Agility Ladder

I've been doing plyometric workouts for almost a year now.  It has definitely been one of the most effective exercises for me.  I have better speed, stamina, reflex and endurance.  It particularly helped me with my tennis games and runs.

One of my favorite plyometric workout is the agility ladder.  It is a simple and portable flat "ladder" that ranges from 10-30 ft in length.  It was designed mainly for soccer, basketball and football athletes.  It has been incorporated to a lot of workouts, exercises and trainings.  The name itself implies that its main goal is to improve ones agility.  It helps develop and improve muscle coordination that will enable you to perform various footwork at a quick and precise pace.  It also helps you improve your balance.

The agility ladder is multi-directional allowing a number of drills from the most simple to more complex ones.  There are in and out movements, lateral movements, hops and shuffles.  To give you a better picture check out these videos:

Different movements:

Agility Ladder Push-Ups!  One of the many intense workouts you can use the agility ladder for:

Agility Ladder workout designed for tennis:

I purchased the Sklz Agility Ladder.  It includes a 6-week workout plan and a DVD.

The agility ladder can serve as your workout or compliment whatever sport you are into.  It's a very convenient workout, you can take it with you anywhere you go.

Super Mommy Party Planning Tips

One motivation I have for my business Coco Cakes and my blog with Roxanne Lee, My Doolally, is to help other moms give their children a special celebration. This is probably the main reason why I extended my offerings to include dessert tables along with the themed Coco Cakes and Cupcakes. As a mom myself, I know how tiring planning a party for your child can be so I've put together some reminders to help you have the best party yet on your next celebration.

Picture from Casanovas Party Planning in Florida

Tip #1: It's about the CELEBRANT, not the celebration.Sometimes, in our effort to make sure everything is perfect, we forget that the party is about celebrating a person! So before we even start planning anything, let's begin by asking our child, "What do you want to do for your birthday?" Kids have the most creative ideas, and getting to know what they want helps a whole lot in planning the perfect party. This also removes much of the guess work and allows you to allocate the budget on the items that matter most.

Tip #2: If simple works why complicate it?
I love looking at magazines and checking out other celebrations, and I'm always surprised by how it's the simple yet thoughtfully executed things that make the most impact. I'm biased, but that includes a cake that fits the theme perfectly. Haha! Even with cake and cupcake designs, a simple look that communicates the theme well usually works best. Don't feel the need to go over the top on everything just to get that magazine-celebration. Focus on the essentials - especially the cake!

Tip #3: We're in the Philippines - so outsource!
One way to be able to do more is to extend yourself by outsourcing your different party needs. Have someone do the invitations, someone the food, someone the desserts, someone the games, and you can even pull-in relatives and friends to help. There are also professionals who  do these things but that usually adds to the cost. The point is: get help.

Tip #4: Plan Early
I can't encourage this enough. Early planning helps you think through the details and can even lead to savings in some areas. This removes a lot of stress caused by cramming or unforeseen things happening. When you see incredible party spreads in magazines, that's because a bunch of people prepared for that shoot way in advance. You may not have all their resources, but you can learn from them and plan ahead. Don't just plan for the day itself. Work backwards and map out even the preparation.

Tip #5: Stay grateful throughout
The fastest way to ruin a party is to have people with bad attitudes attend. Being the party planner, the positive attitude starts with you. It's almost impossible to please an ungrateful child, but a grateful celebrant is a joy! Don't let the stress, or even the planning mistakes, ruin your attitude of gratefulness. Start by being thankful of even having someone to celebrate. That's something to thank God for! Remind yourself that most people don't have the luxury of being able to have a party. Stop comparing your celebration to the celebrations of others or the ones on magazines. Accept that your celebration is unique because your celebrant is unique. Like I said in Tip #1 it's about the celebrant.

Tip #6: Enjoy yourself!
You've planned, you've prepared, and you kept a great attitude, now enjoy yourself! Take moments during the party, even as you manage the event, to talk to people, have fun with your child, and even join the games. A celebration isn't a contest among moms. It's a time of enjoying life with the celebrant.

Hope these simple tips help you super mom!

Watercolor is Fun

As a kid, I loved to doodle and color.  I'm blessed that my parents allowed me to develop my interest by letting me take up art classes.  I learned basic sketching, oil pastel and painting.  Watercolor for me was what I enjoyed most.  I loved how the different colors blended with each other in water and its unexpected formations.  With watercolor you both have control and no control, which for me really unleashes a creativity that no other medium can.  It also allows you to develop your own style, wether you want to be detailed or abstract or a combination of both.

Watercolor is fairly easy to learn.  A lot of people can actually learn it on their own.  There are tons of resources like books, websites and videos for you to do so.  You start out by learning the different washes, brush strokes and color blends.  Once you get the hang of it you can start painting still life objects like flowers, fruits, jars etc... Then progress to painting landscapes until you discover your personal style.

Here are some useful sites that teaches the basics:

http://www.johnlovett.com/techniq.htm


http://www.watercolorpainting.com/watercolorpainting/wetinwet.htm

To get started here are the materials needed:

1. Pencil - you need a pencil to sketch or outline your subject matter.  This will serve as your guide.  It's recommended to use 6B drawing pencil so it won't scratch the watercolor paper.

2. Watercolor Pigments/Paint - you can get sets of tubes or cakes in the art store.

3. Watercolor Paper/Sketchbooks

4. Watercolor Brushes - start with round brush sizes 2, 4, 6, 8 and a flat brush.

5. Tissue Paper - this is much needed for blotting and making some effects.

6. Water Pail - to wet and clean your brushes.


Start with student grade materials and invest in more expensive and high quality materials once you get really into the art.

Here is my watercolor materials:

Here are some of my artworks...

