It's not about the cards you're dealt....it's how you play them.

It's not about the cards you're dealt....it's how you play them. I've been dealt a rough hand in life, but if you look at it the right way, you always have a winning hand. I've had to tell myself many times that the deck is not stacked against me.

For instance, today was not the best kind of day. It started with me having a bad hair day. I knew that the day would a tough one if I couldn't do anything to tame my hair. This is another story in itself. I didn't have time to drink my coffee before I walked the kids to the bus stop. They made it on time, so that's a positive.

This morning really kicked off with me taking Sophia to her dreaded orthopedist appointment. See, she was dealt some cards...some may say it's not the best hand...but I look at it as just a little mosquito bite in life. Deal with the itch while it's scratching and wait for the next one. When she was 6 months old, she was diagnosed with Hip Dysplasia. Our family practitioner discovered a click while doing a hip rotation check during her well child check up. We tried wearing the brace at night, but she kept us all up with fits of tears every night for so long...and it was making little difference. She wanted to be normal so badly that she would pretend she wasn't even wearing it. She even learned how to walk in it!

For the last 5 years she has been monitored every year or two, and thankfully her hip sockets are rounding out and her bones are growing properly. She was also diagnosed at a later date with Femoral Anteversion (more info here: 
http://www.childrenshospital.org/conditions-and-treatments/conditions/femoral-anteversion/symptoms-and-causes) which will require surgery to correct if it doesn't correct itself within the next few visits. The doctor assured me that surgery isn't a certainty, but it is a possibility. Sophia made little to no progress in self correction of this problem in the last two years. The thought of having my baby's thigh bones sawed through, rotated and then put back together is less than thrilling, to say the least. It breaks my heart to think about my beautiful, sunny, charming Sophia going through something so traumatic. However, this disorder can cause physical pain as an adult, so I don't see how this is even up for discussion. You just do what you have to do for your child.


Today the doctor let her run up and down the halls so he could get a better look at her gait. (I slowed down the video so you can get a better idea of what it looks like when she runs...her legs tend to flail out to the side a bit). She thought she was so cool, showing her doctor how fast she could run. It was so freaking awesome watching her that proud and happy. After that she demonstrated all her favorite yoga moves on the examination table, including downward dog, upward dog, child's pose, and warrior 2. PROUD MOM! We've been working on those moves together...doing yoga is one of the things that helps us both gain strength and control over our body, and we love spending one on one yoga time.

There is only so much truth to the phrase "you have complete control over your life". Nope, you just simply don't. I would never have chosen this life for my daughter. But that's the hand we were dealt. That doesn't mean we're going to let it dictate how we live our lives. We don't dwell on the fact that she may have lifelong issues because of the way she was born. Honestly, we don't even think about it until it's time for that every other year appointment at Gillette. Her diagnosis doesn't define her, nor does my diagnosis with Lupus define me. Nor does the fact that my oldest daughter Anna is missing 4 adult teeth in the front of her mouth. We let those things define us as much as we let Taryn's curly hair define her. We are NOT the things that happen to us. We are who we want to be. It's true, we only have so much to work with in our lives...but that's just a starting point for what we can become. It's all about seeing the bigger picture. Self-awareness. Having a clear vision of what our potential is. Sophia might still "W sit", and she might walk with a slight pigeon-toe, but she is fast as fuck when she runs. Her little legs will leave you choking on her dust. 

The takeaway: Don't let yourself get caught up in things that are out of your control. Work with what you have and do your damn best. The only thing getting in the way of reaching your goals is your own doubt.

Life Hacks and Proud Mama Moments

As moms, we all know how difficult day-to-day tasks can be with a child. Let's level up to downright traumatic, if you have multiple children like a lady such as myself. Oh hey, let's get your chores done real quick so you can spend the rest of the evening goofing off! Anyone tried that method and have it blow up in your face? Me. I swear I've tried every tactic known to man to get my kids to listen to instruction and follow through in a TIMELY fashion. Why don't kids have that same sense of urgency when it comes to completing tasks? I mean, come on...logic.

