Motivation...How? & Monday Stats...

If you’re looking for motivation to get you off the couch and started on your workout, I have to tell you something… the motivation is not coming for you.  

I repeat, it is NOT coming.

You don’t just get motivated.  

DISCIPLINE COMES FIRST.

I am thankful that I grew up in a family who was pretty active. My parents played sports, my mom taught aerobics, I played softball, was a cheerleader, was on color guard, played tennis and rode my bike EVERYWHERE till I could drive. But having children slowed me down a lot. However that active girl was always still there and she would whisper "get up, go for a walk". So I got up and got moving again. Yes it wasn't the same as before kids but that's the great thing about being active, there isn't one "right way".

Trust me, I know it's hard. 

I know what it’s like to physically force yourself off the couch to do a workout that makes you want to die after only five minutes. 

I know what it’s like to cry during a workout because it’s so hard (did that last week during cardio but we will discuss that a bit later). 

I know what it’s like to quit in the middle of a workout. 

I know what it’s like to be embarrassed about having to workout to be healthy. 

But the truth is, you’re not going to get motivated. You have to take some sort of step forward on your own.

If you think you can’t do something because you’re not feeling motivated enough, you’re actually saying you don’t care enough. You don’t want to get motivated if you’re not doing anything about it, because it’s the action that creates the motivation. Action must come first. What you really should be saying is you want to be disciplined.

It takes discipline to take the action to get motivation. 

Did you get that???  

Being disciplined means you do something even if you don’t want to. People who are disciplined are willing to do the hard things, whether they want to or not. You have to tell yourself, “I don’t want to, but I’m going to.”

You’ll find that when you do it you actually feel amazing. When you feel amazing doing something you needed to do but didn’t want to do, you’re motivated to keep going. You’ve crossed it off your list and that makes you feel like a badass!

If you’re not happy with where you’re at, health or otherwise,  you know you deserve better and you want to make that change, you have to start today!  You have to start right now. Don’t wait until next Monday or the 1st of the month like everyone else does. 

Today is the day to start over. 

Remember it’s all about the action you take right now.

