Meat-a-licious Fab Food Finds

Ive updated Healthy Thoughts with more Fab Food Finds!

CRACKA!!!

I have to share a fews things about Lia. It has been a while since Ive showcased her..... so today I want to put her in the spotlight.

Lia has such a funny little personality. She is a good little eater too and lately just wants to eat all the time! If she's hungry she goes into the pantry and this is what she does. She does this ALL day! It cracks me up everytime. I love the way she says CRACKA!

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The other day I heard Rowan yelling for me. I heard him say" momma Lia's stuck... come get her!" So when I got downstairs,this is what I found. I laughed so hard that I had to run and get the camera!


Rowan and Lia pose pretty well for pictures and you would think that by the look of things, they are the best of buds. Well....I have to admit they do like eachother, but they also annoy eachother A LOT and Lia is always screaming at him. They are starting already!

Lia is so sweet and i just love her! She is so mellow and is very content walking around the house doing her own thing. This morning I found her in her room in her rocking chair reading books. She absolutely loves books and has to sleep with one. Lia is also starting to talk alot and yesterday copied her toy phone and was saying "hello" and "adios". It was pretty funny.


P.S. This is totally off the subject but I just got a call from a very good friend and her little new born baby Olivia has been admitted to Primary Childrens. She was born 4-5 weeks early but was able to go home after a few days in the hospital. Lastnight she was having difficlulty breathing and they admitted her with R.S.V. Please remember her and her family in your prayers:)

Fab Food Finds.....

If your a friend or family member or a friend of a friend and youve made a goal to get healthier this year you might want to start reading Healthy Thoughts. I just posted some Fab Food Finds and will be updating this blog more often. Many of you are looking for weight loss support, snack ideas, recipes and more, so heres a place to share all of that! I use the point system from Weight Watchers but do what works for you! Hope you will all check it out again and share lots of comments!

Bribery=MIRACLES!

So here at the Nielsen home there has been some serious bribery going on. I decided on Tuesday morning that I have had enough of changing two bums all day long. Rowan turned three in December, he is a big boy now, and it is TIME! I have tried twice before to potty train this kid and he just cried and cried and whined and whined every time I sat him on the potty, so I stopped. I decided this time however, that I didn't care if he cried...this was it...and I wasn't going to let that stop my efforts. So Tuesday morning we headed off to good old Dollar Tree( weve got to support Lorens job) to buy lots of treats and toys. I let Rowan pick out whatever he wanted and told him he could have one, every time he went potty. He had to actually GO potty and not just sit on the potty. This created some serious excitement and so he decided to try. I just about died when he actually went! It was a MIRACLE on Top View Rd! I was a little sceptical if he would do it again, but every time I put him on the toto he went. This is now his third day and he is doing great. He hasn't pooped on the potty yet. He pooped in his pull up once yesterday but we will work on it today. If he does this, he gets a new Lightning McQueen scooter that I promised he could ride every time he goes poop. So that's what we will do. He will get 10 minutes on the scooter each time he goes poopie. I think this just might work! Hurray! Miracles do happen!

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Here is a pic of all the bribery


Speaking of big boys. Rowan started his first sports lesson on Wed. I signed him up for preschool Hockey. He absolutely loved it! He was the youngest one there, so he required a bit more attention from the teacher. He didnt quite get all the directions they were sending his way, but his skills with the stick and the ball were awesome! He didnt understand the concept of lining up or going to the back of the line but we will work on that. Next month he will do T-ball. Every month they teach a new sport. This will be so good for Rowan. He is one giant sports lover and is in his element when hes playing.

Just one of those days!

Today is just one of those days! AAAHHHH! It all started with Rowan wanting a banana and then deciding after I opened it that he didnt want it. This kid does this to me ALL the time and I am tired of the waste! I decided to make him stay at the table until he was done( it was only half and I had to make a point). That just made it ALL worse. It turned into a huge battle! He then went to time out for not staying there and he cried and cried while I tried to get ready for the day. Soon after, Lia started getting extremely whiney while I was trying to get us off to a playdate. I wasnt sure if the kids were in the MOOD..... but didnt want to cancel. I went upstairs to do my hair and as I lifted my arms, I pinched a nerve in my bumm shoulder and neck. I ended up having to cancel the playdate...sorry Jill...and ended up joining the cry fest right along with the kids. Can you picture it? It was one, wonderful start to our day!

