Article Featured on The Bella Mom

I am pleased to have an article featured at Bella Mom, this amazing weekly online magazine.  You can check out my article here!

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Mighty Mama’s – Where we find inspiration

Today on Mighty Mama’s, we discuss how we stay inspired in every day life. Check out these stories of inspiration at Little & Mighty.

Fitness Fridays – Trying to Make Fit Fun – #fabFITbloggers

I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I will ever truly feel like working out and getting in shape is “fun”.  It’s called a “work” out for a reason.

Over the years, I have probably joined and quit over a dozen fitness facilities just due to the fact that I wasn’t using my membership.  I could find almost any reason to use as an excuse to not go to the gym that particular day.  Not having someone to go with was a huge factor.  I have found that being accountable to someone makes a big difference in my fitness journey.  So now that I am accountable to anyone reading this, it has definitely given me a bit more a push this week to make sure I am keeping myself on track.

Aside from my gym membership, I am also using my Fitbit and the MyFitnessPal app to track my daily activity.  I find that having to enter my daily intake of food and drinks and watching the calories drop and drop has really been an eye opener to me.  It has really helped with my portion sizing and definitely the decisions I am making at each meal.

I have a bit of a competitive edge to me with my Fitbit, so if I am anywhere close to getting my 10,000 steps in at bedtime, I will walk in place or around the house just to hit that goal.  There is quite of bit of satisfaction to feel that vibration on your wrist when hitting that goal.

So for me, a large percentage of it is accountability, having someone to face up to when I am not staying on track.  But that is all fine and good but if you are hating every single minute of it, it’s never going to work.

That is why I have seen progress when I find something that I actually somewhat enjoy doing.  At my gym, I have found this great Zumba instructor.  She makes the class fun and I actually now look forward to it.  I have made a few friends in the class and they have even started to comment if I miss a class.  So there is it again…..accountability.

My suggestion is try a few different classes or activities and see what you like.  For years, I swore up and down that Spin class were NOT my thing.  But recently, I was convinced by an employee at the gym to try this particular Spin class.  Yes, for days afterward my butt ached but otherwise felt amazing after the class and have gone to several others since.  It’s definitely growing on me.

Personally, I prefer classes over just using the machines at the gym.  For me it is just too easy to step off the treadmill at the first signs of sweat.   But in a class, I would personally rather die that admit defeat and leave a class.  I do also like to get out and run, but I always have to go with a route in mind.  If I don’t have it all mapped out, again it is too easy to just turn around and go home.

So this week, in the spirit of accountability, since my last post:
Exercise:  3x gym visits, 30 minute walk on lunch break, 40 minute bike ride
Food Management:  Stayed on track 6 of the 7 days (Saturday and bbq’s are always my downfall)
This next week may be a tough one to keep everything on track with my son’s last day of school and a few days off for me, but I will try my best and share the results next week.   I would love to hear what you do to keep yourself on track and make fitness fun!

Don’t forget to check on the progress of the other lovely ladies that are on this journey with me.

Tuesdays With Jacob
This Messy Season
MrsBishop

Controlling the Curl with #Curlfriends

Sure,  I love summer and pretty much everything that goes along with it……except for what the humidity does to my hair.  When you have naturally curly hair, any amount of humidity can turn a good hair day into a bad hair day very quickly.  I personally gave up trying to even think about attempting to straighten my hair years ago because within moments of stepping outside, I would look like I had stuck my finger into a light socket.  Definitely not a pretty sight.

For years I have tried many products to try and tame the frizz but nothing has ever tamed the frizz completely.   Even using multiple products at a time couldn’t even cut it.  I pretty much keep a hair tie with me at all times so I can pull it back to control it somewhat in the dog days of summer.

Recently I was asked to give  Curlfriends, which claims to be “The Frizz Beater” a try.  At this point, I am willing to try anything new to calm the frizz.  I was excited the day it arrived because it called for high humidity the next day.  Perfect day to test it!

The gel is a nice light formula and didn’t feel like it was going to weigh down my hair.  After applying it to my hair and giving a very quick blow dry, I already noticed that it didn’t have the normal frizz level.  In the summer, I don’t tend to blow dry my hair very much to minimize the frizz levels.  Now getting thru the day without a disaster was the true test.

I went about my usual day but specifically made a point to ensure I went outside as often as I could to subject my hair to the humidity and wind of the day.  Normally, my hair shrinks about an inch in length and widens about 3 inches on a typical humid summer day.  After my lunch break, everything was still in place.

