Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Choose to be a Happy Parent


First of all, wow I am loving this new look! So much more professional and pretty! Huge thank you to the team at Envye for setting it up for me!!

Now, on to something that’s been weighing on my heart a bit.

I was shopping a couple days ago, looking at journals, and I came across one about parenting. Of course I was interested. I love journaling for recording memories, venting, and being able to look back and see how far I’ve come. It’s something I highly recommend, especially as a parent. This was sort of a prompted journal, and I definitely love those as well. So I opened it.

On every page was a prompt to write about what I had done wrong as a parent that day.

I get it, it’s a joke, a space to vent. Those things are totally necessary. Especially when your two year old wants the fruit with the yogurt just the way you always fix it, except plot twist! This time she doesn’t want it mixed. And you just started your day by using the last of the yogurt incorrectly. It doesn’t matter that you don’t read minds. To your two year old, you should have known.

Being a parent is hard some days. Even a lot of days. It is hard and sometimes talking about it or writing about it makes it easier. But are those the things you really want to spend your time writing down and reflecting and remembering?

Being a parent is definitely not always a walk in the park, but that same tiny human who throws enormous temper tantrums is also capable of SO MUCH LOVE. And kindness. And wonder. And amazement.

Those are the moments to reflect on. Those are the ones worth writing down. Yes there are hard stages and phases, but I promise they pass. And when they do, you fall even deeper in love with the tiny human who finds the world to be an incredible place, and gives love so readily and willingly, and hasn’t been hardened yet by all the demands of society.

If that journal works for you, go for it. You know yourself best. But I challenge everyone to try keeping a journal of quotable moments, and happy memories, and the things that make you so grateful to be a parent. Invest just as much time investing in that, and see if your outlook on parenting, and maybe even life in general changes.

I know that journal is not meant to hurt anyone. But it really does deeply sadden me when I see so many parents talking about all the things their child does to drive them crazy and constantly thinking about the next break they’ll get. Those are completely valid things, but it is so sad to think that another parent has the opportunity to go on this journey that I am so in love with and they don’t cherish it in the moment.



Hug your babies tight and think about why you love them and why they are so special to you. Cherish your time as a parent of little ones, and at every stage. You certainly don’t get it back, so why not choose to be happy and parent with a grateful heart?

xoxo,

Katie

Friday, February 20, 2015

Announcements!!


Big News Y’all!!



I am so excited to announce that there are some big changes coming to Mama Made a Blog!

For starters, it can now be found on its own website, at mamamadeablog.com! My contact info and sponsor email has changed a little bit too, so if you ever want to reach out, you can check the Contact and Sponsor pages or leave a comment of course!

Some time with in the next few days the blog will be getting a much needed makeover as well, so it might be down for just a little bit, but it’s really for a good cause!

I have so much on the way that I can’t wait to share with y’all! Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on any of the fun!

xoxo,

Katie

Thursday, February 19, 2015

28 Day Jumpstart Check-in: Week One



Hi y’all!

If you read my latest post, you know that I started the Fit Girls’ Guide 28 Day Jumpstart on February 9th. I have been so impressed with this program and the incredibly valuable information in the book! The way it’s written makes you feel like you’re talking to your BFF, which I love (and who better to guide you into your new healthy girl journey than your BFF?!), and they really break things down and give amazing advice.

With that being said, I totally bombed the first week (and a couple days!). I even gained a couple of pounds! (Major bummer, but also major wake up call.) But it’s not because the plan doesn’t work – it totally does! If you stick to it, that is. I just didn’t follow through. I don’t want y’all to make the same mistakes I did, and if by chance you do I want you to know you’re not alone at all! So, I’m going to break down some of my top mistakes right here.

I didn’t do the exercises.

I have been in such a rut lately of not getting up from my desk while I’m working, and it was a lot easier to sit here and hope I was eating healthy enough to make a difference. Huge mistake!! The exercises are there for a reason! Your body is not going to tone itself while you sit there continuing in your couch potato ways. You have to work for it. Eating better is a wonderful first step, but you really have to get up and move your booty to get a nice one. Especially if you are working from home, doing school from home, studying all the time, and just generally not getting any form of daily activity. (Not naming any names, self.)

I didn’t set a sleep schedule.

One of the things they give advice on in the book is how important it is to get enough sleep and have regular sleeping and waking hours. That’s right, a bedtime. Your kids have one, and so should you. They also give lots of advice on how to get a better night’s sleep and how to get to sleep if you have issues with those things. I do, but I didn’t listen! (Have I ever told y’all I like to learn things the hard way?) So, my sleep suffered, and so did every other aspect of my day and my energy level! I know it is so hard to unwind and end your day sometimes, but this is a very important step in total wellness, and your body will thank you for it!

I didn’t stick to the shopping list.

The food that I bought (on the first shopping trip) was very healthy, but I got way too many veggies! This might not really sound like a problem, but when you look at all that food it gets so overwhelming deciding what to use now and what to use later. And what is past it’s prime. When you over buy, your fruits and veggies go bad because you can’t use them all. Get what you need and try to get different colors of fruits and veggies, and you’ve got it covered. You don’t have to buy some of everything in the store to have a well rounded diet! Also, they literally break this part down for you each week, so stick to the list and you can’t go wrong!

