These people are reading my mind...





Your Blogging Type is Artistic and Passionate



You see your blog as the ultimate personal expression - and work hard to make it great.

One moment you may be working on a new dramatic design for your blog...

And the next, you're passionately writing about your pet causes.

Your blog is very important - and you're careful about who you share it with.


The Start of a Love Affair...

It was love at first sight. I just took one look at his sleek, black lines, and I knew I had to see more. So, I spread him open to see what he had to offer, and I was not disappointed. In fact, he was more than I expected. And I knew he'd be with me everywhere I went.
My fingers fit him perfectly. Oh, Roomie begs to have a go at him, but it doesn't always give him what he wants. He's not meant for Roomie's large hands. Oh, no. He was made just for me...

Blah, blah, blah, okay, whatever. I'm talking about my new laptop!!!

Yes, folks, I am now the proud owner of an Asus Eee PC 4G, and I love it!

For months, Roomie had been showing me flyers filled with awesome, gloriously beautiful laptops that promise city-wide blogging opportunities, relaxing afternoons surfing from my favourite restaurants and cafes with internet connectivity, and a hot date with Ed Quinn. Well, okay, maybe not that last one, but wouldn't that machine be sweet?!?

Roomie is extremely supportive of my blogging, and he knew that I wanted to be able to do it anywhere inspiration strikes. Plus, he's always wanted us to have a laptop to play around with... even if this is technically my laptop, and he isn't allowed anywhere near it with a soldering iron.
So, he always had an eye out for a laptop to call ours... or "mine" as the case may be.

But I kept saying "Not until I get my dishwasher!" Yes, I do have SOME of my priorities straight. Yes, I still need a washing machine.

Well, I guess I got the message out there, because almost the moment after we bought our dishwasher, the opportunity to buy this laptop appeared. One of Roomie's coworkers was selling it, and he was nice enough to allow us to take it home for a testdrive. Well, as I said, it was love at first sight. And the price was hard to beat. It's been with me ever since.

The 7" monitor is perfectly readable, yet the whole unit is small enough to easily take around. It's the same size as my little spiral bound notebook. And we all know that laptops really should be small, right? Well, at least Roomie and I think so.

Yes, I'm happy. And I'm thankful everyday that I have such a lovely husband who bought me this awesome gift.
So now, we really can't afford those bon bons and swanky clothes, but I really love my little workmate. It works beautifully. And now, I'd even pay the full retail price for it.

Okay, go and get one for yourself. Really. Go Now.

My New Dishwasher... Squee!

Yay! We finally bought a brand new dishwasher!

We bought the Kenmore 1374[9]... 9 because it's the black one, to match our stove and fridge. It's the highest rated by Consumer Reports for efficiency. And for it's reasonable price, it's great for extras like sound-insulation too, which is ideal for our open-concept home.

That's it in the pic. Ain't it pretty?! Actually, that's a picture of it in some swanky showhome with awesome french doors that I bet lead to an equally awesome deck with a super-awesome hot tub and wet bar. Hey, I want that house!

Anyway, ours is probably waiting at the Sears warehouse for delivery.

I'm glad we bought this lovely machine when we did. It's been forever since my old dishwasher died, and I've sorta hit a wall with handwashing our dishes. It takes a freakin' long time to wash all the stuff we use throughout the day -- time that could be better used cuddling my kids, writing a blog post, or reading Twilight... Curse you, blogosphere, for guilting me into reading this awesome book! Now I'm obsessed! Gah!!!

Anyway, I can't wait 'til my lovely dishwasher arrives! ETA: October 1 btw 5-9pm... Yippee!

Ever Have One of These?

Last Friday afternoon, Roomie and I had one of those moments. We were alone, the sun was shining on our skin, and it was magical...

We had... an uninterrupted conversation.

Yeah, the "we were alone" should've been the dead giveaway. The kids were at school, and Roomie and I had met at Stella's for some nosh.

As we drove home, our tummies full of caesar salad, we had one of those fun conversations we used to have before we had kids, where the topics flowed naturally and we weren't incessantly side-tracked to referee an argument or fill a request for apple juice.

Anyway, it started when I pointed at The Haberdashery...

