Karen At Home

Life Lately

2013-05-20T10:35:00.001-04:00

Hello friends! I hope you are all doing well! Things have been just so busy lately that blogging has taken more than just a back seat, it's just plain non-existent lately. I would love to blog a little more, Summer has finally arrived here in Cleveland and I want to do better at capturing these precious moments with my family. My goal is to start blogging at least once a week, lets hope that works out! I am at that point that I don't know where to start up again so this post is going to be full of the most random thoughts as I try to find my way back to the blogging world.

Remember back in January when I wanted 2013 to be all about balance? Well, that just went out the window. I have been SO busy with both Thirty-One Gifts and Origami Owl lately that I don't have much time left to breath. I am so blessed to have two successful business but its been almost a little too busy! Busy doesn't even explain it! April was full of parties, vendor events and team meetings so I am trying to say no to any more parties this month and focus on both my teams. Just trying to keep life at a more manageable pace. It was just starting to burn my whole family out and that is not what I want at all for my businesses. Jeff enjoyed a lot of one on one time with the kids but he too was getting a bit burned out.

As you can see, this is what happens when Daddy baby sits and Mommy is out at a party for the night.

Daddy needs a break too! The beauty of being a direct sales consultant is that when things get crazy, you can make your own schedule and get a handle on things quickly. Which is exactly what I am now trying to do right now.

So what HAVE we been up to lately?

{The Babies}

Nicholas is walking and growing up right before my eyes. He is less baby and more toddler and its just unbelievable. I love this little guy so much and the feelings are clearly mutual. Although my little guy has found a new independence with walking, he is still Momma's boy and won't let me out of his sight for a moment. He is such a fun loving little guy, he loves balls and animals, especially dogs. He is just so sweet! He also has the sweetest little curls in the back of his head. I haven't even scheduled his first hair cut yet because I don't have the heart to cut those little baby curls. So he will be a little on the shaggy side until he starts looking more like an 80's rocker than a toddler. Nicholas has also been teething a lot lately, to a point where I spent more nights awake then sleeping. This conveniently happened right in the middle of the Origami Owl Mother's Day craziness and my sanity was just hanging by a thread most days. Thankfully he seems to be more comfortable and sleeping better.

Jillian is such a big girl! She is finally at a stage where I can leave her be for a few minutes and not have to worry about her hurting herself or her brother. I can go upstairs and take a shower and not have to worry. What a great feeling for any Momma! Of course I have to take the little man upstairs with me but at least it's one less child to worry about and there is finally more showering going on. One of these days I can shower at a reasonable pace during the day and without the stress of wondering what trouble my kids will get themselves into. Jillian is still not potty trained yet which is concerning but we are slowly taking baby steps in that department. It's not that she doesn't know how, she just too stubborn and doesn't want to be bothered with it. She is so like her Momma, hates being told to do something and has to do it on her time when she is ready. Oh boy, are we in trouble! Jillian is going to pre-school in September so potty training is no longer going to be an option but a necessity very soon. I am trying not to stress out about it and hopefully it all works out in time. One thing I have learned that now that I am a SAHM is that Jillian doesn't see other kids going on the potty so there is no incentive for her to be a "big girl". We have tried everything to encourage her and she is just so not impressed. Stickers, new toys, extra privileges.....doesn't care. She doesn't want to be bothered with any of it. Although we have been fighting the potty training battle lately, my little princess has been so sweet lately and too has been going through a but of a Momma's girl phase. I am so blessed to have two wonderful babies to spend my days with!

{The House}

Despite of being very busy, I have actually accomplished two house projects that I have been wanting to do. A photo wall and my Mommy Command Center. I really hope to do posts on each of these items but for now will just give you a sneak peek. My photo wall is still a work in progress, I need to order a few more prints and possibly change out a few frames but its up and I love it!

The second house project is my Mommy Command Center. With all my parties and vendor events with Thirty-One and Origami Owl, the kids activities and appointments and other random events going on, this command center has helped us out tremendously. It is by far my most favorite thing in the house right now. It also has a white board where I want to start using for menu planing.

So that is pretty much it, I feel like I am just trying to survive each day. I would love to start going to bed earlier because I have been so tired lately but night time is the only time I get anything done and find myself awake until 11:30. I am just plain exhausted in the morning then when my kids get up Please tell me I am not alone here. Any suggestions?

I hope you are all doing well, for those who have stuck around, thank you! I don't want to give up the blog, it will always be a part of me like it has been for years. I am just living life more lately than writing about it.

Love & Marriage: In The Beginning

2013-04-08T12:20:00.001-04:00

Hello friends and Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend, the weather actually warmed up here in Cleveland and we enjoyed some time outside. It was wonderful, the Winter just didn't seem to want to leave us this year!

To all of you still reading my blog, thank you! It's been busy here and again, blogging seems to be taking a back seat to pretty much everything these days. However, I really wanted to participate in the Love and Marriage series that a few of my long time favorite bloggers have put together. I feel that focusing on a strong marriage is so important, especially with kids, and I thought it would be fun to write a few posts about Jeff and I. After all, Jeff and I were the focus of this blog in the very beginning!

The first post in the Love and Marriage series is all about how you began as a couple and to share your history. I have talked a little bit on the blog about how Jeff and I met but wanted to give you in the depth scoop for those of you who may not know!

Jeff and I met in the Fall of 2000. I was 26 and he was 27. I had just left a two year job with Ernst and Young that involved a hectic daily commute to downtown Cleveland and a lot of client travel to other areas of the country. I was really looking forward to a job where there was little travel and I didn't have to pay every day to park!!! I was also entering a time in my life where I wanted to be more settled. I enjoyed my early twenties as a new college grad and loved the lifestyle as a single, career gal. I spent a lot of time shopping and hanging out with friends and felt myself finally growing up and longing for a more simpler lifestyle. I decided to leave my job at Ernst & Young and was hired by Progressive Insurance as a Corporate Accountant. I was really looking forward to a new beginning in my career with a new company. Little did I know that it would also be a new chapter in my life for other reasons!

The first day of my new job, my co-worker took me on a tour of the building and introduced me to all of the individuals that I would be working with. One of those people that I was introduced to was Jeff! I specifically remember meeting Jeff that day. He was the total package: good-looking, smart and successful. I thought he was simply adorable and remember looking at the picture of the baby girl on his desk. I also found myself looking for a wedding ring on his hand as he shook mine, hoping the baby girl was not his. Sure enough, no wedding ring and I later found out that the baby was his new niece. The funny thing was, I already had a boyfriend so I was surprised that I was so drawn to my new co-worker anyway.

Over the next few months, I had gotten to know several of my co-workers. There were a group of us who were unmarried, in our twenties, and enjoyed going out for happy hour after a long work week on Friday's. Jeff would often be a part of that group and I got to know him a bit through working together and at happy hour. I found myself becoming more and more interested in him. It also helped that my current relationship was not going well at all and it was only a matter of time before I decided to end it. Looking forward to living the life of a single girl again, I focused on my career and renting an apartment with my sister who had recently graduated from college.

A few weeks after breaking up with my boyfriend, Jeff had stopped by my cubicle to chit chat like he normally would and out of the blue asked "Can I take you to dinner this weekend?" I was completely blown away, so shocked that I asked "What?" Not that I hadn't heard him, it was just my natural reaction of both shock and disbelief. So he repeated himself and asked me again. Little did I know that he had been interested in me too and was just waiting for me to break up with my boyfriend. To this day, Jeff still gives me a hard time that I made him ask me out twice. He was so nervous, asking me the first time was hard enough! He told me that he thought I was buying time to come up with an excuse to turn him down which was so not the case! Ha!

Jeff and I had a wonderful first date and were together ever since. We both shared the love of Cleveland sports, trying out new bars and restaurants, skiing and traveling. This is a picture of Jeff and I at a rooftop bar on top of the Palm's Casino in Las Vegas. We loved traveling together and spent a lot of time planning fun little trips for us to take. Jeff and I also shared similar values and how important our families were to us. Needless to say, Jeff and I had a wonderful time dating. A little too much fun. We dated for almost four years before we FINALLY got engaged on my 30th birthday in 2004.

