Momtastrophe or Momtastic

Friday, July 30, 2010

The Jersey Shore!

I have to admit, my secret guilty pleasure is watching the reality TV show "The Jersey Shore," I am only slightly ashamed to admit I named one of my fish (a sucker fish) The sucktuation. A found a great review of the second season from TV Steve:

"Last night was the premier of season two for MTV's Jersey Shore. I wrote about my expectations for the show last week here.

Let's see how GTL translated into its second go-round." Click here to read more!

Friday, July 23, 2010

Strike Out Alzheimer's



Join the NCA Alzheimer's Association on Friday, August 13th at Nationals Park for our "Strike Out Alzheimer's Night". Bring your family, co-workers and friends for a great game where the Washington Nationals will face off against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Have a great time and help out a great cause! Join us again at Nationals Park this fall as we will walk to end Alzheimer’s, National Memory Walk, October 2, 2010 at Nationals Park.

Friday, August 13th
Washington Nationals vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
Nationals Park, 1500 South Capitol St., SE
Washington, DC 20003
Game Time is 7:05 PM
Wear purple to help us raise awareness for the cause!

Seats are $24 and are located in Section 102

Click Here to purchase your tickets

You can also get your Memory Walk team together to celebrate your successes-make a Team sign (the game will be televised)-help create awareness of our cause and help to MOVE a nation to end Alzheimer's!

and the Winner is....

Congrats to the New Mrs. United States is Rachel Juillerat, Mrs. Mississippi!



1st Runner Up- Wendi Russo, Mrs. Minnesota
2nd Runner Up- Stephanie Lynch, Mrs. Tennessee
3rd Runner Up- Sarah Bazey, Mrs. North Dakota
4th Runner Up- Lisa Muzi, Mrs. Georgia

Fitness Winner- Rachel Juillerat, Mrs. Mississippi
Photogenic- Tammi Watt Halverson, Mrs. Kentucky
Congeniality- Sondra Lavoie, Mrs. Idaho

Don't forget to check out my post below on how you can meet Ian Somerhalder from the Vampire Diaries!



Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Bash on the Bayou with Ian Somerhalder

Ian Somerhalder- Honorary Chairman for Bash on the Bayou!

Before moving to the Washington, DC area I spent my high school years about 30 minutes outside of New Orleans in the town of Mandeville, La in St. Tammany Parish.


The St. Tammany Parish Humane Society will be holding its annual Bash on the Bayou on November 13th. This year's Honorary Chairman is Ian Somerhalder from the hit show The Vampire Diaries.


This upscale, Cajun themed, benefit will include live music, dancing, fully catered food, and an open bar! Restaurants like Zea Rotisserie Grill and Copeland's will be cooking great southern style food, there will be refreshing drinks from a martini fountain, and much more.


Make your best offer at the silent auction for items such as weekend getaways to hotels in New Orleans, autographed books, bedding, and much more.

Tickets will be $60 a person in advance and $75 at the door. All the proceeds will benefit the homeless animals the St. Tammany Humane Society. Click here for more information.

Monday, June 28, 2010

The Photobooks Project



I am so excited to see the final results for The Photobooks Project. Last year both of my pups were photographed for this wonderful book about Rescue Dogs. The books are due in July and can be ordered here. The proceeds from the books will be going to Animal Rescues across the country.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Upcoming Pet Adoptions and Events



Saturday June 19th at 4pm


WARL Dog Adoption
Saturday June 26th 11am-2pm
Whole Foods
833 Wayne Avenue Silver Spring, MD


Sunday July 18th at 3pm , enjoy a Mystics Game with your favorite 4-legged friend.


Saturday July 18th









Monday, March 29, 2010

Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure:

My sister has decided that for her Birthday this year she wants to raise funds for Susan G Komen! She will be participating in the 3 day walk November 5-7 in Dallas, TX. I will be there to cheer her on and volunteer the weekend of the event. Please help her reach her goal and make a donation!

Saturday, February 27, 2010

I scream, you scream, we all scream for no sugar in our ice cream!



Last August I was on vacation with my family and my mom told me that she changed her eating habits and as a result had less headaches and more energy. I had been plagued by migraines, exhaustion and eczema for years. I also had to take beta blockers for mitral valve prolapse and medication for the migraines. I thought changing the way I ate would allow me to feel better as well.

As soon as we returned from our trip I cut gluten and refined sugar from my diet (I have never really been a caffeine drinker so that was cut out as well). Within the first month I began to have a little more energy and most of the itching from the eczema was gone.

In October, for my birthday, I decided to splurge on gluten free brownies and ice cream. The result was awful as I spent the next two weeks with eczema on my neck, arms and legs. BYE BYE Sugar! I learned my lesson.

