First Time Mom and Losing It

I am happy to say that I have been on this weight loss journey for 2 weeks now. I'm pretty proud that I didn't let my birthday derail me. I have lost another pound for a total of  11.2. Though I am no longer following the Dr. Oz Rapid Weight Loss Plan, I still watch my carbs and eat lots protein. I used to love sweets and bread so much, but being on the plan showed me I could do without it. I don't even crave them anymore. Whenever I eat carbs I make sure it is the good kind like veggies and whole grains. I never feel hungry because I eat a lot of filling things like nuts and veggies. This is some of what I ate this week:

Low Calorie Creamy Oatmeal and a GoGo Squeez

Confetti Tuna

Salmon, Roasted Potatoes and Hoisin Sesame Broccoli

My goals for next week are:

This is a continuation of the DIY Abby Cadabby Birthday Party: Boutique Style Birthday Hat #Tutorial . There you can see pictures of the party and a tutorial on the Boutique Style Birthday Hat. You can also read my post on how to create the customized party favors here: DIY Abby Cadabby Birthday Party: Customized Party Favors #Tutorial

When my daughter started on solids I would make her fresh baby food but did buy some jars here and there for convenience when I didn't have time to make fresh baby food. I thought the glass jars were so cute that I didn't want to throw them away. I thought about using them to hold spices but then came up with the idea of using them for party favors.

This is how I did it:

• Glass baby food jars (I used the stage 2 size)
• Sixlets in shimmer pink, blue and purple (I bought them by the pound in Amazon. You need about 3 pounds for 15 jars)
• Craft Paint in light blue
• Pink card stock paper (I found mine at Michael's in the scrap booking section and it had an embossed dot texture)
• 1/4" ribbon in light blue
• printer
• paper
• 1 1/2" circle punch
• 1" circle punch
• Double Stick tape

1. Dreambaby Bath Tub Thermometer - Just dip the fish into the tub and it gives you the temperature of the water.
2. Deep Steep Brown Sugar Vanilla Moisture Stick - Smells really good and it's thick so it moisturizes well.
3. Happy Baby Greek Yogurt Zucchini, Pear and Kale - My daughter refused to try it. 
4. Dr Seuss Plate - Really cute and sturdy.
5. Lunch Skinz Resuable Snack Bag - It is the size of the the snack ziplock bag so it's cute and small. 
6. Happy Tot Mixed Berry Crunch Toddler Bar - Review to follow in a future post.
7. Happy Tot Apple & Kale Crisp - Review to follow in a future post.
8. Touch and Feel Colors Book - Really cute book with lots of bright colors and textures.

My daughter loved the book and quickly pointed out a lot of things like carrots, oranges, cars. I was a little annoyed that it didn't have a little toy to play with this month. Other than that is was an ok box for the month. I look forward to getting my boxes every month. You usually get something from a company that is not too well known, so it's fun to discover new companies. If you are interested in subscribing you can click on my link below to get 50% off your first box. I would also get points to get a free Bluum box.


**I was not compensated nor received a sample or product in any away from the company. I chose to review this product on my own because I felt that it would be useful to my readers.

Living in NYC pizza is one of my favorite things to eat. I didn't want to deprive myself of pizza so I created one that I could eat anytime I had a craving without jeopardizing my weight loss journey. In the recipe below I made my own pizza sauce but you can buy it store bought. I also make my own crust because I want to know exactly what is put into it. I found a really easy recipe here.

Healthier Homemade Chicken and Bacon Pizza

• Pizza Crust from the recipe above, separate into 4 balls for individual pizzas or make one large pie

• 1 large can crushed tomatoes
• 1 can tomato paste 
• 1 tblsp olive oil
• 1/2 tblsp garlic power
• 1/2 tblsp onion powder
• 1/2 tblsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tblsp dried basil 
• 1/2 tblsp parsley flakes
• 1/2 tblsp sugar

So now I got the Lesley Gore - "It's My Party" song in my head. Yesterday was my Birthday so I decided I wanted to celebrate and eat what I wanted. I thought about it for a little bit but then came to my senses. I didn't want the hard work I put in to be all for nothing even if it was my birthday.