Jeff and I were married on August 27th 2005. It was a long time coming but so worth the wait!!! It's hard to believe we will be celebrating 8 years of marriage this year. Life with two kids is crazy but wonderful! Marrying Jeff has literally made all of my dreams come true. A few of my favorite memories of our marriage so far is building our dream home in 2007,

the birth of our daughter, Jillian, in 2009 after three years of infertility,

and the birth of our son Nicholas in 2012.

I am living the life I have always dreamed of. Although life does not always go according to plan, I can truly appreciate how everything came together in God's time.

If you are interested in participating in this blogging series of Love and Marriage, please visit here to link up.

Have a wonderful week!

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Easy Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

2013-03-13T11:09:00.002-04:00

Hi Friends, did you all have a nice weekend? We had some beautiful Spring-like weather here on Sunday and were able to open the windows to air out the house for a few hours. It was heavenly and really got me in the mood for what was to come. We also walked around the neighborhood all after noon catching up with the neighbors and getting some exercise. It felt so good to be outside!!!

On Friday, I made one of my family's "go to" meals for Lent - Home made Macaroni and Cheese. This meal is the ultimate in comfort food and perfect during the Winter or for any Friday during the Lenten season. It is also SO good and really easy too!

1 lb Elbow Macaroni
1/2 Cup Chopped Onion

1/2 Cup Melted Butter

4 Tablespoons Flour
1 Teaspoon Salt
4 Cups Milk
2/3 lb Velveeta
Deep Dish Pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook your Elbow Macaroni el Dente, drain, and set aside. While the macaroni is cooking, saute butter and onions until lightly brown in a deep dish pan on stove top. Lower heat if needed. To make your cheese sauce, slowly add milk, salt and flour to the browned onions. Add the Velveeta cheese by cutting into strips for easy melting . Stir thoroughly and often so the cheese sauce does not burn or stick to the bottom of the pan. I will often use a whisk to stir the sauce to keep the flour from clumping. Grease a 9x13 glass casserole dish and add your pasta. Then add your cheese sauce over the pasta, stir thoroughly. Bake for 20-30 minutes until you see your casserole bubbling in the middle.

Enjoy!!!

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Origami Owl Giveaway

2013-03-08T08:58:00.003-05:00

I am so excited to be teaming up today with Sheaffer over at Pinterest Told Me to Blog for an Origami Owl giveaway! As you know, I signed up two weeks ago to sell Origami Owl and I have been blown away by the positive response that I have received so far. Origami Owl is one amazing company and everyone can't seem to get enough of these beautiful Living Lockets and Tags! I have been having a blast creating beautiful lockets for people and would love to help you create one to with a $40 Gift Certificate. Head on over to Pinterest Told Me To to enter! Don't forget to check out my new blog Hoot Mama Lockets to follow my journey as an Origami Owl Independent Desginer.

Please contact me at hootmamalockets@yahoo.com to Create a Living Locket, Host a Jewelry Bar Party or Join Origami Owl and become an Independent Designer!

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My Favorite Make-Up Products

2013-02-25T09:51:00.001-05:00

Hello friends, I hope you all had a great weekend! I thought it would be fun to talk about make-up today and wanted to share with you my favorite make-up products. Even though I stay at home with my kids, I always try to at least put on my make up at some point during the day. It just makes me feel a little more put together even though the only people that see me love me all the same without makeup!

You all know that when I find something I love I get so excited to share it with all of you! Favorites are more fun when you share them! Here are some fun beauty products that I love and use everyday. I would be lost without a few of these!

{Favorite Make-Up Products}

I am in love lately with Revlon's Lip Butters! They are the perfect combination of lipstick and lipgloss. You may have even seen this picture on Pinterest at on time or another.

Clearly I am not the only one that likes them!

I have also been wanting to try Maybelliene's new Color Whisper. Have you tried this new product yet? It looks to be quite similar to the Lip Butters.

I just recently bought the Pore Professional for the first time this year and I am in love! I have large pores on my cheek area and it does an amazing job as a makeup primer camouflaging them! It's a little on the pricey side at $30 a tube so I try to use it sparingly on day's that I plan on leaving the house.

Speaking of primer, I love MAC's Painterly as an eyeshadow base. My eyelids have a tendency to get a little oily and this product really sets the shadow to your eyes.

I have blogged about Make Up Forever Mat Velvet+ foundation and I still love it! I wear it under my most favorite make up product ever....

MAC's Studio Fix! I have used this product for years. I have tried other powders and loose minerals and I always go back. This is an amazing product! You can use it for more heavy coverage by using the sponge provided or lightly dust it on with a kabuki brush for light coverage.
So these are a few of my favorite make-up products that I couldn't live without. I would love to hear if you use any of these or what your favorites are!

Anyone else looking forward to the Bachelor tonight? It's my favorite day of the week! Have a great day!

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I am a Origami Owl Designer in Cleveland Ohio!

2013-02-20T14:32:00.000-05:00

Good morning friends, I hope you are all having a great week! Snowing again here today although what else is new, right? Our school district is experiencing a snow day today since they are anticipating 6 more inches of snow to fall already on top of the 3 we received last night. Tis the season here in Cleveland!

I am so excited to announce to you I have officially joined Origami Owl as an Independent Designer. What is Origami Owl? Origami Owl is a unique and new direct sales company started by a 14 year old girl named Isabella Weems in 2010. Isabella wanted to earn more money in hopes of buying her dream car so she came up with the idea of the Living Locket. Origami Owl Living Lockets are custom designed by you with charms that tell your story and represent the things you love most. I fell in love with Origami Owl because of the unique and inspiring story that each locket tells.

I never realized how much I would enjoy being a part of the Direct Sales industry until I joined Thirty-One Gifts as an Independent Consultant. I feel like the role of a Sales Consultant was just made for me and my life right now. That is why I am so excited to add another amazing product to my already successful business. I am having so much fun selling both products!! I have met so many amazing women all while working from the comfort of my own home. I am able to spend time with my babies during these precious early years which is truly a dream come true for me.

There is so much excitement and demand behind this young company right now, that there is actually a wait list to sign up to be a designer. I am so thrilled to be one of the first few Origami Owl Designers and would love for you to join my team!! Wouldn't it be fun to be on this journey together?

I am so excited about my new adventure that I even created a blog about it...Hoot Mama Lockets! I would love for you to follow along on my journey as I begin my new role as an Independent Designer with Origami Owl. From Day 1 when I receive my start up business kit to hopefully signing my first recruit. I want to document my story....with a Living Locket....and a Blog. I would also love for you to 'Like' my fan page Hoot Mama Lockets if you feel so inclined. Stay up to date on new Blog posts and exciting new offers from me and Origami Owl. Come along and follow in my journey today!!!

Create a Living Locket, Host a Jewelry Bar Party or Join Origami Owl and become an Independent Designer! I love hearing every customer's inspiring story and creating a personal locket just for them.

So tell me, have you heard of Origami Owl before? I would love to hear from you!

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Get Pinspired & Fashion Friday

2013-02-01T17:19:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday friends!! I hope you are all having a great week! I wanted to whip up a quick post all about getting "Pinspired" this year with your fashion. I was horrible towards the end of 2012 when it came to putting myself first and treating myself to something to look a little more fashionable. When Christmas rolled around I found myself dressing the kids in all their cute new holiday outfits and had absolutely nothing for myself to wear. Can anyone else relate to this? I knew then and there that I really needed to start putting a little money aside to buy a few items for me and to make a better effort to treat myself to a few outfits in 2013.

In sticking with my New Year's Resolutions, I bought myself a few cute outfits that I could dress up or down. I am all about stripes, skinny jeans, scarves, chevron, statement necklaces and boots these days and that is pretty much what I bought.

I am also excited to be linking up today to three of my favorite bloggers Pinterest Told Me To, The Larson Lingo and Mix and Match Family. They have teamed up together to host this fun linky party and I just knew I had to be a part of it somehow. I have to admit I feel a bit like I cheated because the point of the link up was to find an inspirational outfit on Pinterest and try to recreate it with an outfit in your closet. My approach today is a little backwards, I found pins on Pinterest to match the only two photos I have taken lately wearing a few recent purchases. You will have to forgive me, it's been a rough month with teething, ear infections and viruses!! I am on the verge of a mental breakdown in the lack of sleep department. Next time I will try to be a little more prepared although you know how unpredictable and crazy life can be with a teething baby! Yikes!

