My Plexus Journey

I've been on my plexus journey for 4 weeks and here is how it's been going.

Week 1 of my Plexus Journey

When I started out I just wanted to get healthy from the inside out. I had no idea exactly what to expect. Prior to starting Plexus my back pain had flared up from an old injury. As a matter of fact I have an MRI scheduled for Friday that I am cancelling! I had been moody, tired and craving unhealthy food. Today as I sit and think about how I've been feeling these last 7 days, these are the changes that I've noticed:

1. I have not had that feeling of shooting leg pain and back aches at the end of the day that had recently become my norm. 

2. I've had less cravings for sugar, in fact today I threw out my stash of candy (left over Easter candy I had hidden). Everyday at 3:30 I'd rush to the pantry and grab a few jelly beans or kisses or starburst and gobble them up while the kids were napping. 

3. I'm drinking half my weight in water each day and based on the number of times I have to use the restroom I know that before I started this journey I was not drinking the amount of water that I should have been.

4. Before Plexus I was ready for a nap before my 4 year old! This week he stopped taking a nap and I didn't miss it, I had enough energy to continue my day and to keep up with him! 

5. I'm down 6 lbs! I need to take my measurements so I can start tracking that!  

I know Plexus works differently in everyone's body so not everyone will see these exact changes. I have been to the gym a few times to take advantage of the hot tubs to help bring relief to my back and I attended 1 class of a very slow form of Yoga Yin that has helped me stretch my body, however I haven't had any hardcore workouts during these last 7 days. 

So thankful for this pink drink that is making my life and the lives of my family even better!! 

Week 2 of my Plexus Journey:

This week things continued to go well I'm still experiencing increased energy, relief from my back pain, and I've stopped "needing" to have my morning cup of coffee! Last Friday instead of going for an MRI for my back pain my husband and I had a much needed date night. 

I'm continuing to drink half my weight (or more) in water each and every day. I still haven't done much to alter my eating habits other than trying to incorporate more fruits and veggies and trying to limit my fast food. 

I'm really feeling such a big difference in just how I feel each day, I'm able to do more with my boys and feel good that I'm making those steps to take my health back! 

#PoweredByPlexus #MyPlexusJourney

Week 3 of my Plexus Journey

This week, my hubby has been traveling and honestly when he travels I don't eat as well as I should. I try hard to continue to up my veggie and fruit intake but with a teething baby and a crazy 4 year old it's difficult. I honestly had reheated spaghetti or a chicken salad sandwich and a plate full of veggies most days.

I wasn't sure what to expect on the scale but I was pleasantly surprised when I got on the scale today. I've reached my pre baby #2 weight!! This is huge since I never fully got to my pre pregnancy weight with my first even after almost 3 years. I still haven't taken my measurements but I'm sure I've lost inches as today I wore a pair of blue shorts that I haven't worn since before I became pregnant with baby #2. 

I've stopped buying my favorite k-cup coffees because I just don't like the taste of the coffee I used to love. On Friday I ordered pizza as a treat for making it the week on my own with the boys and I seriously normally eat three slices of pizza and this time I barely finished one slice of pizza!! That is incredible to me because I was hungry but I felt full with the one slice. 

I still feel my energy level is way up and I haven't had the numbing shooting pains in my legs from my back issues. I even was able to have a great workout yesterday with no issues with my back. I remember dreading going out in the afternoon with my boys because of the pain in my back, I didn't want to have to carry my baby or the baby and carrier anywhere and hurt my back even more, now I go out with my boys without thinking about any pain. 

Plexus has given me so much already just in the way my body feels and I'm so thankful that God lead my hubby to say "lets do this together! " I can't wait to share Plexus with some friends on Saturday at my Launch Party!! If you'd like more information on Plexus and it's products I'd be happy to share information with you. 

#PoweredByPlexus #MyPlexusJourney #Healthy4myfam

 

4 weeks on Plexus Slim

I never expected everything that Plexus has done for me. When I decided to try plexus I had hope, hope that this would help me take control of my health, but I had no idea how. Plexus has given me so much in so little time. From energy to be able to go the entire day without needing a nap (or a cup or cups of coffee), without needing a break, easing my pain in my back so that I could live my life again, and most importantly it has given me control over my food. I know it sounds crazy but I crave healthy food now, coffee, soda, chips, chocolate, candy no longer call my name when I'm emotional or during those afternoon lows. It's amazing how maintaining your sugar levels will help you stay on track and help you make healthier choices. Oh and the side benefit is that I am loosing weight!! I now weigh less than I did pre pregnancy! This amazes me because this is the lowest I've weighed in a little more than 4 years. Even when I was eating healthy and going to the gym 3-4 times a week I couldn't loose the weight. I can't wait to continue to share #MyPlexusJourney #Healthy4MyFam #PinkDrinkandMove 

Why I decided to take back my health

I'm a busy mom of two very active boys and a husband that travels frequently for his work. Between figuring out life with two small children, dealing with my recurring back pain and a traveling husband, I had little time to focus on eating healthy and taking care of my body. This led to weight gain, back aches, mood swings and low energy levels. It got to the point where it was affecting my everyday life as a wife and mother.