For Breakfast I had a delicious Dr. Oz Breakfast Smoothie.

For Lunch I had some leftover Homemade Healthy Chicken Bacon Pizza (recipe to follow in a future post).


For Dinner I had some delicious Sushi from my favorite Japanese Restaurant.


For Dessert I was gonna splurge on some chocolate or cake but then had a craving for some yummy frozen yogurt at my favorite yogurt shop.


Although everything wasn't super nutritious I am proud that I made some healthy choices and didn't overindulge just because it was my Birthday!

If you haven't already, please read my previous post on DIY Abby Cadabby Birthday Party: Boutique Style Birthday Hat #Tutorial . There you can see pictures of the party and a tutorial on the Boutique Style Birthday Hat.

I found these cute little Abby Cadabby Party Favor boxes for the kids that I needed to fill. I added some snacks, stickers, and a Sesame Street mini activity book. I needed to fill them a little more so I decided to hit the dollar store and see what I found there. I couldn't find anything that quite matched my theme so I took some mini clay and bubble containers and personalized them. The best thing was that they were each 5 for a dollar or 20 cents a piece!

This is how I did it:

• Dollar items you can personalize
• Printer
• Paper
• Double sided tape

I have been using the FitBit Flex for about a week now and have to say that it is a fun and motivating thing to have when you are on a weight-loss journey.

It is a little device that you put inside a rubber bracelet and wear 24/7. It tracks your steps, distance, calories burned and active minutes. It also tracks your sleep and gives you details on hours slept, times woken up, sleep quality and even has a vibrating alarm.

The best part of the FitBit Flex is that you can set a goal. You tell it how many pounds you want to lose and by what date and it will make a plan for you and tell you how many calories you can eat and how many calories you have to burn. It keeps track of the goal on the dash board on the website and on the app on your device. It also tracks a daily goal like calories burned or steps taken. I set it to track a certain amount of calories burned. During the day whenever I want to see how I am doing I just tap on the bracelet and it shows me a certain amount of lights. When all five lights, light up I know I have met my goal. If I see that I don't have enough lights by the middle of the day I make sure to move around more or add an exercise activity.

My attempt at showing the lights. If you look closely you can see three dots of lights.

It is super easy to wirelessly sync your FitBit Flex to your Smartphone, Tablet or computer. If I want to see a numerical value of where I am at I just go on to my iPhone and sync it. With the app you can also log your food and water intake. It will tell you how many calories you have left to eat too.

 Fitbit also has a great website where you can see a dashboard of your activities, calories in vs calories out, water intake, etc. They also have their own FitBit community where you can join different groups.


Overall I really enjoy wearing it. It makes me really proud when I see the five little lights that tell me I met my daily goal. It also kicks my tail into high gear when I don't see my lights, lighting up fast enough.

This is one of the yummy recipes I created when I was on the Dr. Oz Rapid Weight-Loss Plan and lost 10 pounds. If you want to know more about the plan you can read my previous posts:

Dr. Oz 2 Week Rapid Weight-Loss Plan
Dr. Oz 2 Week Rapid Weight-Loss Plan - Day 1
Dr. Oz 2 Week Rapid Weight-Loss Plan - Day 3
Cashew Vegetable Stir-Fry - Dr. Oz Rapid Weight Loss Plan Friendly #Recipe
Dr Oz 2 Week Rapid Weight-Loss Plan - Week 1 Review

Healthy Chicken Lettuce Taco

• chicken breast
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp Goya Adobo (if you can't find it you can just use salt)
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1 tblsp olive oil
• lettuce
• 1 roma tomato
• 1/4 of a avocado (I use the big lighter green one called a slimcado but you can use a Hass one)
• 1/4 of a small red onion
• 1/4 cup plain fat free Greek yogurt

If you are interested in the plan please read my previous posts on the Dr. Oz 2 Week Rapid Weight-Plan
Dr. Oz 2 Week Rapid Weight-Loss Plan
Dr. Oz 2 Week Rapid Weight-Loss Plan - Day 1
Dr. Oz 2 Week Rapid Weight-Loss Plan - Day 3
Cashew Vegetable Stir-Fry - Dr. Oz Rapid Weight Loss Plan Friendly #Recipe

I know everyone is different and you may not lose as much as me, but if you follow the plan to a T you will definitely lose some weight.

