I have a new pattern coming out this May in Stitch Magazine!

The projects inside are hip and modern and it's really well put together. The pattern I created for it is exclusive to the magazine and will not be sold anywhere else. Check my blog in the spring for updates on where you can purchase it. I might be able to get it for my Etsy shop too.

Here is a little sneek peek of the skirt. I used a lot of Fabric from Lila's new line Soire'e.

Do you ever go to Target and just start wandering the aisle's? I do it about once a month. I really just needed to get some thermals for my sons Scout camp out tonight, but the girls were being really good so I started to wander. I found some great things, but my favorite find was this:




Wohoo! I love that show and I am always amazed at the transformation the stars through. They always loose 20 or more pounds, even the one's that leave first! I am so excited to try this. They had a really good selections of workout DVD's there. I also saw Core Rythms and Yoga Booty Ballet which are both on my Kill The Fat list of things to get.

I love that place.

A friend in the pattern making business once told me that writing patterns is harder than raising 4 kids. After the last few patterns I have I done, I might have to agree.



This is a picture of me after finishing the Mish Mash pattern, looking all fuzzed out and dead tired. I'm serious that thing was a beast!


And this is how I feel after working on my newest pattern. Raaaaar.



I think I might need a little me time.

Kill The Fat with Organic Foods

Are you new to Kill The Fat? Click HERE.

Organic. Not Organic. What's the difference?

I didn't think it mattered at first. Organic food is expensive and I didn't think that it tasted that much better. I resisted Hartman's requests to buy Organic for months using the excuse that it costs too much. As I have taken the time to learn more about it and why it is better for you, I find it almost impossible to not buy it! You could say I am addicted to the little green sticker.

There are a lot of articles you read on Organic foods and I will list them in just a minute, but the main reason I buy it is because of this book:



and this movie. In a nut shell, in order to make an extra buck companies will do ANYTHING. Even put harmful toxins in our food. Why do they do it? Because it makes more food faster and cheaper and that makes money. If you want the full details get that book and watch that movie, but be warned! You will never be able to eat same again. Have you ever heard the term "you get what you pay for?" Well it applies to food too. That $1 menu at McDonalds...that is just down right scary. You should not eat meat that only cost $1. Ewww.

I have found that buying Organic actually isn't that much more expensive because now that I am more aware of what is in my food, I don't buy all the junk I use to fill my shopping cart with. It almost evens out and a miracle has happened! My kids eat fruit and vegetables for their snacks, not Candy and chips! I just set it out on the table and it's gone before I know it:) Besides, they make great table decorations!



So what are some of the reasons you should eat organic?
1. Conventional or Non Organic Farmers use pesticides that are toxic and poisonous.
2. Some use human sludge to fertilize. (that just makes me sick)
3. They plant genetically modified seeds

Pretty much all grocery stores sell organic foods, but it can be expensive and you still can't be totally sure where it came from. The best place to buy your Organic foods is a local farmers market. Not only can you talk to the owners of the farm first hand to see what they are using on their food, but you supporting a local business! You don't have to buy everything Organic, but the more you can the better. Here is a list of Organics that I ALWAYS buy:

1. All fruit and vegetables - I don't want any pesticides in my families bodies

2. Dairy: milk, cheese, butter, yogurt - I don't want growth hormones, anti-biotics, or dairy products from animals that have been fed genetically altered corn.

3. Meat - Read the Omnivore's Dilemma and you will never buy regular meat again. It is disgusting what they feed the animals that we are eating. Meat is the most expensive thing to buy organic, but believe me it is worth it! The best way to buy your meat is to find a local farmer and buy a cow or a pig. You can split it with a couple of families and get a years worth of meat. It will save you a bundle!

As for the rest, I don't buy organic as much, but I do look at the ingredients. These are the things I don't want in my food.

bleach, moified corn starch, high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenized oils, and cotton seed oil.

I know there are more, but these are the main ones I stay away from. Here are few links to sites that talk more about the harm these substances can cause, other substances that might be harmful, and why Organic is better.

Harmful Ingredients

Hormones

Try not to get sick when reading this one:

Why Eat Organic Meat

Top 10 Reasons to Eat Organic

Eat Better, Loose Weight

A few things I have noticed since I have started eating Organic and looking at the ingredients that are in my food:

• My skin is better, more hydrated, and my wrinkles are less noticeable.
• I have more energy
• My moods are more regular and I don't get hormonal anymore!
• Weight loss - oh ya...genetically modified foods can cause weight gain
  
• My kids are eating better and they are happier, healthier, and cuter:)
  

I mean really, it's a no brainer. Why would you wan to eat things that harmful to your body? Why would you want to feed your kids poison? You pay a little more now for Organic food, but in the end you will save. You will save yourself and your family from illnesses that could have been prevented by simply paying attention to what is in and on your food.



