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How I've Been Dealing With My Diastasis Recti Up to 60% of women can experience diastasis recti during pregnancy or postpartum. If you have no idea what diastasis recti is and you can't tell from the image above it is a separation of your core muscles from either being weak before pregnancy or you possibly gained weight rapidly during pregnancy or you had a big baby. That strain on your muscles has them stretch out and then they don't rubberband back like we think they will.  For the longest time I had no idea that I had diastasis recti after I had my second child. After my first I had my Dr check me she said I was good to go with a regular exercise routine and that my core felt strong so after my second I didn't even bother with getting checked. I was so wrong with not getting checked out. I started working out and doing everything as I normally did. Little did I know I was making things way worse.  I was working so hard to try to get my body back ...

My Favorite Workout Routine (This post has affiliate links so I will get paid a small amount if you purchase a program) As a mom I know we all want to get back to our pre-baby bodies but it can be hard to find the time, inspiration, or even routines that work and you like. I love Cassey Ho from Blogilates on YouTube! I have been a follower of hers since I gave birth to my first born over six years ago now. She has MANY different videos and programs for both fitness and food. Its hard to find a routine that I like to stick to because I either feel like it isn't challenging enough or it is  too challenging and I just give up. Are you with me? What I love about Pop Pilates is that anyone can do it. It doesn't matter your fitness level, you will always be able to do Cassey's moves because they are "easy". I say easy in quotations because the moves start off feeling like a breeze then BAM, your muscles start burning from simple moves but you keep pushing ...

Hot Mess Mom Tips to Feel Like You Have Your Sh*t Together In one way or another we are all hot mess moms, some of us just have it under wraps a little better than others. On the "Hot Mess Mom Spectrum" there are many different levels to the hot mess-ness, from the mom who is always rushing, to the mom who serves chicken nuggets for almost every meal because they are too tired to fight and hey at least their kid is eating. If you are a hot mess momma then you can relate in knowing that it takes work to keep on top of said hot mess-ness, and if you are not a hot mess mom then good for you but some of us have to work a little harder to keep it all together. ANYWAYS here are the things I do to make me feel like I have my sh*t under control.   Morning Routine I have a semi-regular morning routine that I try to follow and its pretty loose so I don't get down on myself when I don't have "the perfect morning" happening. At no particular time or order...

Simple and Fun Ways to Keep Kids Active If you are like us here in Michigan then you are already way too cold for November! (The idea to blanket burrito myself already sounds incredibly appealing.)  The cold doesn't stop the kids from having the energy to bounce off the walls and leave me wondering how I can help them burn this energy without feeling like a crazy person. I have just a few simple ways to keep them busy that doesn't require much preparation and you can get in on the fun too!   Dancing We are a household of dancers. We may not be the best dancers but you know what, we like to dance like no one is watching! We like to throw on Pandora, play family friendly songs, and get our jam on. Our fave stations are Monster High Radio, Radio Disney, and Kids Songs. We are also a family who loves Go Noodle! If you've never heard of it check it out on YouTube because it has the silliest songs and dances that I'm sure your children will love and that you'...

Things I Do So My Home Is (Almost) Always Guest Ready If you're anything like me then the thought of company dropping by (especially your mother in law!) makes your pulse quicken and hands get clammy . I can't say I'm a naturally tidy person, and I can't say my house is sparkling clean all the time either, but I can say that I have become tidy through training and I work on it everyday. Through a lot of trial and error I have finally come up with a handful of things that I can do room by room to keep the tornado at bay. I start in the living room, carry onto the bedrooms, hit the bathroom, and the kitchen takes the longest and most amount of effort so that is usually last. Living Room In the living room I do a quick pick up if there are toys and whatnot out and I have an important rule when it comes to picking up that has been a game changer  for me. The rule is that when you pick something up take it to where it belongs and put it away. I only want to pick...

Easy Peasy Bedtime Routine for Children As a mother I'm sure you've looked for new and creative ways to help lull your child off to dreamland, and it can really be a lot to go over. I know myself, I used to look for as many tips to have as smooth of a routine as I possibly could and you want to know how that turned out? I felt burned out and overwhelmed and so did my girls. We used to try to fit in stories, bedtime stretches, tricks to get kids to brush their teeth, cut off electronics for a certain period of time before bed, etc. Whew! When you're trying to relax for the night it seems so silly to have a jammed packed schedule and to feel like you can't get it all done. So I simplified the routine and our nights are much smoother. Our routine is nothing fancy and generally doesn't take up too much of our time. Here is the breakdown: 6:30 (after dinner)- If its bath night they take a bath or shower then put on jammies (duh) 7:00 - Bedtime snack if the...

We all have those days where we just want to take a day off from picking up and scrubbing the dishes because mom life is tiring darn it! Well sometimes that day off can turn into two days off  or the whole weekend (nothing wrong with that!), and come Monday you kick yourself for putting the cleaning off for so long. It happens to everyone and its normal, but what do we do when we are overwhelmed with the mess? I have my #1 tip for you. Its not magic, its nothing mind-blowing. You ready to know what it is? I just start somewhere. Once I talk myself into cleaning after wanting to cry over the stack of dishes in the sink, the toys strewn throughout the house from my two girls or, my own nightmare, Mt laundry that you know will take forever to fold and put away. You ready to know what it is? I just start somewhere. I pick the room that I can get done the quickest and easiest first. Seeing one room nice and clean makes it easier to want to clean the other rooms. It really ne...

Hey there mommas, soon-to-be mommas, and future mommas! I am here because I want to share my motherhood journey with you. There are so many different parenting styles and lifestyles that it can be overwhelming and can make you feel like you are doing it all wrong. I can tell you this as long as you are raising your babies with love and attention you're not doing it wrong! There are many different mommas to connect with out there and I am trying to reach all of you! I am hoping that through sharing my family's story that you will be able to connect to us in all of our successes and learn from our failures. I am a happily married woman who gets to nurture and raise two beautiful girls (so far) and I have the pleasure of being a homemaker! I'm no "good housekeeping" magazine but I can try right? I wanted to keep this short and sweet but look for my first offical post soon! Welcome to my judgement free momma zone where coffee and yoga pants are always welcomed wit...