My honest opinion after one week:

Seven whole days down in the Rapid Weight-Loss Plan. I am definitely pretty much done with the plan for now. If I have to eat another 1/2 cup of brown rice I think I will go crazy. The hardest part was all the restrictions. No sugar, no wheat, no gluten, no artificial sweeteners, no eggs and very limited fruit and dairy. I was scrambling everyday finding something to eat. While I found and created some recipes that were very tasty, I just couldn't see myself eating them for another 7 days.

I am not saying that there is anything bad about the plan. It's just very hard to be that restrictive for 2 weeks. I do have to thank the plan for motivating me. I wanted so bad to find out what the maximum weight I could lose so I followed the plan to a T. There were times that I wanted to take a berry or grape that I was preparing for my daughter for a snack. When I cut her pancakes for breakfast I just wanted one little square. When I was making my husband a sandwich I just wanted one little bite. But I didn't, I stuck to the plan and for that I lost 10.2 pounds!

I am happy with the weight loss and thought about doing it for another week but just decided against it when I thought of the brown rice or that lemon water. I will always keep what I learned in mind. I am going to cut the carbs I eat, be mindful of any sugar I am eating and try to cut out artificial sweeteners. I will be doing this plan again for a week at a time. Maybe I will do it once a month or once every two months.

I am definitely motivated with the pounds loss and will continue on this healthy weight-loss journey. I still got a lot to go but I know I can do it!

My daughter turned one way back in May of last year. She had an Abby Cadabby theme because at the time she was obsessed with Sesame Street.  I wanted to make her birthday as cute as possible without spending tons of money. I couldn't find much in party stores so I did most of my purchases on Amazon. I did a lot of searching on Pinterest and found a lot of cute things and ideas. I am very crafty so if I see something, I can usually make it cheaper.

Birthday Table. There was also a sign and balloons not captured in the picture.

Customized cupcake stand.

Customized party favors for the kid"s goodie bags.  Clay and bubbles.

How I did the party hat:

• Printer
• White 110lb card stock printer paper
• Marabou feather boa in color of your choice
• Thread elastic
• Hot glue
• Clip art of the character of your choice (just do a google image search)

1. Go to http://ohhappyday.com/2011/02/party-hats-diy-template/ and download the birthday hat template. You can right click on the yellow circle that says "download party hat template" and click on save target as. Save it where you can easily remember where it is like the desktop.
2. Open the .PDF file you just downloaded using an image editor. I used Paint Shop Pro 9.
3. Using the paint tool, paint the entire hat the color you want. I also added pink and purple stars all around using the object tool.
4. Then I added the Abby Cadabby Face to the middle bottom of the hat. Right below the Abby face I used the text tool to add my daughter's name.
5. Print out finished hat onto the card stock.
6. Cut out around and on slit of hat. Shape into a cone and slip tab into the slit you just cut. I used some hot glue to reinforce the tab.
7. Put the hat on your child and measure around the chin where the strap would go. Add about 1 inch to that length.
8. Carefully using hot glue, glue the elastic to both sides of the hat making a strap.
9. Using hot glue, glue marabou feather boa to the bottom of the hat.
10. Take about a 4 inch piece of the marabou feather boa and fold in half. Hot glue to the top of the hat to make a pom pom.

EASIER VERSION:

• Printer
• Card stock in color of your choice
• Stickers of character of your choice and shapes like stars.
• Marabou feather boa in color of your choice
• Thread elastic
• Hot glue

1. Using number one from above download and print the template.
2. Put template on top of card stock and trace around. Adhere stickers where you want on the hat.
3. Follow steps 6-10 from above.

I first discovered SparkPeople in 2010.  It is a great website that helps support you to lose weight. As soon as you sign up you get to set your goals. How much weight do you want to lose and by what date. After you plug in this information it gives you a plan on how many calories you can eat and how many calories you need to burn.

