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Fashion

Black and White with a Flare

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Lately with all this rain, I’ve appreciated the need for fashion hats for the Fall. I’m a big fan for floppy hats and this has been one that has transitioned from summer to fall with me. As a mom, sometimes doing my hair is a luxury, and those days I can’t I love just throwing on a nice pair of jeans, a soft tee, and a hat. Continue reading “Black and White with a Flare”

Fashion

Pleather and the Eleven O’clock Curfew

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This past weekend my husband and I had the opportunity to attend a close friend’s birthday at the new Oporto in Midtown. The restaurant was amazing, great venue, reasonable prices, good food, and amazing white sangria. If you haven’t been there it, I would highly recommend it. Plus they have their own parking garage  and valet which makes it so much more convenient with all the traffic and construction down there.

Continue reading “Pleather and the Eleven O’clock Curfew”

Family

5 Fun Fall Things To Do with the Family in Houston

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This past weekend my family and I took Jayden out to Froberg’s Farm in Alvin for a little pumpkin patch fun. It was inexpensive, local, and tons of fun for the kiddos. We lucked out because the weather was perfect when we went down there. We were able to go through the corn maze, walk around the farm, and take tons of pictures without sweating or getting over heated. I love this time of year because it is the best weather in Texas to be outside, and you get to layer it cute fall outfits! Below is my list of my top 5 Fall things to do with family in Houston.

Continue reading “5 Fun Fall Things To Do with the Family in Houston”

Fitness

How I lost All My Pregnancy Weight

Lately I have had some of my friends ask me about my secret to loosing all my pregnancy weight. So how did I do it? How did I loose all 35lbs of my pregnancy weight? Well first let me give you a little background of myself before I got pregnant.

Three years ago I moved to Florida to pursue my career. I was unhealthy, I drank, I ate whatever I want, partied till the light of day, and was in the worse shape of my life. Moving to Florida gave me a wake up call, and I decided to pursue a healthier lifestyle. I gave up drinking, eating out, and even entered myself in a bodybuilding competition. I was probably the fittest I had ever been in my life.

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Continue reading “How I lost All My Pregnancy Weight”

Fitness

The “Mom” Diet

I know some of you are wondering how I lost the baby weight so fast, and honestly I can credit a majority of it to my “Mom Diet.” So what is the “Mom Diet”? I know I’ve mentioned it a couple times in my previous post so I wanted to explain it you. I never knew about it until I became a mom. It’s an exclusive diet only mothers would know about, and only mothers can relate to.

I remember the first week I was home with my baby I was exclusively breast feeding. It was one of the hardest and yet most rewarding thing I had ever done. But it was also one of the factors that contributed to my “mom diet”. They say when you breast feed you will loose your post baby weight faster. I did’t realize why until now. I remember every 3 hours breast feeding my baby with no breaks in between. I felt like a cow at a certain point because it was literally all I did for days. I rarely got any sleep, and nor did I have time to eat. I was too tired and too stressed to even think about eating. All I could think about was my baby eating and being happy.  My nutrition was no longer a priority in my life.

I decided being a stay at home mom was not giving me the life balance I wanted. I needed to make myself a priority as well so I decided to go back to work part time where I could continue to pursue my passions yet be able to be there for Jayden. I was really thankful to work for a company that allowed me to make my schedule and prioritize my family first.

After I started supplementing with formula and started to work part time my diet improved. I ate better at work, where I had a designated break time to enjoy my meals with no interruption. It was one of the perks of going to work. But at home the only consistent thing I was eating was my protein shake and protein peanut butter cups, still not enough nutrients or calories to keep and build my muscle. I had lost all 35lbs of my baby weight in less than 4 months.  With the “Mom diet” I was loosing weight the unhealthy way. It wasn’t fat I was loosing but muscles.

Currently right now, I am no longer breast feeding. I still have days where I am so exhausted from staying up all night with the baby that I forget to eat all day. I never thought I would ever have a problem with eating, but it has become more of an after thought than a daily routine some days. My mindset has changed when it comes to eating. I have to remind myself daily my nutrition is important. It is hard for me when all I can think about is my baby, but I know in the long run I have to prioritize my health for me to be the best mom I can be. My friend recommended me to check out a website talking about  in a healthy way. After having a read, I realized just how important it was for me to get my diet and nutrition back on track before I end up making myself ill!

The “Mom Diet” is not as glamorous as it may seem, and I would not condone it for any mother. Ask for help, take time for yourself, and know you are enough. Don’t feel guilty for wanting to make your health a priority. Don’t feel guilty if you take ten minutes to eat while your baby entertains himself. Yes he might cry for a bit because he just wants to be held, but he will understand eventually. Don’t feel bad if you can’t juggle it all by yourself. It takes a village to raise a child. Being a mom is a selfless job, and we would give more than an arm and a leg just to make our children happy. But if we don’t put or health first, we will end up just giving bones. We are more than just a mom, we are someone’s daughter, wife, sister, friend, coworker, ect. If we want to be the best mother we can be then we have to make ourselves a priority. Our health matters for our children’s sake. I know this is a common sentiment as well, I have a friend who regularly goes to the gym and she says it really helps her keep fit enough to keep up with her children.

