So many afternoons I come home from work and want nothing more than to plop down on the couch and snooze the afternoon away. Honestly, many afternoons are wasted in this exact way but the ones I enjoy most are the afternoons that I come home and get out and move.

Sometimes it’s just a little stroll along the coast up towards Diamond Head where I pass the surf, the aquarium and a zoo where monkeys and giraffes frequently peek their heads out to say, “hello”. I cruise passed Kapiolani Park which is always bustling with activity — yoga, Tai Chi, volleyball, afternoon soccer practice and those crazy CrossFit people dripping with sweat from their 200 push ups and crunches in 10 minutes. I stride passed all of this activity, listening to my ipod and feeling good that I’m at least out and moving.

One of my favorite routes of late has been the ridge behind my in-laws house. Although the path isn’t a long one, the incline makes this little stroll a challenge made manageable by the incredible winds that race across the ridge and down into the neighborhoods below offering a much needed cooling breeze in this hot and humid September weather. As I make my way up this steep path I’m greeted with increasing views of Hanauma Bay below, outer islands off in the distance and looking back towards Waikiki an amazing profile of Diamond Head and the skyscrapers that dot the coast.

From up here I feel like I’m on top of the world. The trail is wide open so you can see if anyone else is up ahead. When I’m alone I turn up my ipod and sing at the top of my lungs, trying to keep up with the words while maintaining my walking pace and racing heart beat. Once up top, there is a plastic lawn chair that someone has chained up to an old tree. This simple little chair sits in the perfect spot to maximize that cooling breeze and the gorgeous views below. Once up top I can kick back, relax, regain my breathing, slow my pulse and just enjoy the view.

It’s a pretty fantastic one, don’t you think?

Who knew the old wives had a sense of humor? According to the old bats, a woman who is pregnant with a girl is much crabbier because woman are “crabs” and tend to be moodier. It you are pregnant with a boy, you are happy and smiling because you have a penis inside of you for nine months and this would make any woman happy.

Hey, this is coming from history!

I’ve heard about pregnant women and their crazy nesting tendencies but I didn’t realize that it would kick in so soon. At 5 1/2 months pregnant, I have a list longer than we have time and poor hubby has quite a bit of work ahead. If mama gets her way all of this will be completed before our little man makes his grand entrance:

1. Convert closet into nursery (more on this later)

2. Build up bed to accommodate clothes from closet and additional storage below

3. Strip, clean and re-seal tile throughout condo and lanai

4. Install shelves above doorways for increased storage

5. Create a recycling system so it doesn’t continue to pile up on the kitchen floor

6. New couch!

7. Build/buy/install some sort of fold down changing table for bathroom

8. Build/buy/assemble baby crib (the build/buy issue is a highly debated one at this point)

9. Garden on lanai

10. Boat maintenance

Am I crazy or have you mamas experienced this type of list making during your pregnancies?

This Moment- A Friday ritual. A single photo- no words- capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor, and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.

This weeks wives tales are all about food, something we pregnant woman know a lot about! There are lots of these food related wives tales and I’ve picked out a few of my favorite and those that I found pretty accurate for myself.

If you crave the heels of bread, you are having a boy. If you crave the middle pieces of a loaf of bread, you are having a girl.

If you crave salty foods, you are having a boy. If you crave sweet foods, you are having a girl.

When expecting a boy, you will crave more meats and eat more than woman expecting girls.

I swear this last old wives tale is true! As a former vegetarian I never thought it would be possible to pull a 180 and start eating meat again. Notice I said “former”? Ever since I became pregnant I want steak, hamburger, meatballs, chicken…umm just writing it makes me want a plate lunch from Blaz’n Steaks!

This Moment- A Friday ritual. A single photo- no words- capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor, and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend

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The old wives are at it again and this time they say that a woman can tell whether she is expecting a boy or a girl by the way she walks. If the mother-to-be trips or falls over her own feet during pregnancy, the baby is a boy whereas a graceful gait indicates a girl.

From my personal experience I’m going to say this little tale might have some truth in it. I’ve never been “graceful” but ever since I became pregnant the biggest risk of injury to this little one has come from mama trying to walk. I’ve tripped, stumbled, slipped and stubbed my toes more times that I can even count and our most recent ultrasound confirms that I am indeed having a boy!