While I was cutting the skin off a bunch of chicken legs DJ asked, "What are those?" Alexandria replied, "They're drumsticks." I said, "That's right. How did you know that's what they're called?" Alexandria answered, "Well, they're not legs because chickens don't have that many legs."
Build a Strong Foundation
Think of toned muscles as a raging fire. Toss on a log and it'll burn up pretty quickly. Similarly, put some calories in a toned body and they'll burn up, too. Muscle is a major energy consumer for your body. If you add more muscle, you'll use more energy (calories) and store less fat. By regularly doing strength training, you create more muscle mass that can help you burn fat. It doesn't take a lot just 30 minutes of strength training each week will help build muscle. You can do it in one 30-minute session, or split it up into two 15-minute sessions or three 10-minute sessions. Of course the more you do the more calories you'll burn. People tend to spend a lot of time working their peripheral muscles (like biceps or calves), but efficient strength training comes when you work the big muscles that make up the core of your body like your legs, butt, chest, back; and your abs. They're your foundation muscles -- the ones that tighten your stomach, improve your posture and make you fit into your clothes better. So go for the squats, lunges, push-ups and crunches. And for those of you who are in our ward or nearby, try coming to Yoga on Tuesdays. We do quite a few strengthing poses that count as weight bearing exercises.
Merry Christmas everyone! I wish I would have found this sooner but today it shows you where Santa is now. Alexandria is loving it check it out here.
While we were in Mexico the boys got to play a lot of ball with Papi. There was one day when AJ and Dionys played catch for about 4 hours! That boy never gets tired of it. Dionys let each one of them use one of his gloves and they would spend hours just throwing and catching. As you can see from the picture there were times (like while trying to get both of them to get dressed in the morning) when they were wearing nothing but their gloves! He's squatting because they both want to be catchers when they grow up. When they play catch they're always squatting like a catcher. Then at night, AJ would even sit still long enough to watch the games. They loved seeing Papi play and it was even more fun when he hit the ball. They didn't care if it was foul or fair, they clapped every time he hit a pitch.
Thank goodness for Fitness Friday. I wouldn't be blogging much without it. This month is always a busy one. On to the tip for Friday.
Generally, what’s harmful to your heart also is harmful to your brain. While fried potato skins are busting your buttons, there’s also a portion that gets shuttled up through your arteries to your brain. Saturated fats, for example, clog arteries that lead to your brain, putting you at risk of stroke, while omega-3 fatty acids -- the good fats found in fish -- are helpful for your brain because they help keep your arteries clear. They also alter your neurotransmitters and reduce depression. These are the best foods to keep your brain young and help you feel better: nuts, fish, soybeans, tomato juice and speghetti sauce, olive oil, flaxseed, avocado and real dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa). Some of these foods contain monounsaturated fats and omega 3 fatty acids to help keep your arteries clear and some of them contain important flavonoids to help keep you happy.
Isabel was not happy all evening. She wasn't grumpy, she just didn't want to play. We drove to Papi's game and she just sat on my lap at the game. I thought maybe she was getting sick. After we went to eat. She wasn't happy eating either. It wasn't until we got back to the hotel that I realized that she wasn't moving her left arm. I tried to get her to reach for things but she would not move her arm and everytime you moved it for her she would scream. I knew what it was, "Nursemaids Elbow".
It happened to Alexandria and AJ when they were about this same age. Everyone should know you should never swing your kids, usually younger than 6, around by their hands, wrists or forearms. It can pull their elbows just enough that it moves the joint out of alignment and it's very painful for the child. Fixing it is easy though. I watched the Dr. do it to Alexandria and within 5 minutes she was better. It looked like all the Dr. did was twist her arm.
When I showed Dionys that Isabel wasn't moving her arm he knew right away when it happened. He was swinging her around earlier this afternoon. We decided to take Isabel to a clinic here. It was 1am so there was only one clinic open. We went. We saw a doctor. He said she's fine maybe just her ligaments were streched or something. He told us to give her some ibuprofen and see how she does. I had already done that! And then we had to pay $20 for the consultation. Are you kidding me? He didn't do anything!
I was kind of annoyed because I knew what she had and I saw how easy it was to fix. If only we were in the States. So we came back to the hotel and I looked online right away. Thanks to Google, Wikipedia and a picture of supination of the forearm Dr. Mommy fixed her. Yup, $20 please. All it took was a little turn and feeling the click. Within 5 minutes she was happy and smiling and using her arm.
