Today's Menu

Todays Menu - I went a little over my calories today - but not by much.

Breakfast:
Protein Shake (Mercola Whey, half a banana, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/2 tsp coconut oil)

AM Snack:
Coffee with coffeemate (I seriously need to kick the coffeemate habit!)
1 Medium Aplle
Handful of raw pecans

Lunch:
Albacore Tuna (in water) mixed with 1 tsp Guldens Mustard and 1/2 Serving of Mayo
Put onto Ezekiel Bread and toasted with some colby jack on top


PM Snack:
BIG CHEAT..... a bite of the kids Easter Chocolate

Dinner:
Shoyu Chicken (cooked with molasses and honey - it's still sugar, I know.....)
Half Cup Brown Rice
10 Broccoli Spears

Late Night Snack:
Half Serving Mercola Whey Powder with 1/2 Tsp Coconut Oil blended in ice water

Exercise: 74 Minutes Legs & Back + ab ripper

Yesterday's menu and happenings

Yesterday was such a gorgeous day in Austin. The heat wasn't too crazy - it was windy (dare I say similar to tradewinds?) - it was absolutely gorgeous.

Took the older two to preschool and came home with Cruz for breakfast and living room play. He went down for a nap and I got some work done at my desk. When he woke up, we drove to an outdoor mall area where Old Navy and The Rack is. It's a really nice, long stretch of walking so we walked the mall three times and enjoyed the sunshine. I tried to find some tank tops at Old Navy but they were too long. The Rack was a joke. No way am I paying $50 for a tee-shirt no matter what name is on it! Mostly Cruz and I just enjoyed the walking and sunshine. I was making his stroller "Vroom" around like a race car which made him laugh.

Then we got the older monkeys from school and when Peter woke up we headed to Marshall's to try to find Kai Boy a Lighting McQueen suitcase. We had found a princess one there for Ryenne a couple months ago and had hid it for our Maui trip, but she found it and Kai has been asking about his. We've been looking but haven't found one (yet). So we parked kinda far out so we could all walk around the area. We had fun looking - I have even been looking for a bathing suit. No luck yet. We also walked to Target.

The kids were good and tired when we got home. A day of school AND walking all over was good for them.

After our workout I got a little migraine. It wasn't horrible, but I did have to go to sleep before Peter left for work. I was hoping to sit at my desk and catch up on work, but the good ole brain needed to shut down. I slept really well and woke up feeling like a "reset" button was pushed.

Yesterdays menu:

Breakfast:

2 eggs scrambled in coconut oil with 5 large spears of broccoli and 1 serving of Colby Jack Cheese
1 Slice Ezekiel Bread dry
Coffee with Coffee mate
Water

Morning Snack:

Peanut butter Lara bar (made from dates and nuts)


Lunch:

Mixed greens with shredded chicken, quarter of an avocado, carrots, cucumbers, and half serving of Brianna's vinaigrette
1 Mango
Green Tea

Afternoon Snack:

Chobani Green Yogurt (contains sugar!!)

Dinner:

Scrambled eggs in coconut oil
2 slices Ezekiel Bread with butter
4 slices thin, no nitrates/preservatives bacon
Water

Exercise: 45 minutes Cardio X

Menu Day 3

Yesterday's wonderful menu...

Breakfast:

2 Scrambled Eggs cooked in coconut oil with half a zucchini
Half Apple
Water

AM Snack:
Coffee with Coffeemate (addicted)

Lunch:
Mixed Greens Salad with Carrots, Tomatoes, Avocado, and Lean Steak with Half Serving Brianna's Blush Vinaigrette
Half a Mango
Water


PM Snack:
1 Cup Coconut Milk
2 Slices Ezekiel Bread with Butter

Dinner:

Dr. Mercola Miracle Whey Shake mixed with coconut milk
Half Breast of chicken sliced with Quarter Avocado, Guldens Mustard, Half serving of Mayo, shredded Lettuce mixed onto 2 slices Ezekiel Bread
Water

Before Bed:
5 Pecans (Raw)
Water

Exercise: 74 Minutes Back & Biceps and Ab Ripper

Sugar Challenge Day 2

I'm really bummed that I did so terrible yesterday.

