Thanksgiving Tips

Hi Everyone.  I'm in charge of making pies for A LOT of people this Thanksgiving so I was anxious to ask my friend Olivia to guest post for me.  She's a sweetheart and Lily adores her.  Take a peek at some of her helpful Thanksgiving Day tips! 

Hey Y’all!!

Katie here has inspired me in so many ways. I envy her passion and dedication to blogging. I thought I would give-it-a-go and write a post for Katie to share about the holiday season. Maybe someday I will start my own blog! Enjoy!

Have you ever felt so uncomfortable that you fear the button on your jeans will pop off if you don’t unbutton them first? Me too! I think this is something we can probably all relate to at one point or another in our lives (am I right, or am I right?). Thanksgiving and the holiday season is just another one of those occasions in many American households.

More than ever we find ourselves concentrating on ‘living healthy.’ But, what is healthy!? Not eating carbs or dairy? Maybe. Not eating processed foods? Maybe. Eating only 2x a day and no more than 1200 calories per day? Well maybe, but who really does that anyway? My point you see is there are many ways to be “healthy.” The various factors driving the ultimate goal of living a healthy lifestyle differ from person to person. My personal belief, especially during the holiday season, (aka the season of dessert temptation), is moderation. That one little word is my gift that keeps on giving all through the holidays.

Why? I’m so glad you asked! It is because it allows me to enjoy every flavor of the holidays. Whether it’s the sweet treats of Thanksgiving dessert or the calorie loaded cheesy potatoes my mother-in-law insists on making every year, I can happily taste each flavor of the season. Here are some quick tips of my own that might help you keep your healthy mentality throughout the holidays without skipping a beat, or a Christmas cookie!

Eat before you eat. How many times have you starved yourself all morning before that late-lunch almost dinner time meal? Or was that just me….? Either way, be sure to eat a plentiful breakfast, nourishing you for the day. Then, when the appetizers are put out, you aren’t diving into the table stuffing your mouth with everything in sight. You can enjoy nibbling on one or two of each of the appetizers, holding you over until the mealtime.

Fill your plate. Yes, I said FILL YOUR PLATE. First, take a little bit more veggies and fruit than you might otherwise, cover at least half of your plate, making sure you leave room for the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy though! This will ensure you don’t take too much of those guilt inducing, ‘leave you feeling groggy the rest of the day’ foods.

This looks great!  Just add more veggies!

-Want Dessert? Have Dessert. Depriving yourself of something is only going to lead to over-indulging later on. The longer you say “no thank you” to the pumpkin pie, or “I’ll pass” to the decadently frosted cookies, the more you will want them. Instead of giving them up all together, just eat dessert in small amounts. Ask for a smaller piece of pie, share a cookie with your little one. No matter how you do it, cherishing a sweet treat now will pay off in the long run.

Take it outside. It may be chilly, but the fresh, brisk air will do the body good. Bundle up after a meal and hit the pavement. Going for a short walk will burn some calories yes, but it will also keep you awake instead of that ‘groggy’ feeling I mentioned earlier.

Dress to Impress. It’s much easier to wear a big cozy sweater with loose fitting jeans, but if you take a little bit longer to get ready for your holiday gathering and wear something not so baggy, you will be more conscious of what you eat. The devil’s on your shoulder saying, “who cares, you’re wearing a baggy sweater no one will notice- just eat it,” won’t be as loud. Trust me, this actually does work. (And you can’t secretly unbutton your pants when your stomach expands if your top isn’t big enough to keep it hidden!) 

via pinterest

These tips may seem obvious, or they may be new to you. Either way, I hope hearing them helps. Like I said before, moderation is the key. Enjoying what the holidays have to offer is the most important thing this time of year, even if it means a few more calories. It’s better to be happy, friendly and enjoyable to be around than grumpy, stressed and constantly worried about what you are eating. Let’s be honest, no one wants to be around the ‘girl-who-only-talks-about-what-she-can’t-eat.’

Thanks again to Katie for letting me share my tips. Let me know if you have any holiday health tips to share! Wishing you all great health, and lots of happiness this holiday season!

