Wordless Wednesday

Another Cute Kid Contest

This time its not my contest, but my friend Christina from Atlanta has her daughter in Atlanta's cutest contest HERE ... if you guys could swing by and vote for her (#24) that would be great! The photographer hosting it is Laura Brett, a friend of mine :)

Good morning Coffee!

I don't know about you guys, but I completely admit to needing a cup (or two) of coffee every morning. I don't know how I went the 9 months of pregnancy without it, but I did..somehow. However, I have spent some time researching the benefits of coffee and how it can actually help us. Here's what I found.

Research shows that coffee can lessen the risk of heart disease, Parkinson's Disease as well as gallstones. Coffee also is a powerful natural antioxidant. From a fitness standpoint, having a a cup of coffee before exercising can boost performance. It can help you feel more alert and for some reason is linked to longer endurance.

Now of course here is a limit. Coffee can cause dehydration, so its important to drink extra water if you are a coffee drinker. Its also important not to overdue it. 1-2 cups of coffee a day are fine, but when you are drinking an entire pot-- the coffee can actually be in your system up to 12 hours after you drink it. This is what happens when you have trouble settling down for the night.

So the bottom line is that go ahead and enjoy that cup of coffee, followed by a cup of water... I know I will!

Photo Contest -- VOTES NEEDED!

The photo contest on my photography blog I was telling you all about is now up and running and needing votes :)

VOTE HERE!

Power 90 X

So before we had Bella, Jerry and I would go to the gym together to workout most days of the week after work. It was a good bonding time together and we enjoyed it (ok well I did anyway, haha). Of course our schedule has completely changed since having a baby, change in work schedules for both of us and no longer having a gym membership. I am a little more dedicated to getting a workout in than Jer is, but I still admit to getting bored very easily from doing the same thing and I also lack motivation when I'm by myself and only have an hour or two kid-free a day.

This past week though, Jerry and I started doing the very popular home workout series-- P90X with Tony Horton. Its a 12 week subscribed program. You do it all at home. It is 7 days a week. Very hardcore! I am skeptical however of most home workouts because most of them are not challenging enough for me. Turbojam is one of the only home workouts I continue to use on any sort of regular basis.

We just completed week 1 yesterday. I am SORE!! I completely can recommend this workout so far. I will keep you guys posted on progress and results. Personally I am not looking to loose weight, but there are some areas I wouldn't mind toning up a bit. Jerry wants to loose about 20 pounds (that he gained when I was pregnant but then didn't loose it after she was born). So far so good! I will say the best thing about this is doing it with Jerry... and the fact that it is getting him to exercise consistently again. We've had to do it late at night after Bella goes to bed (around 8pm) so it's a little hard to do it that late at night but having someone to do it with really helps, and at least this way we are uninterrupted.

This is what the week included:

Friday: Chest/Back/Abs... 1 hour of pull-ups, push-ups and a really hard ab workout. By far the hardest day of the week. I was sore for like 4 days afterward, LOL!

Saturday: Plyometrics.. 1 hour. I am in very good cardiovascular shape, so I really liked this one :)

Sunday: Shoulders/Arms/Abs..1 hour. I also did 20 minutes of cardio on the elliptical.

Monday: Yoga.. this yoga worout is 90 minutes. A little long for my taste.

Tuesday: Legs/Back/Abs..1 hours. The ABS WORKOUT AGAIN?!! hahaha yes. And yes my abs still hurt, LOL.

Wednesday: Kenpo...1 hour. This is similar to Turbokick so I liked it a lot!

Thursday: Rest dat yahoo!!



In addition to this I am still teaching Turbokick once or twice/week.


So far its been a good change and I'll keep you all posted. So far, P90X is one of the best home workouts I've tried! You can find out more about it here.

Fresh Face Contest

I just wanted to let you guys all know about the contest running on my other blog :) Be sure to enter your child for a chance to win a free session! Entries can be submitted until Feb 18th at 5pm, voting begins February 20th an runs until February 24th. Whoever gets the most votes wins... so its up to my readers!!

Can't wait to see your entries!!

View more details HERE!

The perfect body

As a photographer, I use photoshop for my photo editing. Its essential in the biz. As a mother, I want my daughter to grow up confident in herself no matter what size she may be (although I want to help her learn to live a healthy lifestyle). I came across this video on you tube today about how far you can take photoshop to get the "perfect body". Pretty disturbing in many ways. Just a reminder out there for all of you that what you see on the cover of magazines is most likely NOT what these people look like in real life!

