sad & blue with nothing to do?

Lately I have been feeling a little down in the dumps.  I was getting jealous of my husband for showering without rushing, being able to leave the house without packing up 3 bags & a baby, and even because he "got to go to work"! I sat down with my husband and explained to him how hard it is, mentally, to be home all day. I realized that there were days when I didn't do anything except try to make my son happy.  My husband made me realize that I need to sometimes put the baby down and do what I need to do. So, that has been my goal over the past week. I have been letting my son cry it out- lord help me because it breaks my heart- while I did something that made me feel good.  At first I thought to myself what on Earth can I do when I have no money.  I am sure a lot of SAHM have this same dilemma so I complied a list of things to do that cost basically nothing!

• Clean something: I am not talking about the normal things we have to clean like the dishes and bathrooms. Clean something that will make think "ahh I am so glad I did that!" This week I cleaned my car, my son's stroller, and my entire living room (the fun part is that I rearranged my furniture). 

• Clean out that refrigerator & pantry: I don't mean with a sponge and I don't mean throw away old food! I mean what do you have in there that you can make something special & different. I had a ton of jalapeños in my refrigerator so I made pickled jalapeños and jalapeño hot sauce. I also had some leftover strawberries, cream cheese & heavy whipping cream so I made vanilla cupcakes with whipped strawberry cream cheese frosting.  You don't have to be creative to do this either! Take a look at what you have and google your ingredients with the word "recipe" after it. 9 times out of 10 you'll get an interesting recipe what will not only occupy your brain, but it'll get rid of the ingredients in your refrigerator that may have been thrown away. 

• Polish your piggies- Who doesn't have a bottle of nail polish sitting around? Self pampering can feel just as refreshing as spending a day at the spa. Currently I have pink toes. :)

• Pick a new book: Well, you're probably thinking that books cost money. Here's a secret... go to BookBub and signup RIGT NOW.  It takes 2 minutes and you totally won't regret.  They send you an email of book deals that may interest you based on what you tell them when you sign up.  I usually get a free book downloaded to my kindle app everyday. It's awesome and I feel like getting lost in a book is the best way to relax & unwind. Don't have a kindle? Download their free app to your iPhone, iPad, or phone and read your ebooks on there! 

• Pickup that camera: About a week before I left my job I begged my husband for a fancy camera.  I have always had an interest in photography and I felt like I needed a hobby. It's a great hobby to have because there is always something/ someone (like our little cuties) to take a picture of.  I spent good portion of the day taking picture of my four legged babies and my little man. What I love about taking pictures is that I really see how much better I get each time I use my camera. I also love to learn techniques and new ways to use my camera. I do a lot of photography research! 

• Take a coffee break- There is something about a sweet little cup of tea or coffee that makes me feel warm & happy. It doesn't even have to be hot! I have been making homemade frappuccinos with leftover cold coffee. Drinking them is one story, enjoying them is another! I made it a mission to enjoy them this week.  

• Get outside: Yeah, yeah, yeah... I am sure that you've heard this 100 times, but sometimes just going outside to water my plants and tend to my chickens makes me feel awesome. Walks are great too, especially because it helps get little ones to sleep.  

• Write! You don't need to write anything fancy or even anything that anyone will ever see.  I find when I have a lot on my mind, writing it out makes me feel better. It's like someone is listening and not judging me or trying to lessen my burdens. (Yes, I know others have it worse, but it doesn't make my troubles any less heavy in my heart!)

The hardest part of all of this was letting my son cry it out. It isn't easy, but sometimes our mental stability is more important.  If were not happy it's hard to enjoy our children.  

What do you like to do with your spare time? I'd love to hear from you! 

girl look at that body

This is the picture I posted of myself this past weekend. I didn't post it for praise, to boost my confidence, to get attention or any of the vain reasons that may have been perceived.  

I woke up that morning to go fishing with my husband and for the first time in years I wasn’t ashamed of my body, which is hysterical because of how much my body changed after having a baby.

Let’s be honest… once you have a child you will never be the same, neither mentally nor physically.   Regardless of what I look like now, or before, this day, I woke up, threw a bikini on and smiled. Not because I believed I looked awesome and liked the way I look, but I liked why I look the way I do. I lost my pregnancy weight because I solely breastfeed; if you want to drop the lbs. quickly and safely that’s the secret. However, don't expect it to be as easy as that. Breastfeeding is like a full-time job and I worked extremely hard (and long, late night hours) to get where I am today. I can honestly say it is one of my greatest accomplishments and I am very proud of myself. My son has not had one ounce of formula and he is almost 7 months old. Let me clear the air now- I have nothing against formula or moms who don't breastfeed! I think we are all awesome and sometimes formula feeding is what is best for children! 

