Category Archives: Uncategorized

New Business Venture!

July 1, 2016

I am so excited to have teamed up with Beautycounter as brand ambassador.

I went to my first social a couple weeks back, was greeted by Katherine another brand ambassador, she showed me all the products, talked a bit about Beautycounters mission to formulate SAFE beauty products. I left with some samples, and spent $250 to change my skincare routine. Today so many corners are cut to make bulk product at a cheap price, ingredients are poor, and even worse TOXIC to our bodies. Give this video a watch! Its why I chose to be part of the Beautycoutner TEAM.

So here I am sharing with you what I am choosing to be passionate about, and want to so badly share the wealth of knowledge to anyone I can.  Cancer sucks, it hits close to home for me, as I’m sure its hit close to home for many of you. If you could rest assured that what you’re putting on your face and skin is “Safe” WHY THE HELL NOT invest in that security. Then, we have our kids…. our precious lithe angels who we just want to keep inside a bubble so nothing “BAD” ever happens to them. The reality is BAD can happen to anyone. The baby skin care market is saturated with toxic products that millions of people are continuing to buy and put on their babies skin! it makes me sad. Beautycounter has touched all the bases with providing safe, natural products for your babies, and kiddos! I didn’t hesitate to buy those items! I don’t put a price tag on what is best for my kid, neither should you.

I want to share with you a few of my favorite products in hopes you will consider giving them a try too!

the Charcoal BAR .. good for YOU, YOUR MAN, AND YOUR KIDS! Orla has Eczema on the behind the backs of her knees, its been flaring up here and there with the heat. But Ive been using this bar on her and its kept the flares down…so I can say with confidence its a good soap bar option for eczema. You can google away “beauty counter charcoal bar” and the reviews are incredible. at $28 it may seem pricey, but NOT if you cut it into small chunks to use one at a time, it will LAST you a long time!

EWG rating 

 

ed29b5964d83cf055486078d0551f64c

 

DEW SKIN Tinted SPF Moisturizer -2015 Allure Magazine Winner

EWG rating

Screen Shot 2016-07-01 at 2.45.02 PM

 

Kidscounter! Body Wash, Shampoo and Conditioner!

EWG rating

Screen Shot 2016-07-01 at 2.51.29 PM

 

Q&A

June 10, 2016

Q:How do you keep your cool when your children fight? Mom of one and I don’t know if I’ll ever have enough patience for the fighting. lol.

A:  There are days when I yell at them, and when I have those bad days where I feel like the worst mother in the world, it honestly helps me have more patience the next day and the day after that, etc. I keep having to tell myself over and over and over that they don’t understand emotions, or how to share. They are 1 and 2.  Don’t get me wrong there are days Im constantly pulling them apart from one another, Orla gets time outs, or have to go to her room until she’s able to calm down from her tantrums. I usually let them go at it, as long as they are not hurting one another. Theres really not much I can do about it in this moment in time given their ages. Its not easy, I have a lot of help, it truly takes a village to raise kids.  I also think my personality in general is easy going, so I find myself to be a patient person just in general.  I hope they will one day be close.

Q: Whats been the hardest part about co-parenting?

A: Ughh where do I start? I think the hardest part for me is having to co-parent without having to sound like a not nice person, is having to watch my daughter struggle with transistiong back into our house when she comes back from her dads. My co-parenting  relationship has recently changed, its an unfortunate situation, which leads me to this tough part of co-parenting. It doesn’t matter how close you are with the other parent, if you allow someone to take advantage of your kindness bc your entire stance from the moment your kid was born was “WHAT IS BEST FOR MY CHILD: stance, shit can still get ugly. I choose not to go into any detail or elaborate on my personal business, but the truth is co-parenting is hard all around, from all aspects. I am struggling with A LOT of things right now with co-parenting when I shouldn’t have too, but the reality is I can go to sleep at night knowing I am honest to myself, and my child. You just gotta keep a smile on your face, and take the shit sometimes. Its not fair to the kids that have parents that make everything about “themselves”. The moment you have a kid its not about YOU anymore and that goes for all parents.

Q: How do you maintain spice in your marriage with children?