FREE Newborn Photos

Those that know me well know that I love sales! Since I'm having a big one myself this month I wanted to make sure and let you all know about it. Mandy Leonards Photography is offering complimentary newborn sessions if they are booked in the month of February. Newborns must be 14 days old or younger to be eligible. So... if you know someone that is currently pregnant or has a new baby-- send them my way! If you are the one who refers them and they book, you will also receive a $50 credit at your next session! :)

View details HERE!

Recipe Share: Hot Tamale Pie

Recipe Share: Easy Tamale Pie

I made this last night for the first time and it was a hit in our house! Super easy too :)

1 box of corn muffin mix (like Jiffy)
1 large onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, seesd removed and minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp cumin
1 15oz can black beans
1 14oz can fire roasted tomatoes
4 oz pepper jack cheese shredded (I used low fat)
3 cups of shredded chicken from rotisserie (saves time!!-- I only use white meat)
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped


Preheat oven to 450. In a skillet, spray with nonstick olive oil spray. Add onion, jalapeno, garlic, cumin and cook about 5 minutes. Then add tomatoes, beans, chicken and simmer about 5 more minutes.

In seperate dish, mix corn muffin mix with 1 egg and 1/3c skim milk. Spray a baking dish and pour in chicken mixture. Top with corn muffin mix. Bake in oven until knife comes out clean, about 10-15 minutes.

Serves 4-6

The Great Nap Transition

Those of you with children will understand this post. The nap transition. Its tough, unpredictable and a pain the rear end. We are there. We've been there for like 2 months now... and its still a day by day thing.

Bella just turned 16 months a few days ago. She started her babyhood as a terrible sleeper. I hardly slept at all for the first 3 months of her life. I was convinced that I would never sleep again and it really held a toll on me. However, thankfully, Bella became a wonderful sleeper as she grew older. I will never claim any one thing did it because I truely believe that different things work for different families and that really in the end, the kid is the one that decides when he/she will sleep. I was consistent with nap times, wake up times and routine and maybe it helped, but who will really know?

So as we approached the 6 month mark Bella was on a wonderful 2 nap schedule. 2 naps a day, 2 hours each like clockwork plus 12-13 hours of nighttime sleep. Fabulous! She continued to do this every day until about 13 months or so. It has been since then that we have entered this transition time. Most people have told me that she is ready to go down to one nap. Well, I tell those people, yo utry keeping up a cranky 16 month old at 10:30 in the morning and tell me how much you enjoy it, haha! So we definitely play it by ear each day. Some days still she wants one nap. Some days she was two. Somedays the 2 naps are 2 hours. Somedays they are 45 minutes. I wish I knew when it would transition to one solid nap, but I don't. Eh, the life of a mother!

Anyway, just a little post to let all the mommas out there know that whatever they are going through in terms of sleep or routine issues with their little ones, they are normal. They are not bad parents. And somehow, someway we will all make it through and have happy healthy children. And when they are teenagers we will look back and laugh at the fact that they didn't want to nap now!

Making the time

One thing that I have realized since having a baby 16 months ago is how much harder it is to have a consistent workout schedule. Now you are talking to someone who has always been very good with routine and consistency. The one thing that I always have been good at is keeping a schedule. Call it the type A personality if you want, but whatever it is -- it works for me! However, Isabella has changed that mindset a bit. She has her OWN schedule and she doesn't care if I want to workout, sleep till 9 or have some quiet time. It isn't about *me* anymore. We don't have a gym membership with a daycare (not in the budget) so its an ever evolving process for me to find the time to workout.

However, not exercising is NOT an option for me. As I have said in previous posts, its a part of my lifestyle, and its a stress relief for me. Its only an hour most days of the week. In reality, thats not that much time. You just have to make it. Its not the best time of the day ever, but since the holidays the time I do this to make sure it gets done is 6am. This is before Bella wakes up. I get it done before anyone else is awake and then I have my whole day ahead of me! It is hard to get out of bed most days-- but once I do and get it done , I feel GREAT. There are no excuses in terms of needing to run errands or being too hungry for dinner.

So the moral of the story is ... make the time. Make the time for whatever is important to you. Exercise may not be everyone's priority in life, and thats okay -- but I challenge you to make *some* time for it in your week.

Happy moving!

Long time no talk...

Hellooo everyone. It has been a very long time since I updated the blog! I do apologize for being scarce. Life has gotten ahead of me and been very busy lately. My photography business has been growing and keeping me very busy, which I am loving. I also have had some new changes in my schedule in the past few months which have made it more difficult to keep up with everyone on both of my blogs!

