The Incredible, UN-EDIBLE EGG...

Eggs, The only way I EVER want to eat another egg, is if it's in A huge piece of CAKE!!! I honestly don't know how I'm going to do it for SIX MORE DAYS!!! And for some reason I have this insatiable desire to eat a piece of cake? I even dream about it? I sure hope, when the time comes that I actually CAN eat a piece of cake, it's the best DANG cake I've ever had! Which reminds me Chelsea, there's this family owned cake shop right down the street from your house on (South Temple) called "Backers" they make THE BEST CAKE IN THE WORLD!!! The frosting is sent right from Heaven, It's that good! So if your ever in need of a great cake, go there! It's also right by "Pagoda" so you could kill two birds with (ONESTONE)- Get it, Onestone?

Anyway, back to the Fitness Challenge. One week down, and I feel good! It was a fairly painless week. Thankfully my darling husband decided to do the South Beach with me, and I think it's made all the difference! I've done well with the food part, but I've definitely been slacking on the workout part. I've only worked out 3 times, and really, I didn't push myself...
This week I'm going to try for 5. I've lost 3 lbs and I feel "lighter" looking back I can't believe the CRAP I was putting in my body everyday! I am truly thankful for this friendly challenge, it's really what I needed- Thank you all...

Now if your interested in the "Other players" results, click on their names... Amanda, Amy, Dawn, Chelsea, Kathleen, Stefanie, Jill, Karli. There are two girls participating in the challenge that don't have their own blogs, Ruth and Tami. I'll try to keep you up to date on their progress, if only they would let me know.
Okay, here's the Ruth update... She has lost 4 lbs. She also stated that she had "Cheated" on her diet, but vows to do better this week! Also, for those of you here in Illinois, Amanda, Amy, Jill, Dawn, we are meeting at Ruth's house this Thursday, at 8:00 p.m to do YOGA!!! PLEASE let me know asap if you'll be able to make it...
Ladies, have a great week...

Sweet Advice...

Downing a big glass of low-fat chocolate milk can help speed up muscle recovery after exercise. Researchers think it's because the carbohydrate and protein combination refuels your muscles and gives your body energy for cardio endurance. Just don't get too "Cuckoo for the cocoa stuff" One eight -ounce cup of skim milk with chocolate syrup has 195 calories!

Now, girls on South Beach can't try this, but I thought Chelsea, Stefanie, and Karli could. Especially because these girls workout everyday! I would love to hear what you think about this...

Get a jump on weight loss...

Just in case you're wondering what the heck this picture is suppose to be of, let me explain... My tip of the day is on Jumping rope. So I asked my husband to take a pic of me, jumping rope. Well, after a few failed attempts to get a decent shot I just said take it like this! I will say, we probably burned 10 calories each just by laughing at the pictures of me trying to look cute jumping rope! Anyway.................
Jumping rope isn't just child's play- in fact, it's one of the best mom-friendly workouts. It's cheap, convenient ( just borrow your kid's rope) , and it burns tons of calories (about 200 in 15 minutes!!!) And this form of exercise is more than just a great cardio routine, you're actually toning your legs, back, butt, shoulders, abs, chest, and arms!
Think I'm kidding? Grab a rope, I DARE YA!!! I did this the other day and I could not believe how hard it was! I finally got to the point where I would just try to get to 50 before stopping for a few seconds, then I would try to get to 75 the next time and so on... So have fun jumping your way to healthy!


I also wanted to thank Dawn for the darling "Happy Mail" that I received from her today!
After I had opened it my husband asked me if it made me "Happy"...................As a matter of fact YES it did!

Naughty Dog...

Chels- Here's the pics I was telling you about. I hope you laugh as hard as you did while I was telling you about them! This is "Moe" our friend Amy's old Shiatsu. We agreed to babysit him while her and her family went on a trip! As you can see our boxer Kain was using all the self control he could possibly find, not to turn and eat that little dog! Poor Kain, he had to endure this kind of torture for an entire week!