It started out really well for breakfast:

2 Eggs cooked with coconut oil and avocado
2 Turkey Sausage Links
1/2 Apple
Coffee with coffee mate & Stevia

Then I had to leave for a photo shoot and I was gone ALL DAY. By the time I got home I was STARVING. I couldn't even get through my workout - felt like I was gonna vomit. So after the workout, Peter's coworker came over so we could talk about cameras and we got Cafe 1626. I wolfed down a burger and fries. I regretted it afterward, but it sure tasted good! And I slept good too.

Today I'm back at it.

No Sugar Day 1

Since I'm doing a week of cleansing for my body, I figured that I'd post exactly what I'm eating in case anyone wanted to try something similar.

Yesterday went really well - I did have a minor cheat which I'll explain below. The focus of this week is to eat whole, natural, beautiful food. In addition to the no sugar, I'm cutting wheat too, including bread and pasta. In just one day, the bloat from the past week has gone away. In one week I'll incorporate sprouted wheat breads back into my diet (Ezekiel bread).

Yesterday's menu:

Breakfast:

2 Scrambled organic whole eggs cooked in coconut oil
1/2 Zucchini & 1/2 Yellow Squash sauteed in coconut oil
6 Strawberries
Iced Green Tea

Lunch:

Spiru-tein Protein Powder
1/2 C. Frozen Blueberries
1 C. Coconut Milk
1/2 Banana
(blended together)
1 Hard Boiled Egg, chopped and mixed with 1/2 Avocado, salt to taste (just ate with a spoon straight outta the bowl)
1 Starbucks Via, 2 Stevia packets, Little bit Coffee Mate (this has sugar and is my cheat)
Water

Afternoon Snack:

1/2 Serving of raw nuts, seeds, raisins trail mix
1 Serving Newman's Own Spelt Pretzels (avoiding regular wheat)
Iced Green Tea

Dinner:

1 C. Fresh Pineapple
1/2 C. Fresh Mango
1 Serving Rotisserie Chicken Breast (no skin)
1/2 C. Brown Rice
1 Serving Mixed Greens with cherry tomatoes, sliced carrot and half serving of Brianna's Blush Vinaigrette
Water
1 C. Coconut Water

Evening Snack:

1 C. Coconut Milk

Exercise: 74 Minutes - P90X Triceps, Shoulders, Back + Ab Ripper

Don't know the benefits of Coconut Oil and Coconut Water? I recommend reading "The Coconut Miracle" by Bruce Fife.

Easter

I'll be honest, this was a challenging Easter for me. I haven't slept well in the past few days (I think it relates to all the junk I've been eating) and I was exhausted this morning. Peter brought the kids donuts early this morning and Ryenne ate them so fast that she threw up just as we were heading out the door to Gams and Pops house.

The "Easter Bunny" had three zones - one for each kid with their chocolate to hunt for. They all really enjoyed their little hunt. We ate french toast and bacon.

Warning... thoughts ahead may ruffle feathers... sorry just spewing thoughts...

I enjoyed talking to my parents about my thoughts on Jesus. I'd like to think that he was a wild, crazy 2 year old at one point like Kai. I personally need to humanize him. I wanted to examine my own thoughts on him - as to be honest - I don't understand the whole Easter thing. I like to think that Jesus was a person with inner conflicts and flaws, like me. I like to think that he inspires us all to look into ourselves for good and do good for others. But "Good Friday" got me thinking... I had to google what Good Friday was and to be honest, I don't understand how it could have been good at all. To have been crucified for one's beliefs. How is that good? Isn't that just awful? And for all of that suffering we still find ourselves in wars, people are being bullied and belittling others. Gays aren't allowed to marry the ones they love. People are chastised for going against the grain all the time. Isn't that the message that Jesus was trying to send to his people? That it's ok to be yourself?

I'm rambling. I guess I've just been deep in these thoughts for a few days now. I needed to get it out of my system.

Back to Easter.

The boys got to hunt for chocolate and cars. Ryenne got to hunt for giant chocolates. They loved it. 

I think Cruz is cutting two teeth at the same time. He has been super clingy and irritated all day. I feel like I haven't had a moment to sit down and just breathe all day. Thankfully when Peter woke up he realized that I was having a rough day. We headed back to Gams and Pops house for a beautiful chicken and mushroom dinner. Peter took care of feeding Cruz and I got to enjoy my dinner and red velvet cake without having to tend to anyone else or eat at the speed of light so I could help someone else.

I really hope that next year I'm more into it and more well rested.

Sugar Challenge

Ugh. Totally pigged out today. Actually this week was a little rough. I let myself slide a bit on the sweets and have paid for it with a weight gain of 2 pounds and a yucky feeling in the gut.

