F is for Family

Family, home, travel, life

Fitness & Fun Fridays: How to Stick to a Fitness Plan

It’s almost February…FEBRUARY! The first month of 2016 has whizzed by in a blink. Now is the time to look at those resolutions and assess the situation. Are you still on track? Have you fallen off the bandwagon? How can you get re-motivated? If you have completely fallen off track and need to get back on the wagon, these are my tips for getting back into high gear.

 

1)    What are your obstacles? The hardest part of making a big life change is keeping up the motivation. January is the big month to “start new things”, it’s also the peak of cold and flu season and the kick off to new work projects, the weather is dreary and cold. If you think about it, it’s a huge recipe for nope-I-will-stay-lazy! You may have started out with a bang and already fizzled. Identify all the things in your way. The only way to solve for those issues is to acknowledge they exist.


2)    Bust out that new planner! It was so fun filling in those first few dates in January. The planner was all sparkly and new. If you were like me, you carried that thing with everyday those first few weeks. It’s now probably collecting dust in your office or the back of your car. Go find it! Mark on the calendar your fitness plan and your meal plan. Schedule your health like you do important appointments. This is just as important. Planners aren’t your thing? Put it on your work calendar. Write it in code with outlook reminders. Don’t let “time” get the best of you. A 30 minute workout, which is all that a program like, 21 Day Fix calls for daily is 2% of your day. Find a program that works for you. You spend more time checkingSocial Media trust me.

3)    Make it fun! Do you kind of dread going to gym or are you dripping with kiddos and can’t seem to find the “time”? Make it a game. Take your kids bikes out, take the dog out for a walk or start out solo and turn it into interval training. Use an app that times intervals or a playlist that you love and make a goal to jog for half a song, walk half a song or do lunges from one mailbox to the next. If you have kids, they will love it and they may be begging you to for a “workout walk”. Don’t underestimate the impact new inspiration can have on you! I’ve personally been stalkingJill Conyers health and fitness blog and love all her tips and recipes.

4)    Make it convenient. Hi pot, I’m kettle! This is me, writing myself advice. I love sleep. I hate cold. These are two amazing January excuses for me to hit the snooze button. And boy have I taken full advantage of this in the last two weeks. It’s a good thing I live in Florida or I may be in full on hibernation mode by this point. This is what is on my list of things to incorporate into my routine to get me motivated. Layout everything the night before. Get your water bottle together, clothes and even your gym bag set and ready to go. Take away as much excuse as you can. If you workout at home, like me, set up your weight, towel and everything so that all you have to do is get dressed and hit play. Shoot, go to bed in your workout gear…we won’t judge!


5)    Don’t give up and don’t judge yourself. So, you blew the last week. You didn’t work out; you ate 3 days worth of cheat meals, whatever it is, give yourself a break. Making a huge change is tough and taking a few steps back is part of the process. Don’t look at it as a failure or that you have to start from scratch. You just have worry about today, yesterday already happened. Get back into the swing and move forward.

I’m on round, I’ve lost count, with 21 Day Fix and I still have to keep working at staying on track. If I slack on workouts, I tighten up my diet. I can honestly say the program has taught me to maintain and I haven’t put on any weight even though I haven’t followed everything perfectly this past month. I have goals I’d still like to reach and I’m trying to keep in mind that this is a journey and a personal one. I’m “training” to feel better about myself, not to win an Olympic medal so, perfection isn’t needed but determination is.

 

If you want more info on joining my next 21 Day Fix accountability group, email me! I love adding new challengers to keep me motivated. If you have tips that keep you moving, let me know I love getting new fitness inspiration!

 

5 Tips for Getting Organized in 2016



My life is crazy and it’s not going to get any easier. I have 2 kids, a husband, a full-time job, two small businesses and a blog to run. I’ve considered cutting something out but my kids, I kind of love them both and my husband is pretty awesome so, I just can’t seem to cut anything loose right now. The best I can do it try to streamline and get organized.
I’m also a Pinterest addict, who isn’t…am I right?! So, here is my quick and easy 5 steps to getting organized in 2016. Subscribe below for a printable for a blog planner and the launch of my new newsletter!


