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When partaking in holiday festivities, it’s common to consume alcoholic beverages.  Of course, the regular words of wisdom are to not drink and drive, and to find a safe ride home.  That’s the most responsible thing to do, but when we think about making a holiday toast and drinking the many drinks to make the holidays happy, the last thing on the mind is calories and burning fat.

I’m not the type of person that believes that all alcohol is bad, and have been known to have an occasional glass of wine.   However, there are little known effects of alcohol that can not only add calories to your overall diet, but can alter the way fat is metabolized in the body.

Eh, a few drinks here and there can’t hurt my diet, can it?  Well, in fact, alcohol has 7 kcals/gram and is a source of energy.  Think about the fuel that is put in a car.  Ethanol, aka Alcohol is now added to most gasoline and fuels vehicles.  Vehicles use whatever is put into them, just like our bodies, so keep this in mind as we move forward.

What happens to your body when alcoholic beverages are consumed is that there is an immediate source of fuel that needs to be processed and consumed, so it goes through the liver and is turned into acetate, what the body can use.  Now since the body has no other choice but to use the energy or store it as fat, all other fat burning is halted, or severely slowed, and the alcohol immediately burned for energy.  YES, it’s true!

Furthermore, alcohol can actually cause a person to want to eat more, and so it is especially important to take caution during the holidays when the wine, liquor and beer flows along with the cookies, pies and what not.

Below are a few tips to still have a cheery holiday, and save yourself getting too drunk to drive, and the likelihood to eat more than expected:

Water: Yes, water.  Before, and in between drinks, whether it’s beer, liquor or wine, have two (8 oz) glasses of water.  This way you will fill up your tummy, and be less likely to over eat on all the holiday treats.

Carbonated Water: If you don’t want others to know you’re not guzzling down the drinks like they are, ask the bartender for a cup of sparkling water on ice, or just bring along your own bottle of your favorite to the party.  No one will be the wiser if you tell them you’re having a vodka/gin tonic.

Drink Slowly:  Nurse that baby.  Take it slow.  Just because everyone else is getting buzzed, doesn’t mean you have to.  Sure drinking might make you feel relaxed and feel better in a social setting, but doesn’t mean you have to get drunk off your butt and alter the way your body deals with all the holiday calories.  Isn’t hard enough without the alcohol?

Take a snack along: Hah! Some people might laugh at me for suggesting this, but if you don’t want to end up overindulging on the holiday snacks after drinking a little too much, you might want to take something along like an apple, banana, or even some tortilla chips to help satiate any craving you might have.

Now after the holiday drinking binge, sometimes the holiday hangover is soon to follow, but drinking some fruit juice (any kind) or even some Gatorade, can help replace the electrolytes that were lost.  Most importantly, be sure to stay hydrated with plenty of water.

In any case, I hope your holiday goes well and is safe, and is filled with plenty of joy and festivities.

Cheers!

~Hale Mom

*Disclaimer-This is information on this website is simply for informational purposes and should not be used to diagnose, or identify any symptoms of illness or disease and should not replace advice from a professional.  This website is also not responsible for what any reader uses this information.

Yes, it’s another Tuesday, and in my neck of the woods, it’s pretty cold outside.  Baby is sleeping, hopefully for another hour, daddy is off to work and the living room is silent.  Ahhhhh!

For the last couple of weeks, on Tuesdays, I have had “Toot Your Own Horn Tuesdays.”  Self praise does wonders on emotional health, and is especially important with all the hard work that’s put in around the holidays.  Like I’ve said before, moms and yes, even dads can end up going many years with out getting recognition for the things that they do.  It’s doesn’t matter how great or how awesome you are, sometimes things just go unnoticed, but because of you,  your family keeps moving along despite the bumps and bruises, and you need recognition!

Toot your own horn Tuesday is all about taking the time out to realize and recognize all the great things that make you such a wonderful person.  It may be the slightest thing, to the biggest thing you can think of.  Last Tuesday, I only had one mother that shared her own toot, very  inspiring and because I was in a giving mood, I sent her a gift.  Here’s what she said:

Woohoo! Go you! Every mom should be able to toot their own horn every once in awhile. I can toot my own horn because this week I am taking care of my husband who threw out his back, a 3 month old, and a very busy 21 month old. Oh and everything that needs to get done with our household and writing for 2 blogs. I also cooked and bought a present for a friend’s family whose husband recently got diagnosed with cancer which I found very rewarding.

Very inspiring!  My toot For today isn’t as inspiring, but is about cleaning the house.  My house has been a wreck ever since Thanksgiving.  LOL, it’s true!  I’ve been really lazy, but with Christmas about to knock on the door, my husband and I have been working hard to clean up the house.

Actually, my husband deserves a lot of the recognition for cleaning the garage (which has been a mess for probably a year now) and he took a whole day to organize it and clean it out.  I am so proud of him.  The only part we have left is the extra room that was supposed to be my office, which I’m working on today, but I’ve decided to make it into my daughter’s play room.  It’ll be easier and safer for her to be in one room that is completely child proof rather than her playing in the living room where she can get into all sorts of trouble.  I’ll be done by the end of the day, so I need to get back to it while I have some time (baby being asleep and all.)

Now share you own story, go ahead, you deserve it.  Sometimes we all forget how important it is to give ourselves a bit of recognition and self praise.

Have a great Tuesday and I look forward to your stories!

