baby mama

happy hump day! i'd love to shine the spotlight on someone vital to my motherhood journeys as well as my Christian walk. remember my confession post, In Love With Lean, from about 6 months ago? weeeeeell,

this pretty young thang is one of the good friends i was referring to... my BM, Marguerite!

(i.e., Baby Mama, as we affectionately call each other.)

 through my infertility struggles with both pregnancies, Marguerite helped me cope with having to 'sit down somewhere' from all the excessive exercising i was doing in the most loving way possible. lol. she has a masters in counseling because it's clearly what she was born to do!  we met at UH, were even roommies for a semester, and continued to keep in touch after graduation.  she prayed and fasted with and for me during those times, and i received her advice and words wholeheartedly because i knew they were from the Lord. fasting solo (and usually for your own personal issues) is physically and mentally difficult enough.   but to care for another friend so much (i'm not talking about your spouse, mom, dad, siblings, etc.) that you sacrifice yourself and go to the Lord on their behalf... i am utterly thankful God put her in my life.  i'm also grateful she was willing to let Him use her in the first place!  being obedient to God's commands and tasks can be uncomfortable and downright hard.  it can often make relationships difficult, very awkward...or even eventually non-existent. but you must do what He tells you to do... His way.  it's about His glory, never us.

we were preggo together for both of our children, however, she is chunking me the deuce for babies #3 and 4, hahaha! i'm on my own now, but i know she'll be with me in spirit.

i was almost 9 months along and she was about 6 when we met up for our BM prenatal massages and lunch back in 2011. we worked out (walked on the treadmills), hung out and talked about baby stuff, and ate good of course. boobs and bellies everywhere!

we were gettin' our Red Lobster on for lunch in this throwback pic,

and a few months ago we met up for brunch at Le Peep before heading to get our massages. i was 8 months along and she was right behind me again at almost 6!  because my birthday had recently passed, she told me my massage was on her.  what a sweet, sweet surprise and a testament to her character.

aaand of course we attended each other's baby showers!

i've had so much fun sharing blessings and making memories with this girl.

she came to spend some quality time with Odego and i at the hospital back in June, and i was recently blessed to return the favor because her sweet baby girl, Callie Marie, is already HERE! today is actually Callie's due date and i am elated she is safely in her mama's arms and in the comfort of their own home.

she's perfect. and PINK:) i'm looking forward to all the girlie advice Marguerite will pass my way because i'll need it :) .

i just want to give a sincere congrats to the blessed Hairstons who are now a family of four!  thank you, BM, for simply being the sister you were called to be. i appreciate you. <3

le

H-town's very first 24 hour donut cafe

 a former colleague of mine and fellow UH Cougar, Ose Ohen, opened up Glazed last week!  we headed to stuff our faces immediately after church as planned.

transparency is a wonderful thing.  i appreciate and enjoy being able to watch my food being prepared and just the entire process in general.  maybe that's why i'm such a big fan of Unwrapped on Food Network.  seeing how things i've been eating for YEARS are made is just really interesting and cool.  anyway, kitchen windows build trust.  it can also change the way an employee works if you know what i mean, lol.

 they had 3 flavors ready to go for the soft opening: lemon poppy, glazed, and maple bacon (with a turkey bacon version as well).

more glass windows, awesome.

we all sat down and got comfy while Sonny went to order our sweets.  i didn't even have to tell him what to get either.

*just before pulling the deliciousness out of the bag*

i know. and it tasted as incredible as it looked.  perfect balance of sweet/salty/doughy/chewy/fluffy. WHAT a donut. i am crazy excited about this gigantic list of flavors they'll be selling in the near future and i'm not even a donut person!