1.    Find A Favorite Calendar Or Organizer
Last year, I received the Kate Spade organizer for Christmas last year and I loved it! I carried it everywhere and it actually made it with me until September and then all hell broke loose and I dropped off the organization bandwagon…I was so close! The part that helped was that I really liked the organizer, it was a great size to throw in my purse and that made it easy to keep with me. Go search the organizer aisle at Target or Office Depot. Make sure it has what you need. Splurge on the “pretty one”, you’ll be more inclined to want to pick it up often if you really love it.
2.    Try An Organization App
I have 2 kids, I write this blog and I have 2 Direct Sales Companies that I’m running…oh, yea and a full-time job and a husband. I’m not always home, I’m in the office or at appointments. Sometimes I need things to ping my phone and remind me. I’ve used the Asana app for work and it’s actually really great. You can use it to remind yourself of follow-up items, create a task list, project and even collaborate with others. For example, say I have to plan a birthday and I need my husband on board to help. I can plan it out as a project, make him sign up and assign him “To-Do” items and it will send him reminders.
Running a direct sales business means I have a lot of things that I need to keep on top of there as well. So, this year I’m looking into 2 apps that can help me get organized and keep me on track. I read about Pocket Parties and myConsultant on the Beths Bagz and More blog and I can’t wait to take them for a test drive.
3.    Pick A Day To Get Everything Organized
Schedule your day/time to organize, make it a priority. I’m putting this in writing for my own accountability. I spend my work time keeping everything organized and in line but my personal time is never scheduled. Our personal time is just as important. Whether you run a household of schlepping kids around or a thriving business, everyone needs some “office” hours to keep everything in line. Put it on the calendar and it’s less likely that it will be pushed to the wayside.
4.    Declutter Your Main Work Area
Clear away the distraction. Give yourself a sanctuary to work in. Decorate it in your style, make it “you”. When you have a space that is your calm-in-the-storm it gives you a place to go get centered.
5.    Schedule Monthly Check-Ins
Again, if it’s on the calendar it’s probably important. If it’s important, you’re less likely to skip it. Schedule monthly check-ins to see how you are doing. Is your calendar still up to date? Are you giving yourself realistic time frames to complete tasks? It’s important to set yourself up for success and checking in and getting a sense of how things are going is the best way to do this!

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Discovery Toys Busy Farm Review

I made my announcement on Facebook but haven’t added the big news to the blog because I had some work in progress. I just recently joined the amazing Discovery Toys Team as a Educational Consultant and I’m beyond thrilled to share why with you on the bloggy blog!

I actually went looking for Discovery Toys after a talk with my Mom about a few toys that I just loved growing up. I wasn’t sure if they were still around but after a short Google search, I found them. I did a little research on what the company has been doing over the past 35 years and looked through the catalogs and I was hooked again.
Here’s why: yes, they are toys but they are learning…I’m constantly searching for great toys that Sofia and Jackson can use for play and exploration. I whole heartedly believe in learning through play, especially at this early age! As a matter of fact, did you know that 90% (9-0-%) of brain development happens by age 5! If that’s not proof of how important early education is, I don’t know what statistic would be. That blew my mind when I read it.
I was super excited about all the toys when my kit arrived but I wanted to get the true opinion of what the kids thought. So, I corralled Sofia into being my assistant. The very first toy we checked out was Busy Farm. I chose this one for Sofia because she loved sorting, she loved letters and putting them together with a little direction just makes sense.

I let her explore the set and work with as many of the direction cards as she wanted. Then, I let her sit back and play how she wanted. She sorted by color, by animal, in rainbow order. She talked about letters and practiced the sounds each word made all while she played for AN HOUR AND 15 MINUTES…straight!!! I cooked dinner, played with a puzzle with Jackson and she happily played close by telling me all about what was happening on her farm.

