House of Grace

Balancing Work and Home as a "Work at Home Mom"

2012-02-11T20:00:00.001-06:00

Hey everyone! We have another awesome guest blogger today!

Please welcome Jaima...

Hi guys, I'm Jaima, and I blog at Ring Around the Rosies!!! I'm sooo excited to be back at House of Grace today! I joined Bonnie's Shaklee Team back in the fall, and it was definitely one of the best decisions I ever made!!! Not only for me, but for my family! Today I'm sharing a post I recently wrote about balancing work and home as a "work at home mom"...

~~~

One of the questions I get asked a lot is how do I do it all? How do I find time to run a successful business (and Etsy shop) while still managing and running the house with a toddler?

Well, those are very good questions! And I don’t really feel qualified to answer them, but I will try…

First of all, let go of any “Super Mom” fictional character you may aspire to be. There is a such thing as being a super mom, but not “Super Mom”! And secondly, some days go a lot more smoothly than others. As mom’s, some things are just out of our control (fussy baby’s, demanding laundry, etc).

Being a work at home mom you have to choose your battles, name your priorities, and learn to let go of a few things (like dusting the ceiling fans every week).

My number one job is that last word of the title: Mom! Meaning that my number one priority is being the best mom I can be for my baby! I chose this life for HER! Not for ME! The work from home part came later… I chose to start an Etsy shop to destress with pretty ribbons at the end of those tiring days. And then chose to start my Shaklee business to better the health and finances of my family!

When I started my Shaklee business I had a lot of rearranging to do in my schedule. Elizabeth has always been on some sort of routine, but I had to find a way to better utilize the time I had during the day. Being OCD, I had to come up with an actual schedule to manage our days.

Here is how are days ~~are suppose to~~ go:

I keep this on my fridge to help keep me motivated and on track, just like I do my dinner menu & cleaning schedule that I’ll share with you soon!

Now, there are some days that don’t go just like this. But, for the most part, on my most productive days, I have to stick to this. I have to treat my business hours just like I would if I were working a “real” office job.

I make probably 10-12 business calls per week, and they all happen during naptime. I try really hard to not be on the computer/phone while Elizabeth is awake, because I really feel like she needs most of my attention right now. If she’s happily playing in her room and I can sneak away, I’ll check my emails quickly, or send a quick post out on facebook. I do most of my blogging and training at night after she’s in bed.

I’m adding this to The Challenge under healthy home – organizing!

Do you work from home? How do you balance your schedule?

Thanks Jaima!! I love working with you! :) You are an inspiration to all moms!!

Have a great day!

Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure

2012-02-10T20:00:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone! I hope that you are having a great day so far! What are you doing? We are getting ready for our big day tomorrow! We will have gymnastics, a birthday party, my MIL is coming and then Scott and Grace have a Daddy/Daughter Dance. Yes, I had to clean, organize, clean out the van, get a car wash, go shopping, wash the bedding, etc. I am ready for the weekend for sure!!

Today, we have a guest post from an amazing wife, mother and friend named, Krysta.

Hi everyone! My name is Krysta and I blog at Steen Health. Thanks so much to Bonnie for having me over to guest post today!!

I am so excited to share this post with all of you today because it really, truly is something near and dear to my heart!

We all have things in our life that we are extra passionate about, and for me one of those things has been participating in a Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure (formerly known as the Breast Cancer 3-Day). I have done 3 of these 60-mile walks, and when I tell you that these are life changing, it is no joke!

Breast cancer has touched my life is a few ways. I have a couple of family members who are survivors, but I also have family members who have had friends and loved ones in their lives who did not survive. I have had a couple of lumps myself that required extra investigation (mammograms before the age of 30 and ultrasound), and I have met women and men on these 60 mile walks that are survivors, in chemo…and widowers.

If you aren’t familiar with the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure, you can read more about it here.

This is me, on the first day, at the start bright and early. This particular year my MIL, who I walked with my first year in 2008, was on the crew and had to be there looooong before the sun was up. Oh, how I wish I could share enough pictures and video from the opening ceremony to even begin to get the excitement and tears across…but it’s really something you MUST experience first-hand.

This is pretty much what you see as you walk the route. Lots of pink! There are cheering stations, some with hundreds of people, some set up in front of peoples’ homes…handing out candy or spraying you down with water.

The folks on the crew are AWESOME! They are up from sun up to sun down and do all the heavy lifting, keeping us fed and hydrated. All we have to do it walk! lol

About every 2-4 miles, we have a stop. This is what a basic “Grab-N-Go” looks like, which offers food, water/sports drink, port-a-potties and medical. The larger Pit Stops have themes with costumes, music – they are a lot of fun, which must be why I don’t have many pictures to show for it! I was too busy taking in the sights to stop and take pictures!

One of the days at lunch, my 2 boys and my husband came out to cheer me on with signs they had made. They sat and kept me company while I ate my lunch. It was really great, and really allowed me to keep going for the remainder of the day. The first and second days are the longest days (I think it was 24 miles the first day, and 22 miles the second). They keep the third day shorter to ensure that the walkers can finish the route and get to the closing ceremony in time.

This firehouse was great! And that red VW bug followed the walkers all 3 days honking and waving. You get honked at a lot. :)

Here’s what it looks like coming into camp at the end of the route each day. You are so happy to see it all you want to do is run, but your body won’t let you because you are tired and sore. :) And what an awesome feeling!

Here’s me after one of the days back at “Tent City”. This sea of pink tents was only a portion of all the tents you see. It really is like its own city!

Ahh…all the comforts of home! Seriously, you have not lived until you’ve showered in a shower truck!! It felt like HEAVEN.

There are signs everywhere so you know where to go…which also show the latest heat index warning. This was a HOT weekend. Whoa Nelly.

Most people naturally want to head to the showers or to lay down, but that is not a good idea, because people can tend to faint in the showers. Or get overheated in the tents. They advise heading straight to the dining tent. Even standing in line for food, a woman in front of me passed out. The medical team is outstanding – and were with her right away giving her IV fluids. I repeated the chant I kept telling myself all day, “Drink, Pee, No IV”!

I did have to go to the medical tent to get blisters drained on both my feet. I’ll spare you the gory details.

More walking! And talking…and drinking (water!).

This day was even hotter! I wanted to hug and kiss the people that would come out with coolers filled with baggies of ice! I stuffed them into my bra. :)

The third day is very exciting, because you know that at the end of it you will be at the end of the 60 mile route, being cheered on by THOUSANDS of people. My MIL (holding the phone) was anxiously waiting for me and was trying to snap a picture of me on her phone. I burst into tears when I saw her.

You pick up your T-Shirt and head to the holding area for the Closing Celebration. Not many dry eyes as people relive the last 3 days and think about who they are walking for and what the experience meant to them.

The Walkers and Crew head in first, followed by the Survivors that were either a walker or on the crew. When they file past, the walkers remove one shoe, kneel down and hold it up to symbolize WHY WE WALK. Even as I type this, I still get emotional…and I’ve done it 3 times!

And, in the end…this is WHY WE WALK…to have a world without breast cancer.

I cannot even put into words what a truly wonderful experience this is. I wanted to do a post on this now, because now is the time that men and women all across the country are registering for the event they want to attend and begin their training.

I encourage you to participate, if not for you…for your daughter, aunt, grandmother…and the list goes on. Watch some inspiring videos here and then get registered!

Thank you so much for reading!

You can find me on Facebook here.

Please subscribe to my blog here!

Thanks Krysta! Looks like you had a great experience!! Thanks for sharing it with us.

Have a great day!

A Mom on a Mission to Get Families Healthy!

2012-02-09T20:00:00.005-06:00

Hey Ya'll!!! This is a guest post by Susie Romans, she blogs over at Stay At Home Susie. She is on a mission to help 1 million moms find work/life balance by achieving a flexible career and healthy lifestyle. Her expertise is in internet marketing, healthy eating and escaping the 9-5 cubicle life! Follow Susie on Twitter or Facebook.

I am Susie. And I am on a mission.

