A Little Bit of Family Fun.

And the common way to have a little family fun here on Guam is to have a barbecue at the beach!

The day before my sister left, we packed up the kids and the barbecue grill and headed to our favorite spot, Tanguisson beach.

It is a pretty secluded area that very few tourists know about.  The first time we ever went, there were only two other families there.  The water was calm and clear, shells lined the sand, and the weather was spectacular.  We all fell in love with that beach immediately and it is one of the spots we frequent often.  (I've posted about it previously here)

 Since winter, the beach has become littered with coral, shells, and rocks which makes it a little rough on the feet so it was a little harder to find a soft spot of sand to stand on in the water on our last visit.  The surf was also a little rougher and even though my kids are pretty adept at swimming in the ocean (they get it from me), I still warned them to stay closer to shore and keep an eye on each other and the ocean.  As all ocean lovers know, the sea is constantly changing - the tide, the season, the phases of the moon, etc.  What may be an ideal place to swim one day, may not be as safe a month later.

After swimming for a bit we all took a lunch break and refueled with red rice, bbq'd ribs, fried chicken, and chicken kelaguen.  We decided to go and explore the trail we found on the rocks while our food digested in our stomachs and of course we took our camera along to have a little photography fun with the kids!

 The kids love exploring new areas!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Roxy needs to sponsor my daughter!!!  She can't wait to go back to Hawaii this summer so she can surf again!  (Mom, send my boards here so she can practice, please!)

 

I'd say sponsor this daughter too, but it took a LOT of coaxing to even get her to stand next to this tree.  And fuhgeddabout trying to make her put her hand on it!   "There's ants on it!...What's that green stuff?...I don't like moss!...This tree is gross!"

With her gold ballet flats again.

This kid...if he had a choice, he'd be at the beach all day, errday.  He already told me he's running away to live in Hawaii.   (Again mom, just send the boards already!)

This was supposed to be our "lost in the wilderness" pose...yeah, I don't know either.

 And my super tattooed sister.  I'm a pretty great photographer, huh?  If only I was great at self portraits I'd have better outfit pictures!

 And to pay homage to my awesome pose, my sister does THE SQUAT.

Happy Friday, everyone!  Have a great weekend!

♥ Duckie.

Fitness Friday: Body Image

So I've been contemplating this post for a while now and after a recent beach session I figured I may as well get on with it.

Most of you should already know that I'm a mother to three crazy/awesome/wonderful kids.  Some of you may also know that I dabbled in modeling and gogo dancing in my prime.  But here's something that none of  you know:

I've struggled with my body image issues through it all.

Let's take a look back, shall we?  And please excuse the excess of skin, facial expressions, and vulgar hand gestures.

2003:

Skinnocent = skinny + innocent

2004:

A little thicker

2005:

Still uncomfortable in my skin

2006:

April - A little thinner

June - Gained a lot of weight

2007:

Pregnant

2008:

2009:

2010:

2011:

2012:

2013:

Sorry if I just made you throw up.  Lol.  Anyway, as you can see, my weight has fluctuated quite a bit throughout the years.  It's been like that since the 8th grade but it still bothers me when I notice myself gaining weight.

Since having kids, I've gotten a little more of a belly than I used to have.  I'm sure there are a LOT of other moms who will tell you - that pouch is damn near impossible to get rid of!  At first I was disgusted with my body.  Every time I saw myself in the mirror I would get depressed.  I would cover up as much as possible and would be ashamed to wear a bathing suit in public.

It wasn't until I went back home to Hawaii and saw everyone and their mothers baring it all that I regained my confidence.  I got back my "idgaf" attitude and started wearing monokinis, then got back into two piece bikinis.
 
No, I don't have a flat stomach and tiny waist, and yes, I do have some stretch marks - so what?   I've never been a healthy eater (I love my bacon) and I'm not really an athletic person (is blogging a sport yet?) but I'm working on it!