Anyway, I have had some recent requests for updated posts and recipes/tips so I am going to be setting aside some time to keep you all in the loop.

You can also always visit my recent photography work at: MANDY LEONARDS PHOTOGRAPHY

Magical

So yesterday I had lunch with my Aunt Peri-- with Bella. We had a really nice afternoon and lots of time to talk. I was telling her all about my love for fitness--which she already knew-- as well as my love for the art of photography. We were talking about how different things can become as you grow and learn. Here is what I am talking about.

When I was in high school-- people would ask me what I wanted to do when I grew up, and I always thought I wanted to be a doctor or a vet. Mostly because I enjoy helping people, and because I thought it would be a smart career move. However, I ALWAYS really really wanted to be good at something creative. I yearned to be able to do something magical, something unique that only I could do. That would bring me joy. I enjoyed singing (and still do) but I had to work REALLY hard at it... and while I don't think I suck at it, I was never "magical" (unless you ask my mother, hahaha). So I went on to college and majored in pre-vet.

Fast forward. College. I struggled in organic chemistry SO MUCH. I had a tutor, spent HOURS and HOURS studying to barely pass a test. It was so frustrated, felt so defeated. However, I did manage to get throug hschool well and actually graduated with a decent GPA.

Then came grad school. What the heck do I want t do? I had no idea. Really, no clue. My mom, who has always been my hero of sorts-- my inspiration -- is an amazing social worker. I thought hey, I would be good at this. So off to get my MSW I went. Was I good at it? Yep. Did I enjoy it? Ehhhh... not really. I enjoyed getting to know my clients and having a helping hand. But I was bored. Did not get that excited feeling about my work. I dreaded going some days :(

Then came Bella. My favorite part of my life so far!!! During my social work career, I also started dabbling in personal training and nutrition, a long term hobby of mine. It came VERY naturally. I loved actually seeing the joy in people's faces after spending time with me and I enjoyed sharing my love for health and fitness with others. I still do.

I have been however, still be yearning for that "magical" piece. Its so hard to explain-- but thats the best way I can put it. Anyway, Bella -- herself -- is my magic in my life. No doubt about it. And having Bella re-sparked my interest in photography (something I was interested in high school/college as well-- took classes etc). I've became obsessed with it really! And as I have grown my photography business-- I have found that part that was missing. I feel creative for the first time in my life! WOWZERS! What an amazing feeling.

Anyway, this long winded post has a point, I think :) The point is that my aunt and I were talking about how no women in our family put all of their eggs in one basket. We have multiple paths we have walked down in our lives, and that is FINE! My mom for example-- is an amazing social worker, but she also has a natural talent in broadcasting (for real.. a total natural) and she also is amazing at knitting (i'm trying to get her to start selling it...). My aunt is high ranked in the air force, teaches sign language, works in marketing/management AND can DJ her butt off at a wedding or event.

Needless to say, we are multi-faceted :) And I looked at Bella at the lunch table and told her.. "Bella you can be just like us. It keeps life interesting. It keeps it magical."

My own family Pictures

I had the amazing opportunity to have some family portraits taken this weekend. You would think that being a photographer myself, that I would have tons of wonderful pictures of my own family. Not so much! Bella alone? Yup. But all of us together is hard when you are always the one taking the pictures!! So I took a little road trip this weekend and met my amazing friend and photography mentor, Christine. She took these pictures for me that I will cherish forever. I owe a lot to her as well. She has been my mentor along the way and is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G at what she does!

Some Goood Skin

I like sales and good deals. But there are definitely some things that I tend to buy the best of the best, even if the price tag is higher. Camera gear is one for obvious reasons and the other things are hair and skin products. I usually call my self a product "ho" because I tend to love trying new ones but usually only like the expensive ones, haha! I always blame my mother who started me off on Clinique when I was only 10 years old.;)

Anyway, the skin care line that I use now, and have used for many years going is Arbonne. I love them. Their products are all natural, do not have any artificial fragrances or chemicals. I cannot speak higher of their Re9 skincare line-- and they are also a wonderful company. I get asked what skincare I use often, so here I'm putting it out there for all of you to see! My friend Marcy, who I buy all of my Arbonne products from is currently offering a sale for the month of November. She is offering 50% off any skin care set an 35% off any other order. That is something to be thankful for! Be sure to hit her up if you need some skin care products! Her website can found HERE.

