The first zoo trip!

Todd & I took Ellie to the zoo today. It was fun taking her around & look forward to her interest in the animals as she gets older. What gorillas?

Ellie in her cute hat.

Ellie not wanting to wear her hat.

Ellie did finally notice the big elephants below us. The mommy was loving on her baby elephant & it was so cute.

April-busy dog trainer

As you can see April was a little on the busy side & I am just now getting around to make the April post. This past weekend I taught a workshop on walking the agility course & reading maps so I thought I would talk a little about that. Some people like using the maps and some don't even look at them. It really is what works best for you. Maps can give you a glimpse of where front crosses, rear crosses, serpentine and threadles may go. However, sometimes the angle, distance or even position of an obstacle can be slightly off compared with the map which may affect where those crosses may be. For some the maps help them to remember the order of the obstacles. When walking a course everyone has their own way of doing things. I'm not talking about handling systems just the fact that everyone does their course walk the way that will best help them remember it. For me personally I like to walk through the first time just to know where the numbers are at. This helps me to know where I have come from and where I am going when I walk it the second time adding in front crosses. I also like to stand at the front of the course and visualize what it will look like when my dog and I run the course. These things help me personally to remember the flow of the course. Above is a UKI course. Take a look and see if you know where to put the front crosses. -Heidi

Happy b-day!

My youngest dog Wicket just turned 2 years old. Mr. Wicket is growing up so fast. He has come so far in his agility training and is such a wonderful guy. Happy Birthday buddy!

April update...

Another month has gone by and Ellie is a little older. Ellie will be eight months on Easter! Wow, babies grow so fast! Here are a few pictures. Ellie's shirt says "Q" is my favorite letter of the alphabet. If you are an agility fan you know what this shirt means. Yes, Ellie supports her Mommy's agility habit!
Looking cool in her new shades! Poor girl has a peanut head like her Mama. We had to put the straps as tight as possible.

A beautiful Oklahoma sunrise from out deck.

How I lost 25 pounds!

People have asked how I was able to lose the weight I gained from pregnancy. I should have documented it over the months but I was on the news for it and didn't think about blogging about it until now. So here is my weight lose story. First, let me tell you a little about my background. I played soccer in collage & have been physically active for many years. I taught aerobic classes for about 7 years and even became a certified personal trainer for a year. I have always been thin & was very worried about being able to get ride of the weight I knew I would gain with pregnancy. After all so many women don't lose the baby weight. I am don't a dieter & don't do pills. That being said different things work for different people. I am of the belief that you have to work to get results. I started off slow. Walking casually & increasing from there. When I was released to workout again I started with some 20 minute videos 2 times a week along with daily walking. Then I added weight training & made my 20-30 cardio workout harder. I have slowly increased what I am able to do over the past 7 months. Now I can run for about an hour without walking & am going to run/walk 13 miles in the Memorial Marathon. It takes time & everyday you get stronger. I watched what I was putting in my mouth. Until I lost the weight I wrote down everything that I eat & drink. I dislike having to do that but it truly help me pay attention & be accountable for what I was eating. I love to eat & refuse to eat food that doesn't taste good. You can still eat good tasting food that is good for your body. Two of my favorite things to eat is sugar & bread. I still had those things but in small amounts. I do the approach of eating healthy during the week & splurging on the weekend. This works for me & I can still have the things I love. When I started because breaking the sugar habit is hard I would go 1 day without sugar then reward myself with a little something special. I increased the number of days between every week until I was able to go all 5 days with out the sugar monster. I also did pudding cups a lot because it was a reward that was less fattening & you can get the sugar free version. I tried different recipes that had a good mix of veggies cooked into the meal. Another thing I like to do is cut out the bread from dinner. I opted for brown rice if I felt I needed more then meat & veggies. It took 4 months for me to get to my pre-pregnancy weight. I lost 25 pounds total. Wow, you might say but it is different for everyone & most it will take a few more months to do this. I am a nursing mom which helped burn a few more calories. If you are looking to lose weight I would encourage you to find something that works for you. If you hate what you are doing to lose weight then most likely you won't stick with it. Try finding an exercise you like & a buddy to help you along. Most of all pray about it! -Heidi

5 minute Banana Pudding

Once and a while I really need to have a sweet tooth fix. This is an easy, quick way to get a little something sweet. This is also a lot less calories and servings then baking a cake or making the original banana pudding recipe. You will need 1 small box of banana cream or vanilla pudding (also try the sugar free), a banana and animal crackers. Make the pudding according to the box. After it sits in the fridge for 5 minutes scoop out one serving in a bowl. Cut up one banana to add to the bowl and toss in a handful of animal crackers. Yum! The kids will think it is fun to have animal crackers in their pudding!

March-Busy Dog Trainer

As you can see the month is almost over & I am just getting around to blogging about dog training. Just a little on the busy side! We have the UKI trial coming up this weekend at the Lazy E. What can we do in 3 days to be ready?! Here are a few things that I do before trials. First I will do very little in equipment today & tomorrow. The day before any trial I don't do any equipment. It is my thought that before a big game day you should rest up. Yes, I exercise my dogs & play with them but I do it in the form of walks and games. Second, I will spend more time on the basics such as stays to make sure they are GREAT at the trial. I will also give out more treats/toy these next few days for circle work, stays, recalls and crate work. Why? Well, since I am giving high reward now when I get to the trial it is more likely that my dogs will stay with me & not do other things when in the ring. This will be Wicket's first trial and since he is very green I don't plan to get any ribbons. We may run every run with a toy in the ring! My one goal for him this weekend is for him to stay with ME in the ring. I am going to do all I can these next few days to make sure Wicket does just that. Last of all make sure you have a warm up routine for your dog before going to the trial. This not only gets my dog ready but also helps me to be in the zone before going into the ring. Good Luck to all! -Heidi