Consistency......

I have been thinking alot lately about this word, consistency lately. It has been appearing in my thoughts almost daily so I thought I would get these thoughts out and share them. I am really realizing how important this word is in every aspect of my life.

The first thing I have realized I have to be consistent in, is in my training. Running has helped me to understand many life lessons. I can always compare something to running. As you all know, I have made a goal to run a marathon. This takes a lot of my time and effort. I have a schedule and I have decided to completely stick with it. I know that if I miss a day here and there that I am only cheating myself and I will not run as good as I want to run the day of the marathon. I wont be prepared. I have to be consistent in my training to be the best runner I can be. I also realize that the more I run, the easier running becomes. I can run longer distances and faster times than when I started. I have even learned to enjoy running. This consistency has all been worth it. Yes...I have days where I would rather stay home then face the cold but I go because I know it is necessary and I always feel rejuvenated and happy that I accomplished what I set out to accomplish. THAT is a great feeling!

About a month or so ago I started a body pump class that is an hour weight training class using a weight bar. I have only been doing it once a week because she kicks my butt AND I have little time in between my runs. Yesterday during our work out she said to everyone that they need to take the class 2-3 times a week to really tone your body. She told us to be consistent or we wont reep much reward. So there was that word again. Im glad she said that because she got me to commit to 2 days a week. I know it will help me build good muscle I need to run and help me with the flabby zones:)

The second thing is my eating habits. This is something I have significally changed. Because of these changes, I have been able to be the healthiest Maren I have ever been in my life. If I am consistent in eating healthy and making good eating choices I can keep the weight off and I have learned to find control. But, I have to be consistent. If I am not...the pounds come back on and that doesn't make me happy at all. I also find it is easier to just be good every day, rather than falling off the wagon all the time and trying to always get back on. THAT... is hard. I am also finding consistency in this and it feels great. Because of this, I have learned to enjoy eating healthy and I dont desire to go back to my old eating habits. Eating healthy makes me feel good. Eating crap does not. It is just not worth it anymore. .I also find the longer I do this the easier it too becomes. I now find myself in a good habit

The third thing is with my children. I have to be consistent especially with discipline . If Rowan is naughty, he knows right were to go. If I am not consistent in his discipline, he would know that he could do whatever he wanted with no repercussion. What would keep him from being naughty? Nothing. He would rule the house and not turn in to the nice young man I hope he turns into. I also have to be consistent in teaching him. Especially about gospel principles. We try to pray every night with him and before meals. He is now reminding US to pray and because of this consistency it has become a good habit.

The fourth thing is consistency in spiritual things. I am writing this last, but this special task always comes first in my life. If I am not happy with myself, I can not be a good Mom, Wife, Sister or Friend. Feeding my spiritual self brings me happiness and I find the more consistent I am, the more joy and peace flows into my soul. There was a time in my life where my spiritual growth was stagnant. That was because I wasn't doing these important, simple tasks. I didn't take the time everyday to make them a part of my schedule and slowly started becoming lazier in this area. These simple things protect us and as we choose otherwise, that protection weakens and the adversary starts to take hold. It all happens slowly but surely until we are in a dark place and we are desensitised to the spirit. We start to become past feeling. I have been there, I know. As I take time everyday to pray I feel like I can be a better Maren. I pray for help with the things I don't do so well and the Lord fills in where I am lacking. As I study the gospel, I understand and become enlightened and my desires to be righteous expand. I also find this with church attendance. If I miss a week, I feel a difference. I know that I need to be there every week. As I do this, I beome strenghtened spiritually and I leave with a strong desire to continue on this spiritual journey. I have more of a desire to be Christ like and I remember what really is important in life. I realize that the world often clouds my mind as I spend more time caring what they think and caring about things that don't really matter. The most exquisite feeling I have ever felt came from God, it did not come from the world. I also find that the more I do these things the easier they become. When I first made a change in my life it was hard. I struggled. Now, I am in a great habit. Things are so much easier now. I have also realized that living the gospel has made my life easier to live. Sometimes people think the rules are just too hard to live by and that you can be a good person with out them. Yes, you can be a good person, but I testify that our life becomes easier as we live by them. I think back to my life when I did whatever I wanted, no rules, it was all about me and I think about my life now, where I dont do any of those things and its a better, more peacful, purposeful life. I know what is going to happen in the end and I am working towards my spiritual salvation. I want no regrets.