So after two pieces of Red Velvet Cake tonight, I'm starting my Sugar Challenge tomorrow morning. One week of clean eating - non processed foods, no sugars (aside from fruit of course), and to eat healthy for a week. I think my guts need the cleanse.

The p90x is going great - exercising a ton and seeing muscle definition. No belly fat lost, but I see improvements in my back.

Hopefully this week will help me cleanse my body of the yuckies and get me feeling great again. It's too bad my body doesn't like sugar as my taste-buds love it so!

Baba Boy

Well... it seems Cruz is about done with booboo. He's nursed only once in the last two days. He is too busy and wants his baba. 

I am both happy and sad about this. Happy because I will have my body back to myself and I've been pregnant or nursing for over 5 years now. 

Sad because he is my last baby and I really enjoyed nursing my babies. I loved that bonding and special time. 

Here he is enjoying his bab with Daddy.

More San Francisco Love

I'm so behind on client work that it's taken me a while to pull these images. I love them. I loved the sunshine and the salt and the sun. 

This is me and Auntie Yolly, Keanu, and Chloe. It was REALLY windy and chilly!

 Lombard Street!

Twin Peaks. I had never been up there before! SUPER windy!

No wonder I named  my first boy KAI. I love the saltwater.

Thank you again to Yolly and Jeff for taking me all around the city.

Summertime

It seems like Spring has completely bypassed Central Texas. It went from being butt cold to crazy hot and humid. We've been hitting the lower 90's plus humidity lately. Perfect outdoor weather (as long as we stay hydrated!).

These are some cell phone pictures of our last breakfast at Gams and Pops' house. Windy Cow was outside in the sun and wanted to be loved on. Have you ever seen such a gentle cow? She thinks she's a puppy.

I just love these images. 

With it being so hot, we've brought out the ghetto tub for bathtime. Basically, after dinner the kids are rounded up in the backyard into the tub with bubbles and hose water. Last year we had an inflatable pool, but it was really, really shallow. I found this tub on clearance at Target and it's perfect. The kids have so much fun in there. 

Cruz got out first and went to bed - me and Gams wore him out today (more on that in a minute). After Cruzito was out, the tub turned into a boat. Ryenne and Kai were pretending they were sailing across stormy seas. Ryenne was the captain. After bath, they got to play around more in the living room before heading to bed. Ryenne was the owner and Kai was the puppy and was happily barking around the living room. I love seeing them play like that! 

Today was such a nice day. The kids had Easter celebrations at school and I got to go out to breakfast and shopping with mom. Girls day out + Cruz. We took him to Mimi's for breakfast, bra shopping, Savers, and finally to World Market so the "Easter Bunny" could buy some chocolate for Sunday. 

Beautiful (hot) day!

Camera Comparisons

For the wedding I photographed this past weekend, I knew I needed camera help. It was a night time wedding and my 5D cannot handle very low light situations. 

I rented a Nikon D700. The last time I rented a Nikon was last September for a dark wedding and I got the D3s which I LOVED (but it's a $6,000 camera so of course I loved it!). The D700 didn't disappoint. It handled the low light situations like my Canon couldn't even dream of. The reception room for this wedding was DARK. Think kids room with a tiny night light plugged in.... DARK! 

While everyone was eating, Peter and I got a water/food break and we snapped this in the mirror of the DARK room we were in. I couldn't even believe the camera registered any data - that's how dark it was. 

So the next business expense will be changing over to Nikon. I'm convinced it's a jump that I need to make. My dear Canon is almost 6 years old. I think it's time to retire her soon.

Coming Home

Today  Peter and I were talking about Puff Daddy's new song, "Coming Home" and we've been singing it with thoughts of a temporary transfer for Peter (for the summer) and spending our time on Maui and re-starting our lives there.

We sat down tonight to watch the most recent episode of Hawaii 5-0 for our little Hawaii fix and the song was in the opening sequence and we just looked at each other and smiled.

I am a firm believer that the universe sends signs. So here's the lyrics to the first part of the song - the pieces that we've been singing all day...

I’m coming home
Tell the World I’m coming home
Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday
I know my kingdom awaits and they’ve forgiven my mistakes
I’m coming home, I’m coming home
Tell the World that I’m coming

Back where I belong, yeah I never felt so strong
(I’m back baby)
I feel like there’s nothing that I can’t try
And if you with me put your hands high
(put your hands high)
If you ever lost a light before, this ones for you
And you, the dreams are for you

Living Small.

