Dog Day Afternoon!

Here in New Orleans the Jazz and Heritage Festival is a must attend event. This year, following the debut of HBO’s Treme’, the Mardi Gras Indians were very popular.  This was one of my favorite shots of their beautiful costumes. Oh, so pretty! For more photojournalistic shots check out I Heart Faces.

I am so grateful to have the opportunity to review such a great book with an amazing concept. I enjoyed reading the stories of women who were blessed by finding a note reminding them that they are beautiful and the women who left them in some creative places. The stories are powerful. From women in treatment for eating disorders and women who are battling cancer their stories have one resounding message. That message is that, as women, we are beautiful and should spend more time building each other up instead of breaking each other down.

As a teenager I spent most of my time focusing on the number on the scale and the size of my jeans. As a dancer, weight was at the forefront of my life. Every Wednesday was our dance team’s weigh-in. A process that I think should be outlawed.  Looking back, I want to go back and slap myself and our coaches. Instead of reminding us that we were strong, young athletes we were told that no one wants to see a chunky dancer. Instead of being taught about healthy nutrition and exercising it was understood that you just had to make weight. I wish I had stumbled on an operation beautiful post-it note in the locker room. As I’ve grown up and into a mother I have come to realize that I don’t necessarily need to be skinny to be healthy. I want to be able to chase my son around and be around for him for years to come.

The Operation Beautiful book is full of simple ways to improve your body image such as avoiding “fat talk.” Fat talk triggers unhealthy behaviors and we use it as a way to shame ourselves. Instead we should focus on positives. The focus of your work-out should be to feel strong and healthy,  not to be skinny. Try challenging yourself to small fitness goals from doing 5 push-ups to running a 5K. Nourish your body with healthy food and balanced portions. Another important topic is passing on a positive body image to our children. In a world where they are bombarded with images of so-called perfection they need to understand that they are unique and beautiful in there own skin. It is our job as parents to be a role model! Empower them by teaching them to cook and eat healthy meals. Involving them in the process can help them become excited about healthy meals. Finally, find your “healthy tipping point”! Your healthy tipping point is your “Aha” moment where you stop obsessing about thinness and choose to pursue your own healthy ideal and stick to healthy living for life!

Click here to learn more about the Operation Beautiful campaign and book. Treat yourself to a book full of postive reminders that you are beautiful!

Time has passed quickly since Hurricane Katrina turned most of our lives upside down and now we go days or sometimes weeks without saying her name. We still refer to most events as pre-Katrina or post-Katrina and everyone asks where you were for the storm or where you evacuated to. Last night, a group of my friends sat around and we shared our stories. Some are heartbreaking, some are hilarious, and some are a combination of both. What has changed for me since the storm is that I now live 32 feet above sea level. Considering my old home was 5 feet below sea level this is a big change. I have made new friends and have had friends permanently move to other places because they were transferred. 

As the city continues to rebuild it is important to look back at where it has been. It has moved on from the utter destruction caused by the combination of weather and the failure of the levee systems. The pure choas that ensued when people lack the basic necessities such as food, water, and safety. The events that occured in the aftermath of the storm should never be repeated. In 2008 we evacuated from Hurricane Gustav and the evacuation happened much earlier and went much smoother then previous evacuations. The point i,s we are learning from our mistakes. Here are just a few of my pictures from right after the storm.

 This was a scene from the Lakeview area by the 17th Street Canal levee breach.

A home destroyed by the levee breach.

This was my great-grandmothers home where I spent every Sunday for lunch. The water was over the roof.

The infamous taped up refrigerator. The smell of these refrigerators all around town were gut-wrenching.

This boat was on the neutral ground by Lake Ponchatrain. It’s name Patrician caught my eye.

My husband was at the Lakefront Airport in charge of getting its runways open to air traffic. He took this picture of a jet parked in between the trees.

A common sight traveling around town. The military had a strong presence after the storm. I also became an expert at eating MRE’s.

This is an early morning sunrise over the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. This week has been a week of reflection for our city. We are remembering the devastation of Hurricane Katrina that happened five years ago this week. In this picture you see a city awakening to new day. What you don’t see is all of her scars. Those scars are healing and NOLA is still rebuilding and emerging stronger. Please keep the people of the Gulf Coast in your prayers as many are reminded of the storm and it’s aftermath.