I’ll write this down of as a WIN! Check out our very first YouTube video and Sofia’s official review of Busy Farm and check out the learning games at Discovery Toys!

Working Mom Wednesday: Learning to Lean In

I’ve debated hitting on this topic, it’s somewhat controversial, possibly, and definitely more taboo to speak about but marriage is tough. I know, you’ve heard that before. It’s even harder with kids. And if you work full time, the difficulty augments even more. You balance your children, your career, your home and oh yea, your marriage. It sadly seems to fall in that order.

A few months back, I read Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg. I highly recommend it to all the working Moms out there. Some of it seemed incredibly relatable right off the bat. She mentions that to be a successful business woman and mother, it’s necessary for husbands to be just as involved with children and house work as women. That makes sense; it’s exactly how life worked when Sofia was born, even before to honest. My husband is an amazing cook, he has no problem cleaning dishes or floors, he does bath time more often than I do, he even blow dries Sofia’s hair before bed!

Then we had Jackson and things were SOP when I went back to work. If I cooked, he did dishes, if he got dinner together, I cleaned dishes. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, we were just out of sync. I was breastfeeding the baby over night, the baby who never slept…EVER! And he seemed to sleep right through this even though we both had to be up for work the next day. I was getting frustrated and he was getting to sleep! Or so the imbalance seemed in my sleep deprived fog. The more I felt that I was taking on the load of childrearing, the more I seemed to silently take on more pick-ups, drop-offs, dinner planning, grocery shopping and this led to more frustration in our relationship.
I ended up overhearing someone quote Sandberg about being equal partners in the home and it dawned on me that we had gotten away from a philosophy that had worked so well for us even before kids. I also realized that I probably hadn’t even verbalized my issues. We had a lunch together where we were finally honest about what the issues truly were and I can say that after talking, we were much more “normal” (if you know us, there is no normal in this house) and back in sync. (I said *NSync..hehe )
A sorority sister and blogger friend at This Hard Calling, recently mentioned in a status update about her and her husbands’ anniversary, that they had been through so much over the years, good and bad and at times she questioned if she had married the “right” person. We are always told to be careful to choose “Mr. Right” as if, the alternative means he’s”Mr. Wrong”. She continued by admitting that she realized that, in fact, she had married someone just as human and flawed as herself. Her statement was raw, honest and open. It immediately made me stop and reflect on my relationship and the dynamics involved in being married with children. It has inspired me to be more aware of our marriage and take more responsibility for myself as a component of that relationship.
So, I have to give a big thank you to my husband for being a hard working man and father but for also being a kick ass laundry folder, an amazing cook, our household Chief Financial Officer, handling bath time like a boss and blow drying toddler hair, for letting me be crazy about car seats, holistic medicine options, Kombucha, occasionally cloth diapering, being relentless about early childhood education and being *semi* tolerant of my free range parenting even though you are a helicopter parent. But most of all thank you for being an equal partner inside the home and with our children.
Thank you for the patience of learning to “Lean In” to this crazy life along side of me. 

The Toddler Implosion: Replay

If you have a toddler, or know a toddler, I’m sure you’ve been privy to watching their simple world implode because of some small detail like; they wanted to cut their watermelon on their own. This catastrophe almost always happens unexpectedly. Example, you have cut the watermelon for them EVERY DAY of their young 3 year life but today, somehow, you missed the memo on honing your mind reading abilities and your actions have now torn a gaping hole in the space-time continuum and the world as we know it is now ending.  

This was my evening last night. Not only did I ruin my toddler’s life once but I devastated her world no less than 4 times because…I’m good like that. This is what I like to call “tantrum dominoes”, it’s a fun game where I can’t win, the rules change continuously and the momentum is so fierce it will leave you chugging straight from the wine bottle by 9pm. It’s basically an extreme sport. Walk with me while I show you how it unfolded.