A: Wellp. I don’t know If I’d call it spice. BUT.  Nick and I make it a point to make time for each other, some months are better than others. We really try and have a date night every week, even if its something quick. We go out of town with NO kids at least 2 times a year. We stay up late sometimes. We talk about it. I think when you have a deep connection and attraction to your husband or wife the spice seems easy to maintain a balance. But like I said some Months are better than others depending on my mood, my husbands mood, work schedule, the kids lots of distractions in our lives.

Q: I’ve always appreciated how you take time to answer people’s questions without knowing them… You said something to be a while back about being a single mom, telling me to hold on and it gets better… Now that I’m 32 and have a 6yr ( I dated a guy for a long time and he left) I feel like finding the one the ship has sailed. I don’t go to bars, all my friends have zero friends to set me up with. So my dual question is what’s the best advice for a dating mama? & how did you find your husband?

A: God dating is scary out there. The thought of it makes me cringe. But I honestly wasn’t looking for a man when nick came into my life. It’s that typical clichè saying “if you don’t look for it, it will come”. But I think social media is an easy place to browse what’s on the market, you can follow from afar and get a small sense of a person, and their life. My husband found me on Instagram, how? He can’t tell me “how” he found me on there other than we do share a few of the same mutual friends….I’ve never actively used any dating sites so I’m clueless on the success of finding someone on there. I do have friends that meet people all the time off them though. I think my best advice as a dating mama is to make sure all at home is great, your kids are happy, your happy… I feel like having your needs met as a woman sexually is far more easy to fill then to find your soul mate and life companion, but you just never know! I say live it up, have fun and hope that you meet an amazing guy! I still stand by it gets better in time…. There’s always bumps in the road. That’s just life. You gotta look at it from the reality that it is, this guy left so another can come into your life.

Q: What inspires you to be absolutely awesome and workout at  the same time?

A: To be honest my inspiration to be an awesome mom is the fact I missed out on having that for myself growing up. My mom left when I was 10. I have limited memories of her when my parents were married. I want my kids to know someday that I was present, and made it a point to be involved in their lives. I see people that take their kids and families for granted and thats all you have in the end of the day. Its very important to me, and DONT GET ME WRONG there are plenty of days I’m not awesome at all! LOL!!! As far as working out goes, I go in and out of being really driven and motivated to not so driven and motivated. Ive always been a small person, never been overweight. After my last pregnancy I didnt care to stay in shape. I gained a lot of weight during my pregnancy, and am paying for that now. I want to be in decent shape for myself and my own happiness with my body. I want to live a long life.

Q: How did you come up with your babies names?

A:  Ok so my kids names…. When I was pregnant with Pella I did not find out the sex so I went into the hospital with a list of names. When she was born and was a Girl, I didnt know what I was going to name her at that moment. she went a day with no name, I kept revisiting my names looking for one that stood out to me and fit her. Pella was on my list, It means “Rock” is Greek AND “Marvel of God” in Hebrew. For me at that time she was my Rock. She also looked like a Pella. How I found the name Pella, was I really liked this band called Pela, so that was the inspiration behind that. Her middle name is James, which has zero relevance other than I liked the name along side of Pella. When Orla was born, same thing as Pella, we didnt name her in utero, she also went nameless for sometime after she was born. Nick and I both really liked Cecelia (Cici) Bc its a family name for me. Orla did not look like a Cecelia, so we back to our list and talked about Orla. Orla an Irish name means “Golden Princess” it was fitting, had a strong meaning, and she looked like an Orla. Her middle name is Grace which is Nicks Grandmothers name. The inspiration of Orla comes from the UK designer Orla Kiely. I just loved the name. Nicholas, wasn’t as lucky with some well thought out unique name, but Nick and I were okay with that. We knew one day Nicholas will be a “man” so we wanted him to have a masculine name he can carry into his adult life and not be embarrassed or weirded out by his name. His middle is Friedrich which is my maiden name.

Q:  Any advice for someone who doesn’t know what she’s doing with her life yet?

A: I unfortunately do not have any solid life changing advice for you in regards to what you should do with your life, other than whatever it is you do decide to do, work hard at it. The hope is that someday your hard work will pay off. Set realistic goals for yourself. Read. Travel. Network.

