Tugging at my heartstrings!

Ever since Cameron was first born, he was always a "passionate eater." Meaning, he would hum and coo each time he ate & you would know he wouldn't want to be doing anything else at that moment. "Humm, Hmmm," he would sing as a drank his milk... Even now at ten months old, when he's ready for sleep or a nap & drinking his bottle, he still does the same thing & it brings me back to when he was a teeny, tiny newborn.

Today as I fed Cam his bottle in his room right before he napped, I brushed my lips along his head & smelled his sweet "Cammy" smell as he "hummed & hmmm'd" along. I noticed his small, chubby, bare feet & suddenly felt a lump forming in my throat as tears pricked at my eyes. As I type this now, I'm feeling the same way. Something about that moment made me realize that I really have to hold on to these moments because before I know it, he will be grown up & not want to snuggle with Mom anymore. I'm treasuring each day I have with my baby while also looking forward to watching him grow & learn. I know he won't be a baby forever, so I'll savor the time that he is.

Perno Pizza Friday

Last night's "Perno Pizza Friday" was all thanks to Mike! Not only did he come up with the idea, but he called Publix to reserve a wheat dough ball, grocery shopped for the ingredients AND made the pizza himself.

This week's pizza was Buffalo chicken & it was absolutely delicious! First Mike poached the chicken breasts by boiling them for five minutes, removing them from the heat & letting them sit, covered for an additional ten minutes; they turned out perfectly cooked & moist. He then blended the chopped chicken with Buffalo wing sauce, topped the crust with more buffalo wing sauce, added cheese & the chicken mixture, blue cheese dressing on top of the cheese, sprinkled it with a little more mozzarella cheese & viola, we had a fantastic, tasty pizza for dinner!

One of my many pet peeves!

So, since I've been on the subject of working out & joining a gym, I just thought I'd gripe about something that bugged the hell out of me Monday when I was lifting weights. I was at Shapes, listening to my IPod & minding my own business (okay, well maybe not..) when I saw another gym member approach a personal trainer & ask her about nutrition. Needless to say my ears perked up since I'm a registered dietitian.

Well, this woman, let's call her W, asks the trainer, let's call her T what she should do since she's stuck at a point where she isn't losing additional weight. T asks W what her diet is like & when W says, "I have shredded wheat for breakfast" T immediately says, "you need to stop that, grains turn right to sugar. Oh, & I personally follow a no dairy diet." UGHHHHGHH! Seriously, I could feel my blood pressure rise as I held back the urge to shout, "listen here, you freaking idiot, you have absolutely NO right to be dishing out nutrition information to the public when you have absolutely no degree to back it up. AND what you're saying is absolute crap!"

To top it off, I happened to be talking to one of the respiratory therapists at work today who mentioned that a trainer at her gym told her not to eat more than 2 pieces of fruit/day. When I asked her if it was Shapes, she said yes! Let's use some common sense & realize that shredded wheat & fruit are not the culprits of the massive problem our country has with obesity!!!!!

I went to school for 4 years to get my B.S. in Nutrition & Dietetics & then moved on to a 2 year dietetic internship, so it REALLY annoys me when I listen to some Joe-Schmo dish out information that is not accurate. SO, to everyone out there, eat fruit, eat shredded wheat with low-fat or fat-free milk & focus on eating in moderation. I think it's the growing portion sizes & inactivity that's the problem. Not grains "that turn to sugar."

Thank you for letting me vent. That is all. For now.

I spoke too soon!

So today I tried my third & final gym & found a keeper, deciding against Shapes & instead chose Family Fitness. I came to the decision for a few reasons: 1) It will save me about 15 minutes from my commute since Family Fitness is right on my way home 2) they provide you with towels! Yes, this may not seem like a big deal, but when you're running out the door in the morning, trying to remember 15 things, it's very nice to forgo one thing on your list. 3) They have 17" flat screen tvs on each piece of cardio equipment with 70 channels to choose from!! Let me tell you, this was AMAZING! I plugged my headphones in & watched Scrubs, Jon & Kate Plus 8 (I know, I know, why?!) & the Food Network. It made my 30 minute workout feel like 10.

So, I am extremely excited to have come to a decision & I'll be signing up for Family Fitness tomorrow. I am vowing to myself that I will go to the gym 3-4 days a week, no excuses!

What makes you happy?

I've been "tagged" by Lauren and here are the rules:

1. Mention and link back to the person that tagged you.

2. List 6 little things that make you happy!

3. Tag 6 other bloggers and let them know "They're it".

Here are just a few of the many things in my life that make me happy.

1) My hubby, Mike makes me happy! Mike is the only person that can make me laugh hysterically when I had just been crying hysterically. He knows EXACTLY what to say to get me going. Mike is also the logic & reasoning in my life since I tend to be very high strung & anxious. AND he is the most amazing father to Cameron that I could ever design!