It has a great start up page that gives you everything at once. You can quickly track your food, exercise and weight. You can see how much water, veggies, fruits you need to eat. It has tons of articles and videos for the day and lots, lots more.

It has been 4 days since I have been on the Dr. Oz Rapid Weight Loss Plan. There are lots of limitations so I couldn't use any of my old healthy recipes. I had to think quick to make things I would enjoy so I would stick to the plan. I decided I wanted a veggie stir fry that tasted good. This is how I did it.

Cashew Vegetable Stir-Fry

• 1 1/2 cups of frozen vegetables (I used the broccoli, cauliflower and carrot blend)
• 1/2 of a small onion
• 4 button mushrooms
• 1 tblsp olive oil
• a couple of drops of sesame oil
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp fresh ginger (or a sprinkle of ground)
• 2 tblsp of chopped cashews

1. Place frozen vegetables in microwave and cook using package directions (You can also use fresh. I used frozen for convenience during lunch time).
2. Chop onion and mushrooms into about 1/4 inch pieces
3. In sauté pan add olive oil, sesame oil, garlic and ginger. Keep mixing around until garlic sizzles a little. Add mushrooms and onion and sauté stirring often while frozen veggies are cooking.
4. Drain frozen veggies and add to sauté pan with onion and mushrooms.
5. Cook for about 4 minutes on medium heat until all veggies are coated with the oils.
6. Serve with 1/2 cup of brown rice (optional) and sprinkle the cashews on top of the stir-fry.

If you want more information about the Plan you can read my previous posts here:
Dr. Oz 2 Week Rapid Weight-Loss Plan
Dr. Oz 2 Week Rapid Weight-Loss Plan - Day 1
Dr. Oz 2 Week Rapid Weight-Loss Plan - Day 3

Day 2 and 3 was a bit easier because I was a bit more creative in what I ate for lunch and dinner. I liked what I ate so much on day 2 for lunch and dinner that I had the same on day 3.

I am still going to say that I hate the lemon hot water. It is just such a sour thing to drink in the morning. I am usually the type that doesn't like to eat first thing in the morning. I just hope as the days go on I get used to the lemon water. I had my smoothie for breakfast and I am really starting to enjoy it. It really does keep me full and its a great breakfast to have on the go.

Lunch for day 2 and 3 was stir-fried veggies on top of brown rice. I added a drop of sesame oil and garlic to the olive oil and it made the veggies extra yummy. I also sprinkled on some cashews for some crunch. It kind of tasted like the cashew chicken you get at a Chinese restaurant minus the chicken.



Dinner for day 2 and 3 was pan seared chicken breast with sautéed sliced Brussels sprouts and
roasted butternut squash.


Throughout the day I had cashews, macadamia nuts, and pickles. I also took my probiotic and vitamin.

I got a few comments on what a detox bath was. Since there was really no information given with the plan I did some research myself. What I do is run a really hot bath and add the 2 cups of Epsom salts and 1 cup of baking soda. I then soak for 40 minutes. The first day was not easy. I am a shower person and didn't like just sitting in the tub for that long. I didn't think I could make the 40. I kept on until my timer went off. Day 2 and 3 I decided to take my iPad in and watch some on demand TV. I watched the Biggest Loser and it really made the time go really quick. After the bath you feel like you would after a workout, tired and sweaty.

If you want more information about the Plan you can read my previous posts here:
Dr. Oz 2 Week Rapid Weight-Loss Plan
Dr. Oz 2 Week Rapid Weight-Loss Plan - Day 1

My husband started teaching my daughter numbers by counting her blocks. My little smarty pants can now count to twelve. She counts everything in her sight. She counts her blocks, magnets, dolls, even the tiles on the bathroom walls when I take her a bath. Since she memorized counting from 1 to 12, I also want her to know what each number looks like. I decided to make her some more flash cards with just the plain numbers. I didn't want to distract her with graphics and colors so I just chose a big black number for the front. I also added a second page to be printed on back of the flash cards with stars she can count for each number when you flip the card.