The biggest task for me has always been reminding my kids of what needs to be done. As a daycare provider, my house frequently appears as if a tornado has blown through. They get just as overwhelmed with the daunting tasks as I do. Telling them to "clean up" is about as useful as telling them to find their way to China. They don't know where to begin.

The first step in solving this was to make a list of kid-friendly chores that they could easily do without me having to helicopter parent. I don't have time to oversee everything, so it was imperative that I can trust them to do the tasks correctly or with little help. I'd tried chore charts in the past, but they always went ignored or forgotten, gathering dust just like everything else in the house. I needed a bartering tool...something to get them excited about helping. So I sat down thought really hard about it, and I came up with a genius Life Hack for this single mama. It was like I was given an "easy" button.

Once I had my list written, I broke it down between my three daughters, giving my 6 year old the easier jobs, my 9 and 11 year olds split the more difficult tasks. I tried as hard as I could to make equal amounts of chores every day to avoid complaining....cause I can't afford to supply enough cheese for all that whine.

The concept: Each child has a relatively equal opportunity to earn a sizable allowance with this method. You can see on the chart below that the chores are color coded so that each child is easily able to see which chores are their responsibility. When the child completes a chore for that day, they write their initials on the chart so that I can see it's been done. They also write their name on a circle, which then gets put into a jar. At the end of each month, I count up all the circles and pay out their allowance at 25¢ per circle. It usually ends up being about $5 per kid on average for the whole month. After the end of the month, the circles all get emptied into yet another jar, which will earn them a family activity of their choice when the jar is full. They also know that they aren't allowed any electronics usage until their daily chores are done. Thank you, Animal Jam, for being a mom's best friend! It has been the best bartering tool (and biggest pain in the ass!) I've ever come across.












Enter the "Family Chores" chart. The genius behind this chart is that I only have to print one copy, thus saving the trees, saving on ink, and saving me time. This chore chart hangs in a glass frame because - SURPRISE! - it's dry erasable! I used 3M Command Poster Strips to securely hang the chart in a low spot so that even my 6 year old can reach it to write her initials down whenever she completes a chore.

The dry erase markers are set near the edge of the counter and directly across from the chart so that it's all easily accessible to the kids, so they don't lose focus on the way from the chore to the chart. You may laugh, but distraction is a huge issue in my house, so I've taken to combating that in any way possible.

You can see in the left photo just above, the smaller uncovered jar is the jar holding the "family activity" circles. We've been collecting them for two months now and it's still not full. On the bright side, I think that a family activity on a quarterly basis (above and beyond our norm), isn't a bad deal! We're a pretty active family, always on the go, doing fun things, going places. So whatever they choose is bound to be extraordinary. Extraordinarily fun! And honestly, I'm looking forward to rewarding them for their diligence and hard work. Positive reinforcement works so much better than punishment for wrongdoing. Finding healthy ways to support our little ones with come back to us parents in so many ways! 

Life Hacks and Proud Mama Moments

As moms, we all know how difficult day-to-day tasks can be with a child. Let's level up to downright traumatic, if you have multiple children like a lady such as myself. Oh hey, let's get your chores done real quick so you can spend the rest of the evening goofing off! Anyone tried that method and have it blow up in your face? Me. I swear I've tried every tactic known to man to get my kids to listen to instruction and follow through in a TIMELY fashion. Why don't kids have that same sense of urgency when it comes to completing tasks? I mean, come on...logic.

The biggest task for me has always been reminding my kids of what needs to be done. As a daycare provider, my house frequently appears as if a tornado has blown through. They get just as overwhelmed with the daunting tasks as I do. Telling them to "clean up" is about as useful as telling them to find their way to China. They don't know where to begin.