Anyway, here are a few pins I found on Pinterest. The exact Chevron striped shirt that I found out at Kohl's was found on Pinterest:

Source: kohls.com via Karen At Home on Pinterest

And here is an adorable chevron top I purchased from Kohl's for only $19!

and here it is on me:

I really need to invest in a full length mirror in our room. Target sells a leaning mirror that would be perfect for our room, however, leaning mirrors with crawling Infants and Toddlers, I am sure do not get along.

I am usually not a big Kohl's shopper but another thing I am trying to do better at lately is to expand my horizons and to look further than shopping Target's clothing session. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Target's clothing but I really need to add a little variety to my closet as well. Since Target is one of the only stores that I actually am able to take both babies too, I have found lately that pretty much all of my clothing budget is spent at Target.

I also purchased this adorable striped sweater dress from Old Navy a few weeks ago that I wear with tights and boots.

Source: oldnavy.gap.com via Karen At Home on Pinterest

It was the perfect outfit to wear to Disney on Ice.

It was also the perfect outfit to wear to a Thirty-One party I had last weekend:

I hope you had fun glimpsing into my new and improved closet for 2013! I also purchased a few cute items at the outlet malls a few weeks ago that I can't wait to show you. For more "Pinspirational" outfits, you can follow me on Pinterest or if I actually got dressed and did my hair that day, on Instagram.

Have a wonderful weekend!

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Easy and Delicious Ritz Chicken

2013-01-30T08:38:00.000-05:00

Good morning friends!! I hope you are all having a good week! Hard to believe we are already nearing the end of January. This Winter is just flying by which is a good thing because Winters in Cleveland seem to drag on forever and ever and ever........... This Winter has been full of its ups and downs weather wise. All last week we had over 10 inches of snow fall and today there isn't a remaining flake on the ground and it's 65 degrees outside. I think Mother Nature is a bit confused.

Anyway, I wanted to blog about the yummy Ritz Chicken I made a few weeks ago that I posted on Instagram and Facebook. Several of you had asked about the recipe so here you go! I actually got this recipe from watching Fox 8 New Day Cleveland. They had brought on a Mom to make a few easy, delicious and low budget recipes and I was drooling the whole time she was making it. It just sounded so good and it was!! This recipe did not disappoint. I can honestly say this is the best chicken recipe I have tried in a really long time, and trust me, I have tried several recently because of the wonderful Pinterest era we seem to be living in lately. I have to mention that the recipe calls for Parmesan cheese, however, I completely forgot this ingredient while I was preparing the chicken. I didn't realize it until I was cleaning up and saw the container still sitting on my counter. This recipe didn't need it! It was amazing without it. I am curious to try it with though next time. I will probably prepare two chicken breasts with the Parmesan cheese and two without and see which one Jeff and I like better. I will let you know! Enjoy!!!

2 Boneless Chicken Breasts
1 sleeve of Ritz Crackers - Smashed into pieces for breading

1/4 Cup Melted Butter

1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese {Optional}

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take defrosted chicken breasts and slice them horizontally so you have 4 nicely thin chicken breasts. Melt the butter in a flat bowl and set aside. Take your sleeve of Ritz crackers and empty the contents into a large plastic baggy. Crush the crackers inside the bag using a mallet. I often use a soup can, it works well and rolls nicely over the crackers. Please make sure the bag is sealed tight before you do this so you do not have a big mess when smashing your Ritz crackers. I may or may not have learned this lesson the hard way! Add the 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese into the bag of crushed crackers. Pour out your crushed cracker mixture into a glass pie plate, spreading the mixture around evenly. Take your chicken breasts and dip them first into the butter and then into the crushed cracker mixture. Thoroughly coating the chicken in both the butter and cracker mixture. Place your chicken breasts onto a metal cookie sheet covered. I placed tin foil on top of my cookie sheet to help lessen the clean up afterwards. Sprinkle chicken breasts with some of the remaining cracker mixture to fill in any gaps and to add some extra crunch to your chicken. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees and then bump up the oven temperature to 375 degrees and cook for another 20 minutes. This gives the Ritz crackers and extra crispy texture.

Enjoy!!!

Linking up to these fun parties!

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

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Target Does It Again!

2013-01-17T10:46:00.001-05:00

Hello friends, thank you so much for everyone who commented on my last post about converting my Living Room into a Play Room. Nothing drastic has taken place just yet! I was quite surprised to hear how many of you have actually done this. It sounds like certainly something I may consider in the future. For now, I continue to shuffle toys around from the Great Room, to the Bedrooms, to the Basement, etc. I have found some more storage and have gotten creative with turning their second closets into toy storage. I will keep you posted if I decide to do this. It's a long Winter so I may get a little crazy one day and start the transformation process.

I wanted to share with you all today about my latest Target finds and obsessions. If you have followed my blog for awhile, it comes to no surprise that Target is by far my favorite store, my happy place!!!

Not only do I love Target for it's amazing products and how it just "gets" us women, it is probably one of the only stores I can take both kids to and not have to worry about one of them not fitting into the shopping cart. I don't know if this is the case where you live, but all of our grocery stores have really tiny carts. Nicholas's carrier just does not fit into a grocery cart like it does a Target shopping cart. I rarely ever take both kids to the grocery store unless I am really desperate. If I do become brave enough, I take our double stroller and look like a shop lifter putting all of my items into the bottom bin of said stroller. Don't even get me started about Kohl's carts! They are so tiny and not Mom friendly at all if you have two children. Now Sam's Club has the right idea...

Their shopping carts hold two babies! I have to say now that I am a mother of two, Target and Sam's are pretty much the only stores I feel comfortable going to without Jeff because of their roomy and accommodating shopping carts.

Here are a few things I am loving right now from the amazing Target:

Mustard Mossimo Cardigan

I mentioned in my 2013 Resolutions that I want to make an effort at being a little more fashionable this year. I have seen on several blogs this famous cardigan and was thrilled when I found it at our local Target. I love how Audrey from Putting Me Together has styled it in so many different ways!!!

Crest 3D White Whitestrips - Shimmer White

I picked up a box of teeth whiteners to try. I have honestly never tried whitening my teeth before. I am nervous about how the whitener can make your teeth sensitive but I could really use to whiten my teeth a few shades. I bought one of the more inexpensive Crest Whitestrips that appear to be especially made for Target customers.

Circo Chevron Fitted Crib Sheet

Have you seen the new Chevron sheet collection in the baby section this week? Oh my goodness!!! I own a few gray chevron sheets from Pottery Barn kids, however, may need to pick up a few more at Target. These are adorable. I really wish they made these for twin beds, we are just about to move Jillian from her toddler day bed to a big girl bed or else I would be snapping up the pink ones!

Mossimo Jeweled Flats

I am sure you have all heard that Pantone has chose Emerald as the color of 2013. In honor of that, I am hoping to pick up these babies at Target later today....

Threshold Lamps and Lampshades

Have you seen their Spring home collection yet? Beautiful lamps and lampshades caught my eye the other day.

2013 Heather Bailey Chevron Planner

Although I was sad to say goodbye to my 2012 Erin Condren planner, I love my new chevron planner from Target! It's a perfect size and has everything that I love in a planner.

I think we can all agree to this...

So what are you loving at Target lately? I would love to hear!

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Converting the Living Room into a Play Room...Am I Crazy?

2013-01-11T00:19:00.002-05:00

I can not believe I am even typing this, however, I am thinking of converting our Living Room into a Playroom. I am starting to tackle the organization of all the toys that we received over Christmas and Jillian's birthday and I feel like I am just shuffling toys around from one room to the next. Putting one toy in each of their rooms, one toy in the Great Room and one toy into the Basement. I feel like we need one designated space for Jillian and Nicholas to really play with their toys, preferably on the main level of our home which is where we spend the majority of our day. Jeff once brought up this idea to me last Christmas when I was trying to figure out how to handle all of Jillian's new toys and I said no way. Boy is he going to laugh when I tell him the thoughts that have been rolling around in my head! I originally started to convert our office into an office/toy room but it just didn't work out like I wanted it to. Too much clutter and not enough space for it to be a dual purpose room. I need my office for my Thirty-One business and in the process of trying to organize and decorate that space too into something a little more functional.