Chiso eats his donuts just like his pizza, plain.  i'd say he enjoyed it.

 well you knew this was happening later.  sweaty stair master intervals and some core work completed my sunday.  5 weeks postpartum and i still work my kegal muscles (when i think about it randomly at home) to strengthen my pelvic floor again.  it's a process, ladies!  be patient, work them daily if you can, and make sure you do them on an empty bladder.

 as i got meal prep going for the next few days, i channeled my inner Fish City Grill with these tacos for dinner.  if you've been there and ordered them they should look pretty familiar to ya ;) .  i used La Tortilla Factory 70 calorie tortillas as usual (which i saw at HEB recently!!!!) and filled them with baked swai fish, bagged cabbage and Annie's all natural Lite Goddess dressing.  this is super similar to the Crunchy Ginger Rotisserie Chicken Wrap from a few days ago.  then i grilled them up on our griddle for a few minutes until they browned.   heating the tortilla first makes a huge difference vs a cold, flimsy tortilla.  try it!  someone from Instagram suggested i taste that flavor of Annie's next and i'm glad i did.

Q: kolaches or donuts?

i'm a cheese lover so that's an easy one. 

le

FanuMe Life Fair + Mai's Restaurant

i reeeeally missed my saturday morning workout.  but i had a good excuse reason as i certainly could have gotten up super early and went for a run.  we were up and outta the door by 7am  getting ready for the FanuMe Life Fair!

our fellow UH COOG, Faith, invited us to participate in her event and we were completely honored to do so.  we had a 6 Pack USA booth and represented our company and also pushed my new ebook, Fit Foodie Lean.

i even did a radio interview with Reyna from KSBJ (or tried to :shock: ) lol! i was so nervous.

this running your own business thing can be pretty darn tough.  tougher than i ever thought.  but when God gives you a vision you have to trust Him and WALK.  i have a tendency to over complicate things though, let Sonny tell it.   regardless, working beside my husband has been a great, great blessing in my life.  we are both super competitive, but we do our best to remember that we are a team and to always work together, not against each other.

 we've started a tradition (not that we don't go out to eat to celebrate everything else already) to go out for a meal together immediately after a business event to relax, reflect, and discuss how it all went and address our areas of improvement.

we found a gold mine this time.

Sonny actually had another restaurant picked out, but after discussing the idea of a Vietnamese option out loud in Academy Sports and Outdoors, this ear hustling guy came outta no where and suggested Mai's in downtown Houston.  j/k, Sonny just talks extremely loud.  so we trusted him and went for it.

i started out with a house green salad and then things just got crazy.

we tried some pho (first timers!) with a combo of rare beef, tripe, and meatballs.  that broth.......

this is called 'catfish in a clay pot'.  doesn't matter what kinda pot it came in. so dang yummy.  the sweet and sour flavors made this dish pretty awesome.

i ordered the garlic chicken and vegetables and added asparagus as our waitress recommended and she was spot on!  she said the meat was already marinated in the sauce, so i could not get it on the side this time.

sat. tis. fied.

:)

the 80/20 rule (80% clean, 20 indulge, enjoy, and LIVE) was in full effect this weekend.

see?

 we stopped after that.

i was back at it today, but full of sodium, fluffiness, and zero motivation from yesterday's meals no doubt.  been drinking a ton of water to help with the bloating.  no regrets though, ever.  it will wear off;  it always does. i taught my class and even had enough energy to hop on the stairmaster and get this puppy done:

minutes	level/speed	activity
0-2	50	single step warmup
2-3	60	every other step w/ alternating back leg lift
3-4	90-100	side step right
4-5	60	every other step w/ alternating back leg lift
5-6	90-100	side step left
6-7	60	every other step w/ alternating back leg lift
7-7:30	90-100	side step left
7:30-8	90-100	side step right
8-9	90-100	every other step w/ alternating back leg lift
9-10	90-100	single step

 repeat!  and absolutely NO HANDS ;)  why is the stairmaster so cool?  after reading these benefits, you'll agree.

our cousin Anthony got Chiso a personalized Rocket's shirt and some new kicks!  he sported his fit today at our family gym date.

he wasn't too interested in shooting hoops with me though- too busy watching his papa.

friends, always count your blessings, not your problems.  we live in an imperfect word filled with imperfect people.  once you accept this fact and live in the NOW, life gets a whole lot easier and your perspective changes for the better.