The first step in solving this was to make a list of kid-friendly chores that they could easily do without me having to helicopter parent. I don't have time to oversee everything, so it was imperative that I can trust them to do the tasks correctly or with little help. I'd tried chore charts in the past, but they always went ignored or forgotten, gathering dust just like everything else in the house. I needed a bartering tool...something to get them excited about helping. So I sat down thought really hard about it, and I came up with a genius Life Hack for this single mama. It was like I was given an "easy" button.

Once I had my list written, I broke it down between my three daughters, giving my 6 year old the easier jobs, my 9 and 11 year olds split the more difficult tasks. I tried as hard as I could to make equal amounts of chores every day to avoid complaining....cause I can't afford to supply enough cheese for all that whine.

The concept: Each child has a relatively equal opportunity to earn a sizable allowance with this method. You can see on the chart below that the chores are color coded so that each child is easily able to see which chores are their responsibility. When the child completes a chore for that day, they write their initials on the chart so that I can see it's been done. They also write their name on a circle, which then gets put into a jar. At the end of each month, I count up all the circles and pay out their allowance at 25¢ per circle. It usually ends up being about $5 per kid on average for the whole month. After the end of the month, the circles all get emptied into yet another jar, which will earn them a family activity of their choice when the jar is full. They also know that they aren't allowed any electronics usage until their daily chores are done. Thank you, Animal Jam, for being a mom's best friend! It has been the best bartering tool (and biggest pain in the ass!) I've ever come across.






























Enter the "Family Chores" chart. The genius behind this chart is that I only have to print one copy, thus saving the trees, saving on ink, and saving me time. This chore chart hangs in a glass frame because - SURPRISE! - it's dry erasable! I used 3M Command Poster Strips to securely hang the chart in a low spot so that even my 6 year old can reach it to write her initials down whenever she completes a chore.

The dry erase markers are set near the edge of the counter and directly across from the chart so that it's all easily accessible to the kids, so they don't lose focus on the way from the chore to the chart. You may laugh, but distraction is a huge issue in my house, so I've taken to combating that in any way possible.

You can see in the left photo just above, the smaller uncovered jar is the jar holding the "family activity" circles. We've been collecting them for two months now and it's still not full. On the bright side, I think that a family activity on a quarterly basis (above and beyond our norm), isn't a bad deal! We're a pretty active family, always on the go, doing fun things, going places. So whatever they choose is bound to be extraordinary. Extraordinarily fun! And honestly, I'm looking forward to rewarding them for their diligence and hard work. Positive reinforcement works so much better than punishment for wrongdoing. Finding healthy ways to support our little ones with come back to us parents in so many ways! 

Maple Pecan Open-Faced Pulled Pork Sandwich

Pork: I'm here all week! I made this giant pork loin in the crock-pot on Monday, and all week I'm trying a new recipe with the same base: pork. I'm having a blast experimenting with it, too. Who'd a thunk I'd grow up to be a kitchen scientist, considering my grades in Mr. Brand's high school chemistry class?! Yeah, D+, I remember you...I also remember forging my parents signature on that specific test. Guess I cracked my halo at a young age. Survival of the fittest....I'm still alive.

High school science aside, this recipe was a surprising hit for me, with a nice sweet touch. I really do enjoy a nice play on sweet and savory (my new discovery are these peanut butter balls with pretzels inside them made by Skippy peanut butter...) and this really kind of reminded me of a holiday dish because of the addition of pecans and maple syrup. PS...if you've never added nutmeg to your fruit salads, you're missing out. It takes the boring out of the same old produce!


Maple Pecan Open-Faced Pulled Pork Sandwich + Blueberry Spinach Salad (one serving)



[ ingredients ]
3/4 c. pulled pork
1 slice wheat bread
1 c. baby spinach
1/2 c. green grapes, sliced
1/2 c. blueberries
1 tsp. 100% pure maple syrup
1 tbsp. chopped pecans
1/8 tsp. nutmeg


[ directions ]
Cook pork loin on low for 10 hours. Take 3/4 c. pork and stir in maple syrup and pecans. Let sit while you prep the remaining ingredients. Lightly toast wheat bread, then layer about 1/2 c. spinach on top, using the remaining spinach for a side salad. Top the toast with the pork mixture, and the salad with the sliced grapes and blueberries. Top the salad with a sprinkle of nutmeg.

