It’s common knowledge that good things and bad things come in threes. Well, I decided to share some threes of my life with all of you. I know I always love reading posts like these when others do a similar concept, so here it goes. My life in 3.

Current foods I crave
- Tomatoes! I am sure once these tomatoes from my sis-in-law’s garden ripen they will be gone in a few days.

  - Fruit! I eat it numerous times per day. Anything lemon flavored can be included here as well…like a Lemon Zest Luna bar.
  - Hearty and saucy meals. I crave FOOD when pregnant. Not snacky meals like my normal. I want a hefty meal. BBQ, Mexican, and Chinese top the list. To keep the balance I limit those options to once a week.

People I love..all three of which I will be enjoying a Chinese dinner with tonight 😀
- Peter
- Makenzie
- my sister, Heather

Things I would buy if I won the lottery
- A house on the lake with a boat.
- A personal chef to make me nutritious meals all day, every day.
- A trip around the US and the world.

My favorite TV shows
- Friends. I may know every episode by heart, but I will never stop watching. - So You Think You Can Dance. I just love it. The routines are always so awesome.
- Chopped on the Food Network. I may not like to cook, but I love seeing other people whip up crazy things.

The best compliments I could ever receive
- “You exhibit God’s love”. It is part of my life’s ambition.
- “Can you help me?” In my mind, that means the person trusts me and respects me.
- “You are a great mother.” It will be even more amazing to hear those words from my kid’s mouths.

My biggest pet peeves
- When someone complains about something but refuses to do anything to change it.
- Dog hair. It is everywhere. 
- Peter’s junk corner on our counter. I clean it and turn around and there is a shambles again. 

Things I currently love
- My life. I don’t think I could be happier if I tried.
- Writing. It may not go very far, but it sure is fun to me.
- Maternity clothes. I may be just under 4 months along and my regular clothes may still fit, but I have a ton of maternity stuff on hand from Makenzie and its more comfortable. Why not rock the elastic bands? 
Workouts I’m digging
- Power, even with my instructor constantly “keeping an eye on me”. I love the feeling of lifting weights.
- Spinning. Normally kick would top spinning, but it is easier to accommodate spinning for my body right now. I still love kick, but there are some parts of the class that get a bit frustrating to not be able to do.
- Yoga. Love. Mental and physical strength all in one.

My favorite physical features
- My eyes. They are a distinct green and big.
- My legs. I think they have great definition.
- My smile. I always hear it is welcoming.

My favorite personal traits
- Honest and open. I will always share my true thoughts and opinions.
- Good listener and supporter. I love sharing advice and helping others.
- Goofball. You may not get it from here, but I am quite the quirky gal. I have an odd sense of humor that only a few people “get”. You should see me and my sister together. It’s scary.

My current fears
- That I won’t be able to breastfeed this next baby. It was the most rewarding thing I have ever done besides giving birth and I know it won’t necessarily happen just because I could breastfeed M. I would be heartbroken if I couldn’t.
- That I will end up like my dad. I know from experience anxiety and depression run strong in my family. I know my dad suddenly hit a switch when I was growing up where it became so much worse. It scares me to be anything like him or that happening to me.
- A car wreck. For as long as I remember, I have always had this gut feeling that one day I am going to be in a very serious car wreck. It is always in the back of my mind in the car.

My hopes
- To share a positive message with others.
- To have a happy marriage for life.
- To become a certified personal trainer or group fitness instructor.

Things I hate about pregnancy
- I can’t have sushi. I miss that the most.
- I miss my intense workouts. I seriously can’t wait to get back to my “normal” gym moves.
- Unsolicited advice from so many people.

Things I love about pregnancy
- Feeling the baby move
- That pregnancy glow
- Special treatment.

My firsts
- Sport = dancing. I did it a few years before getting into gymnastics and cheerleading.
- Love = Brett. Bad relationship, but I learned a lot. All I have to say is thank goodness for Peter, otherwise I would not be surprised if I was still unhappy with him.
- Binge = on peanut butter in March of 2004. It took me 4 years to overcome that first experience.