 have a great night.  it's a new week- here we gooooo

le

my boo is thirty two

i dropped the boy off with his grandparents before Sonny came home from his saturday afternoon workout and surprised him with a weekend birthday getaway.  i told him to go pack an overnight bag and to make it snappy.  s/n, is my husband the only man who packs his own iron from home???? *crickets* we then hit the streets of our city, downtown H-town! (that would be Houston.)

i always assume Sonny knows every detail to my 'surprises', which means my track record with them is awful.  however this time- success.  we checked into the Hilton America's downtown and right away, i made sure Sonny was on time for his much-needed pedi appointment in the hotel spa.

lemon water, sir? the spa was up on the 24th floor and the city views were a really nice touch.

there was also some trail mix for snacking.

oooh just taking a look around...

what's funny is that i now see the Four Seasons Hotel in the background which is where we spent our very 1st anniversary getting a couples massages!!  that was also the weekend of Hurricane Ike.  yeah, we had to postpone most of our celebrations that year cause of the storm. it happens.

bless her heart and hands :shock:

another view overlooking the Toyota Center.

i headed back down to the room to make sure we had the proper necessities-  a fridge and a microwave. of course i didn't ask if those things came with the room cause i'm a horrible planner, remember!  my training diet is still in effect, so please forgive me and believe me when i say i'm glad it wasn't my birthday!!! isn't that horrible!?  i would have wanted a cheat nibble, cheat snack, cheat meal, cheat ANYTHING.... but i just couldn't do it.

waiting for the elevator, and yes, the tummy was OUT that day, bay-bay!!

i did remember to ask for a great view- our room overlooked Discovery Green Park and Minute Maid Stadium below.

and nope, no microwave or fridge in the room, but they were both complementary, awesome.  i brought my seasonings, mustard, cinnamon, low sodium soy sauce, everythang.  while i was down there i warmed up/ate my next meal as Sonny finished up.

i picked up the in-room menu because, well, reading menus like actual books is fun.  just wanted to see all the goodies i would not be devouring!!!!!! :roll:

anyway, mission accomplished!

 toes done with slippers to match.

next, you know we checked out the gym-  wouldn't mind knocking out some cardio with a view like that!  unfortunately, that was our 1st and last trip up there for the weekend lol.

so, Sonny's #1 priority on vaca or a getaway is to SIT DOWN somewhere.  don't even get me started on the time we went to Vegas and he was NOT cool with walking up and down the strip like i planned. it was also July and 117 deg outside. but i didn't care.  i like to run the streets and take advantage of the free time and do all the things we don't usually get to see and do! however, it's not my birthday.  so, i kept the activities and walking to a minimum.

we explored the massive hotel a bit before making our way to catch the Metrorail.

i'll follow him anywhere.  i'll give him a hard time first though and i'm working on that!!! but i really will. i mean it.

shot of our highly recommended hotel.

tickets bought.

.

what's up on that Metrorail workout? seems to be working for that guy.

he even incorporated some lower body moves too.

 we rode the Metrorail to the museum district and walked around Herman Park and talked.  the simplest things make life so ...simple.

my birthday boy!!!

i really had plans to go watch the free Shakespear play @ Miller Outdoor Theater that was being put on by our alma mater's theater department.  so, we walked up the infamous Herman Park Hill and took a peek.

  however we had no blanket, no snacks, no nothin, so walking and talking sufficed.

back to downtown we go.

what's next? dinnerrrrrr (if you wanna call it that)

snappin' pics before heading downstairs.

ready for great company and convo!

i had a plethora of tea flavors to choose from. *sarcasm*

while Sonny devoured his fried onion ring topped salad, yummy!!

looked and smelled DELICIOUS.  field greens, dried cherries, oregon bleu cheese, balsamic vinaigrette all nestled under those fried rings.

we ended the evening with movies and QT- Sonny wouldn't have wanted it any other way!!

the next morning. we ordered room service and ate our egg whites in style.

 with a side of 6 dollar *SIDE-EYE* grapes.  the bday boy wanted grapes and he got them.

this was only a teaser as we are UBER ready to celebrate 5 years of blessed married folk life next month.  it will be a much-needed break for us both that can't come quick enough!! until then, happy 32, boo.

le