The Shadow of Mommy

As much as I love my kids so dearly.
As much as I love my husband so much.
As much as I crumble when people yell at me. Or even say one mean word.
I have found myself doing it.

The noise level in our house has been higher than normal. Or at least it seemed to me. I found myself asking why. Why are the kids so loud? Why are they yelling? Why are they having an attitude with me and each other?

And as hard as it is to swallow, the answer, at least in part, is me. See - that’s the cool thing about parenting. Your kids teach you a lot. They are soaking up what you are doing. They are like little copy cats. And this time - what they’re copying doesn’t make me proud at all.

They’re copying my yelling. They’re copying how I deal with stress, frustration, being overwhelmed.

When this truth hit me like a hard stone, I won’t lie, it hurt. But I know I’m not the only one. Being a mom or dad is hard. Beyond hard sometimes. And if you’ve found yourself yelling or losing it when overwhelmed, I get you mama (or daddy). I know you feel guilty. I know you regret it. I know you love your kids. I know you are doing your best.

None of us is perfect. But we have an amazing God and Father who is! Because He loves us so much, we are forgiven. You are forgiven. I am forgiven.

Each day is a new day. And I’m on a journey to be a more patient, peaceful mom. I’m cutting down on multi-tasking so I don’t get overwhelmed so easily. I’m getting down at eye-level and treasuring their little faces and emotions instead of being impatient. I’m making my own self-care a priority so I’m not empty with little to give when much is needed. I’m apologizing, asking for forgiveness.

It’s a journey for sure. Good days, bad moments. Trying again. But as I’ve started hearing my daughter speak to her brother in the kind loving way I’ve been using with her, it brings tears to my eyes and fills my heart with SO MUCH joy!

The journey is hard, but so rewarding, isn’t it? We’re in this together friend!

What Are You Thirsting For?

What are you thirsty for?

That’s the question my pastor asked last weekend as he talked about all the different things we go to when we feel empty.

I’ve been thinking about that question for such a long time.

I’ve bounced between trying to fill my empty with food and exercise and relationships. I’ve found myself looking to accomplishments, perfection, social media, and I’m sure there are more.

But what really fills that void? Quenches our thirst? 

For me, I’ve found that what I really need is peace. Real lasting peace. And I haven’t found any better peace than looking to God’s promises and being reminded of his incredibly amazing, perfect love for me. And for us all.

It feels so good to pour out my heart to the one person who never lets me down. To be filled with his words from the Bible through music or time spent reading through a chapter every day.

I’m so so grateful to always have that peace waiting for me, no matter what my day looks like.

What’s your favorite go-to when you feel empty?

Take a Break and Meditate!

This season of the year is just a little extra busy, and that's added on to our already crazy lives. As I chat with all of you, I hear time and time again how much you need to prioritize your wellness and how much you want to relax and just breathe.

Repeat after me - I need a break.

That's where meditation comes in. I first started meditating about 3 years ago, when my naturopathic doctor recommended doing it daily and recommended a great app I've come to love and appreciate so much!

The reason meditation is such a big deal is because it helps you become aware of your body and how you feel, slows your breathing, helps you be more mindful throughout your day, helps reduce pain and combat anxiety and depression, helps you relax your mind and body and this list just goes on and on.

Here's the app I use 5-6 days a week - Calm. It gives you several free options, but I now have invested in my health with the full app and it gives me a ton of great options. I can meditate for as little as 3 minutes or as long as I want. I can do meditations for anxiety, for gratitude, for a body scan, for sleep, etc.

If you want to add a little more support and relaxation to your meditation, try diffusing your favorite calming oils like Frankincense, Copaiba, White Angelica, Stress Away or use your favorite calming roller before you start your meditation.

What a great way to take care of yourself every day!

Who else meditates consistently? How long do you meditate each day?

How I Am Controlling Cortistop

Show of hands for all of you who feel stressed out more days than not? 🙋🙋🙋

I've found as a personal trainer, mom, wife, sister, friend, daughter, there are a lot of people in my life -- dare I say almost ALL the people in my life -- who are incredibly stressed, giving giving giving until they are depleted and then giving more.

Does it seem to you that society has almost made it the "it thing" to do to be stressed and busy and running around like chickens with our heads cut off?

I mean - I used to ask people how they were doing and I'd hear "fine" or "good." Now I hear "busy" or "so stressed."

And I'm the worst one. I've stressed my body out so badly that I actually now have serious health issues. 😳😳😳 Not cool.

Don't be like me. Don't wait until stress causes your cortisol levels to go sky high and creates physiological changes in your body.