By the end of that day, my hair still looked pretty much like it did in the morning.  This is a first for me.  As you can see from the photo below, my hair doesn’t look that much different and this is almost 12 hours later and a windy, very humid day.

In the days since I first tried the product, it has continued to impress me and keep my hair frizz under control and not a complete mess.  If your hair is anything like mine, you need to get this.

You can learn more about the Curlfriends and their full range of products on their website.

 

**Although this product was provided to me, all comments, opinions and photos are mine.***

 

 

Kindness In Demand – #Didsomething Campaign

I was thrilled when Kindness In Demand asked me to be a part of their #didsomething campaign.   It was such an easy request, there was absolutely no way I could say no.  They asked me to take my son out on a one on one date and just talk and learn about him.

As a single Mom, my son and I get quite a lot of one of one dates.  I try and have one of at least twice a month.  Life is so busy and parents need to take time out with each of their children so that they can have quality, uninterrupted time with them so that they can hear what they have to say and learn more about them as individuals.  They grow up so fast; we need to make the most of every minute with them that we can before they’re too old to want to spend this kind of time with us.   Children want feel like they have a relationship with their parents, too.

Yesterday, I took my son out for breakfast before taking him to his Dad’s for Father’s Day.  We talked about his upcoming birthday and summer.  We talked about making a “bucket list” of sorts for the summer and things that we wanted to do.  I often make plans for us, but wanted to hear what sort of things he wanted to do.  The places he wanted to go.  I was surprised at some of his answers.  They weren’t things I had expected.     I was glad I had asked the question, so I could make plans accordingly.  I want my son to know that he has a voice in the things we do.  It’s important to make your child feel valued.

I propose to all the parents out there to take part of the #didsomething campaign.  Take your child out on a date and listen to them.   Let them have a voice.

Mighty Mama’s – Applying our Strengths to Motherhood

This week on Mighty Mama’s, we are discussing our personal strengths and how we put them to good use in Motherhood.   Check these amazing Mama’s strengths this week at the Little & Mighty blog.

Bloggers Getting Fit – #fabFITbloggers

This summer, I have teamed up with 3 other incredible ladies to document our journey to get fit and be the best versions of ourselves. Each Friday we will keeping ourselves accountable to not only ourselves but you by documenting how we’ve progressed and our challenges along the way.  You will be able to follow our journeys on our blogs and thru social media via our #fabFITbloggers hashtag.

My story:  Since my late teens, I have always struggled with my weight. Now that I am well into my 40’s, I know that I am never going to have that 20-something bikini body that everyone strives for. My focus now is on being healthy and fit so that I can keep up with my super active son. I have recently developed a love for Zumba and Spin classes, so that makes it much easier to get myself to the gym on a regular basis. I am also planning to run a 10k this fall, so I really need to step things up. My eating is also something I really need to focus on and improve.  I need to often remind myself, if the junk isn’t in the house, the junk isn’t there to be consumed.  It’s baby steps but in the end, I am looking for a larger improvement.  Looking forward to seeing the fruits of my labor as the summer progresses.    And I now look forward to keeping myself accountable to everyone out there.  It’s a lot easier to stay on track when someone is watching.  😉   You can also follow my journey on my Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts.

 

Blogger @ www.thismessyseason.com:  After having two kids in less than two years, I was pretty shocked by how slowly I was losing weight.  I’ve always been petite and able to eat anything I want and work out a little and be okay.  Lately, when I see photos of myself though I’m shocked by how much weight I’ve gained!  I’ve dedicated my summer to get into the best shape of my life.  I’m working out six times a week, doing things I enjoy like spin class and kickboxing.  I’ve changed my diet, but working harder on that is a top priority.  I’m a dessert person, so retraining myself to see food for full has been interesting!  I’m excited to on this journey with fellow bloggers. Follow along on the blog and Instagram @messyseasonblogger .

 

My name is Stephanie and I am an emotional eater. Happy- I eat. Sad- I indulge. Bored- I snack. I am addicted to french fries and chocolate. My fitness goals aren’t to lose a specific amount of weight or inches, it’s just to be more healthy overall. To feel stronger. To look at myself in the mirror and feel content in my own skin. I’m almost 30 and I want my best body now. I want to be more conscious about what I’m putting into my body, and I want to find a workout regimen that will work best for me and my schedule as a stay at home Momma. Don’t forget to follow along with me on: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Hi I’m Rachelle from Www.tuesdayswithjacob.com  and I’m a victim of the post-partum slump. At some point in my pregnancy my doctor told me I would probably weigh less 8 weeks after delivery than I did before getting pregnant. And I believed him. I believed I wouldn’t have to do any work to lose the baby weight. Flash forward 2 years and it’s still here. My brother is getting married in a little less than a month and my short term goal is to get my dress to zip! I joined isagenix a few weeks ago and I’ve started jogging with my son as well as doing some YouTube fitness videos. Here’s to getting fit! Follow her at: Www.instagram.com/tuesdayswithjacob & Www.facebook.com/tuesdayswithjacob .