Me: "Hey, look, they're moving! To Albert Street, I think." *squinting to see the sign on the store's window*

Roomie: "Who are their customers other than women and bald men?" *if curious could sound bitter*

Me: "They don't just sell hats, you know. I just read on The Bloggess what haberdasher means."

Roomie: "And it means?"

Me: "A dealer in notions."

Roomie: "Huh."

Me: "Yeah, and then she says 'Dude. I’m a dealer in notions.' Which I guess she is. I like Jenny... she so crazy."

Roomie: "As long as she's the good kind of crazy, and not the kind where you wake up covered in chocolate and she's stabbing you with an ice pick. What's that movie?

Me: "Basic Instinct? Or was it Fatal Attraction? They're the same movie to me."

Roomie: "The first one, I think. The other one's the movie that terrified men all over the world."

Me: "Well, both movies terrified that guy Michael... uh, what's his name?"

Roomie: "Michael Keaton?"

Me: "No, Michael Douglas, but you know, I was about to say Michael Keaton!"

Roomie: "I always get Michael Keaton confused with Billy Crystal."

Me: "Really? I get him confused with Steve Guttenberg."

Roomie: "When I think Steve Guttenberg, I always picture him in a police uniform saying 'I don't know, a juggling clown?'"

Me: "How did that go again?"

Roomie: "Some guy says, 'What kind of clown do you think I am?', and he says, 'I don't know, a juggling clown?'"

Me: "Yeah, that's funny."

Am I too Filipino to Be Martha?

Dear Martha,

Since becoming a homeowner, I've put a lot of effort in making my home beautiful, organized, and efficient.

But it's still a mess.

I look around at my familyroom, and it's riddled with the numerous crafts created and discarded by my little girl, electronic gadgets strewn around by my son, and my husband's numerous "projects" -- I fear his rocket-bike will come to fruition in the near future.

Decluttering is a common activity in this house, and it never ends.

I want to have herbs on my window sill, curtains that match my decor, the hideous green wall colour out of my kitchen/familyroom, and apple pie cooling on my counter.

I want to be Martha. Alas, I have dark hair, while you are blond. I am tanned, while you are fair. I am Filipino -- a very proud one, I might add -- while you are... not Filipino.

But all is not lost. Maybe, just maybe if I read your blog: The Martha Blog, I'll learn how to do all those things... maybe I will be like you in the ways of home zen.... and be a Filipina Martha perhaps?

Be well,
Nenette

ps - Not all Filipinos are as disorganized and clutter-infested as me. Just saying.

[Comments have been closed.]

The First 3 Days with Mini...

You are invited to the Mo’ Babies Virtual Baby Shower, between Friday, September 19 and Sunday, September 21, for Kristen of Motherhood Uncensored and Rebecca of Girl’s Gone Child.
Come to the
shower and share your own baby story.

Here's one of mine...

It's a *Very Baby* time in the Blogosphere these days with several mommybloggers all a-glow and ripe with child. These lovely, capable ladies are not first time moms. Obviously. I mean, they're already mommybloggers, right? So, they're not strangers to the adjustments, uncertainty, and chaos that come with a new baby -- until a schedule and baby-approved sleeping pattern is established, of course.

Makes me think of the time when Mini, our own Baby #2, was brand new.

35 - PeekabooSee this picture? It's me with our little girl in her favourite sling. We were strolling down Corydon Avenue, and she spotted Roomie with a camera so she turned around from watching cars to watching her dad.
In case you're wondering, no, she wasn't nursing at the moment.
This is probably one of my favourite pictures EVER. It's so cute, and it reminds me of how close she and I have been since the day she was born.

With Mini, as with most 2nd children, the anxiety of Rookie Mom was gone. Most questions had already been answered...

"How do I hold her?"
- I got past the limp and squishiness of newborns by just cuddling her close like I did her big brother.

"How do I change her diaper?"
- Front to back, like big girls. Plus, Lam was still in diapers. No learning curve.

"How do I feed her? Will I have milk? Are my nipples supposed to feel like they're on fire?"
- I'd breastfed my toddler. I was still lactating. My nipples are permanently calloused.

"You're sending this baby home with me?!? Are you nuts?!!!"
- "Give me my baby NOW... and no thanks, I don't need any valium."

