Self-Care for Busy Moms

November 7, 2017November 15, 2017 - Mama 1 Comment

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #AGummyYouCanTrust #NatureMade #NatureMadeAdultGummies #USP #CollectiveBias

Sometimes, as a mom, you find yourself feeling a little bit drained. It’s so important to make sure everyone gets everywhere they need to be and that everyone actually gets there wearing pants and shoes and all of the essentials. It’s hard to ensure that all of the laundry gets folded, that all of the meals get made, and oh yeah, maybe taking some time for yourself, too. All too often, as moms, we push ourselves to back burner– we make sure that everyone in our family is taken care of, but when we run out of hours in the day, we tend to neglect ourselves. I have quickly started to realize that filling up other’s cups when yours is empty can be quite the challenge, so I’ve been making intentional time for self-care, and I can’t wait to share my tips for easy self-care ideas (when you’re pressed for time), starting with taking your vitamins!

Period Survival Essentials

October 16, 2017October 16, 2017 - Mama Leave a comment

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PeriodConfidence #TryTheDivaCup #CollectiveBias

Periods sometimes suck, but they don't have to. A few period survival essentials can help, and I've got some you'll want to tell all of your friends about. | vaginal health | periods and menstruation | the care and keeping of your body | #PeriodConfidence #TryTheDivaCup [ad]

I was sitting in a coffee shop with a friend of mine, telling her how excited I was for my upcoming beach vacation. She asked if I planned to spend a lot of time in the water, and I remember leaning over to her and saying “I do, but I’m… I mean… I’m” I affected a very quiet whisper and leaned in closer “going to be on my period.” For me, that was the kiss of death for my vacation, and it meant I’d be sidelined for pool and beach activities, instead sitting and reading. It was then that my friend did something out of character… she pulled a small pouch from her bag and said, much louder than my initial whisper, “How about a menstrual cup?” and opened the pouch to show me her DivaCup.

How to Create (and USE!) a DIY Positivity Journal

September 19, 2017 - Mama 3 Comments

This tutorial on how to make a DIY Positivity Journal has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #NatureMadeGummies #CollectiveBias

Sometimes it’s hard to think the best about yourself and give yourself the benefit of the doubt. For me, it’s especially hard in the morning, and I have a habit of kicking myself for things I didn’t do quite as well as I wanted to do them. But sometimes thinking positively just requires a good reminder of why you deserve better from yourself. (Plus, it’s really easy to give yourself a space to share these positive thoughts!)

5 Life Hacks to Keep Losing Weight (Even During the Holidays)

November 15, 2016 - Mama 2 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and the makers of alli® weight loss aid. All opinions are mine alone. #alliInMyLife #Final #CollectiveBias

Having trouble losing weight (or keeping the weight off) during the holidays? I can relate! Here are some life hacks that will help you keep the weight off during the holiday season. #AlliInMyLife [ad]

The past couple of months, I’ve been sharing my weight loss journey with you here. I have to admit, as excited as I’ve been about the results I’ve been seeing, I had my fears with the holidays approaching that I’d struggle to maintain my weight loss. But I remembered some foolproof ways that I’ve tried in the past– and succeeded– to keep the weight off, or even lose more weight, during the holiday season. With Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s coming up, there are plenty of ways you’ll be tested, but there’s also plenty of ways that you can fight back towards continuing your journey!

Bullet Journal Layouts for Your Weight Loss Journey

November 1, 2016November 1, 2016 - Mama Leave a comment

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and the makers of alli® weight loss aid. All opinions are mine alone. #alliInMyLife #After #CollectiveBias

A few months ago, I hadn’t even heard of the term “Bullet journal.” To be fair, I also hadn’t tried alli® weight loss aid and I also didn’t own a blender cup or resistance bands… but a lot can change in just a few months, and for me, I can’t imagine my weight loss journey without those things, especially my alli® weight loss aid and my bullet journal.

