Double Portion Inspiration

May 2012 May 2011 "Are you losing weight?"  "You are starting to look to thin?"   "How did you do it?"   The secret is out:   I must finally admit, I HAVE spent the last year transforming my body.  Now, I am ready to share with our readers some of the methods I've used to achieve my goal.   The disclaimer:  I do NOT claim to be any type of nutritionist or doctor.  I am only sharing small changes that have helped me.  Everyone's body is different. 1.   Shock your body I love to exercise.  I grew up in the age of leg warmers, Richard Simmons and exercise videos.  I spent years taking step aerobics.  Running (specifically training for my half marathon last November) has been a way for me to shock my body into a new way of exercising.  Your body will plateau if you exercise the same way and with the same intensity year after year. 2.   Eat foods that decay I commit to eat a raw...

2 sisters + 2 best friends = 4 girls having the time of their life! This past weekend was our annual ladies weekend and it proved to be one of the best one's yet.  In lieu of exchanging birthday gifts, we take a weekend, choose a location, and prepare for gut wrenching laughter, catching up on each other's lives and the consumption of scrumptious food.  No sippy cups. No pull-ups. No Xbox. Just three days without an agenda or plans.  Our only objective is to restore our bodies and celebrate the gift of sisterhood and friendship. Welcome to paradise! White sandy beaches and the audible tone of white capped waves crashing against the sea shore was the back drop of this year's retreat.  Having the freedom to awaken when I wanted instead of when I hear my three year old yells, "Mommy", was invigorating.  Even though I could sleep in, I didn't want to.  I refused to miss watching the beautiful sunrise while listening to God speak th...

How can I pay this bill when my checking account is overdrawn?  How long should I stay in this broken marriage?  When will the baby sleep through the night?  When should I leave home and live on my own?  What age should I retire?  Should I take the risk and start this new business?  What will be the effect of my father Alzheimer's?  How many children should we have?  What classes do I register for Fall season? When will this child get completely potty trained? Life is full of questions.  We ask them often.  We live in a world where we need to find answers.  Time seems to evaporate more quickly with each passing year.   How do we get answers ?  Even after we make a decision we wonder if we made the right choice. Be careful when you choose to ask other people for advice.  Realize that their advice is only filtered wisdom .  They will give you answers based on their own life experiences, hurt, pain...

"Quiet" is my 9 year old daughter's first poem.  She wrote it as part of a school assignment.  It's a beautiful use of words and I wanted to share it during Mother's Day weekend.  Enjoy and Happy Mother's Day! "Quiet" Quiet is like no other sound. One sound that can't be heard. Quiet is like watching a ballerina dance across the floor. Quiet is when a chick hatches or a baby takes their first step. Quiet is a baby saying their first word. Quiet is a flower blooming and a tree stretching to the heavens. Quiet is a hike by Niagara Falls. Written by H. Scott (Posted by Renee)

I sat in a waiting room in the doctor's office on Saturday. Everyone in the "well" room waiting for the pediatrician sat glued to their cell phone.  To my right sat a couple with two beautiful children. My eyes instantly fell to their bouncing toddler. Her name was Brenda and she had the sweetest curls. Her smile made me light up inside. She was cute and chunky. Brenda was a climber and wouldn't sit still. She climbed up and down the waiting room chairs. As more families filled the room, her father gave her a big bear hug to keep her still in his lap. She kept trying to inch away but he just grabbed her tighter. Little Brenda's fun was over in an instant. Her mom said, " Now Brenda you have to go to prison ". She was referring to the way her dad forced her to sit quietly. He wanted to prove to everyone in that waiting room that he was in control of his own daughter.  Eventually, Brenda succumbed and settled down.  The father had such an angry a...

Below is a repost.  A special tribute to all the graduates in 2012: I love this time of year when so many people are graduating.  My oldest son will complete his last year in elementary school and will soon step into the hall ways of middle school-YIKES, every mother's nightmare. Graduation  time is f illed with great expectation and positive energy.  The whole world and all it has to offer is ahead of you.  The graduation ceremonies are a huge step of leaving the past behind and walking towards a new future.  This feeling of moving forward  is usually   faced with anxiety and uncertainty.  You are unsure of what the future holds but you have graduated to a new place. I believe that   graduation  should not happen only to those who are in school.  One of the biggest mistakes we can make is to think that le arning stops when we leave the educational process.  We must forever be challenged to  learn  a...

Yesterday, I finally got a chance to run.  I hadn't run in over a week because South Florida was soaked with consistent rain.  In that small amount of time it felt harder than ever to push myself to run again. As I was running a cyclist passed by, looked at me and gave me "the finger" ( thumbs up ).  He also yelled to me, "keep  going"!  It seems so small and insignificant.  But, with sweat pouring from every part of my body I felt a fresh wind of encouragement .  It was something so tiny but it came at just the right time . As we head into the weekend, you try it.  Try to encourage someone in a small way.   A thumbs up, a smile, a gentle hello, or just sincere eye contact.  You never know how meaningful it will be in that person's life.  It might come at just the right time .  Leave us a comment or tweet about your " thumbs up blessing ".  Have a great weekend!