Q: If you could go back to school what would you study/do?

A: Honestly I have NO clue. I have graphic design, I love visual design & merchandising. I also have a passion for food, I’d love to have a culinary education too, maybe food design…hmm?

 

 

 

5 Years and still going…

June 6, 2016

Today marks 5 years of being with my husband. It seems longer, in my opinion. I was a single mother of a 14 month old little girl when I got a message from Nick on Twitter. I didn’t think much of it, I didn’t really acknowledge his message the first time. I gave the guy my # thinking “whatever” he would probably just be someone I text messaged from time to time. I never thought after meeting him for the first time would this be the man I would marry. I honestly had gone through such a toxic relationship in my past, that marriage was not even close to being on my radar. After dating for a year, he asked me to marry him in Ozzy Osbournes backyard on New Years Eve 2011/12.

We got married in November 2012. When I reflect on my relationship with Nick, I think about how it’s real. We didn’t married for the wrong reasons. We waited until a few weeks before we got married to live together, which for me was great. I wasn’t looking to move him in right away. I wanted what was best for me and my child, and he respected that 100%. Which brings me to respect, he respects me. He’s respected me from the moment I met him. For Nick his respect for me has been challenging for him when it comes to the co-parenting aspect. I’ve always been open about my situation and respectful of my situation when it comes to ca-parenting. It’s driven a divide at times between us bc he’s watched me get walked all over. It’s something he can’t control, I can’t control, and not even my daughter can control. His respect for me and my daughter is fierce and I am grateful for that. He is loyal to me. Loyalty for me was something I knew little to nothing about when it came to relationships. I can trust him 100%. Something else I wasn’t familiar with. My past relationship was every opposite of what Nick and I have. Trust does not come easy to someone who’s experienced nothing but lies and abandonment in her life. He proved me wrong about everything I thought I “knew”. That kind of man is rare, I know he’s rare, and I wish I did a better job of expressing how important he is to me. When someone comes into your life, that can turn bad into good, HANG onto that, don’t try and find reasons why it won’t work, bc so far 5 years later it works.

He gave me 2 more children, that brought even more meaning and light into my life. My husband is a hard worker, he’s a straight up workaholic, but he does it for US. He can be selfish as we all can be, but he is selfless in his heart. I can tell you he has never gone ONE day without telling me that he Loves me, and thanks me for being ME. Let me tell you, having affection and words of endearment were foreign languages to me. I still can’t hug people without doing it against my will to live bc it’s just how I was raised. Nick has been patient with my character flaws, and encourages me daily to show affection when he knows how hard it is for me. He’s a good father, but he’s not that MR MOM kinda dad, and that’s okay. Nick is my perfect. He is not the best at everything, nor am I. What he is the best at is all of what I need for my security and my children’s security in life. He drives me crazy with his meticulous personality, but for my constant cluster fuck of a personality we fit together well. He’s a Virgo, need I say more?  The past 5 years have been a constant learning experience, we are human we have disagreements, we don’t see eye to eye on many things, but we compromise and communicate everyday. We have become so comfortable with one another that we don’t hesitate to tell each other how we feel about things. <— this can be uber annoying but at the same time we both take the criticism and work at being better for one another and our families. 3I know I have found my match in life. Regardless of what real life throws at us, and the negative people who like to feed of our personal business, our love is strong. Thank you Nick for choosing me. We love you. I look forward to what the future holds for our family. That booty though! <3

10373998_10152481825039301_5215525902572077200_n

581868_10153881528634301_7722148804303035014_n 12196047_10153761925849301_1304326927248664411_n 13082487_10154196991874301_7042683041772252085_n 13233043_10154247336319301_3651094206387473349_n 13315335_10154284279759301_777785677931252835_n

 

 

Mom hangover!

