Drama's Mama

{October 10, 2012} A Baker’s Life…Part Two

I am a slacker. I will just go ahead and say it now. I’m working on it. And don’t judge me, we all have our faults. That being said, yes, I am a slacker and it has been waaaay too long since I’ve posted anything. I haven’t forgot about you all though! I took some pictures last week of a cupcake order that I baked for a great friend. C. was turning 30 and called me just raving about the tie dye cupcakes on my Facebook page. I can’t lie, the tie dye cupcakes are super awesome…and you can totally customize them according to colors and even some flavors. So she was excited, and I was excited, and I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to capture a little bit more of what I do, for your enjoyment.

C. and I first had an in person consultation and mini tasting. I don’t always do this, especially for smaller orders, but C. has ordered from me a few times in the past and refers people to me all the time, and this was her 30th, so I wanted her cupcakes to be absolutely perfect! We had talked about a couple different flavor and decoration ideas over the phone, including the tie dye. She was interested in the Remy Martin Spiced Cupcake that I specialize in, and it just so happens that I had completed an order for those the day before, and had a couple left over. Being that the Remy Cupcakes are a bit more expensive (Remy Martin is grrreat cognac, but it definitely doesn’t come cheap!), I wanted her to try them and be sure she liked them. Good thing I did, because although she did like them, she prefered a lighter flavor. She decided on all tie dye, half lemon, half vanilla. Her favorite colors are pink and purple…so are mine :)…so I knew I could make these so adorable, and absolutely perfect for her 30th Birthday Bash at the Beach.

Now, I had all intentions of taking pictures of EVERY SINGLE STEP in this process. But, I have a really bad habit of completely forgetting that as soon as I start baking. So, I did take a picture of most steps, almost all the way through them, because I kept going “Oh Crap!” “Grab the camera!” halfway through completing each step. I promise (cross my heart) that I will get better at this whole picture documentary thing. Bear with me. Pretty please.

First step here was gathering all the ingredients together. This is probably my least favorite part of baking. I never like measuring, which is probably why I started baking so late in life. I say late in life like I just turned 60, not 30. Oh geesh. I’m not taking this 30 thing very well. Anyway. Gathering the ingredients is important, because it’s very easy to forget, skip over, or add twice, any ingredient when making something from scratch. Having them all there in front of you (even better if individually measured out) makes it much easier to keep track of what you are using.

All my dry and wet ingredients gathered together, many of them already measured out and separeted.

After mixing the ingredients accordingly, I seperated the batter into three different bowls, and added the coloring. You can use whatever food coloring you prefer, but I like Wilton’s food color gel. It doesn’t take a whole lot, and because it’s gel, it doesn’t make your batter or icing too liquidy. The colors are also super vibrant! After coloring the icings…pink, purple, and teal, I layered them in the cupcake pans. A spoonful at a time of each color, just randomly placed in each liner is all it takes.

The colored batter is spooned in, one color at a time. Don’t completely layer. Instead, place each color in different places in the liner, that way when baked, the colors mix together nicely instead of just layering one on top of the other.

The next step is completely optional. I have made tie dye cupcakes without ever doing this and they still come out great, but it’s super fun…so I figure I’d share. Grab a toothpick, and just drag it through the batter, swirling, and making designs as creative as you want.

Then, pop those babies into the oven, and wait…generally between 15 and 20 minutes, tops. Of course, use a toothpick to determine if they are done. Just place the toothpick in the center of the cupcake. If the toothpick comes out clean, they are done. Personally, I like to test just before I think they are done. When only a couple crumbs stick to the toothpick, I pull them out. They will continue to finish on their own, with the heat in the pan and the heat inside the cupcakes.