It may seem counterintuitive, but it's true. Salad dressing with fat is best if you're after the antioxidants in the salad. That's because some antioxidants, such as carotenoids found in carrots, tomatoes, spinach, and corn, need fat in order to be absorbed by your body. In one study, participants who added full-fat dressing to their salads absorbed more carotenoids than participants who used low-fat, fat-free, or no dressing. But that doesn't mean you should drench your veggies in high-fat, high-calorie dressings. Instead, make those calories count by pairing fresh salads with a bit of healthy fat. Choose salad dressings with exclusively heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. Ones with a base of olive oil, canola oil, or even avocado are best. I learned a great way to flavor salads in the DominicanRepublic. They use just a little olive oil, lemon juice and salt. Yum!
This is not good. I can't get my email here in Mexico anymore. Good thing we're not going to be here very much longer. But I am anxiously waiting for any news on Adam and I saw Dad texted me something but I can't see the message. So if any of you are trying to email please comment your email here. Thanks guys. Sorry for the inconvenience. Hopefully, I'll be able to get my email again when I get home. I emailed yahoo about the problem. Thank goodness for blogs, huh?
Okay I know it's late but we're in Mexico. I'm just happy to be blogging. That said . . .
Quality of life is what we all want. Good health helps us achieve a high quality of life. Make it a daily challenge to find ways to move your body. Climb stairs if given a choice between that and escalators or elevators. Walk your dog; chase your kids; toss balls with friends, mow the lawn. Anything that moves your limbs is not only a fitness tool, it's a stress buster. Think 'move' in small increments of time. It doesn't have to be an hour in the gym or a 45-minute aerobic dance class or tai chi or kickboxing. But that's great when you're up to it. Meanwhile, move more. Thought for the day: Cha, Cha, Cha…. Then do it!
"He who has health has hope, and he who has hope has everything." -Arabian Proverb
So I've been asked for my autograph a couple of times while we've been here. The first time I really laughed and asked the guy if he was really serious. I hope I didn't make him feel stupid. But, he said yes I have your husband's and I want yours too. Then he passed me his baseball hat to sign. Later, after the game I told Dionys and he said, "well they probably ask Victoria Beckham for her's too". Maybe, but we're not the Beckhams. Although it is a very strange feeling when we go out to eat and everyone is watching us because we're the Dionys Cesar family. It's so hard to look cool when you're shuffling four kids around.
Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico
We walked out to the car this afternoon and it was covered in ashes. Dionys picks one up and says they're burning the sugar cane fields. I started to laugh because I thought there's no way he can know that from the ashes on the car. So he asks one of the workers at the hotel and they said yes it is sugar cane field burning season. Dionys just looked at me and said you think I don't remember how that stuff burns? I was amazed. I didn't even know they burned the fields but apparently they do because it make the sugar cane easier to cut down. Dionys filled me in on all the details of sugar cane field burning on the way to the stadium. His dad used to have to either start the fires or get in the fields to stop them. The things you learn in Mexico.
She's been practicing for awhile but she's finally walking consistently now. She still crawls a little if she falls or if she's really tired but it's walking most of the time for this chica now. She's loving it. I'm glad too because she really did not like crawling on the tile floors.
I can't believe I haven't posted in a week! This week has been very busy. We're getting ready to go see Papi for a few weeks. Yea!
I know Adam is dying to for my next tip. It's actually a very simple, but effective tip, especially around this time of year. Everyone's shopping now. All the stores are always crowded. You can waste a whole lot of time driving around the parking lot looking for a close parking space. But why? Park far away and walk briskly into the store. That way you've saved time driving around and you're being more active. Easy tip!
I love going to the gym. It’s my break away from the kids. It’s a time when I can do something good for myself, which my body greatly appreciates and I feel so much better when I do it. I’m not a freak about it, if I don’t make it I don’t make it. I just know that when I do my life runs smoother. Plus, the average weight most Americans gain between Thanksgiving and New Year’s is 7 pounds - aka the Seasonal Seven. So in order to keep myself motivated during such a busy time of year I’m going to start a Fitness Friday. Hopefully, I’ll be able to post a fitness tip every Friday. This way I’ll remind myself about fitness while also reminding all of you that I care so much about. This one is getting posted early though because of Thanksgiving weekend.
I googled holiday fitness tips and I found quite a few. None of which worked for me. For example, this one: “On the day of a party, be sure to eat regularly all day long. If the party is in the evening, eat breakfast, lunch and a snack before hand (just as you would on any other day). Once you are at the party, go ahead and indulge in some of the fun, delicious foods. Since you have eaten meals earlier in the day, you probably will find that you aren’t tempted to go overboard and eat everything in sight. However, if you starve all day long attempting to save up all your calories for the party, you will be so famished by the time it begins that it will be difficult not to overeat.”
