Elfie and his Shenanigans!

Here's all of Elfies Shenanigans in one place for next years idea book :)

Motivation Monday! What is your story for 2013?

Sometime this week take 30 minutes to yourself that is uninterrupted make a date for just you! Think about your new story for 2013. What have you always wanted to do? What have you wanted to achieve. I believe in you. You can do anything you wish! Here's some things to ponder as your writing down your goals for the new year.....

1. Acknowledge your wins and accomplishments for 2012 what has worked? What has not?

2. Forgive yourself for mistakes in 2013 or in your life at anytime.

3. Count your blessings everyday.

4. Here are some goal categories:
-Personal desires
-Health and body
-Money
-Relationships
-Career and work

5. Write down specific goals and a date that you will achieve the goal. It's ok if you do not accomplish the goal at that date you can always make a new goal date. Be specific with the date as well ex; may 26, 2013

6. Ask yourself " do my basic needs and ideals align with my goals?"

7. You create what you think be mindful of your self statements and what you tell yourself.

8. Don't take things personally.

9. What has been missing that if you added now would enhance your life.

10. Decide what you want. Believe it's possible.

Again I believe in you and here's to 2013 I can't wait my new story begins!

Mele Kalikimaka!

For Christmas this year we are giving our neighbors the gift of delicious and nutritious fruit - Pineapple!

The attached tag says Mele Kalikimaka! Meaning, Merry Christmas! We love our neighbors because they are family to us.

We are blessed to have such a great community of friends that watch over our home, offer love and give support to our family.

Also note that we especially appreciate them because they don't call the dog pound on us for our little malty poo "Mac" running outside every time we open our front door and barking at said neighbors on their property like they are the trespasser. Gotta laugh.

Besides the sweet taste pineapple provides many health benefits as well.

Both the root and fruit may be eaten or applied topically as an anti-inflammatory. In tests it has shown to reduce colonic inflammation too.

Pineapples are loaded with vitamins and minerals including vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium. It is also rich in fiber.

Since pineapples are rich in vitamin C, it can fight off viruses that cause cough and colds. Which is a great added benefit this time of year. Even when you are already infected with such ailment, pineapples can help you. These fruits have bromelain, which is effective in suppressing coughs and loosening mucus.

It is best to eat fruit in the morning. Our bodies can assimilate and digest the fruits easier in the morning than at any other time of the day.

My green smoothie today had some fresh pineapple in it which made it super sweet. I think it's my new favorite sweetener. I will post my smoothie recipe from this morning soon so you can enjoy too!

Thanks for the great gift idea Rachel!

My new obsession

Last night I had so much fun getting some pent up anger and aggression out on my trainer/ friend at the gym doing kick boxing one on one with her! I love it so much right now I want to do it everyday. It was such a great fun way to get my cardio in and blow off some steam - Makes me happy.

If you can't get to the gym....

I have always loved Tae Bo with Billy Blanks workouts. I have several of his DVDs and that's one of the ways I get back in shape after each baby. It targets so many of he major muscle groups and helps define and tone pretty quick. I highly recommend it, just be careful with proper form or your knees will pay the price.

Here are some tips for kickboxing....

-RELAX! Make sure to relax a bit and breathe properly. Tensing up will make you more prone to injury, so get loose and have fun.
-When training for punching, make sure to first practice your technique and accuracy. This is also why i suggest Tae Bo. Starting with proper technique will give you the proper foundation to later increase your speed and power.
-Remember to stretch, as injuries can happen otherwise.
-Along with practicing punches and kicks, footwork is something you want to practice early. Good footwork can work for you defensively (evading attacks) as well as offensively (helping you center punches and gaining more power).
-Keep your guard up.
-Maintaining a good defensive stance is an absolute must when competing. Dip your hips loose knees.
Lastly, have fun! Kickboxing is an intense sport, but it’s also a fun and effective way to get a great workout.

I was jumping around like a squirrel haha -so fun!

Salty Elf on the Shelf Angel!

Elf on the shelf is quite the sneaky little fellow getting into the table salt making salt angels. But that is about the only good use we have for this salt in our home since we would never use it on our foods.

Many Americans blame salt for their water retention when in fact it's the other way around. It is true that table salt and packaged food that contain sodium are all the wrong type of salt. Those salts are all over processed, destroying their electrical potential. It has no electron energy so while you do need to cut out all regular salt from your diet you need to replace it with good salt!!! Here's some examples - Celtic salt or Real salt from the Great Salt Lake. These good for you salts give you energy and will not cause you to gain added weight due to water retention. The more raw foods you eat the more real salt you will need to add into your diets!

Green smoothies

Lovin' that these cuties are lovin' their green smoothies! This one was made with lots of love but also some yummy goodness that I will share with you so your little ones can benefit from some hearty nutrition for the upcoming holiday seasons!