Thinking about what life would be like down the road if I didn't make any changes to the way I was living was a terrifying thought. During my second pregnancy I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. This, along with my age (I realized I would be 51 when my oldest son graduates high school!!), led me to finally make the decision to turn things around. My husband was on a similar path with his health and we both knew we had to change. We decided together that we needed to change our habits and take back our health.

We had tried changing our eating habits in the past but never made any real progress, short of loosing a few pounds here and there. I knew if we were really going to succeed this time, we couldn't do this alone. My husband's restless nights, our lack of energy and cravings for unhealthy food were still part of our everyday life. We knew we were going to need some help to detox our bodies in a major way and get our health back on track.

A friend of ours introduced us to Plexus over a year ago and I have sat and watched the wonderful results that these products have delivered for others. After making the decision to make healthy living our number one priority, we knew that we needed to go all in with Plexus. We chose Plexus because we like the fact that it is all plant based, it uses Stevia instead of artificial sweeteners, is gluten free and has no preservatives. When I researched the Plexus products, I discovered that they help your body balance blood sugar levels, improve your gut health and reduce inflammation. These were some of the things we needed help with so we knew we had chosen the right products to help us on our journey to retake our health.

Both my husband and I have recently started on Plexus and are excited to see the results our commitment will bring. We know this will not be a quick fix. It took a long time to get our health where it is today so we know it will take time, effort and consistency on our part to get healthy again. If anyone out there wants to join us on this journey and get their health back on track, I would love to help you! 

Disney Cars DisneySide@Home party

We were so happy to be chosen for the second year to host a #DisneySide@Home party. Here is my little guy opening up our box of goodies:

We were thrilled that our theme was Disney Cars because this year we planned a trip to Carsland for our little guys 3rd birthday so in addition to hosting our party we were preparing for our big trip! 

Since the theme was Cars we were able to use a lot of the decorations we used last year, whew it's good that I kept a few of those! We celebrated with two play date parties one right before we left to Disneyland and the other a few days after we got back. 

This was our prepping for our first play date party. We were sent the table cloth, hanging decor and cupcake stand as part of our box along with the small box favors, yummy cheese crackers, twinings tea, duff cake mix, sprinkles for decorating cupcakes and so much more!!

I had a coloring station where I used small coloring tablets I found on clearance at my local grocery store.

The kiddos made hats out of paper plates, I had princess stickers along with Cars stickers. 

We had a Cars painting area as an activity for kids to do during the play date. We also played musical Cars where kids walked around a circle and then stopped on a picture of a car when the music stopped. Those that landed on a certain color car received a prize. The kids loved this game and we played it until everyone won a prize. 

All in all the kiddos had a blast, I think the most popular area was the cupcake decorating area where they iced and decorated their own treat.

For the second party we held it at the park and it was after our trip to Carsland so I blew up some pics to add as decor.

The set up was similar, we had a coloring area and a painting with cars area.

We also had races and the kids loved this game, we set up cones at the start and finish and had a checkered flag wave the kiddos to begin racing. They wanted to race over and over again. I bought Cars themed plastic medal necklaces and each kiddo received one. My son has his medal on below as he gets ready for his birthday cupcake. 

We also played a pin the mouth on the Mickey which was a game included in our Disney package. 

Overall our two parties were very inexpensive, I purchased popcorn, water, cake frosting and a couple cake mixes, some prizes here and there and some extra paper ware to complete the two parties. 

My little guy wore this super cute birthday shirt which I had done through a local small business Tiny Blessings. Check them out on Facebook search Tiny Blessings Handmade Boutique.

For ideas of how you can throw your own #DisneySide@Home party check out these websites: DisneySide.com and DisneySide Celebrations. Com

Happy Celebrating!! 

Here's one last pic of our trip to Carsland

No guilt pumpkin oat chocolate cookies

Over the weekend I decided to try to make some pumpkin cookies. My son loves sweets so I wanted to make these a little healthier so he could enjoy them and I wouldn't feel so guilty for giving him something like a cookie. I found this wonderful recipe on Pinterest and adapted it. The original recipe can be found on Cooking Classy http://www.cookingclassy.com/2014/08/pumpkin-oat-chocolate-chip-cookies/.

