Feeling Red

Do you know the single leading cause of death for women? Nope, it’s not breast cancer. It’s not lung cancer, car accidents or death by insanity because our family, friends and work pull us in fifty-million directions.

The single leading cause of death for women is coronary heart disease – and it’s often preventable. Taking care of yourself by exercising, eating healthy, monitoring your blood pressure and cholesterol, and not smoking are just a few of the things that you can do to lower your risks for heart disease. As wives and mothers – the center of our families – it’s crucial that we stay strong and healthy not only for ourselves but for our children, too. The best way to teach them good habits is by doing them ourselves.

Today is National Wear Red Day. Millions of people all of the world will be decked out in red to help bring awareness to this deadly disease. To learn more visit Go Red For Women.

I’m feeling Red today … how about you?

Winks & Smiles,

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Stepping Up Your Game

You Didn’t Ask but I’m Just Sayin’…

Are you being the best you that you can be? Are you happy with the way you feel, the way you look and with the choices that you make?

Or, is it time for you to step up your game?

Every once in awhile we all need to take a look in the mirror and ask ourselves if we’re living life the way we want to live or if we’re hiding behind the challenges and excuses that stand in our way. Life is short; or really long pending on how you’re living it.

As wives, mothers, daughters, and girlfriends our families and our work (in and outside of the home) pull us in many directions. There’s no doubt that we’re overworked, underpaid and often just plain tired. But … (oh, come on, you knew it was coming) I’m a big believer in the old saying “when there’s a will, there’s a way.” If you’re daily routine is not working for you, it’s up to you to change it. If you want to lose 10 pounds it’s up to you to drop the Twinkies and get moving. If you need some “me time” it’s up to you to schedule it.

Yes, there are circumstances that are out of our control, but I’m not talking about those. I’m talking about the things that we can change. The things we tend to hide behind. Whenever I used to see a woman jogging down the street I would always say, “I wish I could run.” Running always seemed so sexy to me. I wanted to do it, but never did. Quite honestly, I didn’t think I could. One day I was watching TV and saw a documentary on a runner who lost most of his legs in a car accident but ran marathons using prosthetics. It was a huge awakening. Why was I wishing for something I was more than capable of doing? I have full use of my legs. That man didn’t but still made it happen. After that I started running in my neighborhood. My first run was to the end of my street. My longest run has been a half marathon. Now I run the Peachtree Road Race every year. I decided to step up my game and the rewards (physically and mentally) were boundless.

I wrote this post because it’s time for me to look in the mirror again and to figure out where and how I can step up my game. How about you? Are you living life the way you want to … or is it time for you to step up your game? Inspired women want to know …

Winks & Smiles,

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Dinnertime Drama – Done!

Around 5 p.m. everyday I constantly find myself in a panic to pull dinner together before Husband gets home. Yes, my secret is out – I suffer from dinnertime drama.

For those of you who have dinner mapped out months in advance and place well-balanced meals on the table promptly at 6 p.m., I bow down to your greatness. For the rest of us, ahem, who balk when the question, “What’s for dinner?” is asked, I’ve got the perfect solution to end dinnertime drama. Actually, I’ve got three.

The good folks at A Flash In The Pan have given me THREE one year memberships to giveaway to celebrate the re-launch of their website.



What is A Flash In The Pan?

A Flash In The Pan is the perfect answer to, "What’s for dinner?" Every Friday, they provide a week’s worth of customizable, chef-created dinner menus for the upcoming week. Select how many servings and what time you want to eat and they’ll take care of the rest! You’ll get a shopping list and our patented Cooksheet™ to help you think and cook like a chef. All you have to do is prepare for the compliments!

I don’t know who was happier when I discovered A Flash In The Pan – me or husband!

Here’s how to win a one year membership (remember, I’ve got three of them to giveaway):

Leave me a comment about your dinnertime drama – or lack of. Yes, A Flash In The Pan is still perfect for those domesticated divas that have all of their ducks in a row.

To earn additional entries you can:

1. Follow my blog or subscribe via RSS feed (click the button of your choice on the sidebar).
2. Visit A Flash In The Pan and leave me a comment here telling me one of their professional chefs’ names.
3. Twitter about the contest and link to this post.
4. Write a post about the contest on your blog and link back to this post.