<3 Dawn

P.S. Capturing my little man and his little attitude. He did not want mommy to put him down at all this day.
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Fitness

Helluva Life – Mommy and Me Workout video

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Hey guys I wanted to share my first ever “Mommy and Me” workout video with ya’ll. This is a fun little video we did outside showing a couple of exercises you can do with with your baby. Jayden loves working out with me. He is at the stage where he is curious about everything and wants to be a part of everything mommy does. Not only is it a great bonding activity with the baby, but it actually helps him sleep through the night. Try it out and let me know what ya’ll think!

3 sets, 1 minute each exercise followed with 1 minute jumping jacks and 1 minute burpees.

  • 1 min hip thrust
  • 1 min crunches
  • 1 min leg raises
  • 1 min scissor kicks
  • 1 min jumping jacks
  • 1 min burpees
  • 1 minute rest

workout time: 21 minutes

https://youtu.be/RsCj5W9jSwA

<3 Dawn

 

P.S. Stay tuned to the end for bloopers! Atticus our family dog wanted to be part of the video too!

Fashion

Maternity Fashion Tips: Saving Money by Turning Everyday Fashion into Maternity Fashion

One thing I’ve learned working in the fashion retail industry while being pregnant is how to be fashion savvy without having to sacrifice comfort or money on maternity clothes that you will only wear a couple of months. Here are six everyday fashion must haves every woman needs to have in their closet that will help them get through their pregnancy without investing in maternity wear.

1. Thanksgiving Jeans – Invest in jeans a size too big that you can grow into, whether you want to be comfortable having a real baby or a food baby. When I found out I was pregnant I bought a pair of light and dark low rise Daytrip skinny from Buckle, and a pair of Flying Monkey Boyfriend Jeans. They were less than $60 and I wore them through my whole pregnancy and are still some of my favorite comfy jeans to lounge around or run errands in post pregnancy. Another great tip to grow in your jeans through your pregnancy is using the hair tie jeans trick to hold them up.

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2. Casual Pants – versatile, fun, comfy, and fashionable. There are so many styles out there you can dress it up or dress it down for whatever occasion. In the picture below I was a little daring at 17 weeks showing off my bump in a crop top and aztec printed pants from the Buckle.

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3. Flowy tops – Invest in tops that are longer and non form fitting. Not only can you grow in these tops, but they are great to pair up with skinny jeans or leggings as well, which brings us to our next must have.

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4. Leggings – Every girl has leggings, and now they come in all different prints and patterns you can really have fun with them.  Casual or dressy they will become your best friend in your last trimester. Below are black leggings I bought at Victoria Secret to wear to the gym before I was pregnant. They actually looked really cute dressed up with my flowy BKE Red top and Just Fab boots.

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5. Dresses – They are the best when showing off that baby bump. They were also great in hiding my swollen cankles during my last few weeks of my pregnancy when the only shoes my big swollen feet could fit in were slippers and flip flops.

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6. Extra Long tank tops – Last but not least extra long tank tops. They are the best layering piece under all those shirts that maybe too little but you are still determined to wear so you can show off your bump. By my third trimester I refused to buy any new clothes. I had only a couple weeks left and I was going to make my tops fit, hence my awesome fashion statement below. Like I said there’s nothing extra long tank tops can’t help. 😉

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So remember ladies, save your money, and invest in fashion pieces that you can wear before, during, and after your pregnancy. With these 6 key pieces in your wardrobe, you may never have to spend a dime on maternity clothes.

<3 Dawn

Food

Protein Cookie Banana Smoothie

I think one of the hardest thing for me during my pregnancy is getting enough protein in. My first trimester I had an food aversion to meat and was diagnosed anemic due to my low levels of iron. I found myself lethargic and not wanting to do anything but sleep.

It was a new experience for me and a change of lifestyle from my fitness competition pre pregnancy days. It was almost depressing not having complete control of my body or my hormones. But as I got further along my pregnancy I began to accept the changes to my body and my new sense of taste. I found ways to get my protein in, whether it was eating beef jerky or having a protein shake.

Here is one of my favorite protein shakes. I’ve added my craving for cookies to a healthy nutritious shake. I love using Macrogreens in my shake. It’s a great way to incorporate vegetables in your diet in a tablespoon powder form.

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This shake is simple and easy to make. All you need is the ingredients in the picture below.

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Blender/nutribullet
Protein
Banana
Cookies of your choice
Milk
Ice

I love my nutribullet and for $100 is a great investment. I also prefer Casein protein at this point in my pregnancy because it’s a protein that last longer and doesn’t break down as fast giving you consistent energy through the day. The milk I use is Mootopia. I love it because it has more protein than regular milk.

First step is fill the cup halfway with ice. Add your cookies, banana, protein, and Macrogreens.

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Then fill the cup halfway with milk, and blend till a smoothie consistency.

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And you’re done! It’s that easy. Let me know what ya’ll think! ?

dawnpdarnell