Sephora Insider Beauty Sale

My fitness and meals during pregnancy

Life Update and why I came back to my blog

Well HEEELLLLLOOOOOOO ladies!!!

Wow it truly feels like forever since I have sat down and typed up a blog post. It feels so good to have my fingers clicking on my laptop again! I apologize in advance for my misuse grammar and punctuation, a lot of these post will written when I have a moment during the day and after the kids go down for the night. #mombrain AH!

I feel like I have so much to catch you up on and my fingers cannot type fast enough to get started on what has been going on since I deleted my old Instagram account in January. I hope you have a snack for this one because this post might get a little long, but here we go!

Towards the end of 2017, I was feeling pretty crappy about how my blog/social media outlets were growing and how I kept comparing myself to other bloggers because of it. Now I'm not going to go on and bash other bloggers and what they do to grow their business, to each their own. I am mainly talking about how society, especially on Instagram has as type of "it girl". Being completely opposite of this "it girl", it's extremely hard not to try and not compare yourself to her! If you have no idea what I am talking about then I am sorry.

Christmas Gift Guide for her, him, and the kiddos!

Hi Dolls!

Can you believe we are already three weeks away from Christmas! Yikes and Yay!!! I have collected some items that I have personally have ordered for either myself and family or would love to open up on Christmas morning! I have fun checking out all these amazing deals!!!

A Healthy Spooky Snack with Mini Babybel®

Hi Dolls!

The kids and I did a quick Target run the other day for some last minute things for my vacation and of course we couldn't leave without hitting the Target Cafe and picking up some snacks for the week. My kids have been eyeing these cheese snacks from Mini Babybel® forever and I just couldn't say no because I secretly wanted to try them too. HA! My kids could seriously live off of cheese and crackers! Mini Babybel® is made with 100% real cheese and is a good source of calcium and protein....so this Mama is WINNING in the healthy snack department! 

My littles could not wait to get home to open up these yummy little snacks and to be honest, either could I! 

I came across some really yummy ways to enjoy these tasty cheeses bbbbuuutttt I kinda let the kids that the lead on this snack. I couldn't resist snapping some adorable photos of them with my Fall decor! These are seriously the prefect little party snack for the upcoming holiday season and just bring out the kid in us!

I truly love  the fact that, not only are these snacks healthy and tasty for my little ones to enjoy during the day or to place in their lunch boxes for school, etc...I love that they help them with their motor skills as well! From the unwrapping to cutting the cheese up to place on their favorite crackers! As Mom, I appreciate all the help I can get to keep them busy and make learning fun!

Ok Mamas, make sure to pick up a bag of these yummy Mini Babybel®  cheeses on your next Target run! You won't be sorry and let me know how you enjoyed them! Also make sure to check out Mini Babybel® to learn more about this delicious snack that the entire enjoy family can enjoy!

Cheers from our table to yours! 

Packing tips and tricks for a week long trip // MarleyIlly Luggage

Hi Dolls,

I am SUPER excited to finally share this travel post with all of you. I've been working on this for awhile now and I really hope you enjoy it. I will be sharing how I will be packing for my week long trip to Miami that includes tricks to save your make up from breaking, your jewelry from getting all tangled, and so much more!

Q/A: About my most recent hairstyle

Hi Loves!

I am SO excited to finally share this post with you ladies. Before I get into today's post, I need to say a BIG thank you to my hairstylist/friend Emily at Habit Salon for giving me this gorgeous cut and color. I have been going to Emily for almost a year now. I  give her a hard time about going from dark to blonde and then back to dark! hehe I will link all her contact info at the end of this post.

Starting off the post from a few months back. It will be a time line like format.

(Few Months back)
When I first cut half my length off:

 As most of you know by now I recently cut pretty much half my length off and I promised myself that I would never do that again.....oops! Once we moved to Arizona, I ALWAYS had my darn hair up in a bun and I was just over it. My head was always hurting and I was starting to lose hair along my hair line in the front. So I thought it was time for a fun change and also time to figure out a way to help grow my hair back out in those troubled areas.

My first color appointment from going from REALLY dark: Also she shortened my hair a little more.

We had major Jenna Dewan Tatum inspo going on for this cut! 