~Hale Mom

I’m too lazy to think of a post, but I’ve been having a massive hankering for cookies and milk.  In the spirit of the holidays and staying on the healthy side, I thought I’d share recipes I’ve found, and soon to make, courtesy of Madhuram’s Eggless Cooking.  I’ve tried the oatmeal cookies before, and they were AMAZING!  It’s always nice to have healthy alternatives to traditional baked goods.  Enjoy!

How to Bake Vegan Oatmeal Cookies

and

How to Bake Eggless Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies using Silken Tofu

I can’t wait to make these, and will hopefully (for the sake of my sweet tooth) do it soon and show the pictures.  Let me know if you make them too!  It’s always fun to try something new.

To your health!

~Hale Mom

I remember watching the movie “Pay It Forward,” it made me cry and mostly inspired me, as I’m certain it did for many people around the world.

Ever since then, whenever I do something for someone else, I never expect anything in return and hope that they take my generosity and send it in the way of someone else in need.  It’s a good habit to give without the expectation to receive, not only for the holidays, but throughout the year.

In fact, if it weren’t for my husband, and his large heart, I probably would have never fallen in love, and never would have been able to pay his generosity forward.   It’s a long story, but because of him, I opened my heart up to a stranger in one of my classes and helped her out with a place to stay, and two years later, she is one of my best friends.

Also, when I went to Sea World a few weeks back, I met a wonderful lady, @lettergirl, who gifted all those in the group a handsome bag with a body spray and lotion.  The scents were wonderful, and she selflessly did it, with no expectation of anything in return.  She’s so cool and OUTRAGEOUSLY HILARIOUS.  You should follow her on twitter and her blog!  She has a big heart, and from the short time that I met her, always had a smile on her face.

Now it’s your turn!  What have you done to “pay it forward,” lately?  It’s ok if you can’t think of anything, but go here before you do to learn about Sea World’s experiment of giving.   Once you know what a miracle card is, enter your comment for a chance to win tickets for 4 to Sea World.  There are several chances to win, so go on over there and see what the experiment is all about.  (I’ve already given you a massive hint what it’s all about, but go over there anyway to find out how to win your tickets!)  Also, if you don’t get to win and would still like to check out Sea World this Christmas, go here to find out the hours of operation, and for a special deal on tickets, courtesy of Sea World and TheMotherhood

Let me know if you win!

~Hale Mom

With Christmas around the corner, there is an increased emphasis on giving, and so this is what we will concentrate on throughout the month of December: Giving. With every passing day, I will blog about giving and document all stories of the spirit of giving that I encounter throughout the month.

Today I’d like to share a story of a couple of kind men that were generous with their time as I was in need of assistance.  To get straight to the point, I was gassing up at a convenience store, with my daughter in the back seat, and so stupidly, I left the wipers on, my phone charging, the radio on, as well as the fan on my air conditioner.  NOT a good combination when it comes to the energy of the car battery.

It was a particularly cold and rainy day, and there was two other people at the gas pumps, so I found my jumper cables (THANK GOD I had them in the trunk,) and went over to another person to say “Hi, I need a jump…my battery died just died because like a dork I left everything running.  After you finishing pumping, would you mind giving me a jump start?”

The gentleman, couldn’t have been more than 25 years old, and was driving a truck, and he kindly agreed to give me a jump.  Once he was through with gassing up, he pulls in front of my car.  I got out of the car and popped the hood and unwound the jumper cables.

I told him “Do you know how to do this? Because this is the first time I’ve ever done it.”  With a confused look in his face, he tells me, “Uh, I don’t know how to either, this is my first time too!”  As he says that, I see another gentleman, and ask him if he could help us, and he took control, and within 2 or 3 minutes, the car was running!

Relief overcame me as I gathered my cables, and asked the two men their names: Jessie and Eddie.  Jessie and Eddie, you are my life savers today!  If it weren’t for your kindness and giving your time (and sticking through the cold and rainy day to help me,)  who knows who would’ve been willing to help me or how long I would’ve been sitting there.

About an hour later, in attempt to pass on the spirit of giving, I tried to help my friend vacuum her house, but it ended up blowing up in my face because the vacuum belt ended up breaking and so I ended up doing some sweeping.   It was an unexpected visit, so I didn’t have anywhere to put the baby, so I had to manage with carrying her and sweeping.  Lol, you can just imagine how that went!

In other concerns for the day, I will be sending a care package to troops for the holidays soon, and I know things are tight out there for some families, but if we all pull together , we can help make some soldier’s wishes come true.  I will post a wish list(s) (with prices) and those of you that are interested can send in donations based off of the amounts, and if we get enough involvement, maybe we can send more than just our wish list to the deserving troops risking their lives. If you’d like to contribute through a donation, you can send it via paypal to email address:

admin @ halemom.com

I will personally pay all postage fees and will find all the items on the wishlist, and take suggestions on other items that can be sent.  We count on the troops everyday to represent us while over seas, but now is time for the troops to count on us to make their holiday wishes come true while they’re away from their families.  Stay tuned in the next few days for further information!

President Obama is on TV right now, in regard to the very troops that we discuss here today, so I must go.  Feel free to discuss your thoughts on Obama sending additional troops to Afghanistan in the coming months, and any other opinions and ideas you have in regards to supporting the troops.

To you health, and to health of our brave soldiers!

~Hale Mom