I substituted (1/2cup) agave nectar for the white sugar and (1 cup) applesauce for the butter. The cookies came out very spongy and delicious!!

Print

Pumpkin-Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 14 minutes

Yield: About 4 dozen

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups quick oats
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (substituted 1 cup unsweetened applesauce)
• 1 1/3 cups packed light-brown sugar
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar (substituted 1/2 cup Agave nectar)
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin puree
• 1 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, oats, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger for 30 seconds, set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip together butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until creamy (occasionally stop and scrape down sides and bottom of bowl throughout entire mixing process). Blend in egg then blend in vanilla extract and pumpkin puree. With mixer set on low speed, slowly add in dry ingredients and mix until combined. Mix in chocolate chips and pecans (if you want some chocolate to show through set some aside to press into tops before baking). Let batter rest 5 - 10 minutes (this just gives the oats some time to absorb the liquids so batter isn't so sticky and cookies don't spread so much).
• Scoop dough out 2 Tbsp at a time (I used a 1 1/2-inch cookie scoop, which I recommend using for evenly shaped cookies and fill it heaping), and drop onto Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheets, spacing cookies 2-inches apart. Bake in preheated oven 12 - 14 minutes. Allow to cool on baking sheet several minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
• Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

I hope you enjoy these cookies as much as we are enjoying them!!

Prayers for a special someone

My little guy attends preschool twice a week and those 6 hours a week are usually filled with runs to the grocery store, a workout at the gym, coffee with a friend or cleaning. They tend to go by so quickly, as I'm trying to get as much done as possible. See, my little guy loves my attention so when we are at home it's usually, "your turn momma" as he gives me a car to roll to him. He loves to play, play and play with me so I don't get much done around the house. 

Today I had planned to spend most of the three hours cleaning my house. At first I put the radio on and then realized that I needed to make a call while I had some peace and quiet. After the call, my thoughts started going and I forgot to turn the music back on. I started to pray for our family In TX, for my husband and for my little guy, then my prayer changed to a prayer for my son and his future love. 

I started thinking about the girl that would one day steal his heart. I wondered if she's been born yet or if she's simply a twinkle in her parents eyes. I thought, will she ever know how close he is to me? How much he needs me and my constant attention? Will he tell her that he breastfed past 2 and slept best when I had my arm under him?... Probably not. I started praying for her and her family.  My wish is that her parents are teaching her of Gods love, as I am teaching my little guy. 

I know that one day my son will grow up, he will sleep in his own room (without his mommy beside him), he will go off to college, and be the man that God intends for him to be. Right now it seems like so far away but just as these two years have raced by so will many many more years. So today as he naps beside me I will cherish the closeness, the love and the happiness and treasure the bond that I have with my son. 

I will also stay in prayer for his love and her family, for I know that God has already chosen her and chosen their paths. I pray that I'm able to instill Gods love in my sons heart so that he may grow up to be a Godly man and radiate Gods love through his actions.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 

Kids Academy Giveaway

Kid's Academy is all about helping children learn verbal, writing and math skills in an easy and fun manner. Apps such as 123 Tracing and Bingo ABC have been top-50 educational apps in the App Store, and Kid’s Academy has also brought the well-known stories and nursery rhymes The Three Little Pigs and Five Little Monkeys to life with interactive apps. The simple interfaces of the apps allow children to take the reins and play on their own, but the sing-a-longs and other activities are perfect for parent or teacher engagement, as well. Research has shown that singing along with nursery rhymes has cognitive and physical benefits for children. Not only are children learning new words and the context in which to use them, but strengthening tongue and mouth muscles at an early age will help with pronunciation skills.

Kids Academy is hosting an awesome giveaway!  Head over, download the app, and write a review in the App Store.  At the end of August, Kids Academy will randomly choose 2 lucky winners who will each win a $100 Amazon gift card!  Sweet!

CONTEST RULES:

1. Download the FREE app located here! https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/preschool-kindergarten-learning/id543851593 

2. Write a short honest review on the iTunes App Store. If you have already reviewed this app, simply update your review and you will be entered!

Target $5 off of $15

Today I went to use the $5 off of $15 on personal items. Here's what I purchased 

2- spray Vaseline lotions ($6.49 each)

3- wet n wild nail polish (.94 each)

1- right guard deodorant ($3.34)

Total:  $19.14 (plus tax)

Here are the coupons I used: 

$5 off of $15 found in target ad or text CARE to 827438)

1- Buy 1 get one free Vaseline spray coupon (red plum 7/13)

3- $1 off a Wet n wild product

1- $2 target coupon (can be printed from target website or text SAVINGS1 to 827438)

1- $1.50 off right guard product (red Plum 7/13)

For a total of $2.22 bought this:

I hope you find a great deal too!!