Starting 2014 Early: A Self Realization

Do you ever have one of those moments where you realize that you are just not the person you used to be?  That somewhere along the way you have let things slide, your good habits have disappeared only to be replaced by bad, convenient habits?  Do you look back and then look in the mirror and wonder "What the heck happened!?"  This morning I had one of those moments.  As I was working on my "Organize my Life" Bullet Journal I realized how many things I truly let go over the last 4 years...since becoming a mom.  I consider myself very organized but have noticed that I am a little less organized that I would like to be which is causing me to feel very scattered.  Before children eating healthy and working out was a way of life and easy to plan.  Since becoming a wife having kids and now having 3 additional mouths to feed I find myself flying by the seat of my pants and choosing convenient over nourishing.  When you have canned soup 3 nights in a row you know you are getting lazy.  I have even noticed that the better part of my 2013 Budget Binder has been left blank.  This is incredibly scarey since we had our second child and I am transitioning to working from home full time so that I can keep my kids with me until they head into school with the possibility of homeschooling.  Having a successful Direct Sales business and working as an online health coach the money I bring in can change from week to week so it is very important to stay on top of finances...yet I have not. We won't even talk about the appearance of my house...we have been here a year and still have not completely decorated and organized it. It so desperately needs a revamp to boot.  Then there is my outward appearance.  Since 2008 I have moved 4 times & had 2 kids. During each move I purged the majority of clothes I felt no longer suited me or no longer fit. Since I have either been pregnant or in the process of  shedding baby weight, I have no purchased anything new so my wardrobe needs a DESPERATE update.  I used to love makeup, doing my hair, my nails were always painted and I LOVED the process of my skin care routine & home pampering.  My on a good day I may have lip-gloss & mascara on, I typically let my hair air-dry & toss in a pony tail.  My nails...well they tend to look a lot like Lindsey Lohan's used to, chipped and ragged.  I am not even really sure what a bath is anymore.

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I have a confession

Emerson is now 11 1/2 weeks old and I have been cleared to workout for almost 8 weeks now. My intention was to start slowly and then join my Back to School Challenge I am hosting through Emily's Fitness Training.  Yeah well, here is the thing... I am human. *GASP* I know!  What do they say about the road to Hell?  Anyways. While I have been eating OK I am not eating well, I am not drinking enough water and well, I am getting in maybe one day a week of exercise.  Being a Work At Home Mom of a little one and a 3 year old (even though she is in school) is a little more time consuming than I had originally anticipated.  Not to mention that in the last month or so I have become incredibly lazy and rather than preparing balanced meals for myself I am just grabbing what ever is around when I am home. While I am doing pretty well getting in my vitamins and making sure I start the day right with my morning Daily Cleanse and Black Sesame Isalean Shake, that is where it ends.  Unless I am out of the house then I get in my second shake, usually the Non-Dairy.  At least I can rest assured that I am getting in most of the proper nutrients. 

Next Monday I being my Little Black Dress Challenge with my team and my clients.  I am officially jumping on board and following a modified version. Since I am still nursing I can not "diet" but I can make healthy choices and eat clean. Starting Monday and every Monday until the New Year I will be sharing my journey with you.  I am electing you to be my accountability partner.  I will be posting daily on Facebook.  I am welcome your comments and support. 

Looking forward to taking this journey with all of you.
 See you Monday

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How I start my week

Every Sunday night I after the kiddos are in bed I set a timer for 15 minutes to pick up the house and straighten up my desk. This allows me to have a clean slate in the morning. I then make myself a cup of tea sit down at my clean desk and do the following: 1. Pull out a clean sheet of paper and dump my brain of everything I want to accomplish for the week. 2. Pull out my planner and colored pens to block my time for the week in this order: Pink= scheduled work obligations Teal= family obligations Orange= workouts Green= Isagenix/Health Coaching Appointments and activities Black or blue travel time is marked with a line to the right so that I know even though I do not have anything scheduled my time is taken Pencil Everything that I want to do that is not necessary 3. I create my Daily to-do list from my list, taking into account how much time I have that day. Click here to see the list I use. 4. I write 10 goals in present tense that I want to accomplish this year without looking back at last week. Every day I rewrite those goals without looking back at what I wrote the day before. This allows me to become more focused on what I want to really accomplish. Buy taking these few minutes every Sunday I am setting my goals into motion and creating a movement towards them. If you use a goal setting plan share with me in the comments below.