Now, weight was never my concern it was those darn stretch marks that had me wanting to wear a parka.  I have been beating myself up about the marks I gained from my pregnancy. I believe it is my fault because I was almost 200 lbs. the day before I had my son. One too many Oreos with peanut butter! So, when I put on a two piece and didn’t cringe it’s because I realized that they were tiger stripes. Do you moms have any idea how awesome we are? I mean HELLO! We created HUMANS! That’s pretty freaking awesome and I am PROUD of my battle scars.

Moms, please don’t hate your mommy bodies. In fact, I’d be pretty upset to hear if you do, because we created a miracle while with these bodies.  Hating our mommy bodies would be like hating what sunshine and rain does to plants; they both create beautiful fruits and why should we hate the fruit of our loins? At the end of the day my son was worth every pound and every mark I gained. 

So, why did I post this picture? I posted it to show my flaws and show that I am no longer ashamed of them! 

get it together

My child has been sleeping for the last TWO hours, which rarely happens. As soon as I slid him off my arm and carefully shut his bedroom door behind me, I ran to my computer to work on a task I have been so excited to tackle.

Since I had my son I have struggled to find an organization method that has worked for me. I tell my husband all the time that I need a desk so I can leave my papers out and they're not forgotten. Yet, here I am typing away at my kitchen table, haha! Kidding! 

I have slowly been working on organizing my life in my head. I realized that there are three things that need to happen so that I can stay on top of my life and all I have to do.

#1  I need something to motivate me/remind me to look at all the tasks I have written down.
#2 I need a command center or something similar because all things need to be in once place and easily accessible.  I don't want a gigantic filing cabinet with a desk and all of that fancy stuff in our spare bedroom. Reason being is I will not go in there, I never go in there because it's full of stuff I don't want to see.

Hold that thought... of course he's awake! I am really am excited to see him, but darn it I was just getting into the good stuff! :)

Okay he's in his bouncer so I have a little bit of time before he gets board and screams his head off.

#3 I need things to slap me in the face. I can get organized very easily, but staying on top of the process is the hard part.

Here is how I plan to tackle those three goals:
My Motivator: My husband always asks me "What did you do today?" He doesn't mean it as in, what the hell did you do all day, but he's actually curious. I got tired of not being able to answer him so I started keeping a journal. I tally how many times I've changed our son, write down the times I fed him, when he naps, household chores I accomplished and anything else I did throughout the day, even if it says watched TV! This is my number one motivator. I don't enjoy doing nothing and this helps me realize when I need to do something productive and when I have a super successful day. It's fantastic.

One Place & Easily Accessible- CHECK: Okay binders are my best friend now; I use them for everything. I have created a mobile command center with a binder that will keep everything together. The best part is that it's all portable so I can take it wherever I wish! I will break down the details on my binder when I really put it to the test and tweak it as needed. To sum it up, it tracks my spending, income, bills, to do lists, leads and notes for my businesses, meal planning and goal tracking.

A Slap to the Face: Consistency. I have determined a plan to make me more consistent. I put my binder next to my bed with all the tools I will need. Every night I will look at my calendar and binder and determine what needs to be done the next day. The best part is, guess what's staring at me when I wake up. You got it! My binder again, slapping me right in the face.

Can you see my OCD shining through this post! Details and updates are to come! I think I will even include FREE worksheets!

special request

If you don't know me then you most likely do not know that I love my Nutribullet. I usually use it for healthy meals on the go, but sometimes for sweet treats & pick me ups.

A friend of mine just got a Nutribullet and asked me to blog about my favorite recipes, so here we go!

This is the one that got me HOOKED! If you're not sure about drinking veggies then you want to start here.  This tastes good and is super healthy.
-1 part strawberry
-1 part pineapple
-1 part spinach (you can substitute kale, but it's a bit stronger)
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
-fill to liquid line with coconut water
*blend to perfection!

Citrus Goodness
-1 small clementine
-1/3 cup pineapple (with juice)
- handful of kale
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- fill to liquid line with coconut water
*blend it up!

