I just can’t get this off my mind. Our sweet, strong and creative 5 year old Nola, is going THROUGH IT. When the pandemic hit in March, we had no idea it would go on this long. Nobody did. We took the precautions. We wore masks, washed hands, we stayed home. In the hopes that this could be over soon. We picked her up at her beloved preschool right before Spring Break. Her safe space. The place she gained confidence and social skills. And we never went back. She never got to hug her favorite teacher goodbye. The teacher who, as parents we have so much to thank her for. She helped us all in a time we needed it most. She never got to hug her friends goodbye. She never got to swing on the swing set she loved it go down the slide she played on every single day.

At first, this was a massive blessing to our family. We realized that we could truly live our life the way we set out to. With both Remy and I both full time husband and wife, parents and entrepreneurs. He never has to walk out our door to work for someone else ever again. We are free to make choices that are rooted in our value system and to build our legacy full time.

Blessing.

As we hit 4 months of social isolation, then 5 months, we started to see the affect on our sweet kid. We did pod up with our neighbors and friends, who are kids are bffs with. Another HUGE blessing. They are even in the same virtual kindergarten class and school!

We noticed behaviors coming out of our daughter that are uncharacteristic of her. Yes, we have a 5 year old-but outside of those little kids attitudes. Anxiousness, striving for perfection, competitiveness and anger. But the root of all of that, is sadness. It’s grief.

At first, we acted as though she was just acting out. And the deeper we searched, we realized it’s a sadness and grieving of the loss we all experienced when this hit. Having patience in this time, is not easy. But necessary. Our children are not equipped to deal with this, most adults aren’t! Cries of “make it stop, momma! Make the sickness end PLEASE!” Haunt me.

I’m also not unaware that our situation is a privileged one. So many people are hit in a way that they can’t afford food or basic essentials. This post is merely to share how this has affected our child and to ask you to one, have patience with your little ones. Two, be kind. Stop fighting on social media. We are all hurting. That won’t fix it. Don’t let them pull us apart. And three WEAR A MASK. Help us end this. We did our part. Please do yours.

It took me awhile to get into a groove with my meal planning, but I can’t imagine not doing it now! It saves us time, money and HANGER (hunger/angry…lol) I shared this with a friend of mine, and decided to pass it along in case it could help! 

Pick a day that you can carve out an hour to make a list for the week (for me, it’s Sunday am). Have your calendar there too. In case one of you will be out, etc. 

I write down each day of the week like this

MONDAY

Breakfast: eggs, bacon, toast

Lunch: peanut butter wrap & grapes (Nola) chicken salad (N&R)

Dinner: blue apron meal 

Then, I decide what we are going to have at each meal. I don’t go crazy detailed (it’s just really for me to reference anyway)
We get blue apron meals delivered each week. 3 meals for 2 people is about $60. I like to cook, so this service works for me. And they give you all the ingredients, you prepare and plate. So it’s work. Unless you like to cook, it may not work for you. And there’s usually enough for Nola to have some. 
We are partnered with Omaha Steaks (you can order any meat/wine/apps online). It was cheaper/more efficient to order that stuff, than buying it at Ralph’s. And it’s really high quality. Check out their site-it’s kind of amazing. 
I like to do one crock pot meal a week as well. Usually also takes care of an extra lunch or dinner leftovers with minimal effort. Sometimes I google “delicious crock pot recipes” I also have a crock pot cook book. 
Once I have the meals planned out, I make a grocery list based on that. I go grocery shopping on Monday. I wait until I get to Ralph’s to see what veggies and fruit is on sale. So I don’t get specific with that part. I also consider snacks when making the list. I finally locked down that shopping on Monday works for me. And now if I don’t go on Monday-everyone’s eating cheese-its for dinner 
At night, I always look at the meal plan and take whatever is for lunch/dinner out of the feeezer (if meat) to go into the fridge to defrost. (I HATE if I wait until the last minute to wait for meat to defrost)
My favorite quick meal:

-large can whole tomatoes peeled

-3 cloves garlic, minced 

-olive oil

-crushed red pepper

-salt and pepper 

-frozen ravioli 
1. Put the tomatoes in a bowl, break apart with your hands.