Getting Your Toddler to Go to Bed

We have been struggling for the last few months to get our 3 year old into bed at a decent hour.  Well over a year really.  Ever since we spent a summer in Michigan where it does not get dark until 11pm and people set fireworks off all summer long.  This can be incredibly difficult for someone who works from home and does most of their work after the kids are in bed.  Finally this week WE HAVE SUCCESS!!! (well so far)  I sat down and re-evaluated our night time routine and really analyzed what bad habits we had gotten in to.
Here is what I found:
 Because I was trying to get her to bed so I could get work done I was letting her control her bed time. Movie, sure.  Banana in bed, why not.  Sleep in my bed, yeah ok. Stay up till mommy is done, ugh ok.  Not a good plan. 
 Instead I sat down and wrote out what a perfect night would look like and created a routine from there.  Since she comes home from school so dirty, we often do bath time before dinner we do not have it included on our nightly routine.

7:00- pick up toys
7:30- wash face and brush teeth
8:00-story and prayer
8:30- lights out

If she gets done with her clean up and getting ready she gets an extra story which she loves.  Her and I even came up with this little chart to remind her what she need to do.  She picked out the pictures. :)

Fab Find Friday: Nature's Box

I LOVE me some monthly boxes sent to my house especially food and beauty products.   I have been a member of Nature's Box for a few months now and I have never been disappointed.  I actually just upgraded to 20 snacks a month just before writing this post.  I pack a snack bag in my purse, in my diaper bag and always a great treat in McKalyn's lunch box. I always choose the "Surprise me" option so I never know what I am going to get.  It is so amazing I my mom decided to get one for herself.  Check my Youtube channel later this month for my review of what yumminess arrives on my door step.

Read more about healthy food choices at Emily's Fitness Training

August Book of the Month: The 5 Love Languages

As we all know any marriage or relationship takes work.  A few years ago while talking with my friend Christy she told em about this book she had read, The 5 Love Languages  by Gary Chapman.  She said it literally changed her marriage and made her fall in love all over again.  I had picked up the book after she told me about it but hand not taken it off the shelf until a few days ago.  I love that it is a quick read so far.

"By learning the five love languages, you and your spouse will discover your unique love languages and learn practical steps in truly loving each other. Chapters are categorized by love language for easy reference, and each one ends with specific, simple steps to express a specific language to your spouse and guide your marriage in the right direction. A newly designed love languages assessment will help you understand and strengthen your relationship. You can build a lasting, loving marriage together." Read more here

Check out previous Books of the Month

Fab Find Friday: Honest Diapers

I am so excited to find Diapers that I absolutely love. When I had McKalyn 3 years ago I was very torn about between using cloth and disposable diapers. I am really big on recycling and hate creating more trash than I need to. Perhaps it is from the lesson on Trash Island I did of my 8th grade science class. I wanted the environmental friendliness of cloth diapers but the convenience of disposable. When she was a few weeks old I realized that cloth was just not practical. I was constantly changing her and she was one of those kids that would poo up to her shoulder blades. Not fun in cloth. So I decided to switch to a more convenient disposable diaper. I had been given a well known brand for my baby shower so I decied to give them a try. By the end of the day she was covered with a rash and by the end of 2 days she had a yeast infection!!! A 1 month old with a yeast infection! Really!! The factor that changed was the diaper I was using. I immediately got rid of the diapers and exchanged what I had left for another brand. I did my research (which I should have done before) and realized that even though the ones I had were "unscented" that did not mean that they were "fragrance free" but actually treated with a chemical to cover the smell. Huh? I also learned about the chemicals that are diapers to help them be more absorbent. One of which was banned from tampons do to toxicity. So now I am putting it on my daughter? Double huh?! I was already using Seventh Generation cleaning products so that is the brand I tried 1st and actually stayed with. I only had 2 complaints: 1.) the absorption was not the best. 2.) They are brown, like paper lunch bag brown. So not cute. Sigh....
Jump ahead 3 years later and I was reading an article on Jessica Alba and her new book Honest and her new company by the same name.  She like me was completely freaked out by chemicals in baby products and clothing.   She also recognized that using all natural and organic product can get VERY EXPENSIVE.  So she created her own line of non-toxic organic products for home and baby.  The trial was less than $6.00 so I though why not.   First let me say how much I love the designs available. I just finished up my sleeve of skull & cross bones and am now on sailboats.  So much cuter than lunch sack brown.  I love that they have a inner net like lining so the moisture is wicked away from Emerson's skin and he is less fussy.  They absorb well, so far only one accident that was my fault and well another blog post. I started using the New Born Sleeve of 40 last Sunday and it is now Friday and I am just finishing up.  That averages about 8 diapers a day which is normal.  I think I average more a day because my son's uncanny ability to poo immediately in a clean diaper.  Sigh.....