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” – Maria Robinson

I am on a mission to start a new ending for mothers of my generation. Generation Y. On September 25th of 2011 my husband and I were blessed with our very first child! I knew the moment I laid eyes on my baby girl that I would do ANYTHING and EVERYTHING to help her have a safe and loving life.

The problems and horror stories arise when parents are uneducated about the dangers in our very own homes. Yes, the homes that we find comfort and joy in. The same homes where we build our memories and best moments. Yes. These homes that are full of hidden dangers called TOXINS and CHEMICALS.

My parents immigrated here from Poland and growing up, we hardly used any store bought cleaning items. My mom used the basics: vinegar, water, baking soda etc. I was not aware of the harsh dangers of store bought cleaners until I had my own home.

After seeing a Healthy Child, Healthy World video online, I knew in my heart I had to do something! Something inside pulled at me to make a difference!

After sharing this concept with my husband, we were able to launch an educational blog and online store full of 100% Natural, Non-Toxic cleaning and household items. (The brand is Shaklee and was featured in a video I saw by Healthy Child, Healthy World.)

My generation is still young, most of my friends have not had their first child yet. And most of them probably do not spend time reading labels of cleaning products.

So this is the opportunity! The opportunity to educate!

I can start NOW, by nesting little “health facts” into their minds through social media, blogging and by promoting the brands that care, like Shaklee.

I am on a mission to make MY generation educated, so we can make this a HEALTHY WORLD!

Live Fruitfully,

Susie

Thanks Susie! :)

This has been a guest post by Susie Romans over at Stay At Home Susie. Join her mission to help 1 million moms find work/life balance by achieving a flexible career and healthy lifestyle. Follow Susie on Twitter or Facebook.

Have a great day!

How to Date your Husband! {repost}

2012-02-08T20:00:00.002-06:00

Since it is National Marriage Week and Valentine's Week, I thought I would re-post this from last year!

Update- We have been "dating" the whole year now and LOVE it!! I hope (if you are not already) that you start dating your husband again! Best thing I EVER did!!

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This week, in our Organize your Life series, we organized our priorities!! One of my priorities was to date my husband. This might seem strange to some of you, but my husband and I got married young and then had 3 children close together. We moved several times and never lived close to family. So…I never found the right babysitter plus, I was pregnant and tired or breastfeeding and my kids hated the bottle, plus I felt like we didn’t have enough money to go out and pay a sitter. Needless to say, we didn’t go on dates much! :(

We recently found some girls from our church that we know, like and trust to watch our kids! We planned on “dating” once a month but we moved it up to weekly/bi-weekly, ha! Since going out again, I realized how important it is for married couples to date. We feel like we are in high-school (when we met) again! :) It’s so fun!!! I LOVE getting ready and leaving the house instead of a date in. We feel closer and find it easier to talk away from the house, TV, internet, phone, kids, etc. I want to make it a priority to continue dating my husband! I know that sounds crazy but we love going out together again like we should! :)

Anyway, I found some great dating ideas on-line and thought I would share them with you.

101 Date Ideas

1. Paint-your-own pottery place

2. Paris theme night – get a baguette, some French wine, and cheese for dessert

3. Read Shakespeare to one another

4. Bake cookies together

5. Get up extra early, watch the sunrise, then make breakfast together

6. Attend a little league game

7. Watch an entire season of your favorite TV show

8. Go for a long drive

9. Planetarium

10. Art gallery

11. Play board games

12. Movie

13. Visit garage sales

14. Do a volunteer activity

15. Go dancing

16. Go to the driving range

17. Build a snowman

18. Ride go-carts

19. Rent a movie

20. Have a carpet picnic

21. Go to an arcade

22. Play Frisbee

23. Go kayaking

24. Go ice skating

25. Visit the pumpkin farm

26. Window shop

27. Go to ballet performance

28. Visit a place listed in an entertainment book

29. Bike riding

30. Rock climbing

31. Bowling

32. Haunted house

33. Out for coffee

34. Visit a flea market

35. Play bingo

36. Go to an opera

37. Swing by a bookstore

38. Visit another city

39. Go hear jazz or reggae

40. See an NBA game

41. Play in the batting cages

42. Vegas anyone?

43. Piano bar

44. Visit a psychic

45. Have lunch at a trendy new restaurant

46. Grab a fish fry

47. Grab a pint at an Irish pub

48. Chinese food and DVDs – the perfect mix

49. Attend a poetry reading

50. Attend an author reading from their latest fiction work

51. Go antiquing

52. Go on a brewery tour

53. Visit a winery

54. Attend a painting class

55. Visit an animal shelter – you may come home with a new pet

56. Go for a carriage ride

57. Visit the tourist spots in your hometown

58. Take a trip to the hobby store – pick out a project to work on for the afternoon

59. Take a walk – around a lake, in the moonlight, by the river, on the beach

60. Go to an ethnic festival

61. Go to a shrimp boil

62. Create a scrapbook

63. Attend a matinee

64. Visit the zoo

65. Go see a local band

66. Have lunch at a church festival

67. Go camping

68. Go hiking

69. Go rock climbing

70. Go to a party

71. Attend a farmer’s market

72. Have dinner at a new place

73. Try out a new cuisine

74. Go strawberry picking or visit an apple orchard

75. Take in a community theater performance

76. Attend a live, outdoor music night in your town

77. Go see fireworks

78. Take a yoga class

79. Visit an astrologist – see if the “stars” think you’re compatible

80. Go to a foreign film festival

81. Spend an afternoon watching old movies

82. Eat at a make-your-own pizza joint

83. Take a class at the rec department

84. Show your date where you lived as a kid

86. Go to breakfast at a great greasy spoon

87. Grab a champagne brunch

88. During holiday season, take a drive and view the lights

89. Visit an arboretum or botanical center

90. Attend a comedy show

91. Shoot a round of pool

92. Show your partner where you went to school as a kid

93. Make a meal from scratch together

93. Take a weekend trip in your state

94. Take a tour of a historical site in your town

95. Go bike trekking

96. Go golfing

97. Rent a canoe or kayak

98. Visit the State Fair

99. Go to a Renaissance Fair

100.Dinner cruise

101.Off-track betting

10 Cheap Dates

1) A trip to the dollar store

Peruse the aisles while you smile at the various objects one can sell for $1. There are usually one or two gems that will keep you in stitches long after you leave. Buy items to use on the rest of your date, like plastic glasses and plates for a picnic or snacks to take with you to a movie.

2) Coffee shop

People watch, read the newspaper, and hang out for hours with a cafe mocha or two. The close-set tables make it the perfect atmosphere for holding hands, while the busy setting is sure to give you plenty to talk about.

3) Bookstore

The larger chains today carry much more than just literature. Browse the music, DVD, and magazine sections. Get to know each other better by discussing your favorite choices in reading material or film.

4) Walk in the park

Get back to nature with a relaxing walk in the woods. Bring a field guide and see how many birds you can identify, or a bag lunch with whatever you might have in your refrigerator.

5) Craft projects

Remember paint by numbers? Or how about putting a scrapbook page together with construction paper and a photo of the two of you? Creative dates can help spark romantic feelings. After all, it’s the interesting, imaginative, and unique parts of us that make us truly attractive.

6) Museums

Many museums have discounted or free days. Watch the paper or call up your local museum and ask about dates and times with reduced admission prices. Make it your mission to see the culture of your city for under $5. It can be done!

7) Pay-what-you-can nights at the theater

Several performing arts companies today offer nights where youdecide what you pay. These performances are usually on the slower days of the run – a weekday or Sunday afternoon.

8) Fly a kite

The combination of a nice summer day, a gentle wind, and your partner make this an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon.

9) Pet Store

What’s more endearing than snuggling with a cute puppy while you talk about your love of animals with your date. Tell each other about the pets you each had growing up.

10) For all seasons

In winter, build a snowman. In spring, find some garage sales. In summer, go for a moonlit walk under the stars. In fall, take a Sunday drive and view the gorgeous scenery. Remember, it doesn't really matter what you do, as long as you're together. Planning dates with little or no money will allow you to see your relationship for the priceless value it really has.