But Kain wasn't the only one. Every time my husband would come home from work, Moe would follow him around for about 10 minutes, humping his leg! It was hysterical!!! Not to mention he wasn't pottie trained yet, so he pooped and peed on my carpet everyday he was here! Still, with all that said, he was a darling little dog... But we were still happy to give him back!

Food for thought...

I've had a couple requests to post a few pictures and recipes of what I've been eating while on the Doezie fitness challenge/South Beach diet. As you can see I start the day off with some Eggo Waffles, then lunch Mac-n-cheese, and for dinner I say "what the heck" I'll just eat cookies!!!
(Chels, look familiar?)
Just kidding, that's food for my kids! And Chelsea. Anyway, I've actually been doing very well, and have been following the S.B. diet to the T... So here are a couple recipes that I've been enjoying...

Breakfast- Asparagus Benedict...
2- sticks Asparagus (Steamed)
2- slices Canadian Bacon
2-eggs (I scrambled mine)
Hollandaise Sauce

Hollandaise Sauce recipe...
4 egg yolks
1/2 tea. salt
1/2 tea. dry mustard
1 Tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 squirt Tabasco
1 stick butter ( Use Smart balance spread 7 tablespoons)
Melt Smart balance in a sauce pan, and keep warm. Into the blender place the yolks, salt, mustard, lemon juice, and Tabasco. Blend for three seconds. Heat your melted smart balance until it just starts to sputter, but not burn. Then turn the blender back on, and slowly pour in the hot smart balance. The sauce is suppose to thicken but with the "Fake" butter, it really doesn't get thick, but it is still DELICIOUS!!! (This makes enough sauce for 4)

Lunch: Crab Cobb Salad... (serves 2)
Romaine lettuce
2 to 4 king crab legs (Steamed)
1 Roma tomato
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 strips turkey bacon bits
1/4 cup Newman's Own balsamic vinaigrette

I also wanted to let you in on a seemingly "Sinful" treat...
Reese's peanut butter cups protein shakes... Alright, alright, there isn't actually Reese's cups in it, but I promise you'll think there was! Here's the protein we use, vanilla and chocolate. We buy it at (GNC)
Use half and half of each flavor, skim milk, (just follow the directions for the shakes) add a few ice cubes, and a small scoop of peanut butter. Blend in blender. I'm tellin ya, you'll love it!

TAKING CHARGE!

You don't have to be Superman or Wonder Woman to achieve your goals! You just need to TAKE CHARGE of YOUR LIFE!
If we are placing blame and making excuses, how are we ever going to possess the reality we dream of? So what exactly am I saying?
Today take inventory of who you really are and how you approach things. Do you own it? Or do you have a million reasons as to why you can't get it done?
Next, what do you really want from yourself, and how do you dream of your body being? Is it fair or realistic? Part of people being successful is knowing how to create realistic goals that reflect who you are.
In other words, I don't want to set myself up to dream of being a size 2 when my natural frame at it's lightest is a size 8. Why? Because I'm 5'11 and that's who I am. So have things match who you are. If you have bigger hips and butt, well then your goal is to have the hardest, strongest, hottest hips and butt YOU can.
So we know that we have to take RESPONSIBILITY. We need to KNOW WHO WE ARE when creating our goals. STAY POSITIVE. This takes a little stamina and a positive attitude can help you have the endurance to keep going.
Don't wimp out. If you want to make a change, then commit to it rain or shine, summer or winter.
If your life and body have been on a course you would like to improve, then do it! You are not a permanent victim to your reality as you have known it and helped create it. We are spirited and powerful people who can change the direction of our lives. So stop saying "I want to lose weight" and JUST DO IT!
Once you deal with the fact that it's the way it is because of YOU then YOU can take back the control and start making changes. Which I can say YOU already have! Your first step was becoming part of the Doezie Challenge. Stick with it WE WILL DO IT- TOGETHER!!!

GAME ON!!!

