Tidbits
Lesson I’ve Learned as a Mom: Don’t Compare
It’s so easy to fall into the trap of comparison as a mom.
Momin’ ain’t easy!!!
And during those moments (days…years…) of despair there is bound to be someone doing it better. It’s always out there. On Facebook, Instagram, etc. “Perfect moms” with “perfect kids.” OH PLEASE!! That doesn’t exist. Social media is what we CHOOSE to show. Please remember that!
Don’t COMPARE.
Also, PLEASE don’t judge!!
Let other moms make mistakes. Let other moms make different choices!
You know what is better than comparing? LOVING, HONORING, PRAISING other moms. If you see a mom doing a great job, compliment her! Maybe ask her her secret. (Chances are you just caught her on a good day…but you never know).
Making mistakes is cool. It means you are trying.
But you don’t have to fail alone!!! Reach out to your mom tribe. Ask for advice. We might not have the answer (do we ever?!!!), so then we can cry or fist bump over our shared misery!!
It IS just a season. There are seasons when we feel like we are getting in our mom-groove, and season when we can’t seem to get a single thing right.
That brings me to another point: SEASONS. The moms you think have it all might just be in a different season than you. They might have different priorities than you. I’ll be honest, I don’t know HOW moms can look put together. EVER. I don’t even feel like I remember how to wear clothes I might actually care about more than their function – “Can I workout in this? Can this get dirty? How many times can I wear this before someone notices I’m wearing the same outfit day after day?” BUT maybe those moms are really into fashion and that is THEIR THING. Their …
Read MoreMust Have Products for New Mamas
This week, we are continuing to celebrate Moms – Woohoo!! Being a mom can be overwhelming and hard, and finding the “BEST” products can be even more overwhelming and hard! Today, I am going to share with you a few of my Must Have Products that I have loved as a new mom! These are products that I would call more of an investment – a few items that we spent the most money on, but also the products that we used the most, and probably more than we ever thought imaginable.
4MOMS PLAYARD
We have used our 4MOMS Playard more than I ever thought we would. When my daughter was first born, the playard is what she napped in and played in when we weren’t holding her so that we could easily see her while we worked around the house. Having her out in the living room also helped her to get acclimated to noise. In the last year, we have traveled with this to friends’ and grandparents’ houses, hotels and more – we never had to worry about where Sophie would sleep or the hassle of a long setup when we were away from home.
Here is what I love most about the 4MOMS Playard…
- It packs up really nicely and is light enough for me to carry on my own.
2. It is SO EASY and QUICK to assemble and breakdown! (Probably our FAVORITE part)
Click the link to see my demo that shows the base being assembled in less than 7 seconds!!
3. Sophie loved it!!
The top mattress bassinet allowed me to use it when she was little. As she grew, I simply took the top piece off to use the bottom mattress. She spent a lot of time in this and …
Read MoreLet’s Get Motivated!
“You can’t expect NEW results with the same habits.” – Susan Sly
Are you looking for motivation? Trying to get moving?
You have to do something different. You have to START.
Here are a few ways to get going:
- Get into action!
- Get accountability – tell some friends what you are doing. Better yet, encourage them to get going with YOU!
- Clear away distractions – clean up your workspace, make a nice workout area at home, turn off the TV, whatever is distracting you. MOVE IT AWAY!
- Stop Complaining. START DOING!
- Find inspiration. Put on uplifting music, read a good book, or listen to a podcast. Better yet, call a friend that makes you feel AMAZING!
- Exercise. It is good for your mind, body and soul!
- BELIEVE it will happen. Visualize yourself at your goal. Think about the way you feel and let that feeling motivate you!
If you are looking for more ways to get motivated, feel better and more energized, or start a healthier routine please contact us! We would love to help you get started or be your accountability partners!
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Your Essential Self
I am currently reading a book by Shauna Niequest, her newest book Present over Perfect. In the chapter titled “Baptism” she talks about your essential self. She says “I thought midlife season would be about pushing into a new future… and it is. I thought it would be about leaving behind the expectations and encumbrances of the past. It is. What I didn’t know is that it would feel so much like recovering an essential self, not like discovering a new one. Hold close to your essential self.” This has really been resonating with me lately because becoming a mom, I feel like I am supposed to be this completely different person, have it all put together, and have everything figured out. I feel like I am supposed to be this super mom, discover a new person, and come into this new persona.