Here are the PROS and CONS of converting the Living Room into a PlayRoom:

PROS

1. The kids will have a space on the main floor of our home to call their own. We spend the majority of our time on the main level, they need a main space to play.
2. We have a toy area in our basement, but our basement is not finished yet and we do not spend a lot of time down there. Especially with Nicholas still being so little, I am always feeding the little guy which seems to take up most of my day. Perhaps when the kids are older and I can feel comfortable with them playing downstairs in the basement independently. Until then, I really need something more on the main level of the house.
3. It will be a temporary solution, I am thinking 2-3 years tops until we can move all of their toys to the basement.
4. Although my Living Room is one of the only decorated rooms in the house, it is far from finished. I never painted it and we can easily move the new end tables and coffee table to the Great Room. The Great Room end tables and coffee table now are hideous and were purchased in a scratch and dent room of a furniture during Jeff's bachelor days. I will not be sad to move those items to the basement and move the living room tables to the Great Room.
5. We have already moved the chair from the Living Room to Nicholas nursery. We were in desperate need of a glider in Nicholas nursery, however, I refused to buy another one since we already had one in Jillian's room. Jillian's glider is white and matches her furniture perfectly, plus we were still using it to read a book every night. Nicholas furniture is a dark espresso/cherry wood and the Living Room chair matched his furniture perfectly. It was a win-win situation all around. The Living Room chair is now sitting in Nicholas Nursery and it looks amazing. Matches his room perfectly. So one piece of Living Room furniture has already been repurposed in the house before I even came up with this crazy idea.
6. So that leaves the Living Room couch and my beloved Starburst Mirror. I am sure I can find another home for the Starburst mirror. I have a few ideas. The couch may have to be moved to the basement for a few years. That is the only piece that I can not think of re-purposing at the moment which is fine.
7. I can see the Living Room perfectly from the kitchen and the office, two rooms I am in a lot of my day.
8. It will free up all the toy clutter in the Great Room. It would also keep the Great Room carpet from continuing to get trashed. I can put an area rug down in the great room to protect the carpet that is in there now.
9. Now that I am a SAHM, simplifying my job in this role is a must. A designated toy room on the main floor would do just that.

CONS:

1. We are dismantling my beloved Living Room. Ahhhhh!
2. It's the first room off the right of the house when you walk in the front door. Doesn't set the tone for a calm and relaxing house. It may scare my neighbors who stop by and they may never want to come back.
3. It's a very open room with no closets. We will probably have to buy a few more Target storage cubes and cabinets to corral the clutter.

Now that I have typed up all of the PROS and CONS, clearly I am on to something by converting the Living Room since there are so many more PROS than CONS. I will let you know what I ultimately decide.

Here are a few inspirational pics I found to help me with my decision.

This Living Room turned Play Room is amazing from Heather Drive Blog.

And this one is adorable too from Babycenter.... the windows look like our front windows.

So what do you think, am I nuts? Have you done something like this in your home? I would love to hear your ideas!

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Disney on Ice Giveaway Winner!

2013-01-09T21:49:00.000-05:00

Congratulations Eileen Lynch on winning the four pack of tickets to Disney on Ice! I hope you and your family have a wonderful time!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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2013 Resolutions In A Word

2013-01-08T11:08:00.000-05:00

Happy 2013 friends! I love welcoming in a New Year, the promise of new beginnings and a chance to start fresh and new! I also love looking back and reflecting on the past year and seeing how far we have come. Without a doubt, the best thing that happened in 2012 and the biggest change in my life was the birth of our son, Nicholas. He is has brought our family so much joy, I finally feel like our family is complete.

I am also excited to get back into blogging in 2013! I took a bit of a break last Fall, it was either blogging or sleep and sleep it was! Blogging with one kid is relatively easy, blogging with two, not so much! Kudos to you that have been able to make it work! I am looking forward to sharing our family life, recipes, home decor, and all of my latest obsessions with you again. And trust me, I have plenty of things on my radar lately that I am obsessing about! Ha!

I have been reading across the blogosphere several bloggers summing up their 2013 Resolutions in one word. My word for 2013 is BALANCE. To take care of all the important people in my life while also taking care of me too. I found myself putting me last a lot in 2012 and am going to try to do a lot better in 2013.

Here are a few Resolutions for 2013 to help me achieve that BALANCE!

1. Take better care of myself by making time for showering, washing my face, brushing my teeth. It's sad but I will be the first one to admit that personal hygiene seems to take a back seat sometimes when you are a Mom.   Please tell me I am not alone here. I have really gotten on a bad streak when it comes to my bedtime routine. By the time I go through the routines of putting both kids to bed, I have lost all my energy and desire to properly put myself to bed. Well no more, even if I am barely able to keep my eyes open, I will drag myself into the bathroom before bed and make some time for me. I really would like to take better care of my skin too and have been hearing a lot of great things about the Clarisonic. Can anyone share their experience? Have you all tried the Oil of Olay version? I would love to hear from you.

2. Lose the last 10 pounds of pregnancy weight. This is something that I am really struggling with. My body is still not 100% my own yet since I am still nursing. Dieting is kinda limited right now and finding time to exercise is tough too. I have been blessed so far that I have lost most of the baby weight strictly from breast feeding alone, however, I also find myself taking advantage of my built in calorie burner and have been eating like a teenage boy lately.  I just need to eat better and make better choices.

3. Start blogging again, starting with 2-3 times a week.

4. Make the time to reconnect with old friends and build stronger relationships with new ones.

5. Get out of the house more with the kids by going to story hour, mall play area, outlet mall, play dates or any other fun area activity at least 1-2 times a week. I find it easier just to hang out at home in our pajamas and need to make a better effort to leave the house more during the week. Now that the cold and snowy Winter is upon us, it's even easier for us just to stay at home.

6. Put the iPhone down by 9pm. I rely on my iPhone for everything, not just for social media. I answer Thirty-One Gifts business calls and emails all day from customers, hostesses, and teammates. Its my lifeline to the outside world. I need to take a few hours out of my day to be phone free and just decompress.

7. Complete one small house project a month. I miss decorating and updating our house. Do you remember this post? Yeah, they are all half completed!   I want to start setting small goals for our house for this year and start putting all those Pinterest pins to good use. We are not talking major project reveals here, just small improvements like the photo wall I have been dying to finish and painting a room or two. I still need to complete a few things for Nicholas's nursery. Have I even showed it to you yet? I don't think so......

8. Be more fashionable! It's easy to fall into the routine of wearing velour sweat suits and yoga pants everyday when you are a SAHM. Since I left my Accounting job back in March I no longer need to dress for Corporate America, however, I don't want to completely throw in the towel when it comes to fashion either. I love shopping for clothes and looking for fashionable, I used to have a pretty awesome wardrobe. My goal is to dress more "Mom chic". I have been recently obsessing over a few Mommy fashion blogs lately and they have been a huge motivation to me that SAHM's can be comfortable and fashionable! If you are looking for some easy and affordable Mom fashion ideas, check out Found in My Closet, Suburban Strut and Putting Me Together. They have awesome taste!

9. Promote to a Director roll with Thirty-One Gifts! One of the reasons why I am so busy lately is due to the success of my Thirty-One Business. Thirty-One has been such a refreshing change in my life. It has given me confidence, leadership and allowed me to stay home and spend more time with my family. Through Thirty-One I have made new friends and reconnected with old ones. I promoted to a Senior Consultant in 2012 and on my way to promoting to a Director in 2013. My dream is to walk across the stage this August at National Conference in Atlanta and be recognized for all of my accomplishments.

I am excited to live a more BALANCED life this year. How about you? Do you have a resolutions or a word of the year? I would love to hear about them!

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Disney on Ice Rockin' Ever After - Is Coming to Cleveland! ~ Enter to Win Tickets

2013-01-02T16:13:00.004-05:00

I am so excited to announce that Disney on Ice Rockin' Ever After is coming to Cleveland January 11-21, 2013. Needless to say, my little Princess is truly excited herself and can not wait to see all of her favorite Disney Princesses take the ice for an unforgettable show!

{About the Show}

Get ready to rock out with some of the most magical idols of all in a musical showcase that features the hottest tunes and talent from across the kingdom in Disney On Ice presents Rockin’ Ever After! Jam to a Scottish jig as a group of royal contenders from the latest Disney•Pixar film, Brave, competes to win the heart of headstrong, sharp-shooting Merida, making her ice debut!

Experience a show-stopping performance as Sebastian breaks out of his shell for one night only to make waves with Ariel. A chorus of harmless hooligans from Tangled unleashes musical mayhem when they get a visit from the sassy and spirited Rapunzel and her charming ally Flynn.

