Mother’s Day is Sunday, and whether you’re celebrating your mom, wife, aunt or sister, the perfect way to honor the maternal figures in your life is with an elegant brunch party. Though a lot of brunch recipes can be nutritionally balanced, many of them are also indulgent. At brunch, people typically treat themselves to items they wouldn’t normally eat during the week. Often, since they are eating breakfast and lunch in one meal, diners think it’s acceptable to eat more calories than they normally would.
This week we interviewed Sandra Lee, editor-in-chief ofSandra Lee Semi-Homemade magazine, the host of two highly rated television shows on Food Network, to find out her favorite tips for planning the perfect healthy brunch party. Along with some of Lee’s favorite entertaining tips, we wanted to call out some of the most important points to consider when party planning for the leading lady in your life.
Do you and your family schedule time to be together? Whether it’s dinner, activities, or events, it’s important to make these things part of your regular routine. This wouldn’t have been a novel idea years ago, but in today’s over-scheduled world, it’s unfortunately true that we have to pencil in time to spend with our families.
That’s why we’re encouraging families to dedicate one evening a week to Family Play Night. We want to see families get up and move together while getting reacquainted with each other and their back yards. Or the front yard, or the park, or wherever it is that you want to play.
“Play is a way for families to connect. Children connect and learn primarily through play,” says our resident mental health expert,Brooke Randolph, LMHC. “Play helps build healthy attachment and positive relationships. Families who play together will be healthier, happier, enjoy each other more, and work together more effectively.” She continues that “Play helps parents enjoy their children and communicate to children that they are valued beyond their behavior. Play helps everyone relax and recover from stressors.” And who couldn’t use a little lighthearted, calorie-burning stress relief? (Read more from Brooke in Healthy People Play.) Read Full Post >
The quarterback is one of the most important positions on a football team, not at all unlike the a mom in family. Like a quarterback she is tasked with running the offense and she calls plays (“pick up your toys!”), keeps the offense in line (assigned seats at the dinner table to avoid bickering), reads through the defense (those manipulative little smiles), and adjusts the plays accordingly (reverse psychology!). Because a QB’s job is never done, and neither is a mom’s with 3a.m. bedside visits, he has to be in tip-top shape to perform every play; as well, the mother needs to be in tip-top shape to keep up with the demands of her job.
Moms certainly deserve seven-figure salaries like professional football players, however, most accept payment via wilted flowers and hand-drawn family portraits.
Since healthy moms are happy moms, not to mention even stronger role models for their little ones, we want to help you stay fit like the QBs you resemble. Below is a sample fitness plan for a typical NFL quarterback. You already run around like one, now you can get fit like one.
Although being a single mom may be easier for a movie star, Michelle Williams has not escaped her share of hardships after the accidental death of Heath Ledger, the father of her daughter Matilda. Williams has found solace in the practice of yoga, and wants to extend this experience to other women.
“Yoga gave me relief like nothing else. It made be a better person and a better mother,” she says. “I could come back to my daughter anew.” This inspired her to found “The Yoga for Single Moms Project,” which will be launching a pilot program in Boston. “I started to think about how expensive it is to get a babysitter to take a yoga class, which makes it out of reach for so many women,” leading Williams to come up with the idea of a yoga class that provides child care.
Moms are a special breed. They do it all, and then some more, and rarely complain and hardly ever ask for anything in return. What happens in all of this psuedo-superwoman-esque-ness is that they give up a lot of themselves in order to care for a household, the children in it, the spouse, and the hundred other people and things that demand their attention each day.
Alison Sweeney is one of those moms. She has two kids, two jobs, an adoring husband, and, let’s be honest, what from the outside appears to be a pretty fabulous life. But brass tacks, she’s still a mom trying to do everything she can to maintain and manage. So, she wrote The Mommy Diet.
The book is supposed to help all these superwomen do it all AND do some for themselves, too. It’s all about getting fit and staying that way before, during and after pregnancy… even if it’s several years after.
I had a chance to speak with Alison about her new book, during a break from Biggest Loser 10 finale rehearsals. She’s excited about the book, and should be, because there’s a lot of information in there women… moms… need to hear.
That’s why we’re encouraging families to dedicate one evening a week to Family Play Night. We want to see families get up and move together while getting reacquainted with each other and their back yards. Or the front yard, or the park, or wherever it is that you want to play.