The cupcakes must cool, so even though you are dying to tear into these colorful beauties, you must be patient! While they were cooling, I worked on the icing…and this is one of the times where I forgot to snap pictures until the very end. I will tell ya, making buttercream icing is so much easier than I thought. It’s just softened butter, powdered sugar, vanilla (or flavor of your choice) extract, and milk. The difficulty comes when making sure you have proper ratios here. A little too much of either ingredient will mess your icing all up, and regardless of what the recipe books say, once you’ve messed up your icing, there is no adding this or that to save it. It just doesn’t work. Not for me anyway. But, no problems with this batch of vanilla buttercream. I simply made one big batch, and split it into two bowls. I then added the pink and purple colors that I used in the cupcakes.

I put the icing in the fridge to cool and set to the perfect consistency, and meanwhile I melted some purple chocolates and swirled them into random designs on wax paper. Again, totally forgot to take pictures of this. However, that means I can get detailed in that documentary and make a whole blog of melted candy designs for cupcakes. So there. A positive out of a negative. So, anyway, I put the designs in the freezer to chill and set. Meanwhile, I bagged my icing and piped the icing with two different tips. I love the star tip, but I also like the wide circle tip. I love the “dollop” look. After icing, I placed the puprle designs over the pink icing, and placed a pink dollop of icing in the center of the purple iced cupcakes. The finished product is below 🙂

C.’s 30th Bday Cupcakes

{September 24, 2012} A Baker’s Life…Part One

So, when I began this blog, I promised you cupcakes. Well, ladies and gents…I am here to deliver.

Earlier this year, I began (kind of) a small, but passionate cupcake business. After years of bartending, and months of watching Cupcake Wars RELIGIOUSLY, I decided to try and put my love for crafting tasty cocktails to use, through an oven instead of a shaker. The hours behind a bar are no longer in sync with raising a family, and although the money was delicious, I decided to break away for a while and attempt a round of baking or two. It turned out that I was right…I was pretty darn good at it! So, in a matter of days, KissMyFace CupCakes was born!

I’m sure you aren’t desiring to be bored to death with the details of attempting to open a business, so I won’t do that as of now. I’ll just jump right in and give you a nice healthy dose of internet sugar…which is the healthiest kind in my opinion. Calorie free, and almost just as sweet. However, if you want the real thing, I’m just an email away…at kissmyfacecupcakes@gmail.com

So, this weekend’s cupcake event began with my best friend (the redhead with road rage that you read about earlier) needing a bunch of cupcakes for a charity event at her job. Mindy works for Well’s Fargo and they often have fundraising events, so when she told me about it, I was glad to get involved. We ended up baking about 8 dozen cupcakes and 2 dozen cakepops. At least 4 dozen of those will be auctioned off for charity tomorrow to benefit the American Cancer Society. I wanted to capture every single moment, in order to show you the steps of baking so many cupcakes, but in the midst of being busy and distracted, this new blogger completely forgot to snap pictures! I did, however, manage to snap pics of the first batch made…which was an actual order, not charity (although about a dozen of these were donated)

One of my very first customer’s contacted me regarding what she thought was an “odd order”. Mind you, I find my own palette to be a bit odd, I was interested to hear what flavor combination she was looking for. (The one thing I pride my business on is that we have no set menu. I will create a custom cupcake for each individual according to their own personal tastes and preferences.) Tina said she was craving something with blueberries and almonds. I was happy to oblige. The following is her 3 order of Blueberry Almond cupcakes since February.

These cupcakes started out as any other batch…flour, sugar, eggs, blah blah blah. Well, obviously I can’t tell you exactly what is in them, or you would make them yourself and wouldn’t order them through me…then I would be out of business, wouldn’t I? So I guess I will show you instead 🙂

Blueberry Batter…fresh blueberries and farm fresh canned blueberries make these a tasty treat.

First step was the batter. I added fresh and canned blueberries in addition to other secret ingredients. The fruit gave a great flavor and texture, but also made this awesome purple color in the batter. It was gorgeous!

Blueberry Brown Sugar Compote

While the cupcakes were baking, I reduced some canned blueberries with it’s own juice, along with some light brown sugar. I cooked this mixture down until it thickened, and then I let cool at room temperature for about half an hour, then put it in the fridge to get nice and chilled. This was going on top of the cupcakes, so I didn’t want it to melt the frosting.

Blueberry Cupcakes… done!