When Mini was born, Lam had a fever, so he and Roomie couldn't visit us at the hospital. So, for our 3 day stay, I was able to focus on her without distraction, and we got the chance to bond in a relaxed, calm, and anxiety-free environment.

Mini slept when I slept -- she was beside me every night in my bed. She ate when I ate. And when I turned on the tv, she either slept or ate -- considering she couldn't see beyond 3 inches in front of her face.
It was like a slumber party... without the makeup and ghost stories.

I still miss those days when it was just Us Girls. Fortunately for me, Mini and I are still close and cuddly today, and I'm hoping we always will be.

The Girl Crush: Who's on Your *Other* List?

A big thanks and a wave to Paul for breathing new life into one of my favourite posts Who's on your Freebie List? His own fab freebie list, the first all-girl contribution added to our comments, had a few of our lifecandy regulars chiming in with their own suggestions.

It would appear that we all have our opinions when it comes to lovely celebrity ladies -- no matter which side our bread's buttered on! :)

That made me think of the first time we made girl lists, in addition to our regular boy lists.

It was during my girls' weekend in Toronto 7 years ago, when I, along with my girlfriends myrtle and Sly, stayed with a couple of our honourary "girlfriends" -- Jeff and Russ -- for a weekend of dining, dancing, and dishing.

See that picture? That's me trying to look sexy and not barf on Russ (Jeffy isn't pictured). It's not what you think. I was 8 weeks pregnant and had bad morning sickness. No boozy for me!

Anyway, Jami's great suggestions for girl hotties had me thinking about that old list of mine, as well as who I'd choose among today's celebrity babes for my current girl list. So, of course, I made a new list.

How about you? If you're a girl who likes boys, which girls would you put on your *other* list? Boys, you too!

Here's my 5, in no particular order:

1: Angelina Jolie

She always looks so effortlessly beautiful. Never afraid to show her strength, she's gutsy and is willing to take risks.

2: Rosario Dawson

I see myself hanging out with her. Going for drinks and singing at a karaoke bar. She isn't super super thin. She looks normal and healthy.

3: Kate Hudson

Another fun girl. She has a relaxed and confident attitude that's very attractive. I wish I could be like that too. She has a beautiful glow that I would never be able to have, being dark-haired and all.

4: Cameron Diaz

See Kate Hudson... except she has the experience of a 30 year old. Fun -- Charlie's Angels fun.

5: Salma Hayek

Just like what Paul said: "She's so smoking hot. She's got a great body, just the right amount of curves, not too skinny, not too big. Just right." All in all, I wanna be just like her!

Okay, now you!

Update:
The photos of the ladies crapped out on me so I decided to ditch them. Anyway, I also decided to add more to my list. Please pardon me as I just thought of them!
  • Alyssa Milano
  • Diane Lane
  • Heidi Klum
  • Kristin Davis
  • Lucy Liu
  • Renee Russo

Sniffing Out Treat Day Leavings...

Every Sunday in our household is Treat Day, the one day of the week the kids are allowed to eat anything they want. Yes, anything.

From sun-up to sun-down, Lam and Mini can enjoy with impunity the foods normally forbidden all other days of the week... chocolate, cookies, deep-fried french fries, ice cream, Slurpees, pop drinks, cinnamon buns, sugar cereals, lollipops... you get the picture.

Since its inception in July 2007, Treat Day has been wildly popular.
And soy sauce is made from soy beans.

But aside from the bleeding obvious, it's also made feeding my kids healthy foods on other days much easier. Knowing that they will eat sugar crap all Sunday somehow makes that bowl of broccoli and carrots on Thursday a little more tolerable. Somehow.

And the kids have surprised us. We thought they'd cram their little faces full of chocolate until they barfed, but they are aware of their limit and stop when they reach it... something their mother seems to have trouble doing when faced with a big bowl of dark chocolate and mint chocolate chip ice cream.

So, anyway, the day after Treat Day, the task of finishing off any stray treats that can't be saved 'til next Treat Day is left to Roomie and me. Tough job, I know.

Today, Roomie was sniffing around the kitchen obviously looking for something. He suddenly stopped and looked at me with suspicion...

Roomie: "So, I see that the little pieces of your son's Aero bar I was going to nibble on are missing."