I've been a little obsessed lately with the idea of "Living Small" - living in a small space. Especially because we're trying to find our way back to Maui. Especially because I hate cleaning a 2,000 square foot house, fail miserably, and have so much wasted square footage. Our house could fit three families in my opinion.

In our household, the kids bedrooms are virtually unused. The closets are empty. They are a shell of a room. We have three bathrooms, which is ridiculous. We have tons of floor square footage with very few usable walls for storage.

When we went to IKEA for the first time, I was intrigued by the idea that walls can be usable square footage. The footprint of a home doesn't need to be big, as long as there's storage. Our master bedroom in our 800 square foot condo in Napili had bedrooms that were so tiny we could fit our bed and one night stand. We had a killer closet organizer, and it was all that we needed. Our bedroom in our current home could literally fit a full size couch, chair, two nightstands, a toddler bed, and a dresser (not that we have all that stuff). All it would need is a kitchen and it would be a complete apartment. LOL.

Anyway, this idea of living small has really inspired me. We could easily live in a two bedroom house. We walked through a 600 square foot two bedroom showroom in IKEA and enjoyed all the ideas. The thing to note with the IKEA samples is that there are no windows.

These were with my phone and IKEA was PACKED. I was trying not to get anyone else in the photos.

This is the bathroom.

 The Kids' room. They should have illustrated with bunk beds I think. What's not in the picture are a wardrobe area that had clothes super organized.

 The floor plan.

 Kitchen area - it was quite spacious, actually!

 Living room. Excellent in theory for older children. Lots at Cruz level!

 The master bedroom - tons of storage and an entire wardrobe wall, with more storage above the bed.

 Little mini office.

 Living room storage.

I came across Smiling Woods Yurts recently on a search for inexpensive homes. Yurts are usually canvas (think glorified tent), but these particular yurts are actual wood structures. If you look at their site, they are amazing inside. Their largest yurt is 35 feet across yielding just over 900 square feet. I did a little search for yurt plans and came across this one (for a 30 foot yurt).

What would I change with this yurt? I would add a loft office over one of the bedrooms. I'd also put a shower in the bathroom with a door next to it. Outside the bathroom would be a lanai with an outdoor bathtub and the washing machine outside (so I could easily line dry the clothes outside).

In more searches for small spaces, I came across this house plan - adore. It's three bedrooms and 901 square feet. What does it need? It needs a lanai off the entire back of the house with a door from the bathroom outside to laundry area and an outdoor tub :)

I really, really enjoying envisioning these things. I realize I am romanticizing the whole small living thing - but really.... smaller house equals less electricity, less stuff, more time outside. I guess the ultimate dream would be to build one of these things. But it's also empowering and wonderful to realize that with shelving and being creative we could find a small place to rent, too.

Springtime Love and the Underwear Warrior

I am renting a Nikon D700 for a wedding I'm photographing today. I put one of my CF cards into it to play and discovered this image of Ryenne from a couple of weeks ago. This was when I was photographing a preschool and needed to test my lights before I packed up. She's so cute. 

So while I was fiddling with the D700 - since everything is in different locations and I just wanted to familiarize myself with it before the wedding, I was at the dining room table and looking at the kids. I decided to hit the shutter button and just see what happens. The window light was gorgeous. I got this self portrait. Not to sound all conceited, but I actually really like this picture of myself!

 So outside we went into the beautiful Spring evening. The sun has been going down later and later making it hard to put the kids to bed at their normal time. Kai, the "UNDERWEAR WARRIOR" found some sticks and was off in his warrior world. Fighting whatever came his way.... he kicked and ran and did warrior stances. All in his undies. So dang cute.

 Peter and Cruz played with the leaves and snuggled and laughed.

 Beautiful Ryenne

 More Underwear Warrior!

 At the end of play it was time to go inside for our bath. This didn't make Ryenne happy. Look at that sourpuss face!

Sweet Nothings.

Remember I said that my life is full of little moments - the "in betweens" the "outtakes" between the big stuff?

It's so true. So many little things that add up to big moments.

Ryenne: becoming the expert nighttime story teller. Last night: "Once upon a time there was a little girl. Her name was.... was..... well let's just call her Ryenne...."

Kai: 4 nights with no peepee in his diaper. So last night I let him go to bed with no diaper and he didn't wet the bed. He woke up happy and went potty on the potty chair. Such a big boy!

