How To: Chalkboard Art Tutorial

September 14, 2016Leave a comment

Chalk art makes my heart happy.

This week has been crazy, and it’s only Wednesday. Sure a glass of wine [or 3] at night can help to de-stress after a long day, but sometimes I like to start the day off relaxed by letting my creative juices flow. A little chalk dust and a few cups of coffee later and I was ready to start my day.

I’ve posted previously how to make your own chalkboard wall, but I figured I’d do a quick tutorial on how I actually create my chalkboard art for the average person. [let’s be real – no one has time or sanity for that elaborate fancy shit] I’ve seen people print out their designs and cover the back of the paper lightly with chalk dust then trace over it, I prefer to do mine all by hand. I find it therapeutic to see what you picture in your head come to life.
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BBG: 2 Week Recap

August 16, 2016Leave a comment

I’m officially into week 3 of my Bikini Body Guide 12 week program! I wanted to provide a quick update for you all on my progress and overall thoughts.

Progress 8/16: 2 Weeks in, 5 lbs down, clothes are fitting looser

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The Diet:

I’ve found the diet fairly easy to follow. Mind you, I have modified it quiet a bit to fit my lifestyle. I feel Kayla’s original recipes are a bit too “fancy”. I don’t want to have to go spend extra money on muesli and I don’t eat fish. So with that in mind, for example – I’ve substituted rolled oats for muesli and shrimp for fish. I’ve written everything down so maybe when I have some extra time I can share my modified weekly meal plans.

As far as what they include – it’s your basic weekly meal plan when on a diet. Smoothies, fruits, nuts and veggies. I can say she does a great job of switching up the proteins and overall meal ideas. Most diets can get very dull, very quickly with salads and chicken, rice and veggies over and over again

#bbgfood on Instagram

The Fitness:

The fitness is alternating days of LISS [low intensity steady state] cardio and then other days a 28 min circuit targeting a specific body area [legs, arms & abs, full body]. 28 minutes doesn’t sound like a long time but when you’re doing non-stop circuits, you easily work up a sweat. Each week Kayla changes up the circuits so you’re using different muscles and not the same workout. For the LISS it’s really personal preference – spin, walk, swim, run, you name it. It offers a lot of flexibility to do which workouts when you want to.

I like to go hard when I commit to something so I’ve recently added a fasted HIIT [high intensity interval training] cardio 30 min spin class early morning to ramp it up a notch. Burpees still are not my friend…

The Update:

5 pounds isn’t too bad for 2 weeks. Leep says hes starting to notice a difference and my clothes are fitting a bit looser. All wins in my book! While I have slacked off a bit these past 2 days, I’ve had a tummy bug and only wanted carbs and haven’t felt up to working out, I’m excited to get back at it and see what these next two weeks hold.

How to Deal with Toxic People

March 1, 20164 Comments

Let’s get personal for a moment…

From the very beginning of our relationship my husbands family has not liked me – yet here we are today happily married with a beautiful son. Originally there was no real reason for the hatred: a mother struggling with losing her first son to another woman, jealousy, nicknames, difference of views and opinions. Lots of small moot excuses but no real outright reason for not liking me as a person.

It’s been a roller coaster of good times and bad, as well as times where mine and Leep’s relationship truly suffered. I am sad to say that as of today they are no longer a part of our lives or our sons life. While that wasn’t an easy decision to come to – mentally, emotionally and wholeheartedly we are happier and healthier for it.

Family, friends – it’s hard to say goodbye to anyone. I struggled for a long time [and maybe still do] with accepting that their opinion towards me would never change, no matter how hard I tried. The point I want to share is: It is not wrong for you to show them the way out of your life.

This post is to let you know, you’re not alone. Monster-in-laws is more than just a bad joke or saying to some. You hear others talk about how they dislike their in-laws and you both cringe inside, your spouse out of embarrassment with how their family acts, and you because they don’t know how truly bad it could be. You feel pangs of jealousy towards those that have great relationships with their in-laws and you band together with those in similar situations as you. If you’re like us, you’re blessed to have one side of the family who loves and supports you and more importantly your spouse, unconditionally. Spend your time with these people, they are the meaning of true love, support and family.

Here is a quick list of thoughts that helped us navigate this difficult situation. Continue reading →