It's time to do something about it. One of my game-changers for stress has been taking Cortistop. 

What is Cortistop? Only the most amazing unique supplements that will help you control that beast called cortisol.

You need this if you want:

✔️ Adrenal support
✔️ help with feelings of fatigue
✔️ healthy weight support
✔️ cardiovascular system support
✔️ support with other side effects of high cortisol
✔️ support for healthy hormones

Even though we can't make stress disappear, at least we can counteract the effects of stress and help restore balance in our lives.

What was the most stressful part of your week so far? 

Canvas Print Giveaway!

I love pictures. I love nature. I love my family. I love traveling. So taking pictures to capture all the beauty is a little hobby of mine. I love having those memories and those special moments captured in time and displayed around my home to remember.

I particularly like to order canvas prints, mostly for their uniqueness and ease. That way, I don't have to take down measurements for each photo I take and go on a hunt for the kind of frame I want. It's just so much easier for my mama brain to order a canvas print and be done with it. 

This past fall we had family pictures done, and I had a great time developing pictures and creating a wonderful wall of special moments from our family. I ordered a beautiful picture of my hubby and I to finish the wall from Canvas Factory, and it was super easy. 

All I had to do was upload my pic, make sure it all looked good and customize it how I wanted, then it shipped and I got to hang it up right away. Perfection!

Now for the fun!

One of you are going to win (1) beautiful canvas print from Canvas Factory to add to your wall! Woohoo! Who wants to win?

Enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*I was sent product to review. All opinions are my own.*

Start and Stick to Your Workout Plan

*This is a sponsored post. Thank you for your readership!

Do you really want to build muscle and not waste time? Well, this article was written to help busy people build muscle and lose weight in an efficient way. For a muscle mass training program, training must be intense, frequent, heavy and composed of basic exercises. This article will, therefore, help you discover the essential steps that will allow you to progress in the long term because that's how you will have the best results.

Here are the important points that you need to respect in order for your muscle mass training program to work. During this period, it will be necessary to favor compound exercises which will allow big gains in muscular mass and strength. The basic exercises of muscle mass gain are those that work for the large muscle groups. Therefore, apply these methods to your workouts and you'll build muscle.

Here are some points to follow for your muscle mass training program. Remember, when you are using multi-joint and multi-muscle exercises, you are working many muscles at the same time, resulting in more calories burned and a shorter, more effective workout.

With proper planning, repeated workouts can enhance gene activation to achieve a higher level of activity and muscle growth. Give the muscles time to recover from the session and sleep as much as your schedule allows.

The number of repetitions is perhaps the most important element and will make the biggest difference compared to other types of training programs. You will waste your effort if you resort to excessive repetitions to literally destroy the slightest muscle fiber in your arms. As a result, you will shoot yourself in the foot and slow down your muscle gain.

Therefore, a workout must be balanced to work the opposing muscles in an equivalent way in terms of the number of exercises, series or frequency of work. In addition, each worked muscle sends a slight anabolic signal to all the other muscles of the body, via the circulatory system. Opposing exercises are therefore an excellent method to stimulate the muscles quickly and effectively.

For a beginner or an intermediate practitioner, the recommend reps are between 9 and 12 repetitions per series (except for special cases). Because with less than 5 repetitions, you will mainly work strength, and with too many repetitions (more than a dozen) you will mainly work on your stamina.

Training is only part of a good bodybuilding program, nutrition is responsible for more than half of the results. Have a proper nutritional regime, so that the body has the right amount of macronutrients to build muscle and recover quickly.

The interesting point of this concept, revealed by the research carried out on this subject, is that if your diet is sufficient in proteins, calories and carbohydrates, and you have opted for the right food supplements, you can really take advantage of a bodybuilding program. For maximum gain, you must pay attention to the meal that follows your bodybuilding training. Do not forget that intensive training will stimulate your appetite not only after the session but also the next day.

For muscle mass gain you should eat about 1 gram of protein and 2 grams of carbohydrate per pound of body weight per day depending on your fat percentage and your training volume. It is during recovery that muscle growth is made.

Under-nourishment is a real probable possibility for many people. Focus on eating lots of real, whole foods and planning your meals ahead of time, if possible. Pre-packaged dinners like ones from Paleo on the Go (my personal fave), Pete's Paleo, Freshly, or Nutrisystem will also help you consume nutritious meals. However, Nutrisystem cost tends to be lower overall, as PureHealthyLiving.net shows in their helpful article.