August Goals 2013

I can not believe it is August already!!!! Where has the time gone? Where the heck did July go? Seriously I think I just wrote my July goals! And is Emerson really 3 weeks old already? How can this be? Here is a pic of my little man. Big sister is so excited! As I sit down to write my August goals something has become very apparent to me. I have not really achieved any of my goals I have set for myself over the last 2 months. I mean I have some big ones, but not as many as I have set and not as many as I would like. So it is clear I need to reevaluate my goals and my priorities. My top 3 priorities have not changed they just got bigger. 1. Be present in my children's' lives and be there for them when they need me 2. Create a healthy environment for my family; mentally, physically, emotionally 3. Provide for all my family's financial needs With that being said I went through all my on-going and up coming projects, reevaluated, prioritized & reorganized them. I came up with this great system for keeping myself on track and from over piling on too many things. (Will be posting that later) I have also decided to narrow my August goals to one simple goal: Finish every project I started and do them one at a time. Granted that is probably going to take more than just one month especially with building my own business and the new addition to our family but that is ok. Just being able to actually cross items off my list one at a time will be so gratifying.

How I Start My Day

It is so important to start your day off right. Your morning determines the tone of the rest of your day. Your mindset is determined when you wake up. Ever heard the statement, "I woke up on the wrong side of the bed"? Well there is a lot of truth to that. If you start your day off grumpy and un-centered that is how you will spend the rest of your day. So how do you start our morning off on the right side of the bed everyday? Well, that is truly different for everyone. For some it means getting up early and getting in some exercise. It can also mean getting outside and enjoying some fresh air with morning tea or coffee. It ALL is about honoring what works for you and what your mind and body need. Growing up a gymnast my body is accustomed to working out in the evenings. If I even attempt to in the morning I am a big grumpy mess. It is a sure way for me to quit my workout half way through. However, the early morning my brain is focused and will retain everything. In high school I would get up early to do my homework as I rarely had time to after school so that is how my brain is trained. I love sitting and reading my Personal Development book. (click here for my book of the month). I can also bang out about half of my to-do list in the morning especially if the kids are asleep. I do have to be flexible especially with a 3 year old and a new born so my mornings are not always perfect, but I find when they are I end the day feeling soooo accomplished. Today was a good day. Here is what my morning looked like: 6:00 am- wake & feed Emerson 6:30 am- Morning cleanse while reading my devotional from The Daily Grind by family friend Susan Diamond (buy here) 6:45 am- Personal Development Book 10 minutes. I am finishing up Goal by Brian Tracy, again. (buy here) 7:00- Make coffee, journal, review goals for day, week & month. Look over to-do list for day. 7:30- Make breakfast for myself & McKalyn, usually eggs with Ezekiel toast or Oatmeal 8:00- McKalyn is a late sleeper so I usually have to get her up. Sit down and have breakfast with McKalyn 8:30- Take McKalyn to school 9:00- Begin my work day focused and refreshed.

Fab Find Friday: Alba Organics Sunscreen

I have been on a hunt for a sunscreen that does not burn McKalyn's little eyes AND provides protection all day in the hot Florida sun.  We have been using Neutrogena's spray but I am not in love with the idea of spraying her and the lotion burns her eyes and mine.  A week ago I was purchasing my favorite lotion (blog on the later) at Target and saw that Alba also offered a sunscreen so I thought why not. And with a $10 price tag it seemed like a reasonable risk.  I decided to put it to the test during a hot 4th of July Barbeque.  The weather was well over 90 degrees and humid. The kids played in the sun and water all day.  Even with the heat and humidity I was happy with how light the sunblock felt on my skin. Both McKalyn and I came home burn free and red eye free.