Things that aren’t quite up to par with healthy living, food blogging but I’m not ashamed of
- I ate McDonald’s this month. I only ever eat this junk when pregnant. I don’t know what it is but I CRAVE it. So I listened one day.
- I have no desire to try certain things popular in the blogosphere. Like overnight oats or nutritional yeast.
- I chose a vacuum over a cool spiralizer. 😉

• Give me three things about yourself. It can be a list of three like one of mine above all in one category…one from a few different categories…or your own creation! I want to know YOU!

Thank you all for your support of my 6 month blog “birthday”! It truly meant a lot to me to read all the comments. As a thank you, I have a few interesting things to share in this post. We’ll start with a great product review from last night.

Awhile ago the wonderful people from Frontier Soups sent me two soup mixes and a taco dip mix for review on the blog. I already shared the Sausage & Lentil Soup and the Tortilla Soup and how utterly fabulous they are with you all. Last night I prepared the last of the loot. I used their Taco Party Mix Dip as a burrito filling for the family and I.

This meal came together incredibly quickly and fired up our dinner. As always, I felt good consuming this product as the ingredients were simply freeze dried black beans, corn, red and green bell peppers,  and onion with a chipotle spice blend. To prepare this spectacular dish you only need to add a few more things and blink your eyes. That’s how fast this is ready.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef or turkey
• 1/2 c water
• one 10 oz can Rotel tomatoes + diced chilies
• 8 oz shredded Mexican cheese

Preparation

After browning meat in a pan, stir the taco mix evenly into meat.

Add water and Rotel. Mix evenly and simmer 10 minutes until liquid dissolves.

Stir in cheese until absorbed and melted throughout.

Serve as dip  with tortilla or pita chips. You can also roll in a whole wheat tortilla for a flavorful burrito.

Just like the other Frontier Soups products this one did not disappoint. They seriously are sooooo good! You must try them! The products offered by Frontier Soups use no salt, MSG or preservatives. All the ingredients are dried, natural, and wholesome. The soups and dips are easy to prepare in a pinch, tasty, and cost effective to get a full and hearty meal for minimal ingredients. I cannot rave enough about them!

Now, I have another exciting tidbit for this post. Those of you who are following me on Twitter know what I’m talking about, but for those of you who don’t know yet – I’m the new Pregnancy Fitness Examiner for Atlanta! Excitement doesn’t begin to cover how I feel. I know this is a perfect starting point for me and my writing. I honestly love sharing about fitness, health, and living well in all ways so this serves as another way to do that. It could even be a small step towards other opportunities, and if not that’s okay. I will go down whatever path God leads me to.

Now I’m going to do a bit of self promotion. PLEASE click on my ARTICLE – preggo or not – to give me support. Examiners are successful based on how much they write and the exposure they bring to their site. The fitness tips I shared apply to pregnancy but can also be generalized for anyone. Please show me some love. You know I would return the favor. 😉

I do have a confession to share though. For as much excitement that came with a new venture, concern and doubt also appeared. I had to spend a good chunk of time going over editorial guidelines, acquainting myself with the process, and getting my first article lined up for approval. I felt extremely guilty for spending some extra time on the computer. I questioned my abilities as a mother and wife. For the longest time those were my main two roles, but as the blog grows and I branch out into new things I need more time for personal development and goals.

I prayed about it last night after a bit of a breakdown to Peter, but then God quickly reassured me that all was well and I am simply living the life He has brought to me. The first chapter of my Bible reading this morning was Proverbs 31. The qualities of a wife of noble character. These verses popped right out to me - “her husband has full confidence in her” (v11), “she works with eager hands” (v13), and “she does not eat the bread of idleness” (v27). Message received loud and clear. Working hard does not make me lesser of a mother. It makes me more of a person. And I just realized I never think poorly of working moms (in fact I admire them and don’t know how they do it!), so why would I put such pressure on myself? Little M doesn’t need me at her side at all waking moments. She will flourish. Especially with a strong and dedicated mother as an example.

• What things do you judge yourself harshly on?
• Did you check out my article?? Okay you don’t really have to answer that! LOL