Wellness Wednesday-2019 Health Review

Let's talk about health reviews.  Have you ever stopped to reflect on your current health and what you could be doing better?  Improvements could be small doable changes.  Look at the picture of me below, what do you see?  

No, I was not pregnant last year.  I was in very bad shape.  I had been for awhile now.  Everything I tried, failed.  I failed.  I hid behind other people in pictures or I was not even in them most of the time.  I was really struggling but I did not realize how bad until later on in the year.

Last year, my health set off all the alarms.  It really scared me.  Though my doctor had been warning me that this would happen, I did not listen.  I was too busy to be concerned with this.  My body decided otherwise.  And now I am determined to prioritize my body and get me to healthy.  How am I doing that?  

First, I reflected on the damage.  I did not get this way over night.  I traced it back to 2014.  Alot happened throughout this year and it basically is the root of my situation.  Even though I had been at my healthiest right before this, things got out of control.  I went from healthiest to the unhealthiest I had been.  I hit over 200.  I had been doing crossfit and stopped doing that by recommendation from my doctor.  In 2015 after I ran my last half marathon, my doctor restricted me from running.  This was something I loved.  I was putting too much pressure on my knees with the weight.  I walked the treadmill, watched what I ate, and I still could not make the scale move.  I kept feeling defeated.  But reflecting on all the things I tried help me figure out what I did not want to do this time.  I did not want to do crash diets, unhealthy habits, or create more damage.  It also helped me learn what triggered me to get to this point.  Not one single thing but a serious of events all contributed.    

Second, goals need to be realistic.  My only goal was to get healthy.  I did not focus on a number on the scale, nor a specific size in my clothes, or gave myself a deadline.  I only was working on improving from where I was currently at and every time, improve from there.  

Third, I am under the care of my doctor.  No, I am not doing doing crazy pills or weight loss shakes.  I am eating real food.  I am learning more about the nutritional facts in everything I put in my mouth.

Lastly, but maybe the most important change, this year I finally found something that worked for me that has completely changed the way I think about food.   There is a 80/20 rule.  They say, who knows who they are?  It is 80 percent what you eat, and 20 perfect how much you move.  By changing what I ate, I was able to finally lose weight and keep it off.   

Where am I at now?  I officially started in August.  The weight just started coming off.  I was more motivated because we had two weddings, one in October and one in December.  Those weddings happened to coincide with my check in dates.  Because I have been monitoring my calories, weight, and my measurements.  The first wedding would be right at my 12 week check in and the second would be at 60 days from there.  Also, my physical was at the end of the year too.  I have dropped 40 pounds.  I was already getting into 2X and currently am able to get into medium.  The biggest change was my food intake (fat, protein, carbs).  I tried to commit to getting on the treadmill at least Monday through Friday and tried to hit my goal of 10,000 steps.  

My journey has not ended.  Follow my journey on Instagram - @independentmamialba.  I am sharing my struggles and triumphs in hope of motivating others to start today.  Do not let it be years later.  Do not shock or damage your body so bad that it can't be helped.  I am not a doctor or professional to be giving advise.  

I am her to support.  Let's get healthy together.  Let me know how I can help.  Do you have any suggestions, tips, or have you recently reviewed your health?     

2019 Kids Gift Guide

Christmas time is upon us.  Are your lists ready?  Do you know what to get your kiddos?  Everyone is always asking me what to get their kids.  I love shopping for kids.  I like looking for the perfect gifts that will make their eyes light up.  Do you?

Well if you are still looking for some gifts ideas, here are some of my recommendations:

1)  Sesame Street - 50 Years and Counting - Who does not love Sesame Street?  350 mins of fun and learning.  I love giving DVDs as stocking stuffers.  They make the perfect gifts because you can watch over and over.

Books are great gifts to give.  Winter break is the perfect time to grab a book and read.  

2)  Three Paws - This book encourages children to be bold, make new friends. It promotes the importance of both independence and inclusivity.

3)  Ted the Friendly Frog and Santa Frog - On Christmas Eve, Ted and Brad snuggle by the fire as their father tells them the magical story of his encounter with Santa Frog.

4)  Disney The Nutcracker and the Four Realms: A Center Stage Pop-Up Book - The Ballerina of the Realms dances on every page of this magical book!  Follow the elegant Ballerina of the Realms as she dances center stage in this artistic pop-up book, celebrating each of the unique and picturesque Four Realms.

5)  Bright Lite -  Inspiring a “you CAN sit with us” mentality amongst their readers and creators, BRIGHT LITE is a one-of-a-kind publication that takes shape in the form of a small, bi-annual coffee-table book.

Who doesn't like toys?  STEM toys are even better.  I love to give gifts that call for learning.

6)  Stomp Rocket - Stomp Rocket's line-up of STEM toys provide hours of screen-free fun and make a perfect for all ages! Stomp Rocket is 100% kid-powered and easy for kids to set up with no batteries required! 

I hope you find the perfect gift for your kiddos.  I have lots of wrapping to do, how about you?