Whatever! If I eat regularly all day long I will still over eat at the party. It’s holiday food. I want to eat it! I prefer a small snack during the day and then going all out for the good stuff. But it’s truly all about what works best for you. You know yourself better than anyone else.
So since that finess tip didn't work for me I guess my first fitness tip will be to take a time out of your day to relax. (Yes, I’m serious.) Mental and physical health are so intertwined it’s important that we remember to just breathe especially when we start to get very busy. Take five minutes at night put on some relaxing music and just lay there and focus on your breathing let everything else go. Don't think about your day or tomorrow just breathe.
I got tagged. Yea! I'm not asking for more but it's exciting because it's my first tag. Thanks Andrea.
1. I was an RA in the dorms at ASU my junior and senior year. I decided I really don't like drunk college freshmen.
2. I danced with the stars before "Dancing with the Stars". David Hasselhoff, Mr. T, and Donnie Osmond just to name a few of the "stars" I got to dance with at the Stadium of Fire events for the 4th of July.
3. My best friends from high school are still my best friends today. None of them blog though. Come on girls! Get with it!
4. I turn the music up really loud and yell, my attempt at singing, while dancing with my kids on pretty much a daily basis. We rock out. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Dame la gasolina, Tim McGraw, . . .we do it all.
5. When Dionys and I met he didn't speak English and I didn't speak Spanish, but somehow we managed to communicate.
6. I thought baseball was a boring sport and was glad when the players went on strike in 1994. Who wanted to watch baseball anyway?
7. I've been to 4 different countries, 8 Mexican states and 28 American states. I've lived in 3 different countries, 2 different Mexican states and 9 different American states. I speak two languages. We have a house, 2 cars, and a dog. I have the best husband ever and 4 wonderful kids. I'm very happy with my life. And I owe it all to baseball.
That was fun. Now, who to tag? . . . Do I even know 7 people who blog?
Adam, Fabiane, Whitney, Juan, Kasey and Heidi
Your turn!
Rules: Link to the person who tagged you, Share 7 random facts about yourself, Tag 7 other blog friends & leave a comment on their blog with the rules! Have FUN!
Dionys was saying that he's been checking the blog and that there aren't any new pictures of the kids. So these next few posts are for him and you too.
They are just too cute! I'll just let the video say it all.
I know I'm relatively new to this whole blog thing but I still don't get when it's appropriate to list the blogs of people that you know on your blog. I go to some people's blogs and they have tons of friends listed and I wonder if they really have that many friends or if it's just other people they would like to know and they like to look cool. Then there's the whole question of if you should list someone even when you're not listed on their page. Maybe they don't want to admit they know you. There's more people I could list but maybe they don't want to be listed. I don't mind being listed on other people's pages. I think it's fun. It makes it easier for old friends to find you and for me to catch up with people I haven't seen for awhile. But, I'm sure that's not how everyone feels. That's why there's so many people going private. They don't want their pages looked at, right? What's up with that? Then there's the people who don't want their last name used and some people who use fun made up names. Do I put their real name in my blog or their last name? It's all so complicated. That's why it took me so long to make a friends list. I kept all the blogs in my favorites but I never made a list on my blog. I'm just not sure of when to list someone. Is there a right way to do this?
We always read a bedtime story and AJ always sits on one leg and DJ on the other. Tonight DJ told me he wants to sit on one lap. I guess since the twins I now have two laps. If only my arms could multiply like that.
So, I got yelled at today by some complete stranger for being such a bad mom. After parking right next to the glass doors so I could see the car I ran in to drop off an application. It probably took 30 seconds. With one sleepy baby and two tired two year olds I decided I could get everyone out and have this 30 second dropoff turn into a 10 minute fiasco or I could run inside and be done. Remember I could see my car the whole time. I parked right next to the door and only had to go about 20 feet. So I told Alexandria to lock the car door behind me and I left her with my cell phone for "just in case". I left the car running because it is still warm outside and all the windows were up. This lady must have seen me get out of the car because when I came back she started in on me. "Shame on you", she said. I just agreed with her, "I know." She continued to lecture me but I just got in the car and drove off. I know it was not the safest thing to leave my children in the car but, I believe it was the better decision. I was watching them the whole time. The kids just stayed in their car seats and continued to watch the movie that they were watching. They could see me inside. They had nothing to be afraid of.