Health and wellness comes from a comprehensive approach of taking care of yourself physically with workouts, sleep, good nutrition, and stress-relief and also caring for your mental health as well.

What is a new habit you are starting that will help you stick to your workout plan?

5 Must-Haves To Get Your Best Workout

Wayyyyyy too often do I see people wasting their precious time by not getting the most out of their workouts. So many of us have been there too - not feeling motivated, sluggish, doing the same exercises every single time we go, not giving our bodies the recovery it needs, getting distracted. It happens. 

That wasted time adds up fast! I mean -- come on, if you work out 5 times a week for about an hour, that's 20 hours a month wasted, 240 hours a year wasted. 

Not anymore! I am sharing with you my 5 must-haves to get the absolute most out of your workout. Let's get right to it. 

#1. For me the workout really starts before I even get sweating. I have found if you aren't in the right head space to rock and roll, you are not going to get the most out of your time at the gym. I like to dress for success, listen to awesome pump-me-up music, and think about the feeling I had at the end of my last dynamite workout. 

A lot of my workouts lately have been at home, and I find that it's way too easy to stay in pj's to workout. The problem is -- when I do that, I don't give my best workout. I just got this super cute outfit from Fabletics to help me feel my best and be ready to work. 

#2. Have a goal. If you go into work each day just to clock hours, you are not going to be as productive as if you had a goal for that day or several goals. Same thing with your workout. Go into it with a goal. Do you want to do more reps of pushups? Are you trying to run faster than you have before? Get in another round of Tabata than last time? Now get it done! 

#3. Ever heard of this rockstar kind of HIIT called Tabata? It's an interval workout that consists of hard work for 20 seconds and then 10 seconds of rest directly following that. You repeat that pattern for 8 sets. That is one round. You can choose to do as many or as few rounds as you would like. These kind of workouts give you an awesome calorie burn during and AFTER the workout. They are a crazy good way to make the most of your time getting stronger! I have shared a bunch of Tabata workouts on this blog for you here. You can take care of cardio or strength training or both with Tabata workouts. Trust me - you'll be hooked!

#4. Recovery. I used to have no idea that I needed to help my body recover after a workout. I mean - you are literally breaking down muscle fibers and want to help them rebuild. The way to do this? Amino acids, protein, good carbs. Your body needs those building blocks to recover and build stronger from your awesome workouts. One of my recovery game-changers has been AminoWise. I love to drink this during or after a workout to give my body the branch chain amino acids they so desperately need. And I can feel the difference in my body if I don't drink them. Can't get up the stairs after your intense leg workout anyone?

By the way, I am assuming you are working on your healthy eating, right? I don't even need to go into that, because I know you are eating lots of good fats, protein and vegetables galore. 😼

#5. As we talk about recovery, I have to mention sleep. So much happens while you sleep at night, and if you are not getting enough good quality sleep, (I get 9 hours a night, no joke) you're going to feel it. Trust me, that lack of rest and rejuvenation will come to bite you. Hard. Please take the time to make sleep a priority and the earlier you can get to bed, the better. You can always get up earlier if you need to. 

As a personal trainer, these are the things that keep me motivated and working hard and getting in the best workout in whatever amount of time I have. Pick one of your favorite tips and get started today!

This is a sponsored post. All my words, thoughts and images are my own. 

What is Stress Doing to Us?

Show of hands for all of you who feel stressed out more days than not? 🙋🙋🙋

I've found as a personal trainer, mom, wife, sister, friend, daughter, there are a lot of people in my life -- dare I say almost ALL the people in my life -- who are incredibly stressed, giving giving giving until they are depleted and then giving more.

Does it seem to you that society has almost made it the "it thing" to do to be stressed and busy and running around like chickens with our heads cut off?

I mean - I used to ask people how they were doing and I'd hear "fine" or "good." Now I hear "busy" or "so stressed." And I'm the worst one. I've stressed my body out so badly that I actually now have serious health issues. 😳😳😳 Not cool.

Don't be like me. Don't wait until stress causes your cortisol levels to chronically go sky high and creates physiological changes in your body. Did you know that chronic, high cortisol production is tied to symptoms and ailments including weight gain, anxiety, sleep disorders, hormonal imbalances and fertility problems, in addition to many other problems?

It's time to do something about it. I just got this new supplement Cortistop to try out for myself.

What is Cortistop? It's this super cool, unique to YL supplement that will help you control that beast called cortisol.

You need this if you want:

✔️ Adrenal support
✔️ help with feelings of fatigue
✔️ healthy weight support
✔️ cardiovascular system support
✔️ support with other side effects of high cortisol
✔️ support for healthy hormones

Even though we can't make stress disappear, at least we can counteract the effects of it and help restore balance in our lives.