Ted the Friendly Frog and Santa Frog

Does your child like to read?  Winter break is around the corner, what will your kids be doing the entire time?  My daughter loves to read.  My son was the total opposite.  He did not like books or reading.  I tried everything I could think of.  But I remember having a hard time with reading too.

Disclosure-Sample product was received for book review.  All opinions stated are my own based on my personal experience.

Reading was not my thing.  But that is why I wanted my kids to like it.  Reading can take us places, teach us so much, and you can do it anywhere at any age.

My daughter received the book Ted the Friendly Frog and Santa Frog.  The Ted the Friendly Frog books are great for kids.  Written with kids in mind by a parent trying to teach his kid how to read. 

In the book - Ted and his brother Brad are snuggled up by the fire on Christmas Eve, waiting to hear the story of Santa Frog.  Their father tells them an incredible tale of the time he met Santa Frog, and they can't believe their ears!  A frog in a red coat, flying a sleigh pulled by nine birds, leaving presents under Christmas trees; it almost sounds too good to be true.  When the story is done, Ted and Brad can't wait to see if Santa Frog comes again that night.  Will Ted get to meet Santa Frog this Christmas?

I like the story.  I like that the book rhymes and is an easy read.  I like the lesson in the story.  My daughter liked reading about Ted and following along the adventure as each page was turned.

  

Scott McCall began writing short stories to help his son learn to read.  Together they wrote some stories that rhymed.  It was from this experience that the idea of Ted the Friendly Frog evolved.  Ted the Friendly Frog and Santa Frog is the third book in the series.

 For more information about the series and author, visit www.TedTheFriendlyFrog.com. 

***CLOSED***Giveaway - Cinderella and the Secret Prince

Do you have a princess at home that dreams of a castle and dancing at a royal ball one day?  My daughter was born with pixie dust dreams.  Who am I to judge having been there myself?

Disclosure-This giveaway is hosted by Shout! Factory.  Review copy was received.  All opinions stated are my own based on my personal opinion.

On November 5th, Shout! Kids and Gold Valley Films released a secret, never-before-told tale of Cinderella.  Cinderella and the Secret Prince tells about a new adventure we have yet to hear.  Just in time for the holiday break.  Grab your blanket, some hot chocolate, and curl up on the couch with the family.  Follow along with the fairy, the mouse friends, and of course, Cinderella.  Check this out:


About - During the Royal Ball, the real prince was turned into a mouse by the evil witch, and the "Prince" from the Royal Ball is in fact a fraud! Now begins the new adventure to save the real Prince and help him defeat the evil force.

Want to win a copy for your family?  Enter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is only open to US.  The winner will be randomly selected.  They will have 24 hours to claim their prize.  Fulfillment of prize will be by the sponsor.  Good luck.

***CLOSED***Giveaway - 100 WAYS TO BE THANKFUL

Tis the season to be thankful.  We have hit November, the month of Thanksgiving.  This year I have more to be thankful for than those in the past.  The last five years I have not been as thankful as I should have been.  I should really explain what I mean...

Disclosure-This giveaway is brought to you by National Geographic Kids.  Review copy was received.  All opinions stated are my own based on my personal opinion.

This year has been eye-opening for me after my health scare and awakening.  But I am not alone in this, my family too has been affected.  We have been having a lot of open dialogue with my daughter and she has had several inquisitions.  As a parent, the changes I made were for our future as a family.  We learn from our mistakes and we should be thankful for them as they offer us a chance to grow.  For the past five years, without knowing, my attitude have been very ungrateful.  I should have been thankful for all the little things, the bigger messes, and the huge chaos in between.  Instead of looking at the negative, I should have found the positive in my situations.  Like I said, it was a good lesson to learn and to be able to teach my daughter in hoping that this helps her as she grows older.  Sometimes when we are in situations, we cannot look at the bright side.  I will give you an example:

Now I can be thankful for - the time my husband was able to spend with my daughter as a stay-at-home dad after he lost his lost for a year.  It was very unexpected.  I am not sure if I have talked about it here or not but I am ready to talk about it now.  My daughter was able to have time that no money can replace with her dad.  I am thankful that our family went back to the basics as we had to make due with what we had and stretch what we did not have.

These conversations are not easy to have with kids.  The lessons are there though.

In the month of November we are all taught to give thanks on one day, but we should be thankful all the time.  Do you go around the table on thanksgiving and say what you are thankful for?

National Geographic Kids Books has released 100 Ways to Be Thankful.  A book that features 100 creative ways to open up the conversations about gratitude in our life and help kiddos be able to identify it.

It is a great book that kids can pop open and open up their minds to the attitude of gratitude.  Each of the 100 ways has opened questions, suggestions, and most of all ideas in easy to read language for the entire family to get involved.

Like #41, practice random acts of kindness.  Simple and easy to do.

My life lesson from above is actually #62, look for a lesson in struggles.  The tips are great.  I could have used them a couple of years ago.

Are you curious read the rest?  Well, you can win your very own copy just in time for your Thanksgiving get together.

Enter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is open to US only.  Fulfillment of prize will be done by sponsor.  The winner will have 24 hours to claim their prize.  One winner will be randomly selected.  Good luck.