My Week In Food: Part Three

My hubby and I have started eating healthier again recently. This seems like the bajillionth time we've tried to lose weight, but hopefully it will be the last time!

We aren't following any particular diet. (I hate to even say that word!) But in the first 2 weeks, we are pulling  menu plans mostly from The South Beach Diet. These menus are high protein and vegetation with very small amounts of the right kinds of carbohydrates. The book discusses the science behind it. It is a very good read even if you aren't going to follow the menu plan. Knowledge is power, right?

We have been eating a lot of eggs with veggies for breakfast. (And don't forget to drink your veggies, too!)

Lots of celery, cucumbers, and mozzarella cheese for snacks.

Most lunches have been salads with some type of protein and low-sugar dressings. 

My favorite lunch, though, is the Gazpacho (cold tomato and veggie soup). It's delicious!

Olivia even got in on the healthful food action. She picked out a great lunch for herself and Carter!

Dinners offer more decadent protein dishes with a small salad and a cooked vegetable.

Leave a comment: What are your favorite healthy recipes?

Sweet, Crazy Olivia

I could not imagine life without my little mini-me-partner-in-crime Olivia.

I love looking back at my Mobile uploads to my personal Facebook page. They capture those unexpected moments that bring me pure joy as a mother. If you have kids, you know a lot of pictures are staged. Or at least you know your kids might do something cute, so you have a camera ready. Some of my favorite pictures, though, are of moments that totally surprised me and I had to grab my phone and snap a pic.

That smile gets me every time!!

Oh, and the outfits this girl comes up with!!

Mother-Daughter Moments

And best of all, she's a great big sister!

And according to her, she is going to live with me forever because she doesn't know how to drive a car. LOL

Did you know?

Did you know that I also have a YouTube Channel? My YouTube name is clynngibson. (Unfortunately, I can't change the name to match to Mom, Paper, Scissors. I would love to, but it is what it is!) 

Subscribe to my channel to see cool beauty videos, family vlogs, shopping hauls, tutorials, and more! I don't necessarily post all my videos here on the blog, so make sure you subscribe or check the channel often! 

I am trying to post videos on a more regular schedule. Right now, I am trying to get at least one video up every week, so give me your video ideas! What would you like to see? Is there a fun Tag you've seen recently? How about any tutorials? Would you like to see how I've organized an area of my home? The sky is the limit!

Here is an example of some past videos:

Open Boxes and Reviews

Family Recipes

What's In My Bag?

Vlogs

Beauty Videos

And COMING SOON: Tags!!!! (They're so much fun!!)

So hop on over to my YouTube Channel and subscribe!

Ipsy Bag April 2013 Review and May Open Bag

Ipsy Bag April 2013 Review and May Open Bag

What's Ipsy, you ask? Visit their Ipsy.com or my post explaining how awesome this is!

January Ipsy Review

February Ipsy Review

March Ipsy Review

Something Knotty

I have a problem. Carter likes to throw things. It doesn't matter if we are at home, at the store, at the park...it just doesn't matter! I can understand him doing it when he's upset about something. But he throws things just for the enjoyment of seeing me pick them up, I think. Can any of you relate?

The biggest issues are with the pacifier and at the store. I can't tell you how many times I have searched for a pacifier (I know we have about 10 of them around here somewhere!) to no avail. It's especially fun in the middle of the night and I know that paci has to be somewhere around the crib. I mean, he can't throw it into the next room! lol 

And at the store, he's thinking "How many times can I throw this and mommy will give it back to me just  because she knows it will keep me quiet?" Yeah...I know. 

Well, a friend has come to my rescue and solved my problem! Tiffany at Something Knotty is a genius! 

Enter the Paci Holder!

The first time I used this, I knew right away I loved it. Carter was not too happy, though. When he tried to throw it, it wouldn't go anywhere! bwahahahaha

Here, I attached it to his stroller strap, but it can also attach to their shirt. It has been a Godsend at night! The strap is short enough that I don't worry about him choking or anything. No more crawling on the floor doing the "pat pat feel" for the disappearing pacifier at 3am! hahaha Thanks, Something Knotty!

Tiffany also came up with the Handle Bar Buddy. Genius, I tell ya!

Can you see how much frustration is going to disappear because  of this product?!

And it doesn't only work on shopping carts...I use it on the car seat, as well!

All products are customized with YOUR favorite colors and designs! Sizes can be customized to fit small children or larger sized wrists, as well.

Check out her Facebook Page or Instagram to see all the other great designs she has come up with! (And don't forget to 'like' her page because she posts deals and giveaways frequently!)