2) Cameron makes me happy! That baby boy amazes me every single day; he seems to have a new trick up his sleeve each time I turn around. I never knew such love until I met the little person who grew in my belly & I thank God for him each day.



3) My family makes me happy. I feel so blessed to have been raised by a loving family! Or should I say crazy family b/c that, we definitely are. I'm thankful that Cameron has both sets of grandparents to love & all of his aunts & uncles and I'm lucky to have such wonderful "in-laws" who I consider my true family.


The wacky Schuth family


The Pernecky clan

4) My friends make me happy. Friends are the best b/c they stay with you by choice & become as close as family. I love my friends & I would be lost without them! Each friend has something different & unique to offer & I appreciate each of them for that. Moving to FL was one of the hardest things I have ever done, but the friends we have made since moving has made me feel that this is truly home. But, I still miss the place that will always be home in my heart, & that's IL. I can't wait to see all of my wonderful friends from Chicago when we go back to visit in December!



5) My zoo makes me happy. I'm speaking of the furry rodents, aka, dogs & cats that live under my roof. They show me affection & love even when I don't deserve it. Love you, Dempsey, Stella, KC & Casper. And even my fish, Princess Sparkles!


"Miss Dumps"


Stella the stinkin Cheech!


KC Boy aka serial snuggler!


Casper aka, one bad ass, mo-fo!


It's Princess Sparkles!

6) My work makes me happy. I worked very hard to become a registered dietitian & I am thankful that I did. Caring and educating patients on a daily basis is rewarding; it's great to put someone at ease when they are in a very vulnerable state.

I could go on & on about the things that make me happy, but I'll leave at 6. What are the things that make you happy?

Tag, you're it!

1) Mike
2) Cameron
3) Lesli

Post baby butt kickin'!

I've been regularly working out in a gym since I became a member of Bally Total Fitness when I was sixteen years old. That is, until I was about seven months pregnant & retired my membership to the YMCA & began taking walks with Mike & my dogs each evening after work instead. I figured I would resume my membership after Cam was a little older & things were more settled.

Well, the months crept by & things never seemed to get settled as they really never do when you add a baby to an already hectic life. Silly new mom mentality to think I'd have an abundance of time on my hands! Anyway, I've really been itching to get back to the gym to burn off some stress & feel stronger & more in shape. Packing a bag for the gym & heading there straight from work can be the last thing I want to do after a full day's work, but once I'm there, I'm always so glad I went. I feel a lot more energized & more confident in myself after.

So this week I decided to test out Shapes since I got a free two week membership during a vendor fair at work. I tend to feel very self-conscious & intimidated when working out with guys, so I was excited to try an all woman's gym. Monday I went to Shapes & did a half hour of cardio which was just fine, but when I got to lifting weights, I found that I was so out of shape! You would think that after hoisting a 20+ pound baby around I'd have more upper body strength, but my arms felt like jello afterward!

Today I tried another gym called Choice Fitness since it was brand new & they offer a one-week free membership on their website. It's co-ed, but I figured I would give it a try & see which gym I preferred before dishing out cash. It ended up being a very nice place; the walls were painted cobalt blue & yellow, it was immaculate & I was able to get on every machine I wanted since it was fairly empty. After doing forty minutes of cardio, I moved onto weights & again felt completely dead! I was actually embarrassed at the pitiful amount of weight I was lifting which I usually could care less about.

But, the point is, it feels wonderful to be working out again & I can already feel my stress level decreasing. It's the one time in my day where my head is clear, I'm burning energy & catching up on my magazines as I bike or work on the elliptical. I'm sure I'll gradually increase my strength & get back to where I was pre-baby. I guess I should expect my body to be different after growing a human being in my belly for almost ten months, but that would be too sane of me to think!

In the end, I have decided I'll be joining Shapes since nothing beats working out & not listening to some meat-head grunt as he lifts weights far too heavy & checks himself out in the mirror the entire time. Or watching the little bimbette prance around in her full face of make-up in order to pick up guys instead of actually working out! Plus, Shapes has a pool, hot tub, steam room & sauna which could be nice after a workout! If I have extra time. Ha!

He got me!

Last night as I snuggled my sweet, innocent little Cameron, I felt completely at peace as he nuzzled against my shoulder. The moment of peace was not to last as Cameron decided to stealthily & quickly put his new chompers to work on my shoulder! I expected Cam to cry as I screamed "oww!" in surprise, but no, he just adjusted himself in my arms and went about his business. No biggie. I'm sure there will be more bites to come since flesh seems to be a perfect teething device.

Hope I don't turn into a baby vampire or anything... maybe I should lay off the Twilight books for a bit?