Recipe Share! Chicken Tortilla Casserole

Its been awhile since I've shared a healthy recipe, so here's a new one for you all! Yummy yummy! I got the idea from a recipe from Eat Better America. If you haven't checked out that website, you should!!


Chicken Tortilla Casserole

1	can (10 3/4 oz) 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
1	can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles
1	container (8 oz) fat-free sour cream
1/2	cup fat-free (skim) milk
1 1/2	teaspoons chili powder
1/2	teaspoon ground cumin
2 1/2	cups shredded cooked chicken breast
8	yellow corn tortillas (6 or 7 inch), torn into bite-size pieces
1	medium green bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)
1	large tomato, chopped (1 cup)
1 1/2	cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese or Mexican cheese blend (6 oz)

1.	Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix soup, chiles, sour cream, milk, chili powder and cumin until blended. Stir in chicken, tortillas and bell pepper. Stir in tomato and 1 cup of the cheese. Spoon and spread mixture in baking dish.
2.	Cover with foil. Bake 40 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake uncovered 5 to 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and mixture is bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes.

Nutritional Information
1 Serving: Calories 270 (Calories from Fat 100); Total Fat 11g (Saturated Fat 5g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 60mg; Sodium 610mg; Total Carbohydrate 22g (Dietary Fiber 2g, Sugars 4g); Protein 22g

Finally clapping!

Well B turns 13 months old today and she finally decided to clap. HAHA! She runs, has pretty much all of her teeth, laughs hysterically, shakes her head yes and no, says "whats that?" a million times a day, and will go get anything (lovey, milk, ball) if you ask her to. But, up until yesterday the girl refused to clap. We would end up looking like idiots trying to get her to clap and it was just amusing. Haha. Finally, though she gets it, and thinks its pretty darn funny :)

She also is experiencing quite a bit of stranger anxiety lately. Poor kiddo. I thought we had escaped it but not so much. If I'm around, no way jose, are you going to be able to hold her. And -- if I take her out in public she clings to me for dear life. Grandpa Steve is the only one she really wants to be around just as much as me, and we've decided that could be because he is like a big toy to her, haha! She DOES love her Mimi (my mom), her daddy and her Grandma Becca-- but she is definitely a Mommy's girl these days. I can't say I mind it-- most of the time-- but sometimes I just want to be able to pee in peace!

An example is yesterday. I went to the chiropractor because I messed up my neck somehow. I took Bella with me and she SCREAMED her head off every time I put her down. So she pretty much sat on my lap the whole time-- and let me just say for the record that getting adjusted with a 13 month old on your lap is not easy. Unfortunately for me-- part of the reason I've hurt my neck so much is from carrying my 22 pound child around all day.

She is a doll though. And I couldn't love her more.

In other news.... I'm stretched pretty thin these days with all of my various jobs/hobbies/committments and so I'm trying to prioritize again. Its not an easy decision really, but I have got to figure something out so that I'm not pulled in 25 different directions.

Where have I been?

Where have I been?? I have been neglecting my blog, and I apologize! The past week has been very busy in our household. My photography business has really been taking off, between that and chasing a running 13 month old, I haven't had as much time to post as usual. I shot my first wedding this past weekend and had an absolute wonderful time. You can view some of the pictures HERE. I am thrilled with how they came out. As nervous as I was, I was incredibly comfortable once I got there and let my creative juices flow. I had an amazing time and really think I may have found another niche for me and I am so excited!!

From a fitness standpoint-- I also got sick this past week. Had a headcold, so I didn't workout for a few days. I HATE being sick and not being able to workout :( I get asked a lot what to do when you are sick. I am a big advocate of listening to your body. If you feel like you need rest, then rest. Missing 1 orr 2 workouts will not hurt your progress. Generally, a good rule of thumb I have found is that if you miss 2 weeks, its like missing 4 weeks. If you miss a month of exercise, it gets harder and harder to get back in the game. BUT... if you are sick, don't be afraid to rest. If you are on vacation, don't be afraid to take a week off. It can do a body good :) And I'm back in my A-game this week! I got a full body workout in yesterday and cardio in today.

Missing Blogger! ...and biggest calories in fast food.

Its been a very busy weekend around here, so I apologize for not blogging as much as I usually do! However I shall make up for it with some very eye opening information for all of you. Here's a list of some common fast food items with 1000 calories or more. Crazy, crazy stuff.