And, get your feet moving as the Beast and his castle’s enchanted entourage take center stage in a spectacular show for Belle. It will be a rockin’ remix of royalty when Disney On Ice brings this superstar line-up to Cleveland!

{Details About the Event}

Where: Quicken Loans Arena (directions)
When: January 11-21, 2013
Show Times:
Friday, January 11th at 7pm
Saturday, January 12th at 11am, 3pm, and 7pm
Sunday, January 13th at 1pm and 5pm
Wednesday, January 16th at 7pm
Thursday, January 17th at 7pm
Friday, January 18th at 7pm
Saturday, January 19th at 11am, 3pm, and 7pm
Sunday, January 20th at 1pm and 5pm
Mon, January 21st at 1pm and 5pm
Ticket Prices: $70 Front Row, $48 VIP, $40 VIP, $21, $15
To Buy Tickets: Purchase your tickets here.

{Special Event Discounts}

Use promo code ROCK4 to get 4/$44 on weekday performances (M, W, TR)
Use promo code ROCK25 to get 25% off weekend performances (F, S, Sun)
Note: $3 facility fee. Expires on 1/21/13. No double discounts. Not valid on FR or VIP tickets. Limit 6 per order. Not valid on Opening Night.

{Win a Family 4 Pack of Tickets to see Disney on Ice Rockin' Ever After in Cleveland} a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway will remain open through January 8th. Giveaway is open to residents of the US only. Winners will be selected through Rafflecopter. The winners will have 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.Thank you so much for entering and good luck!!! No compensation was received for this post. I received four tickets to show as a Feld Family Blogger. All opinions expressed are entirely my own or that of my family.

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2012 Christmas Card

2012-12-26T12:24:00.001-05:00

Hello friends! I just wanted to stop in and wish you all a very Merry Christmas!!! I have been enjoying these past few months with my little ones and just enjoying life in general. Things have been going well and hopefully will get back into a blogging groove in the New Year. In the meantime, you can always follow me on Instagram which I update almost daily. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year!!!

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How to Bake Pumpkin Seeds

2012-10-22T10:49:00.003-04:00

Hello! I hope you all had a great weekend! Ours was fun!! I ran a few errands on Saturday and had a Thirty-One Gifts party on Sunday. The Buckeyes pulled out a win on Saturday which was exciting, yeah!!! However, the Browns lost yesterday. Again. Boo!!! One win out of the two footaballl games this weekend, I will take it! The Buckeyes also remain undefeated this season so that is really exciting!!!

I don't know what it is about this Fall but the leaves here in Cleveland have been absolutely stunning! Here is the view outside of Nicholas' nursery this past weekend.

Absolutely beautiful! If you look left of the swing set, you can see the little creek that flows through the middle of our development. So pretty!

The leaves behind our home have been amazing!!! I just love driving up to the house every day, I just want to sit my car and take it all in. We are so blessed to live in such a scenic area. It almost makes up for the cold winter to follow. Almost.

Did you carve your pumpkins this weekend? My favorite part about carving a pumpkin besides creating all of the beautiful memories with your family is eating the baked pumpkin seeds later that night. It's such a yummy snack and so easy to make! Here is what you need to do to make this easy, Fall treat:

Metal cookie sheet
Raw pumpkin seeds

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. After carving your pumpkin, save all of the pumpkin seeds and clean them off by pulling all of the mushy, slimy pumpkin pieces off. Wash off the pumpkin seeds in the sink, however, you do not want to soak them. In a small bowl mix your dried pumpkin seeds with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Spread out the seeds evenly on a metal cookie sheet. No need to spray with Pam or any kind of non stick spray, the oil keeps them from sticking to your cookie sheet. Sprinkle them lightly with salt and bake in the over for 15-20 until they are lightly golden brown.

Enjoy!!!

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Prayers for the Turner Family and How you Can Help

2012-10-14T23:40:00.002-04:00

I wanted to stop in and say hello and share with you something that has affected me tremendously this past week. A dear sweet blogging friend of mine, Julee Turner, lost her husband Matt, last Saturday night in a car accident. Words still fail me and I just can't express to Julee how sorry I am for what happened. Matt seemed like such a kind person and one that so many people loved. He was also a very popular news anchor in Arkansas and loved by so many both personally and professionally. Click HERE to learn learn more about Matt and an amazing tribute to Matt's life.

Julee and I met a few years ago through our blogs, we shared a common bond of infertility so we always had a lot to talk about. I always tried to offer my advice and encouragement to her through comments and emails when she was feeling down about their situation. Over time we became friends and chatted a lot on Twitter and Facebook. Julee was finally blessed last November with a precious baby girl, Preslee Bell and I couldn't have been more thrilled for her. It has been a lot of fun watching her embrace her roll as a Mommy and I am sure so many bloggers can agree her precious girl is one of the cutest and best dressed babies around!

When I heard the news of Matt's passing I instantly started thinking if there was anything I could possibly do to help. I then heard about several bloggers getting together and hosting a silent auction and knew this would be an awesome chance for me to help Julee and her sweet baby Preslee.

To help my friend Julee and her daughter Preslee, I am donating a Thirty-One Gifts Large Utility Tote. The winner can choose their print from the choices listed in the Fall 2012 catalog. The estimated value of this item is $35 retail. Description of item is as follows: This oversized bag holds a LOT! Perfect for sporting equipment, tailgating, camping trips, tools, etc. Easily collapses for storage. Pair it with a Single Organizer, Double Organizer and Top-A-Tote.

How to bid:

Place your bid in the comments section of this blog post.
Leave NAME, EMAIL, and BID.
All bids must be made in $1 increments. If the last bid is $9 then your bid must be $10.

Bidding will close on Friday, October 19th at 10:00pm(EST)

Highest bidder will be the winner.

Payment will be accepted via PayPal. Winner will be emailed a PayPal invoice and once payment has been made, arrangements will be made to get your item to you.

PLEASE NOTE: Auction open to US residents only. All payments must be received by October 31, 2012. These payments are not considered tax deductible.

For more information on the silent auction to help support the Turner family, please visit Sarah's blog over at Life Sweet Life.

What has truly amazed me since I have learned about Matt's tragic passing, is the out pouring of love and support that blogging community has shown to the Turner famly. Thank you again for the incredible love and support that has been shown to Julee, Preslee and their entire family family in the last week. Please continue to pray for them in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

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Easy Stuffed Green Peppers

2012-10-02T12:11:00.003-04:00

Hello! Thanks to everyone who responded to my last post! I think I am finally getting Nicholas turned around at bedtime which is such a relief! I figured out that his early morning nap, which is pretty much an extension of his nighttime sleep, was just too long and throwing off his bed time. I have been gradually waking him up in the morning earlier and earlier. Depending on what time Nicholas would get up to eat in the morning, I would also keep him from going back down for a nap afterwards too. He went to bed before 10:30pm the past two nights so I think it is finally working. He just needs a little bit of a tweaking! It's amazing what an extra hour at night kid-free has done for me. I also get to spend more quality time with Jeff which is a bonus. Hopefully we can keep moving his bedtime closer to 8pm or 9pm which would be ideal but I will take 10pm for now! Certainly an improvement over 11pm or 12pm!! Thanks for sticking with me, I love this blog so much and hopefully will be back to a normal blogging routing sometime soon. I just realized the other day that I celebrated my six year blogging anniversary. Six years!!! How so much has changed for Jeff and I in six years. I am so thankful that I have been able to stick to blogging this long, it has certainly been a blessing to go back and read how are life has evolved. Thanks to all of you who have been here that long or even if you are new here! I can not even tell you how many amazing and inspiring women I have met from all over the country simply from blogging. So thanks to everyone who has ever said hello, left me a comment, liked my Facebook page or followed me on Twitter or Instagram. It's been a true pleasure getting to know all of you!!!

A few weeks ago I made one of our family favorites, stuffed peppers. I absolutely love this meal and it can also be turned into a healthy version too since it's two main ingredients are ground turkey meat and green peppers. Go sparingly on the cheese or remove it all together and you not only have an easy meal but a low fat one too. Enjoy!!