Alright ladies, here we go...
The game is ON! I have to admit, I was a little overwhelmed with the response I received from all of the "Players." I just want you all to remember, that I am not a Doctor, I only play one on T.V.
No really, I want you all to know that I'm taking this very seriously, but at the same time I am in no way a fitness professional! I am just hoping this challenge will help motivate you and myself to reach our fitness goals!
With that said, here is the line up... and a very condensed version of our individual goals for two months...

Amanda: lose 25 lbs
Amy: lose 20 lbs
Chelsea: improve body composition and build muscle mass
Dawn: lose 25 lbs
Jill: lose 5 lbs- build muscle mass
Karli: lose 8 lbs- build muscle mass
Kathleen: feel better & lose 25 lbs
Megan: lose 20 lbs
Ruth: 10 lbs
Stefanie: lose 15 lbs
Tami: lose 12 lbs- tone butt and abs

If you would like to know more about every ones personal goals, check the comments on the post titled "Put the Twinkie down" also most of the girls on the list have their own blogs where they have explained in detail what they intend to do, and will update often.
I hope you all had a great first day, and I'll raise my water to the next one, CHEERS!

Baby mine, don't you cry...

For the last couple of days our baby Avery has had the flu. He's had it before so we were trying NOT to go to the Doctor. But this morning he seemed to get worse, so I called his Pediatrician to see if she could fit him in. After I had told her of his symptoms she said to get him to the ER immediately!

We spent about four hours there. He was dehydrated so they put an I.V. in his little hand and tried to rehydrate him. It was so sad when they put the needle in he said, "That hurts me" and started crying, it was horrible. They also ran some blood tests, and found out he had Rotavirus, which is an infection that affects the small intestine (bowel) and is caused by a virus (germ) called rotavirus.

Anyway, we are home now and he is sleeping. All we can do is hope and pray that he'll stay hydrated so we don't have to take him back! Thanks for all of your prayers...

Put the twinkie down!

So I was hanging out this weekend with Mr. "Body for Life" himself, Bill Phillips. He said that he was totally mad that we are doing South Beach, for our fitness challenge, and not Body for Life!
Just kidding! This pic was taken a few years ago (Hence the Blonde hair.) One of My girlfriends was dating Bill and we all went to Vegas together on a little Vacation. Good times...

Anyway, back to the future....... GIRLS are you ready? The time is now! I am so excited to get started, and I hope you all are as well! This is how it will all go down (PUN-INTENDED)
Monday the 23rd, the fitness challenge begins. I will post a list of all the "Players" as well as their individual two month goal. Whether it be weight loss, toning, or whatever. Then each Monday, you can leave me a comment about your progress. I will post the results Monday night. Now, at the end of the two months, if you have not reached your goal, you should "Post" your before pic! No one is going to MAKE you post the pic, but studies have shown people find more success, in whatever they are trying to accomplish, when they have something to fear, or they use some "Outside of their comfort zone" motivation. ( I can definitely say that MY before pic is WAY out of my comfort zone!) One thing I do want to mention here, don't expect major weight loss each week. Every one's results are going to be different so don't compare yourself to anyone else. The intent of "posting" weekly results, is not to embarrass anyone, but rather to help motivate them! Even if you don't have weight loss to report, tell me something else about what you're going through, just let me know that your still IN!!!
Ladies, I hope we all reach our goals, and I hope we can all continue living healthier lives once this challenge is over!

And last, but not least don't forget the WATER!!! You can burn an extra 150 calories, by drinking a gallon (eight bottles) of ice cold water a day! Make sure it's ice cold. Your body has to warm it up to use it properly and that's how it burns calories!
So eat lite, drink a ton of water, and TRY to be merry! (Especially through the first two weeks)
Players, leave a comment. Let me know your two month goal so I can post it Monday!

Darling Nikki...