Enough with the FOOD! Here are my stats and a smoothie recipe:

Week 1:

• gained 1 pound
• chest: 34"
• stomach: 33"
• Hips: 36"
• Thighs - Right: 21 1/2" Left: 22
• Arms - Right: 11" Left: 10"

- during week 1 I followed the plan Kassi gave me, worked out 6 days, and drank more water

Week 2:

• lost 2 pounds
• chest: 34"
• stomach: 33"
• Hips: 36"
• Thighs - Right: 21" Left: 21 1/2"
• Arms - Right: 11" Left: 10"

- during week 2 I followed the plan, but fell off the wagon and missed one day of working out and I had a sip of Doctor Pepper! Shame on me!!!!!!!!

Things are definitely moving slowly, but I am going to keep going. I feel like in a couple more weeks things will start looking better:)

MANGO TANGO

• 1 banana
• 1 cup organic frozen manogs
• 1/2 cup of orange juice or pineapple juice
• 1 cup of ice
• 1 tsp. ginger
• 1 tsp. vanilla
  

Testing, Testing, 123

Does anybody know where I can get a Hubble Deep Space Telescope for cheap? I got a little side tracked tonight looking at images from space taken by the Hubble. My favorite one is Orion (above). I tried for months to convince Hart to let us name one of girls Orion. He never gave in, but I still love it. It's so beautiful! My brother and I have this theory that God lives there. Right in the white center.

Check out this one. The colors are incredible!

This one looks like some kind of scary portal. Steer clear. I have a bad feeling about it.

And this one just looks messed up.

This is a cluster of Galaxies taken by the Hubble! What does this say to me?

 I am very, very small.

I should be working and not doing this, but it was just to cool to keep to myself.

Sweet Dreams!

After a straight week of working out everyday for 50 minutes, eating a healthy breakfast, drinking more water, snacking on fruits and veges, and cutting down on carbs, I have gained 1 pound! Haa haa. I have to laugh because isn't that just the way it is? I think it's some kind of evil force that is trying discourage me and get me stop because the universe wants me to stay the way I am! OR..some of my fat turned to muscle. I like the second one best:)

I will not QUIT and I am going to Kill that Stupid Fat no matter what it takes!Kassi sent me my awesome training plan this week and I am feeling super motivated. Based on my height, weight, and my end goal she gave me a great plan that is sure to help me get fit in no time at all. I now have a workout schedule for the week, a chart to help me mark my calorie intake, meal options, AND a few killer PUMPing Iron workouts that she suggested to help my muscles resurface from the dark abyss in which they are hiding. She is still working out the details of the training packages that she will be offering you over the web, so stayed tuned so you can get yours as soon as possible!

Above is a picture of my workout equipment. I also have a
My Gym, but it was too big to fit in the picture. I love,love, LOVE my work out DVD's. As the wife of a student I am not able to afford a gym membership so these guys are going to be my Gym for the next 2 years. Turbo Jam...what I can say about you? You Jam! You motivate me, you make me butt burn, my abs tighter, and you make me sweat! What would I do without you? Tony Horton...You are the man! How do you make someone sweat like they have done a 35 minute workout in 10 minutes? By the time my 10 minutes is up, I want to die. Hip Hop Abs and Rockin Body are my favorite! They get me to bust a move and burn calories all in one. I can always count on Sean T to make me laugh. He is so fun to exercise with. I also use the ab slide to make my abs really sore, a slimmer belt to target my abs and back (does it work? I have no idea, but I sweat like crazy when I wear it during a workout.), and the weights, resistance bands, and the My Gym for toning. Still on my list to purchase: weighted workout gloves, Yoga Bootie Ballet, and Core Rhythms. Can you tell that I watch way too much late night T.V.? Those freaking workout infomercials always get me. (you should see how many face creams I have! I am such a sucker!!!)