Motivation doesn’t come, you create it.  That’s the power you have.

~~~

Okay so last week was kind of a shit show or should I say snow show. So I was suppose to go grocery shopping on Thursday. Well Wednesday we got hit with the beginning of a 3 day winter storm. 

Here's the thing, it NEVER SNOWS here like it did those 3 days. We also had temps down to the teens which also never happens. And howling winds which were causing awful snow drifts. Wednesday to early Saturday morning the police were urging people to stay home because the roads were so bad. This area of the UK just isn't used to the weather we got slammed with. It was crazy. So I didn't end up being able to grocery shop till today, which means I tried my best to stay on my meal plan but it was far from perfect.

I crushed my workouts and staying active for my #365ActiveChallenge though.

Today I started the full 80 Day Obsession Plan and it was killer but fun. I'm really excited to see how my body responds to it over the next 80 days. 

I will also be walking inclines a few times this week too and work myself up to walking inclines 5 days a week. Baby steps for now to see how my hip reacts.

I've also decided to go strictly gluten, dairy free and KETO!

And for once I'm excited to update my stats because I lost a few pounds. 

Weight: 

February 26th 175.2 lbs --- March 5th 173.0 lbs (2.2lb lost)

Measurements:

Biceps - (R) 12" / (L) 12"

Forearms - (R) 9.5" / (L) 9.5"

Chest - 37"

Stomach (at hip bone) - 37"

Hips - 43"

Thigh - (R) 25" / (L) 25"

Calves - (R) 15.75" / (L) 15.75"

*I will update measurements March 31st*

And because a few of you were asking what my meal plan was like here it is. I will say I am EXTREMELY picky so my meal plan is VERY  SIMPLE. LOL! 

And I'm intermittent fasting so I only eat from 12pm to 8pm.

Its roughly between 1400-1500 calories a day, 73% Fat, 21% Protein, and 6% Carbs.

5am-730am: Coffee

845am: Unicorn Moonshine Ketones (ask me about it, if you are interested)

1st Meal at 12pm: 2 Keto Biscuits & 2 Jimmy Dean Sausage Patties

2nd Meal at 230pm: 4 Strawberries, Keto Blueberry Muffin & Unicorn Moonshine

3rd Meal at 5pm: 3oz Grilled Chicken, 1 cup Iceberg Lettuce, 1 Hard Boiled Egg, 

14 Hormell Pepperoni Slices, Topped with Dairy Free Ranch Dressing

4th Meal at 730pm: 2oz Arla Lactofree Mild Cheddar Cheese (vegan cheese) &

14 Hormell Pepperoni Slices

Who am I?

Who am I?

It’s a question that haunts me. Its the reason I've been so withdrawal from social media lately.

I’m a wife, I’m a mother. But who am I?

I was driving home the other day from grocery shopping and a song came on from high school.

A song I knew every word to. 

In that moment it became clear to me that, along with music, I’ve let go of many other habits and things I used to enjoy. 

It isn’t that I don’t love being a mother. I really really do. But so many parts about my life have changed, and I’m struggling to catch up with myself.

I became a mom 6 weeks before my 21st birthday so I didn't have too many years to find myself. But now that the baby is 3.5 years old and we are done having babies, I feel like its time to start finding myself again.

For the last 15.5 years my desires, motivations, and spontaneous urges have to be molded around my kids and husband. I have had to consider their needs equal to or above my own in the day to day.

This is good and fine and right.

But somewhere deep down in my soul, I feel lost. 

Just floating furture away but I can hear her tiny voice yelling ...

"DON'T FORGET ABOUT ME!"

I often feel isolated, alone, and bored even when the WHOLE family is home with me.

I've been digging deep down and pulling that lost girl out and finding what fills her soul and makes her feel whole again.

I will never have the life I had pre-motherhood, and that’s okay. Cause that girl was a mess.

But I have slowly started to find myself again.

I bought myself my favorite book series and have been re-reading it. Almost finished with it now and have a new series lined up, ready to read next.

I've also started crafting again. My hubs have even promised to buy me some bigger craft items I've been lusting over but haven't bought because of the price and the thoughts that "I'm being selfish".

My identity isn’t lost, it’s just been buried under kids school work, diapers and toys. 

It’s not about finding the old me, but coming to love the new one.

I wipe butts, I wipe tears. I give spankings, I give bear hugs, I help with homework.

And I just know—the old me would be so proud of who I've become.

This is a new season of my life. At first it terrified me, made me feel lost in this big world. But I'm embracing it and learning more about the me that's been hidden by the joys of motherhood and wife-hood.

Vlogmas 2017!

Hellooo!

Vlogmas. 

What the hell is Vlogmas?!

Let me explain all the weird words for you if you haven’t entered this crazy world yet.

A person who writes something like I do is a Blogger who writes a Blog.

A person who records their thoughts on video, is a Vlogger and they record Vlogs – Video Blogs.

We all know what Christmas is and so as if there isn’t enough to do in the run up to Christmas, some of us join ‘Blogmas’, where you Blog every day in December until Christmas Day or even beyond.

I’ve decided to join ‘Vlogmas’ where, as you’ve probably guessed, the goal is to Vlog everyday on your blogging youtube channel.

I'm not gonna lie this Christmas wasn't very interesting since my husband is deployed but its a start. HA!

Take a look and please subscribe to my channel, I’d love to share our month with you. Baking, decorating and crafting all things Christmas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHihu7YSUs8&list=PLFdRU0Uxmj4f539YTwtFdikp3C8uy1BIy

Reasons why I WILL ROCK THIS DEPLOYMENT...

So this morning I slept in, well actually I slept until my alarm went off at 6am. I wanted to start back with my miracle morning routine but decided to catch up on sleep since yesterday was very emotional draining. 