So I hope you enjoy following our journeys this summer!  Any encouragement is always appreciated!

Until next week……

 

Happy to Smile, thanks to my Spinbrush!

There is a saying that I like to live by, “If you see someone without a smile, give them yours!”.

Recently, I was asked by ChickAdvisor to review the Arm & Hammer Truly Radiant Clean & Fresh Spinbrush toothbrush as part of their #TrySpinBrush campaign.

 

I was excited to try this one out because if I am going to be sharing my smile, it is important that I keep it healthy and bright.

Normally I just use a manual toothbrush so I was anxious to see how much cleaner my teeth felt after using it.   As soon as it arrived, I brushed my teeth right away.  The way my bottom teeth lay, I can always tell when I am getting a bit of plaque build up on the back of them and ready for my next cleaning.  I am booked for a cleaning soon and so my teeth aren’t feeling their cleanest right now.  Even after that first brushing, the back of my bottom teeth already felt different, like some of that buildup had been removed.

I have been using the toothbrush religiously now for almost 2 weeks and my teeth feel so much cleaner and look even a little bit whiter.

If there was any complaint I could make about this toothbrush, is the motor is a bit loud, but nothing I can’t live with.

This one is definitely a keeper.  I am curious to see what my dentist has to say about my teeth when I go in for my cleaning.

 

**Although this product was provided to me for free, all thoughts, comments and photos are mine**

 

Live, Laugh, Love

Louis Armstrong crooned “And I think to myself, what a wonderful world”.

Sadly, at times like this, I do not think it is so wonderful.

After spending a large majority of my weekend enjoying life and somewhat oblivious to things going on in the world, I came home to turn on the news to update after update of tragedy and hate.  Regardless if this horrific tragedy was based on hated of peoples sexual orientation or based on hatred for a race/population of people, it was base on hate.  This shooter felt such hatred that these people were so different from him that he felt it was okay to end their innocent lives.  There was no tolerance, there was no acceptance, there was nothing but pure hate.

Prior to this, last week it seemed like every time I looked at social media, I was bombarded with report after report of the horrific acts of a male who seemed to blame everyone but himself for forever changing the life of an innocent young women.  He was upset that he perceived his “20 minutes” of wrongdoing should not ruin the rest of his life. Seriously?  Did he ever think about how that “20 minutes” would forever change the life of that young woman?  I read an article about how he blamed his “poor decisions” on alcohol and the college drinking culture.  I am completely sickened.  If this person can’t take ownership of brutally raping an unconscious young woman, then what else is he going to do in the future and blame everyone but himself?  He feels that 6 months in jail is too much punishment?  This poor girl is going to relive the horror for the rest of her life.

Where am I going with this?  I wish I wasn’t going anywhere.  I am wishing that people in this world wouldn’t think that their lives are so much more important and that their beliefs were so much more important than everyone else.  I wish people would stop thinking that they can hurt others and not face any sort of consequences.  I wish people would take ownership of wrongdoings and instead of placing blame on others, fix the problems.  I wish people would accept, tolerate, and support others differences.  I wish that my son and all other children weren’t being brought up in a world like this.   I wish we didn’t have to teach them “tolerance” and “acceptance”, it should just be a given!

What I wish for is everyone to live by 3 easy words:  Live, Laugh, Love

I have had a decal on the wall of my home for many years with that exact phrase.  My son once asked me what it meant.  My explanation to him was:

Live: This is your life, no one else can live it for you, so you need to make the best of what you have and not dwell on what you don’t have.

Laugh:  You only get one life, so laugh as much as you can.  Laugh at even the small stuff.   Happiness is what makes life great.  Try not to let sadness and upset take over your life.

Love:  Regardless of what material things you have in life, nothing will ever amount to what Love can give you.  Love long,  love hard,  love often.

Your definition of each of these words may be different than mine but if everyone lived by them, the world would be a much better place.

 

Mighty Mama’s Tips to Reset After a Hard Day

This week on the Mighty Mama’s reveal their ways of resetting after a particularly hard day.  We’ve all had them, and getting through them isn’t always easy.  Check out our reset tips on the Mighty Mama’s blog .  Hopefully you don’t have one of those kinds of days anytime soon.  Would love to hear your ways to re-coup!