Starting next week, I will give you my stats and updates on how much weight I have lost and my inches lost. It's scary I know, but I feel like I will work harder if I have to post the results. I hope by doing this I can get you motivated to workout daily with me! Besides, those endorphins are kind of fun to have around:)

Now for the hard part:

What are you drinking? If you want baby soft skin like hers, I would suggest you drink more water. What I wouldn't give to turn back the clock. I know I can't do that, but I can slow it down.

The facts:
Water makes up 70 to 80% of body! Can you believe that? For almost 3 years I was mostly drinking Coke for my water supply. Is that sick or what? I don't even want to know what that has done to the inside of my body. I can see what it has done to the outside of my body and it's not pretty.

There are a ton of good articles out there about water and our bodies. I liked THIS one because it's short sweet, and sums it all up. We need water!

So what is so bad about pop? Click HERE for a bunch of articles on the dangers of soda pop. Are you addicted to coke, diet coke, coke zero, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper or some other kind? I was and it was hard to stop. But I felt that I needed to do it not only for my own health, but my kids. I don't want them to put that stuff in their little healthy bodies. I don't want to be responsible for what it could do to them over time. I found those articles very motivating to help me keep pop out of our diets. I still crave a coke every now and then, and It's possible on a stressful day or a late night that I might give in. I really hope that I don't because I want to kick this thing for good! This article below is only one of the reasons why:

We clearly have a long way to go to share even the most
fundamental, basic nutrition concepts to the typical highly deceived
and manipulated consumer. This new danger from sodium benzoate is
simply one among many, as sodas are among the worst possible "foods"
you can consume.

Professor Peter Piper, the UK expert who discovered the problem, says that the soft drink preservative can "totally inactivate" and "knock out" cells' mitochondria. The end result is an increased risk of a slew of diseases.

Sodium benzoate has previously also come under fire because, when combined with the vitamin C in many soft drinks, it forms benzene, a cancer-causing chemical linked to leukemia. In one study, at least five brands of soft drinks were found to contain excessive benzene levels.

Sodium benzoate is used freely in the United States and the UK. Fortunately, you can protect your health from this dangerous substance by not drinking soda (and ot allowing your kids to either).

This is one of the easiest -- and most significant --
things you can do for your health; and aside from the good news that
you won't have to worry about damaging your DNA, giving up soda (if you
drink it) can reduce your risk of diabetes, obesity, and cancer. If you struggle with an addiction to soda, I strongly recommend you consider Turbo Tapping as a simple yet highly effective tool to help you stop this health-sucking habit.

So put down the can of soda, and pick up a glass of clean water instead.

_______________________________________________________________________________

You can do it! I'm doing it and I feel so much better than I did a few months ago!!! As for Energy Drinks...Read this, this, and this.

TIP OF THE WEEK:

I kicked my soda drinking addiction by getting hooked on something
else. JAMBA JUICE! I found an off menu flavor that is soooo good. It's
way better than Coke! If I'm feeling a little down and kind of lazy, I
ask for the energy boost. Next time you go in ask for White Gummy....it
is Yummy!

Check in next Monday for a special post about FOOD. I will also be adding a delicious smoothie recipe later this week.

Kill The Fat - My Secret Weapon

Ya baby! This is my Sister in Law Kassi! Is she rockin or what? Well...you didn't think I was qualified to not only kill my fat, but help you kill yours did you? :) I am sooo not qualified, but she is!!!

Kassi currently runs for Nike and is a personal trainer in Michigan. She is the MOST in shape person I know. She is healthy inside and out and is my role model, my idol, and she is going to get me a rockin body too! Kassi lived with us over the summer and visited us for 2 weeks over the Holiday's. I can't help but feel inspired to get in shape when she is around and I know that with her help I can do it! She is my on-line personal trainer and she can be yours too!She is working up a little something for those who are interested and will soon be offering an e-mail personal training package that is sure to get your bootie in gear and get you a healthier, happier body. (Check back soon for more details on that.) She and Hartman have also agreed to help me make my Monday Posts full of great info to help you stay motivated, get healthy, and Kill the Fat.