Happy Eating!

Banana-Oat Protein Pancakes...Two Ways!

Not to brag, but I've had some pretty rave reviews on my pancakes lately, and I think it's because I've been adding a few secret ingredients that no one expects in their average pancake. But, this all makes sense to me, because Fatness Everlean, armed with bow and fork, is not your basic chick. She's quick witted and it's survival of the fittest in her real-life Hunger Games.

Tyler, aka Pizza McFart, got 3 wisdom teeth pulled on Monday and has been miserable ever since. He's strayed from his normal diet of zillions of grams of protein per day to not being able to eat much of anything due to the pain of dental trauma. I made it my mission last night to make sure my guy got a full belly before bedtime. While trying to eat just soft food, but satisfying the need for a high protein diet, we opted for "brinner". That's breakfast for dinner, in case you didn't catch on to my word slur. (Get used to it...I tend to do that from time to time). I've made an alternate version of this recipe that was a winner for more than a dozen 9 year old girls, so I feel like this pancake recipe has gotten the seal of approval and is safe to share. Which is why you're getting a two-fer. Both recipe are to die for, if you're looking for a protein-packed, fluffy pancake.

Vanilla-Cinnamon Banana-Oat Protein Pancakes

1 c. Complete Buttermilk Pancake Mix (I use Market Pantry, 'cause pinching pennies!)

1 scoop Vanilla Shakeology (protein powder)

1/2 c. Rolled Oats

1 ripe banana, mashed

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1 3/4 c. Water (or to texture)

In a large bowl, mix together pancake mix, shakeology, oats and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, mash ripe banana with a fork. Add banana and water and whisk thoroughly. Heat griddle or pan to medium-high heat and coat with cooking spray or coconut oil. Using 1/4 cup, scoop pancake batter onto griddle.Flip pancakes when you see bubbles forming in the batter, or when golden brown.

Makes approximately 12 pancakes.

Chocolate Banana-Oat Protein Pancakes

1 c. Complete Buttermilk Pancake Mix (I use Market Pantry, 'cause pinching pennies!)

1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology (protein powder)

1/2 c. Rolled Oats

1 ripe banana, mashed

1 3/4 c. Water (or to texture)

In a large bowl, mix together pancake mix, shakeology, and oats. In a separate bowl, mash ripe banana with a fork. Add banana and water and whisk thoroughly. Heat griddle or pan to medium-high heat and coat with cooking spray or coconut oil. Using 1/4 cup, scoop pancake batter onto griddle. Flip pancakes when you see bubbles forming in the batter, or when golden brown.

Makes approximately 12 pancakes.

Apparently Pizza McFart had been starving himself all day, because I made a double batch of these pancakes and he wolfed down 11 himself. I had even made a pizza for the kids, and they ditched the pizza for the pancakes. There were three left over. Safe to say they're a hot item in my household. I also love that my kids are getting an extra dose of protein (and super-healthy antioxidants, pre and probiotics, vitamins and minerals, etc.), because they're not big meat-eaters and I find it hard to make sure they're getting a balanced diet. And we suck at taking vitamins.

Not sure how to get your hands on a bag of Shakeology? Ask me! 

(I'll give you the details about my coach discount, too!)

Or, order here: myshakeology.com/fighttoflourish

Happy Eating!

Autumn-Inspired Lunch!

My wheels are always turning, and with the change of the season comes a series of new seasonal recipes that I absolutely must try, or create! I tend to try to keep my lunches on the lighter side, so today I got creative with the leftover pork loin I made in the crock-pot the other day and threw together a tasty autumn-inspired wrap.