But after my workout this afternoon as I was transferring music from my old laptop to my macbook I started thinking. I was thinking about how in the military community, we talk about how hard deployment can be, and then we say all kinds nice things to each other that don’t really mean too much.

So I decided to make myself a list of reasons why I WILL ROCK THIS DEPLOYMENT. 

1. Because the internet exists… and until just a decade or so ago, the easiest way to communicate was by phone… and before that, it was letters.

2. Because somewhere, someone has it worse than you, and they’re kicking this deployment’s butt.

3. Because some of our grandparents (or great-grandparents– lordy, I feel old) spent four years apart from each other without R&R to kick Hitler in the face.

4. Because care packages are fun to throw yourself into. 

5. Because there’s something cathartic about crying in the shower.

6. Because you can watch all the chick flicks and ugly cry & laugh at the same time

7. Because you can buy pre-made icing and eat it out of the tub with a spoon. (Oh, that’s just me?)

8. Because deployment is a great time to spend a little me-time improving on something or learning something new.

9. Because I’m here for you (and so are a lot of other military spouses)!

10. Because The Mindy Project, New Girl, The Big Bang Theory, Chicago Fire, AHS...I could go on. (Do I need to explain that any further?)

11. Because you don’t have to shave your legs! (And the peasants rejoiced.)

12. Because there are Ryan Gosling memes to help you through the tough times.

13. Because this is the perfect time to do all of the things that he’s (or she’s) not too keen on.

14. Because that homecoming kiss is pretty awesome.

15. Because the homecoming picture is pretty awesome, too.

16. Because if Brittany Spears made it through the 2000’s, you can make it through this. (And you haven’t even freaked out and shaved your head yet!)

17. Because you can set a career goal and work towards making it happen.

18. Because, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu.

19. Because this video exists and you can watch it for free… as many times as you want. Every day. Yes. Every day.

20. Because even though deployment feels like it lasts forever , it really will end. 

21. Because having something to look forward to is fun.

22. Because every time you feel like giving up and don’t, you’re getting stronger.

23. Because every time you give up, Nickleback releases a new single. Don’t let Nickleback release a new single.

24. Because of the kids.

25. Because asking for help is okay. 

WHAT DID I MISS? (THERE ARE DEFINITELY A LOT MORE REASONS!) I WANT TO HEAR ’EM!

No I won't put down my phone...

If you are on social media at all you know that there are quite a few articles going around about being on our cell phones too much. How we need to put them down, hide them, ignore them.

While there is some good advice there, my first thought is usually something like, “Well, try being a Military spouse.”

Between having kids in school and at home with me, having a husband who is gone a lot and making money online using my phone to do so, I will not be putting my phone down anytime soon. My phone is my lifeline and I really haven’t always had it. I didn’t even get a smart phone until 2010.

There are many reasons why people say we shouldn’t always have a phone in our hands, but Military spouses, well we NEED to have a phone in their hands.

Why? Because…

Our spouses live in our phone.

When your husband is gone and you only get to talk to them on the phone or over video chat, they live in your phone. That is your relationship. You are not going to be able to walk away from your phone for long. If you do, what happens if they call? You will miss the call. That is a hard thing to deal with. Thank God for technology and cell phones. Without them I would never be able to leave the house, because I'd fear missing his call. It would kill me to come home to a message knowing I missed his call. It was SO nice to know I won’t miss his call just because we were out doing something. So no, I am not going to put my phone down so I miss his call.

Our friends live in our phone.

Military spouse friends move away. Then they live in our phones, they live on Facebook and that is where our relationship is. I have a handful of friends I will text or message throughout the day. It keeps us connected and makes it seem like they are not quite as far away. When you are having a bad day, it can be helpful to pick up your phone and text a friend or check out their photos on Facebook. It makes you feel better and can keep your mind off of missing your husband.

Our family lives in our phone.

Only a small amount of Military families live close to their own family. Most of us live far enough away that the phone is the way we communicate with them. Text or FB messager is a great way to keep in touch and not lose contact with one another. Sometimes my family will Facetime/Skype me and it is fun to do that with them.

I hate phone shaming in general.

Yes it is possible to be on your phone too much, to ignore people while you are on it and to get sucked into the online world, but overall, a smart phone adds to your life.

So, Military spouse, don’t feel bad if you always have your phone on you. You need it. You rely on it. It is a tool you are using to make your life a little easier. No one should shame you for it. If they are, they just don’t get it so don’t let them bother you.

Military Wife/Mom/Entrepreneur ... How I Balance it All!

Can I watch Paw Patrol? ... Asked while I'm working out

Can I paint? ... Asked while I'm folding clothes

I want more milk? ... Told while I'm trying to record a training video for my team

I'm hungry? ... Told 1 minute after I sit down to return work emails

ROWAN'S NAKED! ... Yelled when I'm on a one on one call with a coach or client