I didn’t prep my meals.

This. If you don’t change another thing after reading this post, do this! MEAL PREP. Meal prep, meal prep, meal prep. I can’t say it enough. This is the biggest mistake I made. There is actually a meal prep schedule in the book for each week. Follow it!!! Why do we tend to pick unhealthy foods over the healthy ones? Because they’re easy! When you’re super hungry and you have to decide between that microwaveable meal or throwing together something that’s actually good for you, you’re probably going to pick the microwaveable one. But if everything is basically ready for you and the healthy meal doesn’t take much extra effort, it makes it so much more appealing. I would personally much rather prep my meals for the same reason I wax my eyebrows instead of plucking them. Waxing hurts, but much less than taking the time to pull out each individual hair and draw out the pain into a lengthy experience. Meal prep is so tedious and I hate it, but if you do it all at once, it doesn’t take nearly as long, and then it’s ready and waiting for you when you need it.

I hope all this advice helps you, whether you’ve hit a wall and need some encouragement and changes or if you’re just getting started and wanted to see what to avoid. Stick to it and make it a priority to be healthy and fit, and you will definitely see the benefits of your hard work. Good luck!

Xoxo,

Katie |

PS. If you like this post, make sure you share it!!

Monday, February 9, 2015

Have you heard of Fit Girl's Guide?

I have been making small conscious efforts to make healthier choices lately, but so far nothing has really amounted to much of anything. I am ashamed to even say this, but this is the heaviest I've ever been in my life. Including when I was pregnant! I always swore to myself I would never let that happen, but here I am. And it's not a fun place to be.
 
I want to go and do thing and have fun, but I'm tired a lot. I want to take pictures for the blog, but I don't like how I look, so I don't capture these special moments, and sometimes I don't even have the special moments I want to because I'm not letting myself enjoy life.
 
Does this sound like you? Are you holding back on life because of a lack of self confidence?
 
You're not alone if that is the case.
 
I've been taking online classes since August 2014 now, and sitting around all day studying or taking tests or writing papers, plus working from home and blogging, I'm living such a sedentary lifestyle! Talk about unhealthy!!
 
In an effort to encourage and inspire change for myself, I followed some fitness related pages on Instagram. That is how I found Fit Girls' Guide. 

 
They have two books, and I decided to purchase the first one, 28 Day Jumpstart. So far I have learned so much! I'm in nursing school and I have taken a lot of health care and nutrition classes, so I didn't think that I was really going to learn anything new, but I was very wrong!
 
They have frequent group challenges on Instagram, so I decided to take the plunge and join in, and it just started today. Last night I went grocery shopping and bought all clean foods. Reagan was very excited and helped me with everything! She's joining in too!
 
Even though she already eats very healthy, I felt like it was a good idea to get her involved so she can see that being healthy and active is important to me and important for everyone. She's thrilled, but she did ask me if we can have a dessert challenge when it's over haha!
 
Oh honey, I wish! ;)
 
So like I said this is the first day, and so far so good! I feel great and the food is so healthy but so delicious. They break everything into 4 weeks and provide grocery lists and suggested meal prep timelines for each week. They break everything down and explain how to cook to make it as healthy and yummy as possible, and provide substitution suggestions in case you just can't have an ingredient or meal. I actually roasted squash today and loved it! I hate squash!
 
I know, I'm probably the only adult left who hates their veggies lol! But really, if you do everything they suggest in the book, you will love it!
 
You even get to tap into your creative side with the goal hearts and lunch box notes.

 
I can't wait to share some of my new healthy eating habits, recipes and progress with y'all!
 
So, have you heard of Fit Girls' Guide? Did you try it and love it? Let me know your thoughts!
 
xoxo,
 
Katie

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

If Only...

Last night I was laying in bed thinking. My mind would just not settle down and turn off. All my thoughts were "if only I had that DSLR camera so I could take better pictures" and "if only I had my own home so I could stage everything the way I wanted and take uncluttered pictures and give Reagan a perfect childhood" and "if only I was done with school so I could focus on my career and Reagan and hobbies I never have time for" and "if only I had the money to buy all the clothes and accessories and things I need to be stylish and had a body those things would look good on."
 
I knew better, but my mind still went there. We're all guilty of it at least from time to time. I'll be the first to admit it. I'm a single mom and I'm still in nursing school. There are a lot of things I have to put off until the future.
 
Should happiness be one of them?
 
 
 
I don't have it all together. I don't have everything I could ever want. But I do have everything I need and then some. And chances are, y'all do too!
 
The point is, be happy now. Right this minute. Because even if tomorrow doesn't come, and I don't get that DSLR camera or 43984398 loyal followers or a clean house, I do have this moment and I am going to choose to seize it and be happy in it and stop thinking about "IF".
 
Have a great day y'all, and choose to be happy in it!
 
xoxo,
 
Katie