2. Heat up olive oil in pan and add minced garlic. Wait about a minute and add red pepper/salt/pepper to taste

3. Add tomatoes, bring to simmer to thicken. Stirring occasionally 

4. Boil raviolis (3-4 mins)

5. Serve with Steamed veggies or salad on the side!
What are some of your favorite meal planning tips? 

Oh man. Last night was one of those nights. You know what I’m talking about parents-where you have been in a good sleep routine with the kid, and BAM! They decide to shatter your (literal) dreams. Luckily, this happens less and less the older your child gets. But when it happens…it hurts!

After a less than restful night (for all three of us), my husband graciously offered to take Nola so that I could go back to sleep for an hour. At this point, I had attempted coffee, reading and playing with Nola to wake myself up, to no avail, so I happily accepted. Only thing is, Nola wasn’t having it. She wanted all three of us to play together, no matter how zombie-like her momma and dadda were. After feeling REALLY sorry for myself and trying not to cry from sheer exhaustion, I gave up on sleep. At this point Remy took Nola to the park…but it was too late because I was feeling way too sorry for myself and thinking about everything I had to do and never did since I was five and WOW….I got off track there! It’s kind of my specialty 😉 I should also mention this night came after a fender bender (my fault, tapped someone, no one was hurt). A very wise friend said to me “when car accidents happen, where nobody is hurt, what message are you needing to hear?”. And it dawned on me…SELF CARE. It is time to take care of myself. But how?

I stopped to think; what would I tell someone I was coaching right now? One, it would be to stop feeling sorry for yourself. IT IS A WASTE OF TIME. You and only you have the power to turn your day around with your attitude. Just decide it is no longer going this way.

Two, I got out of bed. Laying there was useless and I was only going to reach for social media, which is pointless. I got in the shower and took the longest shower ever! Not my normal “mom” shower that is 5 minutes. The one where I felt like a million dollars after. I did my make up and hair and got dressed in an outfit that I feel great in. Then, I re-heated my coffee and read. Reading helps me to flush the negative and replace it with positive. (Currently reading: Find Your Courage: 12 acts for becoming fearless at work and in life). Then, I ate a healthy delicious breakfast. Alone. It was amazing!!

And now, my incredible husband and cranky daughter are home and my attitude is 100% different. You CANNOT control your toddler/accidents, but you can control your attitude. What does self-care look like for you? What are some of your favorite ways to turn your day around?

I vow to take better care of ME, so that I can be a better wife, mom, coach and friend.

I have a wonderful friend, who also happened to be my personal trainer for a long time. He once said to me, in one of our many conversations about eating healthy; “the very first thing you eat, sets up what you crave for the rest of the day. So, if you start your day out with sugary cereal or some over processed food, guess what? It is EXTREMELY hard to turn that around all day”

Whoa.

That changed how I ate almost immediately! And it worked. So I thought to myself, what is the first thing I put in my head in the morning? Let’s be honest…it’s my phone. I am either checking email, texts or…yep…facebook/instagram. And I find myself reaching for my phone ALL day. I know where it is at ALL times. How can you be present or truly connecting with the person in front of you, if the second your phone beeps-you reach for it? You can’t. Sorry.

I changed that. The first thing I do in the morning, after kissing my husband good morning-is read. NOW I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE THINKING….I have child…how?! Well, I wake up before her. Or Remy and I will give each other 15 minutes in the am to read. Because putting GOOD vs. CRAP into your head before you start your day will only set you up for success. AND IT HAS BEEN WORKING! My whole day has been turning around. And i find myself wanting to read more. It has been truly amazing.

What little changes can you make to set yourself up for success in the morning?

I am currently reading The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy and I HIGHLY recommend it!

My personal trainer/friend is JPK. He’s amazing and if you are looking for someone to whip your butt into shape (and you live in Los Angeles), let me know and i will send you his info!

Dear mom,
I don’t think you ever truly realize how hard being a parent is, until you become one. You don’t realize the overflowing abundance of joy and anxiety all rolled into one confusing wonderful emotion. 
I have some things to thank you for. Not the “thanks for being the best mom ever” stuff. Because you are and I knew that already. But for some real specific mom stuff, that wow, really hit me tonight. 
Thank you for letting me crawl into bed (or lay on the side of it) with you in the middle of the night when I got scared. I know you didn’t didn’t sleep much or well when I did this, But you sure made me secure and to always feel safe with you. Thank you for protecting me. 
Thank you for picking up the toys I just flung all over the place, at the end of the night. Not a glamorous task, but it made each morning a new adventure to throw everything all over again!
Thank you for always being prepared and knowing when to ask for help from others. I learned how to ask for help from you.