So.... I am grateful for this lesson I am learning and for the balance that I am finding in my life through being consistent in both temporal and spiritual things. I hope I can always remember the importance of this and that it always stays in my heart.

The things I love about Puerto Pinasco

Heres a list of the things I love about Puerto Pinasco

1. The beautiful houses right on the beach.
Isnt this home beautiful! Loren served a mission here many moons ago and this house belongs to the familia Libby. They are friends of his. They are an American couple that live there part time in the front house. They have two casitas in the back that they rent out. It was so nice! Ive been to Puerto Pinasco three times now but this was my first time staying here. One day Loren and I would like to build a house there. One day......right Loren?


The street vendor found us on the beach and Rowan wanted a dragon. It is now a three legged dragon. I told him to fly it in the air and he threw it.

My bestest friend

The Libby,s

2. The sunsets.
Puerto Pinasco has the most beautiful sunsets Ive ever seen. Every night I love taking a moment to enjoy its beauty.


3. Eating at La Curva
Now..... La Curva just happens to be the best mexican Restaurant ever! It is DEE-LISH. They have the yummiest Chicken Burrito that is smothered in the best sauce. They serve this sauce on the nachos too. I dont know whats in that stuff but If I could figure it out.... Loren would be one happy man. Oh and the flan and fried ice cream rock too!

The secrets in the sauce

Something about a Mexican Coke in a bottle. Yumm!!!!

4.Relaxing on the beach
Rowan loved the beach of course and couldnt throw enough sea shells. The water was a little cold but the kids swam anyway. I love going out when the tides out searching for little creatures.

Almost everyday we hit the beach

All we had to do was walk outside and down the stairs

5. The shopping
The shoppings not the best there. Ive had better but I still enjoy it. They have remodeled alot of the street shops and they upped there prices. I did buy some silver and a knock off handbag. Its not a trip to Mexico without one!
Heres a picture of one of the many lactatin Mommas. They have dogs EVERYWHERE and there usually lactatin. Your sure to run in to one or two or ten while shopping

This road use to be just dirt, now they have fancied it up and jacked up the prices

6. The Aquarium
This Aquaruim definitly is a dump but we love it. The highlight of this place is that they let you feed the sea turtles and Arthur the Sea Lion. The Kids loved it.....Arthur freaked Rowan out a little when he popped his head ot of the fence right in Rowies face. After that..he talked out the Sea Lions scary big eye.

Rowans a little freaked out


7.The Sunset Cruise
This was actually a first for us. We had never taken the Sunset criuse before. We chose this over the Party Boat...we wanted something family oriented. We didnt need half naked wenches serving us drinks. Im glad we chose this one because we partied it up. We were the only ones drinking Non achoholic margaritas and we were the craziest ones there. Terry sang karaoke and we all danced. I hadnt danced for a while and really enjoyed shakin a leg with Loren.




Nacho Libre Rowan was even gettin down
8. Pinacate
This was also a first for me. Loren has been there before and he has always talked about how cool it was. These are craters formed by inactive Volcanos. There are a few of them. There is also some really cool rocks that were formed by the Lava Flow. It was way out in the middle of no where but worth it because Ive never seen anything like it.


As you can tell we all had fun! Cant wait to go back. Maybe we will do this every year. Stayed tuned for a post of our funny experiences. This ended up being a pretty long post so we will save them for later.