7 Year Anniversary

I can hardly believe that we are already celebrating our 7th wedding anniversary! It seems like just yesterday that we said "I do."

We've been through 5 moves, had 2 kids, and bought a home together. It has all gone by so fast!

I thank God every day for this wonderful man, who turned out to be an amazing father for my children.

I love him more every day!

Organic Pear Raspberry Popsicles Recipe

I'm on a mission this summer to get my family eating more organic fruits and veggies. We got a ton of organic raspberries from the co-op this week so here is what I made!

Organic Pear & Raspberry Popsicles 

(makes 4)

Ingredients-

4 oz water

1 small pear, peeled and diced

1/2 cup raspberries

Directions-

Add all ingredients to a blender. 

Blend well. Pour into popsicle molds 

and let them set in the freezer for about 4 hours. 

Also- did you know you can make lemonade in the blender?!? I saw this post on One Good Thing by Jillee and just had to try it! It was delicious- I added a handful of raspberries to make Raspberry Lemonade!

WW: My Brave Girl

Social Media Saturday

Happy Saturday! We have already been to the waterpark and back this morning and WHEW! I am worn out already :) 

Go visit The Ultimate Linky to link up your Bloglovin', StumbleUpon or LinkedIn profiles and find more followers!


While you're here, check out this FREE webinar on using Facebook to build your blog or home business! Just CLICK HERE!

Patriotic Art Work- Handprint Flag

Being a Navy family, we are always happy to have new patriotic things to put up around the house. One of my fellow preschool teachers did a similar project with her students for an art auction this year- and I made a mental note to make one with my kids for the 4th of July!

Have you done any 4th of July crafts yet? If so, link in the comments- I'd love to check it out!

Healthy Cookie Recipe

We tried a new healthy cookie recipe today.  They are gluten, dairy and egg free and only use natural sugars (except that I realized later that the dried fruit that I used had some added sugar- not much but still- check your labels!)

Jillian helped me make them - she loves helping in the kitchen!  

Ingredients:

3 bananas
2 c. rolled oats
1/3 c. applesauce (or 1 packet of the squeeze kind!)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 c. dried fruit (we used cherries, cranberries and blueberries)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. flax seed meal

1 tbsp cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Using a fork, mash the bananas in a bowl. 

Stir in everything else! Mix batter well. 

Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet. 

Bake for 20 minutes.

WW: Disney Trip Highlights

How I lost weight and boosted my energy- and my mood!

When a friend of mine gave me a sample pack of Zija products, I was amazed at how quickly I started to lose weight! I was down 5 pounds in 5 days. Now, don't get me wrong, I knew it was water weight, but I decided to try it for a month and see what happened.

The results were AMAZING!

At this point I have been using the products for one month.  I have already lost 14 pounds! I have an incredible amount of energy each day and I feel like my mood has just been positive all the time! I have cut out all soft drinks, sweet tea, energy drinks, coffee and most fast food and sweets.  This was not part of any plan that I had- I just don't crave the sweets and fast food, and I have so much energy that I have no need for energy drinks or soft drinks anymore!

So, here is what a typical day, as far as eating, exercising & supplements goes....

• I wake up- and am full of energy and ready to start the day! No more hitting the snooze button or covering my head with a pillow when the kids start screaming for me :)
• I drink a glass of water with lemon to start with.  Then I usually drink a Smart Mix or a Super Mix.  These drinks are literally liquid nutrition. They are so full of antioxidants, anti-inflammatories and vitamins that they really start your day out right! These drinks are enzymatically alive, meaning that they aren't just a 'supplement'- they are an all natural food source, much like eating a raw fruits or vegetables! Also, since it is a liquid, the nutrients are more easily absorbed than taking a pill.
• When I'm done with that I take an XM burn for energy.  I wait about 15-20 minutes and then have a healthy breakfast.
• And- that's pretty much it! I try to eat healthier for the rest of the day, and every few days I will drink a Premium tea  which helps with digestion, before bed.
  
  For the first few weeks, I wasn't even exercising at all! But now I am finding myself with so much energy that I actually want to exercise so I have been walking each morning.
  
  With all of this, I am finding it easy to lose weight! I have no cravings which is making it easier to make healthy food choices.  Let's face it, weight loss is basically mind over matter.  But if you are like me and have a hard time saying no to that 2nd or 3rd donut, maybe you should give this a try! I am offering free samples, just let me know where to send them!

Welcome!

Welcome to my little corner of the blogosphere!

I am a Navy wife, a Christian preschool teacher, owner of Navy Baby Designs embroidery and a Zija independent distributor.  I have two young children.  My son Jackson is 6 and has mild autism.  His story is amazing and I will be sharing that soon. He is a brilliantly gifted child with social and behavioral impairments.  My daughter Jillian is almost 3 and neurotypical.

My life has been so completely changed by Jesus Christ.  I now live a life of joy and hope, even through the many trials and tribulations of life, because I know that He is with me always!

I love to craft and bake. I'm addicted to Pinterest! I love finding fun things to do with my own kids and with the preschoolers that I work with each day.

I'm on a journey to become healthier and more active.  I've lost almost 25 pounds over the last year and am interested in more all natural living and clean eating.  I've run three 5Ks this past year and my newest goal is to run a 10K.