10 timeless lessons

My mom sent me this great quote on Saturday:

“Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” – Lou Holtz

My translation of it : It is up to YOU to illuminate your world ;) Attitude can take you FAR !

My mom was always telling us that growing up and It has definitely made an impact in my life!

I am surrounded by wonderful friends & an amazing family I cherish and love . . . Life is good! It is up to me to make it even brighter !

It makes me reflect on what lessons I 'd like Adrien to cherish and live by - I really hope he will also have that appetite and love for life !

Here are a few timeless lessons from the Dalai Lama - hopefully those can be a compass to guide him along the way:

1. “Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.”

2. “When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.”

3.“When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.”

4. “Spend some time alone every day.”

5. “Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.”

6. “Share your knowledge. ”

7. “Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.”

8. “Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.”

9. “A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.”

10. “Be gentle with the earth.”

the Power of Stroller Strides

Some experiences are life changing, empowering, joyful... Stroller Strides National conference was all of the above. I hope I can create a butterfly effect and give other moms the strength for motherhood.

I always knew the importance of exercising, but Stroller Strides helped find my inner strength, and self confidence. The love and support you receive create a safe cocoon for you to grow, reach your goals, get back to knowing and loving the REAL you while still interacting with your children and friends.

I love reaching out to all our moms - trying to give them a great workout, while still being silly and bond with our kids. I learned that it's all about balance. This weekend I learned a lot and also realized I still have LOTs to learn and that's part of my journey. I am a work in progress. I feel more serene though now because I am more aware of myself. Stroller Strides allowed me to open myself up to a world of possibilities and let myself enjoy the moment.

Setting realistic and SMART goals can be motivating and empowering. I have a list of affirmations that help me keep my focus and an optimistic perspective and wanted to share them:

* Enjoy the present- Be there physically & emotionally

* Be honest with yourself

* Lean on your friends

* Listen, Observe,& Reflect

* While exercising, let your body show your mind:"YOU CAN DO IT"

* Make your life an EXCUSE FREE zone

* Be selfish in order to be selfless

* Rejoice in the little things

* Press on - PERSEVERE

* I ultimately have the power to control my reactions, attitudes and intentions

*Find the gold in every day

If you want to gain strength for Motherhood, stay fit, have fun with your baby/toddler and make wonderful friends, try Stroller Strides - It definitely worked for me ;)

We got to take a little cruise on Friday evening before the banquet.

It was such a busy day on Saturday - I did not get to take any pictures of us working out but I did get a final shot at the end of the day of us and the whole room .

We enjoyed a fun and delicious dinner all together - enjoying Sarah for one more evening before she heads back to Wellington and starts her Franchise. I'm so happy to have met such a wonderful group of women - each of them so inspiring ! Thank you all Beautiful Mamas ;) Some of my friends are no longer in Stroller Strides anymore but it all started there and I know our friendships will last !!

LIVE concert :)

Pumpkin patch & Super Kelly to the rescue

Adrien with a few of his closest friends at the pumpkin patch

A tender moment ;) I really thought they were going to kiss each other on the cheek but no - right on the lips ...

the boys look so happy - selling their pumpkins ;)

Christophe had to finish the last part of a training for work in France and I had to attend the Stroller Strides Conference so my sweet little Kelly came to the rescue and played mommy for the weekend ! She took amazing care of Adrien and Duff - poor her she also had to handle a confused puppy that wondered where his masters were and she did AWESOME ! The teacher in me gives her an A+ with extra credits ;) She managed to clean the house, entertain an active toddler , spoil him with attention and love (and gifts;)) , get her P90x workouts in, prepare meals, and healthy snacks, feed the dog and play with him .... Woot Woot !! So proud of her !

Kelly took Adrien to the Fort Worth Zoo on Sunday morning and they said they both had a great time !

He was hugging a small white rabbit !

Adrien got to discover the Fall festival at his school on Saturday, bounce houses, petting zoo, fun games and sandboxes !! What a day ! He had a great time !

We got to hang out at the mini train after our workout at Stroller Strides and had a great time !
Thank you Kelly ! I am so happy you got to spend quality time with Adrien. He loved every minute of it and is constantly telling me what he did with you and how much fun you were ! I know you will one day be an amazing mom. Thank you for taking time away from your training and helping us in such a big way ! I love you so much and I am so grateful ! you ROCK !!!

My first Football game !!

So the last few weeks have been so eventful and I am a little behind in updating the blog . . .

I was invited to a football game and had my first ever tailgating and game experience ! What an fun and amazing experience ! Thank you Brad, Lisa, Craig and Czarina for the tickets !!! Chris and I were supposed to go together but last minute our babysitter cancelled and Adrien ended up having to spend the day with his dad . We realized then we need to have a back up babysitter ;)

Great ceremony - I got to learn the Raid Raiders sign !! We won that day - it was such a memorable and fun experience ! I really had a blast !

Mimosas anyone ? Fancy tailgating ;)

Sweet friends ! (thank you Debi for lending me your Tee shirt and cap- I felt like I belonged ;))

The game was held at the cotton ball during the Texas Fair - check out the crowd !

I got to taste my first ever corn dog and it was DELICIOUS !!

October already

I just can't believe we're already in October, we started with a busy week with nice quality time with our friends.

Adrien and I prepared little flash cards for his snack - we decided to make railroads this time - once a month it's our turn to provide snack- Adrien spread the cream cheese on graham crackers, added 2 rows of raisins and then it was ready ! I took photos of each step and laminated them so his classmates could follow the instructions easily and independently. It was fun and the teachers said the kids enjoyed it, so we'll have to think of something else that is fun for next month !

Adrien really enjoys school. I went to the open house on Tuesday night and it was so wonderful to see Adrien choose a work on the shelf, sit down on a table or on a mat and patiently do his work, then he would it back , and pick another work.

On Tuesday we hung out with our friends Debi and Garrett. The mini train was finally working again, so we went on a little ride and then headed to the botanical gardens

The boys had a great time and got along great. They're both in love with trains, they would say " tchoo tchoo" "all aboard" during the ride, it was really cute !

Adrien is practicing for Kelly's visit next week ;)
We had fun at the park on Sunday morning, enjoying the cooler morning !
I could not resist and had my coffee outside all bundled up - it was so peaceful, listening to the trees. Christophe told me that Adrien saw me through the window and asked to take a picture ;)

We went to our sweet friend Maggie's 30th birthday party - it was a nice moment and my first ever surprise party - her husband organized it for her and did a great job!! It was really hard for me not to tell Maggie about it and I honestly had to avoid her the last few weeks ;) We all had a great time !

Lazy Saturday morning, we all stayed in our PJs all morning and even had lunch in bed ! NICE ! that was a first but we all felt more relaxed afterwards.
Friday night we met a few of our friends and their kids at Central Market for dinner, a band was playing, the kids were busy in the playground area...it was a wonderful evening !

We're so lucky to now have such a nice group of friends. We really feel very grateful and look forward to enjoying fall with everyone !

Adrien was captivated by the band, and Chris was really sweet and kept a good eye on Adrien while he played with his friends.

Adrien enjoyed lunch at Fuzzy's after Stroller Strides and was lucky to sit between Liberty and Claire... A meal tastes always so much better when we share it with our good friends !