This wrap took almost no time to prep, since the cooking was taken out of the equation the other day. I love crock-pot cooking because I can whip out an entire meal (or just a whole lotta meat!) in very little time, and feed my family with it several times throughout the week.


Apple-Cranberry Shredded Pork Wrap
(1 serving)

[ ingredients ] 
3/4 c. Shredded Pork
1 whole grain flatbread
1/2 c. romaine lettuce
1 medium green apple
1 tbsp. dried cranberries
1 tbsp. chopped pecans
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

[ directions ]
Measure out shredded pork and warm to desired temperature. Place on flatbread. Slice green apple, chopping half of the slices into small pieces. Add apples, romaine lettuce, and cranberries. Roll tightly. Use the remaining half apple slices as a side, sprinkled with cinnamon and pecans. 


The pork loin I used was a Hormel 27.2oz loin, cooked on low for 10 hours, seasoned with Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb seasoning. It couldn't have been easier to make, and even easier to eat! I guarantee you won't be disappointed with this light, crisp dish.

Please, if you make any of my recipes, drop me a note with a review! I'd love your opinions. Thanks for reading! <3 p="">

My dirty food secret is....

...that I'm a closet eater.

Sigh. 

I do eat clean a majority of the time. Honestly. You see the recipes I post...those are all my homemade concoctions that I've come up with on my own. I care a LOT about my health, my mental and physical well being. Which makes me feel even more guilty about sneaking into the kitchen and eating foods with a high sugar content. You know this is a real problem for you if you're watching your back while you're shoving food into your mouth, eating it so fast so that you don't get caught, so fast that you're not even able to enjoy it.

"I wouldn't want my kids or my boyfriend to see me eating this nasty junk, so I better do it fast. And maybe have a couple more real quick while they're not looking, just in case I don't get a chance to sneak back later...". 

But then I do sneak back later. That's some real heavy shit right there. Like maybe borderline eating disorder kind of stuff. If I'm feeling guilty after eating it, there is a problem. That's an unhealthy food relationship. It's always been a struggle, even when I was young. I have an obvious love-hate relationship with food, and I'm seeing it with so much more clarity now. I don't act like this every day. Not even like half of the week. But it's a big problem for me for a number of reasons.

1. I want to lose weight. I want to lose 30 more pounds to get down to my goal weight. This is a ballpark number...I don't believe that the number matters all that much because it has a lot more to do with how you feel in your own skin, mentally, how your clothes fit, etc. I also believe that the actual number has a way of fucking with our heads. It's just a damn number people! Stop obsessing over it! If you look good, feel good, love your body, eat clean, work out, who cares what the scale says? Regardless of my rant, I am NOT happy in my skin just yet. I've gained back some weight and I feel miserable about it. So, time to cut that shit out and make some changes.

2. Heath concerns. Autoimmune disease. I have Lupus, which affects my joints, my digestion, my soft tissues and mucus membranes. I have chronic fatigue. My muscles are tight and stiff. I wake up nearly in tears almost every night, unable to flip over or shift my body due to pain in my hips. I am now too stiff to work out first thing in the morning, and if I do, my workout is less than half-assed. Depression. Anxiety. Hypothyroidism. Endometriosis. Not gonna get into that, because it would require a story of its own. But it's there and it's an issue.

3. I don't want to be dependent on anything, ever. Not sugar, not the medications I have to take to control my health issues. I want to live free and healthy and happy without feeling tied down to something tangible. I can't necessarily control some of those things...I can't make lupus or hypothyroidism go away by eating healthier, but I can control the symptoms. I've already made great strides in weaning off my anti-depressants and feel good about going off of them by the end of the year. (#goalsetting) I am IN CONTROL of how I feel, and eating healthy makes me feel good. Sugar makes me feel good, too, for about as long as it is in my mouth. Then poof! Now I'm a pile of shit.

Take back the power that you know you have and use it to do better for yourself. I tell myself that allllll the time. I need to be able to practice what I preach. For me. And someday I truly, honestly will.