Britny ... is a Mommy of 2, wife to 1 and lover of God. Her days are filled with homeschooling her monkeys, making a home on a budget and bringing joy to mankind in the form of sweet treats! She owns a small boutique bakery, Brit’s Bakes, which gives her a fun and creative outlet from Mommyland. A self-proclaimed “foodie” she enjoys reading food blogs, cook books and searching for the best local eats. She is also an occasional runner (which is necessary when there is so much good food in the world) and enjoys setting goals and running road races. When not covered in flour and drowning in laundry, multiplication tables and coupon clipping...you will find her sipping on a vanilla latte with her BFF, who also happens to be her husband of (almost) 11 years.



In the month of June, my husband and I have started a “get off your butt” routine. On Monday, Wednesday & Friday, we put on are matching Nikes ( I know. we are ridiculous), grab some water, put on our favorite Pandora station and head out to the garage. No, we don’t have any fancy machines, or a personal trainer who stops by to kick us into shape - it is just us, two jump ropes, a pull-up bar, dumbbells and our neighborhood to sprint through - I LOVE IT. If you are in need of motivation grab a friend or few - or that good lookin’ guy you married and keep each other accountable! This makes working out so much more fun and when you are working together for a common goal - stuff just gets done, in all areas of life.

My son cheering me on !!

So what kind of health goals do you have? Are they realistic? Are they preparing you for the future? So many times our goals can be far fetched, chasing the wind, “I want to wear my Junior High jeans” kind of goals. What if we changed our mind about our health goals and really purposed being healthy as a legacy for our children and even grandchildren? As moms, we have the power of influence in our children’s lives that affect the generations to come. Everyday. If they see Mommy freaking out about her pant size, number on the scale or filling her body with junk food in truck loads...this is the pattern they are most likely to follow. Be a healthy example! Every choice we make is knitting together the person our little people can become. If they see Mommy feeling good, being strong, active and making balanced food choices (we are not talking deprivation people!), they too are set up to do the same. What do you want the “health” legacy to be for your family?



Having our health is a gift and exercise is a way of saying thanks for the gift we each have been giving. It doesn’t always have to be about looking “better”, though as you cultivate a healthier lifestyle that is sometimes the bonus! So put your ideals and perfectionism aside and think about what lifestyle you would like for your children. Make healthy choices as a family - go for walks together, prepare healthy meals together, and teach your kids (by example) to have a healthy relationship with food...there is a time for cupcakes and a time for carrots....:) Let your children see you set goals and see them through - Let them see a Mommy who has energy to run with them ( and sometimes catch them), a Mommy who takes risk and is willing to climb on the jungle gym or slide down the slip n slide with them. Making memories and teaching your child to make positive choices for their future too, now that is healthy!

Let your kids see you drinking this and you will be the picture of utmost health...... or you may totally gross them out! :)



Blend together:

1 Quarter of a Fresh Pineapple, chopped

1 Mango Sliced

1 Cup Fresh or Frozen Peach Slices

Half of an Orange

1 Medium Banana

1/2- 1 cup Coconut Milk



After the mixture is good and blended, GO GREEN!!



Add in a large handful of Spinach (preferably organic) and blend away! Pour in a jar throw in a straw and sip your way to better health :)



IF you must, you can add some agave or honey to sweeten things up, but the banana usually does the trick!



NOTE: If the green color freaks you out (I promise the taste will not) you can add a handful of fresh or frozen blueberries. This will give you a purplish drink, that even the kids might drink!





You can find Brit's Bakes on facebook at www.facebook.com/britsbakes she also has a blog at: www.pocketfulofmoments.blogspot.com 

{Photo By: Maria Alexandra Photography}

I'm not a picky eater... really... I'll eat just about anything you put in front of me and go back for seconds. One time while I was living in Chile, we were camping in the foothills of the Andes ... and not wanting to be seen as the wimpy "gringa" I ate the coagulated sheep's blood with lemon and cilantro (a chilean delicacy I guess or... a cruel joke to initiate the naive foreigner:):) ) Anyway, I sucked that blood jiggler down with pride... consequently I also spent the following 3 months knowing what it actually feels like to have your guts turned inside out ... it wasn't pretty... at all! While I lost a ton of weight, it's definitely not a diet plan approved by the FDA, and proof that you shouldn't just eat anything someone puts in front of you.