Want to get your hands on some? Click here to learn more and grab it!

Homeschooling With Math Games - Part 2

Yesterday we chatted about using math games to help your child develop a love of math. Instead of sitting, listening to lecturing and doing worksheets, let's get them using math skills in every day life situations and through fun games!

Today I want to share another super fun game with you - this time it is all about multiplication. And let's face it - multiplication is normally just a bunch of memorizing math facts. It usually involves flash cards or some other "boring" type of activity.

Not with this multiplication game! Monster Sock Factory is a board game to practice multiplication mainly for grades 2 and up. It is designed to get kids 8 times more practice in their multiplication facts than in an average classroom.

The game starts with this cute story about the different monsters in this faraway land of Dimis, each with a different amount of legs and how you are working at the local sock factory to make and dispatch socks to each one. Each individual cartoon monster is kinda cute and makes the game more fun and activates the imagination a bit, at least for my kiddos. Your kids will also be working on strategic planning, hand-eye coordination, patience and memorization as they play this game.

And you're going to love this - the same company that makes this game offers FREE math worksheets for division, multiplication and more for grades 1-5. I am so excited to get these printed off and feed my kiddos excitement for the fun characters and story lines.

Grab your kiddo a new math game and start having fun with them while practicing a bunch of relevant skills.

Share with me - what are you doing with your kiddos to make Math fun?

*I was given product to review. No other compensation was given. All opinions are my own.

Homeschool Fun with Math Games

I don't know about you but I was never very passionate about math. I get excited about reading, history, even science, but math - nuh, uh.

My son is the same way. He struggles with it more than other subjects which has turned him off to math as a whole. Since I am homeschooling him this year, I am determined to help him and my other children develop a love  like (let's be realistic, right?) for this subject.

One of the ways I am going to be doing this is by having them do more life math skills and play more games that involve using math. Instead of them just listening to me lecture and then doing worksheets - I hope to bring math to life for them!

We recently got a fantastic math division game called Big Catch. It's a division board game for students of grade 3 and up. It is designed to get them 8 times more division practice than in your typical classroom in a FUN way!

My son was super duper excited to try it out. He loved all the bright colors and fun game pieces. He has a bit of practice to get the long division down to really get the game mastered, but he is excited to do so, and that is huge progress! This games makes you the fisherman and gives you a fun adventure to distract you from all the awesome math skills you are developing. It also helps you develop skills of patience, strategic planning, and flexibility.

Also - big bonus - the same company that makes this game offers FREE math worksheets for division, multiplication and more for grades 1-5. I am so excited to get these printed off and feed my kiddos excitement for the fun characters and story lines.

Check back in with me tomorrow for another fun math game that you and your kids will love!

In the meantime - tell me - what do you do with your kiddos to get them excited about math or any other subject they struggle with?

*I received product to review. No other compensation was given. These are all my real and honest opinions.

Is Amazon Prints Good for Photos? PLUS $1000 of Amazon Gift Cards to be Won!

I love taking gorgeous pictures of special moments,  but I often get all in my head when it comes time to print them -- where should I print them? What's the best deal? What's most convenient? Is it even worth it?

I've got the details on Amazon Prints for you today.

Amazon has launched a photo printing service that allows all customers to print their memories. Prime members can upload images to their Prime Photos account, print the product of their choice, and receive FREE delivery (I just love free). If you’re not a Prime member, you’ll receive 5 GB of storage free on Prime Photos and be able to print your favorite photos.  Prints start as low as $0.09. That's a good deal - I mean, I used to use Walmart because I thought they're the cheapest, but they're the same price. Amazon is just more convenient for printing pictures.


Plus - check out this awesome giveaway where there are literally $1000 of Amazon Gift Cards to be won!! Whoop! Whoop!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Thanks to Amazon for sponsoring this post and providing prizes for the giveaway!

Amazon, Fire and the Amazon Fire TV logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Wellness 101: Simple Strategies That Promote Healthy Living

Wellness 101: Simple Strategies That Promote Healthy Living 

If leading a healthier life is one of your goals for 2017, know that you can hit that goal! One great way to make it happen is by coming up with a plan and setting smaller goals to help you hit the larger goal. Below you'll find just four of many strategies you can use to promote healthy living starting already today. 