My most recent appointment.
(Before)

The morning of my appointment, I had washed my hair a few times with Unite Clarifying Shampoo. I like to do this about a week or two before my color appointments because my hair is really stubborn when I want to go lighter. I paired the Unite Moisturizing Conditioner  with it as well. I completely spaced and forgot to use it the week prior for this appointment, so that's why I washed my hair a few times that morning. Then I did a REALLY quick blow dry so you ladies could an idea of what my color looked like going into my appointment....so no judging haha //Little disclaimer.....I STINK at blowing drying my hair! Shocker right?! I never have the time to really do it how I want to.

After a few hours in Emily's cozy chair we achieved some gorgeous color!

 Going from DARK to light is A MAJOR process ladies. What I truly love about Emily, is that she is very careful about not completely destroying your hair when you are wanting to go lighter. She is very thoughtful, smart, and realistic about what you will get out of each appointment. I love her honestly and admire all her hard work! I don't know how she does it and I'm so happy we got paired up together when I first walked into that salon.

We have another color appointment next month before I head out of town and I CANNOT WAIT! We will be going lighter and hoping that some blonde color finally pops through! I'm going to grow my length out.....as of right now. Ha! I want to go back to the length shown in the first photo on this post. I am really enjoying the length it is now tho! I love how I can flip my hair to the slide for a fun edgy look!

I received SO MANY questions about my color and cut from you ladies and Emily will be answering all those questions below for you.

Q/A

1. What color/technique did you do to achieve my color? Highlights, hair painting, etc? 

"The color technique I used on your hair a combination of a full head of baby lights (tiny sections doing a super fine weave) and hair painting. Teasing the sections and painting in a "V" in  a foil. "

2. What style is my haircut? How did you cut into my hair?

"Our haircut is a Lob. ( Long Bob) It is slightly shorter in the back and the layering is just near the bottom. I also texturizing it using a combination of texturizing shears, point cutting with my regular shears and slide cutting with my regular shears."

3. What is the best Shampoo/ Conditioner for color treated hair?

"There are many good shampoos and conditioners out there. I would definitely look for ones that are sodium and sulfate free. I love Goodwell, Oribe, Unite, and Iphenom to name a few brands."

4. What are some products to add to your routine to achieve soft, smooth, and shinny curls?

"For products I love a leave-in conditioner/ heat protection spray or cream and an argon oil. You put that in the hair when it is still wet. (Towel dried) After it is dry, you can put a small amount of oil through the ends and a texturizing spray to give the waves some hold, but so it's not so uniform. My favorite is the dry texturizing spray from Oribe."

5. Is it best to use only use one cream and one oil when styling your hair? Can to much of one type of product make your hair fall flat?

"Yes, you can definitely over use product. Always keep the creams and oil away from your scalp. Only use it on the mids and ends. Even then, don't use too much."

6. What is a good product to help tame fly aways? 

"To tame fly aways either put a SMALL amount of an oil in your hands, rub them together and then with open hands, smooth down the fly aways. Or spray hairsprays on your hands, run them together, them smooth down the fly aways. "

7. For long hair, what's the best ways to sleep? Up in a bun, down, loose, any other ways?

"For long hair, I suggest sleeping with it in a high bun or in a braid. Silk pillowcases are the best to sleep on to avoid breakage when you sleep."

To contact Emily for a free consult at Habit Salon you can either TEXT or call Habit Salon directly to set up your appointment!

TEXT: (480) 688-1267 

Habit Salon: (480) 461-9425

Make sure to follow Emily on her Instagram! She always posts her work and shows off some amazing transformations! 

Shop The Look

Taco Tuesday Recipe // Healthy, Quick, and Easy

Hi Loves,

I am big fan of Taco Tuesday, I mean who isn't?! These days I am trying to make Taco Tuesday as healthy as I can because I am really trying to drop a few pounds. I am sharing this yummy dish that my Husband I really love to have. It's so easy, quick, and inexpensive to make up too!

Also please excuse the iPhone photos and the fact that I am not a Food Photographer...HA!

I can never get tired of sautéed veggies. They literally go with just about any dish and they are an easy and yummy way to achieve your veggie intake! 

Just wash, thinly slice up, and cook in some olive oil in a pan on medium heat. I like to add fresh black pepper over it as well. I never add salt. I also always add onions whenever I sauté peppers, I feel like they taste even better when you do. 

