Ten Favorite Moments of Type-A-Mom

I was going to do a "Ten Favorite People I Met at Type-A-Mom." But really? Keeping it to ten? Impossible! I'll try to keep this to ten favorite moments.


1. Meeting so many amazing people - this was by far the best thing about the conference for me. The people. People that I've known on-line for years and people that I met at the conference. Every single person was amazing. I could list them, but I know I would leave someone out! (But I have to share this pic of the ADORABLE Mandi from It's Come 2 This. Yes, I "squee'd" when we met!)

2. The downtown photo walk - Downtown Asheville has amazing architecture, sculpture and culture. I'll share pics on Friday. I did get a little bit of video of the drum circle. This happens every Friday night. There were thirty plus drummers, people dancing and watching. Such diversity.

3. The Sharing on Grief and Loss panel - The room was full, and I know each person had a story of grief and loss to share. I wanted to sit down with everyone and listen to their story. I love @prairiemama, @AnissaMayhew and @Cecilyk for their bold voices and tremendous inner strength.

4. The Health & Fitness tribe session - I think the tribe break-out sessions are brilliant! No, I don't blog solely about health and fitness, but since it's a passion of mine, I loved connecting with other women with the same passion. It was led by @MizFitOnline, who rocks. My fave moment of this session was when @FitAndThrifty, who is a marathoner, was talking about training and acknowledged my 5k training on the same breath as her own marathon training.

5. The town hall meeting - This is even more brilliant that the tribe sessions. An hour of open mic, bloggers sharing the good, bad, and the ugly. I watched the town hall meeting last year via MomTV and was really looking forward to this "session."

6. Saturday evening - I attended a session sponsored by the Biltmore Winery on "Easy Wine Pairing for Busy Parents." Reminder to self: do not attend any event with wine without first eating a snack. I learned a lot about the science of our taste buds, but there were also LOTS of giggles at our table (maybe other tables too, I couldn't tell!). Then after the session, a group of us went to the Mellow Mushroom for pizza. Yum! Great wine, great food, and GREAT women!

More check-ins at Type-A Mom Conference #typeamom

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7. Lest you think that it was all about the fun, I did learn about the business of blogging. The Monetization session with Debbie Bookstaber and Angela England. Some good things there that I'll be learning more about and putting into practice.

8. I also really enjoyed the session on Strategic Planning for Bloggers with Deb Rox. Deb has such a great personality. As bloggers, we need to constantly be asking, "Why am I here?" We need to step back and assess where we've been and where we are going.

9. I loved seeing babies there with their mamas. On Friday morning, I came in late to a session and my laptop needed charging so I sat on the floor in the back of the room. Soon, a mama came in with her little one, sat down next to me, and started to nurse. LOVED that! (I didn't realize until later that it was Angela England.)

10. The down-side of conferences is being out of "normal" routine. We go to church every Sunday (we lead the music, but we'd be there even if we didn't), so it was throwing me off that Sunday was really Sunday. I love it that Sarah gathered a few Christians together to pray for Chele, who has been having health issues. Where two or more are gathered . . . . Made me feel less out of sync with my normal routine.


Of course, there were SO many other moments that were wonderful and "my favorite." If you were at Type-A-Mom, what was one of your favorite moments?



For more Top Ten lists, be sure to visit the wonderful Oh Amanda.

Mamavation Week 39

Do you think that a weekend away at a conference always sabotages your healthy living and fitness goals? No way! Here's my recap of the past week and how I managed to lose .5 lbs at the Type-A-Mom conference this weekend.

Exercise: This was a challenge. I ran on Monday & Wednesday and did Pilates/walking/#MamaGuns strength training on Tuesday & Thursday. Then Thursday afternoon, I got in a car and drove to the Type-A-Mom conference. Friday, I walked a lot. Almost 16,000 steps in spite of sitting in sessions most of the day. I took a quick walk in the afternoon, then went on the photo walk of downtown Asheville in the evening. Saturday wasn't so great for movement, but I did get to meet up with @MizFitOnline (she's so awesome!!) for strength training tips and vlogging (coming soon!). Then Sunday, I did #MamaGuns strength training in the morning but did not get enough walking in. I was hoping to use the fitness room at our hotel, but it was "temporarily closed" while we were there. Bummer.