5 large green peppers

1 package ground turkey meat, defrosted

1 bag of success rice, cooked

1 egg

2 tablespoons dried or fresh parsley

5 slices provolone cheese
2 cans of Campbell's tomato soup

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If you haven't already, cook the bag of success rice on your stove top and set aside. Clean and core the green peppers then slice them in half. Place the ten halves into a deep glass baking dish and fill the bottom with water. Be sure the glass dish you choose can also fit into your microwave. Microwave the peppers for around 5 minutes. I know all microwaves are different, you basically want the peppers to be softer and slightly more pliable. They will soften a bit more when you cook the meal in the oven but in the microwave is where they will probably soften the most.

In a large bowl, mix turkey meat, rice, parsley, egg, salt and pepper. Be sure to mix these ingredients thoroughly. Place your pepper halves into a 9x13 glass casserole with the open side up. Fill each pepper half with a large spoonful of your turkey mixture. If you still have leftover turkey mixture, try squeezing more into each pepper. Open up each can of tomato soup and spoon into a bowl with a spout. I use the Pyrex large, glass mixing cup.

Fill up one of the empty soup cans with water and slows pour into the measuring cup. This will be your sauce, add the water to your desired consistency. I like mine a little thicker than tomato soup. Pour the sauce slowly over the peppers and into all the empty spaces in your casserole pan. Top each pepper with half a slice of provolone cheese.

Bake uncovered for 45 minutes.

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Well hello there!

2012-09-18T23:33:00.001-04:00

Hello friends, it has been a long while, hasn't it? I thought I would take a moment to say hello and let you all know that I am still here and that although blogging has come to a bit of a stand still at the moment, it is still very near and dear to my heart. I miss blogging but have to admit this little hiatus I have been on has actually been a bit freeing. One less thing to worry about in an already chaotic day. Blogging is a double edge sword at times, you want to be able to document all of those thoughts, ideas, and precious moments in your life, however, blogging takes away a lot of time from all of those things. One of the primary reasons blogging has come to a stand still is my love of sleep. Being the SAHM of a toddler and 6 month old, sleep is at an all time premium for me and when I do have the time to enjoy a few hours of uninterrupted sleep, I take it!!! Nicholas has been a bit of night owl these past few months and goes to bed until around 11pm. However, he will sleep in until sometimes 10am in the morning with one feeding around 5-7am. I honestly can not complain, he has been a rock star sleeper with a few blips here and there. I do wish I could tweak his sleeping and shift him from a 9pm-8am shift like his sister. Then all would be right with the world and we would return to a more normal blogging routine. Until then, after I put that sweet boy down for the night, I run into the bathroom to wash my face, brush my teeth, take out my contacts, pump and hit the hay. It's 11:20pm and I am just about to turn into a pumpkin as it is but wanted to say hello and leave you with a sweet picture of my beautiful six month old baby boy. He is an angel and such a blessing in our lives.

For now, I am more of a mini-blogger where you can find daily updates of our life on Facebook, Instagram and sometimes Twitter.

Will be back soon, once I turn my sweet little man's schedule around. Until then, if I am not in bed by at least midnight, I will end up looking like this in the morning.

See you soon!

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Back from the Thirty-One Conference!

2012-08-10T12:53:00.000-04:00

I'm back!!! Wow! What an amazing time I had in Atlanta at the Thirty-One Gifts National Conference. I am so excited to tell you all what an amazing time I had! It was such a whirlwind of good times and good information that I needed a few days just to process it all or this post might have sounded more like it was written by a giddy teenage girl who had just come from her very first boy band concert. It has taken me a few days to take a breath, sit down and to write about it! I really needed to take a few days to reflect on everything I had learned.

I was so lucky to have my teammate, blogging friend and traveling partner Gia with me the entire time. I was scared to death about getting on an airplane and leaving my family so thank you Gia for putting up with this emotional basket case! I don't know what I would have done without your companionship and moral support!!

I finally relaxed once our plane took off and we seemed to be safely in the air. I met all sorts of fun ladies on the airplane decked out in their Thirty-One hot pink. It was easy to spot all the Thirty-One girls everywhere you went since we were all wearing pink and carrying the same bags!!!

Even the girl sitting next to me was a new consultant all excited about attending her first conference.

This is the look of pure relief after I arrived safely in Atlanta.

I was so worried about orphaning my babies!! It's crazy how differently we think about things when you are a Mom!

Since I had signed up last minute to attend the conference, I had to split my time in Atlanta between two different hotels. The first night I stayed with Gia at the Sheraton and the last two night I shared a room with two other teammates, Patty and Jessica, in the Marriott Marquis. Even though I had to pack and unpack my suitcase twice, it was so nice getting to know my teammates and experiencing two different hotels. Here is my amazing view from the Marriott Marquis. We were on the 34th floor!

The picture on the left was at 5:30am and the second was at 6:30am. Even though I was away from the babies for a few days, I got even less sleep than I would have at home! Thirty-One packed our schedules full for two solid days so we were always up early and home late. Since I am a nursing Mom, I had to get up even earlier just to pump!!

Everyday we had to wear this awesome name tag! Ever see the movie 'Office Space'? I clearly had an acceptable amount of pieces of flair on my name tag! I love that we all were given state pins to represent which state we were all from. It was so fun to see where everyone lived!!!

The first big event of the conference was the Fall 2012 product reveal. The Phillips Arena was absolutely hopping!!! So many screaming women excited to see all the new products that we were going to sell this Fall. I know I have mentioned this on the blog before but I have to say that I love the founder of Thirty-One, Cindy Monroe. We really got to see the personal side of her throughout the conference, I admire and respect her even more if that is even possible!

Here is a little video from where I was sitting inside the Phillips arena. We were all anticipating the start of the Fall 2012 product reveal and for Cindy to make her first appearance on stage. Pure craziness!!

Here is another fun video I found on YouTube from the conference. It really gives you an idea of what our weekend was like!

In addition to all the fun events at The Phillips Arena, we attended several valuable training sessions to help us strengthen our business.

Can you imagine changing classes with 16,000 other women?

Yeah, it was nuts as you can see. But it was worth it because I learned so much from women who have successfully grown their businesses in both sales and recruiting.
The last day of the conference consisted of more meetings inside the Phillips Arena with a formal dinner and awards ceremony in the evening.

The theme of this year's conference was 'Live it Up!' and I did just that! I learned so much about my business, the company and myself! There were also 16,000 other consultants at this event eager to learn more about growing their business with Thirty-One Gifts. I met so many amazing and successful women that I admire and look up to. I also had the pleasure of meeting Kodi and Dana who are a few blogging friends as well which was such a special treat. Both Kodi and Dana are from Missouri and our paths would have probably never crossed in real life if it weren't for Thirty-One. I was able to snap a picture with Dana, however, I think Kodi and I were so excited we unexpectedly ran into one another that we forgot!

However, here is a picture of Kodi walking across the stage accepting her promotion to Director and meeting the founder of Thirty-One, Cindy Monroe.

Thank you Kodi and Dana for meeting up with me!

The Thirty-One story certainly is a successful one! Did you know that Thirty-One is the fastest growing direct sales company in 2011? It grew at a rate of 382% and is still growing!

There were also 45,000 new active consultants added from June 2011 to May 2012. When I enrolled in July 2011, my consultant number was 77283, today the consultant numbers are in the 218,000's! Not all these women are currently active, I believe there are around 90,000 active consultants right now.
As I sat waiting for our plane to take off back to Ohio, I thought about how much more relaxed I was compared to my flight to Atlanta.

I was so excited to see Jeff and my babies but so thankful for those few days to be myself again and to 'Live it Up' with my other Thirty-One sisters. This trip did more for me than just valuable business training, but it helped me to be an even better Mom mentally too. Jeff did an awesome job with the babies while I was gone and I honestly think we are all better for this experience.
Not only did I return to Cleveland with a fresh perspective on how I was going to grow my business, but I also returned with so many new products just in time for the launch of the new Fall 2012 catalog. My suitcase was full and I ended up having to check a few bags before my flight. I can't wait to share with you all of new products and prints for Fall!
If you have any interest in joining my private Facebook group for insider deals and promotions or to get a sneak peek of the Fall 2012 catalog, please email me at karen_31gifts@yahoo.com.

