I am hopping the Kelly’s Korner carnival this week to show you some of my joys.

Family…

My beautiful son.

Our delightful daughter who will be joining us this summer.

My mom and sister.

My sister-in-law.

My brother and sister-in-law.

My adorable yellow lab, Juno.

Good Friends…

Things that fill my life with joy…

This week I have just been radiating with gratitude and love for my wonderful marriage, family, friends, new church family, my lovely online community, being a stay at home mom, and all the small things that make life oh so wonderful.

Thanks so much for stopping by! What are your favorite things??

© 2010, Amy. All rights reserved.

You all know that I am expecting, but that will not keep me from participating in this awesome link up with Kelly’s Korner to chat about fitness, one of my favorite topics!

My husband is in the Army, and we live on Fort Bragg, which is home to the U.S. Army’s Special Operations.  So let me just tell you—I live around a lot of VERY FIT people, who have perfected techniques to be in peak physical shape.

Shhh…Don’t let them know…but I’m going to share some of the secrets of elite soldiers.

Most soldiers around here follow this or a similar plan, although they all have the same basic ratios (high protein, high fat, low carb diets).

Diet: Primal Blueprint. My husband stuck strictly to this diet and lost 20 pounds in two months last year. His father and sister began this diet last week and lost 6.6 lbs. combined. The idea is that we still have caveman bodies in a modern world.  Our bodies are not equipped to deal with all the processed and dead food we consume.  You need loads of fresh fruit and vegetables and the right kinds of meats.   You can learn a lot about it on the internet, but the mainly you need to know the ratios.

40% protein, 40% fat (good fats), 20% carbs

(You will find fit soldiers will do the Primal Blueprint or one that is very close, the Paleo diet.)

Workout: Crossfit is made up of about 90 or so different workouts that they draw from to pick a daily one.  So each day you go into the gym and do something different.  Some days you focus on cardio, other days Olympic lifting, and you’ll always find plenty of push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups and squats. The workouts are short and usually explosive.  Don’t be intimidated by any of it!  It is FUN! FUN! FUN! (Kelly Clarkson was quoted saying she loves Crossfit because she feels like G.I. Jane.)

You can also incorporate some of these ideas at home, like the tabata.  I was recently interviewed in the Toronto Globe and Mail about these efficient workouts. You can find the story here.

Finally, I’ve heard so many super-fit soldiers say that they have given up on protein shakes, and have replaced them with chocolate milk!  They say it is a near perfect combination of proteins, carbs and fat to replenish the body after a workout.

I don’t know about you, but friends, I don’t need further convincing to down a tall glass of chocolate milk!  Thanks so much for stopping by! Hope to hear your thoughts and ideas about diet and exercise, too.

© 2010, Amy. All rights reserved.

**If you are a spouse of ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY service member enter to win a  “Borders Sony Touch Giveaway” **

Here are the things I am working on for the New Year!

1. (This one is easy!)  I want to become a better Christian. We have struggled to find a church family in our city, and my goal is to let God show us the right church and become a part of that community.  I also want to participate in a Bible study this year and maintain a strong daily practice that brings me closer to God.

2. I want to become a better wife and mom.  My husband is the greatest man on Earth and I want to be the best possible companion for him. And my husband’s happiness level is pretty easy to predict: (generally) if I am happy, he is happy.   So half of my challenge is remaining positive and thankful during trying times, because it would have a huge effect on him.  I also want to eradicate the “scoreboard” in my mind over who has done what and how often:)

This year I want to devote more time to teaching Jackson, getting him around other kids and being “more present” with him when we are together

3. I want this pregnancy to be super healthy.  With my first son, Jackson, my pregnancy was overall pretty healthy, but I was working a lot (teaching Kindergarten) and too frequently eating candy and treats.  Since I am a SAHM, choosing healthier options and exercising several days a week should be easier for me to swing. I want to feel like I did the best that I could when we go to the hospital to deliver.

I know the second line is faint, but a blood test confirmed it:)

4. I want to think bigger and more positively this year. I have been monitoring a lot of my “self talk” over the past few weeks and I want to change any negative tendencies and thoughts.  If you know me IRL, you might be puzzled because I am a bright and cheery person, but I would like to further refine my thoughts and eliminate limitations.

5. I want to be a better friend. Since my husband is in the Army, we have moved around quite a bit over the last few years.  It has been difficult for me to maintain the same closeness with friends who are hundreds of miles away.  But seriously, with cell phones, the internet, Facebook, Twitter, connecting with other on a regular basis should not be a problem!!  I could be better. I will be better this year!

How about you?!  What would you like to change in this electric new year?

(To see what other bloggers are resolving to do in 2010, go to Kelly’s Korner.)

