Welcome to Wednesday! Yesterday I found it hard to believe it was only Tuesday. Today, I dread the fact that tomorrow is already Thursday. Why? Because we will be leaving around 10 pm to drive overnight to the Philadelphia area. If you can, go ahead and add safe travels for us to your prayers. I really don’t want M to grow up without parents. Okay, that may be a bit melodramatic, but I have to admit to freaking out. Remember one of my three fears is the gut feeling that one day I will be in some sort of terrible car-wreck? Driving overnight for 12 hours stokes the fire. I might conveniently forget about the pesky “no or limited caffeine during pregnancy” rule. Then again, maybe not. Adrenaline is more powerful than coffee.

Enough of that discussion. Today I managed to turn my day around for the better, so I can turn my fear into reason as well. When I saw today’s 30 Days of Insight topic for the blog, something powerful hit me. The topic = what is your vision of paradise? My answer = what you make of your current life. I don’t know where that answer came from. Directly from the heavens? Who knows. One thing I do know is I am not nearly that profound at 6:30 am. Wherever it came from, I’ll take it. I greatly needed that message today because the day was not starting out on the best of feet.

I awoke still feeling wrong. I don’t know if I would classify myself as sick. I don’t have a fever, stuffy nose, sore throat, or anything of that nature. My body simply aches. Something fierce at that. I do occasionally feel some stomach ache symptoms, but nothing really happens. I started getting down in the dumps, knowing I would not push attempting a workout in this state, even though I could really use one to help with traveling stress. Then, I thought about Paradise. I could take the easy route and picture paradise as lying on a tropical beach with a magical margarita (that somehow was safe for fetuses). Or I could imagine standing in line at a CVS with some pain medicine safe for pregnancy that actually works. Sorry, Tylenol. You just don’t cut it for me. However, neither of those played out in my mind. Instead, I pictured my day, my current situation, and what I wanted to make of it. I say it turned out pretty good.

I took the extra time I had from not working out to play with little M. We even cleaned up the living room and playroom. I utilized the “pick up some yellow/red/pink things” game. I’m so sneaky. Hehehe.

I scheduled in some productivity on the computer by preparing for tomorrow’s Examine article, catching up on emails, visiting bloggers to return the love and support I receive, brainstorming more on my September plan for the blog, and other random tidbits.

I conquered the laundry and dishes that battle me on a daily basis. And tossed in some toilet bowl cleaning for good measure. I ran errands to the store, bank, and library. Shockingly, I left the library empty handed. I’m finding less time to read and only want to read books I am thoroughly interested in. Other things need my focus right now.

I devoured a delicious lunch. Mushroom burger with tomato, pickles, and laughing cow on a sandwich thin, Grapes and raspberries (my current fruit obsessions) on the side. That right there is paradise.

I even managed to finish the teensy weensy invites I shared on Sunday for my friend’s lingerie shower AND pick up the wedding present for the wedding we are attending this weekend. So what if I procrastinated and had to get something off the registry?

Lastly, I remembered to share my Hawaiin Tofu recipe and Tofu Xpress review with you all. The gist of my review = If you make tofu at home, buy the Tofu Xpress NOW. It really does such a great job at pressing all the water out.

The texture of the tofu surpassed any other time I have prepared it. It was also much easier not having to press the ‘fu using bowls, paper towels, and other homemade contraptions. I’m so thankful the kind people at Tofu Xpress sent this to me for review. Please note that I am not compensated for the review and was given the press for free solely for reviewing purposes.

Now, the “recipe”. It’s not really a recipe. More a marinade. I mixed up the following to create a Hawaiin flavored marinade.

• 2T honey
• 1/4 c low sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 c pineapple juice
• 1/2 tsp minced ginger

After pressing the tofu, I sliced it into long strips about 1/2” thick. I allowed the strips to marinate in the mixture for around 30 minutes. From there, I simply seared the tofu in a medium heat pan for about 3 minutes per side. You could also bake it at 350 for around 30 minutes, turning halfway though. I honestly prefer baked tofu but was using the oven to roast up veggies – sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts.