The cupcakes baked for about 15 minutes or so, until just before being completely done. Although most would swear that you must use a toothpick to tell when a cake is done, I have a different rule. I can tell by touch if a cupcake is ready to come out and I always pull them out a minute beforehand, because I find that just like a steak, the heat from the pan and from the cupcake itself will continue to cook it for a few minutes even outside of the oven. Nobody likes a burnt cupcake.

Crushed Almonds

While the cupcakes were cooling, I got started on the frosting and toppings. I whipped up a delicious almond buttercream, which I swear I could not put enough almond extract into. It was so light and fluffy and beautifully nutty…I really wish you had smellanet or tastanet instead of plain ol inernet! I also crushed some slivered almonds until I got them as fine as fine cannot get without being powder.

Almond buttercream on top of a blueberry cupcake

I swirled the almond buttercream on top of the cupcake, leaving just a small circle unfilled. (By the way, if you are at all interested in baking from home, I totally suggest buying yourself a decorator kit. Small frosting tip kits are sold at stores like Michael’s and JoAnne’s for somewhere in the 8-10 dollar price range. Super cheap, and they make such a big difference in the appearance of a cupcake compared to frosting smeared on with a spatula. Plus, it’s really fun to use how to use the different tips and creat different looks with icing!)

Almond Dipped

I then dipped the frosted cupcakes into the crushed almonds. These almonds give a great texture to the cupcake!

After almond dunking

Blueberry Filled

After dipping the cupcakes in the almonds, I scooped a small amount of the blueberry compote into the hole I left when I frosted. The compote had cooled and thickened enough by this time to hold up and not lose it’s form.

Blueberry Almond Cupcakes

I frosted and dipped half of the cupcakes and topped with blueberry compote. The other half I frosted completely, sprinkled with some of the almonds, and topped with a fresh blueberry. They were absolutely delicous and a great way to transition from summer to fall flavor!

If you enjoyed this blog, please comment below. I would love to share more of my cupcake business adventure with you! If you would like to order these or any other specialty cupcake, please feel free to contact me via email at kissmyfacecupcakes@gmail.com or at www.facebook.com/kissmyfacecupcakes

{September 18, 2012} Adventures with a Pet Bull

I never was a dog person. As a matter of fact, I was terrified of them. I had a cat growing up. A seal-point siamese named Lollipop. Don’t judge me. I was five when I got her and named her. I ran from dogs. I remember being circled by a rottweiler as a child. I’m sure my mental image and recollection of this event is slightly exxagerated, but the way I remember it was a big, muscle bound, bloody mouthed, snarling rottweiler that circled me and followed me as I walked home from a neighborhood friend’s house. When I reach my yard, I made a dart for the front porch and made it safely inside, leaving Kujo out there for the next victim. Thinking back, I’m sure if he had wanted to eat me he would have, but I was terrified. And that experience only heightened my fear.

My dad owned a dog when I was a teenager. She was a white German Shepherd, named Sabbath. She was an awesome dog. She listened and obeyed more commands than most people. She would “babysit” my dad’s construction jobs while he would go to lunch. She even became so popular with my dad and his network of businesses, that this dog was allowed into the bank. But I didn’t like her. And she didn’t like me. And she made it very uncomfortable to move around my house. I was just plain out scared. I figured the dog was plotting some seriously torturous murder the very moment the adults left. She never murdered me though. Or even bit me.

Anyway…it wasn’t until I was 26 years old that I brought my first dog home. I don’t even know what had gotten into me the day I went and got that mutt, but I’ll never regret it! We had a cat, named CatDaddy. CatDaddy used to like to sunbathe on the neighbor’s roof, and he seemed to think that he owned the neighborhood. So we couldn’t keep him inside. I mean, we tried, but he was naturally an outdoor cat. Needless to say, all that running around became the death of him (literally) and he was unfortunately run over.