Click here to check it out.

McKalyn's daily schedule

With the baby coming I have come to realize I really need to get McKalyn and the house on some kind of schedule. Since I have such a free schedule I have allowed the house schedule to be somewhat free. Plus McKalyn does not like to sleep so she tends to stay up a bit late, though she is still up at 7:30 am. I know she is tired and I know I am on the nights she stays up later than me. So I have put together a little schedule now that I am on a mini maternity leave. I am adding more activities into her schedule with the hopes of wearing her out. They are not included on this schedule but they are early afternoon so the evenings will stay the same.

Mak Schedule

My crazy goals for the year

My Fitness Coach Cathy has encouraged us to set "Crazy Goals" for ourselves. Being a Entrepreneur and Fitness Competitor most of my goals are business or fitness related. So when she presented us with this challenge I was quite excited. It has been a long time since I set I goal that had nothing to do with anything except fun. What oh what could I possibly want to do? It took me a second to think of goals that I wanted to do for me. Yes of course my goal of being the best mom, wife and daughter EVER is always my top priority, but what did I want to do? I started to think of things I said, “Oh I always wanted to do that.” I even got out my bucket list.


Here is the list I came up with:

1- Learn to cook for real:

Now yes I can cook, and I do sometimes cook but, nothing exciting.  I am great at concocting. About 10 years ago when I bought my first condo I was obsessed with Nigella Lawson and her cooking show Nigella Bites. So I went out and bought three of her cookbook determined to be a Domestic Goddess just like the book sad.  I think I might have looked at the pictures. Now, if you are familiar with Nigella you know that there is nothing healthy about her cooking. Unlike Gaida, she obviously ate her food. So I am on a quest to learn to cook really, really amazing food like Nigella but stay healthy! I    am thinking there will be some videos coming to YouTube.

2- Start painting again:

In high school I loved to paint and was kinda good at it. A few years ago my mom asked me to paint some pictures she took in Ireland of doors.  I said I would, even went out and bought the paint and canavas but never actually made the time to do it.

3- Make jewelry to sell at craft shows:

This is something I have always wanted to do. I love jewelry and always say to myself, “You know you can probably make that.” Yet, I never do.

4- Read 1 novel per month, possibly join a book club or start one

Before I had McKalyn I used to read every weekend for hours. Unfortunately with a one year old who thinks she is a monkey and climbs into everything that is not really possible anymore. Every month I am going to read a novel just for fun. Lord knows I have enough stacked up that I have been meaning to read. I am just gonna start from the top, grab a book divide the number of pages by the number of days and instead of Facebook stalking at night I am going to read before bed. 

5- Learn Spanish so I can teach my daughter:

Again, something else I have been talking about doing for years. I lived in Florida most of my life, you would think it was a necessity!

6- Volunteer to teach mommy and me classes in my community:  I have been in the fitness industry    
           for so long and because of it I was able to get back into shape pretty quickly.  However, I    
           know that not all moms have the education or the access to resources to get into shape after  
           having a baby. So to Pay-it-Forward I am going to start Mommy and Me classes in my little 
          town so that other moms can benefit from the extra energy being healthy gives. 

Don't forget to find me on Facebook. www.facebook.com/diytrophywife                                                                                                                                                     

Fab Find Friday: Fruit Infusted Water Pitcher

I just purchased one of these and I think they are absolutely amazing.  I love flavored water of any kind but have been dealing with nasty fruit floaties in my beautiful concoctions.  UNTIL NOW!  Just chop up the fruit, place it in the little fruit container & whola!  Fresh fruit water. If you are like me & do not always drink the water right away, you can pull the fruit container out and you will still have fresh flavored water.
Purchase here

Here are some of my favorite Flavored water recipes:

1. Strawberries, lime & mint
2. Oranges
3. Lemon, mint
4. watermelon, mint & strawberries
5. Raspberries, blueberries & orange