May 31, 2016

I keep having to remind myself that today is Tuesday because of my mom hangover. Yesterday was Memorial Day, and like many we decided it would be nice to have a small BBQ mostly family and a few friends. Of course I spent most of the week prior on Pinterest pinning “cute” appetizers, and “Healthy” side dish options. In between school drop off and pick ups I managed to go to Target 4 times last week, in preparation of a one day event. I managed to throw away 3 huge garbage bags of RANDO crap ..aka TOYS. I was that mean mom who wouldn’t let my kids occupy the spaces I had spent hours on tidying up so my home would not appear to be the disheveled mess it usually is. Why tidy up before parties anyway? We all know our house is gonna look like a bomb went off after everyone leaves! I prepped most of my dishes saturday and sunday so that come Monday I wouldn’t have to do much, but really I was I hoping that by prepping everything before I’d really be able to wear a cute outfit and not be barefoot all day. I did manage to throw on a cute dress, but failed miserably at not being barefoot all  day. I even attempted to charge my camera battery in hopes Id get some cute photos of my food spread at the kids playing for this exact post, but of course I couldn’t find my charger. I have always been so into entertaining, i love everything about it, I love seeing my family get together, I love seeing my friends I don’t get to see often, I love seeing all our kids bonding  and playing together… But for fucks sake the work that goes into the actual festivity is exhausting. The day came and went. Lucy the puppy had a full belly of food left behind from the kids, Bubbles spilled everywhere, my lawn actually has an oval circle in it from the kids riding the dirt bike in circles, I keep finding half full juice boxes in weird places, sink full of dishes, TOYS EVERYWHERE, and I keep walking over my sticky dirty floor. My non alcohol induced hangover is preventing me from eating left overs even though I’m starving. I have Zero motivation today. Im writing this blog outside laying in sun, being grateful for my hangover. Looking at all the random  ride on toys spread all about my yard makes me smile.  I wasn’t even going to blog today, but then I thought about it and changed my mind. I enjoy sharing my life, I enjoy sharing the real moments, and raw feelings that come with it. Even though my BBQ wasn’t “pinterest perfect”, and I didn’t get high res quality photos yesterday, we had a great time spending the day with people we love and appreciate having in our lives.  So here I will sit and day dream until the babies wake up from their naps. The messes can wait.

 

Screen Shot 2016-05-31 at 1.39.33 PM Screen Shot 2016-05-31 at 1.39.43 PM Screen Shot 2016-05-31 at 1.39.54 PM Screen Shot 2016-05-31 at 1.40.30 PM

30 Facts at 30.

June 25, 2015

 

I’ve been 30 for a few months now…. and if there is anything I have learned in my 30 years of age worth sharing its this:

1. As you get older sometimes you out grow your friends, and that’s okay.

2 As you outgrow some of your old dearest friends ; come new friends, its like being the new kid at school only you’re not being bullied, rather embraced.

3. Do not wear white anything

4.  I don’t want to hear the “mom of 1” wallow in self-pity.

5. Wipes. I have a pack of wipes in every room, every car, every purse…I do not leave without WIPES.

6. Karma is a REAL thing, so be patient if someone has done you wrong!

7. If you want it done , DO IT YOURSELF, or at least try too.

8. Facebook is a cesspool of helicopter annoying negative bored ass moms, NO THANKS.

9. LESS IS MORE

10.  Do at least ONE load of laundry a day start to finish

11. Stay at Home Mom vs. Working Mom….its all the same in the end of the day, we are human, we wipe asses, cry because we work so hard, are underestimated by men, and both daydream about what it feels like to be left alone for ONE DAY.

12. Goodbye Victorias Secret, HELLO SOMA! (aka mom boobs)

13. STICKY LBS…. yes as you get old you have sticky lbs that just don’t want to LEAVEEEEEEE no matter how hard you pump iron or diet.

14. LOST and Found. except EVERYTHING I lose is NEVER found.

15. KEURIG LIT UP …all day, everyday.

16. Text messages you never saw, bc your kids saw them before you. thanks Orla Grace.

17. Suddenly you don’t get invited to cool shit anymore, only kid birthday parties, baby showers and maybe an essential oil party….boring!

18. 10pm is LATE as Fuck. please do not invite me to anything cool after 10pm …. oh wait?

19.  Don’t settle for less. in anything or anyone.

20. Love the shit out of your kids and man no matter how bat shit crazy they make you. Blood is ALWAYS thicker than water.