But what I am really called to be is me. I feel like I have been recovering the person God created me to be through motherhood. It doesn’t have to look like all the other moms I see. It doesn’t have to look like the book I read about parenting. It just has to be me. As I take hold of this role, I want to recover the free, spirited, positive, loving, and open minded person I have always been. I don’t want to be tainted or wrecked by the world around me. I don’t want to get stuck in perfectionism or comparison. I just want to be me. So as I read this chapter, I realize growing up is about becoming more self aware. It is about embracing even more who God created me to be. Not discovering a new self. I am who I am and God created me as I am for a …
Read MoreFeel Refreshed with a New DO
Do you ever feel like your body gets too used to your deodorant and stops working as well? Have you heard about all the chemicals they put in deodorant? It has been founded that the aluminum that is in many antiperspirants is now linked to breast cancer and alzheimer’s – Yikes! We have tried to make some changes in our life that have been more natural and one of those changes has been in deodorant. The two brands we have tried is Simply Divine Botanicals and Native, which we have loved!
Simply Divine Botanicals
- Spray
- Aluminum free
- Encourages lymphatic drainage and circulation
- Made with all natural ingredients, including essential oils
- Scents: Keeping Abreast of It, Lavender, Lemongrass, Pink Grapefruit, Rose, Sandalwood, Tangerine, Unscented
- Learn more here
Native
- Natural ingredients like shea butter and jojoba oil
- Aluminum free and paraben free
- Lasts all day
- Scents: Coconut & Vanilla (most popular), Lavender & Rose, Unscented, Grapefruit & Bergamot (seasonal), Sample Pack
- Free shipping and a full refund if you don’t love it
- Learn more and read thousands of reviews here
Now, when choosing these or any kind of natural deodorant, it will be an investment. But, personally, with all the chemicals that are added to other types, I think it is worth it!
As Native states, “Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.”
Let us know if you try either of these or if you have other brands of natural DO that you love!
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Easter Craft to Share Love
Only two weeks before Easter Sunday and I am thinking of how I can bless others and at the same time expose them to new and exciting ways to add deeper meaning to their Easter celebration. I am always looking for how to creatively combine the fun aspects of Easter with the real reason that we celebrate Resurrection Sunday. I saw this website and really liked this free printable the blogger offered. So I downloaded it and made a basket full of Easter M&M treat bags to share with friends. I am hoping to invite them to our church for our Easter celebration if they don’t have a place to worship on Easter Sunday. I have found that in my community there are many women who want to feel like they belong. They do not want to be alone. They may be entering a new season of life and they feel unprepared. They may be facing some emotional hardship in their life. They may just need a friend to talk to and get advice from. Maybe when I am willing to take a risk and give a small gift of love and friendship to my neighbors or new acquaintances I might meet, it may open a door of communication. I serve and love a God of grace who brings peace, love, security and purpose. I want to share this love and grace with others. In the gospel of John 14:27, John quotes Jesus who says, “I give you peace, I do not give you what the world gives you. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Do not be afraid.” So this Easter season, I am going to make a basket of these little M&M treat bags and share them with others. I will be hoping and praying that this …
Read MoreThe Benefits of Barre
After my first Barre class, I was sold. I loved the concept of getting deeper into the moves while using the ballet barre for balance. With the focus of tone and on muscles you didn’t even know you had, you will definitely feel these workouts. In a Fitness Magazine article, Sadie Lincoln, the founder of barre3 fitness says,
“Most barre-based classes use a combination of postures inspired by ballet and other disciplines like yoga and Pilates. The barre is used as a prop to balance while doing exercises that focus on isometric strength training (holding your body still while you contract a specific set of muscles) combined with high reps of small range-of-motion movements.”