I want a banana ... Told 1 minute after I sit down to return more emails for work

Can we go outside? ... Asked seconds after I sit down to typing up my blog post

House completely destroyed and littered with toys ... while I sit down to power thru my work tasks

These are just a handful of my daily struggles. HA! Being a wife, mom, and entrepreneur isn't a life of glitz and glam. Don’t get the wrong impression, I love what I do but it can be overwhelming at times. Amongst all this chaos, I often ask myself; how do I balance being a great mom, a loving wife and a successful entrepreneur?

First let me say, I am NO expert and I don't claim to be. My life is far from perfect, I mess up daily, and have little to no idea what I am doing most days. 

Second, each and every one of us is so incredibly different and I, in no way want my readers to compare their lives to mine and think they should be doing more or less. We only can handle what we can handle and that has to be something that you can identify about yourself. I myself, tend to be someone that likes to stay busy and can handle a lot of activity at once. 

I hope you remember while you're reading, everyone is different but you are still doing an amazing job!

I started my business 16 months ago and its grown substantially in that short amount of time. And while life has become very hectic, I chose to have it this way it, and I love it. I always knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur but I also always knew I wanted to be a stay at home mom and wife. Being a work at home mom entrepreneur is part of how I express my creativity, and I’m convinced it is what keeps me sane.

I want to share with you today how I'm able to balance being a mom, a wife and an entrepreneur all from home.

1. I Get Up Before Our Kids
I know everyone is in different stages of their parenting so I get sleeping in with your kid(s) and there is no shame in that. I was still doing that till August shortly after Rowan turned 2 and FINALLY started sleeping thru the night. I had just finished reading the book Miracle Morning and decided to start implementing it in my own life. I'm not going to lie, the first 2 weeks were fucking hard. Gahhh! I have not been a morning person since before I had my daughter...so its been a good 14 years. But I felt I needed this change and Rowan had just started to sleep thru the night. Now I get up at 445am without any trouble. I love my early mornings to myself. It give me that "me" time, that I've needed for a long time. During this time I like to mediate, pray, manifest my goals and read my personal development. Oh and enjoy that first warm cup of coffee. I'm hoping in the future to start waking up at 415am so I can get my miracle morning routine done and then my workout before the kids wake up. But right now we just aren't in that stage since the boys still wake up early 6/630am and need to me to help get them up and settled.

2. Make sure you set aside specific time for everyone. 
Time that is solely devoted to either family or yourself or work. Each one deserves undivided attention at some point. I like to spend one on one time with the little boys after my workout. We play with toys, play-doh, paint/color, go on a walk or to the park. Now that the weather is a lot colder in the mornings. I'm going to try to talk them on walks later in the afternoons because I know its good for all of us to get out and get fresh air. Days that hubby is home for work, I spend the evenings with him watching one of our favorite shows. Our older two kids are at that stage where they don't want to hang out with me. #preteenandteenager And I always take one day on the weekends off to be 100% present with my family. Hubby and I also plan a date night at least monthly. I'm a HUGE believer in date nights. Ladies you need that one on one time with your husband, trust me!

3. Dress to Impress or At Least Dress to Make YOURSELF Smile
Now I know as stay at home mom entrepreneurs we don't leave the house much, so this might be a little controversial with some moms. But to me, it honestly makes me feel better about myself when I have my makeup on, my hair looks nice (this rarely happens because I workout in the mornings and sometimes it gets pretty sweaty gross that that mom pony tail or mom bun just stays in) and wear something that's comfy but also makes me feel cute (for me that's leggings, t-shirt or hoodie). Try it for a week and see how you feel! Plus, your husband will also notice! :)

4. Set Goals Daily
If you like to check things off your list like I do then make a list each morning while your kids eat breakfast. I like to write down drab things (like doing the laundry) and pointless things (like calling the pharmacy), just so I can "check" them off my list. It literally gives me such a sense of gratification. I also have a check list for work things so I know what MUST get done daily.

5. Be OK when not all your Goals are hit that day
As good as it is to make daily goals, you have to make sure that you are realistic about them as well. We all know that as moms life is NEVER consistent, each day is different and things always arise. If you are going to make goals for yourself you have to be equally willing to break those goals and be OK with it. Just be honest with how much YOU can truly accomplish. When I over work myself, I end up feeling unsuccessful, and unproductive. Be OK and just "roll with the punches", nobody is perfect.

6. Don't let your Phone Distract You
I know how distracting working at home gets. It can get overwhelming, boring, old, and even depressing. It's so easy to pick up my phone and scroll through my Instagram, Facebook, emails, etc and pay attention somewhere else. Honestly, I struggle with this CONSTANTLY...it's probably one of my biggest weaknesses. I tell myself multiply times a day that now is NOT the time to get distracted. I also try to prioritize my need for it as well (i.e. how important is that email to me right now? Does it require a response this very minute?). 

