Gymnast Hero 2010

We went to Lubbock, Texas for the Gymnast Hero competition for Ethan this weekend. Last year was his first year competing and he mostly received 8th and 9th place ribbons and one bronze medal for rings. This year we weren't sure what to expect except that we know he has worked so hard this year. He received for his level(he is competing level 5 this year) 2 gold medals, 1 silver and 2 bronze. Then he received the gold for All-Around for level 5 for his age group!! After looking at the scores, if you would have ranked him for ALL of level 5 and not just those in his age group he would have received 3rd place for all who competed level 5! We were so excited for him but it was nothing compared to his excitement. Just earlier this week I told him to bike down to a friends house to see if he could play and he said "I don't want to bike. My butt hurts, especially the left cheek at the bottom" I laughed and laughed! They condition at the end of 3 hours of practice and it is tough. He has another competition this weekend and we are excited to see how he does now that the first competition jitters are over!

PS this is a picture of him before everyone was up on the podiums but it was the only one that wasn't fuzzy. I guess I was so excited I wasn't very still taking the pics!

Vampires Anonymous...

Ok, I am going to admit that I am a Twilight fan. I saw Twilight like 7 times in the theater and the movie itself sucked and was totally low-budget but I loved the books so I kept going. There is a huge split here, those who love them and those who hate them. I am really going out on a limb and announcing it but I am realizing I have this little addiction going on. So after I read the Twilight series several(7 times and the first book like 10 times) I started hunting out some other vampire books just for fun. There are 2 series I have really liked: The first is the Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz. The second is Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. I have also read The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod by Heather Brewer and it was a good easy read. I started reading the House of the Night series by Kristin Cast and PC Cast, the first one is called Marked but I didn't finish it. It was a bit much for me.

So the cat is out of the bag. I think I am not going to look for anymore, I am facing the weird addiction and getting over it so if you have some really good books to help me past the addiction, let me know!!! Or you can join my newly founded addiction group VA: Vampires Anonymous.

More recipes and workouts!

We had a fairly quiet weekend. I cleaned out the kids' rooms pretty good, did laundry, all the usual stuff. I found this recipe and tried it out tonight. It is pretty low cal so that is a bonus!

Artichoke tomato sadad

5 large tomatoes cut into wedges
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 jar (7 1/2 oz) marinated quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1 can(2 1/4 oz) sliced ripe olives drained
2 TBSP minced fresh parsley
2 TBSP white wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced

Arrange tomates on serving platter. sprinkle with salt and pepper. in a small bowl combine rest of ingredients. spoon over tomatoes. Refridgerate leftovers.

3/4 cup=74 calories, 5 g fat, 0 cholesterol, 241 mg sodium, 7 g carbs, 2 g fiber 1 g protein.

This weeks workout is the same as last weeks! Make sure you are doing at LEAST 20 min of cardio but preferably 30 min!

Grecian Garden Salad

I fixed this last night and it is yummy and low cal!

Grecian Garden Salad

1 1/2 cups fresh asparagus(1 inche pieces)
3 medium tomatoes seeded and chopped
2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
4 1/2 tsp minced fresh basil or 1 1/2 dried basil
1 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup(4 oz) crumbled feta or 4 lite mozzerella cheese stick chopped

In large saucepan, bring 3 cups water to a boil. Add asparagus: cover and boil for 3 minutes. Drain and immediately place asparagus in ice water. Drain and pat dry. Transfer to a serving bowl. Stir in tomatoes.

In a small bowl, wisk vinegar, basil, oil, salt, and pepper. Drizzle over vegetables; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Just before serving, stir in cheese.

Nutritional facts: 2/3 cups equals 92 calories, 5 g fat, 10mg cholesterol, 579 mg sodium 6 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 5 g protein.

this weeks workout

Sorry I am behind in getting this weeks workout up.

Legs: Super set these exercise. That means to do a set of one then do the other exercise and then back to the first, then the second etc... I have grouped them in pairs so you know what to superset. 3 sets of each with 15 reps per set.

Legs: King squats, leg press

Wall ball squats, leg press

sumo squats, lateral leg lifts

Chest/Back: Push ups, pull ups

bench press with dumbbells, seated cable rows

Chest flys on bench, terry pulls(using a crossover if you attend a gym)

Biceps/ tricpes: Isolated curls, dips

Alternating curls with dumbells, kickbacks

Low cable curls, tricep press with ropes or bar on a crossover section

Shoulders: front raise, lateral raise, shoulder press and shoulder deadlifts

Anything you don't know how to do, look up on the internet for pictures, video and explanations!

Ahhh.....

I just had a great day. I worked out. Then had a client then headed off to get a massage, a facial and haircut thanks to my hubby! He got me gift certificates for massages and facials for my birthday last month. It was such a relaxing day. I am so relaxed, it is hard to want to do anything. I think it is going to be a movie night!(of course I still have to go get Ethan from gymnastics, an 1 1/4 hour round trip, and paige has a friend spending the night) It sounds good just to snuggle up with Paul and watch something funny...I got him season 5 of the office for Christmas. That could be a fun evening!!