It all started with asking her to put her shoes on in order to make a grocery run for dinner. She showed no signs of doing such an activity by herself so, Grandma attempted to put her shoes on for her. (So, technically Grandma started all of it….sigh, Grandmas and their helpfulness!) This started an epic battle of wills, Grandma won. Bonus points for Grandma. We make it to the car; I try to lift her into her seat…fail! Some screaming ensues, a promise of a free cookie at the grocery store pacifies and we finally get on the road.

Get to grocery store, there are no sprinkle cookies. NO SPRINKLE COOKIES!  “Where shopping is a pleasure”, unless there are no sprinkle cookies left, in which case shopping is not a pleasure at all! You have to understand, in Sofia’s world, we get 2 cookies at every Publix trip. Her cookie is a sprinkle cookie, JT’s cookie is a chocolate chip cookie…there is no feasible way they can both consume the same type of cookie. And she stuck to her guns and had nothing to do with that chocolate chip cookie. I’d admire her conviction if it didn’t mean I spent 30 minutes of my life hearing about the travesty of the lack of sprinkles in her life.

We get home for dinner, quesadilla and taco night! My loving husband did me a favor of getting dinner started. Unfortunately, this meant that he did all the cooking without Sofia’s help and this was tantrum 3 at which point, Mommy’s patience were about maxed out. I scooped her up to get her in her seat and this turned into World War III because she wanted to get in herself. By the time we came to a truce and I reached for her plate it became apparent that the dog had somehow misunderstood dinner and felt that the quesadilla served on the pink plate was his dinner. Dammit, Hurley! The universe was clearly having a good time at my expense.

As a backup, we attempted to serve her a hard taco….BLASPHEMY! The world was at this point decimated. This is what the end of days looks like folks! It took no less than 30 minutes to get her to calm down and actually sit down for dinner.

For those wondering when baby #3 is coming…oh, you are cute!

 

***Disclaimer: No parents, children or dogs were injured in the making of this post***

Earth Day Recap

There’s something about hearing all the buzz about Earth Day that really makes you want to make changes! Last year, we planted seeds to try and grow our little garden. Too bad Mommy didn’t realize that the those suckers sprout way faster than I expected and I had no pots to transfer them into in time. MOM FAIL. (Check out that Throw Back Thursday pic of Sofia…where did that little nugget go?!)

Had to go with TBT on this one because we could plant seeds, take pics and keep JT from eating the dirt…oops!

This year, with Sofia being in school and me being a room Mom, I sent her in with a big bag of giveaways for Earth Day/Show and Tell. A family friend was able to score is a big box of goodies from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. It had a coloring book and information on water conservation and the usefulness of pollinators.

We love our coloring book and conservation information.
Hopefully this years seeds have better luck than last year!

It also included temporary tattoos. So, of course, Sofia was thrilled to dig into those! We are using the books and coloring book to talk about what we can do to help the environment. One of Sofia’s favorite shows is Plum Landing on PBS and it helps reiterate some of what we read.

And because I love to *try* to grow plants, we are attempting seeds again…I’m prepared with pots this time!

What did you do for Earth Day? Tell us all about it!

Earth Day Recap

There’s something about hearing all the buzz about Earth Day that really makes you want to make changes! Last year, we planted seeds to try and grow our little garden. Too bad Mommy didn’t realize that the those suckers sprout way faster than I expected and I had no pots to transfer them into in time. MOM FAIL. (Check out that Throw Back Thursday pic of Sofia…where did that little nugget go?!)

Had to go with TBT on this one because we could plant seeds, take pics and keep JT from eating the dirt…oops!

This year, with Sofia being in school and me being a room Mom, I sent her in with a big bag of giveaways for Earth Day/Show and Tell. A family friend was able to score is a big box of goodies from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. It had a coloring book and information on water conservation and the usefulness of pollinators.