Today is my "Darling" niece Nikki's Birthday! Happy, Happy Birthday Nik! I don't know how many of you are familiar with the song "Darling Nikki" by the purple man himself "Prince" but his song is my inspiration for the title of this post. We use to love that song, although Darling Nikki, are the only two words from the song that I'll be writing today, being that a few things have "Changed" in our lives.............. we'll just have to leave it at that! Memories, in the corners of my mind... Anyway, I thought it would be "FUN" to tell you all a little bit about my very best friend in the whole wide world... Nikki...

1.Her name is Nichole. I have never called her by that name EVER!

2.She is the second daughter of my oldest sister Colby, so that makes her my niece. No one use to believe us when we would tell them that I was her Aunt.

3.She was born at LDS Hospital- April 19, 1973. She was either (7lbs 7oz) or (7lbs 11oz) 21" long (Her Mom couldn't remember!)

4.She was a horrible baby!(Her Mom said) She cried for the first 3 years of her life!!! Maybe that's why she can't remember! Ha Ha

5.I am 3 months and 27 days OLDER than her. I use to be very proud of the fact that I was older than her, but now it's really not that cool!

6.Her very favorite toy when she was little was a doll. It had a permanent "Yawn" on it's face so she called it her "Yawny doll" She took that doll everywhere with her. I think she may still have it?

7.When she was 4 or 5 years old, she was getting into the back seat of her Dad's awesome two door "Pinto." She put her foot in the seat, and when they put the seat back it cut off her toe! It was hanging by a thread. Luckily the Doctor was able to sew it back on!

8.She was my Maid of honor at my wedding.

9.She was also 4 months pregnant at my wedding, which is ironic because I was 4 months pregnant at her wedding!
10.I introduced her to her future husband Steve, when we were only 14 years old. He was two years older than us, and he could drive! That was SO COOL!!! I use to ride in the front seat when Steve was driving and Nikki would get in the back. I don't really recall "how" it happened but one day SHE started sitting in the front seat! And the rest is history!!!

11.They were married on June 18, 1993

12. They were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple on August 15, 1996

13.She has FOUR Beautiful children. Three boys and one girl... They keep her very, very busy! Usually to busy to call me! CALL ME...

14.She also has two Darling Dogs. One is a mutt named "Mooches" the other is a Shiatsu named "muggsy"
15.She is an AMAZING Mother!

16.She is skinny. She has always been skinny. She doesn't even TRY to be skinny, she just is!!! Yeah, she's one of THOSE girls!

17.She was there when I had my first baby, Kasey. She cut the umbilical cord.
18.She was also there when I had Avery. This time Troy cut the cord, but she filmed the birth! Thanks Nik!

19.She has a very soft heart, and is kind to everyone.

20.She is currently serving in the Primary Presidency in her ward.

21.She is competitive.

22.We are great big DORKS when we get together. It's one of my very favorite things about her, you don't have to be anything but yourself when you're with her. She wouldn't allow it!

23.She is my "Hotta"

24.We made up our own language when we were about 15 years old. I still use some of the words to this day. My husband thinks that's dorky! He just mad because he doesn't know what I'm saying!!!

25.Nikki and I got our first job together at Chuck-A- Rama. We washed dishes until we turned 16, then we were able to waitress. We would pull our tips every night, so we always made the same amount of money!

26.I am reminded of Nikki whenever I hear songs from "YAZ" We use to listen to that group all day, everyday!

27.We went to girls camp together ( that's all I can say in this post about it!)

28.She went to many different schools, but graduated from Alta High.

29.We always wanted to live with each other. We finally got to when we were 18.

30.She hates her handwriting. When we use to fight, I would tease her about her handwriting, she would tease me about my freckles.

31.She has one full sister, and four half sisters

32.She can "Antique" furniture like a pro! I have three beautiful pieces that she "Antiqued" for me in my home.

33.She is 5'7 and has Hazel eyes. She doesn't need a stitch of make-up, she's naturally BEAUTIFUL!!!

34.She is this many today!!! And it's about time!