The day I got Judge was just like any other day. We had not talked about getting a dog. Never planned on it. I never even thought I’d own one, so I’d given no thought to what breed or anything. I happened to be looking through for sale items on Craigslist and for some odd reason, I scrolled over to the Pets Section. There were tons of animals for “rehoming”. Tons. Seriously, I have since then scrolled through other cities, and I haven’t seen a city with as many animal listings as mine. But through all the pictures, one stood out at me and I knew I had found my dog, even though I wasn’t looking for one.

This picture was of two dogs. Both were described as pitbull/boxer mixes, who had been abandoned in front of the lister’s home in a suburb of my city. The two dogs were pushed out of a car in front of this man’s house. He got them, fed them, and listed them on Craigslist. I called the number and told the gentleman that I was interested in “the dog on the right”. The man told me he felt that dog had the better temperament, and he didn’t think he was mixed with boxer, he just felt he wouldn’t get any replies if he listed him as a pit bull. Anyway, I went and bought a leash, just in case, and made the 40 minute drive to go meet our prospective new dog.

That poor baby was a hot mess! He was covered in fleas, had worms, was skin and bones, and definitely needed a bath. But he came up to me like he had been looking for me his whole life. His eyes lit up when he saw me. If he could have spoken, I’m sure he would have said “There you are!!! What took you so long? Come on! Come on! Let’s get home!! I love you! I miss you! You are my world!!” It was adorable, and he had won my heart in a matter of seconds. However, I have three kids. And this dog had to win their hearts and my trust in order to make it to the car for the long drive home. I asked the gentleman to let him out of the kennel he was in, so that he could interact with my kids. He seemed hesitant to do it, which made me a little nervous, but I ensured him that I had to know how he was going to react to them or I couldn’t take him. Reluctantly, the man agreed, and let him loose.

That darn dog ran to my kids, wagging the crap out of his tail, and licked the crap out of their faces. They all laughed and smiled and started begging me to keep him. So we did. Dog (unnamed at this point) jumped into the car with ease, and layed his head in my lap the entire ride home. Me? Well I was one hand on the wheel and the other picking fleas off of him.

First stop…the Vet. I wasn’t taking that fleabag to my house! Poor thing came in underweight and positive for worms, but his heart was good and everything that was wrong was fixable.

Tony and Judge, sizing each other up. This was taken at the vet within an hour of first meeting our new dog 🙂

We didn’t name our dog for three days. We tossed all kinds of names around. We all came up with something and pulled names out of a hat. We scoured the internet. But nothing was fitting. Judge wasn’t named until our hoodlum neighbors came out of their front door at 3am acting a fool, as was the usual routine for them. Our new dog went off! I thought he was going to go through the window to get at these people. It was the first time we had even heard him bark, let alone growl. And I said he must be a great judge of character. That was it. We named him. Judge. Now, I’m not sure where you live or what type of environment you are used to. But it seemed that in my city, as well as many others, children were being attacked and killed left and right by pit bulls. People were fighting them and using them as guard dogs and who knows what else. These dogs had a horrible reputation. A few nights before I got Judge, we had been watching some show about a couple with two pit bulls who were kept as outside dogs. One night a terrible storm came, so they let the dogs in the house. Their young son woke up in the middle of the night and left his bed. The pitbulls attacked and killed him. So, a few nights after Judge came home, and I recalled that story, I got scared. I expressed this fear to my then-boyfriend (now-fiance) who dismissed it quickly. “Aww babe, Judge isn’t going to be like that. He loves those kids already”. I wasn’t 100% sure then. But it didn’t take long to see…

Judge, napping on Tony, my youngest.

Phillip and Judge napping

He can’t decide which kid he loves more. Judge is watching over Jonica while she reads.

So, as these pictures show, it didn’t take long to see that my pit bull was not going to attack my kids in the middle of the night. As a matter of fact, I used to have to lock him in his crate if I had to spank the kids. I had to spank my youngest son one day, and I thought my dog was going to attack ME! Of course, that changed as I learned how to be the dominant one…the Alpha…of the house (which is funny now since we have a puppy named Alfa. So I’m the Alpha, but she’s the Alfa).