Olivia

Cake Pops

I typically don't blog two days in a row, but I'm very excited to share my cake pops with all of you! My friend Emily has a daughter with a 7th birthday this week and had asked me to make a cake. The more we talked about it, the more we thought cake pops would be a better idea.  To celebrate they are having a "tea party" and what better way to celebrate than with cake pops!

yum!

 I have to give credit where it's due, so I did take the recipe from the lovely little blog Little Miss Momma and decorated them my own way.  Lily watched as I frosted them and I eventually gave her one off of the stick (she's too small to give the entire pop to...I worry about her choking on the stick.)

I ended up making extras and sent them with my husband to work.  He wasn't THRILLED about bringing them, but I can only eat so many cake pops without feeling like I'm going to pop myself!  The party is on Friday and I'm sure they will last until then in the fridge.  Can't wait to hear how the little ones like them.

more yum :)

But I Just Turned 21?!

I guess I will warn all of you that this post is a selfish one. Many of you will laugh but I am having a VERY hard time with my birthday, which is less than a month away. This isn’t a regular birthday either. I, Katie Moore, am going to be 30.

At this point in my life, I am staying home with Lily and enjoying it more than I ever imagined. BUT (there’s always a but) I guess when I was younger, I thought by 30 I would be running an empire of a company. Staying home with my daughter was never in the forefront of my mind and my career was always the priority.

Source: flickr Aih

I suppose I shouldn’t complain. I have the love and support of my wonderful husband who works so hard to provide for us, and never complains. He really is the rock of the family and I think especially since having Lily I appreciate him more and more everyday. He has already passed the big 3-0 with few nerves and a sense of confidence I don’t know if I could pull off.

I guess in the end, I am running an empire. The Moore Empire. Although we are small, I am in charge of the way our house operates. I can’t take sick days and I can’t ask for a substitute. Managing our house may not be what I had expected, but I have been blessed with this family that I love so very much.

Getting back to 30. I once read an article about the “30 Things Every Woman Should Know by 30.” There are some items on the list I can agree with but I wanted to put together my own list of what I THINK women approaching 30 should know. It’s not as long, and maybe not as good but nevertheless important to me.

5. It’s okay if not everyone likes you. That’s it. Appreciate the people in life who LOVE you.

4. Get your bra size re-checked every year. Trust me.

3. Learn to compromise and don’t feel defeated. It’s okay.

2. Red lipstick is always in style.

Source: flickr emma.buckley

1. Nothing beats a night in with a bowl of popcorn, an old movie and some quality family time.

I guess this post wasn’t as scary as I thought. Thanks for letting me vent blog friends!

Following Up...

I know I had posted earlier about what I would change during my second pregnancy and left it pretty open-ended. I think I’ve nailed it down to the top things I would do differently if I were to get pregnant again.

Take more pregnancy pictures
I’ve seen women who take a picture of their stomach progression every single day of their pregnancy. At first I thought “Too much work!” but after seeing a few clever photomontages, I think I’d want to try something similar. Maybe not everyday, but at least once a week! Take a peek at a few that I found here at My Life in Transition and Backwards In Heels.

Prepare with a better hospital bag
When Lily was born I brought my pajamas to the hospital. I didn’t even think to pack some of the essentials and my DH had to run out and buy stuff on the fly. He literally made 4 trips to Target and I’m sure wasn’t thrilled about it. I found the ultimate hospital bag checklist at Pregnant Chicken and she includes items I never would have imaged (trashy magazines…why not!)

Bank our babies’ umbilical cord blood
I mentioned this before and I did quite a bit of research surrounding umbilical cord blood banking. I talked to many moms (and dads!) about their decision to bank and store their child’s cord blood. I even called Viacord (my friend Meghan banked with them) to learn more and hear it “straight from the horses mouth.” A few things struck me that I thought were worth mentioning. For starters, they don’t just store the blood, they actually have to extract the stem cells from it, and if they aren’t able to obtain enough from the blood, some private banks will refund your money. One less worry! Also, when wondering what set them apart, I was encouraged to find banks like ViaCord partner with non-profits and universities to research how they can help children with diseases like cerebral palsy, diabetes, and leukemia. It’s nice to know they’re not just storage facilities.