 I picked up all of my ingredients from Walmart. You can get these taco bowl shells in a 4 pack and they are the prefect size to keep your portions under control. 

I always keep this pre-seasoned taco meat in my fridge. My son LOVES tacos and it's so nice just to throw it in the pan and cook it up in a few minutes when you need a quick dinner. My daughter is not a fan of taco meat, so I will make her a cheese quesadilla when we have tacos. 

I topped it off my salad with some hot sauce and avocado slices. I wish had some fresh salsa on hand because that would have been the cherry on top for this salad. 

 I hope you ladies enjoyed this healthy, easy, and quick Taco Tuesday Recipe. What are some of your favorite weekly go to meals for your family?

 Taco Salad Ingredients:

• One pound of ground turkey or ground beef ( I personally use Jenno Lean Ground Turkey) 

•  The package of taco bow shells 

•  Shredded lettuce 

• Medium Size Red(1), Yellow(1), Orange(1), Onion(1). You could even use a green pepper as well 

•   Shredded sharp cheddar cheese. I always use the Fat Free packet 

•  Black Beans ( I always buy low sodium or no salt added) 1 can 

•  1 small avocado 

•  Hot Sauce (optional)

•  Fresh Cracked Pepper (add to taste) 

This post was not sponsored by any. Just sharing a yummy meal my family and I like to enjoy. :) 

My Microblading Experience Round 2: Touch Up & Shading

Hi Dolls!

Here we are go again with another installment post! First off, I need to thank Mai Lea from MaiLash & Brows for being so sweet and helpful throughout this entire process. She is a master at her talent and I cannot thank her enough for working with me and giving me the brows I have always wanted! 

Going into my touch up appointment, I had to do the before care steps as I did the first time around. (You technique will give you all that info) I had some photos to show of what I wanted my brows to look like, because we were doing shading to make them look fuller. The Microblading was done first and then the shading. So if you are not sure about doing the shading at your touch up appointment, that's ok! It's a two step process. :) I will show you the difference on this post ;) 

Just like the first appointment, we worked with the desired shape outline. Once that was complete, she applied the numbing cream and then we waited about 20 minutes for it to set in. Now, your skin has entered the healing stage from the first appointment and it's going to be more sensitive the second time around. You have a small window to get in for your touch up because your skins healing cycle. 

The brow on the left side (picture of above) has just completed the first round of microblading. The picture on the right side, is showing you one brow with the numbing gel back on because we are getting ready for the shading! The brow she is working on is finishing off the second round of microblading.

Picture below shows you the difference between staying with the two rounds of microblading and adding shading. Notice how fuller the brow with shading looks! So obsessed haha

Look at those results ladies! I am so happy with my touch up appointment!!

Post Touch Up Appointment Check In's

Ok ladies, just like the last microblading post, I will be doing my weekly check in's with you and of course sharing photos of my brows.

Two Days Post Touch Up

This time around my brows were more sensitive after the appointment and more red on the outer-shape. They were tight feeling for the first two days and now they feel great but have a tiny tightness feeling still. I do still have some redness around the outers shape of my brows.

 Also, SO HAPPY I invested in my beauty ring light to use for my touch up photos.

Remember that the few days or week, your brows are going to be really dark. Remember this is a process and it takes time to achieve that final look!

Four Days Post Touch Up

We are entering the semi itchy phase of the healing process. Also I have developed two tiny areas that seem to be infected and I'm not sure how his happened. You can see the red spots on the left side of the photo. The spots are a little tender and I'm going to make sure to keep the area really clean and extra moisturized. I am honestly not sure how this happened because I haven't touched them and have been careful about how I sleep at night. So I will keep you ladies updated. 

I am seeing scabs develop as well and some tiny flakes. I am excited to get this phase over, which will be in a couple of days. 

Six Days Post Touch Up

I have entered the not so pretty stage of the healing process....the scabbing/flake stage! My brows are really itching right now and I think it's because of the shading. I didn't have this much itching the last round. Those two tiny spots on my one brow, seem to be healing up now and I'm SO thankful for that! 

On one side of my brow, it's more pointed than the other and it really bugs me but I can go back in for a quick fix which is great! Everything else is going well so far and these next couple weeks can't come soon enough. I'm so excited to see my final results of this entire process! 