Judge and I spent many mornings at the dog park. I was determined to socialize him. I didn’t want the stigma of pit bulls attached to this dog. He was so much more than just a pit bull. He was a family member, a friend, a guardian, a shoulder to cry on, a play mate, an angel of sorts. So, we went, morning after morning. He loved it. This dog couldn’t wait to go play. The word “Park” caused his ears to perk him and he would bark and bark and bark if he thought you were teasing him. If you said “park”, you had better have the car keys in hand! It seemed he lived for the moments spent at the dog park. Playing with other dogs was his favorite pasttime. Judge made friends with the dogs in the neighborhood, the dogs at the dog park, and the dogs at the vet’s office.

Judge being dominated by a female German Shepherd at the dog park. This “submissive position” is what he does when a dog approaches him.

Not only does Judge enjoy the dogs at the dog park, but he has been a “foster parent” to several other animals that we have “saved” one way or another…

Judge babysitting an abandoned newborn puppy

Judge and “his” Kitty

In the three years we have had Judge, in all the dog parks he’s been too (including a doggy daycare I used to work at), of all the kids and adults he has encountered, with all the tail pulling and ear grabbing, he has NEVER, not once, even attempted to attack a living thing. Now, he does have a fault. My dog is a runaway. Meaning any time the door is open or not closely gaurded, he WILL escape and run all around the neighborhood looking for dogs to play with. He makes a game of it and lets us get almost close enough to catch him, then darts off in a different direction. So, one day he goes off on a run, and as I chase him we notice a baby bunny hopping across a yard. It catches Judge’s attention and he goes after it. My dog grabbed that bunny in his mouth and I froze. Damn near in tears, I was. I yelled to him, begging him to put that bunny down. I couldn’t bear the thought of seeing him eat or destroy a living creature. Not after three years of being so kind. Well, he ran with that bunny in his mouth through a couple yards, then put it down and ran off. I didn’t run after my dog. I ran to that baby bunny who I knew was ripped to shreds at this point.

Don’t you know that I got to that bunny just as the shock was wearing off, and it got up and started hopping away. No puncture wounds, no teeth marks, no blood. My retardo dog picked that bunny up to play with, not to eat. It was just fine. Hopped away and I’m sure lived a nice healthy life until the falcons around here got him. Point being…I don’t think my Pet Bull would hurt a damn fly even if I commanded him to.

To sum this incredibly long post up, so that I don’t bore you any longer, I would just like to say, we managed to find an amazing dog who just happened to be a pit bull. When we got him, he was a good 6 months old, not a baby. He had already had some life experiences that we are unaware of. All we know is someone didn’t want him, and pushed him out of a car. But he came to our family happily, tail wagging, tongue out, ready to protect and love every member of our family and everyone we invite into our home. He has not endangered anyone. He has not attacked anyone. He has not been vicious. He isn’t our Pit Bull. He’s our Pet Bull and we love him very much!

Pillows are for humans? Don’t tell him that!

He’s very much a part of the family

I can’t even caption this. What is he doing??

Judge cuddles with a friend’s puppy

Me and my favorite furry friend

{September 17, 2012} The Hunt for Halloween (Costumes that is)

If you are anything like me, then you probably put off the Halloween costume hunt until the very last minute and then find yourself scouring the almost-empty racks of leftover costumes that the rest of the kids (with non-procrastinating parents) didn’t want. And if your kids are anything like my kids, they throw a damn fit because the costume they want is no longer there. (I do this on purpose however, because I’m not spending $50 on a costume just to see 15% of the neighborhood kids wearing the same thing.) So, this year, let’s get off our asses and get prepared for Halloween! With a little thought, creativity, research and time, you can find an awesome costume that won’t be repeated in your neighborhood. I’ve scoured the internet for some of the best and most creative costumes for everyone in your family.

Now, I’m sure all you readers stand at various skill levels when it comes to handmade costumes. Some of you probably sew like pros while the rest of you (like me) wouldn’t even know how to load thread into a sewing machine if it meant saving your life. So, I’ve done my best to find easy to make costumes as well as purchased costumes that the average Joe probably isn’t wearing. I’d love to hear your best costume ideas! If you have pictures, please share those as well! After all, what’s the point of getting this creative if we aren’t going to share with the world?!