Thank you for cleaning up my bath toys and picking up my dirty clothes, because I was too small to do it myself. 
Thank you for checking on me in the middle of the night because I made a weird noise. And end up just staring at me because…well you didn’t  need a reason. 
Thank you for cleaning up the vomit, spit, snot and diapers. I needed it and you always took care of me, when it wasn’t cute and giggly.
Thank you for wiping my face and hands after every meal or crazy day outside. 

Thank you for choosing to stay home at night because your children needed you and only you to sing them a song before bed. It may have been more fun to hang out with friends, but nobody sang a lullaby like you. Nobody. 
Thank you for loving my daddy. And always speaking positively about him in front of me. 
Thank you for going out and pursuing your dream and legacy for our family when all you wanted was to stay home and get a few minutes of quiet “me” time. 
Thank you for building this business, because even though I was too small to realize it-you were building my dream, because I saw it. And now I realize the strength it took. You were already at the place in your business when I was born, that you and dad could have stopped. Our life would have still been amazing. But you kept going. You knew that helping other people doesn’t take time off. You taught me to always keep going. And always help others. You never know who’s life you’re changing. 
Thank you for all that you do. It means even more now that I am following in your footsteps. If I turn out to be 1/100th of the mom you are, I will feel so lucky. 
I love you. 

hi everyone! Here’s some amazing products that I use with my baby, Nola. We wanted to make sure she has the best start eating solid foods and that her diet is rounded out and healthy. These products have been super helpful! I will place links to the products are used in the comments below! Have a great day everyone!
  
  

I’m all about the quick these days! I never enjoyed cold food that’s meant to be hot, before having a newborn. But, that’s how it goes! If you can make something quick and healthy, I’m all in! 

Tonight, I made a Romesco sauce from scratch and it was delicious! I paired it with potatoes and steak, but it is such a versatile sauce. I made extra to pair wth chicken tomorrow. You can even use it in place of jar spaghetti sauce. In fact, take your jar sauce and throw it in the trash, where it belongs! 😜

Romesco Sauce:

• 3 cloves garlic (or more if you are Italian)
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 plum tomato 
• 2 tablespoons pistachios
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika 
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar (any vinegar will do)

1. Place garlic cloves, bell pepper and tomato on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and paprika. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (I always hold off on the salt and add it to the final product if needed) Toss to thoroughly coat. Arrange the bell pepper and tomato skin sides down. Roast 20 minutes or until browned and softened. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. 

2. Place pistachios in plastic bag and use a spatula (or whatever you’ve got to crush them! GREAT stress reliever!)

3. Once the roasted veggies have cooled enough to handle, transfer the bell pepper, tomato and garlic cloves to a cutting board; finely chop. Transfer to a medium bowl. 

4. Add the pistachios and vinegar. Stir in a drizzle of olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Enjoy! 

Nola even enjoyed this delicious sauce! What are some of your favorite healthy recipes?   

Recipe is courtesy of Blue Apron and glamour momma approved!

Dear Nola,

This was my first Mother’s Day, and it is all because of you! As you drifted to sleep for the night, I wanted to make you some promises;

I promise to pour my love into you always. I promise to always have music and books as a part of your day. I promise to support you and inspire you. I promise to love myself and treat myself well, because I can only be better for you. I promise to love and respect your father, Remy. 

You have changed me for the better. I have done things I never thought I would, and you filled my heart in the part that I didn’t know needed filling. I love you sweet baby, thank you for blessing my life.
Love,

Mom 

 

Preparation. 

At the start of my week, either on Sunday or Monday, I will cook up 5-7 chicken breasts, cut up veggies and get pre cut lettuce (only because I hate cutting lettuce, don’t ask me why, I just do!).

After I cook the chicken, I separate them into individual bags or Tupperware so that I have easy access to them.  Then throughout the week, I am able to throw a salad together or some veggie pasta with good protien. I don’t know about you, but my time is precious with a little one to take care of and prepping a healthy meal can sometimes be difficult. You can also get “Just Chicken” from Trader Joes. It’s all cooked and ready to go for you. I love to pair my meals with a healthy energy drink or protein. The drink I love is root beer flavored XS. No carbs, no sugar and lots of B12. B12 is essential for new mommies. Really, for anyone! It can be easy to pick up something unhealthy, but then you feel terrible. Take 30 minutes to prep your food for the week, you won’t regret it. 

When I prepare myself, I feel better and can be better for my family. And I’m a lot sweeter when I have eaten.