I painted this when I was 11:

Here are some painting exercises for color blending and washes:

Still life painting practice of apples:

Flame tree:

My style:

Watercolor is an addicting medium and it never fails to relax me.  I hope you will give it a try and that it won't disappoint you.  

Jesus Storybook Bible

Growing up, I remember listening to Bible stories at home, school and church.  I was taught that every story had an important lesson to learn.  We had to figure out what the moral of the story was and memorize the key verse.  Somehow my young brain processed this as something that should be taken seriously.  I had to be strong, I had to be patient, I had to love my neighbors, I had to be the good samaritan etc… This really helped shaped my values and I remember how my Children’s Bible really helped me get to know the characters of Christianity.  For me, the more Bible facts you knew, the more verses you memorized, the more moral lesson you were able to pick up made you a good kid.  As I look back, I realize that there was so much more than just stories with lessons.  Don’t get me wrong, it did help me a lot but I wish as a kid I encountered something at a more personal level.

I recently came across Teach Children the Bible is Not About Them and I realized, she was describing how I viewed the Bible growing up.  The Bible is such a wonderful and powerful book about love but we often miss the real message.  The article was written by Sally Lloyd-Jones, author of The Jesus Storybook Bible, which, coincidentally (or maybe not), I recently bought for the kids of my friend.  I’ve heard a lot of good things about the book and had to see for myself.  So I started reading it and despite its simplicity, I cannot help but experience the depth of a great love.  Every story points to Jesus and His love.  In addition, the illustrations and artwork are excellent!  It made me want to get a copy for all the kids I knew and made me wish I had such powerful material when I was a kid.

I highly recommend The Jesus Storybook Bible to not just kids but to everyone.  Know more about it at their website.

Letter to the Broken Hearted

Through the years, I’ve seen girls get heartbroken.  It’s always a painful experience and it can change a person’s life dramatically.  I really empathize with heart break because I know that it has a great effect on a person’s heart.  I wrote a letter one night addressed to a girl (no one in particular) going through a broken heart.  I hope this would somehow touch someone’s life….

Dear _____________,

I wish I could assure you that I understand what you’re going through – that I know the feeling of pain and heartache. I have felt it before, and I felt alone. I wish I had answers to your endless why’s and point out what went wrong.  I wish I could tell you when you will get over this or give you a formula to stop the dark crushing your heart feels. I really really wish I could, because I can’t bear seeing you like this.

All I can do is open my heart to you and be vulnerable with you so you can maybe believe that there will come a time when dawn breaks, when spring arrives and a rainbow appears.

I’ve had my share of heartbreaks, despair and pain.  A thousand tears have been shed. As I journey back to those moments, emotions rush back to me.  I remember how I longed for an escape, how I desperately cried for a stronger, firmer, untouchable heart.  I remember my thoughts: Love has failed.  Dreams are shattered. Hope has been deferred. What now of the future I planned? How can I possibly believe in love again?

At my lowest point, two paths presented itself.  A path to numb the pain and a path to journey past it.  Numbing it seemed convenient, I just needed to fill the painful void with things, activities and pleasures, and  distract myself enough until my heart became too hard to feel the pain.  The second seemed outright foolish. It invited me to go into the depths of my heart and it’s brokenness, and it meant facing the rejection, the hurt, and the uncertainty. It meant coming humbly before God. Despite the damaged state of my heart, I chose the latter. And though at times I felt as if I was dying, looking back, it was in my dark periods that my heart came alive. We are capable of feeling much, hurting much, and bearing much. We are capable of enduring.

If you choose the path I chose there will be pain. It will, at times, feel like a slow dying – but it’s one of  the best decisions I’ve made. It means going to God where you are at.  No pretensions, no protocols, just broken vulnerability. Cry if you must.  Question God if it arises. Get angry.  Curl up into a ball in weakness.  Silence half hearted comforts if it confuses you, don’t take the easy road of material and emotional distraction.  Just go to Him where you are at. Weak.  Hopeless.  Faithless. Frustrated.  Disappointed.  He will meet you where you are at with all that He is. He will not condemn you nor your emotions. It is His joy to redeem you and to fix your broken heart.

You are not in a sad ending of a love story, you are in the midst of a great one.  It is one that involves a perfect love that will cast away all fears.  It is one so personal, so real that it will leave you forever changed.  It is one with a glorious ending.

In your pain do not harden your heart. Do not choose to escape, but choose to embrace. Embrace once more His promises. He makes all things new and has wonderful plans for you. Embrace once more your Father’s love and place the pieces of your broken heart in His hands. Allow Him to show you His love that you may live in it.

Rox

Getting to Know Herbs

Most recipes, if not all, call for herbs.  Herbs infuse flavor making a dish come alive.  There is a wide variety though and it’s important to know what goes well with a certain dish.  Sometimes I encounter herbs in a recipe that I’ve never heard of or have no idea what it looks like.  I think getting to know the different kinds will help me be more creative and resourceful in the kitchen.

Thus, I put up a simple list of commonly used herbs and its uses.

1. Basil – Nicely paired with tomatoes.  Good for tomato based pasta sauce.  Commonly used to make pesto.

2. Oregano – Good, if not necessary, for pizza.  Used to season soups and stews.

3. Rosemary – Terrific with lamb and chicken dishes.  Works well with vegetables like carrots, potatoes and zucchini.

4. Dill – Goes really well with seafood dishes.  Enriches the taste of potato salad, chicken salad or tuna salad.  Use it in tartar sauce or fish sauces.

5. Parsley – Commonly used as a garnish.  Good with veal and pork.

6. Mint – Not just for mojitos!  Use this for fruit salads and desserts.  Also tastes well with lamb.

7. Thyme – Usually used to make stuffings or rubs.

8. Bay Leaf – Adobo! Bay leaf usually add flavor to the sauce of dishes.