Crayon Family This costume works for everyone in your family! Great for one kid, great for all. Get your friends involved and go as a whole box, with every color you can imagine! This Crayon Family is super cute and definitely one of my favorites!

Thing 1 and Thing 2 Personally, I think this costume is great for twins, best friends and even adults. Buy this costume here or make it yourself. A red sweater, a white sign, and a blue wig is all you need. Don’t forget the Cat in the Hat as well!

From Pottery Barn Kids

The B.L.T. I absolutely love this idea!! I’m thinking it would be super cute as one whole costume (bread in front and back, b.l.t. in the middle) but it is perfect for a group or family costume! You may need some super skills to create this one yourself, but it would totally be worth it. I’m sure this one would win any costume contest, and bring home the bacon 🙂

Seeds and Flower Too cute! Great for all you single moms, and you can dress all your kids up as the same flower, or dress them differently and make yourself “wildflower seeds”. You can change up the flower and turn them into broccoli, carrots, or anything else “growable”. The only limit here is your imagination. I’m thinking it would be super cute to dress one kid as a flower and another as a flower pot.

Lego This has got to be one of the easiest “do it yourself” Halloween costumes. Save your vegetable cans for a week or so, get a box big enough for your kid, and a can of spray paint and you’ve got yourself a Lego Costume. Your child can be any color he or she wants! My favorite part of this costume (besides the level of ease with which it’s created) is that it uses recyclable materials. You can reuse things you already have…which of course makes this Mama very happy!

The Muscle Baby I had to share this one. It is just adorable! I’m sure this could be made just as easily as it could be purchased. Great for baby boys, but with this year’s Olympic Events, why not make baby girl the strongest…and send her off for the gold!

The Black Eyed P(ea) This is another costume idea that works great for one kid or the whole family. Dress everyone up, add a microphone, and be the Black Eyed Peas. The picture below is a picture of one of my kids, a couple years ago. We were super broke, so we broke out white t-shirts, a sharpie, and a stick of black eyeliner. I would absolutely recommend face paint over eye-liner though!

Hope you’ve gotten some great ideas! I’m looking forward to hearing your inventions and seeing some awesome pictures! Don’t forget…Halloween is a little more than a month away. Plan ahead and it will be smooth sailing. There are some great ideas out there, so take a little time, do a little research, and you and your kids can be the best dressed on the block!

{September 15, 2012} Smarten Up With These Great (free) Family Apps

Let’s face it. We live in a world of hurry up, can’t wait, get there faster. No lie, I watched my best friend turn red in the face (not hard considering she’s a redhead) over a school bus taking too long to let kids off, and we didn’t even have anywhere to be…except Starbuck’s. Our lives have become way beyond fast paced. We are trying to get more done in less time and sometimes it’s hard to keep up with it all.

Enter the smart phone. Also known as the “I can’t live without the hunk of electronic glued to my palm device”. These things seem to be life savers for some of us unorganized procrastinators. They sure are handy when you can’t get your 5 year old to sit still and obey table manners at a restaurant. Most of them take great pictures and turn all of us into amateur family photographers. When you think about it, there’s really no limit to what your smartphone can do! Well, I guess there is when you consider that it won’t actually get up and make dinner. But, there are some great apps out there for that too!

Here is my list of Free Apps for your smartphone that I think make managing life and family just a little bit easier…and entertaining. I’d love to hear what apps make YOUR life easier. Feel free to comment!

Edmodo http://www.edmodo.com/mobile/ I just recently discovered Edmodo because my daughter uses it in middle school. It is similar to a social networking platform, but geared towards students and teachers as a way to correspond about assignments, homework, upcoming tests, etc. This app is perfect for weekend trips away from home, so your student can be sure that they are up to date and ready for Monday. The website allows for parents to log in and view posts published by their children, grades, and late assignments. Unfortunately, the mobile app isn’t set up for parents usage yet.

http://www.edmodo.com

Quizlet www.quizlet.com/mobile Great app for studying with your elementary school aged child. Topics such as Spanish Vocabulary, State Capitals, and Multiplication will get your little one thinking and prepared for the next grade, or refresh your 5th grader’s memory of prior learning. Fun tool for the spare minutes waiting at the doctor or in line at the market.