We love our coloring book and conservation information.
Hopefully this years seeds have better luck than last year!

It also included temporary tattoos. So, of course, Sofia was thrilled to dig into those! We are using the books and coloring book to talk about what we can do to help the environment. One of Sofia’s favorite shows is Plum Landing on PBS and it helps reiterate some of what we read.

And because I love to *try* to grow plants, we are attempting seeds again…I’m prepared with pots this time!

What did you do for Earth Day? Tell us all about it!

How to Tell if You Are Mommydextrous

As Moms, we are tasked with challenge of juggling multiple things at one time…all the time. This applies if you are a working Mom or you are a stay at home Mom.

We’ve all swapped stories about what amazing conversation out toddler just “had” to have with us while using the bathroom. You’ve seen the meme’s with little hands peeking under a closed bathroom door. They’re funny because they are true! This is what I like to call being “Mommydextrous”. It’s the ability to be a Mom on one hand while also completing another task simultaneously and more often than not, single handedly. 
Just a few weeks ago, while working from home, the full scope of multitasking with children sort of hit me in the face. I had a conference call that got pushed back later than normal, my babysitter had to leave early, JT wouldn’t nap and it resulted in the perfect storm. 
Like any working Mom in my situation, my goal was the hide the fact that I had a baby that needed as much attention as my conference call. Another, fellow Mom once pointed out, this isn’t nearly a hot topic with working Dad’s. But this type of  “distraction” could put a huge road block up for a working Mom. 
I proceeded to try and scurry from room to room and feign a large scale game of “peek-a-boo” while strategically clicking mute on and off during attempts of silence. By the time it was time to present on the call I was both winded and losing the patience of an aggregates 15month old. 
He retaliated by playing in the toilet as I had about 30 seconds left of talk time. I ended my call stretching the phone as far away as possible from the squirming, fussing baby dangling from my arm who was both over my work duties and also in need of being disinfected!.Toilet water…gag! Needless to say the balancing act was not pretty or sanitary this day. This is just one of many situations where my many hats have overlapped and I know Many of you can relate.

So, this is my ode to the multitasking Mom. Here’s a huge round of applause to all the Mommy’s who have learned to cook single handed, or who have mastered screwing on bottle tops with a grabby baby (or toddler) in one hand and managing said container in the other.
Here’s to the Moms who can read a book, build blocks, sculpt PlayDoh and help solve puzzles with one child while simultaneously lulling another child to sleep. Here’s a pat on the back to the Moms who have fed a baby while doing just about anything you can think of. Your “Mommydexterity” is a unique talent that should be honored and respected. 
It’s just a shame that with all our juggling ability, we can never quite finish that cup of coffee before it gets cold! Here’s an extra clink for all the times you’ve put it in the microwave to heat it up and forgotten about it. 

How to Tell if You Are Mommydextrous

As Moms, we are tasked with challenge of juggling multiple things at one time…all the time. This applies if you are a working Mom or you are a stay at home Mom.

We’ve all swapped stories about what amazing conversation out toddler just “had” to have with us while using the bathroom. You’ve seen the meme’s with little hands peeking under a closed bathroom door. They’re funny because they are true! This is what I like to call being “Mommydextrous”. It’s the ability to be a Mom on one hand while also completing another task simultaneously and more often than not, single handedly. 
Just a few weeks ago, while working from home, the full scope of multitasking with children sort of hit me in the face. I had a conference call that got pushed back later than normal, my babysitter had to leave early, JT wouldn’t nap and it resulted in the perfect storm. 
Like any working Mom in my situation, my goal was the hide the fact that I had a baby that needed as much attention as my conference call. Another, fellow Mom once pointed out, this isn’t nearly a hot topic with working Dad’s. But this type of  “distraction” could put a huge road block up for a working Mom. 
I proceeded to try and scurry from room to room and feign a large scale game of “peek-a-boo” while strategically clicking mute on and off during attempts of silence. By the time it was time to present on the call I was both winded and losing the patience of an aggregates 15month old. 
He retaliated by playing in the toilet as I had about 30 seconds left of talk time. I ended my call stretching the phone as far away as possible from the squirming, fussing baby dangling from my arm who was both over my work duties and also in need of being disinfected!.Toilet water…gag! Needless to say the balancing act was not pretty or sanitary this day. This is just one of many situations where my many hats have overlapped and I know Many of you can relate.