Here are some of my favorites!

Bracelets in your favorite team colors!

Go Bucks!!

Even some "manlier" colors for the men in your life.

Fun colors for summer!

Lanyards and Key Fobs 

"If Lost" bracelets for your children.

Gun slings for police officers or those with a shooting hobby.

Cute flip flops!!!

Which is your favorite?

Location doesn't matter, Something Knotty takes pride in their quick turnaround and ability to ship all over the world! She is so creative that she could probably design something to fit your needs even if you don't see it on her page. Just email her at  Tmh534@gmail.com with any questions.

And, lucky lucky you.... She is extending a GREAT deal just for YOU!! 

For the next 7 days, any order placed through email or Facebook page will receive FREE SHIPPING and 10% OFF your entire order!! Wow! Just use the code MOMPAPERSCISSORS when placing your order.

Contact her ASAP! This deal expires Thursday, May 23rd at Midnight!

Again, here is how to contact Something Knotty:

Facebook Page

Email

Instagram

And don't forget to leave me a comment letting me know what you purchased!

***I was given free product from Something Knotty in exchange for my review. This did not influence my post at all. All opinions are my own.***

Recently Purchased Products and Initial Impressions

I have branched out majorly into new products lately. I blame all you YouTubers that I've started following! haha I wanted to share them with you, but wanted to wait until I had enough to warrant making an entire video for. Now, after spending an entire day trying to upload it to YouTube....here ya go!

Leave a comment: Have you tried anything new lately? Tell me about it!

Our vacation to South Carolina

Sunday, May 5th, 2013

Our vacation started with a cheer competition for Olivia! So, early Sunday morning, we drove to Carowinds, the Thrill Capital of the South! The forecast called for rain, but it was also FREEZING!!!!

 I guess it was in the 50's all day, but with the rain and the wind, it felt much colder than that. If you know me at all, though, you know I will find a way to have a good time! 

Olivia's team did wonderful during their performance! I am so proud of her for not only learning the routine, but for gaining the self confidence she needed to perform it on stage, in front of hundreds of people!

After the performance was over, we headed off to Planet Snoopy with friends! Olivia and Taylor were stuck at the hip all day long! :)

I was surprised how many rides that Olivia was big enough for. Even some of the smaller roller coasters! She loved all of the rides. Her and Taylor ignored the tamer rides in lieu of adventure!

Even through the cold and the rain, we had a great time!

We ran across a Charlie Brown Pirate show! It was no Disney show, but it was cute! lol

We went back to the pavilion to watch the end of the competition and the awards show. Olivia's team, the Tiny Tots, got 2nd place!! The three other teams from our studio got 1st place! And one even got the award for Best Choreography. We were all so excited!

At that point, Carter was over being cold and wet. I was freezing. I was just done. The car, with the heat on blast was all I wanted. So after making sure it was okay to leave, that is exactly what we did! (Hey, at least my eyeliner didn't run at all! lol)

After the awards were over, we left the park and headed toward Columbia, SC!

We stopped by Kiki's Chicken and Waffles to get some dinner before heading to Chad and Benjara's place to surprise Chad! (After having to keep 2 secret surprises under wraps, I am glad they are over! lol) He was surprised, for sure!

Competition Day Vlog:

Monday, May 6th, 2013

We weren't quite sure what we were going to do while in Columbia, other than visit and hang out. I wanted to do some touristy stuff since we hardly ever get time as a family. This day, we just decided to hang out together and do some shopping! I'm always okay with that! LOL

You can see more of where we shopped and what we purchased in the vlog for this day below!

Dinner Monday night was wings with shrimp and rice from a nearby Chinese restaurant. It was super delicious! And extra special with a glass of Moscato! hahaha

I edited videos and photos until reallllly late...okay until about 10PM when we all crashed! LOL We are so not in our 20's anymore!!

Vlog from Monday:

CLICK HERE

(Let me know if this works. For some reason, it's not letting me add the video in like the others.)

Tuesday, May 7th, 2013

Today, we were headed to the zoo!!!! I love any and all zoos, so when I heard about Riverbanks Zoo, I really wanted to go! 

They had some really cute animals that I had never seen in person before!

And some great activities other than looking at animals.

They also had a kangaroo hop, but as you will see in the vlog below, they were all being lazy. I was excited to feed the giraffes, but that activity was closed by the time we got there. :(

Zoo Vlog:

After the zoo, we got Zaxby's for dinner and enjoyed our last night with Chad and Benjara. We had such a good time with them for these few days and made tentative plans for them to come see us this summer, so that's something to look forward to!

Thanks for reading/watching!