My boys... (including my husband)... are just the opposite. Picky isn't even a strong enough word to describe whatever it is they are. Sawyer has to sniff everything and has turned down cakes, and cookies and candy many times because he's not sure about how it feels on his fingers. I realize autism has a huge role to play in the pickiness of two of my men... but what's my hubby's excuse? And why in the H-E-Double Hockey Sticks won't my youngest eat anything but fruit roll ups and pretzels? That's rhetorical... I don't really want your advice:) I know what you're thinking... be the boss!!! make him!!! But I'm lazy and don't want a fight and have about 15 other excuses if you want to check back with me later:):)



Here's the thing, along with loving a hot loaf of "fresh at 5" from safeway, or anything with butter or heavy whipping cream in it... I do in fact also LOVE veggies.. I love salads and chicken and beats and chard and leeks and so many other really heathy foods... BUT... I HATE ... I mean I HATE(!!!) making them just for myself. My husband won't eat green and never has to my knowledge. Sawyer has actually thrown up just from seeing peas in a bowl by his plate (not even joking)... the little boys are just stubborn ... and I am the worst of all... I am the L word... L-A-Z-Y!!





I can admit it... I start the day off with great intentions... and so many times the only things I eat until 5 pm are bites I steal from the boys. They are scarred by their thieving mother's attempts to help them "finish" and all to often ask me to stay away from their food... poor kids:):) AND it's not because I'm soo crazy busy I just don't have time to eat a real meal... but because mama's too lazy to go throw some pre-washed lettuce in a bowl or slap a piece of turkey on some bread. It's that bad. If I'm hungry I grab whatever's fastest and easiest... which translates into "CRAP" off of my kids plates, and then I like to gorge myself with dinner because I realize I am freeken starving...

By Guest Contributor {Emilie Sampson}

Almost six years ago, I gave birth to this perfect little monkey named Parker. He was my third baby and I had breastfed the other two with little to no issues. From day 1 Parker spit up. And not the typical small amount of baby spit up…like disgusting man-barf from this tiny, perfect bald baby. The doctor did MANY tests and no matter what medicines we tried…Parker still spit up. A friend of mine suggested that it could be something in my breast milk, so I decided to try cutting food out of my diet. I tried dairy first and it was an IMMEDIATE change. He stopped spitting up completely! As long as I did not consume the SMALLEST amounts of dairy (not even cream in my coffee), everything was golden….until Parker started eating solid food. As we began to add food to his diet (still eliminating all dairy), Parker began to get sick. He was losing weight by the week, and the doctors were concerned. We saw specialists and had a MULTITUDE of tests done, and eventually one gave us the answer. Parker had Celiac Disease. Celiac disease is a condition that damages the lining of the small intestine and prevents it from absorbing parts of food that are important for staying healthy. The damage is due to a reaction to eating gluten, which is found in wheat, barley, and rye. Switching to a gluten free (as well as dairy free) diet was a huge adjustment, but we saw the benefits immediately! After months of losing weight, as soon as we took Parker off all gluten, he gained 10 oz in one week!!



As I entered this world of food allergies, I had to learn how to read labels and how to find out what is REALLY in the food we eat! And the more people I opened up to about this, the more people I found that also deal with food allergies and food intolerance.



How many of us deal with daily ailments that could possibly be attributed to the food that we consume? Chronic headaches, stomachaches, rashes, irritability, insomnia, trouble focusing can all be signs of food allergies! Now, I am no medical professional (Seriously, guys…I’m not a doctor. Take their word for it, not mine), but I often wonder how many things we choose to medicate for that could be cured by a simple change in our diet.

{Photo By: Maria Alexandra Photography}

I was in the fifth grade when my older brother's girlfriend showed me how to make myself throw up... and that's the moment my war against food was waged. What started as I cry out for attention quickly snowballed into a full blown eating disorder. The more I dieted and purged and worked out obsessively ... the more self-centered and self absorbed I became. The empty dark hole inside of me was never satisfied, it whispered to me and told me I was ugly and disgusting... and eventually it convinced me I was nothing... less than nothing.



It's amazing how wrapped up we can get in how we look. And how we relate how we look on the outside to who we are on the inside. For so many years I thought if I could look the "right" way THEN I could be loved and accepted and feel worthy of both. Even though I left the physical act of "bingeing and purging" behind in Chile, all of the emotional baggage of not feeling good enough EVER... came back home to the states with me... along with the extra 30 pounds I was packing on my little missionary booty.