I recently wrote a post, How to Feel Sexy! Make sure you read it before you head off on your date! Have fun! ;)

Do you date your spouse?

How often?

What is your favorite date? I would LOVE to know!! :)

What is your favorite “cheap” date?

Twice Owned Tuesday

2012-02-07T14:19:00.001-06:00

Welcome to my

83rd

TWICE OWNED TUESDAY PARTY!

Hello! I can't believe that it's Tuesday already! Wow, time flies!! I have been busy (when am I not, lol)! Tomorrow is my little guy's 3rd birthday. I posted a pic of him here. I have also been organizing and cleaning like a mad women because my MIL is coming to visit this Saturday and staying for a week!! I am very excited! She will be able to see our new basement hang out with us. Gracie also has 2 birthday parties to go to and a Daddy/Daughter Dance this weekend. Because my life is going to be nuts, I have some amazing guest posts lined up so I can remove myself from blogworld for about a week.

Let's get to the party!

Here are my Queens...

At Home with K made this for artwork!

The Uncluttered Lifestyle de-did this dresser.

Elizabeth and Co. re-did this buffet.

The Turquoise Nest re-did this dresser.

Thanks to everyone who linked up!

Please feel grab a button for your blog, you were just named a TWICE OWNED QUEEN!

Have a great day!

Baby and Children Health Webinar {tonight}

2012-02-06T09:44:00.001-06:00

Good morning everyone!

First off, THANK YOU SO MUCH for all your sweet comments on my pregnancy! That means so much to me. You gals are the sweetest ever!

I hope that you all had a great weekend!!! :)

I had one of my best weekends in a long time! I was able to take a nap on Saturday and Sunday...woohoo, that NEVER happens to me. Also, on Saturday night, my hubby surprised me on a date and took me to Ikea to buy new office furniture. YAY!!! I can't wait to show you soon.

Yesterday, we had a couple of families over for the big game and that was very nice and the kids had a blast.

What did you do?

Today, I just wanted to hop online to let you all know that I an hosting a Baby and Children Webinar tonight at 9pm central time.

I will be sharing some health tips and what I do to keep my family healthy. I will also let you know what supplements I give them, go over my current Shaklee specials and have a Q and A at the end.

Please let me know if you have any questions now and leave them in the comments and I will answer them tonight!

I hope that you all can make it! :)

Have a great day!

I am Preggers!

2012-02-04T04:00:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone! I have an announcement to make!!!

I am pregnant!!!

Yay… That’s right! And I have been for a long time now. Well, 5 1/2 months now.

I announced it on facebook last week and now I am officially making my announcement here.

I am due June 1st with a little boy!

I will have 1 girl and 3 boys

After, I made my fb post, I received a bunch of prayers and support and I really appreciative for it. I also received a whole bunch of questions like:

What supplements do you take?

How are you feeling?

What are you craving?

What exercises do you do?

What do you eat?

How do you manage kids, a home, a business and being pregnant?

I will answer all these and more coming up. If you can think of any other questions, please leave me a question in the comments and I will answer it.

Thanks and have a great day!

What We Eat in a Week Party

2012-02-01T04:00:00.000-06:00

Yay! It’s party time! I am am so excited about this post and party!!!

Some of my most frequently asked questions are about what we eat. I always wanted to write this post but to be honest, I always forget to take pictures, lol. I know I don’t need pictures but you all know how I like them. I decided that it would be easiest to just use my phone because that is always handy. So I have been taking pics of my food through the week with my phone.

My meal planning is always changing depending on the season. I noticed during the winter season, I am making more hot, “chicken and potato” kinda meals and during the summer we eat fresh salads and BBQ almost every night.

Alright, let’s talk about meal planning!

To be completely honest, I use a meal plan on and off! I need to do it more but sometimes I have a hard time sticking to it. I do think it makes it easier though. If I do meal plan, I don’t plan out day to day exactly, I plan more of what we will eat that week and then I pick the meal on the day. Sometimes my husband works late so I like to make a better meal when he eats with us. Since, I don’t own/use a microwave, I need to take my meat out of the freezer in the morning to defrost.

Many of you know that we choose to eat pretty healthy! I buy most of our food at Trader Joe’s with the exception of our milk and eggs because we get those delivered from Oberweis. I get all of our meal bars, protein shakes, sports drinks, and supplements from Shaklee and sometimes I go to the local farmer’s market. We try our best to eat preservative free, very low sugar, no artificial ingredients, very little processed foods, mostly organic, dye free, low glycemic index, low carb, etc.

I grew up eating this way and love it! It takes more time prep time, cook time and clean up but I feel that it is worth it!! My husband (who grew up eating tv dinners) loves how I cook and totally supports me in cooking this way. He feels amazing and healthy! Our kids are also great with it. They absolutely LOVE eating fresh fruits and veggies and they don’t know anything else.

Let’s start with breakfast!

This is usually the same each morning. I make them eggs, whole wheat toast/bagel, and a fruit (usually strawberries, oranges, blueberries, apple slices, raspberries or blackberries.) They drink water or milk with breakfast or the occasional orange juice. They also take a multivitamin/mineral, DHA chew, and a Vitamin C each morning.

If we are in a hurry, I will make them a breakfast protein and fruit smoothie, which they love.

Sometimes, I will make them oatmeal with flaxseeds.

On the weekends, we like to eat a special, big breakfast. My husband actually cooks breakfast on the weekend mornings. He mostly loves to make a garbage omelet or something with eggs because that’s what he loves!

I love when he makes me my favorite… smoked salmon and egg sand on half a toasted whole wheat English muffin with cream cheese! It is amazing!!

Sometime we will make homemade waffles or pancakes. (We even grind our own grain.) The kids love to help out!

I also love to drink Cinch protein shakes because it is a great meal replacement and helps me maintain a healthy weight.

I take my Vitalizer for Women and Vivix everyday!

Next, let’s talk lunch!

For lunch, we eat a variety of different things. Sometimes we eat leftovers but we mostly love to eat fresh fruits, veggies and a protein. (I will pack similar things for Gracie’s lunch.)

Sometimes, I will have another Cinch Shake but I will mostly always have my Cinch Tea because I love it and it keeps my going through the day.

Snacks!

We love snacks! We eat snacks after we pick up Grace from school.

We will eat fruit, veggies nuts or popcorn. Sometimes I will have a protein snack bar.

I love to drink lemon water.

Dinner Time!

Ah, dinner time!! When I was taking pictures of our food, I had to laugh because it seems that I have been making chicken a lot, lol. I do make it a lot but I usually mix it up a little more than this, haha! Well, what can I say, that’s what we like. I like to cook like my Mom and Grandma did… back to the basics! I try to include a protein, veggie or two, and a healthy grain. If you eat dessert, it is always a fresh fruit.

Here are some dinners that I recently made…

Once in a while, usually on a Friday night, I like to have a pizza night! We will order a pizza or go out. Ok, I love Lou’s!!! lol

Some other examples of our family’s favorites are:

spaghetti

tacos

chili

steak

chicken wings

lots of salads

beef stew

anything Mexican

salmon

You can see more of my recipes here!

I hope you enjoyed this post, you can follow me on facebook for more ideas because I like to post about what we are eating!

Now it’s your turn!! Please link up your posts about what you eat in a week or tell me in the comments!!

I am excited to read about it and try some new recipes.

If you are linking up, please link back to me! Thanks

Have a great day!

Twice Owned Tuesday

2012-01-30T18:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my

82nd

TWICE OWNED TUESDAY PARTY!

At Home with K made this cute art board.

My Champagne Taste re-did this dresser.

The Turquoise Nest re-did this dresser.

Thanks to everyone who linked up!

Please feel grab a button for your blog, you were just named a TWICE OWNED QUEEN!

Have a great day! :)

3 Shocking Reasons to Say Buh Bye to Food Dye!‏

2012-01-28T17:17:00.001-06:00

This is a guest post by Susie Romans, a personal friend, that blogs over at Stay At Home Susie.