Me: "Yes, I hate waste, you know. But this is still here." *Still grinning, I open the freezer door and show him the unopened container of Dibs.*

Roomie: "But will it last until the end of the week?"

Me: "I will not touch it."

Roomie: "Is that a non-answer that actually means 'I will use tongs'?"

Me: *laughing too hard to answer*

Roomie: "I'm right, aren't I?"

Teleportation...

Last night, Lam was on the computer. Just before bed, Roomie came upstairs, and when I asked him where his son was...

Roomie: "He's still finishing some details on his Google profile. He said that his interests are 'computers, computer games, and video games on the computer'."

Me: "Big surprise."

Roomie: "And his superpower -"

Me: "Superpower?"

Roomie: "Yeah, his superpower is teleportation. He actually typed out 'teleportation'. He can't spell 'building', but he can spell 'teleportation'."

Friday Meme: Have you ever...?

The title might imply that I'm doing a meme every Friday. Well, if that's what you think, you are WRONG! It only means that, if I'm doing a meme, I'll be doing it on a Friday. (crickets chirping) No, I'm not being weird. That actually makes sense!

Anyway, do this meme. All of you! I stole it from Zandria. It's ever so swanky.

Have you ever…

1. gone on a blind date?
No, my parents would've killed me, and after I moved out of my house, my boyfriend Roomie would've killed me.

2. skipped school?
Yes, when my band played at the school, and we needed the whole day to set up and take down all the amps, speakers, synths, and my bass. Mind you it was a teacher sanctioned skip, so I'm not sure if it counts.
I skipped a whole lot more in university though.

3. watched someone die?
No.

4. been on the opposite side of your country?
I live in the middle of my country... what's the opposite side of middle?... I've lived in BC, so the opposite of that is the Maritimes... so, in that case, no.

5. swam in the ocean?
Yes, hard to avoid that when you live in Hawai'i. I've also enjoyed time in the ocean while on my honeymoon in Cancun.

6. had your booze taken away by the cops?
No, but I've been shushed at our local Brit pub. OMG, who gets shushed at The Toad?!? Apparently, me... and one of my crazy girlfriends... just how loud were we, Su Li?

7. lettered in high school sport?
Oh, hell, no. I was one of the nerds. A Filipina nerd in a New Wave band. Such a dork.

8. played cops and robbers?
No, but we played a lot of Charlie's Angels vs. bad guys, as well as Bionic Woman vs. bad guys. I always played Sabrina and the bad guys, respectively.

9. sung karaoke?
I'm a Filipina. You are Filipina = You have a karaoke machine. It's a pre-req. And yes, I've sung with my friends at karaoke bars 'round town. Ah, to be young and very drunk.

10. paid for a meal with coins only?
Yes, it's easy in Canada when your $1 and $2 comes in coins.

11. made prank phone calls?
I may have... If I did, I would've been young and very drunk.

12. laughed until some sort of beverage came out of your nose?
Yes, thanks to my evil Roomie. He times his jokes for peak nasal spray-age.

13. written a letter to Santa Claus?
No, unless you count that email I sent him from my son last year. St. Nick's keeping up with the times, my friend.

14. watched the sunrise with someone you care about?
Yes, it was while I was living in Hawai'i with Roomie, or was it the Grand Canyon with Roomie. Wow, I get around with Roomie guy.

15. been kissed under the mistletoe?
Yes, it was wet and dirty, and we were told to stop right away.

16. ever been arrested?
No, but that's only because the cops haven't heard me sing karaoke yet.

17. gone ice skating?
Yes, I think it's a pre-req for all Canadians. You Canadian = You Skate.

18. been skinny dipping outdoors?
Not yet... I think... if I have, I would've been young and really drunk.

19. been on TV?
Yes... dancing hula on public access (age 11), A-Channel interview for Cinebabies, and ShawTV interview for Cinebabies. That would've been funny if I was young and drunk... but not 11yo young.

2.5 Hours: The First Week...

I'm giddy with joy over the 2.5 hours of child-free time I have everyday now that Mini has officially joined the rat-race... sorta. I've been so busy trying to organize my giddiness into short manageable bursts so I can get other stuff done that I haven't really formulated a good enough post to share with you all my... uh, giddiness.
Anyway, this week, I...

