Pinterest Porn

Dear Friends and fellow Pinners, 

These ladies, the ones you repeatedly pin in hopes of attaining sculpted abs and thighs, yea, well, here's the thing: you could do 100 burpees, 3,000 crunches, 189 push-ups and hold a plank for an hour a day and you may still never look like this. 

I'm sorry. 

I do not say this to discourage. 

Staying fit and healthy is a lifestyle we should all embrace. 

Exercise more. 

Eat green. 

But honestly, these images make me ill. These women look amazing, yes. But their bodies were built to look amazing. There is some factor of genetics at play here. There is also some amazing self-control when it comes to food. Or, alternatively, an eating disorder or two.

Quite simply: sit-ups alone will never provide six-pack abs.

And images like this only perpetuate our own insecurities. We need to build each other up, not demean and belittle each other by promoting body image issues. 

Even when I weighed 100 pounds {long, long ago} my inner thighs still touched. And I don't mean they occasionally grazed each other. They have simply always touched - full on, thigh on thigh contact. The only way for me to obtain thighs that don't touch is to (1) undergo a surgical procedure or (2) stand with my feet way more than hips distance apart. God made me with thighs touching.  

Truth. 

And amazing abs like those picture?!  Absurd. I'm happy if I don't have to adjust my jeans to cover my flab when I sit down. I'm not there yet, but it's a worthy and possibly attainable goal {note to self: lay off the cookies}.  And I've worked out regularly since I can remember!

For those of you who can and do devote 10-20 hours a week working out and maintaining optimal physical condition: yea! You deserve to walk around in all lycra all day. I do not begrudge you your short dress and form-fitting top. Rock it, girlfriend! 

But the rest of us need to do our best and be happy with it!

All images via Pinterest.

And yes, drinking more water will always help reduce water retention. And who doesn't like a little dandelion tea. But friends, please stop pinning these images. It is bad for our image. It is unrealistic and demeaning to every woman who has ever seriously battled with weight loss. The bodies pictured are unobtainable for 95% of the women looking at them.  

Work your butt off. 

Eat well. 

Encourage each other. 

Inspire each other with your progress and stories. 

Be proud of YOUR progress and YOUR body!

And please {please} only pin images of women who are over 30, have had children, and eat dinner more than once a month.

Sincerely, 

Freedom is not free.

Memorial Day is a time to reflect upon and honor the brave men and women who lost their lives serving our country and protecting the freedom we often take for granted. 

Thank you for your selflessness.
Thank you for your willingness to serve.
Thank you for protecting our democratic values.
Thank you for your unfathomable sacrifice.   

God Bless America!

via

Memorial Day Poolside

We live in Texas ya'll; which means Memorial Day is spent poolside 

{with an occasional dip in the pool to avoid heat stroke}. 

And while I love a good burger as much as the next girl, 

I prefer light, refreshing bits and bites when the mercury climbs. 

So here's what's on tap for our Memorial Day celebration.  

Cucumber Feta Rolls | No Fail Sangria | Avocado Hummus

Cilantro Lime Chickpea Salad | Roasted Lemon Garlic Shrimp Scampi

****

Today I'm joining Daphne and Leigh for their monthly Let's Eat, Ya'll {recipe swap}. 

Of course, I couldn't choose just one but hope you enjoy the variety!

Texts from Hillary.

We all have those friends -- you know, the one who always knows whether or not J. Lo is currently married, the actual name of the future Mrs. Alec Baldwin {hint: it's not yoga chick}, the exact dance moves to every video ever made, and all the words to Katy Perry's latest hit {I don't even know the name}. She is a wealth of random/useless knowledge and somehow also manages to stay abreast of affairs in the Middle East. I find her a tad annoying for her mental acuity. I also call her one of my very best friends. 

Today over coffee we were chatting about important political matters fingernail polish colors and I asked if she'd seen the Texts from Hillary Tumblr site. I was aghast when she not only replied "no" but then asked what Tumblr was anyway. Finally, may days of toiling away on this computer made me proud. I explained Tumblr and then racked my brain for an example of the witty repartee on Texts from Hillary. 

