"Baby Brains"

When I'm pregnant I swear that there is an extra hormone in my body that makes me have what I like to call "baby brains". I forget EVERYTHING. Things don't bother me very much. This hormone makes me very laid back and relaxed even if something bad happens. Now that Isabel is the age the boys were when I was pregnant with her I finally understand why she came so miraculously. Because there is no way I could have dealt with this x 2 without the "baby brains". She opens the drawers tries on all the clothes and them throws them on the floor. She's all over and makes messes everywhere she goes. She definately keeps life full. I always felt bad that I had "baby brains" when the boys were this age because I don't remember a whole lot but I realized it's probably a good thing that I don't remember much about the boys at this stage. I probably would be crazy by now, okay well more than I already am. At least I have pictures to bring back the memories. Thank goodness for pictures I guess.

Is Soda bad for your bones?

I've heard that carbonated drinks may harm your bones by taking calcium out and leaving them weak and brittle. So I looked around a little to see if it was true or not. And here's what I came up with.

3 reasons to think before you drink:

1. There’s research that links drinking certain types of soda with weaker bones—but carbonation doesn’t seem to be the problem.

2. Nutrition experts once believed caffeine could be the culprit. In a 2001 study out of Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, people lost measurable amounts of calcium after drinking caffeinated sodas. Drinking decaffeinated sodas didn’t appear to have the same effect. As it turned out, though, people tended to make up for the losses by excreting less calcium later in the day.

3. But another study, reported in 2006 by researchers at Tufts University in Boston, suggests that colas, specifically, might be problematic. Among the 1,413 women whose dietary records and bone-density scans they reviewed, those who drank a diet or regular cola at least three times a week over five years had significantly lower bone densities than those who sipped cola once a month or less. No such effect occurred with other carbonated drinks, even after researchers factored in intake of calcium from foods. The likely cause? Phosphoric acid, which is unique to colas. When the body breaks down phosphoric acid, the acidity of the blood increases. To neutralize acidity, hydrogen ions bind with minerals, including calcium and magnesium. If they’re not available in the blood the body will take calcium from your bones.

My conclusion: Soda's not really for me. It looks like the carbonation is probably okay buy why chance it. Other than the occasional rootbeer float I think I'll stick to water.

Sisters

DJ: You and Janalynny are sisters.
AJ: And now you're good friends.

We were talking about families, not friends. I thought it was so cute how AJ had picked up on how much I love my sisters and I'm so glad that we have not only a sister relationship but a friend one too.

Just One More . . . At Least For Now

Fitness Friday - Rosemary

Whether you steep it, saute it, or soak it, oh-so-savory rosemary can elevate both your culinary skills and your health. Why? Because the fragrant needle-leaved herb is showing early promise as a cancer killer. More studies are needed to confirm the effects, but in cell studies, rosemary extract has given both breast cancer and leukemia cells a real fight. That's good news about an herb we already know is chock-full of antioxidants, those free-radical killers that help protect you from cell-level damage.

Ways to Get More Rosemary into Your Life

1. Stick a fresh sprig in your lemonade.

2. Add chopped rosemary to your fresh salads.

3. Use fresh or dried rosemary in marinades for meats or vegetables (olive oil, fresh or dried rosemary, and soy sauce make a nice, simple one).

Thanks Janalyn, for the rosemary plants. We can't wait to get back home to use them.

She had just turned 3!

Still reminiscing . . .

Just Reminiscing. . .

Fitness Friday - How long do you want to live?

Is it really possible for anyone to live happily to 100? Quality of life is just as important as quantity. Here are five things you can do to increase your life span potential and quality of life.


Top 5 Daily Habits for Your Longevity


1. Eat five small meals a day or at least go easy on your three meals and make sure you include good snacks. When you eat smaller portions five times a day, you deliver a steady stream of nutrients, blood sugar, and energy to your body throughout the day. Additionally, eating this way is less taxing on the digestive and metabolic systems and also reduces your risk of heart disease.

2. Climb the stairs instead of using elevators. Regular exercise can help promote physiological well-being, strengthen the immune system, maintain joint mobility, increase energy - and the list goes on. Look for opportunities all through your day to work in physical activity. Power-walk, run, or ride your bike instead of driving. There are so many things you can do it you just look for the opportunities.

3. Laugh it up! We know from research that laughter and joy boost immune functions, especially the production of the natural killer cells that help protect the body from illness and cancer. Laughter also increases the release of endorphins, compounds that give you a sense of well-being, in your brain. Without a doubt, joyful people live longer and healthier lives.

4. Drink 8 glasses of water every day. Water is essential for all healthy body functions. Centenarians (people who have lived to a 100 or more) from around the globe cite their native water as the source of their health and longevity - and the scientists agree with them. What they all have in common is pure water sources located far from any city, free from chemicals and toxins. So choose good purified water and enjoy.

5. Unwind with meditation or relaxation. Stress is the root cause of most of the diseases that shorten our life span. And the bad thing about stress is that it only gets worse unless you find some way to manage it. Meditation is the best way to release tension and revitalize your being. It teaches you to breath properly, which is critical for eliminating up to 70% of your body's toxins and wastes. It also quiets your mind, lowers your stress hormones, and teaches self-discipline. So find a good Yoga class or sit back and let your mind go.

And just for fun you can calculate your life expectancy here. It's kind of fun to watch the numbers go up and down.

Bye to our Simba

I was so happy the day we got you. You were so cuddly and cute. I'm glad I got to have you for those fun years. I'll miss you.