I replaced my eating disorder with an obsessive need to serve (and no... not for others... but for myself... to make ME feel worthy... there was nothing beautiful or Godly about it) It was important for me to identify myself as the worker... the servant... the one who never says no... I always had to be seen serving... always tried to EARN love and attention and affection... by "doing" this time instead of "purging".



It wasn't until I had my oldest son Sawyer, that a good friend (and father of 5) gave me this advice, He said "Lindsay, look at Sawyer... he's so busy... ALL of the time... isn't your favorite time when he just stops and sits in your lap and hugs you and isn't really doing anything at all?? How much more do you think God wants that from you... he doesn't want what you have to offer... he doesn't want what you look like... he wants you... just the way you are." That was the moment my heart began to heal, that was the moment the empty dark hole inside of me started to shrink... that was my first glimpse at worthiness and I knew I wanted more.



I could bore you with more years of dieting and weight gain and pregnancy and dieting... I can't tell you when I finally just started to let go of the  "dieting" and "doing"for all of the wrong reasons because honestly I don't even know... it was probably around kid #3 when I was too tired and strung out to care about trying to look like a barbie or about pleasing others or letting them down by my inability to ever say NO. It's like I just woke up one morning and realized I felt free... it's an amazing feeling... almost indescribable actually.



Now as I'm sitting here typing, at 31,  I can tell you I feel worthy of love... and affection... I don't hate myself... I don't have to "do" or have people see me "do" to feel good about myself... I am fine with my weight and my size 10 jeans... I am who I am... I am who God made me... This blog has walked me through so many of my issues, it's been almost therapeutic to write and be honest and have so many of you tell me you've gone through the same things. I can honestly say now that with all of my "headcaseyness"... with my 160 pounds of pure love of a body... with stretch marks and spider veins... with my dirty house and never ending list of stuff I never get done... I love myself... and I am worthy... have you ever said that out loud? I -AM-WORTHY! I am worthy... not because of who I am or what I've done (yes that's a JJ Heller song:)).. but just the way I am... I am worthy of love and forgiveness and acceptance ... and so are you...

One of the things I love most about our little EMM blog is that you get to hear so many different perspectives from different mama's. Sometimes they make you think or laugh and sometimes they give you a sweet punch in the face and inspire you....  I'm so excited, I think we really do have something for everyone this month wether you're a food nazi and exercise fanatic, don't run unless someone is chasing you with a knife... or somewhere in between... this is going to be a great month on EMM!



Needless to say in the area of health, diet (as in the food we eat... not the swear word we're not saying this month) and exercise Gena and I agree on the basics. With autism taking up a permanent residence in my home, my pantry has been free of gluten, casein, dyes and most sugars. After facing some minor heath issues with my hubby a few years we ousted hydrogenated oils too... and that's about where the similarity train between Gena and I stops:) hehe



I happen to fall somewhere in between the "Gena food nazi's" of the world (those are her words:)) and  a complete fast food junkie. I LIKE FOOD... I just do... no wait I LOVE FOOD. I love getting together with  family and friends and enjoying cheese, butter, bread and wine... I love going to my mom's house for dinner and savoring every bite of her A-M-A-Z-I-N-G (and at times possibly a little orgasmic... ya I said it) cooking... I don't want to be on a diet!!! I don't want to give up the things I love so I can possibly fit into a size 8 pair of jeans or weigh 10 lbs less on the scales. It's just not that important to me...



{What is Important to ME???} 

Not feeling like crap! I work out... enough... I eat decent 80% of the time... BUT, when I have a rough day... I binge... when I realize my checkbook is not in the condition I thought it was in... I binge... When I feel stressed or overwhelmed... you got it... I binge... when the weekend hits... it's an all out food orgy for like 72 hours...  I have "food hang overs" that rival hang over hang overs... It's not pretty not pretty at ALL!



This month... my commitment isn't to stop eating fast food or salt or butter or bread for the rest of my life... (quick, someone go resuscitate Gena:)) I won't apolgize for eating the food I love... IN MODERATION. But I am committing to working out with my "trashy boot camp" sisters and I am committing to STOP the bingeing. I am committing to stop trying to fill the voids in my life... the hurt, the pain, the frustration... with food. When I tell myself that it doesn't taste good or I'm full... dah dah dah... I'm going to stop eating. Some of you may be sitting there thinking,  it's not rocket science lady... but other's of you who know the struggle of emotional eating get what I'm saying... I will no longer darken the drive thru of McDonald's and Taco Bell because I need something to "calm me down". 