21. Opinions are truly  like an asshole, everyone’s got one. Girl, BYEEEEEEEE!, if I need something I’ll ask.

22. Full bottom panties… EMBRACE EM’ just not with your yoga pants. gross.

23. My car looks like the toy aisle at Ross, SHIT EVERYWHERE.

24. Bills never stop

25. What quality  thread count/ material sheets Im sleeping in suddenly matters MORE over what quality name brand purse I own.

26. Amazon RULES ALL.

27. You’ll catch yourself some times driving in SILENCE. no kids, no music, no talking on your hands free device… and its AMAZING

28. Start saving MONEY NOW. if you haven’t yet.

29. Pay it Forward when you can.

30.  Happy Wife HAPPY LIFE….. Hi Nick, Love you.

 

 

That isALL. enjoy.

 

 

 

Current Read List

May 1, 2015

Every Month I’m going to showcase some of me and kids book picks!

This month here is a few that Pella and I enjoy flipping through and reading

Screen shot 2015-05-01 at 1.28.37 PM

Screen shot 2015-05-01 at 1.28.46 PM

Disconnected

April 2, 2015

image1-1

I’m approaching 30 here very very soon, and at first I thought not much of it. As it gets closer I feel a sense of sadness like, “dang I’m 30…. and I don’t feel good in my skin, I feel not an ounce of “desirable or sexy” like how much could my husband look at me today and find me honestly attractive?! Covered in stretch marks, loose skin and a double chin I loathe! Yes I made humans, yes I carried and brought 3 perfect healthy babies into this world with my body! You can give me the “give yourself some credit” talk till your blue in the face. For now my body is a work in progress.. Progress that lets be honest, when –“keyword”– ‘WHEN’ I have free time the last thing I want to do is work out!  I’m suffering from a disconnection, a disconnection of reality, who I am, and being content and comfortable with me NOW. I look at photos of me pre kids.I want to jump off a cliff! Lol. I took photos back in January bc I wanted to feel pretty, and cute, and little and clearly DELUSIONAL . I wanted my husband to have photos that he could look back on and think “dang!” All high expectations on my end. All non realistic optimism, I’m not a model, I don’t want to be a model, why did I do that? I feel stupid! I didn’t feel an ounce of liberation or confidence I was hoping for! I swore I would never share these photos…and I’m still not going to with the exception of this one.  I chose this photo in particular because it’s the area of my body I’m MOST insecure of.I know my husband loves the shit out of me, he tells me every single day….I just hope that one day I can see what he sees. 30 is just a number, and I’m told 30s we’re some of the best years of people’s lives! Pfft! I doubt anyone who says that were wiping 3 asses and driving a mini van! But hey, I will continue to push. I will Continue to strive for happiness in my own skin. Being a mom is tough shit…. We carry so much weight on our shoulders and on top of all that finding the time to actually put some makeup on and a dress with some heels ceases to exist (at least in my world), and so does the thought or reality of being that “pretty mom” for now. I’d rather take the “good mom, than the “pretty mom” any day, at least my confidence in how my life is with my kids is sky high! At the end of the day, how I view myself on the exterior is such a small part of me, the interior is what I should look too for confidence and liberation. I sure hope Im not the only one who has felt this bittersweet feeling when turning 30!

 

Mini hidden veggie meatloaf muffins

March 12, 2015

Mini Turkey Meatloaf – Perfectly portable and pre-portioned for ease and calorie control! Protein pack as well!

Ingredients:
2 lbs lean ground turkey (or chicken)
3 egg whites
1 cup quick cooking oats
2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. low sodium worchestire sauce
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried parsley
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp sweet chili powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp garlic powder (2 cloves minced)
½ cup cilantro finely chopped                                                                                          
 1 small onion (finely chopped)
 ½ orange (or red) bell pepper finely chopped

1-2 Zucchini grated and strained (pat dry)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Spray 12 muffin pan with non-stick canola or olive oil spray.
3. Mix all your ingredients together in one large bowl.
4. Roll the mixture into balls and place in muffin pan. Muffins should be about the size of a racquetball.
5. Bake for 40 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins.

thank you Alexa for the recommendation! 
recipe via: Alexa Fit