For Thanksgiving we visited my parents. At one meal I was eating oven baked french fries as part of the meal. Halfway through the meal I commented on how tired I was getting. My mom suggested that perhaps the white potato was the culprit. So bye, bye white potato and white rice. (Thank goodness for Brown Rice and Sweet Potato!)

The results over the last few months has been crazy... I am no longer on any medication and am like the energizer bunny. I have cleaned out and re-organized my house, expanded my dog treat business, created websites for two Artists and I have a full-time job. I feel great, I rarely get headaches, my skin is non-itchy and in great condition and my hair and nails are long and strong.

You may be thinking, what do I eat... In addition to fruits, veggies, chicken, fish and dairy, I have found some fantastic substitutes to help satisfy any food craving I have come across. First I highly recommend fruit leather. I always loved Twizzlers and fruit leather makes a great substitute. I even ventured to make my own (recipe below). I also found Agave nectar to be a great sweetener (artificial sweeteners like NutraSweet, Splenda, etc. have always given me headaches and are not an option for me) and used it yesterday to make chocolate ice cream (more info below)!! As for wanting bread, there are some decent Gluten free breads on the market and stores like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods are really helpful for people with dietary restrictions. Right now I am obsessed with Brown Rice Tortillas and use them for so many things.

The important part of making a change like this is to read labels. You can't begin to imagine where sugar and wheat hide. Did you know soy sauce contains wheat, or that some tomato sauces have sugar? Luckily there are brands out there that make them without.

You may want to know if I have lost weight... when I first started eating this way I lost a few pounds, but my body has stabilized and seems to be at a happy weight for my body type. I am also constantly asked if it is hard to watch other people eat what I can't and to avoid the things I can't eat. I always tell them if this was just a diet for me it would be really easy to cheat, but after what happened during my birthday and the way my body reacted to eating the sugar I know these are things my body can't process and is essentially allergic too. It is really easy to not want food when you know it makes you sick.

Recipes!

Apple Sauce/ Fruit Leather
1 bag apples (use your personal favorite)
3 Cinnamon Sticks
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
dash of vanilla

Start by coring and peeling the apples. Then cut them in large chunks. Place them in a pot with more than enough water to cover the bottom of the pot. Cover the pot and simmer the apples with the cinnamon sticks until the apples are soft. Remove the apples from the heat and allow them to cool. Transfer the apples to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth with the ground cinnamon and vanilla. Once everything is blended you can you as apple sauce (which I think is super tasty in Greek Yogurt) or transfer to a dehydrator to turn it into fruit leather!

Chocolate Ice Cream sweetened with Agave - I have to give all of the credit for this one to David Lebovitz. Follow the link for the recipe I used and mentioned earlier. Personally I added a bit more agave than was mentioned in the recipe, but that is just me.

Monday, February 8, 2010

New Dog Treats


Check out the new line of all-natural dog treats from Aunt Sasha's Barked Goods which I will be featuring at this year's Fun Dog Show! All treats can be purchased on The Lipstick Artist.

Pictured Above: From the Left, Honor Rolls (Peanut Butter Flavored), Lacy Loops (Pumpkin Flavored) and Remy Ribbons (Sweet Potato Flavored)

Pictured Bellow are the Wheat Free Treats: From the Left, Banana Bark, Sweet Potato Chip and Sweet Potato Pie



Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Fun Dog Show

It is that time of year again!!The Fun Dog Show is fast approaching. Last year the Fun Dog Show was a busy day for me.

Since I have recently accepted a new job at The Health Management Academy, I won't be managing the Fun Dog Show this year, but I will be participating as a vendor! I am really excited to be able to sell Aunt Sasha's Barked Goods which are my homemade dog treats. I am even going to donate $1 from each bag of treats to the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria.

The Fun Dog Show is being held at Market Square in Old Town, Alexandria on Saturday March 6 starting at 10am and is followed by the St. Patrick's Day Parade. I hope to see you there!

Check out some of Cascades Photography's photos from last year's event.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Update for 2010


I have said so long to 2009 and am working hard to make 2010 the best year ever. I am taking a year off from the pageant world and am focusing on career, friends and family.

I have been hard at work creating and promoting two companies.

The first Aunt Sasha's Barked Goods is an all-natural dog treat company. I am currently looking to find retailers to carry my treats. I am also keeping the dog world updated through my Barked Goods Twitter.

The second company is The Lipstick Artist. My super talented mom has been creating unique pieces of art through pottery, glass work, knitting, painting and welding and The Lipstick Artist website is the perfect place for her to share her work and allow others to enjoy it and even purchase a few select pieces (like Jazz Blues featured above). I am keeping the art world updated on The Lipstick Artist Twitter.

I am also ecstatic to be joining the team at The Academy on 2/1/10.

Stay tuned...