Try These Super Simple Ways To Beat Holiday Weight Gain Before It Beats You

I LOVE the holidays... the food, family and friend togetherness, presents, cozy weather, and of course, the traditions. And by "traditions" I mean, Halloween candy, Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas cookies.

What I don't love is how every year at the end of December some asshole elf sneaks into my closet and shrinks my fu*king clothes.

In other words... It's time for a 30/30 Challenge!

So what is the 30/30?

Spending 30 days (in a row) being mindful of your health and physical activity.

Why do it?

In 30 Days you can lower heart attack risk, lose weight, add years to your life, sleep better and of course, better your overall health and mood. Don't believe me? Here's the actual clip from the Doctors Show:

How much will it cost?

NOT A DAMN THING! 

I love that the 30/30 Challenge requires no gym membership, diet or personal trainer screaming at you. No excuses. Just you and a short 30-day goal focusing on a problem area or areas.

Just think... in two weeks you could be sleeping better, reducing your cholesterol and chances for a heart attack, losing weight, and become a healthier, happier person. How could you not want to at least try?

Where to start?

For a FULL mind, Body and soul makeover, do the 30/30 walking challenge. It's the ultimate 2019 weightloss resolution jumpstart. All you have to do is walk for 30-minutes for 30-days in row. 

The key is to find a way easily incorporate 30-minutes of walking into your day- You can walk twice for 15-minutes or 3 times for 10 if that's eaiser. That will help make the walking stick after the 30/30 is over.

TIPS:

1. Take public transportation to work? Leave 15 minutes early and walk to the next stop or station. (I know, for those non-morning people this is a stupid suggestion)
2. At lunch walk 15 minutes away from your desk, eat, then walk back--maybe even the long way back.
3. On the weekends, go explore a new (historic) town or nature trail with the family.
4. New mothers on maternity leave, make it a point that this challenge is CRUCIAL for you. Go for a walk by yourself every evening when your partner gets home.  Of course, you can take the baby, but getting out for some alone time will kill two birds with one stone for you!
5. Only need a couple things from the store? If one is close enough, walk there!
6. Walk the kids to school for the month.
7. On rainy days, clean or organize a closet for 30 minutes, better yet, go to an indoor mall for some retail therapy--Again, kill two birds with one stone!
8. Go walk through an outdoor mall.
9. For a week straight, walk out of your front door and take a different street or path and see what you find!
10. Download an awesome mystery ebook to listen to while you walk. TIP: Only let yourself listen to the book when walking, this might get those walks stretched out well past 30 minutes.

Once you decide to commit to the 30/30 Challenge, tell as many people as you can that you are doing this to add accountability.  Get a support group to help encourage and hold you accountable!  YOU CAN DO THIS!  It's just 30 minutes for thirty days.  It's not hard, or an on going commitment.  This is a challenge that you know you can do.

     YOU CAN DO THIS!

Don't need a full body workout, but have problem areas? Try a 30-day targeted challenge for but, thighs or abs. Below are a few of my favorites!

If you want to target more than your butt and core, the following 30-day workouts will give you all over results, inspire you to work out every day and only take a minute a day!

Want a Brazilian Butt?  Try this:

 Thighs keeping you down? Try this:

Do your abs make you sad? Try this:

 Are your arms causing your self-esteem harm? Do this:

Butt AND Gut have you in a rut? Never fear, help is here!

Looking for a whole-body 30-day tone every ounce challenge plan? Look no further...

If you already have a workout routine, here's a more advanced program that starts Day-1 with higher reps. 

or, this one:

Here is a four-month plan you can follow each month, or combine into one month:

If you have injuries or physical limitations, and none of the above will work, here is a 30-day food challenge. If it's too restrictive for you, break it up and try to avoid one-or-two foods for the day or week... 

Don't forget to Pin or print your favorite challenges!

                                

5 Ways To Get Festive For The Holidays

I just can't get my head around the fact next week, the month-long Holiday adventure of December kicks off!

HOW?

Wasn't it just, August?

I am so not ready!

If, like me, you are freaking out and need to get your festive-on and fast, below are a few fun ways to get festive for the holidays!

1. Be Unconventional

Think: The hottest Christmas trend of 2017, the pineapple Christmas tree! (I swear I'm not kidding!) Head over to Pinterest on your lunch break (Or bored and want to look busy) and look for inspiration. Make the theme all your own! Screw the stockings and garland, go for Pineapples and sunnies!

2. Buy out the dollar store

Decking the Halls doesn't have to break the bank. Stop at the Dollar Tree after work and go wild on ten bucks.

First Time Dad Tip: When you get home, coat the walls with adhesive spray, throw the decorations in the middle of the floor and fire up the leaf blower. #GoodTimes

First Time Mom Disclaimer: We cannot and will not be held accountable if your dumb enough to try it. #Dumbassery

3. Don't feel like going through the work hanging lights? In less than thirty seconds you can light your house up like Clark Griswald with a Christmas Light Projector

Remember when we were kids and most decorations were made of foil or we had to string a thousand peices of popcorn to make our own garland? Not. Any. More. Shove this sucker in your yard, plug it in and done!