White Castle Chocolate Shake Large- Calories: 1680
Nathan's Fish N Chips Calories: 1537
Carl's Jr. Double Six Dollar Burger Calories: 1520
Hardee's Monster Thickburger Calories: 1420
Dairy Queen Large Choc. Chip Cookie Dough Blizzard Calories: 1320
Hardee's Double Bacon Cheese Thickburger Calories: 1300
Dairy Queen Large Chocolate Malt Calories: 1300
Nathan's Chicken Tender Platter Calories: 1300
Jack In The Box OREO Cookie Ice Cream Shake (24oz) Calories: 1290
Dairy Queen Chicken Strip Basket (6 piece) Calories: 1270
Hardee's Double Thickburger Calories: 1250
Burger King TRIPLE WHOPPER Sandwich With Cheese Calories: 1230
Jack In The Box Chocolate Ice Cream Shake (24oz) Calories: 1230
White Castle Chocolate Shake - Large (New Jersey region) Calories: 1230
Hardee's Big Country Breakfast Platter - Breaded Pork Chop Calories: 1220
Jack In The Box Strawberry Ice Cream Shake (24oz) Calories: 1220
Jack In The Box Egg Nog Shake (24oz) Calories: 1210
Nathan's FRENCH FRIES (SUPER SIZE) Calories: 1188
White Castle Vanilla Shake - Large (New Jersey region) Calories: 1180
Del Taco Macho Beef Burrito Calories: 1170
McDonald's Chocolate Triple Thick Shake (32oz) Calories: 1160
Hardee's Big Country Breakfast Platter - Country Steak Calories: 1150
McDonald's Deluxe Breakfast (Large Size Biscuit) w/o Syrup & Margarine Calories: 1140
Carl's Jr. Guacamole Bacon Six Dollar Burger Calories: 1140
Hardee's Big Country Breakfast Platter - Chicken Calories: 1140
White Castle Vanilla Shake - Large (Cincinnati region) Calories: 1140
Burger King TRIPLE WHOPPER Sandwich Calories: 1130
White Castle Chicken Rings (20) Calories: 1130
White Castle Chocolate Shake - Large (Cincinnati region) Calories: 1130
Carl's Jr. Western Bacon Six Dollar Burger Calories: 1130
Dairy Queen Large Chocolate Shake Calories: 1130
Jack In The Box Bacon 'n' Cheese Ciabatta Burger Calories: 1120
Jack In The Box Sirloin Bacon 'n' Cheese Burger Calories: 1120
McDonald's Vanilla Triple Thick Shake (32oz) Calories: 1110
McDonald's Strawberry Triple Thick Shake (32oz) Calories: 1110
Del Taco Macho Nachos Calories: 1100
Jack In The Box Bacon Ultimate Cheeseburger Calories: 1090
White Castle Fish Nibblers - Sack Calories: 1090
White Castle Strawberry Shake - Large (Minneapolis region) Calories: 1090
White Castle Vanilla Shake - Large (Nashville region) Calories: 1090
White Castle Chocolate Shake - Large (Nashville region) Calories: 1090
McDonald's Deluxe Breakfast (Reg. Size Biscuit) w/o Syrup & Margarine Calories: 1070
Jack In The Box Sirloin Cheese Burger Calories: 1070
Carl's Jr. Bacon Cheese Six Dollar Burger Calories: 1070
Hardee's Six Dollar Burger Calories: 1060
Hardee's Big Country Breakfast Platter - Sausage Calories: 1060
Del Taco Macho Combo Burrito Calories: 1050
Jack In The Box Vanilla Ice Cream Shake (24oz) Calories: 1050
Dairy Queen Large Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Blizzard Calories: 1050
Del Taco Macho Bacon & Egg Burrito Calories: 1030
Dairy Queen FlameThrower GrillBurger (1/2lb) Calories: 1030
Dairy Queen Chicken Strip Basket (4 piece) Calories: 1030
Dairy Queen Medium Choc. Chip Cookie Dough Blizzard Calories: 1030
Hardee's Grilled Sourdough Thickburger Calories: 1030
White Castle Chocolate Shake - Large (New York region) Calories: 1020
White Castle Strawberry Shake - Large (Columbus & Detroit regions) Calories: 1010
Jack In The Box Ultimate Cheeseburger Calories: 1010
Sonic Peanut Butter Shake - Large (20oz) Calories: 1010
Carl's Jr. Original Six Dollar Burger Calories: 1010
Burger King BK Quad Stacker Calories: 1000
Arby's Meatball Toasted Sub Calories: 1000
Dairy Queen Large Oreo Cookies Blizzard Calories: 1000
Boston Market Boston Sirloin Dip Carver Calories: 1000

Wordless Thursday...(a day late)