Impossibly Easy DIY Water Intake Glass

August 29, 2016October 21, 2016 - Mama 3 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and alli® weight loss aid. All opinions are mine alone. #alliInMyLife #Before #CollectiveBias

Looking to make sure you're drinking enough water? You can make those fancy DIY water intake glasses at home-- using any water bottle or jar you'd like! Here's how to do it in less than 5 minutes. #AlliInMyLife [ad]

After yet another trip to to the beach without a beach body this year, I’ve been feeling like I need to make a change. While yes, I know a beach body isn’t the key to everything, I also feel like I’ve been neglecting my needs a little bit lately– I haven’t been watching what I eat, I’ve been snacking a lot, and I haven’t been drinking much water. With the fact that I don’t remember the last time I took exercising seriously, I’m just feeling like some change is due. Do you ever feel that way, like it’s time to make some changes? Well, I’ve broken my plans down into some manageable steps, and it starts with showing you how to be sure you’re drinking enough water!

Back to School Must-Haves for Mom!

August 17, 2016August 18, 2016 - Mama 1 Comment

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #LetsGoLALA #CollectiveBias

The kids are heading back to school, and you've probably got their backpacks all packed up with essentials. But what about you, mom? What are YOUR back to school essentials for yourself? Here are mine... #LetsGoLALA [ad]

I cannot believe that it’s time for back to school shopping already, but it is. School is just around the corner, and I have to admit, I’m so not prepared. I mean, as moms, we can go through the supply checklist and make sure we have everything, we can get all of the super cute back to school clothes for our kiddos, and we can even input all of the important dates into our digital calendars, but really, there’s always this certain degree of “I’m SO not ready” that I feel when it comes to back to school… can you relate? So, when shopping for back to school supplies, I had to make sure that I was ready for back-to-school, too.

When it comes time for back to school shopping, we have to look out for our own needs as moms, too. After all, we don’t come with a back-to-school supply list, do we? So, grab your favorite mom bag (I dig a backpack), and let’s get packing!
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Chocolate Caramel Molten Lava Cakes

July 20, 2016December 26, 2016 - Mama Leave a comment

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #WhatMattersToU #CollectiveBias

Give into your chocolate cravings with these molten lava cakes... chocolate, caramel, more chocolate, it's sure to make you feel better anytime you need a chocolate fix (especially that time of the month!) #WhatMattersToU [ad]

Real talk… that time of the month SUCKS, doesn’t it? I mean, we’re basically walking around trying to pretend life is totally normal, taking care of the kids, spending time with friends, doing all of the normal life stuff, all the while our body is screaming at us, cramping, and generally making us feel sucky. It’s like the main event isn’t enough, we have to throw in soreness, crabbiness, and bloating… ughhhh.

Why I tried to Stop Comparing Myself to Others and Stealing My Own Joy

June 15, 2016 - Mama Leave a comment

When you play the comparison game, you ALWAYS lose. I finally found out that I needed to quit the comparison game and stop stealing my own joy!

I looked at her, sitting there on the park bench. Her kids were well behaved, using their kind words, and she was engaged, oohing and ahhing over every stick or leaf they brought her. With her foot, she rocked her baby stroller back and forth. She had what looked like a homemade protein shake with her, and was wearing workout clothes, clearly having walked here, but looked completely put together with a full face of makeup.

Then I thought about how I must have looked… the yoga pants I had on yesterday, a bottle of juice from the fridge, messy bun, no makeup, checking my phone once in awhile as my son ran from slide to swing and back again. I was engaged for the first 5 or 6 really awesome leafs he brought me, and after that, resorted to nodding and saying “Oh, that’s nice, Ketchup! I love it…”

The Importance of Scheduled Growth

March 7, 2016 - Mama 2 Comments

This weekend, I took some time away. And by time away, I don’t mean I went to a spa and relaxed. I mean I went to a conference and learned a lot. Hours and hours of information was packed into one day, leaving me with a long to-do list of things to work on over the next couple of weeks.

You wouldn’t think this would be refreshing. But honestly? It was.

Mama Plus One

Making Life Easy So You Can Get Back to What Matters Most

Self-Care