She is on a mission to help 1 million moms find work/life balance by achieving a flexible career and healthy lifestyle. Her expertise is in internet marketing, healthy eating and escaping the 9-5 cubicle life!

Follow Susie on Twitter or Facebook.

How many of you read nutrition labels and ingredients lists?

Well, I'm here to tell you, you need to start. Sure ignorance is bliss sometimes... However, I like to keep my family healthy. There have been many studies and scientific evidence that food dyes causes terrible effects on children.

1) Food Dyes are linked to ADHD and Hyperactivity in Children. See more on that here.

2) The European Parliament requires a warning label for foods with artificial coloring: Consumption may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.

3) Children who eat food dyes have difficulty falling asleep and have anxiety problems. Of course, your doctor won't tell you this because most doctors do not study nutrition. They are essentially trained to diagnose diseases and then give you a drug to suppress the symptoms. With all do respect, they have no idea what causes the disease.

The Best Nutritional Advice?

2500 years ago, Hippocrates, the father of nutrition and medicine, laid out the following 5 rules:

The natural way is the only way.

Treat the cause of an illness, not the symptom.

Throw away your drugs and heal the people with food.

Most illnesses can be prevented by eating natural foods.

The word protein means most important.

This has been a guest post by Susie Romans over at Stay At Home Susie.

Join her mission to help 1 million moms find work/life balance by achieving a flexible career and healthy lifestyle.

Thanks Susie! Follow Susie on Twitter or Facebook, I do!

Have a great day!

What We Eat in a Week Party… Spread the News!

2012-01-27T16:59:00.001-06:00

Coming Feb. 1st, I am hosting a fun, food party!!

I am calling it “What We Eat in a Week” Party!!

Please get ready to link up weekly meal plans. Everyone always seems to want to know what everyone else is eating so I thought this would be fun to share what we eat eat week!

You can include:

pictures

recipes

printables

menus

etc.

I am excited to show you what we eat and learn new recipes from you!

Will you be joining the fun?

Have a great weekend!

10 Ways to Feel Sexy!

2012-01-25T13:47:00.001-06:00

With Valentine’s Day coming up, I thought it would be fun to make a list of easy reminders that we can all do to feel sexy!!! After having 3 kids, sometimes you need to remind yourself things like this!! Am I right?

I keep seeing super cute Valentine mantels, tablescapes and crafts all over blogland and that is great. I will do some crafts with my kiddos of course, but I can paint a whole room pink and my hubby would probably not notice or care. It would not put him in the Valentines mood at all, lol!

I know what would get his attention and that would be him seeing me feel great about myself and looking my best for him! Some new Victoria Secret undergarments wouldn’t hurt either, lol!

I don’t know what we are going to do on the big V-day but I know I want it to be something romantic where we can tell each other how much we love each other after 8 1/2 years of marriage! I think it is important for couples to make time for each other, no matter what else is going on! I love dating my husband and I really get excited about date nights!

TOP 10 WAYS TO FEEL SEXY this Valentine’s Day!

1) SMILE. Smiling is extremely sexy and you look way more attractive!

2) GO OUT. I always feel better just getting out of the house. You feel better after getting fresh air. Don’t hibernate in your house!

3) WORKOUT. I don’t care what shape or size you are, you will ALWAYS feel better about your self after a good sweat! Exercise gives you endorphins which will kick your sexiness is high gear!

4) DRESS UP. Black yoga pants may be super cozy and that is great but they are not sexy! This is a hard one for me because I love my yoga pants but try putting on some cute jeans, black leggings with boots or even a skirt. That will for sure change your cat walk!

5) DRINK WATER. Water is important for so many reasons. You will be more hydrated and your skin will look great!

6) DANCE. Put on your favorite Pandora station and dance around to some upbeat, motivating music! Come on, we all do it, lol, don’t we?

7) SHOWER. I always feel awesome after a nice, long, hot shower with my favorite shower gel and a new razor. Get those legs silky smooth!

8) HIGH HEELS. I love heels, especially being on the shorter side. (I am 5’4”.) Heels make you walk sexier and elongates your legs. Plus, they are super cute!!

9) DITCH THE GRANNY PANTIES. I don’t care what you say, granny panties are not sexy! Get some new ones, try a new color or something with lace.

10) WEAR MAKE-UP. You don’t have to put on much, but it will make you feel better! I will always use a little more mascara and lip gloss to feel great! I little goes a long way!

So there is my list! I know there are a lot more things to do but this is a simple list that everyone can do starting now!!

What other things do you do to feel great about yourself? Please share!

What are you doing for Valentine’s Day?

Twice Owned Party

2012-01-24T09:34:00.001-06:00

Welcome to my

81st

TWICE OWNED TUESDAY PARTY!

At Home with K re-did her mudroom.

Shabby Love made this table for $8.00.

Rustic Living re-did this cute chair.

Living Rich on Less re-did this dresser.

Thanks to everyone who linked up!

Please feel grab a button for your blog, you were just named a TWICE OWNED QUEEN!

Have a great day! :)

Shaklee Giveaway at Thrifty Décor Chick

2012-01-22T23:53:00.001-06:00

Hey everyone! I hope that you all had a great weekend! What did you do? I seriously organized and played with my kiddos all weekend and it was great!

I just want to let you all know that there is a Shaklee giveaway and review going on at Thrifty Décor Chick. So, you if still have not tried this stuff yet, now is your chance!

She talks about how she loves Basic H!

And Scour Off too!

She even shares her before and afters.

I just love what she does with the dish powder.

Go here to read Sarah’s review and enter to win!

Want to order your Starter Kit today? Go here and get over $100 of weight loss products FREE!

Canadians, shop here.

Happy Cleaning!

Master Closet Expansion Project Update

2012-01-19T04:00:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone! I just showed you our basement project and now I am going to show you what we have been working on upstairs.

We had our back closet walls bumped out and that was able to create a nice “his” and “hers” closet for us.

This is my husband’s side so far.

Here you can see the dividing wall.

My side is on the left.

My hubs is getting his closet organizers out of the box. He is going with these from Lowes. I think I will use something different because I want white and a little bit of different options than him.

Here is the first thing he hung.

This is how it looks so far!

What organizers do you have? Any recommendations?

I still am not sure about what kind to get. Thanks

Have a great day! :)

Basement Update

2012-01-18T04:00:00.000-06:00

I hope that you are having great day!! We have been extremely busy lately! We are still in the basement remodel process, master closet expansion and major toy organization. I posted lots of pics on facebook!

Today I wanted to share more basement photos with you! They are almost finished. We should have the carpet in here tomorrow.

This is where we are at today.

This is as you walk down.

This will be our guest room.

Here is a peak from the guest room entryway looking at my office.

Ahhh, my office! I am getting really pumped about this! This will be officially my first office.

Here is my view from where my desk will be.

Here is the bathroom.

Here is the hallway. It is 5 feet wide.

This will be our family room. It was supposed to by a toyroom for the kiddos but my hubby snuck in a whole surround system and TV rack. I didn’t even want a TV down here.

Here is the other side. On the right, we have a small kitchenette and the back room is an unfinished storage/workout room.

Here is a close up of the kitchenette.

I am getting ready to bring stuff back down to our basement! Right now everything is in our living room, dining room and garage. It is getting a little tight in here.

I will show you our closet update next.

What are you working on?

Have a great day! :)

Twice Owned Party

2012-01-16T20:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my

80th

TWICE OWNED TUESDAY PARTY!

Meg and Mum’s re-did this table.

A Place 2 Call Home re-did this table.

Blissfully Ever After re-did this star.

Burlap and Buttons decorated with some neat old finds.

Thanks to everyone who linked up!

Please feel grab a button for your blog, you were just named a TWICE OWNED QUEEN!

Have a great day! :)

Best of 2011 {Favorite Posts}

2012-01-13T14:48:00.000-06:00

I am so loving the everyone’s “Best Of” posts!!! Today is link up your favorite blog posts of the year! There are no limits, just try to link back to my blog. I linked about a ton of cleaning post along with my other faves of the year!