Nik, I love you so very much! How truly blessed we are to have had our whole entire lives to be friends with each other. I am so thankful for all of the wonderful memories that we made, I will treasure them always! I miss you everyday, and can't wait to be together again!

Love you always and forever... Meg-A-Moo

"Safari Inspired- Happy Mail"

I just wanted to thank my darling friend Amanda for my latest "Happy Mail" gift. She was over at my house the other day, and noticed that I had a Safari themed bathroom. So she gave me this leopard print picture. If you look closely, in the middle of the picture there's a little leopard in the tub- (so cute!) The other part of the gift is a big "D" for dork, I mean Doezie! Amanda, you give the most thoughtful gifts, thank you! Also, thanks for the salsa- we love it!!!

Get in shape GIRLS!!!

Welcome Girlie's, to the Doezie Fitness Challenge! This is not just a total body makeover challenge, but instead it's a total LIFESTYLE makeover challenge! Anyone and everyone who would like to participate is welcome! Together, I believe we can help each other learn how to live a much healthier life, and ultimately look and feel the way we always say we want to! I am in no way a fitness professional, or dietitian! I am simply a girl, that would love to again look like I did in the above picture.
This picture was taken about 10 years ago, and it will be my "Motivation" picture. I actually still have that bikini, so I'm going to take a pic of myself in it today, and if I don't reach my desired "fat" loss, I'll post it! SCARY!!!
1.So here's the challenge. Take a picture of yourself in whatever you want. It doesn't have to be a bikini, but you should be able to see the so called "Problem" areas that you wish to change in the pic.
2.Weigh and measure yourself
3.Keep a daily workout log
4.Keep a daily food journal ( smart dieters write down everything they eat in a food diary. The REALLY smart ones pore over their notes to spot-and fix- their bad habits!)
5.Write down why you want to loose weight. Set some "Realistic" goals. Document your currant weight and measurements, and then write down what you would like to weigh.
6.And last but not least................GET EXCITED!!!

Girls, WE can do this! Get ready to transform your life into the life you ALWAYS talk about! It doesn't matter if you have 10 pounds to loose or 100, you can do it! This is not a DIET! This is about long term LIFE-CHANGES!

But even with that said, we have to start somewhere. So we are going to start with the basic guidelines of the South Beach diet. (If you can purchase the book, it would be very helpful to you) If you are not familiar with this plan, let me fill you in. There are three phases to this diet plan. The first phase consists of two week period, that is pretty BRUTAL! Your food choices are limited, and you are allowed NO SUGAR! That means no fruit either. You can however have 75 calories per day, from sugar free things, such as...
candies,hard,sugar free
chocolate powder, no sugar added
fudgesicles, no sugar added
gelatin, sugar free
gum, sugar free
popsicles, sugar free
sugar substitute.........................That's 75 calories per day from these things, believe me it's not much! But you can do it! IT'S TWO WEEKS, YOU CAN DO IT!!!
After the two weeks, phase two begins. During this phase you can reintroduce some of the foods you weren't allowed in phase one. By phase three they say you'll be at your desired weight, so obviously phase two is a long period of time. Anyway, South Beach diet is "basically" the plan that I'm going to follow. The first two weeks, I'm going to do exactly what the book tells me to do! After that I think I'll try to just "simplify" what I eat. Such as Lean Cuisines, protein shakes,etc. The book gives alot of great recipes, and some of them I'll try. But I think It's easier for some people to have meals already prepared. The less time you think about food the less you eat! Basically, I'm going to keep my calorie intake from 1000 to 1200 calories a day. A brilliant fitness professional (Chelsea) told me, " Try to remember that it's OK to feel hungry! As long as your body is getting the nutrients it needs, your fine!" I intend to also post daily tips, ( such as this one) that could very well turn into weekly tips, but I'll keep up as best I can. When, where, and how often you workout is up to you. But you have to workout!!! You should try to do something, yoga, Pilate's, weight lifting, running, swimming ANYTHING just do something, at least three times a week!
Are you up for the challenge? YES- okay then let's get started!