The article continued with the many benefits of barre…
- Improved Posture
- Muscle Definition
- Weight Loss
- Increased Flexibility
- Reduced Stress
- Low Impact making these workouts doable during pregnancy
- May help with Imbalance and Stability during pregnancy
- Combines Strength Training and Cardio
Some added benefits…
- You don’t need any special gear – just a yoga mat, chair (use as your barre), and sometimes light hand weights and resistance bands
- *You don’t need any dance experience*
I have loved adding Barre workouts to my weekly routine. Unfortunately, barre studios can be pretty costly. However, I discovered that you can find quite a few options of Barre workouts on Youtube to do at home. Last week, I tried out these At home Barre workouts from Brit + Co. Each video is a different style of barre so it really shows you the variety that each class can have. Also, take advantage of your local studios that give a free class to try!
What are your favorite workouts or most recent workout trends to do at home?
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We Love Discounts!
This month is all about things, people, and activities that we love! Something that we all LOVE is a bargain! Living in California means that we all pay a “pretty penny” for the sunshine and ocean breeze 🙂 So, we have all become accustomed to searching for discounts and finding the best deals. This could be as simple as price checking a product on Amazon or doing more research to figure out timing of sales at a store. Here are a few of my most recent discoveries when bargain shopping…
- Buy Buy Baby has to put baby food 50% off when it is three months out from its expiration date.
2. Costco has quite a few discount tricks to be on the look out for: A price ending in .97 is a deal decided by the manager; A price ending in .49 or .79 is a manufacturer’s special; A price tag with an asterisk means that the item has been discontinued.
3. Get additional discounts at Target with the Cartwheel App (more on this in a future post)! Want even more of a discount…Check out Bethany’s post TOMORROW to read about why you should get a Target RedCard! We just got one and we LOVE it!!
4. Shop at Sprouts on WEDNESDAYS for Double Ad Days when two weeks of ads overlap. Save even more using the app for more specials and mobile coupons! We love buying our produce on Wednesdays at Sprouts because there are such great deals!
5. Zulily is one of our favorite websites and apps to find Baby Clothes and Toys, Party Supplies and many other Mom-Need purchases! All the prices are discounted and we have found some really great birthday gifts, home decor, and some favorites and go-tos such as Pack-its!
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Fail. Learn. Grow.
We fail. It’s part of our nature. Part of learning. Sometimes we fail small. Mostly, we fail big.
Maybe you are failing at something right now. I know I am.
But here’s the secret:
It’s only FAILURE if we give up.
Are we going to choose to learn and grow from a fail, or do we let it define us? When you are defined by a fail–that’s FAILURE.
It’s a few weeks into 2017 and chances are you aren’t living up to all your expectations. Maybe you’ve already failed at a few of your resolutions/goals. I’m here to encourage you. I’m here to tell you to keep moving forward.
Failing is part of the journey. When you go big, there are more opportunities to fail, but there are also so many opportunities to GROW.
“Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.”
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This Thanksgiving…Serving Gogo Grandmothers & Helping the Poorest of the Poor
THIS THANKSGIVING…find a way to give back!!! Being thankful is a very important aspect of life. When we acknowledge all the good things that bring JOY into our lives, we open up our emotional and spiritual barriers that regulate our ability to bless others. When gratitude, love, peace and contentment fill our lives we open the floodgates and can overflow with JOY to the people around us. As some of you know from a few things I have shared …I am involved in a ministry in Malawi, Africa that serve the poorest of the poor. The group is called SAFE/Gogo Grandmothers. (SAFE stands for Sub-Saharan African Family Enrichment and Gogo Grandmothers is a subset of that broader ministry). This is a registered NGO, approved 501(c)3 non- profit organization that reaches out to African grandmothers raising the orphans of AIDS in the sub-Saharan country of Malawi. There are over one million orphans in Malawi, which is now the POOREST country in all of Africa. There is also a famine occurring in this area which puts these orphans at even greater risk. GOGO Grandmothers are reaching out to an entire generation of lost children providing the grandmothers with basic needs like seeds, fertilizer, mosquito nets, blankets, preschool and feeding programs.
This Thanksgiving season, I would like to challenge each of our followers to find a way to take action and show gratitude for all the ways you have been blessed. Spend some time with your family and pick an organization or ministry where you can go and volunteer for a day. Help out a neighbor or visit an assisted living facility and drop off treats or just go talk to the residents. It is amazing how a little bit of love can bring so much JOY into a lonely or needy person’s …
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