Moral of the story:  love yourself, no matter what.  Body image isn't everything.

<a href="http://www.frikkenduckie.com"><img src="http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd363/frikkenduckie/FitnessFridayButton.jpg" /></a>

♥ Duckie.

What I Wore Wednesday: BBQ Style

Happy Hump Day!

I love Wednesdays because it just means it's almost the weekend!

Just because I don't have a "real" job doesn't mean I don't look forward to weekends - because since Joey's off on weekends, I get to relax a bit more!

Anyway, our weekends here on Guam consist of sunny days and crazy nights - okay, not so crazy nights since we had kids, but it's nice to reminisce once in a while.

But seriously though, there is ALWAYS a party or bbq for us to attend on the weekend.  Birthdays, anniversaries, baptisms, holidays, graduations, you name it - we'll bbq for it!

Being the big hungry girl that I am, you can bet that I LOVE any kind of function where there's free food and good vibes - so please don't judge me if you see me at the table more than four times.  I mean, when the table is filled with red rice, bbq'd ribs, fried chicken, pancit, baked mussels, and kelaguen galore - try and tell me that you can only have ONE plate!

Now, when attending a bbq on Guam it is important to dress appropriately.  For example, it's probably not a good idea to wear jeans if the bbq is at the beach during the day - that's just common sense, people!  But if you want to sweat your ass off all day, then by all means, go ahead.  Also, try and use bottoms with an elastic waist so you don't cut off circulation to your legs as your stomach increases.  And lastly, don't wear something too fitted - the amount of food you ate will show - try a flowy top or dress instead.

It's best to keep your hair and makeup minimal.  You don't want to look like a sad clown with your face melting off in the hot sun.  And a simple messy bun is the best hairstyle - it keeps your hair out of your face which gives you less of a distraction when you're stuffing it.

 Need a reference?  See perfect weekend bbq attire, below:

And don't forget the kids!  All they need is a bathing suit, and you probably won't see them for a good two hours.

 Trace jumping off the pier (he's 3 years old!).

Chloe the cannonball!

Aniyah's favorite jumping spot.

I just love this shot of her.  Umm, hello Roxy!  She is your next model!

Perfect form!

My mermaid.

♥ Duckie.

Makeup Monday: To the beach!

In all honesty, I had nothing for you guys today.  I forgot about "Makeup Monday" and I was totally drawing a blank on what to post.  I didn't do a tutorial this weekend, didn't have a review ready, nothing.  I did pick up a new beauty product over the weekend (Neutrogena Ageless Restoratives Anti-Oxidant Booster Serum) but haven't used it enough to give you a review.

So as I was figuring out what to post, I started going over the things we did this weekend in my head and realized the perfect thing to post about:  Salt water.

In high school I was considered by some as a beach bum.  I went to the beach almost every single day.  I wore slippers (or flip flops if you prefer) all the time, made and wore shell/beach glass jewelry, had permanent tan lines, and always wore a bikini under my clothes.

Before my beach bum phase, I suffered from moderate acne.  I would break out on my forehead and chin all the time and it sucked.  Once I started going to the beach more and swimming in the ocean, my acne slowly started to clear up.

I'm not going to go into the research on how beneficial salt can be for your skin, but let's just say that salt is good.  It dries out your pimples and cleans up those oily areas of your skin. 

Another great thing about going to the beach is the sand.  Yeah, the stuff that gets into everything.  It can be good for your skin too.  Next time you're at the beach, go sit in the sand near the water (be careful not to get knocked over by the waves!) and use your feet to dig a hole in the sand. 

Okay, you may get a few strange looks but the good part is that you're exfoliating your feet!  And you know what?  While you're at it, just rub it all over your elbows, knees, hands, etc.  Might as well get a full body exfoliation for free, right?

Hope you all have a marvelous Monday!  Sorry for the half-ass beauty post.  Lol.  I'll do better tomorrow!  And don't forget to enter the giveaway!