10 Things I Love About Being a Girly Girl Mom

My daughter is a huge girly girl. Anyone who's ever met her knows pretty quickly. Pink has been her favorite color for as long as I remember. She was once quoted saying "Pink is my life." She loves all things dolls and Barbies, princesses and dresses.

Here are some of my favorite things about being her mom!

1. All the pretty clothes!

2. Reliving my childhood and being able to buy Barbies again. There are so many more Barbies and accessories now than I ever thought possible. (Barbie eye doctor set, anyone?)

3. Having her randomly tell me I'm pretty or beautiful or gorgeous sometimes. Because she hears it so often from me.

4. Shoes! Glitter shoes! Purple and pink Converse!

5. Trying (and sometimes failing) at new hairstyles.

6. Doing her nails. More importantly - see how happy it makes her to have pretty nails.

7. Laughing at her ability to choose a food or ice cream flavor based solely on its color - pink.

8. Seeing her get interested in a lot of my husband's hobbies and favorite shows - she likes to drive cards around in Grand Theft Auto, pet some Pokemon on the 3DS and watch Digimon.

9. Listening to her humming and singing to herself all the time. Mostly Frozen songs, but lately she's picked up a couple from Tangled and the new Cinderella movie. And the Digimon theme song.

10. Having someone close who just wants to put on a dress and dance around sometimes. It's just not a dance party without a dress, she believes. 

What's your favorite things about being a mom in general? 

* Disclaimer: Yes, I know some of these can also be applicable to if I had a male child as well, but it's my list. Also, this post includes a few affiliate links *

10 Tips to Get You into a More Active Lifestyle

Anyone who knows me well, knows I don't have a clue about anything when it comes to gyms and working out and especially healthy eating. Not at all. I'm one of those smaller people who always hears comments about not needing to work out because "you're so skinny!"

It's as if I can't want to have a fit, healthy body just because I'm not overweight. 

I've grown tired of it. And with a brand new 30lbs added on to my body recently, I found that it was time to finally start living a more active lifestyle in hopes that I'd have a more energized and longer life. And wouldn't keep adding on the pounds. 

So I'm by no means an expert. I'm 100% a newbie here. 

But if you're thinking about getting into a more active lifestyle and are worried you might not be able to keep up with it, here are some tips to help keep you motivated. 

It's what's been helping me!

1. Make a Motivation Board on Pinterest

We will start with something easy you can do without lifting more than a few fingers. Make a fitness motivation board on Pinterest, and pin what inspires you. Some ideas to pin:

• Easy/beginner/at home workouts
• Workout songs
• Cute active wear
• Healthy meal ideas
• High-energy snacks
• Photos of fit people to inspire you

2. Start Small

Create your own easy start up-routine. I used to do squats or sit-ups or dance around or run up and down the stairs.

 

3. Use Stickers!

If you're a planner (like me!) and love planner stickers (like me!) these may come in handy! Etsy has a ton of options for workout stickers to use in a planner, calendar or anywhere you'd like! I especially love the 'Walk Away Fatty' stickers from Anxiety Aids Etsy shop. She has a few other 'inappropriate' sets of stickers as well.

4. Have Something to Wear

Make sure you have at least one workout outfit that you feel great in. If you don't feel great in it, you won't want to wear it. Start with one outfit and if you start getting more consistent and serious about working out, then expand your workout wardrobe. Moisture-wicking or quick-dry items are my favorite when I'm working up a sweat. I never realized what a difference it makes until my workout clothes still in the laundry and I need to wear regular sweats or yoga pants. 

Also - get dressed! Most often just putting on one of my workout outfits inspires me to work out.

5. A Kick-Ass Playlist

Nothing can get me more in the mood to move than a great upbeat playlist. YouTube has a lot of good workout playlists to get you started.

