sunday family fun day

i have been teaching my 11am 24 Hour Fitness Total Conditioning class since the beginning of 2013.  i've had a crazy good time meeting so many new members and sweating our faces off together sunday after sunday for these past 9 months!   nevertheless, after having a sit-down with Sonny and fighting weeks (ok months) of conviction, i have finally decided to give it up.  even if a class inconvenienced me, leaving is always difficult.  i despise disappointing and letting people down, especially when they get a routine going and expect me to hold up my end of the bargain and be there.  i guess i despise it cause i know how it feels.    this isn't the first class i've had to leave in my 6 years of teaching, but yesterday gave me that overwhelmingly bittersweet feeling.  again.

i could barely let my supervisor know my decision let alone share my 'important announcement' with my class today.  yeah.... this is always my answer to that dreaded 'what's one thing you would change about yourself' question.

if we made it to church for early service, i felt good.  starting my sunday with Word and worship with my fam is well, the best way to start the day IMO.  however,  if we were out too late at a saturday night event (which happened all too often e.g. birthday parties, dinners,  gatherings, weddings, etc.) early service was out of the question, which meant church didn't happen at all.  i have missed church more times this year than i have in my entire life...and that is so unfair to my family.   individual worship is important to grow your relationship with God, definitely....  but church is a vital part of that growth for me and my spiritual life has suffered because of its absence.  when this happens, i have to evaluate whatever is going in my life at the time,  pinpoint those distraction(s),  and either move or remove them.  it took me 9 months to accept this, but i finally let it go.  why? because it's the best move for our family and the head of my household and heart agree.  masking those feelings of disappointment completely will come with time, but putting it that way makes me feel a whole lot better.

and i really miss going out to eat after church. lol. not just as an immediate fam, but meeting up with my parents, friends, and extended family, etc.  we have either turned down those invites or showed up super-duper late.  rushing off to the gym after service was the only thing on my mind...  if i hadn't gotten my routine together the night before, i found myself writing down moves during service instead of giving God my undivided attention.  ok i could go ON.

---------->let nothing hinder or get in the way of your worship & relationship with God or block the spiritual & emotional growth of your family.  nothing.<----------

now does this mean i won't workout on sundays anymore?  not at all! i appreciate having the option to go at a more convenient time though vs. mandatory for sure. no pressure.  those family gym dates will keep right on rolling.

 i'm so grateful for these two knuckleheads cause they are totally worth the sacrifice.  so each sunday when we do our family thing, i'll capture the moment, upload it to Instagram, and hashtag it #sundayfamilyfunday.    seeing other families spending quality time together really makes you appreciate and cherish what you have.  so if you're following me on IG, well, join in and share!  just don't forget to hashtag it #sundayfamilyfunday. eating, chilling, hanging out, exercising....WHATEVER it is you and your family do together, share it.   i have a feeling most pics will revolve around food - i know most of ours will :shock:

**********

if there's a HEB by you, fresh salmon is on sale for 6.97 a lb this week until tuesday!

 i got us a couple pounds this past weekend and i have been roasting it with hidden valley ranch dry ranch dressing mix.

Walden Farms dressings have been BOGO (buy one get one free) at Sprouts Farmers Market this week so i got the Asian and Balsamic flavors on my last trip there.

 you can use them as actual salad dressings, or as marinades for your proteins (fish, chicken, beef, shellfish).

that chicken up there turned out great (roasted it for 50 minutes on 350 degrees) and i threw it on a salad for lunch last week.

see! it's a berry almond Asian chicken salad.  romain lettuce mix, raw sugar snap peas, strawberries, cherry tomatoes, sliced almonds, roasted chicken breast (marinated and sprinkled with Mc Cormick Perfect Pinch Asian seasoning), all drizzled with a little more Asian dressing.  crunchy, crispy, fresh and healthy.

back to the salmon - i've been making these 'teriyaki' bowls by throwing everything into a container (carbs, veggies, protein, fat) and drizzling it all with one of the WF dressings.  flavorful, fresh, and addicting.  switch out any and everything for your favorites!  countless combos i tell you, COUNTLESS!!!!!!

  these fantastic sales are over this week (tuesday and wednesday), so take advantage.

we always have enough to be happy if we are enjoying what we do have and not worrying about what we don't have.

you'll always be waiting for or on SOMETHING.  take a look over your life and praise Him for all you have right, right now.  you are so BLESSED!