Berry Boom
- 1 part broccoli
- 2 parts berries of your choice
- 1 part cucumber
- fill to liquid line with water
* blend until smooth!

Super Green & Super Good
- 1 part green apple
- 1 part kale or spinach
- 1 part cucumber
- fill to liquid line with OJ
* blend blend blend!

Need Caffeine? This is my new favorite 
- fill cup just below the liquid line with ice
- 8 oz. strongly brewed coffee
- 1/3 cup chocolate syrup
- fill rest of the way with milk of your choice (coconut, cow, almond)
- add some sugar/ sweetener
* blend to Frappuccino consistency!

A Sweet Treat
- 2 scoops vanilla ice cream
- 1/4 cup chocolate syrup
- 1 tablespoon peanutbutter
- add the desired amount of milk
* blend and you have a milkshake!

There is SO much you can do with a Nutribullet! I don't always have coconut water so sometimes I use other waters or juice (or both). I just use what I have. I don't always love the taste, but I just drink it anyways. I am getting amazing amounts of nutrients from one drink and I feel guilt free when I enjoy that donut later!

narrow it down

So since I left the bank I've been working random jobs to make money. I've also been brainstorming ideas for my own business. These are the ideas my brain tries to process on a daily basis:

1) Event Planer/Coordinator: This is something I've always done at previous jobs, but never realized it. My friend told me I should pursue event planning when I let her know I was leaving the bank. My eyes lit up like I found my calling, but my doubts always get the best of me. Will people hire me? Will I be successful? Will I be good enough?

One of the first things that my former boss asked me after I gave him my notice was if I'd coordinate his daughters wedding. Is this a sign? It was like everything was lining up for my success as an Event Planner.  The wedding was this weekend and I just felt like it was where I supposed to me. I felt like I knocked it out of the park and my "client" agreed. 

2) Young Living Distributor: I have been using Essential Oils for about three (3) months. Honestly, I am not sure if I can live without them now. They have been absolutely life changing. I am passionate about oils and I want to share them with the world! People probably hate me because I always talk about them. The funny thing is, it's not a sales tactic. It's just how I feel. When I am feeling a certain way, I get a bug bite, or I need to clean my house I reach for my oils. Yeah! That's how versatile they are. 

Here is the down side. People are afraid to take the plunge! They don't know what they are. They don't know why they would need them. I get it! Why would you "need" something you haven't needed thus far in life. That's fine, but the reason I got into the oily life was because I am all about improvement. I like to find better ways to do things.  I hate all the chemicals they put in everything. Having a baby opened my eyes to all the toxins this world sells off as something it's not.  I am done with that. Oh, and before you think I am some "granola" girl I will set the record straight. Have you ever had Herrs Cheese Curls? AMAZING!

If you'd like to start your journey as a oiler click here: Young Living Essential Oils 

3) Lactation Consultant: I am so incredibly passionate about the importance of breast feeding. I am NOT into science so that idea basically went out the window the moment I researched how to become one. Plus, I know I want my forever job, or official career, to be home based. 

4) Photographer: Basically I just have always admired Photographers. I love the flexible schedule, the home based business and the fact that photography is great for my OCD and artistic mind. It's hard to be artistic and controlling. Artists are so free spirited so I think that's where I struggle. 

I just bought a "fancy" camera and I enjoy playing around with it, but my excuse for not pursuing it as a career is that there are too many photographers in the area! So, since I really like it I volunteered to help a friend who is a photographer! I am excited to see where that takes me. 

5) Stationary Designer: I LOVE LOVE LOVE cards. Greeting cards, Christmas cards, invitations, thank you cards... I love them all. I design them for friends, family, work events and for myself. I enjoy doing this, but it's a lot of work and to be successful I wouldn't be home based. 

6) Web Designer: This is what I went to college for. I enjoyed it, but I felt like it wasn't my "calling". I was more into what the website looked like rather than how it got that way. Coding is annoying and time consuming. I will do a website here and there, but I am not going to promote my business out to the public. 

7) Small Business Marketing: I was in marketing for two years and I really enjoyed what I did. I left for a higher paying job with the option of moving up. I miss what I did a lot so it makes me think I should start doing some marketing from home. Just another one of my crazy ideas. 

8) Caterer: I like to cook, but I won't be able to take the high stress and fast pace of the food industry. I enjoy cooking for family and I think that's enough! 