My story: I am a stay at home mother of 4 sweet kids. They range from ages 12 to 3 and they keep me busy. I did pretty good with the first 3 weight wise, but #4 kicked my butt! I gained 56 pounds and developed a skin condition on my face known as hyperpigmentation or a pregnancy mask. It made me mad, sad, and really, really frustrated. Over the last 3 years I have worked out off and on and tried every single cream under the sun to try and fix my skin, but not much progress has been made until recently. In July my family ventured to California to support our main man Hartman and his dream to become a Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine. Since then we have become a very health conscious family. I'll admit, It was hard for me at first. After all, I have been eating processed foods, drinking pop, and eating junk since I was a kid. Most of us have. Why? Because that's the American way! Well it's not good. Over the last several years we have had a rise in childhood diseases, cancers, heart disease, allergies, asthma, diabetes, blood pressure, and obesity to name a few and frankly, it's killing us. But even after hearing that for last 8 years from my Brother Shain(the organic farmer) and other family members, I resisted. What did it for me? It was this:

FRUIT!!! Believe it or not, we will eat all of this and the fruit that is in the fridge within about a week. As soon as we got here Hartman started devouring fruit. California fruit is delicious and he could not get enough. He started drinking more water and started grilling me on what kinds of foods I was buying. I was so frustrated at first because he was always checking the ingredients on the boxes and making disgusted faces when he came across something he didn't like. He and Kassi would go to Whole Foods together and never come back. I was sick of hearing about High Fructose Corn Syrup, Cotton Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Oils, and Modified foods. I didn't care that those things were in my food and I just wanted to eat what I want!

Slowly but surely, Hartman started getting thinner. I couldn't understand it because he wasn't any more active than he had been when we were in Utah. He was just eating tons of fruit and refusing to eat my processed foods! 6 months later he as dropped 13 pounds and somehow has turned back the clock because he even looks younger. Over the last few months I have conformed to his healthy ways and I must admit, things are getting better for me too! I have lost 6 pounds simply by cutting pop out of my diet and cutting out the processed foods. Not much working out has been involved in this process, but that is going to change. I have another 20 pounds to go If I want to look like Kassi and I really, really do want to look like her. So join me every Monday for a post about eating healthy and working out and together we can Kill The Fat!

A few starter tips.(These are things I have been doing for the last little bit that have helped and all of these things were recommended by Kassi):

1. NO MORE POP. No diet, zero's, nada. It's not good and it makes you bloated and retain water. YUCK!

2. Drink more water. ( I am trying so hard!) Why is it so hard? I don't know, but Kassi makes Icey drinks every day to help her get some of her water intake up. Smoothies are good, and working out definitely helps because you get so thirsty!

3. Eat Breakfast within 30 minutes of waking up.

4. Do a natural and safe colon cleanse or detox. Why? Because you probably have a hot dog inside of you that has been there since the day you ate it when you were 4 years old! Get it out!!!

5. Get 8 hours of sleep. Those of you who know me, know I don't do this one. I'm going to try and be better.

6. Burn 500 a calories a day more than you eat. What does this mean? Eat smaller portions and work out every day for at least 30 minutes.45-60 minutes is even better.

I'll have more tips for you starting next Monday and some of the really important ones will get their own post. I will also be posting YUMMY energizing smoothie recipes, healthy dinner's, and up to date details on my workout programs and diet!

Just remember, I don't have those sweet abs that you always see on TV when someone is trying to get you to buy a work out product or weight loss pill. I have hardly lost any weight at all in the last 2 years. I am doing this with you every day, every step of the way.

Want a button for your blog to help others kill the fat? Copy and past this code into your site:

One thing I have learned is that baby fat is different from man fat. Most men who have fat can loose it by simply eating some fruit and drinking more water. They might have to do a few crunches too. Women who have given birth, either have had or still do have baby fat. Getting rid of baby fat takes serious discipline, but what you have to do is fairly simple. You can either keep eating all of those yummy things you craved during pregnancy that you just can't seem to stop craving and you can work out like crazy to try and compensate. Or you can stop eating all of that yummy stuff and work out a little less crazy to get rid of the baby fat. Either way, we have to work out. Working out isn't always fun and eating right is hard so I am going to dedicate every Monday for the next 5 months to KILL THE FAT. It's my New Years resolution, my motto, and my main goal. I plan to loose 20 pounds by April 9, 2009. That is 4 pounds a month. Easy-peasy. Do you want to loose 20 pounds too? Then join me every Monday for a special post about KILLING THE FAT on our bodies and getting healthier, happier, and a little lighter while we're at it. You won't want to miss it and it will taste good too!

Here are a few pictures we have taken in the last month. We have done some exploring around the San Francisco Bay with visiting family members and have seen a lot, but there is still so much more! Family and Friends who come for a visit in 2009 will get a free place to stay. 1 yummy dinner (made by Hartman), and a tour of our favorite spots:) I slipped some California songs into my playlist to get you geared up.