Summer Sanity Savers for the Work-at-Home Mom

Schedules for success and routines that rock your life and map out your day productively. Eating healthy while juggling emails and meetings. The 5 things EVERY work-at-home mom needs to make summer successful. The 5 things everyone can outsource, delegate or do away with. Yes, you can do away with tasks! The 10 tools to help you enjoy a shorter BUT more productive “work” day. Actionable techniques to do more without getting overwhelmed, exhausted or cranky. And LOTS more. Yes, the Summer Sanity Savers for Work-at-Home Moms is an eBook that will teach you: Work-life balance that YOU define. Systems that work for your lifestyle. Tools that create a productive work-at-home environment and profitable business. Techniques to do more without getting overwhelmed, exhausted or cranky. Tips that make working from home a real joy during the summer holidays. What Other Work-at-Home Moms Say About Summer Sanity Savers “Summer Sanity Savers for the Work at Home Mom is full of practical, actionable advice to help you manage the demands of a blog or business while still embracing the joys of summer with your family. It’s a short read full of checklists and resources to make juggling your many hats easier and less stressful!” ~ Mandi Ehman, founder/editor, Life Your Way “I just spent the past 30 minutes reading your ENTIRE eBook and jotting down notes. I am so excited to get organized this summer because I have been, very uncharacteristically, unorganized ever since starting the Zayth business venture and it is showing in all aspects of my life. You made me want to start right NOW organizing my summer to work efficiently and effectively in my home life and business. Now, if only you could just sit down with me over coffee in real life and help me through it. Thank you for such an amazing resource full of all things a work-at-home mama needs to stay sane this summer!” ~ Melissa Vandermeer, Zayth.com “Prerna has put together a great resource for bloggers and other moms who work online. She has succeeded in communicating a heart for home and family and how to reconcile it with the entrepreneurial life.” ~ Jessica Fisher Purchase here Click here to view more details

Daiy Planning: Part 2, Setting Your Priorities

Most of us struggle because we are trying to do too much and please too many people.  As a mom I know I do, especially at work.   It has taken a few years to learn that to say "No" to what is not going to work for my family even if it seems like a risk or it is going to make someone unhappy.  For instance, a few weeks ago I was approached by a well know high end Medical Spa looking for an office manager.  They wanted someone to start late this month and even though I am pregnant and due in 7 weeks they were ok with that.  Pretty cool huh?  Well kinda.  The office hours are 8am-6:30pm Tuesday through Friday and Saturday 9am-4pm.  This would mean that I would drop my daughter off at school everyday at 7:30am, I would have to hire a sitter to pick her up from school and watch her until I got home.  Even though the spa closes at 6:30pm I would have to wait until all appointments were done and they close up. Meaning I probably would not leave until close to 7:30pm putting me home close to 8pm. Just in time to put her to bed.  Then Saturday I would have to leave her with my parents or hire a sitter to stay with her all day.  I had to stop and think for a moment.  I was tempted my the money and the position.


However my top 3 priorities are my as follows:
1.  Being a present for my family both as a mom and wife.
2.  Taking care of my health and the health if my family by providing them with the best nutrition possible and the knowledge for them to do it themselves.
3.  To provide a financially secure environment for my family and teach them financial responsibility.

Daily Planning: Part 1

As I was reading my morning Devotional I was inspired to write this. So often as women, moms, wives, etc we find ourselves overwhelmed and flitting from task to task never really accomplishing anything or when we do we find that we have done a poor job. Even more often we find that at the end of the day we have been rushing to accomplish so much, but yet accomplish so little leaving very little time for ourselves. We find ourselves exhausted, burned out and well, crabby.  We want time for ourselves but we put pressure on ourselves to be perfect as well.   We are left frustrated and often complain.  The irony is, we are the only ones who can change our circumstances.  We can complain all we want to our husbands, sisters, mothers, girlfriends, God, etc, but they can not do anything about it, only we can.

Daily Cleaning List

I see so many of these list on Pinterest and other blogs that I decided I really needed to make one of my own.  I have taken some of the ideas that I saw others use & adapted it to meet what I need for my family. 



Daily Cleaning by

DIY Coconut Lime Body Scrub

Many of you have been asking for the recipe for the Coconut Body Scrub I posted on Instagram (emfitchic).  So here it is. Super easy to make an oh so moisturizing

1 c Sugar in the Raw
1 c Sea Salt
3/4 c Raw coconut oil
1 T Vanilla Extract
Juice of 1/2 lime.

Stir together in a large mixing bowl. Let sit for 2 hours.