As a side note. . . Simba got a big tumor and was getting very grouchy with the kids and everyone else. He didn't feel well and the vet said he was probably being that way because of the extra hormones being produced by the tumor. He's probably been sick for a few years but we couldn't see the tumor until just this year. Because he's been growling at the kids for awhile I'm pretty sure they won't miss him too much. When we saw some puppies a few weeks ago DJ walked away wanting another dog. He wanted to know if we could eat Simba so we could get another dog.

Hopefully, Simba is happier now. Love you Simba!

Simba Cesar

February 2001 - June 2008

All I want for Christhmas . . . .

Alexandria holds on to her teeth for as long as possible. This one was just hanging and Alexandria and I are both to wimpy to pull it out so we called Grandma. Thank goodness for Grandma, huh?

Nice Picture of Papi

This is just a great picture of our "cool Papi" on Friday after he hit a homerun. It was posted on the league's website. You can check out the website here.

Fitness Friday - High Reps v. Low Reps

Whitney this post is for you! If you spend anytime in the gym at all you'll hear that women should do lots of reps and low weights so they get nice and defined and not bulky while men should do lower reps and higher weights in order to gain mass. Unfortunately, this may not be entirely true. Because the two different methods use different muscle fibers you actually need to do both if you are to truly see gains in strength, tone and definition.

First of all lets define low reps, anywhere from 6-8 repitions per set. High reps would be 10-15 repititions per set. Doing more reps at a lower weight is going to work the slow twitch muscle fibers which help with endurance. These are the fibers that will be primarily used after the 12th rep or so.

Heavier weights and lower reps are going to work your fast twitch muscle fibers which give you power in quick bursts. Sprinters usually have an excess of high twitch muscle fibers. Usually, these muscle fibers are recruited during the first 6 reps.

The trick is to fatigue your muscles whether that takes 6 or 15 reps it doesn't much matter.

How do you know how much weight to use? Well, find out your "one rep max". That is the amount of weight you can lift correctly one time. Then use 70-85% of that weight and do 6-8 reps. So for example, your one rep max for bench press is 100lbs. You would use 70 - 85 lbs and do 6-8 repititions for at least 3 sets. It should be VERY difficult to lift the weight on your last set. Write your program and stick to it for a few weeks then change it up. Refigure your one rep max because you've probably increased your strength and use 60-75% of your one rep max and do 12-15 reps. Using this method will keep your muscles working efficiently. That's when you'll see the biggest benefit both in strength gain and tone of the muscle.

Or if that's too detailed and you just want to get in the gym, workout, and get done then just think like a guy. You know the ones that try to lift a lot of weight to impress everyone around them. Because the fact is that if you are using dinky weights to do any exercise and you're not fatiguing your muscles you are going to see very little results. And girls, don't worry about getting big. Our testosterone levels aren't high enough to bulk us up without really working at it. So pick up the heaviest set of weights that you can do maintaining correct form for that particular exercise and go for it. Don't be shy!

I love weight training. I don't have time to write myself a program or calculate it all out so I usually just pick a nice size weight and lift. That's just what works best for me. Most important, is to just have fun and do what works best for you.

Maybe it will be better than I thought . . .

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All Star Game Weekend - Tijuana

We just got home from Tijuana for the All Star Game. I should be putting everything away and start washing so we can get ready to leave again but instead I'm here blogging about our adventures. And I think the Guarana drink I had so I wouldn't fall asleep while driving must still be working because it's 3am and I'm still wide awake.

We are so proud of Papi. He has done awesome in his career. This is his 2nd year in the All Star Game in the LMB (Mexican Baseball League). I think about how his life started and how far he's come and it's inspiring. He's like a superstar in Mexico. People know him everywhere we go. We've been followed by papparazzi. He gets stopped for autographs. He's doing AWESOME. He is usually among the leaders in the league for average, hits, stolen bases, etc. Oops, sorry, does it sound like I'm bragging? Okay, yes I'm bragging. My husband is cool! :) Love you!!!!!


The weekend in Tijuana for the 2008 LMB All Star Game began with a formal dinner on Friday, other festivities on Saturday and the Game was Sunday. The kids (and Dionys) got to have their first limo ride on the way to the dinner on Friday. AJ and DJ liked the "white car" and Alexandria liked the little places for the ice and the drinks.

























The party/dinner was fun. We were, of course, the only people there with our kids and we had all four of them with us. We actually sat down at a table and the servers came to tell us that they had saved us a table because they knew there would be a "big group" with Dionys. We had to take the kids though just so they could see how cool their dad is. We wouldn't want them to miss it. And as Dionys said, "You know everyone else is wishing they had their families with them." The kiddos did very well and sat through the 2 hour award ceremony just fine. Plus they had fun dancing with Papi and getting their picture taken by all the press and news people.

















On Saturday Dionys had to be in a parade in the morning and sign autographs. The rest of us slept in, then got ready and went to Sea World again. I figured since we have the passes we might as well use them. The kids loved it as much this time as they did the first time. We tried to do different things this time and we still haven't seen or done it all yet. They just opened up a new area for the kids, Sesame Street Bay of Play. So we did spend quite a bit of time there. But I think the highlight for them this time was the "ride over the ocean".


















It was freezing cold and I forgot a jacket for Isabel so we had to buy her something while we were there and she loved it! As soon as we put it on her and she saw what was on it she started saying, "Mu, Mu". That's Isabel for Shamu.

Sunday was the big game. Dionys started and did great. You can read the recap here. Sorry, it's in Spanish. They were winning until they pulled out their starters. His team ended up losing but he played well and that's all we care about.























As you can see the kiddos really do think their Papi is "cool" and want to be just like him. Thanks Papi for a fun weekend. I hope we didn't wear you out too much. ;) Love you!!