Food has been my drug of choice for too long. I want to stop abusing it AND my body. I want to start enjoying it again. And more than anything I want my kids to see a mom who is strong and healthy and even on occasion... balanced:) I want my boys to have a healthy body image and a healthy relationship with food... yes even us mom's of boys have to worry about the example we set in this department!



I know the power I let have food have in my life is bordering on the psychotic side and honestly... I'm just sick of it. I'm sick of feeling sick... I'm sick of having zero energy and being grouchy... FOOD Can't fix me... FOOD can't fill the voids I should be turning to God to fill... hopefully this month I can make my actions match my words.

I'm 31 years old, I'm 5'7 and I weigh 160 lbs.... and I'm ok with that! GASP! Yeah I said it... after years of dieting and hating myself and my body I have decided that I am fine the way I am...... O lord what's the world coming to??? According to the charts my ideal weight is 138.5...  but let me fill you in on a little secret... mama's NEVER going to weigh 138 point flippen 5.



What's gotten into me you ask? Why am I bucking the system and giving up on every woman's dream of outward perfection??? Honestly because I'm tired. I've been on a diet since I was six(minus my three pregnancies when I gained 55+ pounds and ate everything but the kitchen sink... my butt actually made a shelf, no joke)... and I'm tired. I'm tired of letting the number on the scale determine my value in life. And I finally decided enough is enough.



I have always struggled with feeling "good enough"... at anything really. All through my teen years I battled depression and a myriad of eating disorders in my quest to feel loved and accepted. It wasn't until I worked in an inner city soup kitchen for children in Santiago, Chile, that I realized the ugliness of making myself throw up when there were precious little ones grateful for the one meal they a day they received from the church I was working for. I never made myself throw up again after that... even when my weight soared past the 200 mark.



Three weeks ago, right smack dab in the middle of the first week of a new "program" I had started I was enjoying a gluttonous meal of alfredo sauce and breadsticks at Olive Garden for a cheat meal. I was shoving my face full of whatever was put in front of me even though it had become painful to eat... (only hardcore dieters will be able to identify with the dangerous eating frenzy that accompanies a "free meal") Anyway, I stopped and thought this is ridiculous and I don't want to do it anymore. I was tired of the on-again-off-again relationship with food I had created. I was sick of the disfunction and for some strange reason for the very first time in my life I felt OK with myself. Who knew such revelation could come to me in a booth at Olive Garden at 10 o'clock at night. The feeling was so strong I had to tell my husband... I blurted out with tears streaming (and Alfredo sauce dripping off my chin I'm sure:))... "Babe, I hope this is OK with you...(long pause while I mustered the courage to tell him)... I feel like for the first time in my life I'm OK with who I am and what I look like... I know I'm still a good 20+ pounds overweight, my stomach is just YUCK after three kids and cellulite could be my middle name... but I just feel like I am enough... and I hope that's ok." I cringed as I waited for his response and cried even harder when he told me he had never been more proud of me.



It took me another week and a half to process this and convince myself that it's ok to like myself and just be fine with my body how it is right now. When I got the courage to tell my mom and some friends how I felt... it was really freeing... like a thousand pound weight had been lifted from my chest. It still makes me cry. It's still an active decision to choose to be OK with myself EVERYDAY...  I have to turn away from the TV and magazine ads most of the time because I start comparing myself and questioning my new found resolve. Even the picture I used at the top of the post was hard for me to post... the firs thing I looked at was the size of my legs... I hate used to hate my legs... but I had to remind myself that this is me... this is who God made me to be... I am "fearfully and wonderfully made"... and I'm OK with that....



Today I hope you can look at yourself and realize that you are beautiful... today, right now, just the way you are... YOU ARE ENOUGH!

So I'm doing to "Game On Diet" and Saturdays are my free days... before noon today I had almost put myself into a sugar induced coma... it was so bad that I had to go take a nap.. and I NEVER take naps. So to make up for my sinful ways, when I got up the kids and I cranked the tunes and had a little dance party... I now feel 47% better and the urge to puke with the slightest movement is gone... Here was our favorite dance party song today because... There's Nothing Wrong With Lovin Chunky...



PS Before you get your panties in a bunch it's G rated and from the Madagascar 2 soundtrack:)