Thirty-One Gifts ~ A Year Later

2012-07-26T17:49:00.001-04:00

Can you believe it has been over a year since I wrote this post and signed up to be a Thirty-One Gifts consultant? I want to take a few minutes to talk about my experience as a Thirty-One Gifts consultant and reflect on how my life has changed because of this amazing company.
I attended my very first Thirty-One Gifts party last June and immediately fell in love with the catalog and products. I had been to several direct sale home parties in the past like Pampered Chef, and Tastefully Simple, however, never actually considered selling any of them. The thought never even remotely crossed my mind!!! I was just not a sales girl and I had a secure career. However, Thirty-One Gifts was different. I immediately loved what Thirty-One stood for. Thirty-One Gifts is a Christian based company dedicated to encouraging, empowering and rewarding women. The name Thirty-One Gifts actually comes from the Bible verse Proverbs 31 about empowering the woman in the home. Who doesn't love that? Thirty-One Gifts was founded by Cindy Monroe, a young mother making bags and purses in the basement of her Tennessee home. She could have easily been you or I. She is the sweetest girl who stands for everything that we do! When I see her picture in our catalog or listen to her speak on a conference call, I often feel like she and I could be BFF's! She just has that girl-next-door quality about her.
While at the party, I read a few of the heart warming testimonies printed in the catalog about how Thirty-One has changed their lives in so many ways. I was intrigued by these women's success stories and thumbed through the catalog to read every one. After placing my order, I decided to take the Thirty-One catalog home with me that evening instead of returning it to the consultant. I know this sounds strange but something about Thirty-One spoke to me and I decided to talk to Jeff about the possibility of signing up to be an Independent Sales consultant. I could see myself selling these adorable products! I told Jeff that I wanted to give it a shot and if it didn't work out, I had a bunch of cute bags to keep. If it did work out, this could possibly the answer I was looking for! A job with a flexible schedule that would allow me to stay at home with my kids. No more daycare, no more germs, no more mommy/work guilt, etc. Sure, I wouldn't make the same amount of money as my steady corporate accounting job but the earning potential was there!! So I took the plunge and signed up. Want to hear something completely crazy? I found out I was pregnant with Nicholas a few hours later. I honestly felt like God was guiding me through my decision. He knew the constant internal conflict and guilt I was always feeling as a working Mom and He provided.

I am happy to say that it has been a year since I received that pink box with my start up kit. My business did take off and I didn't end up with just a closet full of cute bags. Don't get me wrong, I still have a closet full of cute Thirty-One totes, but I also have a thriving business. I was shocked on how many of my friends, family and neighbors actually came to me first offering to host a party. It spoke volumes on how amazing Thirty-One products really are! These friends were not just doing me a huge favor, thet wanted to take advantage of all the free and discounted products they would earn too. And I was more than happy to help them to earn everything they possibly could for free. Thirty-One Gifts actually has a wonderful hostess benefits program just by hosting a party. I never really knew how well a party hostess did at a home based party until I became a consultant myself. If you ever thought about hosting a party for any home based direct sales company, do it! You will be highly compensated in products for your time and effort for just by having a party!
Here are a few of my accomplishments that I am most proud of:

16 Home parties
5 Catalog parties
2 Recruits
Promoted to Senior Consultant in March 2012
Attending 2012 National Conference

I think what I love most of all is the friends that I have made and people I have met through Thirty-One. The two girls I have recruited have been wonderful and I hopefully will be able grow my team even more this year!

I am happy to say that I am also attending the Thirty-One Gifts National Conference in Atlanta next week. I was so disappointed when I missed the conference in Columbus, OH last year. I had just signed up to be a consultant and couldn't justify going even though it was only a two hour drive away. I almost decided to miss this years conference too. I felt horrible at the thought of leaving Nicholas since he is so young and still nursing, however, I am in this for the long haul and want to learn all I can to become a better consultant and grow my business. If you follow me on Twitter, you will certainly be seeing a lot of tweets from me in the next few days preparing for National Conference and having the time of my life in Atlanta.

This Summer you can find me at the community pool or splash park with my babies toting around my new Large Utility Tote monogrammed with 'I Sell 31'. I am so pleased with my first year with Thirty-One Gifts and truly look forward to all of the success that my second year will bring! If you ever have any questions about Thirty-One products or my role as a consultant, I would be more than happy to talk with you about it. Feel free to email me at karen_31gifts@yahoo.com with any questions.

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Losing the Baby Weight {Check In 2}

2012-07-24T08:56:00.002-04:00

Hello friends! I hope you had a wonderful weekend! We are having such a fun Summer so far visiting all of the kid-friendly places in the Cleveland area. Jillian is at such a fun age now where we feel like we can take her to different places and she truly understands what is going on. There is nothing better than seeing her face light up with every new experience. One of the best things about having children is experiencing everything from their eyes. It simply just warms your heart!!!

This weekend we took Jillian to the Memphis Kiddie Park and the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Jillian had an absolute blast and took a HUGE nap on Sunday, the only day we stayed home. Nicholas has been such a good sport too being carted around to all of these different activities. He is such an easy going baby, we are so blessed!

Thank you for all of your encouraging words and support from my first Losing the Baby Weight post. It sounds like I am not the only one interested in losing those few extra pounds packed on from our pregnancies!!! I also want to thank you for sharing your success stories and advice! Meredith suggested that I should also take my measurements as well since she found that she lost more inches than weight in the beginning. Great advice! I am hoping to do this sometime this week, once I track down my measuring tape!!! I also wanted to thank those of you who have joined me on the 'My Fitness Pal' iPhone App! It's fun to see what others and doing to lose weight, hopefully I can motivate you too! Again, if you are interested in joining me on 'My Fitness Pal', my user name is karenathome.

I am happy to report that I lost another pound this week just by trying to watch what I eat. Remember my last post when I kicked off my workout routine? Yeah, that was about it for workouts for the week. Ugh! We decided the next day to transition Nicholas from the Rock and Play in our room to the crib in his room. It hasn't exactly been a difficult transition, however, the one thing I learned with Jillian is that babies do not like change. Nicholas didn't protest sleeping in his crib, he just wasn't sleeping as long between feedings like he was. He regressed back to getting up every 2-3 hours again. This Momma is tired!! I finally got a big six hour stretch last night, the first since the transition, and decided to workout after his feeding. Working out once a week is better than nothing, right? It is certainly a start and something to build on. My goal is eventually to workout at least 4-5 days a week. Hopefully Nicholas will also build on his progress too in the sleep department and it's a win-win situation all around!

My workout this morning consisted of a 30 minute 'Jiggle Free Buns' DVD from The Firm. I absolutely love The Firm series of videos and DVD's. They are the perfect combination of aerobic and anaerobic (toning and strength training) workouts. I have found that you have to do both in order to truly reshape your body and lose weight. Did you know that when you perform an Anaerobic workout, your metabolism burns more fat and calories at a resting state? Who doesn't love burning fat when you are NOT working out? With the all the limited time I have these days, I NEED to combine aerobic and anaerobic exercises into my routine.

Here are the top 5 benefits when including Anaerobic workouts into your routine:

1. Helps prevent health problems - Strength training helps prevent cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, low back pain, and arthritis.
2. Builds and maintains lean muscle mass - The loss of lean muscle mass can begin as early as your mid-20s, and it results in a loss of strength, a slower metabolism, and decreased functional fitness. The loss of lean muscle mass is not the normal result of aging, it's primarily the result of a sedentary lifestyle. If you don't use your muscles they waste away. Strength training is the most effective way to build and maintain lean muscle mass and stay strong and functionally fit.
3. Increases bone strength and density - Millions of people worldwide suffer from osteoporosis. Consuming dairy products and taking calcium supplements to increase bone strength and density is not enough.
4. Reduces body fat - Strength training is just as important as nutrition and aerobic exercise when it comes to losing body fat. Strength training builds and maintains lean muscle mass, and the more lean muscle mass you have the higher your metabolism will be. The higher your metabolism, the more calories your body burns to maintain itself and the more body fat you lose.
5. Reshapes the body and improves appearance - Strength training is the most effective way to reshape your body and improve your appearance. Strength training can give you a bigger, more powerful body if you're a man, or a stronger, more toned body if you're a woman.

My diet this week has been OK, I broke down and had a few potato chips with my sandwich at lunchtime and Jeff also brought home Reece cup Blizzards one night. Yum!!! That was worth every calorie in my opinion. Other than that, I have stuck to my 1800-2000 calorie regiment. I want to share with you 'The Skinny Rules' that I found on 20 Minute Mom Blog when it comes to your eating habits. I thought these were excellent!