Screenshot of the “French Vocabulary” on my iPod via Quizlet

Food on My Table A busy mom’s best friend. Gosh, to be honest, I think if I was single and lived alone, this would still be my best friend. This app allows you to view recipes and create a menu based on the items you like or what’s on sale at your closest grocery store. Then once you create your menu, it automatically creates your shopping list! You can even adjust the serving portions for each menu and it will change your shopping list accordingly.

Screenshot of one of the recipes I love from Food on the Table’s mobile app

Paper Karma https://www.paperkarma.com/ Want to declutter your house? Then start here! This app has helped me stop soooo much junk mail from appearing in my mailbox. It’s awesome! Personally, I got it because I have an obsession for lessening my carbon footprint, but after a while, I realized I could see my coffee table again…because it wasn’t completely covered in junk. All you have to do is take a picture of the unwanted mail or publication and upload it to Paper Karma. They take care of the rest!

My Coloring Book Free thru the Apple Store. My kids love this (and so do I) when we are out running errands and their patience is on empty. The app allows you to scroll through different “pages” to color and you do it all with your fingertip. No crayons to lug around. No marker stains on your car seat. Lifesaver when I’m on an important phone call or while we are waiting on dinner to arrive at a restaurant!

Unfinished Artwork 😉

Cozi Family Calendar Awesome organizational tool that not only allows you to keep track of important events and dates, but lets you journal, create shopping lists, and even send email and text reminders to other members of your family. I love that the app will text my hunny at a time I designate to remind him to pick up milk and toilet paper. The photo journaling aspect of this app is pretty fun too…It’s kind of like a mini hand held picture blog.

{September 14, 2012} Finding Motivation

It’s that time of year…the weather is cooling down, and I want to slip into my cutest pair of jeans, a nice long sleeve, colorful scarf, and boots. That was the plan this morning after I walked outside and felt the cool, crisp, fall air. But unfortunately, my waistline let me down. I couldn’t fit into a single pair of jeans that I own! Half wouldn’t come over my hips and the other half literally cried out loud as I twisted and stretched and sucked in every which way to make that button meet it’s hole. Now, I for one, am NOT leaving my house with a muffin top, and I am pretty sure I outdid leggings (or any other stretchy form of waistband) for the summer. So, it seems I haven’t much choice. I am going to HAVE to work out!

None of them fit! 😦

I’m sure some of you out there are struggling with the same thing as I am…Lack of Motivation. I’ve had it before, so I know I can do it…but somewhere along the way, my motivation was lost. A couple years ago, I vowed to myself to finally lose all the weight I gained from having 3 kids in 5 years and not living an active lifestyle. I worked out for at least one hour everyday, and I mean EVERYday, I ran a 5K race, and managed to lose 40 pounds in one season. Unfortunately, a knee injury kept me off my feet for a few months and I never picked the wonderful work out habit back up. Now, two years later, I have gained back all but 5 of those pounds. I tell ya what though…the fact that NONE of my jeans seemed to fit right is motivation enough for me now…because I can’t afford to go buy any new ones right now. So, here’s my motivation…I hope it helps you and maybe you can help me and we can all get fit!

Pre-weight loss

post weight loss

1. Quit comparing yourself to airbrushed and photoshopped models. You are human. You are not a magazine. You might have stretch marks, or cellulite, or a tummy pouch…and believe it or not, so do most models. They are just cleared up by professionals and made to look perfect. That is not an accurate perception to have of yourself or someone else. So cut it out!