Nothing. 

Finally, sensing my diminished brain capacity and ensuing panic, she quickly came up with her own "text from Hillary" having never even seen the site. 

Thunder stolen. 

I'd blame it on twin-brain {a well-documented medical condition of mother's of twins in which they lose all mental sharpness or recall after suffering through those first three years}, but she has twins too. And another. 

Ha - it was law school that zapped my mental prowess! Yes, she did that too. 

Obviously then, she just has more time to stay on top of current events, pop-culture, and dance moves?! Negative. Her schedule generally makes mine look like a walk in the park. I nap after hearing about her day. 

So suffice to say, today is the day I admit that I am slowing but surely losing the power of what was previously called "the steel trap." 

This is not, however, a pity party or a request for "ohh, no, Amy, you are so smart comments" {truly - the fact that I'm still awesome at Sudoku is reward enough}. 

Instead, I am ready to simply call a spade a spade: 

1.   I am much better at writing than I am at speaking. It's that simple. I need time to think, to Google that which I cannot recall, and to edit and correct. I will never refer to myself as "a writer", but I do think I sound much better in my head than I do in real life. 

2.  My blog is really just a gigantic collection of personal bookmarks so I don't forget the day Little Miss Thang lost her first tooth, how to make my favorite homemade salad dressing, a friendship bracelet, or tie a scarf. All such information is now easily accessible wherever I may be. Because clearly the steel trap can no longer be trusted. 

So, C, four hours after our post-workout coffee, here's that funny bit I was trying to tell you about: 

all via Texts from Hillary

  

Dinner this week.

Truth be told, this lovely inspiration board does not exactly reflect our dinners this week. It does, however, reflect a few new meals I've prepared over the past couple of weeks and a couple I plan to prepare this week. 

Why do I feel the need to be so forthcoming and honest? 

I have absolutely no idea. 

Regardless, here's my latest inspiration: 

1. Crispy Salmon BLT Sliders - I have a thing for sliders. I just love the little buns. I especially love King's Hawaiian sweet rolls. I'll eat absolutely anything between those sweet little buns. Let's hope the same goes for my kids because they are not big fans of salmon. We'll see how this goes, but I think they look super yummy and would make a fun and easy dish to serve when entertaining friends poolside. Oh, and did I mention the bacon?! Bacon and yummy sweet rolls. Ka-pow!

2. Lemon Dill Chicken Skewers - I made these a couple weeks ago for a casual al fresco dinner with the fam. The kids raved about them. If you know my kids you know they rarely rave about anything that does not involve chocolate {only a slight exaggeration}. I served them with grilled vegetables - corn, zucchini, red onions, and tomatoes. The kids ate a lot of chicken that night. We've now repeated this simple dinner with family in town. Easy, healthy, a crowd pleaser and the cold leftovers are perfect on top of a salad for lunch {in theory, for those people who make and eat salads for lunch}.

3. Chicken Marsala - I made this a couple weeks ago as well. It was also a hit and bears repeating.  I accidentally omitted the cream from the sauce {said cream still sits in our frig}. It certainly didn't need it.  I served it with egg noodles and green beans. Classic family dinner fare. 

4. Avocado Basil Pasta -  This dish is on tap for this week. What I find most curious about this recipe is the title: why in the world does it leave out the most important ingredient -- bacon?! Obviously since I'm buying bacon for the sliders I figured I would need a use for the rest of the package. Because bacon goes to waste in our house all the time {or actually, never}. I'm very curious about this dish. The flavors - bacon, basil, avocado and lemon juice over pasta?! May become a new favorite or it could be {borrowing from the kids} an "epic fail." 

5. Blackened Talapia Baja Tacos - This simple dish has been served numerous times over the past couple weeks - to the family and again with guests. The kids eat it without complaint {though I do not "blacken" their fish} because, after all, it is wrapped in a tortilla. I don't complain either. The true super star here, though, is the sauce: sour cream, cilantro, fresh jalapeno and lime juice. I could eat it by the spoonful. OK, I have eaten it by the spoonful. Fresh and spicy and creamy. What's not to love?! 

Enjoy and happy cooking!