I love the one about going to bed hungry. I have found now that every time I start to crave a late night snack, I think of her rule about going to bed hungry and it has given me that extra motivation to stay out of my pantry, at least until the next morning!!

{Check In 2 Weigh in Stats}

Wedding Weight: 112

Pre-pregnancy Weight: 120

Weight at Nicholas's Birth: 170

Current Weight: 137
Pounds lost since last Weigh In -1

Pounds lost: 33

Weight loss Goal: 120
Pounds left to lose: 17

Are you trying to lose the baby weight or those annoying last few pounds? What lifestyle changes are you making in your life to help you meet your fitness goals? I would love to hear from you!!!

I hope you all have a good week!

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Baked Dorito Casserole

2012-07-19T16:46:00.005-04:00

Hi Friends!

Thank you so much for all of your sweet comments and suggestions for losing the baby weight! It is still very much a work in progress and trying to find the time to work out while caring for a toddler and newborn is next to impossible. I am trying to stay motivated and maintain a healthy lifestyle while dealing with the craziness of it all!

I do have an EASY, DELICIOUS and LOW FAT recipe to share with you to keep your diets in check without sacrificing taste!!

My sister-in-law recommended this recipe and I am so happy I listened! It was quick easy to make and quite tasty! Jeff even gave it his approval so we will certainly be adding it to our dinner rotation this Summer. I always love a good casserole, especially one that makes enough for leftovers. Another evening that I don't have to cook is a major bonus for me right now!

I hope you love it as much as I do!

1 can reduced fat crescent rolls

1/2 lb. ground turkey meat

1 can Original Rotel, drained

1 package Taco Seasoning

1 6 oz. container Fage 0% plain greek yogurt (Available at Target)

1 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 bag Baked Doritos Nacho Cheese chips, crushed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, brown turkey meat and drain off fat.

Add in taco seasoning and Rotel. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Press crescent rolls in the bottom of a 9x13 greased pan.

Press seams to seal. Top crescent rolls with meat mixture, then spread greek yogurt over meat. Top with shredded cheese and crushed Baked Doritos.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Only 320 Calories per serving!

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Losing the Baby Weight {Check In 1}

2012-07-17T09:38:00.002-04:00

Hi all, I hope everyone had a great weekend! We were really busy!! On Saturday, we enjoyed a day out on Pymatuming Lake trying out my brother-in-law's new Pontoon boat. It was Jillian's first boat ride and she absolutely loved it and couldn't stop giggling, while Nicholas was lulled to sleep by the rhythmic motion of the waves. Needless to say, both loved the boat in their own way! It was also nice for Mommy and Daddy to enjoy an afternoon out on the water with our family.

On Sunday, we ventured out to Lake Farm Park in Kirtland, OH for their Ice Cream Social weekend. For those of you not familiar with Lake Farmpark, it's a delightful family-oriented science and cultural center devoted to agriculture, farming, and country life. There are several barns housing a variety of farm animals including cows, horses, pigs and sheep. Jillian absolutely loves to pet all the animals! It's a great place to bring the family and always has a full calendar of events going on throughout the year. We decided this time to buy a family pass so I am really looking forward to visiting the Farmpark again!

I decided that this is the week I am finally getting serious about losing those last few stubborn pounds of baby weight. To be perfectly honest, I gained more weight with Nicholas than I did with Jillian. I gained 50 pounds to be exact with Nicholas as compared to 40 with Jillian! Yikes!!! I am still blown away that I actually let myself gain that much weight. Thankfully, I lost all of the weight that I gained with Jillian, however, never really felt like I was back to my normal weight and pre-pregnancy size until 9 months after Jillian was born. It's true what they say, nine months up, nine months down. I wouldn't say I recall doing anything major to lose the weight after I had Jillian. I worked out here and there and would try to watch what I ate. However, I really couldn't do that much anyway since she breast fed for the first ten month of her life. When you are breast feeding, you have to maintain a diet of at least 1800-2000 calories a day to maintain your milk supply. Luckily for me, breast feeding is a built in all day calorie burning machine and you can burn up to 500 calories a day by doing nothing more than sitting on your rump.
After I had Nicholas, I was lucky to lose 20 pounds right out of the gate. I am sure most of that consisted of baby, fluid, water weight and other fun stuff that we lose when you have a baby. After that first month, the scale stopped moving and I seemed to have hit a plateau. I was also eating as if I were still nine months pregnant and decided that the party was over and I needed to start making changes. I did a pretty good job at removing the obviously unhealthy foods from my diet such as fried foods, potato chips, sweets, and ice cream. In a few weeks, I lost a few pounds, however, have seem to have hit a plateau again. I am fully aware that if I am going to get serious about losing these last few pounds, I am going to have to change my sedentary life style and start exercising again. You can only lose so much weight on diet changes alone!

So this morning I decided to get out of bed after Nicholas's 6:30AM feeding to work out instead of turning over and going back to bed. I dusted off 'The Firm' DVD's and popped in 'Jiggle Free Abs'. It felt so good to be working out again! Before Jillian, I used to workout 5-6 times a week. I was in the best shape of my life! I love the feeling of having sore muscles throughout the day, constantly reminding you that you actually did something good for yourself. I am hoping to get back to where I was before my pregnancies, and if I really want to challenge myself, back to "Wedding Weight." Wedding Weight is what Jeff and I affectionately refer to as what we weighed on our Wedding Day. I am still breast feeding Nicholas so there will be no crash diets in my immediate future, however, I am hoping by making smart choices and by adding an exercise routine to my week, will help move the numbers on the scale in the right direction again. I also downloaded the MyFitnessPal App on my iPhone to track my calories and to keep me in that 1800-2000 calorie range. If you are on MyFitnessPal, I would love to have a few buddies join me on my weight loss journey by having you follow me. My user name is karenathome (I know, shocker!). Stay tuned for weekly blog updates of my progress and also a few healthy recipes as well!

{Check In 1 Weigh in Stats}

Wedding Weight: 112

Pre-pregnancy Weight: 120

Weight at Birth: 170

Current Weight: 138

Pounds lost: 32

Weight loss Goal: 120

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Cleveland Aquarium Ticket Winner!

2012-07-13T08:54:00.001-04:00

Congratulations Crystal from Delightfully Ordinary on winning the four tickets to the Cleveland Aquarium! I hope you and your family have a wonderful time!!!

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The Walgreens Way To Well Health Tour is Coming To Cleveland

2012-07-12T01:01:00.000-04:00

The Walgreens Way to Well Health Tour with AARP is coming to Cleveland from July 12th - July 30th. This community outreach program is dedicated to providing FREE prevention and early detection health services by providing free health tests, assessments, education and consulting services to communities. The tour is dedicated to improving the everyday health of Americans by providing the prevention and early detection of heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

Heart disease and cancer are the two leading causes of death in the Unites States and diabetes is the nation’s fastest growing disease over the past 10 years. The tests are valued at over $100 and only take about 20 minutes to complete. Thanks to the Walgreens Way To Well Health Tour with AARP they will be absolutely FREE and available to anyone ages 18 and over. No appointment or insurance is necessary! After the test, participants will consult with a Walgreens pharmacist or certified wellness staffer about the results.

The FREE health tests provided includes:

Cholesterol

Glucose

Blood Pressure

Body Mass Index

Body Composition

Skeletal Muscle

Resetting Metabolism

Visceral Fat

Real Body Age

All participants who attend will receive one year FREE AARP membership. Participants under the age of 50 can pass the free AARP membership on to an eligible adult, and existing members will receive a one-year extension on their current membership.

If you are unable to make it to the tour and would still like to contribute to this amazing program, you can do so by purchasing any of the Walgreens brand health and wellness products. 1¢ from the purchase of every Walgreens brand health and wellness product, up to $3 million annually, will support bringing preventive wellness services to local communities.

Please view the video below to learn even more about The Walgreens Way to Well Health Tour with AARP:

If you live in Cleveland or plan on visiting the area from July 12th – 30th, please be sure to make time to visit the The Walgreens Way to Well Health Tour with AARP and take advantage of this wonderful FREE program. Not able to make it to Cleveland? The health tour is comprised of a fleet of four customized vehicles that will simultaneously tour separate regions of the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Please visit The Walgreens Way to Well Health Tour with AARP to view all of the dates at a location near you.

Disclaimer: I was compensated for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

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