Let’s get started…

Pressure Washing your House Naturally with Basic H

Fall Cleaning Schedule: Do you have one?

Get Clean Review by Under the Table and Dreaming

How to Kill of Ants Naturally

Cleaning Tip of the Day: Clean Out your Dryer Lint

Shaklee’s Basic G {Germicide}

Shaklee Cleaning Review

Spring Cleaning Dusting Routine

Spring Cleaning has Begun

How to Clean Your Bathroom in 11 Minutes

How to Organize your Cleaning Schedule

How to Clean your Oven: The Ultimate Shaklee Test

Another Shaklee Review plus How to Clean your Car Interiors

Thrifty Decor Chick Loves Shaklee!

Micowaves, and stains, and toilets, Oh My!

How to Order Shaklee in Canada

Scour Off Review: Ovens, Calcium, Showers and More!

How to Edit Pictures with Picnik.com

How to Earn Money from Home: Part 1 My Story

How to Earn Money from Home: Part 2 My Company

How to Earn Money from Home: Part 3 My Products

How to Pamper Yourself at Home

How to Date your Husband

My Garage Sale Prep

My Trip to Shaklee Headquarters

How to Bring on Good Health for Kids

How to Mix Basic H {video}

My Trip to Washington D.C.

Do you Know What you are Eating?

I can’t wait to see what ya’ll link up. Please just link back to me. I am ready to pin away!!!

Thanks for stopping by, next hop over and join me on facebook.

Have a great day!

SHAKLEE SPECIAL:

With a $70 order (member price) and the purchase of a membership, you will get over $100 of weight loss products for free to help kick off your new healthier you this year!

Best of 2011 {Organizing}

2012-01-12T11:25:00.001-06:00

We are back today with our Best of 2011 Party!! We are on Organizing today…YAY! One of my favorites!!! I will share my organizing posts with you and I am so excited to read yours and start pinning my favorites!!

Here we go…

Laundry Room Hooks

Organizing Hair Accessories

The 99 Cent Drawer Organizer

Organizing School Supplies

Organize Your Life-Master Bath

Organize your Life: Summer Schedule

Coat Closet Turned into a Functional Organized Closet

Organizing Party Supplies

Organizing Cabinets {Water Bottles & Coffee Mugs}

Get Clean {Closets}

How to Organize Your Children’s Schoolwork

How to Organize Crafts

How to Organize your Mail

How to Organize your E-mail

Go to Bed with a Clean House for a Less Stressed Morning

How to Organize Magazines and Newspapers

How to Organize your Files

How to Organize your Receipts

40 Bags and Organizing Update

Spring Cleaning and Shaklee Special

How to Organize Your Bill-Paying System

How to Organize your Finances

How I Organize my Mail

How to Organize Your Personal Information

How to Organize Yourself

How to Organize your Priorities

How to Organize your Cleaning Schedule

How I Organize my Pantry and a Tupperware Giveaway

How to Organize your Schedule

How to Organize Your Mind

How I Organize my Christmas Décor

Best of 2010 BLOG PARTY – ORGANZING

I can’t wait to see what ya’ll link up. Please just link back to me.

Tomorrow is your FAVORITE posts of the year!!!! No theme! :)

Thanks for stopping by, next hop over and join me on facebook.

Have a great day!

Are you looking to gain better health and lose unwanted inches? Then THIS post is for you plus you save lots of $$$ (limited time only so hurry!)

Best of 2011 {Decorating}

2012-01-10T20:00:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone! I hope that you are enjoying the party so far this week.

On Monday, we had top recipes of the year and yesterday we had top second hand posts. Today, we are back with top decorating posts of the year!

Here are some of my top decorating posts of the year!

Bedroom Crown Molding

Kitchen crown Molding

Florida Condo Re-do

Decorating with Hydrangeas

Outdoor Lighting

A Spring Shelf/Mantel

A Simple January Vignette

Easter Tablescape

Click here (Best of 2010 – Decorating) for my top decorating posts of last year!

I can’t wait to see what ya’ll link up. Please just link back to me.

Tomorrow is top organizing posts!!

Thanks for stopping by, next hop over and join me on facebook.

Come back tomorrow for BEST of 2011 Decorating!!

Have a great day!

P.S.

Several of you have been emailing me with questions about becoming Shaklee Distributors and I love it! :) I am doing a webinar tonight for all you who want to know more info! It will be about 40 minutes long and you can get my inside scoop, the facts, the tricks and more here tonight at 9pm central time. See ya tonight!

Best of 2011 {Twice Owned}

2012-01-09T20:00:00.000-06:00

Hey all!!

We are back today with more of the BEST OF 2011 posts!

Today is anything Twice Owned!

My favorite Twice Owned Post that I wrote was the post on how I organized my closet. I bought all the shelves at a garage sale!! I love when I find a great deal!

Coat Closet Turned into a Functional Organized Closet

Please link up your favorite post that you wrote using anything you made your used with an old item!

Just please link back to my blog! Thanks

Thanks for stopping by, next hop over and join me on facebook.

Come back tomorrow for BEST of 2011 Decorating!!

Have a great day!

Top Recipes of 2011 {Link-Up Party}

2012-01-08T20:15:00.001-06:00

I am so excited to host another Best of the Year Blog Party!!!

WooHoo!!

I did this last year also and it was a blast!

Each day here on House of Grace, we will be sharing our favorite 2011 blog posts, starting with recipes!

I thought I would start out by sharing mine and you can link up your favorites or make a post with all of them.

Please just link back to my blog, thanks!

Strawberry Protein Oatmeal

Fresh Fruit Ambrosia

Easy Cheesy Broccoli

3 Ingredient Salad

Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Tortellini and Cheese Soup

Fruit and Yogurt Parfait

Easy and Healthy Lunch for Kids (and Moms)

Whole Wheat Pancakes and Strawberry Syrup

Whole Wheat Pita Pizzas

Smoothie-Pop

Morning Health Smoothie

Easy Chicken and Cucumber Pita

Easy Nacho Platter

Homemade Applesauce

Kid Snack Recipe

I can’t wait to try some of your recipes this year!

Thanks for stopping by, next hop over and join me on facebook.

Come back tomorrow for the Best of anything Twice Owned!!

Have a great day!

Closet Organization, De-cluttering and Expanding

2012-01-07T04:00:00.001-06:00

We are starting the year off with a BIG organizing bang here at the Donahue’s house!!

MISSION: MASTER CLOSET

*organize

*declutter

*expand

We are busy doing a lot of crazy things around here actually! We are having our basement remodeled too amongst other things but I wanted to share what we are doing to our master closet. I showed you here how I thought our closet was organized. haha! I laugh now because it looks so messy to me now! I am slowly turning into a minimalist and loving it! I still have a lot to simplify but I am working on it.

We started by going through EVERYTHING in our whole closet! We made keep, garbage and donate piles.

Eventually, our closets looked like this…

EMPTY!!!

My side is on the right and Scott’s side is on the right!

This is my side.

This is the little divider wall.

This is my hubby’s side.

(Never mind that hole in the wall, we thought we heard a mouse so we put a trap in the wall but never found anything.)

This is what our room looked like, lol! (I took these pics at night when the kiddos were asleep.)

We still have way to much.

We are going to expand our closet to double it’s size. Now, I will say, that I do agree that this is a little over the top but my husband really wanted to do this. Our closet backs up into our attic and it is just wasted space so I thought why not.

I will keep you updated with the progress.

So far, I took a huge load over the Goodwill and I am looking into closet organizers.

I pinned some cool ones here.

Have you ever done anything like this?

How do you organize your closets?

Please leave a link if you posted about it!!!

Have a great day!

Benefits of Flaxseeds

2012-01-07T04:00:00.000-06:00

Good morning!

