Help A Mother Out

Hello Everyone,

I hope your holiday season is going well.

I wanted to spread the word about a diaper drive that my friend, Kim Prince http://www.kimtracyprince.com/, is having at the Treehouse Social Club on December 13, 2009 from 3-6pm. Here is a link to additonal info:
http://www.helpamotherout.org/events/los-angeles-holiday-playdate/



Please spread the word about this great cause and help support it in any way you can.

I hope to see you there!

EA Games Winter Wonderland

My husband has always enjoyed video games which is why I was so excited to attend the EA Games Winter Wonderland event. I loved the fact that I could bring him and my daughter to take part in the festivities. Even though she is only 14 months old, she was mesmerized by all the colorful games that were displayed on the screen.



When we entered the venue there were stations set up with all of their new video games. My husband's first stop was Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. He said it had great single-player action and awesome two-player duels. His favorite part was making the potions which could be used to build magic.



One of the most entertaining was the Charm Girls Club Pajama Party. There were SO many varieties of games to choose from. I, myself, opted for the dancing sequence which confirmed, I am not as young as I used to be. My friend's daughters played the section of the game where you race to see who could tease their hair the fastest. I don't know what was more entertaining, watching or playing. Those were just a few of the many options that we could chose from Charm Girls Club. I could see how this game would be a huge hit with tween girls.



The last station I was able to partake in was the EA Sports Active More Workouts. It provides a way to burn calories in the comfort of your own home. There are 35 new exercises to chose from AND you can also customize your workouts to fit your needs. There is also a 6 week challenge that ramps up intensity which will help prevent hitting a plateau. With all the holiday treats around the corner, this would definitely be a great way to keep off those extra pounds.



Whatever your holiday gift-giving needs are, EA games is sure to have something for the whole family to enjoy. Thanks EA Games!!!

Happy Healthy Mommy

Growing up, I was an overweight kid. I mean, OVERWEIGHT! Let's put it this way, I weighed more in the third grade than I did before I got pregnant. In fact, the school nurse had a meeting with my mom about it. I remember hearing them in the other room and the conversation went like this:

Nurse: Mrs. Balagtas, Bernadette is in poor health. She has problems breathing.
My Mom: Burnuhdet kin REED!!!
Nurse: Not READ, BREATHE.
My Mom: Ooooh...

Throughout my life I've struggled with my weight and right now isn't any different.

I gained 38 lbs. while I was pregnant with my baby. After she was born, I lost 19 lbs. by my 6 week check-up. "This is going to be a cinch to lose!",...so I thought. I breastfed and heard of all the encouraging stories of women who lost their baby weight all because of breastfeeding. This was certainly not the case for me. I gave myself a break. A very good friend of mine said, "It took 9 months to put on so it should take 9 months to take off." Amen to that!!! So I have 9 whole months?! This is going to be a piece of cake. In the famous words of Rob Schneider in every Adam Sandler movie "Yu kin doo eeet!" Unfortunately, 9 months came and went. Hello 19 lbs. So then I gave myself an extension. Okay, by her 1st birthday...Still there. So then I gave myself ANOTHER extension. Okay, by MY birthday! I learned very quickly that the worst kind of promises to break, are the ones we make to ourselves. I felt very defeated.

I never realized how unhappy I really was until one day my daughter was staring at an engagement picture of me and I said to her, "See, that's skinny mommy." And my daughter looked at me confused like, "What are you talking about lady?!" I felt so embarrassed. Here I was, telling my daughter that in some way THAT mommy is better just because she is skinny. Okay, she probably didn't interpret it that way but that's what I felt at the moment. I knew right then I had to do something different. Immediately after my birthday I made a promise to myself not to LOSE weight but just to be healthier. If weight-loss came along with it, great, but I didn't want that to be my main focus.

Working out was an issue because I always had my daughter with me so I got a jogging stroller. My husband has also been very supportive with watching her so I can make regular trips to the gym. I have improved my eating habits. Don't get me wrong, I have a treat every now and again (especially with Halloween candy everywhere) but I try not to deprive myself to the point of misery.

Here's the ironic part, after all of the exercise I GAINED weight. When I stepped on the scale, it didn't even bother me that I went up 2 lbs. I knew I was doing what was right for my body and I was okay. My clothes fit better and I FELT better. I want my daughter to grow up and learn healthy habits from "happy" mommy, which is who I am today.