My two favorites. You know? I’ve come to realize something. That dinner may well be the source of my “What is paradise?” enlightenment this morning. Nah. I know where my inspiration and answers come from. 😉

• Favorite marinade mix?
• Your paradise? Beach, mountains, with a certain someone, etc?
• Any love you got to give. 🙂

I totally have an image of that classy Jessica Simpson music video stuck in my head now. These boots were made for walkin’, that’s just what they’ll do…

See how nice I am to share that with you so you can have it stuck in your head too? Ya gotta love me! At least more than the butchering of that song, right?!

Okay, okay. I will get back to my point. Today I woke up and felt a bit achey all over. I thought I had caught little M’s sickness she has been fighting since Tuesday and was about to be seriously bummed. Then, after being up for awhile I realized I was fine and likely just needed a good dose of yoga. Fridays are my normal yoga days, but the bummer it is, I had to skip today. Makenzie woke up feeling better, but I decided to err on the side of caution with germs and not take her to the gym daycare to spread her cooties.

My body kindly informed me that I still craved some sort of activity and a walk sounded like a good option. After devouring a bowl of Oatmeal Raisin Cookie oats (oats, cinnamon, dash of creamer post cooking, raisins, and peanut butter)…

…we packed up the jogging stroller and headed out for the local Greenway path. I love this path! It is smooth, surrounded by nature, and has mileage markers along the way.  I had intentions of doing about 3 miles, but once I got started I didn’t want to stop! I enjoyed myself too much to stop. Simply being able to walk and think about the joy of my life and praise God kept me going.

Then, about a mile in, I saw an extremely fit woman running and obviously loving the challenge. Back in the day, I would have likely been jealous and let it get me down. Today, I though “Go her!!!” and then felt proud of myself for being out there and rocking my fitness too. The rest of the walk I smiled at every person I came across because I was so happy to see all these people out there honoring their bodies. I was proud of the old couple walking and sharing conversation, taking care of their relationship and health. I was proud of the dad with his two kids riding their bikes, letting them be active and have fun. I was proud of the mothers power walking with their strollers, for doing something for themselves and their health. The pure pleasure from loving and taking care of our bodies is remarkable. It made for an empowering walk, where I ended up covering 4 miles in 1 hour and 8 minutes.

For the record, walking is great exercise if you push your pace a bit. Look how sweaty I was when I got home…AFTER chilling in the A/C of my car for 10 minutes.

Hmm...guess I didn't take my own article's advice. Oops! And pause here so I can say a HUGE thank you to the handful of you who click on my link. Thank you thank you thank you! Moving on. I immediately needed something to eat. Chocolate + mint sounded a good way to tide myself over until lunch.

The rest of my day included mommy tasks such as laundry, groceries, and cleaning the floors. Not quite as mundane as normal though. My bare floor vacuum I chose to review from CSN Stores came in. Sweeping our entire downstairs is the one cleaning task I dread more than anything. And I have to say I am SO happy I took the necessity route and got this vacuum. It cleaned our hardwood floors so well! It was easy to use and maneuver, picked up all the dog hair, and even cleaned up the carpet in M’s playroom. I hope it is a long lasting vacuum, because it will be coming out at least twice a week. Thank you CSN stores for the opportunity, a wonderful product, the kind service, and the fast shipping!

Before I sign off this post, I want to say thank you everyone for the hair suggestions! I think I’m going to go for it. As some pointed out, it is just hair and I can always go back lighter if I feel better with the highlights. I just figure why not give it a shot? I’m sure it will take some getting used to though. I’m going to be nervous on Monday!

Also, I wanted to let you all know that I’m hoping to get the chance to update my blog roll this weekend. I want to make a separate page and have it be about sharing the blogger love. I know I love finding new blogs and so I want to feature as many blogs as possible in that list. I don’t want to forget any of you fabulous ladies who support me and who I love learning from as well. Soooo…if you want me to add you, please leave a comment with your name and blog address! I know I would be honored if you added me to yours as well. I just think spreading the community of bloggers as wide as possible is a great thing to do and I want to do my part. We can all learn so much from each other. 🙂

• Leave a comment if you want to go on my blog page!
• Do you enjoy walking for a workout?
• Your chance for payback…what songs easily get stuck in your head?