I recently posted on facebook about how I sneak in flaxseed into my oatmeal and got a lot of response so I thought I would share here too!

I try to sneak flaxseed into our dishes whenever I can because of the fiber and omega benefits! It is great for the whole family!

I found some interesting facts from Low Carb Diets that I thought you would like!

What are flax seeds and flax seed meal?:

Flax seeds are very low carb, high nutrition seeds that are useful in a low of recipes. They are the seeds of the flax plant, which linen cloth is made from. Flax has a pleasantly nutty taste. The whole seeds keep well, but they need to be ground into meal for us to get their full nutritional benefit. A simple spice or coffee grinder can do this in seconds.

What are flax seeds good for?:

For making low carb baked goods, and adding nutrition to other foods. There's lots of information about flax in this article, and here is a list of recipes and other ways to eat flax.

Where can I find it, and which kind is best?:

Health food stores and specialty stores (e.g. Trader Joe's) carry flax seed, and many regular grocery stores as well. Whole flax seed stays fresh for up to a year if stored safely, however flax seed meal (ground flax seed) goes rancid more quickly. If you question how long the product has been on the shelves or how it has been stored, it is highly recommended that you purchase whole flax seed and grind it yourself. It's also less expensive to buy it whole.

Easy and tasty ways to add flax seed meal to your diet:

1) Put it On or Mix it In With Other Foods

Such as:

Yogurt and fruit
Cottage or ricotta cheese and fruit
Yogurt or ricotta with a sugar-free syrup
Smoothies and shakes
Mix it into pancake or muffin batter, or other baked goods (you'll probably need to add a little more water)

2) Make a Sweet or Savory Instant Porridge or "Mush"

The idea here is to pour boiling water over flax seed meal to make a kind of porridge that can be flavored in many ways, both sweet and savory. The amount of water will vary according to taste, but about twice the amount of water as flax seed meal is a good starting place. I also like to add a pinch of salt, and if I am going to the sweet side, a little sweetener as well. Let it thicken for a couple of minutes while the seeds absorb the water. If it's too thick and "gel-like", add more water.

Here are some ideas for "mix-ins" for flax meal.

Peanut butter and cinnamon
Any nut butter
Cinnamon, sweetener, and butter
Chopped Nuts
Berries
Chopped Apple and cinnamon
Chopped Peaches
Sugar Free Maple Syrup
Other sugar-free syrups
Sugar-free jam
Unsweetened coconut
To make it deluxe, add sugar-free chocolate with the coconut
Coconut milk and sugar-free jam (raspberry is good)
Butter
Shredded cheese
Shredded cheese and chiles (or pepper cheese)
Cheese and chives
Cheese and garlic

3) Flax Seed Recipes

Flax seed meal can be the basis for some yummy recipes. Here are all the recipes on the site using flax seed meal:

Do you eat flaxseed?

What do recipe do you use it in?

Have a great day! :)

Christmas Photos

2012-01-06T04:00:00.000-06:00

I know Christmas is over but I just wanted to share a couple photos with you!

Here is Grace freaking out about her playmobile. My kids love this stuff!!

I had to show to cranky pic, lol! He was a big crank all morning for some reason.

We went to my Mom’s house Christmas day.

There were lots of goodies!

She had everything so cute!

We had a ton of appetizers.

Here is my brother and sister-in-law! She went into labor that night.

We played scramble. (I am the one freaking out, lol. They were trying to cheat, haha.) Yes, I went darker with my hair.)

Here we are about to open presents.

We had a great Christmas!!! I hope you did too!!

Have a great day! :)

Free Healthy Weight Loss Products {Enter NOW}

2012-01-05T16:38:00.001-06:00

The Cinch Inch Loss Plan is Powered by Leucine and specially formulated to help you break the diet cycle, so you:

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TO ENTER, GO HERE AND TELL THEM BONNIE DONAHUE SENT YOU!!!!

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Vanilla shake mix canister (15 servings)

Assorted Cinch shake packets (14 packets)

3-in-1 boost™(42 count)

Assortment pack snack bars (10 count)

Energy tea mix (28 sticks)

Daily journals (2)

Cinch program guide

Cinch logo shaker cup

Cinch pedometer

Cinch tape measure

And don't forget that losing an inch ought to involve laughing it off.

My Cinch Plan At-A-Glance

TO ENTER, GO HERE AND TELL THEM BONNIE DONAHUE SENT YOU!!!!

Thanks and Good Luck!!!

You get two meals in a delish shake, a yummy bar to treat yourself, and extraordinary tea for natural energy when you need it. Healthy, cinch-to-fix menus and serving guides give you more to sink your teeth into. And with each meal, you take a three-in-one boost with ingredients that help kick up metabolism,* retain normal blood sugar levels,* and supply nutrients.

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Winter Days

2012-01-05T14:45:00.001-06:00

When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses.
- Joyce Brothers

What are some of your family’s favorite winter activates?

Have a great day! :)

"Health Over Everything"

2012-01-04T10:00:00.000-06:00

Hey all! I have a guest post from a mom on a mission! She has a new healthy lifestyle series starting on her blog and wants to let you know that you are all invited!!!

So here is Latoya!

Hi Everyone!

I am so excited that Bonnie allowed me to share with you something that I thought may be of interest to each of you who are on a mission to live healthier lives!

My name is Latoya and I blog over at The Scott's Crib and I have something very exciting to share with you today as I embark on a year long mission to help as many families as possible live healthier lifestyles! 2012 is now staring at us and many of us make New Year's resolutions only to give up around March even though our intentions were pretty darned good.

I never make resolutions because I know where it's going to end up so I thought about this past year and my quest for healthier living. After perusing over some of the things that I have done, incorporated, and eliminated this year I decided to challenge myself even further in 2012.

I don't want to do this by myself.

One of my goals for 2012 is to get at least 6 families on board (I would love more!) with me and take on the motto "Health Over Everything".

So what is the Healthier Crib and Family Challenge?

This challenge has been created to help get as many people on board to living a healthier life and incorporating green living within their lifestyles. Each month I will write a post about a new recipe, new remedy, supplement, product, game, or activity that either myself or my crib has incorporated for this challenge. Some may be vlog posts, guest posts, or informative posts, but either way once a month the information will serve as a purpose to help you.

What do I need you to do?

Join Me! Your participation could simply involve making an effort to walk everyday, quit smoking, or give up a bad habit! Or perhaps someone in your household suffers from a chronic condition and you want to make positive changes that will influence them in a powerful way. Maybe you have just been in a rut and need some simple system that is easily accessible to hold you accountable!

Each month there will be a link up. You can link up anything so that we all can hold each other accountable on our mission for healthier living. You can link up cleaning rituals that incorporate non-toxic cleaning methods, new recipes you have tried, exercise routines etc. You can also link up testimonials about any methods or products you have tried, or how the challenge is helping you on your journey towards healthier living. Any positive change you make in your lifestyle, big or small, is welcomed!

The first link up party will be January 16th. Each post and following link ups will be every month on the 16th as well. Every month I will choose a giveaway winner using random.org. The winner will win a challenge related prize that will help them through out 2012.

Not Sure Where To Start?

Visit The Scott's Crib and become a follower.
Visit my Facebook and Twitter pages for weekly tips and freebies that will help you on your journey.
Email me and set up personal and free consultations designed to help you live a greener and healthier life. (optional)

So now it's time for you to make your move! You have 2 weeks to get ready for the first link up! Don't have a blog and want to participate? Or do you have a testimonial to share? Email me your name, picture (optional) and testimonial and I will feature YOU during the monthly post!

JOIN me this year and let's make our homes and our families healthier this

year in 2012. Also make sure to grab a button for your blog and encourage other families to get healthy with you!

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Thank you so much for having me and I hope that you will embark on this journey with me and lead a positive and healthier life during 2012!

Thanks Latoya!

Have a great day! :)

Twice Owned Link Up Party

2012-01-03T14:05:00.001-06:00

Welcome to my

78th

TWICE OWNED TUESDAY PARTY!

Beauty Blondie made this ornament!