© 2010, Amy. All rights reserved.

Today I am so excited to participate in Kelly’s Korner “Show Us Your Life” series because it involves one of my most favorite things—college sports!!

If you are new here, I am Amy, a new mom (Jackson is now eight months old) and an Army wife.  In a former life (or so it feels!) I was a teacher, but with an infant, my new job is being a happy Stay-At-Home-Mom.  With the military life,  home tends to move around quite a bit!!

Although I went to college in Kentucky, I did not attend either of the two big state schools, the University of Louisville or the University of Kentucky.  That did not, however, keep me from becoming a HUGE University of Louisville Cardinals fan.

If you are not from that area, you may not know there is a big rivalry between the two teams.  We are not in the same conference, but the game means so much to the fans.  Basically, you are insured bragging rights for months.  (I know we lost the football game a couple weeks ago, but I would rather not discuss that:)

Fall brings such fond memories of going to Louisville’s Cardinal stadium with my friends and tailgating.  How I loved the food on the grill, corn hole games, then watching my favorite team!  This is one of the things I miss most about Louisville.

Since my husband is not here right now, we are visiting family and I don’t have access to my old photos. YIKES!!  But I did find a few, so I would love to share them with you.

Angela, Pam and Brietta enjoying the game

Tailgating at a UK/U of L game

Beat those CATS!

Jackson says, "C-A-R-D-S"!

Football is great, but I love basketball!  L-O-V-E!  Jackson and I had so much fun this year watching March Madness.  Okay, okay, he was only a month old!  But it was obvious that he will be a sports fan:)  Our basketball team has been on *FIRE* since Rick Petino took over several years ago, but our football team (sadly) has been on the decline in recent years.

When I met my husband, he tricked me into thinking he cared as much about sports as I did.  HA!  Only after the vows were said, did I realize that he only liked U of L because he saw how happy it made me.  He is a Northerner, so I forgave him;)

So, who is looking forward to some football this weekend?! Go CARDS!

(P.S. Lately I have seen a lot of Arkansas fans saying “wooo souie”??  Is that right? What in the world does that mean?)

© 2009, Amy. All rights reserved.

Kelly’s Korner has the fabulous “Show us your life” series and this week I decided to jump right in.

The topic: baby gear.

My husband and I are self-proclaimed “gear people,” which is just a nicer way of saying WE LOVE STUFF.  Haha!  With an eight month old bouncing around, baby products are often on my mind.

Here are my top five picks for infants

1. Baby Bjorn

Although I don’t follow many of the Attachment Parenting guidelines, I found that baby wearing is great for us.  It has allowed us to bond quite a bit, and I can get a lot done (cleaning, shopping, walking) with him right next to me.  Dr. Sears says that babies who are “worn” experience higher cognitive development because they are learning about the world from our (literal) perspective, rather than from the floor level.  This puts them in a state of “quiet alertness.”  Now that he weighs 18 or 19 pounds, he is a little heavy for me, so I have to be picky about when it is used.  (My cap is around 30 minutes at a time.)

2. Bouncy Seat

Jackson does not fit in the bouncy seat any longer, but it was a TOTAL LIFE-SAVER when I needed to take a shower, cook or work out during the first few months.  We were given this as a gift, and it was EASILY one of the most used items he had.

3. Jumperoo

My little guy is lucky enough to have two Jumperoos!  We have one at our house and one at Grandpa’s house.  At home, we have the Fisher Price Rainforest model, which is around $90; but at Grandpa’s he has Fisher Price’s Laugh and Learn model, which is right at $100.

HANDS DOWN—The Laugh and Learn is SO MUCH COOLER!!

It has everything!  If you are in the market for a Jumperoo, I would definitely recommend it. Jackson just loves it and gets so excited when he gets to play in it.

4. Bottle cleaning dishwasher baskets

These make my life SO much easier.  Simply place the bottles into the basket and run them with the dishwasher.  For the first few months, I did everything by hand, but now it is hard to believe how much effort and time I put into washing his bottles.  When they are eating every few hours, you have a lot of bottles to clean!

5. Microwave Bottle Sanitizer

Once the pediatrician said we had to start supplementing nursing with formula (because he wasn’t gaining weight), I bought a microwave bottle sanitizer, which has worked like a charm. You can sanitize six bottles at once, and you are done in four minutes.   Compared to the traditional sanitizers that you have on your counter, these are much easier to transport.

Heidi at The Fabulous Life in the STL gave some outstanding advice for new moms.  And my favorite…do not buy in bulk in the beginning!! You will not have a lot of free time on your hands for the first couple months, so you don’t want to spend those precious hours taking back items that just don’t work for you.

What are your “must haves” and tips for new mamas?

© 2009, Amy. All rights reserved.