A Journey to Healthy Living

I would consider myself an overall healthy person.  I attribute that lifestyle to my mom.  I can remember watching my mom at jazzercise, taking walks, and simply living an active lifestyle.  On the flip side, I also learned the art of eating crackers and sipping on diet pop as a meal during a busy day at home or shopping around town from my mom too!  At some point in college, I started having really bad stomach pains and GI issues.  Having an upset, bloated, painful stomach started to just be my way of life, my norm.  Then it got really bad a few years out of college- basically unlivable.  So I went through a series of tests to find that I had endometriosis- which was causing most of the strong pains.  After a surgery to remove scar tissue from the damage endometriosis caused, I was hopeful I would start to feel better.  Better... YES, great... NO!  I still struggle with pains and an uncomfortable stomach most days.
After having Emersyn, I found that I have lost more weight than needed and I feel pretty sluggish most days.  Before I go for more tests, I am going to try this Advocare 24 Day Cleanse.  Basically, it is a 24 day challenge of eating only CLEAN- NON PROCESSED foods- no alcohol, dairy, starchy carbs, or sugars.  Once my body is cleansed from all the toxins and clean, I will slowly start to introduce foods and consciously take note of how it makes my body feel.  With that, I hope to pin point what foods work well for me and which ones to avoid or limit.  I will be documenting my experience here on the blog with weekly recaps of what foods I ate and how I am feeling.

Let's Get Started:

1. Once I received all of my Advocare supplies (meal replacement shakes, Spark energy drinks, fiber cleanse drink, and vitamins), I immediately organized it into days.  I wanted to make sure that I remembered everything I needed for each day and could just grab a bag each morning.

2.  Then I did my meal planning.  That's the thing about eating clean- it takes planning! I sat down and planned out my snacks and meals for everyday and then created a grocery list.  I put everything into my planner and printed the Advocare check list as well.

3.  When Emersyn napped on Sunday I did my meal prep for the week.  I cooked a ton of chicken in the crock pot for salads each day and cut up all my veggies and fruits for convenient snacks.

Stick with me if you are interested in eating clean.  I will share my food pictures, daily clean meals, and overall feelings throughout the next 24 days!  Here's to living a healthy, energetic life!!

Friday Favorite: Skincare Top 5

For so long my skin has been pretty normal I guess.  Nothing to report really- I rarely had breakouts or any other problems.  So I didn't worry much about a 'skincare' routine or what products I was using on my skin.  Then I had Emersyn and it was when she was about 6 months old that I noticed a big change in my skin.  Suddenly my skin seemed very sensitive to the product I was using and it became very dry and acne prone.  Needless to say I was freaking out!!  I don't wear lots of makeup, therefore having clear skin with a good complexion is really a must for me because I am not taking the time to cake on product.  I visited my local Ulta and spent hours watching beauty you tube videos looking for product recommendations.  These are my top 5 items that I feel like have really made a difference in my skin and that I would purchase again.

1. Clarisonic Face Brush- this tool is hands down the best money I have spent on my cleansing routine ever.  It is also the most expensive! I have wanted to try this product for such a long time but it was a struggling with spending that amount of money.  Finally, I realized that I was spending money on off brands and it was time to invest in my skin.  So I splurged with some Christmas money and bought a Clarisonic Mia.  DONE!!! Never washing my face with just my hands again!!  Honestly it gets your face so incredibly clean you can feel and see a difference!!  Best money spent by far!

2. Clinique Moisture Surge- My skin got really dry this winter.  I could barely apply any make up without it  getting flakey.  This moisturizer was recommended to me so I tried it out.  I really LOVED it!  It seemed a bit oily but that is what my dry, dry skin needed.  I used it at night and saw a noticeable difference in the morning.  I scraped this clean and I need to find something for the summer with some SPF in it, but I will remember this for next winter for sure.

3. LUSH Ocean Salt Scrub-This is an amazing exfoliate scrub.  It is from LUSH and its all natural ingredients.  I keep it in my shower and use it maybe once a week.  A little goes a LONG way with this product and rub gently because it is very coarse.  After using this product my skin is so incredibly soft and my make up goes on so nicely.  I will for sure be buying this again when I run out!

4. Mario Badescu Drying Lotion- This magic potion is perfect for a pesky blemish that you want to zap over night.  You simply put a small amount on your blemish before going to bed and over night this stuff literally dries out that spot and it looks noticeably better in the morning!

5.  Purity- This daily face cleanser I have found to be very gentle and kind for my skin.  This is the cleanser I use with my Clarisonic.  It smells nice and hasn't irritated my skin- so I am happy with it!

As the warmer weather is here, I am now on the hunt for a new lighter moisturizer with SPF but the others will remain in my good skin routine!  If you have any moisturizer suggestions I would love to hear them.  I am also considering trying Argon Oil.  Oh and I think an eye cream needs to be in my routine as well- wrinkles and creeping to the surface!!
What are your favorite skin care products??? Anything I should try???

Product Links: 1. Clarisonic Brush, 2. Clinique Moisture Surge, 3. Ocean Salt Scrub, 4. Drying Lotion, 5. Purity Face Cleanser

Mother's Day Recap

After a little vacation to the Bahamas, I found it hard to get back into my normal routine of blogging at night.  So after a week or so off, I thought I would give you a little Mother's Day recap.
I want to start by saying my mom is honestly one of the MOST IMPORTANT people in my life!! The relationship I have with her is the main reason I so badly wanted to have a daughter.  She is one of my best friends and all of the time I spend with her is cherished.  So when my sweet girl Emersyn was born I knew the relationship with my mom would only grow stronger, and I could begin creating a relationship with my own daughter that I can only hope will be like mine with my mom!

This Mother's Day weekend was pretty perfect!  The weather was perfect so we spent tons of time outside.  Eme stayed all night at my mom's house while I visited with a group of girlfriends.  She loved being out in the country with animals and fresh air!  Grandpa took Eme on a lot of walks around the pond, to see the dogs, to sit in his new 'toy'- this fancy quad/golf cart thing.  Eme wanted to drive it and go for a ride.

Then we had dinner outside at a local pizza place.  Emersyn had us all cracking up.  She randomly picked up her sippy cup and wanted to "CHEERS" it with Uncle Aaron.  Every time we would say "CHEERS" she would hold out her sippy cup, clink his glass and toss back her milk.  She was in a celebrating kind of mood!

We spent Sunday taking walks, having great breakfast out, and running errands to get all of our outdoor items for the summer.  Emersyn got a new pair of sunglasses and she wore them all day.  She was so stinkin cute!!!  We stopped by a playground for a bit to get her use to a swing. (right now she does not like her swing at home)  She was more interested in the mulch on the ground, so we were there for a whopping 10 minutes- but it was fun!

We finished the weekend with our monthly family dinner (with my brother and sister and their spouses) outside on a patio.  It really was the perfect weekend of family, sun, and tons of fun!!  Hope your Mother's Day was just as great!!