But I stayed active and got as much exercise as I could in spite of the busy conference schedule. Woot! I am adjusting my usual workout schedule this week because I am exhausted today and it's raining cats and dogs. So I'll run on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday (which is 5k day!), and do walking/#MamaGuns on Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

Food: I kept up with my food journal until I left for the conference. But with the busyness, I didn't have enough time to keep up with it. However, I know that I ate well. I took healthy snacks for the car (raw veggies, granola bars, peanuts, almonds). And I was very pleased with the healthy options in the food that we had available at the conference. Whole grain breads, salads, even baked chicken for sandwiches (in addition to the usual nitrate-filled deli meats). The snack breaks were very sugary, so I resisted those. (Yes, I resisted Little Debbie. Not worth feeling like crap if I ate the processed sugar which can trigger migraines for me.)

My eating schedule was off a bit, so I fought off headaches during the weekend. But I stayed hydrated and ate snacks when I needed to. I also watched portion sizes. We went out for pizza on Saturday evening and I had two slices and that was plenty!

The Scale: Woot! Down .5 lbs this week, in spite of lots of sitting and being a way from home! I planned ahead, did not over-indulge, and walked as much as I could. I'm very pleased!

I'll share more about the conference in more posts this week. One highlight was a break-out "tribe" session with other health and fitness bloggers. Awesome!

Hope y'all had a healthy week!

Things I Love: Menu Planning Assistance

**This giveaway is now closed and the winner will be notified via e-mail.**

I don't know how I survived before I started menu planning. I don't even remember what types of food I would cook after a long day at work. I know there were lots of convenience type foods, but I really don't recall specifics. I do know there was always stress involved when I didn't know what I was fixing for dinner and I was rushing home at 5:00.

Menu planning has saved my sanity. The fact that it helped me stay close to budget was a bonus too.

This summer, I discovered a great online menu planning service that helps with menu planning AND staying on budget called Food on the Table. Yes, there are myriad recipes to choose from, which is great. But the best thing is that this service will tell you what is on sale at your favorite grocery store and help you build your menu plan around those items. Sweet!

When you set up a profile at Food on the Table, you tell them what your favorite grocery store is, plus your preferred protein choices. Then you'll get a reminder e-mail when the new sales start at your store and that it's time to plan your menu. And they will help you plan as many meals as you want based on what is on sale. You can change your preferences any time.

Food on the Table is a relatively new service so they are adding new features and new stores all the time. I've been pleased with their fast response to questions and requests that I have submitted. And they would like to give away a $25 gift card to one of my readers to their favorite grocery store!

This giveaway will close on Sunday, October 3, 2010, at 9pm EST. To enter, please leave a comment below telling me (and Food on the Table) what your favorite grocery store is. Please make sure your e-mail address is either in the comment or in your commenting profile.

For a bonus entry, leave a second comment telling me your greatest challenge in menu planning (or if you don't menu plan, what keeps you from doing so).


This post is happily submitted to Things I Love Thursday hosted by Diaper Diaries. Don't forget to follow Food on the Table on Twitter.


Disclaimer: I was contacted by Food on the Table to provide my honest opinion of their service. I have not received any compensation for this review. The grocery gift card giveaway is being provided by Food on the Table.

Burned Biscuits

I received this in an e-mail and love it! There is no author listed.


When I was a kid, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work.

On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that biscuit and eat every bite!

When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits. And I'll never forget what he said: "Honey, I love burned biscuits."

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, "Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired. And besides - a little burnt biscuit never hurt anyone!"

Life is full of imperfect things.....and imperfect people. I'm not the best at hardly anything, and I forget birthdays and anniversaries just like everyone else. But what I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each others faults - and choosing to celebrate each others differences - is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship.

And that's my prayer for you today. That you will learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the feet of God. Because in the end, He's the only One who will be able to give you a relationship where a burnt biscuit isn't a deal-breaker!

We could extend this to any relationship. In fact, understanding is the base of any relationship, be it a husband-wife or parent-child or friendship!

Photo Credit: stock.xchng

Mamavation Week 38

It was a good week for me. Which is good because the upcoming week has some challenges. Read on ...