It’s All Good made re-did this cupboard.

Krista Artista made these sweet signs.

Loopy Loop Creations re-used an old magnet!

Thanks to everyone who linked up!

Please feel grab a button for your blog, you were just named a TWICE OWNED QUEEN!

Have a great day! :)

Read about my latest weight loss special here!!!

Cinch Special

2011-12-30T09:49:00.001-06:00

Good morning!!! I am extremely excited about this post!!! Back by popular demand, one of my TOP Shaklee Specials are back for a limited time!!

This rocks!

I actually have 2 amazing deals!

Before I tell you the specials, check out what my clients said that are doing our Cinch Challenge! They are 2 months in and loving it!

WHAT MY CLIENTS ARE SAYING….

I don't know if I'm more excited about our date night or the fact that I can fit back into a sexy prebaby dress :)

I weighed myself this morning and I'm PSYCHED!! 4 pounds down and…(drumroll) 1 size smaller!!! Yup, I'm wearing pants today that fit great and they're a 10! In a couple more weeks I'll have lots of 12-14's to donate!! YAY!

My personal goal was to maintain my weight during the Christmas holidays. To my surprise I had lost another pound by the 26th when I weighed in at Curves. The Cinch program works!

Hey y'all happy to report, I have been Cinching like a rockstar since last week and am down 3 lbs, woot!!

I am down 10lbs from Nov 1. First time ever I have been successful at losing any kind of weight. Feels good. :)

Since I got the 'cocktail' of chemotherapy 7 yrs ago, I was blessed with random hot flashes. BUT I have happily discovered that the non GMO soy Cinch shakes has eliminated them! So cool!

I have finally gotten to the point where I eat like a rat (sorry can't think of anything else) instead of eating like a pig (again, can't come up with a better analogy). I lost three pounds over the holiday even though I cheated and I think it's because I kept my metab up by eating in smaller portions rather than gulfing everything down at one meal and unbuttoning my jeans:)

I finally tried the Cinch Chocolate shake an I love it so much I wish I could have it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

I haven't checked in for awhile so just wanted to give an update. I'm down five pounds and am feeling healthy and energized. I haven't exercised appropriately but I'm sticking to the Cinch diet plan and am seeing results. A little nervous about leaving to see family tomorrow. My mom ALWAYS feeds us well. Her cooking is amazing. Pray for will power!

Stats this week...down another 3 lbs...4 lbs away from my goal and I have already brought my healthier version of Thanksgiving favorites to take to my family's big ole unhealthy eat out next week.

I missed the call tonight because I am on a girls weekend with my sister. We went shopping and I bought new jeans. Size 10!! In July I was busting out of 14....close to my size 8 skinny jeans!

Down 5 pounds in 2 weeks and feel great...very energized!! This is the first plan I’ve ever done that actually works and keeps me feeling full. :)

In less than 2 weeks I'm down 2.5 pounds and 1% body fat! I haven't lost an ounce of muscle either!! YAY for Leucine!! (I would have been off to a better start but there was a ton of Halloween candy lingering…sent it to work with my husband and now I'm ready!!)

Measured today, down 8 lbs and 10.25 inches (not counting the bust and chest;))

Lost a 1/2 inch off of my butt! Woohoo! (First week)

I’m done 3 pounds in one week!! I know if I continue this average I will reach my weight loss goal by week 12!!!

It's official, I'm down 7 pounds. 8 more lbs before I reach my goal...and hey since I added another month I want to get rid of an extra 5 after Christmas:)

For more success stories, click here.

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I did this program and LOVED IT! As a mom, it gives me more energy and it’s so simple so I don’t need to think about what to eat next! Plus, it WORKS!

Here is my before.

After! After only 3 months!

Sarah also wrote about her story here!

Before.

After! After only 3 months!

Latoya wrote about her story here!

Claire wrote about her story here!

Before.

Here I am halfway to my goal….I actually had to buy new pants. Whoohoo! I went down 2 sizes and several inches! I feel so much better and have a lot more energy.

Andrea wrote about her story here.

Here is a comparison in the same clothes!

Before.

After.

Kindra shared her story here.

What will your story be?

After you place order, you will be invited join our online community to help with your success! I want to help you every inch of the way!!

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Can't a girl just catch a break?!

2011-12-29T16:31:00.001-06:00

Today we have a guest post from my friend Missy!

Take it away girl…

Hello everyone! My name is Missy, and I blog over at The Domesticated Diva.

A big thanks to Bonnie for having me here! I blog mostly about my transition from being the most undomestic girl ever to a married girl who is trying my best at homemaking. I share recipes, home decor tips, and talk a lot now about my cute baby!

Here is a little about me:

I am a born-and-raised Okie, and a die-hard Sooner fan! People say we are arrogant, but I promise I'm a nice one.

I am married to a youth pastor. He's is truly the best person I know!

We just had our first child, a baby boy named Caleb. He's pretty much the coolest baby ever.

I'm a Christian. I try to be a good girl but I mess up a lot!

I work as a therapist with homeless adults with severe mental illness. It makes for some very interesting stories!

We have the cutest dog, Bauer. He's such a good dog!

I am here to talk about something I have recently learned. Sometimes life gets hectic, and our to-do lists get really overwhelming. If we aren't careful, we can become bitter with all that we have to do to take care of our family. Our day-to-day tasks can seem mundane. Like when we have washed our thousandth bottle of the day, we can forget why we are really doing it. Or when we are working on that never-ending pile of laundry (I blame the need for laundry on Adam and Eve, thanks a lot guys!) or cleaning the house again. Sometimes I just don't want to. Sometimes I get upset that I have so much to do.

Can't a girl just catch a break?!

But I have learned that when I add purpose behind my actions, it helps me feel better about the every day tasks. Yes, I have washed a billion bottles, but I am providing a clean, safe bottle for my sweet boy. Yes, I have cleaned this same spot over and over again, but I am creating a home of refuge for my family.

Yes, I have to go to work and I don't always love it...but I am helping provide for my family. See what I mean? It just makes it easier to cope when you know you're doing something good for yourself and those you love! Here are my reasons:

What are yours?

Thanks Missy! I love your words! What a great motivation going into the new year!

I also want to let you all know that I will be announcing my new Shaklee special (hopefully) tomorrow!

Tonight is the last night to get the FREE VIVIX SPECIAL! Click here to order!

Have a great night!

Twice Owned

2011-12-28T14:22:00.001-06:00

Welcome to my

77th

TWICE OWNED TUESDAY PARTY!

Honey Sweet Home re-did this dresser.

It’s Overflowing make her own Christmas ornament.

Blah 2 Beautiful made her own banner.

Thanks to everyone who linked up!

Please feel grab a button for your blog, you were just named a TWICE OWNED QUEEN!

Have a great day! :)

Bedroom Crown Molding

2011-12-26T04:00:00.000-06:00

I hope that you all had a great Christmas! We went to Christmas Eve Mass as a family and then opened presents from each other. On Christmas Day, we had a family breakfast, opened Santa’s gifts, hung out as a family and then went to my Mom’s house for the evening. I will post pictures soon!

What did you do?

*************************************

We have been really busy with the house and I am excited to share some after photos.

I showed you here, that we had crown molding added to the kitchen and now I want to show you our room.

We used the 5 inch molding.

I really like how it turned out!

We had the hallway and foyer done too!

I liked how above our door turned out!

I want to replace this sign for a vinyl saying.

What vinyls do you like best?

Thanks for reading this post! Please follow me on facebook for more updates.

Have a great day! :)

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T04:00:00.000-06:00

I just want to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas!!!

What are you doing with your family?

Merry Christmas and God Bless!

Basement Updates

2011-12-23T04:00:00.000-06:00

Hello! How are you doing today? Are you ready for Christmas?

Today, I just wanted to show you our basement updates! I am getting so excited about it!! I think it will be ready in a couple of weeks.

This will be my Mother-in-Law’s room.

This will be my office. I am going to paint it blue, ha! The only color in my house, lol!