6. Find a Fitness Buddy

If you have a friend with an active lifestyle, ask them their tips. Find someone to join a gym or a class with. I myself could never get into a good routine of working out. I'd try to go to the gym for a few days but then would find myself not having time for a few weeks. Once I found a friend who was looking to start working out more, we both started going to a fitness class together, and now she encourages me to go. It's something we often do together.

7. Find a Good Class

This goes with what I mentioned before - a friend and I found a workout class called 'Fusion' (a combo of Fusion is a combination of kickboxing, turbo, strength training, cardio and choreography). It makes me sweat, it works my muscles, you can do a regular workout or take little steps to push yourself harder. Most importantly - it's really fun. It really makes me want to workout. 

8. There's an App for That

Find an app to keep you challenged! Back in the day I really liked how My Fitness Pal app worked, although I'm not familiar with it now. Here's a list of 49 Fitness Apps of 2015. It seems my child deleted my fitness app I've been using, so I can no longer recommend it as I lost the name. 

9. Challenge Yourself

Write down your goals and/or challenges somewhere you can see them. Fun challenges can be things like:

- Do 30 squats a day for a week

- Train yourself to run in a short marathon
- Be able to go from doing 0 pushups to 10!

10. Focus on the Why

When you feel yourself getting discouraged, remember why you're doing this. Whether it's for health reasons or weight loss or whatever reason, it takes a lot of time and effort before you'll see results. So encourage yourself to keep trying. 

Do you have any helpful fitness advice to share? Comment below! 

10 Things You Should Know About Me

1. I'm a Mother

And being a mother is the most important part of me. On September 25, 2011, I gave birth to the tiniest little girl. All of a sudden, she's not a baby anymore but a 4 year old child filled with ideas and stories. She is my best friend and can brighten up the worse days. She can also be a moody handful at times and make some days hard. She's worth it. Her name is Chloe. 

2. I'm Married

To the strangest, most irritating man child. But that's what I took on when I signed the contract to adopt him. He's lucky he has a big heart and a funny imagination. 

3. I'm a Step-Parent

My husband has a daughter who's only 8 short months older than my own daughter (and my daughter is also not my husband's biological child). My step-daughter's name is Madi.

4. I'm a Stationary Addict! 

Just ask the bag I take with me to and from work on a daily basis. It includes: My planner, a case of all my favorite pens and highlighters, two notebooks, my decorative sticky note pad, and my sticker album. Naturally I also have some Washi tape at home and a million other pens and notebooks. And I browse Etsy planner stickers like it's my second job. 

5. I'm Addicted to Music

I'm a country music girl at heart but I love my share of everything. Some upbeat that makes me want to dance and workout is my favorite right now. 

6. I'm Also a Junk Food Addict

I want to eat all the chips, all the chocolate and especially all the Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Throw in some Pepsi and nachos too. I love it all. It really hard for me to eat healthy but I'm trying my best to make better food decisions for my health. For my daughter. 

7. I'm New Into Fitness

I've always been tiny so I've never needed to work out due to my size. Recently I've started gaining more weight. Still nothing to worry much about, but I did go up an entire pant size. That was the push I needed to start a more active lifestyle. I still get a ton of comments about how I don't "need" to work out because I'm so skinny. I'm so tired of hearing it, but I don't let it get to me anymore. I enjoy the workout class that I go to and I wish I had the time (between my family and job) to do a bit more. 

8. This is a New Blog

But I'm not a new blogger. I had an online journal years ago in the early 2000s, then I started a blog when that website closed, and moved on to another blog. Most of those were just personal journals. I hope bigger hopes and dreams for this blog, as well as writing about important events in our lives. 

9. I'm a Planner

I absolutely love making lists, filling out planning sheets, any kind or organizational printable. I love planning parties and events. I love writing things down on my calendar. I love organizing. 

10. I Love to Write

I love writing stories. Even it's hard to write stories, I love thinking up ideas. I've been attempting to write stories since the early 2000s when I was just a young teenager. 

What are some things I should know about you?