Exercise: Cardio 6 days out of 7. M-W-F were running days. I increased my running time from 20 to 23 minutes this week! When I started running regularly in July, I could barely run two minutes. I love progress! Tuesday & Thursday were a combination of Pilates & walking along with my #MamaGuns workout. I also did #MamaGuns on Saturday (part of it while on the phone with my mom!), but counted house work as cardio. I totally get my sweat on while cleaning, and I had over 17k steps on Saturday!

Food: A good week in this department too. I had a few opportunities to eat out, but made wise choices. I did allow myself a treat this weekend, but I don't do that very often. I did keep portion size small, so I feel good about allowing myself a little indulgence. Continuing to focus on clean eating with fruits, veggies, whole grains, & lean protein. Here's our healthy menu plan for the week.

The Scale: Did not move. BUT! I had a least a half dozen people comment on my weight loss and how good I look. Really, at least six people! I guess that was the affirmation that I needed this week to keep me encouraged.

The upcoming week will be a challenge, as I mentioned. Thanks to Leah (@bookieboo), I am going to the Type-A-Mom blogging conference because she is not able to attend. I am planning on taking lots of healthy snacks with me for the car trip and for during the conference, since I don't know what kind of food will be available. Carrot & celery sticks, peanut butter, crackers, granola bars. I'm so excited to be going to Type-A-Mom but I know I'll have to keep myself disciplined. And with all the sitting, I'll definitely have to make sure I get some cardio in!

I am so excited that Subway is a new Mamavation sponsor and is also the sponsor of this week's blogging carnival! Subway is definitely one of our favorite fast food places because of the healthy choices. Subway kept us from eating at McDonald's when we were in the midst of moving this summer.

Hope y'all had a good week! I'm looking forward to catching up with y'all!

Early Morning Thoughts

Thanks to a two hour nap yesterday, Ladybug (3 years old) went to be late and was awake early. Earlier than usual. Five a.m. early. But ever since she learned to read numbers, she knows that she has to stay in bed until 6:00. She was snuggled in bed with me and I had to get up to go to the bathroom, so we were both awake.

Even with lots of shushing, Ladybug still didn't want to be quiet. But it was quality time, in spite of the early hour. We ticked, we hid under the pillows, we talked about numbers as the numbers on the clock changed.

Oh, to be three. The enthusiasm when the clocked finally reached 6:00. It was time! Time to be awake, time to jump up and down!

I wanted to pause and record those moments this morning.

Ten Reasons to Ditch Processed Foods

I know there are other bloggers who have written about the topic of avoiding processed foods. I'm not trying to re-invent the wheel. Everyone has different reasons for making the switch to real food. And I'm not writing this to make anyone feel guilty about eating processed foods. We still eat some, but try to limit them. Here are my reasons, as a mom is who is trying to influence her family to lead healthy, active lives.


1. It's better for our bodies to eat food as close to its natural state as possible. I had a small amount of processed food yesterday and I felt horrible the rest of the day.

2. Our bodies don't always recognized processed food as "food." For example, when high fructose corn syrup (which is in so many processed foods) is ingested, it gets metabolized in the liver, the same way that alcohol is metabolized. Alcohol is not a real food either.

3. When food is highly processed, it means that part of the work of digestion is already done for you. I'd rather let my body do the digesting, thank you!

4. When you eat minimally processed foods, you support your local economy more because you are eating more fruits and vegetables.

5. When processed foods are "fortified," do you really think those chemicals are good for you?

6. Processed foods don't have as much fiber, which is a reason that a lot of Americans have chronic constipation. Fiber = it's easier to poop!

7. When we eat fresh, local food, I can show my daughter the source of our food. She knows that we eat chicken and eggs and where they come from.

8. If you can't avoid processed foods because "they're so convenient," look into stocking your freezer and cooking or baking in bigger batches. I did that recently and made three batches of meatballs and two meatloaves to have on hand for quick suppers. (Check out Once a Month Mom)

9. Learning to read food labels has been a huge eye opener for me! If I can't pronounce it, I don't want to eat it! (Hence, the reason why I made a triple batch of meatballs.)

10. I really don't want to put junk in my body (or in my family's bodies) that is not good fuel. Food = fuel.


Have you ditched processed food in whole or in part? What are your reasons for making the switch?