If you want to print the ones I made you can save the .PDF files below onto your computer. Click on the link, Download, then Direct Download. Save onto your computer where you can easily find it. Then Open the file, press File.. Print and pick the Fit option. I used 110lb card stock paper to print mine so that they would be more durable. Flip the page that printed out and put into printer properly so that page two corresponds with the numbers in front. I would test it out on plain paper first. Then just cut them out and let them have fun!

Click here to download Number Flash Card Page 1 .PDF
Click here to download Number Flash Card Page 2 .PDF

In my previous post: DIY Flash Cards for Toddlers and Printable I show you how I made them. There is also a printable for color and shape flash cards.

Today is the first day that I am following the Dr. Oz 2 Week Rapid Weight-Loss Plan. (Click Here to read my first post about the Plan with links to all the information you will need.) As soon as I woke up I drank a cup of hot water with 1/2 of a lemon squeezed in. I also took one probiotic and 1/2 of a multi-vitamin. I didn't like the water too much. No fun drinking something super sour in the morning.

During the day I snacked on some veggies like carrots sticks and some nuts. I also ate my daily Greek yogurt and some pickles. For dinner I was in a rush so couldn't think of something better so it was baked chicken breast, brown rice and some veggies. Didn't enjoy the meal too much. The veggies had corn in it which I wasn't supposed to have but I didn't have time to pick them out.



Overall I felt fine and didn't feel hungry at all. The only complaint I have is that I crave something sweet. Finishing the night with a detox bath, then the other half of my multi-vitamin and a green tea.

I just had to review this great app after seeing my daughter successfully use it. I kept reading about the Peekaboo Barn app from several magazines and mommy websites. I decided to download it and try it with my daughter when she was about 6 months old. At that time she wasn't too interested in my phone so I would play it for her on a long car ride or when she was fussy. She would always automatically look at the screen when she heard the animal noises.


Right after my daughter turned one she started to use my iPhone and iPad like a tiny little tech savy person. She knows how to turn it on, use the home button, press the buttons and click on her favorite apps. She would look at peekaboo barn from time to time. I would hear her imitate the animal names.



A few weeks ago I was completely proud when my daughter could say every single animal on the app. She would hear the sound the animal made, click on the barn doors and say each name. I also noticed her picking out and saying the animals names if they popped up on the TV or in one of her books. I had an appointment today at the doctor's office where there was a horse. She pointed it out and said horse!

I have to thank Peekaboo Barn for that. It is a simple and colorful app with many cute animals. First you hear an animal noise then you click on the door to reveal the animal. A few seconds later the word pops up and it is also said out loud.

With the new updates you can change it to many different languages. Since my daughter knows all the animals in English we now set it in Spanish. So far she has gotten a few down. You can also record your own voice for each animal.



I really recommend getting this app if you have a baby or toddler. Really worth the money. I know they have it for iPhone and I believe that have it in the google play store too.

Are there any great toddler apps your child loves?

**I was not compensated nor received a sample or product in any away from the company. I chose to review this product on my own because I felt that it would be useful to my readers.

After seeing the Dr. Oz episode last week about the 2 Week Rapid Weight-Loss Plan I decided to give it a try. I think following something were you see the number going down on the scale quick will keep anyone get motivated to continue on with the weight-loss journey.

Episode of the Dr. Oz 2 Week Rapid Weight-Loss Plan

With this diet you eat tons of vegetables, limit your animal protein and dairy, and eat only good fats. There is also a detox bath you do. You are also encouraged to sip on Green Tea. These are things I can definitely see myself doing.

Dr. Oz Rapid Weight-Loss Plan One-Sheet

It took me a few days to locate all of the items on the shopping list. I had to go to two GNC's to finally find the rice protein powder. I had to go to a couple of supermarkets to get the plain yogurt.

Shopping List

I know this diet may not be for everyone. I know a lot of you may have an opinion against this diet. I know a lot of people are thinking just moderate what you eat and exercise. I just keep putting off this weight loss journey so for me getting all the ingredients and having my plan ready actually makes me excited to start this journey.

I will be blogging about my experience on this diet here. I will be writing about what I ate, how I feel and giving recipes that follow the plan. I will definitely stop if I don't feel well on this diet.