Not eat so much
During my first pregnancy I ate 2 bagels every morning. When I think about it now, that it outrageous. I used my pregnancy as an excuse to eat double the dessert or dive into the snack bowl. I did a lot of research afterwards and found that organic foods, fruits and vegetables are much better options for pregnant women. I learned the hard way that pregnancy weight doesn’t just melt away like I had thought. Lesson learned!

With those thoughts in mind, my husband and I have talked more seriously about trying for another child and it may be sooner than we planned. I’ll make sure to keep you all posted!

...Goodbye Sandy....Hello Halloween!

I really hope the worst of Sandy is over and we can all work on repairing what she left. It’s crazy to think of such natural disaster can shake an entire coastline! We didn’t get hit nearly as badly as we had anticipated, but boy was I nervous!

If this storm had taken place before Lily was born, I probably wouldn’t have given it two thoughts. I am always skeptical about the weather and never really completely buy into what the weatherman says (sorry!)

But not this time! We stocked up on canned goods, water, candles, EVERYTHING! We have a generator that my parents gave us a while ago and I had lanterns all over the house. It’s funny how you really can’t keep the house baby-proofed in preparation for a hurricane.

Luckily, we weren’t hit with anything too major. We have a few branches down but we really faired well against Sandy. It’s heartbreaking for me to see the images coming out of New York and New Jersey. Throughout the storm, I followed Bethenny Frankel’s (from the Bravo network) tweets. She and her family were evacuated from their NYC apartment and I can’t even imagine. I would be a wreck!

I’ve been sending thoughts and prayers all week long to everyone that has been hit. I hope for a safe rebuild for everyone and you can enjoy your Halloween tonight.
Take a peek at our pumpkins:

We're going to wait to let Lily have a pumpkin of her own. She just enjoyed watching us carve. Enjoy your Halloween everyone- stay safe!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

There are many reasons why I love October. The leaves begin to change color, the air gets a tad bit cooler, the pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks comes out, and most of all everyone wears the color PINK. Not only do people wear pink, we basically live pink. Every where we look, theres pink.  The NFL (and other sports) all wear various pink items. Our local grocery store workers have all worn pink shirts this month. I have seen pink hair, pink lips, pink food even! This year, I chose to 'go all out'- well for me anyway- and honor those I know personally and all those I have never met who have been affected by breast cancer. I had a pink strand of hair put in!!! I know, crazy huh!? Breast cancer is something that has affected my life in many ways. Not to get into a lot of detail, but I know many women who have fought and survived breast cancer, and some who have lost their life to breast cancer. So I thought, why not get pink hair?! I took a photo so y'all could see (and got a little fancy with my instagram)!!! Let me know what you think- and think PINK!!

The Decision to Try Again…

Happy October!

I love my job. I wake up every morning and get to spend the day with my daughter. How much luckier can I be?

We won’t talk about the time she put my keys in the toilet, or how I don’t wear a whole lot of make-up anymore, and sometimes I miss the daily interactions with other adults ☺ I do miss all of those things (well except the keys), but this is a really special time in my life, and Lily’s!

After my husband got home last night we started talking about the idea of expanding our family. Getting pregnant with Lily was AMAZING, but it took some time and we really don’t want too large of an age gap between our children.

I have a lot of emotions about this and I’ll name a few: anxious, excited, nervous…I think these are normal and I look forward to bringing another little life into the world.

Before bringing this bit of news to the blog, I was talking about it with my mother, who always has her own piece of advice ☺ She started questioning what I will do differently this time around as a mom (in a nice way, I swear.)

One thing that I’ve become more aware of is cord blood banking. I really didn't know much about banking your umbilical cord blood when Lily was born and had NO idea how many uses it had. I like the idea that it would be there if we ever needed it. I still need to do more research, and I’ve spoken to a lot of mom’s including family friends who have banked their cord blood. I still need more information, but it is definitely something I am looking into.

Another thing that hit me is I need to learn not to sweat the small stuff. I still panic when Lily cries and assume she’s in real trouble. Half of the time she’s just hungry, or tired or just wants to cry! I’ve learned this lesson the hard way.

I wish I could leave this post open because these thoughts pop into my head and I never write them down. I suppose I’ll leave it open and forgive me if you see random “...what I will do differently...” thoughts in later posts. ☺