Monday: Got myself a decaf venti soy latte at Starbucks, then went home and finished a blog post. Yes, I'm super-dedicated to you guys. Cool, eh?

Tuesday: Got myself a iced venti light-ice green-tea lemonade at Starbucks, then went home and replied to a bunch of emails. You all seem to prefer emailing me than commenting. Hmmm... something to think about.

On Wednesday, the kids were home with me due to a school inservice. We did laundry.
Okay, I'm sure you're all in awe of the exciting week I've had so far. Hold on it gets better.

Thursday: Got myself another decaf venti soy latte. Oooo! I put away all the clean laundry, tidied up the family room, put Mini's stuffies back in the Rubbermaid tub in her room, and emptied out the kids' pajama drawer of all the stuff they've outgrown.

Friday: Since this hasn't happened yet, I can only let you know that I plan to get another drink at Starbucks, and maybe do some shopping at my favourite organic store. Roomie's coming home early to nap, so it might be a good idea for me to be out of the house to give him some peace and quiet.

So, do you envy me my exciting life yet? LOL

First Day wasn't as bad as I thought it would be...

I'm still in awe that I actually got through the first week of school without weeping copious tears. When either of my kids goes through a milestone, I tend to do that. Like many other moms, I'm sure.

You know, I never thought I'd be the Weepy Mom, but as soon as I peed on that stick and found out I was expecting Lam, the tap was turned on. Hasn't turned off yet.

Anyway, back to the school thing, so I thought "okay, I'm in trouble now", because not only was my Lam going from half-day Kinder to full-day Grade 1, but my little Mini, my baby, was starting Nursery school! Gosh, I'm getting weepy just thinking about it again.

You see, this is the reason why I decided to tackle this in one post. If I did one for Lam (he started the day before Mini), I'd cry. Then, when it came time to write about Mini's first day, I'd cry all over again. This way, I'd get it done in one post... fast... like ripping off a bandaid or getting a Brazilian wax.

So, anyway, Wednesday, we walked Lam to school. He was in the afternoon class the previous year, so walking him to school with the morning dew still on the grass was a little surreal. Now, Lam's a small kid -- very small for his age. Roomie and I don't want him to have trouble making friends. Not only that, he's also smart -- reading at Grade-3-level smart. He's in the Combined Grades 1-3 Alternative class, and ready to tackle more than just his Grade 1 tasks.

But he's also incredibly friendly and social, so I shouldn't have been surprised that, by the next day, he had a few classmates greeting him by name.

The next day, it was Mini's turn. See this picture?


It's me walking my little girl to school. Roomie knew I'd want a picture to put on my blog, so he took it. Not only is he thoughtful, he's cuddly, adorable, and smells like chocolate. Yeah, he told me to write that. That's fine. It's all true anyway.

I digress. Mini was so excited about going to school. She'd been waiting for TWO WHOLE YEARS. She watched her brother disappear into Room 9 for Nursery and Kindergarten, and now it's her turn.
She loved everything about getting ready... putting on her new jeans and first-day shirt, putting her new "inside" shoes into her Tinkerbell backpack on wheels, and putting on her jacket and rainboots. It could've been hailing bats on the walk to school and she still would've loved it.

But we got to school, bat-free.

Unwilling to completely let her go just yet, I went into her classroom with her to get her settled into her cubby, hang up her raincoat, and change her into her indoor shoes. After that, she just hugged me goodbye and ignored me.

Roomie and I walked all the way back home and didn't cry once. A miracle, that, because Roomie's a total suck when it comes to his kids too.

We're really proud parents who want to see our kids grow up and be the smart, friendly, strong, and spunky little humans to the outside world that they already are at home. We've done well, and they're ready.

I'm just not sure if I am.

Crap, I need tissue now.

Changes... some major, some minor...

Change is in the air. The weather's getting cooler, and the new school year's just begun. This is ever so painfully clear to a woman who's a mom to a boy who's now in school full time and a girl who's just started nursery school and a wife to a college instructor with a completely new schedule and whole new crop of students.

My own personal change has taken the form of tweaks to my blog. Please check them out, and let me know what you think of them...

1: New Tagline:
I've decided to emphasize the quirk factor by adding "Because My Life is as Sweet as Me". Ah, but how sweet am I really? Read my blog and wonder.