Maybe I am a bad mom though because it's not the first time I've been yelled at by someone who thinks they can do a better job with four children all under the age of five. Last time it was in the parking lot at the mall. I had already gotten Alexandria and DJ out of the car and they were looking at a cactus about 3 cars down. I could still see them. I was still getting Isabel and AJ out of the car so Alexandria and DJ went to see the cactus on their own. I didn't tell them they could go. I told them to stay by the car but I don't have eight hands. I couldn't get AJ and Isabel out and hold Alexandria's and DJ's hands too. I wasn't too worried though because I could still see them and there wasn't much I could do without leaving AJ and Isabel in the hot car. Well, some lady decided I wasn't doing my job and proceeded to yell at me that I'm not fit to have kids and that she wished she could put me in jail for treating my kids that way. She was going on and on and on so I got mad and yelled back. Oops. She was complaining that she can't believe people let their kids do that sort of thing "out here". So I told her to go "back there" where she came from. I think that only made her more mad. My children got upset too because there was this scary lady screaming at their mom and Mom was yelling back. She pretty much ruined our trip to the mall. If she really cared she could have said, "I see you have more kids in the car. I'll just watch these two while you get the other ones out." But, no, she had to be mean about it. What purpose did that serve? We stayed about five minutes then had to leave because the kids and I were so shaken up.
Since then, the first time that happened to me, I decided I would never let someone tell me what to do with my kids and make me angry like that again. People that do that are not worth my energy. They don't know what's going on. They don't know me or my kids. I know my kids better than anyone else. And it would be me that would hurt more than anyone else if anything happened to them. If I don't feel good about something I won't do it. But in both of these situations I felt that my children would be alright. So, since I had already decided not to get mad if it ever happened again, it was easy to get in the car and drive away today. None of my children even knew what happened. I stayed happy, they were fine and mean lady can go bother someone else.
September 28 was an exciting day. Isabel finally had enough hair to wear a ponytail. Okay so it was like 10 hairs but they were long enough and that's what's important. We even got the bow to stay in. Since pulling out the rubber band can sometimes pull out the hair we save this style for special occasions. I wouldn't want to make her lose that hair she's worked so hard to grow. So I think she's had about 4 ponytails since then. I remember thinking I would never put a little ponytail on top of my baby's head. It looks so ridiculous. But now I understand why mom's do it. She won't leave the headbands in anymore so when she doesn't get the little ponytail she just looks like a boy. And she's really working on her hair so we have to show it off somehow.
So I finally started potty training the boys. I've been putting it off because I just did not want to deal with potty training two at a time but they do go by themselves so I think it's finally time. We were using chocolate chips for a reward. Everytime they went they got either 2 chocolate chips for #1 or 5 chocolate chips for #2. I realized we really have to watch out for DJ though. That little boy comes into Dionys straight out of the bathroom, acting all excited and told him he went #2 in the potty and he wanted 5 chocolate chips. Dionys told him he needed to see it first in the potty and wipe him. DJ said, "No, I flushed it." Dionys was already kind of suspicious but when he walked DJ into the bathroom to check him there was no sign of any potty training going on. The toilet wasn't running and DJ was clean. He was totally trying to get a freebie!
Now, chocolate chips don't work as rewards either. We've had to graduate to suckers. Thank goodness it's Halloween time and I can get the bags of dum dums.
We were talking about the gym today and Alexandria told Papi he needed to get some "extra-size".
A few days ago Alexandria asked Papi what flavor of cake he wanted for his birthday. He told her he wanted vanilla. Today, Alexandria told me if Papi would have said he wanted chocolate she would have asked him why because he is chocolate. That probably explains why I can never get enough chocolate.
I have never seen a little boy so in love with Cinderella. We saw a princess show and when Cinderella came out AJ stood with his jaw open and just stared. I think that's all he talked about for the next couple of hours. "Mommy, I saw Cinderella." So the next time we saw her we had to get a picture with her. Notice DJ's not in the picture. He's not a big fan.
For AJ and DJ the Buzz Lightyear ride won hands down. Although the train was
a close second. The boys loved "the Buzz one". They loved seeing Buzz Lightyear and they especially loved shooting things with the guns during the ride. Grandma and Grandpa had wanted to buy the Buzz Lightyear guns for the boys while we were at Disneyland and they had perfect timing. After we came out of the "Buzz one" they had the guns. We probably drove everyone crazy around us because they were shooting everything. They shot the birds, the food, the chairs the tables and of course each other. They used them so much in the next 24 hours that I think they wore them 
out. We decided that a toy shouldn't wear out in 24 hours so Dionys got brave and took them back and got new ones. The new ones are still working.
I have no idea where she got this from but when we saw the indian statue I told her to go stand by it so we could take a picture. She starts laughing and goes and kisses the indian! I told her that it was probably the only boyfriend that Papi would let her have.