Sorry I keep putting these posts on the business but its just to inform you(because not all of you are on my business email list) that:

Dew-drops is having a huge Winter Clearance Sale!!!(www.dew-drops.com)

These watchband bracelets are 50% off until January 31, 2010:
Aztec
Black Passion
Blue Alien
Blue Dreamsicle
Blue Ice
Blue Splash-Crochet
Burnt Ice
Cream Bone
Fruit Passion
Green Galore
Green Lamp-blown
Green Passion
Jolly Rancher
Ketchup and Mustard
Mayan
Orange Lamp-blown
Purple Haze
Purple Passion
Rainbow Bright
Red Bling
Skyblue Passion
Topsy-turvy turquiose
Tribal
Yellow Brick Road
Yellow Saturn
Hope you find something you like! These are an awesome deal. We are getting rid of inventory and getting ready for NEW BRACELETS!

This weeks workout...

This weeks workout is the same as last week! one more of this and then something new!

Last night I took Matthew and Ethan, my two oldest boys, to the UTEP/BYU basketball game. Paul would have come but he was recovering from being severely sick. It was a great game and BYU won. It was fun being the minority and rooting for BYU. I am surprised I didn't lose my voice for all the yelling we did!

I fixed something new tonight for dinner. Everyone liked it and it was different and healthy!

Chicken and Spinach Pasta

1 1/2 cups uncooked whole grain medium pasta shells
1 med onion, chopped
1 large portobello mushroom, chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp olive oil
1 TBS all purpose flour
1 c. fat free milk
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 1/2 c. cubed cooked chicken breast
1 pkg. (10 0z) frozen spinach thawed and squeezed dry
6 TBS shredded parmesan, divided
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Cook pasta according to pkg directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, saute the onion, mushroom, and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in flour until blended. Gradually add milk and broth. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the chicken, spinach, 3 TBS parm. cheese, lemon juice, pepper and pepper flakes. Heat through. Drain pasta, toss with chicken mixture. sprinkle remaining cheese.

It was surprisingly good(I sprinkled a little additional salt and pepper on mine) and all the kids ate it(some picked out the mushrooms).

Another Yummy Dish and Another workout!

This was the best salmon I have ever eaten!!

4 salmon fillets(4 oz each)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp lemon-pepper seasoning
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp salt

Place salmon on double layer of heavy duty foil. Mix the above together and sprinkle over top of salmon.

Top with:
1 small onion, cut into rings
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped.

Fold foil over fish and seal tightly.
Grill covered, over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until fish is flaky(I cooked mine for 20)

I fixed this with whole grain noodles and asparagus and believe it or not, all of my kids loved it!!

Todays workout:
Full upper body to jumpstart the New year
Do 3 sets of each exercise. Superset them in Pairs(meaning do one set than a set of the other exercise paired with it then back to the first one then second and so forth)

Back and biceps: Lat pulls and alternating curls
bent over row and low cable curls

Chest and Triceps: bench press with dumbells and tricep press with ropes
chest flys on the bench with dumbells and single arm over head tricep extension

Shoulders: lateral raises and shoulder press

Abs: oblique crunches

WEDNESDAY WORKOUT: JUST DO 30-45 MINUTES OF CARDIO AND REST THOSE MUSCLES. THURSDAY WE REPEAT MONDAYS EXERCISES AND FRIDAY WE REPEAT TUESDAYS EXERCISES! HAVE FUN!

Monday workout

Legs today:
This is done in a circuit
Static lunges(10 pulses each side)
Wall ball squats(15 reps)
Hamstring curls(15 reps)
Lat leg raise(for adductors AKA the outer thigh)15 reps each side
Abs: Leg lifts on bench. Lay on back on bench grab the bench with your hands by your head, raise legs to 75* and hold it. lift legs to 90* and back to 75* 15 times for 3 sets!

Happy 38th Birthday Paul

Happy 38th birthday to Paul yesterday! He is now almost 40!! We had a great day.

I made this super yummy fabulous banana cake! Here is the recipe:

Banana Cake

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs, beaten

2 cups flour, sifted
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp baking soda(added to pureed banana)
3 pureed bananas, very ripe

Cream cheese frosting: beat together butter and cream cheese then add sugar and vanilla.
1/2 stick of butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 1lb box powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions for cake:
Preheat oven to 350* grease and flour 2 9 inch pans or 1 9x13

cream butter, sugar and eggs. sift flour several times then add salt and baking powder and stir. To the cream mixture, add flour mixture and milk alternating, starting and ending with the flour. Add Vanilla and pureed banana/baking soda mixture.
Bake 9" for 25-30 minutes and 9x13" pan for 35-40.

My favorite new cake!

We got a new home gym for our birthdays. It is awesome. It was nice to get up and go to the garage and workout rather than doing my hair and makeup to go to the gym. We have the home gym(a completely awesome Hoist PTS-ENS3), the bowflex(donated by the Taylors) and the elliptical and the treadmill(this also donated by the taylors!) For a complete gym with so many options!

I trained 2 clients today at my house and have 3 tomorrow!

This is the year Paul swears to get in shape so if any of you know him and have his cell, every once in a while you should text him to see how it is going!;)

We are also going to be doing a January Winter Sale for dew-drops.com so if you want an email with this months promotion, please contact me!(dewdrop_jewelry@yahoo.com) It's going to be a really good one this month!