*Scrub is perishable to keep extra in your fridge. 

Avoid Flu Season The DIY Trophy Wife Way

It is the time of year for cold and flus.  But why let your home become the breading ground for germs.  Remote controls, phones and door handles are the most germy areas of your home. To help keep them clean I keep clorox wipes near by and a few times a day I wife everything down.  Easy enough

Make time for your girlfriends

Making time for you and your girls is something as moms and wives we so often forget to do but yet it is soooo important. Try to make some time for Sunday brunch this weekend or the next. Call all your best girlfriends and make time to get together.  Even better make it a monthly affair.
Think about those amazing women you know that bless your life.  Those fellow mommies, neighbors, co-workers, college girlfriends … Take it one step further, since they’re helping you stay happy, healthy and less-stressed, show some girlfriend gratitude and pick up the tab.

Clean your window tracks

Today's assignment will take a bit longer.  Take time today to clean those often missed window tracks & sliding glass doors.  They are not as daunting as they can sometimes feel. Here is what I do.

1. Hit them with your vacuum attachemnt.
2. Follow up with a non-toxic bleach such as Seventh Generation.
3. Let sit for about 5 minutes.
4. Wipe out with a paper towel.

DONE!

New Use for a Wet Swiffer

Today's task is to clean the walls.  For all of us with kids or husbands for that matter, we know how dirty the walls can get with little grubby hands. As we prepare move into our new house that is one thing that I had to do before moving in. A daunting task if you use Pine-sol and a wash rag.  My mom suggested I use the Swiffer Wet Cloths. Genius!!!  It took me less that 20 minutes to do the entire house, including base boards AND I had not problem reaching those hard to reach corners, nooks and crannies.  So today take 20 minutes and get those walls clean!

Start small

It is the weekend I am a personal believer that weekends are for family.  The rule in my house is, if it does not get done before noon, it can wait.  However, being the Type A busy-body that I am, sometimes I just CAN NOT follow that rule.  So I will do something small. My favorite quick organizational task, junk drawers.  Take 15-20 minutes and dump all of the contents on the floor. Then quick dispose of anything broken, misplaced or just plain trash.  From there move items where they belong such as loose change to the piggy-bank, pens and pencils to the desk, etc. Then replace the items that you really want to be in there in a more organized and neat fashion.

Plan to Tie up Loose Ends

Today's assignment is easy.  Spend about 15 minutes today walking around the house and creating a list of unfinished projects and things you have been meaning to do. Make this two separate lists. Walk from room to room, walk around the house, don't forget the garage, attic and basement. Once your are done, make a third list of things that you would like to get done this year.  The third list will new your new running list for the year.

We will start with the first list, things you need to finish.  Choose one day a week to tackle each project one by one for a few hours. Do not kill yourself trying to get it all done now, as we know there is a reason that they are not done yet.  Do not move down the list until each one is full complete.  Once the list is completed move on to the list of things you wanted to do last year. Again schedule time to get each done following the same principles. You get the picture.

I would love to see you lists. Share them with me at www.facebook.com/diytrophywife.

Welcome to 2013!

It has been sometime since I have shared in this blog.  I realized a few months ago that I had taken on too much and needed to cut back somewhere while I re-prioritized my life. However, when I awoke this morning and thought about my goals for the New Year, I realized that now was the perfect time to get back into it.  This year we will be welcome our second child into the world the beginning of July.   I have some much to write about and share as I once again begin my quest to be a Trophy Wife.  Even if it means in my own head.

For my first project:


I actually started last night by redoing our family binder and making it two.  I will share how I did that at a later date.  Today's activity is to plan the next year on a calendar. I use an Excell download from Vertex42.  I started using this one when I was a teacher & love it.  It allows you to type directly in the calendar and print when you are ready. I color code by category to help keep me organized.   I typically keep this one on my laptop so that I can view, update and change as needed.  I print when the month is done so I can look back at what I accomplished the previous months. This one I use primarily for me to track my personal goals for each month.  I keep an additional hanging wall calendar for family reminders and birthdays.

This is just a quick snap shot of what it looks like.  I have not entered the information yet because I want to keep what I have in store a surprise but, you get the idea.

Share with me.
Choose a calendar format you like to help keep you organized. Share with me below or on Facebook