No Waffling about Whether to Enjoy These!

Tender textured and slightly sweet these Norwegian

waffles were served on a boat tour of the Lysefjord

near Stavanger, Norway. Served with sour cream and fruit preserves and a hot cup of coffee. The perfect pairing with

a rainy day and dramatic views of rocky fjords in May.

This was an afternoon excurision I chose while sailing on

the Cunard Queen Victoria last week. Takk! (That's "thank you" in Norwegian.)

Radishingly Beautiful

Radishes in an open market in Stavanger, Norway.

Being there...

Liz Weiss and I at the fabulous health resort Rancho La Puerta:

Pilgrim Hike 7am


You can pretend to care; but you can't pretend to be there.

I've been thinking about that advice which was originally intended I believe to apply to good parenting or being a good friend.



Now I think of that powerful saying when I try to procrastinate taking my daily walk or heading to pilates class. You can pretend to care about being fit, but you can't pretend to be there....walking or working out, etc.


The same goes for making healthy choices when eating, drinking or snacking. You can pretend to care......to eat healthy, cut calories, limit portions....but you can't pretend to be there....actually following through and tossing a big salad, eating an apple instead of a candy bar, drinking the non fat milk, skipping the pie at midnight. You can pretend to care, but you can't pretend to be there.


Be there.........willpower, willfulness, mindfulness....whatever you call it. It's a positive and tangible action that proves you really do want to be healthy and stay slim.

Strong Daughters and Proud Moms

Happy Mother's Day from my Daughter Katie!

My Mother's Day gift this year from Katie is exactly what I want. No jewelry, no perfume, no breakfast in bed! My busy and bright highschool senior is creating an album of photos capturing snapshots of her life this year. From field hockey games to all dressed up for the dance and including lots of photos of fun with her friends- these images will make me smile. I especialy appreciate the time she's put into creating the little Mother's Day album for me. Hey! She's in AP Photography so this should be good. Got me to thinking about moms and daughters and the strength we give each other. ( Thinking about my son Jack, too of course!)

Photo right: Mom, Katie, Jack and I waiting for the "milk" to

arrive while having lovely dinner at The Greenbrier!

My Mom, Jessie, always made me eat my vegetables and she always cooked at least three kinds each night! She even made my friends eat their vegetables. Hope they appreciate it now. And we drank milk with dinner everynight. Milk in cereal every mornings. Soft drinks were for "weekends only" and we weren't ever allowed to spend extra money on national brands of soft drinks. We had Winn Dixie sodas!
When I think about milk and memories I remember that a cold glass of milk was really good with spaghetti and meatballs and always the perfect pairing with chocolate cake.

I knew my Mom was a force to be reckoned with when she directed us to eat the healthy foods first and splurge foods later. What I didn't realize was that when my Mom bought milk, served milk and encouraged us to drink milk she was strenghtening our bones for the long run. And I'll have to tell her that a study in the American Journal of Clincial Nutrition ( see source below)shows that families who reinforce lifelong milk drinking habits are at lower risk for bone fractures associated with osteoporosis! Go Mom!

A Gift from Mothers to Daughters

A Gift from Mothers to Daughters is the theme of this year’s Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month, which is attempting to break the cycle of generations of women suffering from this debilitating bone disease that affects 1 in 2 women over age 50. ( Hello! Who's 50 now??)
Often thought of as part of aging, osteoporosis is actually a pediatric disease with geriatric consequences. The habits of childhood and teen years can significantly impact the health of our bones later in life. So, drink milk now.......for strong bones later!!!
Strong proof- Regular calcium intake, especially calcium from milk, had a favorable effect on girls’ bone mass and attainment of peak bone density, which are critical factors in determining risk of osteoporosis later in life.
Moms rule- Moms who drink milk are likely to have daughters who drink milk, and the availability of milk at meals and snacks was associated with meeting calcium recommendations and bone mineral status.
Beautiful Bones
SO to keep fractures out of your daughter’s future----encourage her to drink lowfat milk or non fat milk instead of sugary sodas and fruit drinks, which often take the place of milk.
Katie and most her friends prefer the taste of skim milk.
Did you know that 9 out of 10 teenage girls don't get enough of the calcium they need? Milk and milk products are the major source of calcium in the diet and provide other important bone-building nutrients including vitamin D, protein, potassium and phosphorus.

Drinking milk should be a family affair! Studies show that daughters whose moms drink milk regularly consume more of it themselves – and drink less soda. So it’s not just what we say but what we do, that really matters. And as moms, we need the nine essential nutrients in milk, too.
I think I'll give Jessie a call and see if she's drinking her milk today! Happy Mother's Day!
Where's the chocolate cake? Visit whymilk.com to drink up more fabulous info on nutrition and bone health.

Source: Fisher JO, et al. Meeting calcium recommendations during middle childhood reflects mother-daughter beverage choice and predicts bone mineral status. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2004; 79:698-706.