I had such an awesome Ben-filled weekend. It was so nice not to have plans for once, and just to hang out with family. Ben started saying “Gamma” for Grandma and “Gampa”. Which made everyone just melt. This is such an amazing time in childhood development. I am constantly shocked by the things Ben remembers, and thinks of. He is still obsessed with this his basketball, and he was giving his Gampa lessons in how to shoot the ball.

I would guess Ben’s favorite part of the weekend was getting to share some of Daddy’s ice cream cone, though. I watched with envy as Ben and Dave ate a chocolate ice cream cone with gusto. Ben’s never had ice cream before, and only a few sweets at all from time to time. Mostly “dessert” for him is grapes or fruit. I am working so hard to instill good eating habits from the beginning. It’s a tough battle because there are so many handy, snack foods that are just filled with sugar, but I enjoy cooking for him and I think it’s paying off – because he ended up putting his little mini-spoon down when he was full, rather than continuing to eat the ice cream until it was gone. That seems like such a key aspect to healthy living – eating a reasonable amount, not eating until you’re “full”. I grew up having to “finish my plate” which is such a difficult mental block to over come.

Speaking of which, I just got a copy of the Biggest Loser weight loss program. I was really interested in the shows approach to healthy living, so I thought this was the perfect way to find out more before starting work! And it is awesome!! The suggestions and guidelines are so helpful – it was a great refresher for me. Even just leaving the book on my kitchen counter motivated me to get up and take my dog for a long walk through the dog park near our house. It’s a great hiking trail, and Winky and I jogged most of the way. We were both worn out by the time we got to the top of the trail. Where I ran into Heidi (Kay on Passions). We chatted for a bit, exchanged sweaty hugs (lol) and then Winky and I headed home. After the solid work-out, I decided a hearty dinner was needed, so … I checked out the recipes, which seemed pretty tasty for healthy cooking. So, for Sunday night dinner I made the Curry Vegetable Soup. (I added skinless chicken to the recipe) and both my husband and I loved it. It takes a while to prepare, so it was lucky that I made it on a Sunday afternoon rather than right before dinner. So filling and yummy, while totally nutritious. So, if you’re looking for a little inspiration or motivation, or just some new recipes, I say try their books. Tomorrow I’m making the “Portobello Pizzas”. How good does that sound???!!!

XOXO,

Ali

Did everyone remember to change their clocks forward on Sunday? I love Daylight Savings. It’s so awesome to have the sun out later at night. But it’s always tough giving up that hour of sleep. And it’s hard explaining to a 2 year old that it’s really bed time even though it feels earlier. I have finally gotten over the horrible cold I had for what seemed like forever. I got a ton of people sympathizing with me – seems everyone is going through the same thing!

I had a super busy weekend. I drove down to Palm Desert to see a friend who was visiting from Toronto. She interned at nbc in 1995 and we became friends when we worked together. She moved back home to Canada and we only see each other once in a while but we keep up through email and phone calls. Anyway, I drove out there (2 ½ hours) each way and to spend the afternoon shopping and hanging out with the girls. It was such a fun day, even with the tough drive.

Sunday, Kyle (Brandt, ex-Philip) and I went to a Clippers game. Don’t bother looking up the score – they didn’t have a great game. But Kyle and I had so much fun. And guess who was at the game? Farah! (Fath, ex-Mimi) and her sister, Tory. We met up afterwards and got to meet one of the players from the Detroit Pistons – Nazr Mohammed knows Farah, and is a Days fan. He is so cool and nice and it was awesome meeting him. And it was fun catching up with Farah, I haven’t seen her since her last day at Days which was in January. Farah was so excited for me to be hosting Biggest Loser – she and Tory told me all about how they love the show and cry at every episode. So she can’t wait for me to report back to her about my experiences on set at BL. Ha – it’s going to be tough keeping what happens a secret. It’s hard enough on Days to keep the stories a secret for a month before they air! But I do hate ‘spoilers’. So, I’ll just have to stay strong!! J

After the game Kyle, Dave and Ben and I hung out at our house and enjoyed the 80 degree afternoon. Dave is still dealing with this cold, so he wasn’t up for the game, but we hung out on our deck and Kyle got a chance to play a little basketball/tee-ball/soccer with Ben. Ben is still obsessed with playing ball and creates an odd combination of all three games. Though lately he’s beginning to incorporate a golf swing with his tee-ball bat, since he saw Dave practicing his swing. I wonder if he’s going to be competitive like his mother? You think???!!!

Speaking of which – I hope you check out Kyle’s website… www.kylebrandt.com he is so funny, he talks about his favorite shows and basically whatever occurs to him. I have it on my favorites list and always have to see if he’s updated ‘The Hate List’ my personal favorite part of his site.

I’ve got to get back to memorizing my lines! Catch up with you soon!!!

XO,

Ali