Wish me luck! :)

My sister and I had our children fairly close. My nephew is almost 4, my niece is 2 and my daughter is 1 1/2. When I was pregnant I searched and searched for cousin t-shirts or onesies and couldn't find anything. I set out to do it myself.

I have been seeing a lot of pins on Pinterest on how easy it is to use freezer paper as a stencil. After doing some research and reading some tutorials I successfully created the pieces shown in the picture above.

Supplies

• T-shirt or onesie you want to stencil
• Freezer Paper (found in the supermarket with the aluminum foil)
• Tulip Soft Fabric Paint in the colors you want (purchased at Michael's)
• Foam stencil brush (mine was from Tulip and I bought it at Michael's)
• Exacto Knife
• Printer
• Iron

Instructions

1. Prewash your shirts or onesies to get the sizing out. Make sure the shirts are completely dry and ironed.
2. Using a word processing software like MS Word pick a font that has thick letters. The thinner the letters the harder it's going to be to cut out.
3. Type the words you want to stencil. Use the preview button to see how big the letters will print out. Adjust the font size up or down. You may want to print out a few copies of the word in different font sizes to see which one fits the best in the area you want to stencil.
4. Print it out.
5. Put the printed word sheet on top of where you want to stencil and pick which one works best.
6. Put the freezer paper on top of the printed word with the matte side up and trace with a pen. I did it on a sunny day by the window and I could see it enough to trace it.
7. Using an exacto knife careful cut out the insides of the letters. Make sure you keep the inside pieces of the letters for like an O or a D.
8. You now have a stencil. Place on top of where you want the letters to be on the shirt or onesie. Make sure the shiny waxy side is touching the shirt. (This is what makes it temporarily stick to the shirt.) Make sure to carefully put the inside pieces of the letters (for the O, D, etc.)
9. Place a thin piece of fabric on top and iron on med-high heat. Inspect the stencil and make sure every piece of the stencil has been adhered to the shirt.
10. I used a paper plate to squirt a little of the paint. Take your stencil brush and tap on the color. Take the brush and tap on top of the stencil and on the shirt. I chose to alternate the colors of the letters.
11. Let dry overnight.
12. Peel off the freezer paper and enjoy!

I apologize for not having pictures of the steps like in my other craft posts. I did this a while ago when I was pregnant and didn't think I would be making a tutorial about it. If you are confused by a step just let me know in the comments and I will do my best to help you.

I was lucky to win a gift certificate to Tiny Prints. I decided to splurge on myself and get a Monthly Planner. I was so excited when it came. It is a very good looking and colorful organizer full of different pages to get you organized. I have never seen a planner like this in an office store. They are always plain and drab.

Within minutes of getting my planner in the mail I started to plug in my post titles for the month. It was easy to just write one in each box for the day of the month. The topic ideas really came quick to me. I received my planner on 1/4 and can happily say that I have since blogged every day. Something I had planned to do for the first month of the year. I love just going into my planner and looking up what to write for the day. I think without this planner I would have missed a day or two.

This is what you get in the planner:

1. Customized title page like the picture above. I picked a simple design and just added my first name.

2. Two page calendar for every month of the year. The boxes are really spacious. I plan to also write down what I am making for dinner for the day.

• 2 large chicken breast cut into 1" cubes
• 2 small red potatoes, peeled and diced into 1" cubes
• 1 red onion, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 tblsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp Adobo powder (found in most supermarkets in the Spanish foods aisle)
• 3 tblsp Goya Sofrito (found in the Spanish section of the freezer aisle)
• 2 cans of chicken broth (not shown in picture)

1. Dump everything into the pressure cooker.
2. Mix
3. Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. (Your pressure cooker may be different than mine so please check your manufacturers manual). After the 20 minutes are up I turn off my pressure cooker and let the pressure naturally release for 20 minutes.
4. Check for seasonings and add some salt if needed (the Adobo is mostly salt so I don't tend to put extra salt in my dishes when I use it.)
5. If the stew seems too thin turn on the browning feature and cook with the top off until thickened, stirring constantly.
6. Serve over rice.