8 Days Post Touch Up

Oh ladies, the scabbing and flakes are in FULL effect this time around. Thankfully it seems to be moving right along now and I am always so amazed about much your brows change day by day during this process. This is the not so pretty stage but that's what hats are for! ;) The itching is slowly down now as well, thank goodness. 

11 Days Post Touch Up:

The flake stage is going strong and so was the itchy feeling. Thankfully this stage doesn't last to long. Once you clean your brows, the flakes go away. You don't have to walk around like this all day. All the scabs have fallen off by this point as well. 

17 Days Post Touch Up:

 Not as many flakes going on right now. The darkness did go down but over the next two weeks it will start to darken up again as you skin is going through it's grow cycle. No itching going on. Again just some minor flakes once in awhile, noting like last week. Two more weeks and it will be all done.  I cannot believe how much your brows change by doing the shading. I'm so happy I did it. One brow is pointer than the other and once I'm all healed. I will see if I want my brow girl to help fix that small spot. I could just add make up to it but it does bug me sometimes. I'm just OCD about things haha. Also I cannot wait to add brow make up to my brows once I'm all healed and also work out! 

I could work out but you just have to be very careful about sweat going onto your brows and also your can open up your pores during a high intensity workout, which makes your lose pigmentation. So what is two more weeks without doing those workouts?! 

4 Week Post Touch Up: Final Result 

I have to say this second time around went by so fast. My brows healed up so nicely and look beautiful. One brow is more pointed than the other but my girl said that is an easy fix. I cannot believe how much my brows have transformed over these past two months and I'm so thankful for MaiLash and Brows for transforming my brows into what I have always wanted. 

If you ladies have been thinking of getting your brows done, I highly recommend making an appointment to see if it's right for you. If you ever have questions, please comment on the post and I'll be happy to help you the best I can. 

Summer Fun with Itzy Ritz

Hi Dolls,

Summer is here and that means us Mamas are putting in that extra work to keep our littles entertained! It can get expensive to keep these kiddos busy and I wanted to share how I'm keeping my kids busy this Summer without breaking the bank!

When Itzy Ritzy contacted me about these snack bags, I was over the moon excited!! My kids are snacking machines!!! My bag is full of snacks when we leave the house and I love having these reusable and washable little bags. I have one large one and one small size one for each of the kids. Our current favorite snacks fit in them and that makes this Mama oh so happy! They love the fun prints on them too and the price point too! 

I have use them for other items as well. My son liked to put his hot wheels and legos in them when we went to dinner. My daughter put in her favorite pretend make up and little figures to play with when lunch with friends.

( My tee and my son's hat )

This Summer my kids are at a really fun age and I am loving it! I'm going to break down what we have been doing and what we have on out Summer Activities list.

•  First off, head to Pinterest and create a Summer Activities board. I have a couple kids boards created, so make sure to check them out. As I'm sure you already know, Pinterest is overloaded with Summer fun. Tho, it can get overwhelming, so I like to try and stick to a theme...printing, building, outside activities, etc. My kids and I have picked our top 5 things we want to try out from Pinterest. 

• Google your local library and check out their events page. Every library has a Summer reading program and this is good for all ages. Even if your kids are 1-2 years old, getting on the floor and reading to them or doing picture books is so good for them. Some libraries have some really great events going on for kids. Our local library is having a lego building day and a read to a service dog day! 

• Google your local parks/splash pads. Arizona is such a hot state, so thankfully they offer some free splash pads for the kids to cool off at. We love to pack up our bags with toys and snacks when we plan our park days. Bring a large blanket and enjoy lunch outside. 

• Check out your cities recreation website. They can offer free events for you and your kids!

• Home Depot offers FREE work shops for kids and adults!

• Summer Movies! Most movie theaters offer a Summer Movie package at a very discounted rate. 

• Vacation Bible School. These fun camps can either be free or very cost effective. 

• Check out your local tourist website page! Be a tourist in your town. They will have the best info on what's happening in your town. 

I hope you enjoyed today's post and got some inspiration for your Summer fun! What are some of your favorite things to do this Summer? Thank you to Itzy Ritzy for sending my kids and I these amazing on the go bags for all our Summer fun. Make sure you guys go and check them out!