Need some recipes to help you make the switch to less processed foods? Mandi @ It's Come 2 This posted a great list of links today!
For more creative Top Ten lists, don't forget to visit ohamanda.com

Mamavation Week 37

Please excuse me if this post seems overly excited or uses too many exclamation points. I'm writing this after my Monday morning run & I'm still on that awesome runner's high!

Here's my weekly recap:

Exercise: Rocking it! Cardio 6 days out of 7. Why do I consistently reach this goal that I've set? Because I found exercises that I love! I ran M-W-F. On Friday, I pushed myself to run 20 minutes straight and I DID IT!! Woot! It was amazing! Thank you so much to Janice @fitcheerldr and so many other runners who give me virtual pats on the back when I run. I love being a runner! My first 5k race is less than six weeks away. My goal is to run the whole thing. Yes! The WHOLE 5k!

On T-T-S, I pumped up my Pilates and #Mamaguns workout. I added more exercises for my obliques, plus a few extra shoulder exercises. On Saturday, we spent a little bit of time at the pool as a family. While Hubby was entertaining Ladybug, I water-walked about 20 laps, plus did pushups and tricep dips on the steps while in the water. It's great to be able to fit in fitness around the family schedule.

I am totally IN for the #MamaGuns challenge! Are you? I'm so stoked that I can already see definition in my deltoid area. The "Hello Helen" area, you know, that part that waves back at you as you wave good-bye? Whew, those triceps are my weak area!
I still wear my pedometer every day. Every day except Sunday (which is my rest day, plus I sit at church for a few hours in the morning), I easily hit 10,000 steps, most days close to 12,000 steps. On running days, I set my goal as 12k, although I think I need to bump it up to 13k.

Food: Doing great here too! Eating clean, focusing on fruits, veggies, whole grains and good lean protein. I feel SO much better when I eat this way! I've been tracking my fiber (are you???) and getting between 35-45 grams every day. I've started sharing on Twitter about the benefits of a fiber-rich diet, and will be sharing a blog post soon. (And on Mamavation TV, if I can find a working webcam!)

Here is our healthy menu plan for the week!

The Scale: Woot!! Down 1 lb this week!! Yes!! So glad to see it moving in that direction, since I had the little hiccup of gain when I started strength training a few weeks ago.

Hope y'all have had a good week! Can't wait to catch up with everyone. Thanks for your support and encouragement!! I couldn't do this without you!!

Ten Names for Your Favorite Athletic Footwear

I had an interesting thought last week that led to interesting Twitter conversation regarding these shoes and what they are called. Yes, I get distracted easily and love to run down rabbit trails. What? Like you don't.


1. Tennis Shoes (this was the consensus in an unscientific Twitter poll)

2. Or some people combine that into one word - Tennyshoes

3. Or simply - tennies

4. Sneakers (Ladybug's favorite because she loves to sneak in them. Sneak, sneak, sneak.)

5. Gym shoes

6. Fitness or athletic shoes

7. Across the pond in England, they are called trainers

8. In the Philippines, they are called rubber shoes

9. In Nigeria, canvers

10. In Australia, sneaks or tackies


What do YOU call your favorite athletic footwear?
For more Top Ten lists, be sure to visit Oh Amanda!

Photo Credit: stock.xchng

Mamavation Week 36

I had a good week!

Exercise: Cardio 6 days out of 7. M-W-F was running and I had a personal best! T-T-S was a combination of strength training, walking & Pilates. I try to take it easy on my legs on those days. I'm starting to see definition in my arms & shoulders now that I am consistently doing strength exercises - very exciting! I love well-defined arms. I would take a picture to share, but I still have a lot of the "Hello Helen" waving in the tricep area. That's my weakest area, but I also have a lot more extra weight to shed before I see definition there. But I am lovin' my Mama Guns!

Food: I did great in this area this week. Eating clean, focusing on lots of veggies, and tracking my fiber intake. Do you track your fiber? That is going to be part of an upcoming challenge as my new role as The Regulator for Mamavation. Fiber is an important part of our diets, and with Hubby's family history of GI issues, we are all about the fiber and regularity in this house. Can't wait to share more! (Not the regularity, just the interesting fiber facts.)