This is the hallway and the bathroom. We had the doorway angled to make everything more open.

This is our bathroom so far.

This is from the opposite direction of the hallway shot.

This will be the open playroom.

This is the other side.

I am really excited to get this finished already.

I am really excited about my office. I just bought a simple desk from the Goodwill for only $12.99. I think it is an Ikea desk. I am going to paint it white.

I have also been busy pinning offices and office supplies that I like HERE!

Do you have an office? What do you love about it?

Have a great day!

Fresh Fruit Ambrosia

2011-12-22T20:41:00.001-06:00

Hey everyone!

Are you all busy getting ready for Christmas!

Are you getting your meal planning done?

I wanted to share this quick healthy recipe with you…

Fresh Fruit Ambrosia

Offering a nice change of pace from traditionally heavy holiday eats, Ambrosia is a fresh, clean dish perfect for cleansing the palette or finishing a meal. Plus, this easy treat can be made a day in advance to cut down on your holiday prep time.

You´ll need

5 oranges, peeled and sectioned

1 pineapple, cored and diced

1 ½ cups orange juice

1/3 cup shaved coconut

1 tbsp lemon juice

Combine orange and pineapple in a large bowl and cover. Refrigerate for one hour or more. Remove, add remaining ingredients and toss until evenly mixed. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serves 8-10

Enjoy!

What are you making this year?

Have a great day! :)

Twice Owned Tuesday Party

2011-12-19T20:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my

77th

TWICE OWNED TUESDAY PARTY!

Hey everyone! I hope that you had a great weekend! What did you do?

I just want to give you all a heads up because I don’t anyone coming back to me saying that I didn’t say anything but, our New Member Shaklee Special ends at the end of this Month!

Through December 31, 2011 when a new Member or GOLD Ambassador joins Shaklee and places an order of $100 Member Price or more, they will get a FREE 30-day supply of Vivix, Shaklee's all-natural, scientifically advanced liquid dietary supplement developed to Slow Aging at the Cellular Level.

That's a $100 retail value, FREE!

It comes in a special, holiday-themed box—perfect for gift-giving!

Here's an example of how you can get the most out of this promotion:

1. Join with FREE Membership with Shaklee Vitalizer

2. Add a Cinch Shake Canister (or any product more than $20.75 Member Price)

3. Get a gift-packaged Vivix FREE!

Here are some testimonials from Shaklee Members.

Here are my Queens!

It’s Overflowing made some cute yellow accents!

Ruffles and Raspberries re-did this chair.

Make It, Give It made garland from a dictionary!

It All Started with Paint made these cute packages.

Vixen Made made this cute pillow from a sweater!

Thanks to everyone who linked up!

Please feel grab a button for your blog, you were just named a TWICE OWNED QUEEN!

Have a great day! :)

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

2011-12-19T04:00:00.000-06:00

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup better, softened

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Graham crackers

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until fluffy.

Gradually add sugar; beat just until combined.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Place cream cheese mixture on a large piece of plastic wrap; shape into ball.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Just before serving, roll cheese ball in pecans.

Serve with graham crackers.

Enjoy! :)

YIELD: 1 cheese ball (about 2 cups)

My Grandma made this at a family party and everyone went crazy over it! It was the hit of the party!!!

She got this recipe from Taste of Home magazine. It was one of the best holiday recipes of 2006.

This makes an easy, delicious dessert to bring to your next Christmas party. This also great change from cookies and pies (although those are awesome too!)

What Christmas desserts are your favorite?

Do you have a signature dish?

Have a great week!

How to Get Ready for a House Guest {repost}

2011-12-17T04:00:00.000-06:00

I am having my Mother-in-Law stay with us so I have been busy getting ready for her to come. I thought that I would share with how I get ready for overnight guests.

The Guest Room

Make sure your guest sheets are clean.

Add a little Christmas decor

But not too much.

Keep it simple.

Make sure you take away your other decor before adding more. Keep it Simple!

If you can, clear out some closet space for your guest.

Empty out a drawer for some of their belongings.

The Bathroom

Make sure you have plenty of toilet paper and it is easy to find.

Make sure you have clean towels and they easily accessible.

Add a cute hand towel

Provide extra toiletries. I keep the ones from hotels and save incase someone forgets something.

Around the House

Pick up all the toys

Declutter

Clean

Wash the Windows (I use Basic H)

Smell good – because my household cleaner doesn’t have a scent, around Christmas, I like to add peppermint essential oil to my spray bottle for Christmas time.

Plan a tablescape.

Stock the fridge

Keep extra throw blankets around.

Clean the carpet.

Are you having guests this Christmas?

What do you do to get ready for them?

Basement Update

2011-12-14T20:00:00.000-06:00

We are getting excited as they basement gets a little closer to completion! :)

Things have been a little crazy upstairs because all the junk that was downstairs, is now on our main floor and garage. We are slowing going through things but it is not easy. Plus, I don’t really like the workers always in the house but that is a small price to pay for my finished basement!

I think that I am the most excited person in the house to get this done.

This will be my new office! YAY!

This will be our guest room/Nana’s Bedroom.

Her closet will go under the stairs.

This is the other side of her room.

This is our hallway and bathroom.

Here is a closer look and the bathroom.

Another office pic!

This will be a huge playroom for the kiddies!

We will have a little wet bar in here.

This space will remain unfinished as a storage/workout room.

Here is our stairway.

So, that is my weekly basement project update!

I will show you more pics next week!

Do you have a finished basement?

What color(s) did you paint it? I am trying to pick one out this week.

75th Twice Owned Tuesday Party

2011-12-12T19:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my

75th

TWICE OWNED TUESDAY PARTY!

Potholes and Pantyhose made this cute wreath.

Christina’s Adventure made a cute Christmas mantel.

Our Life in a Click made these with magazines! Love it!!

Beauty Blondie made a cute earing holder.

Meg & Mum’s found a whole bunch of neat finds to transform.

Our Little Nest on the Lake made a cute Christmas sign.

Thanks to everyone who linked up!

Please feel grab a button for your blog, you were just named a TWICE OWNED QUEEN!

Have a great day! :)

How To Work From Home With Kids

2011-12-11T04:00:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone!

One of the questions that I get asked a lot is how I work from home with kids so I wanted to make a quick video to answer you!

Before you watch…

Yes, I went darker with my hair, lol! (Just for the winter and I will go back to blonde in the spring. Yes, I get a lot of comments about my hair. It’s kinda funny!)

Yes, I should of done my hair and make-up…opps! Next time I will dress up for you! Please no judging!

Yes, I am way more bubbly in real life. I guess I am still getting used to talking into a computer, ha!

Yes, I make a huge announcement on the vlog! We are so excited about it!!

Here ya go…

(Why did they make that the screen shot of the video…why oh why? Are they trying to embarrass me? lol)

(If you can’t view the video, click here.)

Here is the link for my online lists that I use… http://teuxdeux.com

Do you work from home? Do you have kids?

What other tips do you have for working at home with kids?

Have a great day!

Giving, De-Cluttering and Making Money

2011-12-10T04:00:00.000-06:00

This year, I have done a LOT of organizing and re-thinking about STUFF!! Do you want to know what found out? I actaully don’t like stuff as much as I thought I did. In fact, I am beginning to hate it!!

It is making me feel overwhelmed and crazy! I think I am becoming a minimalist and loving it, haha!

This year, instead of buying way to much junk that I don’t need because it is on sale, I decided to purge our house, once again.

We started with the toys.

Do we really need all of this?

We donated all of the toys, games, books, puzzles, etc. that we don’t LOVE! We have way to much anyway.

Then I went through so of my décor that I had. I haven’t really enjoyed decorating as much as I used too either. I guess, I have other priorities now.

I took a lot of my stuff to a re-sale shop to try to make a little something from it and the rest to Goodwill.

I just want to live simply and with less stuff from now on.

I still have more to go through too!

Does anyone else feel this way?

Have a great day!