The Pinay Nanay: January 2013

Friday, January 25, 2013

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Excuse me a second, while I scream for joy inside! AhhhAhhAhhh!! Oh my, I just witnessed my precious Micro ride on his two-wheeler for a total of 10 seconds all by himself! (With a little help from this proud Mama.) This was only his second time on his bike (the one Santa gave to him ;) and after 7 minutes of me aiding him from holding slightly onto his seat, once he got his balance, I let go, and off he went. Watching for those precious few seconds as I saw my little boy ride a bike for the first time, my heart swelled. Granted, it was only a few seconds, and he did it a few more times, each only lasting about 10-15 seconds of total, and utmost freedom. It was only then he started to get nervous and lose balance when he realized Mama wasn't near him anymore. But, as most you, Mamas, know it's quite exciting and proud to see your child accomplish these milestones. Of course I'm a bit sad that Mr. Fliz was not on site to see it happen. However, I'm sure there will be plenty of special moments those two will share. Besides, today was only the start of Micro's biking career.

As soon as I can, I will post a quick video of him biking. This just reminds me of when I first taught him to ride his tricycle.

Micro, I am so proud of your perseverance and athleticism. Keep it up my baby boy!

UPDATE: This evening Micro rode his bike unassisted for a minute or two all by himself. Mr. Fliz was fortunately there to see it happen and he even got off his bike all by himself too. Proud moments. Videos to be uploaded soon!

Monday, January 14, 2013

New Goals

It's already mid January and 2013 is off to a fast start. I don't believe in making resolutions on a special day, as I feel we need to always be setting goals for ourselves each day. Half that time, I'm just trying to survive the end of each day and finding time to appreciate my loved ones and blessings in my life. Lately, my goal has been to get my babies to eat a wider variety of foods.

Since both my kids entered toddler-hood, it's brought about some finicky eater syndrome. Something neither of them suffered the first year and half of their lives. I realize that kids go through phases. Some days they'll eat anything and everything. Other days, not so much. Lately, I've been encouraging my kids to try one new food each week, be it a new dish, new fruit, or a new vegetable. So far, they've been doing great.

For example, I made chili with cornbread tonight and they both ate one bowl of it. I usually make this easy dish during football season for Mr. Fliz and I. I use Trader Joe's organic vegetarian chili (sooo yummy!) and bake cornbread (I add some mozzarella and parmesan cheese to mine) right on top of it. It's an all-in-one dish! Takes about 5 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to bake. The other day, Micro ate some turkey meatballs. It's all about patience and getting them excited to try new things. I love to eat and try to incorporate a variety of foods into my cooking repertoire. It's not easy. Some weeks I just repeat dishes from the previous. I try and get my kids involved when preparing dinner and try to educate them about the benefits of each ingredient. This way, they've contributed to making the dinner and will most likely eat it too. I also sneak in lots of greens. What's not to be proud of what you made?!

As with all this eating, I've been increasing my running more too. I took a two-month break after my last small race and have already signed up for a half marathon in June. I'm still doing bootcamp workouts twice a week. My little sister is getting married next year and it's TIME TO LOSE THE EXTRA BABY WEIGHT I've been carrying for the past two years. Having had babies back to back took a toll on my body. I was always an active person, but struggled with my eating habits. So each day has been challenging to eat in moderation, especially after the holidays. I had a hard time realizing that my metabolism decreased tremendously as I aged, and my workouts need to be balanced with healthier eating. I've lost weight and toned up some, but I'm not where I want to be. Yet. I'll keep you posted how it goes over the next few months. I don't believe in diets, as I just do what works for my lifestyle. That's healthier food choices, sweet rewards in moderation, and staying active. I hope your 2013 is off to a good start.

Words to live by. This was my dark chocolate indulgence after running 5.5 miles yesterday.

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Hello 20 Thirteen

Crazy, but I had originally had two posts set up to be published while we were away on our holiday vacation, but forgot to schedule them. {Thwacks head} Let's just say, I've had a very, very busy past few weeks. I rounded out 2012 packing, laundering, and getting my family of four up and out of the Bay Area to head to much colder temps. And boy, was it cold over there! I'm a California girl at heart, always will be.

We had a blast spending some quality time with family. Micro and Micron had so much fun playing with their cousins, it was Christmas everyday for them. Flurries of snow graced us the day before and after Christmas. Imagine my surprise when I woke up after a day of gift opening to see some snow on the ground. Beautiful.

Our week-long stay in the east coast was a lot of fun. As soon as we arrived back, we had "second Christmas," opening all the gifts from my family and friends from nearby. The very next day, we had my cousin and his wife (newlyweds) stay a few days with us as they travel around for their honeymoon. Suffice to say, we've been on the go since. I hardly noticed 2013 coming at me. Below are some pics of our adventures as of late.

I just want to thank you dear readers for visiting my little space here on the worldwide web. I hope you all had a wonderful 2012 and that 2013 will bring you even more joy, hope, love, and laughter. Right now, things have quieted down a bit, so I'm going to enjoy just watching my two babies sleep.

***Warning: Picture Heavy Post