1. Make Meditation A Must. Meditation is beneficial for numerous reasons, including the fact that it can counteract the anxiety you experience due to the pressures of work or complications in personal relationships. Some of the other benefits of meditation include clearer thinking, better sleep, and enhanced immunity. Note that you can begin receiving these health benefits by meditating for just 10 minutes each day. I personally love the Calm app, which I use as often as possible to help with everyday stress.

2. Hire A Personal Trainer. At this time, roughly 80% of Americans fail to get in the recommended amount of exercise. Yet you need to get in regular physical activity if you want to look and feel your best. Some of the great benefits you'll attain from leading an active lifestyle include a slimmer physique, more energy, better memory, more youthful looking skin, and a better metabolism. With these realities in mind, be sure to consider the value of hiring a personal trainer. She or he will be able to develop a customized fitness plan that enables you to get fitter and stronger. Also note that the personal trainer will be able to offer you external motivation on days when you don't feel like working out.

 3. Develop A Meal Plan. If you're serious about getting healthy, get serious about eating well. Many health coaches and wellness professionals argue that diet is the single most important factor in contributing to or detracting from an individual's mental and physical equilibrium. As such, you want to focus on eating nutritious, delicious food around the clock. Developing a meal plan is one of the simplest and most effective ways to ensure that you do so. If you're not familiar with the world of nutrition, you can hire a nutritionist to put a plan together for you. You can also use free online resources like www.cronometer.com to log in your food and then determine whether you're attaining all of the vitamins and minerals your body needs to function optimally.

 4. Purchase Your Health Products Online. Oftentimes, people complain that getting healthy takes too much time and/or energy. If this is one of your issues, note that purchasing high quality health products via internet can make the process of wellness optimization much smoother and simpler. Companies like Health365 are pleased to offer clients a wide range of wonderful supplements and wellness products that will contribute to mental and physical well-being. Visit their website now if you want to buy glucosamine online or simply browse through their selection!  

Start Your Wellness Journey Today! You can do anything you set your mind to. This includes getting healthy. If you're ready to get on the road to wellness now, start implementing the health strategies outlined for you above!

You can do it!

*This is a sponsored post. Thank you for supporting our blog.

5 Delicious Cinco de Mayo Recipes You Can't Pass Up

Oh are you all in for a treat today! I have master chef Erica Rogers here today sharing 5 Recipes for a tasty Cinco de Mayo using essential oils. 

 

Hola!  I'm Erica, your guest blogger today, and I'm honored and excited to be here!! 

As you all know, it's MAY!!  And you know what that means... CINCO DE MAYO!!  I love theme parties (and I really love tacos and essential oils!), and what are theme parties without food?!  So today - all Mexican dishes that I have created are using Young Living oils!  Go ahead and throw together a little fiesta and show your friends what all you can do with oils in the kitchen!!  

On the Menu (and YL oils used):

Horchata-- cinnamon bark

Guacamole-- lime, lemon

Fresh Salsa-- lime

Pork Carnitas-- oregano, orange, lime

Mexican Hot Fudge Sundaes-- cinnamon bark

First, Horchata!!-- If you haven't tried it, you should!!  It's super easy to make and you will impress your friends with something other than Coronas.  Speaking of Corona... if you like to party like I do, add a shot of rum to your glass of Horchata!!

Guacamole--  fan favorite in our house!  The best part is, you can tweek it to your liking!!  There's no wrong way to make guacamole.  If a waiter can do it table-side, you can do it, too!!

Salsa--  seriously, y'all, it takes less than 5 minutes to make, but scores high when impressing your friends!  This batch makes quite a bit....I hand out little mason jars of salsa to mi amigas to take home!

Pork Carnitas-- worried about ruining the meat?  I've been there!  Don't run away yet.....you can't mess up this one, I promise!!  Crockpot and then broil- you got this!!

Hot Fudge Sundaes-- I decided to ditch the churros (over used!!) and the flan (who really likes it anyway??), and go with something simple yet delicious!! 

A couple other things to try:

•add a drop of lime to your favorite Mexican beer!!

•add a drop of lime in with the water and rice when cooking.  When finished cooking, top with red pepper flakes and queso fresco!!

Cinco de Mayo parties are way fun and easy-- lots of drinks for adults, a little mariachi music, tasty food, and a piñata for the little ones....a fiesta!!  

Fun fact:  Did you know Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day?  It celebrates the Mexican victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.  Yes, Mexico unexpectedly won that battle, but lost the war, so Cinco de Mayo is more celebrated in the United States than Mexico.  

Cheers!

Erica

Mouth watering yet? Holy yum!!!! Go - make these now! And if you have no clue where to get these essential oils, you can find them here.