Q: what day of the week do you consider your family day?

le

sundayeth-fundayeth

 a few people on Instagram thought i was referring to almond milk at first i'm sure, LOL. but nope, good ol' breastfeeding.  i.... miss it.  i went for 19 months with Chiso and i plan to go just as long if not longer with the rest of the Egwuatu clan (when He says it's time).

so it's sunday, which means it was sunday-family-fun-day for us!  you can make ANY day  family fun day, of course.  just as long as you make it a point to spend time together as a family doing whatever makes you guys happy.

my bro-in-law treated us and some more fam to Great Kahn for dinner today- it's been a while!  forgot how awesome this place is.

so it's like a big salad bar. first you pick your carbs ( i chose brown rice and tortillas as you can see),

then you pick your veggies. i went crazy and stuffed that bowl to the max.  spinach, tomatoes, baby corn, zucchini, pineapple, green onion, bok choy, onions, bean sprouts, mushrooms, bell peppers, carrots.....

then you pick a seasoning. or two. or all.  i took a spoonful of every. single. one.  so serious.

then the proteins!  which are of course, yes, raw.  when we visited for the very first time, i thought this was super unsanitary;( but i got over it. shrimp, Alaskan cod,  and sliced chicken breast tenderloin.

finally, you choose a sauce!  you should know by now how i ate mine! on tha siiiiiiiide! i trust no sauce.

what a beautiful stir-fried master piece!  they throw it all on the grill and cook it up.  it was so tasty, and the price is right @ 8.99 for the lunch special.

Sonny's bowl was FULL of jalapeños unsurprisingly.

this was the bro-in-laws bowl.

then this happened afterwards as it often does. fro-yoooo!  i went light because dairy's aftermath on my body is not something i look forward to the next day:( so i got a little bit of no sugar added chocolate and vanilla fro yo, some crushed Oreos, slices almonds, sprinkles, and mini chocolate chips.

Sonny got no sugar added vanilla, crushed Oreos, peanut m&m's, and..... gummy bears? oh, ok :shock:"

new flavors up in Swirll - iced mocha and creme brulee!  Chiso loved them both.  he's a sampler, just like his mama.

Q: what are your favorite fro-yo toppings and flavors??!? birthday cake is still #1 in my book.

on a sugar high!!

speaking of sugar, here are those instructions for the homemade dark chocolate PB2 cups:

• melt 8 tbsp dark chocolate (i used malt sweetened dark chocolate from the bulk bins of HEB).

• spoon 1 tbsp of melted chocolate into the bottom of 4 different empty muffin cups (you can use liners if ya want).

• pop into the freezer for 15 minutes.

• fill with whatever your little heart desires!  a tsp of PB2 mixed with unsweetened vanilla almond milk went on top of my frozen dark chocolate bottom layer.

• top your filling (make sure it's completely covered around those edges) with another tbsp of melted chocolate.

• freeze for 25-30 more minutes

• SWALLOW!

i only left mine in for 15 minutes the second time and it exploded when i tried to make a clean center cut lol! leave it in for the full 25-30 so the filling can harden too.

who needs some monday motivation? *raises hand*. have you been tested lately?  every day, huh!  whether it be something or someone, expect it.  how you handle it is what's most important... and that's what God is waiting and watching for.  before you let your flesh try to battle these minute annoyances on its own, hold that thought, hold those words, and go to God with it first.  He will set everything up for you to overcome it- the place, the time, your surroundings,  your words... He'll not only fix it, but He'll give you complete peace about it afterwards.  our mouths and actions can get us in trouble when we do or say things that are not of Him.  i don't know about you, but i need to be reminded of that CONSTANTLY cause my flesh has a whole heck of a lot to say these days!  can you relate to that quote^ up there?  only to an extent, right?  cause some things NEED to be vocalized.  but before you unload on somebody,  let Him decide the when, where, what, how, why, and who!  put your pride aside and do it His way, first.

nite!

le