Cruz: cut two molars in two days. He started saying "Uh Oh!" today. His first official word (aside from Mama)

Me + The Ocean

When I flew into San Francisco, it was 10am. We flew over the mountains and the ocean. The mountains were green from recent rains. The Pacific Coast welcomed me with amazing sunshine. My heart leaped in excitement.

This trip was a work trip to photograph a wedding. It ended up being so much more personal and empowering and led me to find what my soul needs.

I stayed with Auntie Yolly and Uncle Jeff in Daly City. They picked me up and whisked me away to amazing restaurants - the likes of what I we can't find in Austin and what we're familiar with from Maui. Chicken Katsu Curry. Ramen. Vietnamese Chicken. And then they took me all over San Francisco to play tourist. I am so grateful to them for their hospitality. I hadn't seen them in years. Their kids Keanu and Chloe gave me hugs and snuggles since I know they sensed how much I missed my monkeys.

The weather in San Francisco was amazing. Clear. Sunny. (Still cold!). When we went to the Golden Gate Bridge, it was like the Pacific Ocean was smiling at me, "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" it beckoned to me. I don't think anyone realized I was having this internal dialogue with the ocean. It made my heart and my soul happy.

When we went to Crissy Field to the beach, I needed to be with the water. I ran up to the (cold) water, splashed my hands in it, TASTED IT, put the water on my face. And danced. Jeff picked up my camera and got this image of me (THANKS JEFF!).

I had a very special breakfast with Grandmama on Saturday morning - the day I was set to leave. I told her that the water must run through my veins. It was very special because we had breakfast on Grandpapa's birthday and sent up a special thoughts to him. He was a man who craved the water so it's no wonder where this love of ocean comes from. It was special to have breakfast with her on this special day - I forgot to take a picture with her - I was really bummed that I forgot.

As I departed San Francisco and we flew over the coast, I kept my phone on (airport mode) to take some pictures as I said goodbye to the coast.

I'm sure the man sitting next to me thought it odd I was sniffling away and craning my neck to get the last few glimpses of the water as the plane headed Eastward.

As I headed back to Austin, the sun set. I craned my neck to see West, to watch the globe of the sun - but it was hidden from view. The orange color of sunset faded to blackness. My time with the ocean faded away.

I learned a lot about myself on this trip - what my soul needs. I need the water. More importantly, I need the ocean.

While I loved being in California, I learned I'm not a city girl. It's too fast-paced for me. I want to s-l-o-w it all down. I want to go back home to Maui - (edited to add: as in MOVE BACK to Maui.) So I'll make it happen. I don't know when or how yet, but I will make it happen. This trip just confirmed to me how much I need it.

More pictures coming soon :)

Before the Trip

Peter and I have decided that we need to do something fun once a week with the kids. It's hard because of course doing things costs money (mostly it's food) and it can be a challenge to get all three kids out of the house in a good mood. But we need to do it. I want the kids to have memories of doing fun things with us, exploring, and learning that there is so much more to the world than what is in our house and our yard.

So the day before my trip we went out on a family outing. First I needed to get some sunglasses, as mine were lost. We headed to Whole Earth Provision Company (one of my favorite stores) and I scored some awesome sunglasses. In the parking lot was a Dodge Viper. Kai Boy is OBSESSED with race cars. He wanted to go check it out. And the owners were walking toward it when we got there and let us take pictures by the car.

It was actually pretty funny because Kai said he wanted to take the car home and he was upset that the owner got in and drove away.

After the race car excitement, we headed to Phil's Ice House for burgers and playground fun.

The older two were off playing and Cruz wanted to play too. He did great on the climbing wall. This particular playground has a swinging bridge. Kai didn't want to go on it (sensory issues). I held his hand and walked him across the bridge - it was shaking and he was afraid. But he did it. Then he inched onto it by himself. After a few minutes, he was jumping on it and making the bridge swing all over the place. He conquered the fear. It was awesome.

After playtime, we headed back inside for ice cream. Amy's ice cream is pretty famous in Austin. We sampled a Texas flavor - barbeque sauce ice cream (IT WAS WEIRD!). The kids decided on a sweet cream with crushed frosted animal crackers.

Ryenne was so sweaty with her hair all in her face by this time so no pics of her. We had such a great outing. Everyone was tired and slept great. More on my trip coming.... I want to write it out before I forget details. I'm just trying to get caught up with some editing.