2: New Button for even more LinkLove:
With a new tagline comes a new button to share. If you have a blog and would like to link to me, please feel free to use this button, and let me know, so I can link to you too, if I don't already!
Photobucket




3: My About Page:
I've changed some of the details on my About page to give new readers a better idea of what this blog's all about. I'm getting more and more new readers everyday (hi to my new subscribers!), and I'm hoping this will bring in more.

4: New Books Page:
I decided to replace the Shop link to my Amazon store with a simple page of my favourite books by LibraryThing.com. I know many of you have Amazon stores, aka astores, so you know how time-consuming it is to add items to it. LibraryThing is just faster.
Plus it allows my readers to browse other recommended books directly from the Amazon site.

5: Recent Comments Block:
If you leave a comment to a post, you'll see it on the sidebar.

6: Removed:
- Recent Posts
- Donation Block
- Daily Healthy To-Dos

Updated...
7: Changed my Subscription/Profile Block:
The Twitter script always delayed the loading of my blog, so I decided to remove it altogether. I replaced it with a little welcome note and other ways to follow/friend me.

I'm also thinking of changing the Commenting format from Blogger to Haloscan. I'll be polling all of my readers to find out what will help you all to comment more.

Okay, that's it for now. Well, what do you think?!

All Me from Ay to Zee.

Just me stealing from Fraulein N...

A. Attached or single? Attached. Superglued. Ball-and-chained. Hitched. Spoken-for. Earmarked for life.

B. Best friend? The dude I'm attached to.

C. Cake or pie? Cake, because I will eat the whole cake. Give me pie and you'll get the crust back.

D. Day of choice? Saturday.

E. Essential item? Apparently, an internet connection... and corrective lenses - glasses or contacts... just blind without it.

F. Favorite color? Burgundy.

G. Gummy bears or worms? Neither... but in truth, I've never had the worm version.

H. Hometown? Winnipeg.

I. Favorite indulgence? Blog surfing. It's really a part of my job, but it's so much fun that I consider it an indulgence.

J. January or July? July... minus the weeding and mosquitoes.

K. Kids? 2. Cute. Smart. Fun.

L. Life isn’t complete without? me telling my kids I love them every day.

M. Marriage date? May 27.

N. Number of brothers and sisters? 1 sister, 0 brothers.

O. Oranges or Apples? Apples. Oranges are a high-maintenance fruit.

P. Phobias? Snakes. Heights. Being attacked by a swarm of mosquitoes.

Q. Quotes? "Why are you eating ham when it's not ham time?" - by my son.

R. Reasons to smile? It's a Saturday, the sun is shining, and my kids are here at home and not wandering the streets with their posse. Mind you, they're 4- and 6-years-old.

S. Season of choice? Spring, but closer to summer, so it's warmer, less muddy, and the mosquitoes are still nowhere to be seen.

T. Tag 5 people: Crap, I loathe this part. Okay, 5 of you, go to your blog and do this. Leave a comment here if you decide to do it.

U. Unknown fact about me? I turned down invitations to join a few beauty pageants as a teen because I didn't think I needed a pageant to tell me I was beautiful. God, I was full of myself back then. Dork.

V. Vegetable? Carrots. Raw, steamed, mashed, or honey-glazed.

W. Worst habit? I have so many bad habits. Which is the worst? Leaving the dishes in the sink overnight? I don't know.

X. X-ray or Ultrasound? Ultrasound. Makes me think of my babies. X-rays make me think of my sore rotator cuff.

Y. Your favorite food? Sushi.

Z. Zodiac sign? Scorpio. Possessive, sensual, moody, broody, secretive, jealous. In short, #1 bitchy. My secret boyfriend, Gerard Butler, is also a Scorpio. He likes me bitchy.

Holy Protein, Batman!

Protein has always been a topic close to my heart. So, when so many of you, my dear readers, sent me emails and DMs asking about what I do for protein on my veggie venture, I figured a blog post would be the best way to share my experiences.

Okay, so how important is protein to me?

In my early 20s, I was diagnosed with reactive hypoglycemia. My blood sugar level had severe peaks and valleys that resulted in episodes of headaches, dizziness, nausea, mood-swings, irritability, and all sorts of lovely things that, I'm sure, had Roomie wondering if his hot new girlfriend was some sort of certifiable lunatic.
My doctor immediately put me on a high-protein/low-carb diet and had me eating at regular intervals to keep my blood sugar much more even... and my mood less crazy.