Monday, April 23rd-2007............... Will be the day it begins, the finish line is the rest of your life! This is a life change challenge, but if you want to do the "Post an embarrassing picture" challenge, the finish line date will be June 23rd-2007. That's two months to reach whatever fat-loss goal you make for yourself! Just make sure it's a realistic challenge, but still challenging enough to motivate you! Anyone that has any ideas or wants to add anything to the challenge, just e-mail me, or post your ideas here on my blog.
So if your in, leave a comment- and let's GET IT ON!!! Or off, I mean...

"Oh my THE word!"

I don't know how or why the "Charlie's Angels" thing always comes into play when we start taking pictures, but somehow it does! And truthfully, I love this pic! And for the record I'm Jill (a.k.a.) Farrah Fawcett! I know my hair is too dark to be the blonde bomb shell,(among many other reasons) but I always wanted to be "Jill" and since this is MY blog I am!!!

Anyway, a week ago we had the FINAL GOODBYE party for our friend Chelsea at Amy's house. We had about five goodbye parties for her but this was really the last one!

It was, again a RIOT! This is the FUNNEST group of girls I have ever had the pleasure of being friends with! How wonderful to be a part of "This Click" of rockin chicks! Ha Ha, the "Click" thing is just a joke- take it easy!!! But the rockin chicks thing is definitely RIGHT ON!

Everyone brought something delicious to snack on! I definitely want to thank Ruth for bringing the "Stinky, loaded with alcohol cheese" It was a hit! especially after it had sat there for a few hours! Amy finally took it outside, so people would stop saying "What is that awful smell?"

We tried to watch some of the Bachelor, but really we just wanted to talk and take pics! It's funny to watch the progression of the pictures. In the first ones everyone smiling and looking darling. Then as the night goes on, people start making faces and doing really weird, somewhat crazy things!

I don't remember who's idea it was to try and form a pyramid ( probably Chelsea) but here we are in the attempt! I really wanted to be on top, but I guess since Chelsea was the Honoree, she got to be on top! She put all of her weight on ME! On purpose, of course. She loved to give me a hard time, that's one of the things I'll miss the most about her! Who else will tease me about having a missing finger?

Towards the end of the night, Chelsea opened up a few presents and gave a little heart felt goodbye speech. There wasn't a dry eye in the room! This one woman has made a very distinct mark on every heart in that room! Chels, "The Click" is broken without you! It's only been a week, and already everything is different! We all miss you and we'll always love you!

All I can say is, I hope and pray those Utah girls are ready for you! Well I guess ready or not, right! C-FIFE IN THE HOUSE!!!

Love your big, stinky, onion flavored Ogre of a friend... M-

What's in that basket for me???

Easter. What a yummy holiday! I have to admit, I always buy the candy that I love the most, and put it in my kids baskets! Although this year we bought a "Pre" made basket for Avery as you can see pictured above, he loved it! He played with the binoculars all day, and really didn't eat any candy???

Kas on the other hand got a basket full of goodies, I couldn't wait to get my "Paws" on!!! One of our family Easter traditions is to hide the Easter baskets, well I mean the Easter" Bunny" hides the baskets, anyway Avery's basket was behind the couch under a blanket. He would absolutely not go take the blanket off! Finally after a lot of coaxing, he pulled it off and screamed with delight- DIEGO!!!!

Then it was Kasey's turn. I must admit, I take great pride in the fact that she has a very hard time finding her basket! This year I hid it between the window and the ironing board. I laid clothes over it, as it was suspended and she could not find it! We finally had to give her a hint, the she found it!

The egg dying was soooooo fun for Avery! Kasey would ask him to choose what colors he wanted on the eggs and then she would dip them. They looked beautiful, but only lasted for about an hour. They are all broken and in the garbage, but it was fun while it lasted!

Then we all got in our pink clothes and went to church. It was a beautiful service...