Stormy weekends always call for time at home. I'm always so focused on feeding me and my family healthy, yet sometimes in the hustle and bustle of juggling two, sometimes three careers, a blog, and classes I don't do my best to take care of my home and my soul. The days that I get to connect with my husband spending time making our home, a true home, and connecting with friends and family, my soul smiles. I find His peace and contentment and it recharges me for all the tasks I have throughout the week, big and small. Tonight we had some friends over and just played Wii. I haven't played like that with friends in months and I hadn't worked out yet today so we popped in Just Dance and danced out all the frustration and pressures of the week. It was followed by an amazing talk about scripture and God with a good friend of ours. A good night to ensure great sleep. 

As we move more and more into covering healthy fitness practices, I'd like to welcome Miss Kaity and her first official post here at Nosh & Nurture on the amazing benefits of Bikram yoga! You can read her amazing article here. This adorable graphic is also something she sent me and I found it simple & inspiring so I wanted to share it. As, although I was feeling a little hopeless yesterday, I prayed, stayed positive, ate clean and today has indeed been better than the previous day. Always stay positive for life is a journey of ups and downs and if we can hold on tight during the downs we can look forward to enjoying the ups. 

Day three in Hawaii was amazing. Tip number six: Take time to RELAX. Sometimes when Mr. Charming and I travel we want to make sure we pack in as much fun and activity as we can. By day three of the trip I had a little mini-meltdown. I needed to just BE. To just relax. That was why we got away in the first place.

He was very sweet and let me plan our morning. First we went to the penguin habitat because i LOVE penguins. Like, LOVE them. They are my favorite animal.  I  met  a little penguin named  Icarus and I got to pet him. At that point my day was made but we had a whole day of exploring Hawaii left, so on we went. We made our way down to the beach and the lagoon that was at our hotel. I have always dreamed of doing a few things in my lifetime, "bucketlist" if you will, but I dislike that word. I just don't like the word "bucket" very much. So, anyways. Stand-up board (a larger surf board that you stand on and paddle or row yourself around) always looked like it'd be pretty awesome. Approaching the surf shack though, I saw how large the board was, and how much larger the body of water was. So I almost opted for those little paddle boat things. But alas, I was in Hawaii standing just 5 feet from something I'd dreamed of doing for years. So fear-schmear. We rented one, got a two second "lesson" from a surf instructor that didn't even involve water and made our way to the shoreline. We didn't do it for very long, it was WINDY, but WE DIDN'T FALL OFF! So I count it a huge success. 

After stand-up board, we went and lounged on the beach for a while and then  we ate at an AMAZING little Italian Cafe at the village by our hotel. It was called Fresco. I recommend it if you ever visit Oahu. Great salads, (i got a pear and avocado spring mix salad) and AMAZING gluten-free pasta dishes. I ordered the grilled chicken penne with marinara. It tasted SO authentic Italian (I grew up in an Italian household so I'm picky.) Tip number 7: Visit cafes where you can order multiple courses if you can to stay fuller. Fresco had wonderful salads, Gluten/Dairy free entrees AND a dairy-free/gluten-free sorbet selection for dessert! It felt so decadent to be able to order MULTIPLE courses that I could eat. The afternoon/evening was spent at the International Marketplace, shopping, shopping and MORE shopping. For dinner we were invited to join Mr. Charmings work staff at dinner at Roy's. Roy's is also in Arizona and the waiters were SUPER accommodating  They offered to make me any meat dish gluten-free/dairy-free. I unfortunately had eaten SO much of that amazing pasta dish and snacked on leftovers during hair and make-up that I wasn't even hungry when we went. But it was kind nonetheless. Tip number 8: Group outings can be a tough one. I have gotten used to not really going out to eat. Which does impede social engagements. A lot of my family/friends understand now what I am going through with food challenges, however a lot of people won't understand. To avoid awkward situations you can handle it a few different ways.

1. Offer to choose the restaurant. If you choose you'll be able to call ahead or search out menus online for something that is "you-approved".
2. Bring your own dish/sides. If you are eating somewhere casual, or a cafe' it's easy to discreetly bring your own dish, or sides/dressing etc. When my friends eat at places like Paradise Bakery, Chipotle etc, I can pack a little lunchbox that looks like a purse. I can bring my own salad or wrap. I usually match the type of cafe food everyone else is ordering so it kind of fits in. I also will bring my own small ziploc container of my own dressing, and many times I've carried an avocado in my purse to add healthy fat to a basic lettuce salad. 
3. It's ok to say no thank-you. If you are put in an uncomfortable situation or you feel its a restaurant where you won't be safe, if you can't bring your own food along decline the invitation. Friends and family will understand. This was really hard for at first. I had friends get mad at me for "not hanging out" when all they did was socialize over food. The friends who do understand, we try to do other things to spend time together. We go on hikes, go play pool, or we get together at each others houses for "healthy pot-lucks". 

So, my gorgeous and insanely inspiring sister Ashley has decided to come aboard as my fitness model and guest blogger for Nosh & Nurture and I could not be MORE excited. 

First, I get to work with my sister, who is one of my best friends and who I adore.

and

Second, she is one of the most motivated, health conscious people I know and I love that she's sharing her expertise with all of those that I am trying to reach on the health front! 

Ashley has lost over 50 pounds since the birth of her daughter through exercise and clean eating and from time to time she will be sharing work-outs you can do at the gym and at home for when you are on limited time (she has a two year old and goes to school!) as well as her tips for detoxing and repairing after work outs. She is also donating some of her fresh, yummy recipes! If you send Ashley any notes through our contact page I'll make sure to pass them on!