When I became pregnant in my 30s, I slacked off the diet and gave in to my cravings for sweets. Well, I ended up with gestational diabetes due to insulin resistance, and my endocrinologist put me back on the high-protein diet.
To be safe, I continued to eat that way with my second pregnancy, resulting in excellent blood sugar results.

So, when I decided to go veg, I had to be careful with my approach. Once again, I did my research - like I did when I was first told to go on the diet - and now this is what I do...

My Protein Strategy

1: Get Enough Protein
The absolute minimum amount of protein I get in a day is about my weight divided by two in grams... so 128lbs/2 = 64. I strive for about 64grams of protein everyday. I still end up eating more.

2: The Type of Vegetarianism I Practice
I still eat eggs, and on the very rare occasion, fish. So, technically, I'm pescetarian. I'm trying to limit my dairy, but I love cheese - pizza wouldn't be the same without it! Eggs and fish are easy sources of good protein.

3: My Favourite Protein Smoothie
A while back, I shared with you the recipe for my favourite protein smoothie. It's an excellent source of complete, veggie-based protein. Every morning, I have a cup of green tea, then a piece of fruit, and finally, one of these yummy smoothies.

4: I Try to Be a Good Guest
If I'm at a friend's house, I will eat what I am served. I find that the occasional meat meal doesn't trouble me too much and boosts my protein.

5: I Tried to Stay Relaxed During Transition
When I started, I allowed myself the occasional meat meal. I'm one of those people who can't do cold turkey. The temptation to just give up at the first setback is too great. Slow change is better for me.

6: Get Help if Needed
I found a few low-carb vegetarian cookbooks that give great non-meat protein ideas. I'll add them to my Amazon store shortly.

Many have found valuable help through a nutritionist or dietitian. In fact, I suggest that you see a health care professional before you make any changes to your diet or fitness regime. You'll be glad you did.

One Letter Makes All The Difference...

Our son Lam reads at a Grade 3 level. He's still learning the subtle nuances of the written language, but still, not bad for a 6-year-old. He loves reading to his friends and helping them read stuff.

He also loves to play Chaotic. He uses much of his Tooth Fairy money on the trading cards, which he registers so he can play online against people from all over the world. As long as he stays focused on the game and doesn't get distracted by one of his toys or bugged by his sister, he's damn good! I wonder if those folks realize they're getting their butts kicked by a 6-year-old...

Anyway, one of his favourite cards is call "Hymn of the Elements", which is a mugic or special ability/power.
When he first got the card, he read it as "Hymen of the Elements". Rather unfortunate, eh? We just patiently corrected him, and went on with life. The correction didn't stick, and he just kept calling it "Hymen of the Elements".

So, the other night, I overheard Roomie teaching him why he had to make more of an effort to say it right.
On a piece of paper, Roomie wrote the word "hymn" and beside it, "hymen"...

Roomie: "When you say 'hymen', this is the word your saying, not that word."
Lam: "Okay."
Roomie: "You see, just by adding a letter, you changed the meaning of the word. Do you know what that second word means? It means something that's in a woman's body."
Lam: "Oh." *still not sounding convinced that it matters*

Then under those two words he wrote another word...
Roomie: "Now, what does that word say?"
Lam: "Pens."
Roomie: "If you add just one letter to the word, right here, what does it say now?"
Lam: *after a fit of giggles* "Penis."
Roomie: "See, just one letter makes a difference. Now, will you remember?"

Chances are, he will.
Or he'll just remember that it takes just one letter to change "pens" into "penis"...

Achieve Powerful Beauty with a Bionic Beauty Shirt!!!

My buddy Jami, aka Bionic Beauty, has come out with these groovy shirts for all of us to wear and display our powerful beauty!

Now, I typically don't like wearing shirts with words on the chest because I don't like people reading my boobs, but I make a serious exception with this shirt. I'm getting one... and dare you all to read my boobs!

She's got assorted tees and tanks, and maternity tops too, as well as tote bags. Check out the whole collection at http://www.printfection.com/bionicbeauty.