Can you see how active my mind is? I am taking this opportunity to test the waters and see where it takes me! I am having fun dreaming in the mean time. 

pinching some pennies & shining them too; part 2

Up next is a home made (and all natural) Stainless Steel Cleaner! I tried two different "recipes" out. 

The first one was simple! Cooking Oil! 

1. Do they clean as well as store bought cleaning products?

I don't find store bought Stainless Steel Cleaners to be all that, so I felt that if it wasn't better it was the same. 

2. Will they actually cost less than store bought cleaning products?

Sure! Of course some oils are cheaper than others, I used Canola Oil which is inexpensive. Plus I didn't need a lot.

3. Will they kill germs?
No, but neither do the store bought ones. 

4. Will they smell good? 

It didn't smell good or bad. 

5. How long will it take to make them?

No time at all!

Bottom Line

This did shine up my SS, but there were a few issues. For one thing, my dogs kept going over to my dish washer and licking it. Secondly, if your stainless steel had any grime on it's surface it would just smear it all over. So it wasn't actually cleaning it. The plus side is that it does protect my stainless steel from rusting. 

The Second Recipe

Recipe:

1/2 c. vinegar

2 tbs. baking soda

**Put in spray bottle, and do not put lid back on until the bubbles subside**

1. Do they clean as well as store bought cleaning products?

Same as above! 

2. Will they actually cost less than store bought cleaning products?

Yes! Vinegar and baking soda are so inexpensive! 

3. Will they kill germs?
As we learned before vinegar doesn't really kill germs, but I am confident that it is a better cleaner than the store bought stainless steel cleaners. 

4. Will they smell good? 

No! I dislike the smell of vinegar very much, but I only smelled it when I actually cleaned the appliances. 

5. How long will it take to make them?

Less than a minute. 

Bottom Line

This actually cleaned my stainless steel and surprisingly made it shiny! However, if you don't wipe really good it can leave a film when it dries. So, make sure you rub it in good! 

pinching some pennies & shining them too; part 1

I am sure all of you have seen the "home made cleaning product" posts on Pinterest and how they're natural and inexpensive. I know I have! I usually just pinned them on my "clean" board and that's as far as I got to trying them out, until this past week!

I actually had a blast trying eight (8) different homemade cleaning solutions out including: glass cleaner, all purpose cleaner, fabric freshener, floor cleaner, fabric softener, stainless steel cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner and carpet cleaner (for stains).

So when I started researching homemade recipes I had these questions/concerns:

• Do they clean as well as store bought cleaning products?

• Will they actually cost less than store bought cleaning products?

• Will they kill germs?

• Will they smell good? I love the smell of cleaning products; is that weird?

• How long will it take to make them?

I will be answering all of those questions for each homemade cleaning product I made! Here is part one of this series!

The first thing I made was home made (and all natural) All Purpose Cleaning Solution! 

Recipe:

2 lemons (peels only)

1 orange (peel only)

1 lime (peel only)

3 c. vinegar

bunch of mint 

**Put ingredients in jar and wait overnight**

I used this to spot clean clean my floors, countertops, et cetera. 

1. Do they clean as well as store bought cleaning products?

I thought it did a great job! My surfaces felt and looked clean. I thought that citrus would make things sticky, but I was pleasantly surprised. 

2. Will they actually cost less than store bought cleaning products?

I used 3 cups of vinegar and a whole jug costs less than $2. Lemons and limes are cheap as well and you can still use the citrus juice for cooking. Mint is free since I grow it, but mint wasn't even necessary. So, I'd say its cheaper.

3. Will they kill germs?
Unfortunately when I researched vinegar I found this: "Vinegar can be used as a safer bleach alternative for some applications, like cleaning. It is also biodegradable. However, vinegar is not a registered disinfectant and does not kill dangerous bacteria like staphylococcus. Hydrogen peroxide has antimicrobial ingredients and can be an effective household cleaner." So, I did not use this in my bathrooms! However, I am going to look for a germ killing all purpose cleaning recipe.

4. Will they smell good?

It didn't smell horrible, but I didn't love it. I'd say it's lacking in this department. 

5. How long will it take to make them?

This one took the longest to make out of the ones I made so far, but only because I had to peel the fruits, pick the mint and wait overnight.

Bottom Line

I will not use this one again, simply because it doesn't kill germs. In my opinion, all purpose cleaners should kill germs.