*if you are the original owner of this photo, please contact me so that I may give you credit 🙂

2. Set realistic and specific goals. Losing 25 pounds by the end of the month is not realistic. “Shaping up” is not specific. Target exactly which areas you are wanting to improve and come up with a real plan of action. I’ll list mine just so you can have an example…

Lose 40 pounds or 5 dress sizes by March, 2013

Increase jogging endurance to 30 minutes or more by March, 2013

Get “the gap” (if you don’t know what that is, google it)

Lose the jiggle on my upper arms so that my daughter can stop poking it and watching it move

3. Decide how YOU like to workout. To be successful, you are going to need to enjoy it. So, don’t try to pick up the latest trend on www.pinterest.com just because you saw someone say you could get rock hard abs in 2 days. Instead think about your personality style and your interests. Personally, I’m super competitive. So I know I will get the most enjoyment and will most likely want to continue working out if I am competing against someone. Sports like volleyball, basketball, and tennis are great workouts for competitive women. Some people prefer gyms, while others like to work out at home to a DVD. Think about what’s comfortable for you, and plan your workouts accordingly.

4. Buddy Up! Studies show that working out with a friend or partner will increase your success rate, amount of weight lost, and intensity of your workout. If you can’t find a friend as dedicated as you are, look for a virtual partner. Webcams can be a great tool!

photo by Pam loves pie at http://www.flickr.com/photos/pamlovespie/6851397076/

5. Last, but not least…ORGASMS. Wait, what? Did I just say the O word? Why, yes. Yes I did. Seriously…in one study, by Debbie Herbernick of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion at the Indiana University, 40% of women observed had experienced sexual pleasure or orgasm during exercise more than 11 times in their lifetime! (http://www.livescience.com/19145-exercise-induced-orgasm-sexual-pleasure.html) An orgasm that doesn’t require a man or batteries? Count me in!

Hopefully these ideas and insights can be a motivating factor for you to get out there and get fit! Feel free to join me on my weight loss journey. Comment below, or email me at iamdramasmama@gmail.com and let’s partner up for healthier lives!

~Today, my weight is (unfortunately) 185 pounds. Target weight and date: 145 pounds by March 1, 2013

{September 14, 2012} Battle of the Blog

So I decided to start a blog. As with everything I start, I go forth at full speed. Full speed is the rate at which one pursues instant gratification. I’m a pro at that one. Pursuing the instant gratification that is, not necessarily capturing it. But it can’t hurt a girl to try. Anyhoo, For some reason I thought I’d put a couple ideas together, snap a few pictures, come up with a catchy name, and voila! I would be the next Martha Stewart!

After more than several attempts at what I thought was catchy, I finally found an unclaimed domain name!

Seems I jumped in a little deeper than I anticipated. That’s okay though, because all good things require time and effort. And I may not have much right now, but time and effort are two things I have plenty of. Wait a minute, I also have PLENTY of mouths to feed. Hence…my blog.

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Amanda, I just turned 30, and I am a mom to 3 two legged creatures and 2 four legged creatures. I have one daughter (Jonica is 11 and just started middle school), two sons (Phillip, 8 and Anthony, 6), a 3 year old rescued Pit Bull named Judge, and a five month old German Shepherd puppy named Alfa aka Lil Wuff. I am engaged to a wonderful man named Andre, who is an Iraq War Veteran, a diehard Philly fan (that includes any and every sport and team based in his hometown), and an awesome dad. I have spent almost all of my working life in the restaurant industry. I can bartend and wait tables in my sleep with one hand tied behind my back. I recently started a cupcake business with my best friend, Mindy, and decided to leave the bustling nightlife behind for a much more chaotic lifestyle…full time housewife!

Smile for pictures? Yeah right!

For the love of the game…and each other

I hope you will join me in my blogging journey. I hope to enlighten, entertain, and intrigue you. Drama’s Mama is dedicated to bringing you the best of domesticated life. We’ll treat ourselves to cupcakes and cocktails, we’ll get crafty (while being eco-friendly), we’ll stay cute, and hopefully we will learn a few things along the way. I’m excited to start this new phase of my life!

~Family and Engagement Photos captured by Megan with www.sobellaphotos.com

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