(This one is $23 on Amazon with $5 off coupon)

4. Test out new recipes for holiday treats.

Kick the cookies up a notch. Raise the bar on brownies. Plan now so you blow everyone away at the holiday party or cookie exchange.

This year I'm trying these Christmas Tree Brownies! 

5. Craft something with the Kiddos!

Spend the frigid weekend inside making a winter wonderland!




Check out my Homemade Holidays Pinterest Board for a ridiculous amount of winter and holiday crafts, cooking, homemade gifts and decoration ideas!

Five Tips For Tear-Free Family Travel (Parents included!)

After dragging my son around the world and back, I feel pretty solid about sharing a few tips for meltdown free family travel. So, if you're dreading heading to grandmas for the Holidays, or even trading bitter temperatures for warm sands, I can help make the trip not suck, because regardless of the mode of transportation or destination, one thing remains the same, the kids are coming and you need to prepare. 

1. Pack as light as possible. Between the gadgets, toys, clothes, blankets, bedtime bears and favorite pillows, it's easy to over pack. Very easy. Combat this by making a list of essentials for each family member, and stick to it. It's not like you're leaving for good, it's a week! 

Road Trip Tip: Check to make sure the headlights and taillights are working. Give em' a wipe while you're at it. Double check tires' air pressure and tread and look for nails or debris that could be potentially dangerous. You may want to invest in an air freshener too!

2. Snack Attack. Whether it's a hungry kid or a chatty kid, snacks will come in very handy.  Skip the traditional sandwiches for bento box lunches to keep kids busy.  Also, have a bribe treat. The go-to to your kid won't turn down. Like a scooby-snack. This is your miracle worker. Don't leave home without it.

Road trip snack TIP: Freeze small bottles of water and use them in the cooler instead of ice. The frozen bottles will keep things cold and the cooler from filling with melted ice that sloshes back and forth with every turn, begging to pour out all over the floor of the car.

3. Floors Are For Feet Only. Let's face it, the floors can be valuable real estate when traveling, but not so great for the person losing the foot space. Free up the foot space by hanging bags on the back seat. Backpacks fit nicely over the 'shoulders' of the seat or secured by the headrest. When in flight, slip things over the back of the tray table to free floor space.

4. Check Your Tech. Before embarking on any trip, check your tech; replace the batteries in your camera, charge everything, and bring a car charger. Pack all tech stuff in the same bag. When it comes to a crying kid over a dying tablet, the last thing you'll want to do is search four bags to find it. 

5. Set expectations very low. With all the planning, comes high expectations. Kill them. Now. Expect everything to go wrong. Make sure the children think they are on their way to hell and it will take hours to get there. The lower the expectations and understanding that shit happens, the happier everyone will be. 

Road trip tip: Whether you're traveling with a child or not, invest in a box of baby wipes. The pre-moistened wipes clean messy faces and surfaces in a pinch, and without stinky harsh chemicals! Not to mention, those little wipes will be a lifesaver at those grimy roadside and airport bathrooms that haven't seen an attendant in at least a decade.

10 Children's Gifts That Decimate a Parent's Patience In 5 Minutes Or Less #GiftGuide

Whether you're new at buying children's gifts, or if pissing off a parent is on your list of things to do this holiday season, then keep reading, because the following types of toys Decimate a Parent's Patience In 5 Minutes Or Less.



1. Toys that make annoying noises. Think: Firetruck with 50 flashing lights that blares "FIRE FIRE" and then belts out a 30-second siren. Kid's have an inherent thing that drives them to smash the button repeatedly for two hours straight.

Fun Fact: There is a special place in hell for toy manufacturers of those toys. It's on the corner of Whatswrongwithyou Ave. & Needsaslap St.

2. Toys with sensors that go off when you walk by. This reaches beyond toys. ANYTHING that makes noises when you walk by. Parents will never be able to sneak out of their child's room again thanks to it. Or worse, at 2am the cat slinks by and wakes the whole damn house.

3. Toys that are part of a set or collection.  Once you open the floodgates, parents can kiss that college fund and nest egg goodbye. To a child, four zillion Hotwheels is still nowhere near enough. And what kind of a Thomas the Train set is any fun with two tracks and a train? It's a never-ending battle.

4. Toys that require assembly of more than three parts and/or stickers to apply. Have you ever tried to assemble a toy that requires 22 steps with a toddler "helping"? Three pages into the instructions, nothing makes sense anymore and the stickers are stuck to the TV.

You'd think that if a manufacturer has gone to all the trouble of assembling, marketing, and packaging the thing, why on earth wouldn't they have applied the damn stickers too? -Said every parent.