So, this is my ode to the multitasking Mom. Here’s a huge round of applause to all the Mommy’s who have learned to cook single handed, or who have mastered screwing on bottle tops with a grabby baby (or toddler) in one hand and managing said container in the other.
Here’s to the Moms who can read a book, build blocks, sculpt PlayDoh and help solve puzzles with one child while simultaneously lulling another child to sleep. Here’s a pat on the back to the Moms who have fed a baby while doing just about anything you can think of. Your “Mommydexterity” is a unique talent that should be honored and respected. 
It’s just a shame that with all our juggling ability, we can never quite finish that cup of coffee before it gets cold! Here’s an extra clink for all the times you’ve put it in the microwave to heat it up and forgotten about it. 

Review of MM.LaFleur Bento Box

I’m sure by now many people have heard of Stitch Fix, a website that creates custom selections of clothes and ships straight to your house. You receive, try on and return what you don’t want and pay for only those pieces you keep. I’ve never tried Stitch Fix but have seen a number of reviews. The looks are more casual, everyday looks, not much that would be work appropriate if you have a business attire work environment. MM.LaFluer is the response to that gap. In my first bento box, I received a dress, collarless cropped blazer, an asymmetrical navy shirt and a plum colored pencil skirt.

First, the clothing in the box comes in a great zippered protective bag with a card that explains what is in your bento selection and how to keep/return the items once you’ve decided. Each item had a great weight to the fabric and was wrinkle free despite being folded in the box. I’m certain they would be perfect for work travel and hold up well in a suitcase. My only complaint about fabric would be that it was a little too heavy for this time of year in Florida, however, being a NYC based company, I can understand how this might be an over site.

Item #1: Emily dress, Black
Review: The dress fit great in the shoulders and waist. It was a bit long as I’m petite. This dress had pockets and because it wasn’t tailored for a petite frame, they weren’t laying quite right. I passed because it wasn’t a “perfect” fit, would need to be tailored and the fabric was a little too heavy for spring/summer in Florida

Item #2: Noho Skirt, Plum
Review: This skirt was extremely comfortable with just the right amount of stretch. Again, not cut for petite so, it cut at a strange area on my leg. I also really wanted it to be more tapered at the bottom. I passed because of fit and the weight of the fabric, same as the dress.

Item #3: Ephron asymmetrical shirt, Navy
Review: The fabric seemed great for travel. Other than that, I was NOT a big fan of much else on this item. I paired it with black ponte pants but the cut of this shirt was not flattering for these pants or any other pants. The slit up the side of the shirt came above waist line meaning that a small amount of skin would show just on one side. Because of the stretch in the fabric and the cut of the slit it hugs the tummy. Which if you have had kids or don’t have a completely flat tummy…you know is not a god thing. This went back without a second thought.

Item #4: Sant Ambroeus Cropped Blazer, Black
Review: Again, great fabric for travel. This is my single regret…I loved this piece. It had quite the price tag attached which was my sole reason for sending it back but this one will probably haunt me and gives me non-buyers remorse! The cut was fantastic, it was cropped in back and comes forward a bit in the front. I threw this on with a grey shift dress I already owned and it looked perfect. This is a piece that could be added to a number of items. It could be worn with jeans, short enough to flatter a work dress and the neutral color would compliment any work wardrobe. This should have been a keeper!

Michael’s AD