VLOG: baby bootcamp! exercises for babies beginning to sit up

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eekd7f8Zs3g&w=560&h=315]

• cop your own Therapy Disk!

• do this with your LO for just 10 consecutive minutes per day. they tire easily, so stopping / starting again later is expected

• this improves their balance, core strength, posture, stability, and endurance, and upper body strength and prepares them for crawling, standing, walking, etc.

• make sure there are plenty of soft pillows or cushions around baby in case he/she topples over. never leave them unsupervised, especially while using the Therapy Disk

• every baby develops differently at their own pace!

le

sweet toof + we stay ready

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i sent Sonny off right yesterday like i try to do every morning!  his 6 Pack USA lunches were packed and ready to GO.  cause if they aren't i will find Popeye's and Timmy Chan's receipts in the car cup holders.  hey, he's only human and so am i! which is why preparation is so important and never fails us.  unless it's a major holiday, haha.  seriously though, we practice what we preach.  we stay ready.

i whipped up some spicy cashew chicken over steamed broccoli and he made it even spicier by adding Sriracha cause he's crazy!  i used Weber all natural Kick'n Chicken seasoning blend and cooked the chicken breast chunks on high heat in my wok before adding the unsalted cashews pieces.

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  these things are one of my biggest weaknesses.  the food that i must grab a handful of every time i go in the kitchen. so by the end of the day i've had like 3 cups. lol. great source of good fat, but don't over do it.  i get mine at my local Sprouts from the bulk bins.

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welp, we finally had a successful gym trip after two straight fails.  after literally 19 minutes (both times) someone from the child center had to hunt me down because Dego was just not happy.  even when i make sure he's fed and changed immediately before dropping him off, no one else can calm him like mama. when this happened the first time last week i just bit the bullet, drove home, and made that YouTube video out of frustration lol, so something good definitely came out of a 'bad' situation!  Dego likes to reach for things and jump out of my arms these days, especially food and my phone as you can see. he's still immobile, but he will be scooting around the house soon enough.

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aaaagggh, sweet success and no need for plan B.  smiling after a full workout and i even went over time and got a warning for being late to pick up the boys! i was having too much fun. i did my 6 Pack USA leg day routine, some arc trainer for my cardio, and i even did a FIT (Functionally Integrated Training) class.  whoop! then we hit up HEB real quick to get some Quest Bars for these sweet teeth of ours.

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did i mention how much my HEB rocks!? man they always have the goodies we like.  i've been hearing a ton about Quest protein powder (even though i haven't used it in years at home) and i so want to try making protein cheesecake (and everything else i see on @pbeechi's account! love her) i see all across Instagram.  anyway, they got the Quest chips, protein powder, and pretty much every bar flavor available!  wat.  awesome sauce. when i don't eat real fruit, Quest bars are the next best thing to snack on.

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and they had coupons!

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i took advantage and got our two faves:

• DCC (pictured above) (160 cals, 6g fat, 25g carbs, 16g fiber, 20g protein)

• Cookies & Cream (180 cals, 7g fat, 22g carbs, 17g fiber, 21g protein)

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speaking of all natural sweets, we made ice cream using the Ninja blender sunday night!  man. good thing cause i sure planned on buying an ice cream maker soon.  not now!  i don't have room for it anyway.

Tropical Strawberry Ice Cream (dairy-free, all natural)

the stuff:

• 1 lb tropical frozen fruit (i used a bagged strawberry, mango, pineapple combo)

• 1 can full fat coconut milk/cream

• 2-3 packets granulated Stevia or 1/4 tsp liquid Stevia or 2 tbsp light agave nectar / pure maple syrup

• 1 tsp vanilla

do this:

1. throw everything into the Ninja

2. blend until smooth.

3. open lid and throw in 2 or 3 fresh strawberries and PULSE them lightly if you want the real fruit chunks in there!

4. stick in freezer for at least 2 hours...for best results freeze overnight.

wait 'til you see the next flavor i'm workin' on! stick around!

Q: what is your ALL time fave ice cream flavor?

A: the sweet cream at Marble Slab.... bomb.

le

because i do. Chevron Houston Marathon EXPO

we moved right on along to carrots today in the homemade baby food chronicles!

i switch new foods every 4 days or so to give any allergic reactions time to reveal themselves. we'll see what happens. i just eyeballed and simmered raw carrots + cinnamon + water until tender then puree in the Ninja. carrots are naturally sweet like sweet potatoes so they don't need any extra sugar! they also:

• slow down aging
• reduce blood pressure
• reduce risk of stroke
• helps prevent cancer
• facilitates digestion
• boosts immune system
• improve eyesight

my eyesight has been terrible for as long as i can remember.  i've worn glasses since elementary school and only need them to see far distances and to drive.  i pray the boys get Sonny's eyesight cause i am pretty much legally blind!  i hope they get his teeth too cause i went through braces, a head-gear, a retainer...the whole 9.  i'd love to get Invisialign as they are shifting again from not wearing my retainer years ago. i was so happy to be DONE with all that stuff i didn't care. but now i do. that's how it goes!

so far so good!

i've been doing solo dates once a week with Chiso for a while now and today i took him downtown to the GRB for the Chevron Houston Marathon EXPO!  i registered for the 5k while i was there and ran right into my Sorority sister and fitness expert, Crystal!  she was there to do the same thing.

only she was using the 5k for her warmup for the marathon on sunday! superwoman status!  I will be running along side her in a marathon one day, mark my words!  i have yet to do my very first full marathon, but my goal is to do a half mar sometime this year.

i can't wait until this guy can keep up and run alongside me.  i plan to put him in his first 1k this year and i am SO excited to watch him run across his first finish line.

we walked around and visited the booths for a little while,  ate Cliff Bar samples, and eventually made our way to the 'I RUN HOU BECAUSE....' wall.  i gave Chiso the marker and he started drawing shapes :D.  then i asked him, 'why do you like to run, Chiso?' and he simply looked at me and replied 'because i do.'

i didn't even ask him to explain! this time.

pose for the frame! neat idea!

then we went to Whole Foods for lunch.  we discussed his new friends in the child care center at our gym and also sports he would like to try this year.  3 is still tougher than 2 in my opinion but it has its highlights like all ages i'm sure!  i'm loving our discussions these days.  pepperoni pizza for Chi,

spring mix salad with pomegranate vinaigrette,

and a few scoops of the hot bar items for me which included: chicken fajitas w/ peppers & onions, hoke (white fish), cilantro-lime rice, and a scoop of spinach/mushroom enchiladas- they looked too good not to try!  the enchilada pan was pretty much empty and i saw why. YUM.

i got my race stuff ready as soon as i got home!  the ABB 5k shirts matched my shoes this year, how cool is that?  bib #55808 is ready to RUN! that said,

and blogging of course!  have a relaxing friday night, friends!

Q: what special things do you do for one-on-one time with your kiddos?

le