5.  Toys that can be easily disassembled into two hundred tiny pieces. This will inevitably happen in the back seat of mom's car. All accompanying stickers are immediately stuck to the car window.

6. A toddler bed. I don't care if it looks like Dora the Explorer or a Race Car, kids will not fall for it. It's a waste of time and money that will fail parents. Parent Tip: Transition from crib to a bed no smaller than a twin so you have somewhere to sleep when your kid crawls into bed with you and takes over. Every night. Forever.

7.  Toys that are really candy in disguise. One word: Gremlin

8. Toys on wheels the kid doesn't stand a chance of operating without plenty of blood, sweat and tears from the parents.  Make no mistake about it, if you buy a tricycle, scooter or bike before a child is ready, backs will break from having to bend down to push it CONSTANTLY, then drag it home when the kid has had enough.

9. Annoying books. Before you purchase a children's book read through it first, then ask yourself if you could stand to read it at least ten times a day for two months straight. Because that's what parents have to do with their child's favorite book. Add in buttons, bells and whistles... The struggle is real.

10. Tiny toys. The smaller the toy, the more pain it inflicts when stepped on. Think: Lego.

                              

These 12 Tweaks On Turkey Day Favorites Will Win Your #Thanksgiving

 BRING ON THE TURKEY!

I love love love Thanksgiving. It's one of the only, if not only, holidays that keeps the focus on family, friends, giving and thankfulness. I look forward to the glorious day every year. My family is relatively small, so we plan to spend the day together. We cook as a family, we fight as a family, we drink as a family, we play football as a family. It's absolutely brilliant. Dysfunction and all! 

In honor of celebrating my favorite meal of the entire year, I've been looking everywhere for fun twists on Thanksgiving Day Favorites. Here at 12 that might make it on my table this year! 

Rosemary Bread Cornucopia from Lilly Shop

I LOVE THIS!

Send those snack-y guests packing with a breadstick and bowl of Roasted Sweet Potato Soup from Simply Recipes. TIP: Prepare the night before!

Goat Cheese and Carmalized Onion Mashed Potatoes

I'm trying these potatoes this year. 
Leave it to me to find a way to get Goat Cheese on the table.
Lawd I love that creamy goodness!

Don't forget the Kiddie Crowd Pleaser, Carrots!  
This recipe for Honey Glazed Baby Carrots from Damn Delicious is spot on!

I make Honey Glazed Baby Carrots Every Year. Actually, multiple times a year. So easy and so good.

Fresh Healthy Green Bean Casserole from Gimme Some Oven, is definitely worth checking out.

Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Bacon 
This is my go-to recipe. LOVE IT

Two Words, 

STUFFIN MUFFINS!

I LOVE this idea!
You can use any stuffing recipe you want, just bake into muffin tins.
Everyone will get crispy stuffing,

Just the two of you? Try this Cranberry Hazelnut Turkey Wellington 

Of course, it can be done... Crockpot Turkey. Never had it, but Practical Stewardship says it's the way to go!

Because. Bacon.

Bacon Wrapped Turkey is easier than it looks.

Cranberry Jalapeño Relish with Orange

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe!
My Brother-in-Law made it a few years ago and I have begged for it at every holiday since.
 OH. SO. GOOD.

Make Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes the day before, then douse in whip cream and serve with coffee after dinner!

I'm making these!

Are you a traditional turkey and sides kind of person, or do you like things to have a wild twist too?

For more Tasty Thanksgiving Turkeys, sides and tasty treats, check out my super stuffed Thanksgiving Pinterest Board.

Make THIS For Your Halloween Party... #SoGross #SoYum #Halloween

Below are some of the most amazing Halloween treats I have ever seen.  And I'm not talking about hot dogs that look like fingers. Been there. Done that.

No doubt a few will be gracing my Halloween Party table... (For the recipe, click the name under the photo)

LOVE these yummy and super easy to make, edible pumpkin candy bowls.

This Halloween inspired cake is SO easy and So cool. Halloween Tie-Die Bunt Cake.

I positively LOVE these. The Ultimate witch's hat cupcakes!

Super simple Cheese puff pumpkin giveaway bags

Pumpkin patch cupcake poppers. 

So easy, the kids can make them...Monster Marshmallow pops.

This is so gross, it's good. Ear wax (caramel) marshmallows

SO CREEPY!!!  Skeleton Cheese Skull

Halloween Bark. Yes, Please!

Spider PB&J!
I love Healthy Halloween-inspired treats.

This Monster Meatloaf is so gross. 
I'm totally feeding it to my family.

Genius. 

I LOVE this Coffin Bread Bowl.

Mmmmmm. Homemade gummy worms.

What's your favorite? Have you ever tried any?

For more Halloween inspiration from costumes to decorations to more eats and treats, check out my Halloween Pinterest Boards.