Frugal Back Porch

I've never been a very fit person. I had great metabolism growing up and was always thin. I was able to eat what I wanted without a care in the world but I was also very active. As an adult, I don't like to excercise and eating right has always meant eating tasteless, bland food! The older I get, the harder it is to get away with the carefree attitude. This year, I plan to make fitness and eating better a focus. I want to be healthy but I also want to FEEL good too! Twittermom's is asking for our top 10 ways to get fit this year so here's mine!

1. Consume less sugar. Reduce the soda's I drink and slowly cut the sugar I use in many of our meals. This should cut the calorie intake dramatically.
2. Eat more whole grains, fiber and protein rich foods. Fruits, veggies, and other wholesome foods fill you up faster than candy, cookies, and empty calories.
3. Living in NW Minnesota where the winter weather keeps you indoors, I plan to take advantage of the Wii (like the EA Sports Active game I've been eyeing in the stores). This will keep me moving.
4. Walk. During the Spring, Summer, and Fall, daily walks to the post office and bank will increase my daily activity and calorie consumption.
5. Alter my current recipes to include a healthy remix. Using fresh veggies and herbs will increase the flavor of my dishes without adding calories.
6. Dance more. Crank up the music and dancing while doing the dishes, folding the laundry, gardening, etc, keeps me active while keeping it fun.
7. Play more. Playing with the kids. Wrestling, biking, playing ball, etc. It's all fun but keeps me moving.
8. Reduce my butter consumption but mixing half butter and half margarine.
9. Use juice from fruits instead of concentrated store bought juices which are high in sugar.
10. Read the food labels. Fresh foods are usually better for you than prepackaged but if I can't read the ingredients listed then it's probably not real healthy for me!

The holidays are a time when we have a lot of fun around the house. I don't know why we get the extra umph during the holidays, maybe it's the holiday cheer going around. *wink* *wink* Anyway, the kids and I can be found doing all sorts of things this time of year that's a bit out of the norm for us.

• Decorating the Christmas tree Thanksgiving weekend. This is a must in our home. They love putting all the decorations up but I usually have to rearrange them and even out the look once the fun has subsided.
• We also like to bake cookies and decorate them. I usually make a basic cookie, then we drizzle melted chocolate or almond bark on it. This year they are old enough to help mix ingredients, possibly even put it in the oven - OOOOOHHHHH AAAAAHHHHHH! This is also my sure fire way of making sure my house smells like the holidays. I bake something sweet and gooey and try to incorporate cinnamon or peppermint in it for the extra bump in aroma!
• Homemade hot chocolate. It's the only time of year I make it but, we melt the chocolate, add the warm milk and the kids LOVE stirring it with a peppermint stick. Again the smell of chocolate and peppermint is INTOXICATING!!!
• We also writing Santa letters. It's usually on simple notebook paper but now my oldest is able to read and write we like to draw pictures of santa and his elves, coloring them in fun colors. There's also pictures of cookies and milk and whatever else the 8 year old wants to draw for "The Big Jolly Guy". For my 3 year old, the 8 year old likes to make the list for him but another trick I use is to glue cut out images from magazines of what they want when the 8 year old was really little. Making the list is just so much fun but I should probably start getting it done BEFORE Thanksgiving to give "Santa" a heads up on his toy shopping.
• One other thing we really enjoy is making holiday ornaments. Sometimes we keep them, other times they want to give them to our neighbors or the teacher. It's really fun to sit down and play with them during the holidays and making Christmas window clings or a tree ornament or some other fun holiday craft is really heart warming for me.
• One last thing I'd like to try with my kids is ice skating. Now we live in Minnesota, we have plenty of opportunities to learn. I think it's something we'll all enjoy, if we can master it! If not, there's always bowling!!!!

So what fun things do you do with your kids this time of year??? Read other mom's favorite holiday activities with their kids here. Share your own and you might win a shiny new gift card just in time for the holidays.

Trish over at MomDot is having a contest for the messiest room. Entry with the messiest room wins a new Oreck Halo. SA-WEET - This would definitely come in handy since my Bissell is about to kick the bucket and the holidays are nearly here!!!

I'm embarrassed to say, this is my son's room, our gaming station, and my craft/storage room which are all on the second floor. Part of me wonders if my 8 year old is practicing to be THAT messy 18 year old teenage boy! I blame the cat for my craft room! You buy that right???

So what do you think? Do I have a shot???

Holiday traditions spell home for me! I grew up with the trip to grandma's house where everyone brought a dish. The smells that filled her house cannot ever be recreated. There are no words to decribe those memories and feelings. Running into Granny's house, giving her a great big hug, taking in her smell! Knowing she'd ALWAYS have the candy cubbard stocked for us. Playing basketball with my cousins and uncles. Seeing relatives, I normally only see a few times a year. Walking around the neighborhood, seeing my Granny's neighbors and their grandkids. The memories! The traditions!

I hope to pass on a love of homemade food that my Granny gave me. It's no secret I like to cook. Everything may not always turn out like I expect or hope but I certainly hope it's a skill my children love as well. Thanksgiving wouldn't be the same without a home cooked meal. Turkey. Ham. Mashed potatoes. Mac n cheese. Cheesecake. Chess and pecan pie. All are holiday table traditions in my home! My mouth waters with the anticipation.

Another tradition is to share in the love of family and friends. Since we no longer live close to family, friends have become very important to us. We hope to spend part of the holiday with some of our close friends. Weather permits, it would be nice to have some time outside. Perhaps a bonfire in our fire pit. Appreciating the outdoor fall weather. Phone calls, emails, tweets, chats, text and picture messages will be our new family tradition to help us stay connected to the ones we love.

Lastly, I hope to inspire my kids to carve out their own traditions that fit their needs. Moving 1,200 miles away from my hometown wasn't an easy decision to make. It was the RIGHT choice for us but that means things like holiday traditions will have to change. It's an exciting adventure. I must find my own voice. Create my own traditions. Share in the love of family and friendships the best way possible. Create my own Thanksgiving traditions.

What holiday traditions do you observe in your family? What tradititons do you hope to pass on?

Read other Twittermoms Thanksgiving traditions here and enter for your own chance at a $50 Target Gift Card.

Head on over to the Front Porch to enter the Spa Basket Giveway. It includes a terry wrap robe, fluffy slippers, eye mask, and a coupon for FREE Yoplait Delights. It ends next Wednesday so hurry to get your entry posted.

Click the image to go to the giveaway page.

We entered iVillage's Costume Contest for a shot at $500 which will come in really handy for the holidays. It's a facebook fan only contest. So if you have a facebook profile and don't mind becoming an iVillage fan, I would be eternally grateful for your vote. Click here to vote for J-Man in his Optimus Prime Costume.

While your on facebook, feel free to friend me! I like friends!

After attending tonight's #ZhuZhuPets Twitter party, it seems this is the hottest toy of the holiday season. It also seems it's already one of the most elusive toys on the market. Target, Walmart, Etoys, and Toys R Us are all sold out online. Consumers are reporting the same status in their stores. I have heard of Ebay bidding wars on these cute little toy rodents but fortunately Amazon shows stock on most of their listed Zhu Zhu Pet products. I have no idea if the price is inflated due to demand but I caution to buy only from online stores with great feedback and a return/refund policy or directly from Amazon. Click on my either the widget in this post or on my sidebar for all the Zhu Zhu Pets listed at Amazon. Hopefully this will help you on your quest for THE toy of the season!

He is sooo on my Christmas wish list but I'll settle for his album! ;)