The contest will stay open until Monday, April 20 at 11:59 p.m. EST and the winner will be chosen via random.org.

Simple, right? But wait, there’s more!

A Flash In The Pan is having a Twitter Party on Wednesday, April 22 at 8 p.m.(#FIPan) and will giveaway their grand prize:

One lucky winner will win two of the founders of aflashinthepan.com – both graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and have over 35 years of professional culinary experience between them – for one evening and an incredible 6-course dinner for 6 people. Both chefs will come to the winner's house, prepare the feast AND clean up after! So, decide who your five best friends are and enter to win!

Rules for the grand prize:

1. Chefs will travel to anywhere in the United States only.
2. Chefs will pay for all travel and food expenses. If desired, any wine or alcohol will be provided by winner.
3. Menu to be determined by winner and chefs.
4. Date of dinner to be determined by winner and chefs.
5. Please enter even if you fear that your house is too dirty for company or that you will be judged-- they have children and understand!

I will submit one semi-finalist to enter the drawing for the grand prize selected from your comments/entries below. That’s FOUR prizes total. In effort to share the love, each individual can only win one.

So, what are you waiting for?

Here’s to never having to think about what’s for dinner again – at least for one year!

Good luck!

Winks & Smiles,

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Make Sure You Check Your Girls

You didn’t ask but I’m just sayin’…

Make sure you check your girls.

Not your sisters or your BFFs. Your “girls.” Your breasts, your boobs, or whatever cute little nickname you like to call them.

Last summer at a routine doctor’s appointment my gynecologist found a small mass in my left breast. He sent me for a mammogram and ultrasound – just to “check it out.” Fortunately for me it turned out to be nothing but some dense breast tissue, but for approximately 200,000 women every year it’s more than that – it’s breast cancer.

Last week I went for a six-month follow up and again was given good news. Before I could step down from the table, the ultrasound technician – a passionate twenty-something-year-old woman who probably has to deliver bad news more often than she’d like – impressed upon me to be diligent in doing self-exams.

“If you feel anything in question you come and get it checked out,” she said with a smile. “It only takes a few minutes, and it could save your life.”

She’s right. So often we tend to neglect ourselves. We sacrifice our sanity, our health and our bodies for a never ending list of things we feel we have to do. Often breast cancer can be cured if it’s caught early enough. What wasn’t detectable at your last doctor’s appointment can surface three months later. If you’re not doing your own exams it could be nine long months before your doctor finds it. Ahem, ladies, do I really need to tell you what can happen in nine long months?

So, I’m just sayin’ …

Make sure to check your girls.

Add that to your never ending list … and make sure to put it toward the top.

Winks & Smiles,

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Me Time … You Mean for ME?

That’s right. Me Time. For you.

Husband, the baby, kids, homework, extracurricular activities, work, meetings, doctors appointments, parents, laundry, cleaning (insert the rest of the never ending list here).

When’s the last time you had a little Me Time?

Don’t laugh or start calling me nasty names. I’m serious. Me Time is a crucial component in keeping your family, your household, and yourself sane.

When I was in the thick of taking care of a newborn, a very active two year-old, juggling a full time job and running my house I NEVER had a moment to myself. One day I discovered the only time I really got a reprieve was in the bathroom. Not to take a shower, but to sit on the throne as my grandmother so graciously calls it. Suddenly I became the most regular chick on the block. Not really, but I had no shame in grabbing a magazine and whispering pitifully into Husband’s ear, “Dear, I’ll be back in a few minutes. I really have to go to the bathroom.”

And it worked. For awhile. Until Husband got concerned that something might seriously be wrong with my stomach.

Five years later I don’t have to sneak off into the bathroom to get Me Time, but I do have to consciously pencil it into my hectic schedule or it just won’t happen.

Slip out to the spa, get your workout on, relax in a bath, shop ‘til you drop, blog without interruption, ahem, find something that makes you happy then make arrangements to do it.

When’s the last time YOU took some Me Time? And what did you do? Overscheduled moms need to know…

Winks & Smiles,

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