The only change I made in eating this week was that I ditched the fake coffee creamer. That was my last holdout of processed crap. I ditched the sweetener awhile ago and was just adding a dash of cinnamon and creamer. This week, I knew it was time to let go. I enjoy coffee so why not ENJOY it without the crap. It wasn't as hard as I thought. And I do enjoy my morning coffee.

Here's our healthy menu plan for the week.

The Scale: I skipped my weigh in last week due to Aunt Flo. So I go on the scale on Friday and I freaked! I was up 2 lbs since my last weigh in 2 weeks ago! What the heck?!? I tweeted my concern and was reassured by lots of folks that with my increased strength training, yes, this is entirely possible. So I re-checked my weight on Sunday and was only up .5 lbs from 2 weeks ago. Whew!

I know I can't be tied to that number on the scale. I watched some Pete Cohen videos and was reminded of several things. Muscle weighs more than fat. The scale isn't the only indicator of "success." How I feel physically? (Great!) How do my clothes fit? (They're loose and staying that way!) Am I eating clean? (Yes!) So I feel confident that the weight gain is from muscle gain.

So many great things going on with Mamavation this week! Lots of Sistas in new leadership roles (including me as The Regulator). Congrats to everyone for stepping up and making the Sistahood even MORE amazing! Congrats to @GretaBlau on being Sista of the Week! And this week's blogging carnival is sponsored by Chefs Requested. Yum!

Saturday Stumbles

Here are some great things that I've read recently and are worth sharing. It's quite an eclectic list this week!


I've been looking for nutritious snack ideas for Ladybug. Can't wait to try these Healthy Peanut Butter Balls from Super Healthy Kids.

Have you been wanting to make healthy changes in your life? This is a fabulous post by Rachel on Mamavation reminding us that WE are in control of our lives.

Looking for a fitness challenge? Fit Mom in Training has a 5k Day coming up!

LOVED this guest post by Alli Worthington over at (In)Courage on The Power of Community.

Crunchy Domestic Goddess shares her thoughts & experiences on child-led weaning.

Because I'm training for a 5k in October, I enjoyed reading about Annieology's recent 5k race.

And I posted a recipe for making homemade meatballs on my recipe blog.


Thanks to Mandi @ It's Come 2 This for hosting Saturday Stumbles!

Small Victories & Personal Bests

September 1st was a big day in our house. I shared about Ladybug's first day of preschool. She did so well and I'm so proud of her. When I dropped her off, I asked if she would give me a hug. No time for hugs, she was already walking into her classroom. She waved and said, "Bye, Mama!"

No tears, which I didn't expect. No tears from me either. I was grinning like a Cheshire Cat. Don't get me wrong. I love my child. Three has been a tough age for both of us. I know that she needs playmates and I try to have play-dates for her. She gets bored with Mama as a playmate all the time. I don't blame her.

We are still considering homeschool when she reaches Kindergarten. But for now, she needs the social interaction of preschool. And thankfully, we have a wonderful preschool at our church. I know she's in good hands.

My little girl growing up; that is a small victory.

The other reason that September 1st was a big day was this: I ran for twelve minutes straight. I've been gradually building up my running intervals, and last week I was up to a 6 min run/1 min walk pattern. I looked over my training plan, and next up was a 5 min walk/10 min run combo. I am not one to do the minimum in anything, so I blasted through that 10 minute mark and kept running until I had to stop.

There are so many things that I enjoy about running, one is that I can always beat my personal bests. Another is the shocked look when I tell people that I run. I'm not exactly shaped like a runner (yet!). I'm not fast, but I run.

I look forward to a career of running and beating my personal bests. Often.

First Day of Preschool

Today was Ladybug's first day of Preschool! She was so excited and was ready to go at 7:30, even though we didn't have to leave the house until 8:30.

She had a great first day, until the very end. She was waiting in line for me to come through the car line, and got into a little scuffle with another child. Who knows what happened, but another teacher saw Ladybug hit the other kid and she reprimanded her. That's when my tired girl broke out the waterworks. She wouldn't even let the teacher help her into the car.

But her teacher said she was very good and was a good listener. She's ready to go back tomorrow! (This was the best picture that I captured. She was so excited and silly before we left!)

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