7. Don't overwhelm Yourself with your Tasks
This goes back to #5. You only can do what you can do in a day. Don't over complicate it and discourage yourself. Laundry is sometimes the ONLY task I have on my list for that day because it's a freakin' HUGE task. If I can wash, dry, fold, and put away every load of laundry in one day I feel like superwoman...but the truth is, there is ALWAYS a load left for me in the drier the next day. Its life and guess what, nobody has died yet because I didn't get that last load done. 

8. Meal Plan or Meal Prep
This is something I have done for YEARS now. Yes its always a little daunting for me to sit down and write out a meal plan out the entire week but truth is, when it's done I feel like I just accomplished something HUGE! I actually typed up a cheat sheet of all our meals and categorized them (i.e. breakfast, lunch, dinner, and Rowan's meals since he's can't have diary) and I just pull that out of my mom binder and fill in our meal planner. This also helps when it comes to grocery shopping. I just look at our menu and write the grocery list according to our meals. Yes I grab extra stuff for snacks, kids school lunch and Will's work meals, but at least I have a guide this way for our weeks meals.

9. Family Dinners at the Table
I don't cook homemade every night, especially when Will is on shift, but we always make sure to sit around the table together, whatever the meal is. 

10. Hire a Babysitter
Thankfully I haven't had to actually hire a babysitter yet. My husband works 48 hours on/48 hours off, so days he's home I'm able to lock myself in the office for 2-4 hours and do nothing but work. This has been my saving grace! Hubby and I have already discussed that when/if he deploys that I'll be hire a sitter a few times a week so I can get work done. Being a military family we aren't lucky enough to have family near us to watch my kids at a moments notice, but if you do take advantage of it. I know some of you are probably thinking "but I'm a stay at home mom entrepreneurer shouldn't I just take care of my kids. Yes of course but I would make this a priority because truth is, it's more life giving then you even realize. Even if you can only afford to get away for an hour at a time, that time is precious and you NEED to make time for YOU. Next school year will be a little different because Sebastian will be in kindergarten and Rowan will be attending nursery school for 15 hours a week so we more then likely won't need the extra help but you never know. With all that being said, you need to do what only you can do/afford.

11. Routines/Schedules
I am such a schedule oriented person anyways that this was pretty natural for mes, but having a daytime and nighttime routine for our kids has allowed me the time to work on business priorities, as well as, have alone time with my husband in the evenings when he's not on shift. We may seem like drill sargents setting such strict nap schedules (which sadly are dwindling away) and putting our littlest two kids to sleep by 6:30pm, the preteen to bed by 8pm and the teenager by 930pm but honestly this has breathed more life into us than I can even explain. Plus, we've found our kids thrive on a schedule so it's a win-win for all of us!

12. Wife/Mom First, Entrepreneur Second
I know I've done things in life because I thought it was going to be good for me but in the long run I wasn't doing it for the right reasons and found myself empty, unsatisfied, and unhappy. Not only that, but when working from home I often have to remind myself of my main priority (I am a wife/mom first and an entrepreneur second). If I find that it's taking too much quality time away from my family, I know I need to reassess my priorities and get a better system in place.

13. Communication 
William and I do a pretty good job of setting expectations for our day/week. We are in constant communication about what we are doing that day and in a way, it keeps us accountable to each other. Plus, it forces us to work together. Whether it be a running errands, taking the family exploring around England, taking care of the kids, giving each other a much needed break, or making time for one another, we do our best to communicate where we need each other the most.

Starting your own business is the most rewarding thing you can do for yourself. Finding the time to make it happen is dependent on you prioritizing what’s important. Balancing it all requires a lot of work. Ask yourself honestly if everyone is happy, and be sure to include yourself. If they aren’t, then it’s time to change to make it work.

#JudgingYou

The look…

...that you get occasionally when you talk about meditation.

I am a perfectionist and with that comes stress and awful anxiety!

I promised myself that 2016 would be my year for self care.

I started mediation consistently every morning in mid August 

and I seriously can’t imagine ever going back!

Do you meditate or are you curious?

It’s a technique… not necessarily a spiritual practice. You can incorporate it into your spiritual practices but otherwise you can use it to quiet the chaos. (And we all have a LOT of chaos don’t we?)

It reduces stress, gives mental clarity, reduces anxiety 

and is just pure AWESOMESAUCE in my book!

I have felt so calm and clear since I started taking it seriously. I’ve only been doing it for 5-20 min in the AM and it sets such a KILLER vibe for the rest of my day! 

My productivity is THROUGH THE ROOF friends!

I’ve meditated in the past but it was a “here and there” practice.

I have no doubt that the rest of 2016 is going to be amazing and that 2017 is going to be the best year of my life and I credit that to me putting me first… 

so that I can show up in a bigger and more audacious way for those around me.

What do you think? Woo woo or awesomesauce?

What’s one thing you’re going to do for YOU this year? Comment below, I want to know!