love with yoga a couple of years ago and do it two times a week (although this week I will try and squeeze in another day of it).  I mix it in with my regular strength-training exercises so I feel like I'm getting more of a work-out.  For example, I'll do some crunches or a 30-second plank, then I'll do two or three yoga poses in between.  It's easy way to get in both strength and stretching without having to find yet ANOTHER time to work in ANOTHER work-out.  However, you can also get in a few minutes of stretching throughout the day, like when you get out of bed in the morning or when you stand up after sitting for a long time.

Good luck!

Happy 7 Months, MJ!

I am not normally an over-emotional person, but becoming a mother has made me a giant sap.  And today, for some reason, it hit me especially hard how fast my little boy is growing up.  I actually got a little teary-eyed before I told myself to snap out of it.  But, bless his heart, MJ must have known I was needing some special time with him.  He has never been a snuggly baby (which I like because I have always wanted to raise an independent child) and almost never sits still for more than a few moments at a time to let me love on him; he always seems to have something to do, somewhere to go, and something to shove in his mouth.  But today of all day, he sat peacefully in my lap for a half hour while we swung on our back-porch swing and let me just hug him and thank God for giving him to me.  It was one of those beautiful moments of parenting that make all the poopy diapers, sleepless nights, and piles of dirty laundry worth it.  So, thank you, MJ, for giving your momma a birthday gift. :)

Okay, anyway, enough of the sap.  Onto a recap of the past month.

You are pretty much unshakable.  Nothing seems to freak you out.  Here, your daddy decided it would be funny to give you some lemon juice.  As always, you were unflappable.

You discovered your toes this month.  And, apparently, they are delicious.

Is this the way we are supposed to be sitting in our chair?  I don't think so.

My Valentine's Day serenade.  Daddy playing his guitar and you singing along.  I think you were actually singing to your feet, but I'll take it.

Say "Peas!"

"Yeah, I'm sitting in the big boy swing.  No biggie."

You have taken quite an interest in Daddy (and Daddy has taken quite an interest in you!)  He's started "Man 101" with you.  First lesson:  grilling hamburgers.  Here, he's explaining to you how to get the coals at just the right temp for perfect burgers.  I think you just wanted to watch the fire.

Daddy has his lessons, and Mommy has hers.  It's never too early to try and teach you to read!  But, again, you were more interested in trying to eat the card.

Our little trucker. . . . eating applesauce.

Boy. . . have you EVER discovered your lungs.  I think I should buy stock in Tylenol.  Oi.

"Man 101:  Part Two."  Changing a brake light.  You really liked the shiny tools.

So close to crawling, yet so far away.  Your crawling at this point looks like a yoga pose.

We love you, sweet Squishy boy!