This photo was taken on the Isle of Roatan in Honduras. It is one of the prettiest places I have ever had the opportunity to travel. We spent our days on the beach snorkeling and collecting seashells. This week at I Heart Faces the photo challenge is Beach Fun.

 Check it out for more great fun on the beach!

Don’t tell my son this, but there is a part of me that kind of dreads school starting. The alarm clock buzzing at 5:30am, waiting at the bus stop, and the homework can some times be overwhelming. It takes some time for us to get everything organized and to settle into a rhythm. Once we settle into a routine things go much smoother and ,as a family, we try to make school as exciting as we can. There are ways to make the transistion from summer to school easier on for the entire family. Here are a few tips:

• Prepare for Waking up Early
  The week or two before school begins, start setting an alarm clock and practice waking up at the time you need to.  Gradually set it ten minutes earlier every day until you wake up at your desired time.

• Get Enough Sleep
  Waking up early is always easier when you go to bed early. Set a bedtime and try to stick to it. Make bedtime a routine by doing an activity every night such as reading a story or bedtime prayers.

•  Make School Supply Shopping Fun
  Every year my son and I go back to school shopping together and we try to make it as fun as possible. For him, having a spider-man notebook rocks! I let him pick out his school stuff to match his interests at that time. It gets him excited about using them at school.

• Review School Work from Last Year
  Prior to school starting my son and I go over school work from the previous year and do worksheets together. It helps him remember what he learned and gives him the confidence to start a new year an not feel behind.

• Talk to Kids Who Have Been There
  When we first started kindergarten, two years ago, I had my son talk to friends of ours that had completed kindergarten at his school and were moving on to first grade. They told him stories about what they did and what they liked about going to “big kid” school. It helped him know what to expect and know that his friends had already been there.

• Eat a Good Breakfast
  Start each day with a good breakfast. I know mornings are extremely hectic and can be very challenging but starting the day with a healthy breakfast can help children concentrate in the classroom. So plan time for breakfast.

• Ask Your Teacher for Help
  It is very important that kids understand that they and there teachers are on the same team. Make sure they know that there teacher is there to help them learn and to prepare them for the future. Encourage them to ask the teacher for help if they don’t understand something.

• Find Out What They Did at School
  Every night we try to make time for everyone to go around the table and say what they did that day. I tell stories from my day and try to find out what my son did at school. Sometimes I struggle to get more than a one word answer, but I find that the more I talk about my day the more he is willing to share. I ask what he liked and what he didn’t like and what is tomorrow’s plans. It is now my favorite part of the day.

I hope everyone has a great school year and can find things that work for you and your family. Happy Learning!!

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms blogging program to be eligible to get a HarperCollins book set. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

This is the work of my 7 year old featuring his LEGO people. The story is that the two people in front are the bad guys and the three in the back are our family taking them to jail. I am the one with lipstick, my hubbie has the eye patch, and my son is the orange alien. LOL

From the mind of a child…

I am trying to recover from a “vacation hangover.” I spent all last week enjoying the sun, sand, and living in flip-flops. I am not complaining because I would love to suffer from a “vacation hangover” more often, but it’s just coming back to real life that is a bummer. Not only is coming home with piles of laundry no fun, but my son started school the day after we got back. How’s that for jumping back into the real world! So, between getting him ready for school, going back to work, and trying to unpack, I have neglected NOLA Mommy. I am trying to get back on track with the SITS Girls and Problogger’s 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Challenge and regular blogging. I just keep thinking about the Caribbean, the white sand beaches, crystal clear water, and drinks with umbrellas! Oh, how I digress. Also, I took over 1300 pictures that I want to tweak with my new Photoshop CS4. Be on the look out for posts with pictures from Belize and Isle of Roatan, Honduras. I got to snorkel the great barrier reef in Belize and enjoy the private island of Maya Key in Honduras. The pictures are amazing but still can’t do those places justice. Today, my plan is to focus and complete my to-do list that just seems to never end. Wish me luck!

This peacock was showing off his beautiful colors at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, LA.