Mommy Glow

What I’ve learned about myself so far in 2012

2012-01-25T17:54:00.000-08:00

I’m not one to make resolutions at the beginning of a New Year. But in doing self-reflection I knew that I wanted 2012 to be an even better year than 2011. I want this year to be a year of growth where I challenge myself more than ever before. Challenge myself to jump higher and run faster. To leap. To live with reckless abandon. To trust love. To trust myself. To not be afraid to push the limits.

And 25 days into the New Year I can say that I’ve done just that and have learned so much about myself in the process. It’s interesting how situations arise that test you, that test your strength and you have to make a decision. You can go run in a corner and choose to be consumed, or you can strap on your armor and stand with your feet firm. I have been tested, it’s even fair to say I’ve been an emotional roller-coaster (cue Vivian Green’s song) this year.

While I’ve never been one to back away from difficult situations, I usually become an introvert, secluded myself from the world and hidden in a shell. On the exterior seemingly calm and collective, but on the interior a ball of fire. I’ve gotten by like this, but as you can imagine it’s not the ideal situation. But recently I’ve realized that I don’t have all the answers, that when I’m being tested I don’t have to stand alone. I’ve never been comfortable asking for help or sharing a lot of personal information with others, but I realized I can’t carry this load on my own. And I’m glad to say that I was able to look around me and find amazing support from my friends and family these past few weeks. There were no questions, no judgment, just pure concern, encouragement, and love for me and lil mama. It’s been overwhelming and slightly uncomfortable to know that I’ve got so many remarkable people in my corner who truly believe in me and genuinely want what’s best for me and my family.

What I’ve learned 25 days into 2012 is I’m stronger than I think. That when I think I’m backed into a wall, I’m really not, I just have to change my perspective and find another way. That I’ve got an amazing support system that’s there for me no matter what.

That Still I Rise.

New Year’s Resolution #1. Tip the dating scales in your favor!

2012-01-16T17:59:00.000-08:00

Sexy singles everywhere are hitting the scene this January with renewed mojo! The holidays are over (for now) and I don’t know about you, but I sure ate one…or two…or three extra sweets I shouldn't have! And that’s why I’m so excited for The Fresh Diet!

The Fresh Diet is the hottest thing around, and it’s extremely doable! No starving yourself or denying yourself dessert! The Fresh Diet is America’s premiere diet delivery service, providing fresh, healthy, calorie portioned meals all right to your door! As a mom on the go, this type of system works so well with my lifestyle, it basically does all the work for me!

We’re not talking semi-fresh here people. We’re talking never processed, vacuum packed, or frozen! These delicious meals are cooked fresh daily in state of the art local kitchens. It’s like having your own personal chef! With hundreds of meals to choose from, you’ll have no problem figuring out what yummy meals you’d like to have! Daily delivery consists of 3 meals and 2 snacks! Yup, that means no cooking, no counting, and no clean up! Could you ask for an easier way to have fresh, nutritionally balanced meals for healthy weight loss? They do say that nutrition is half the battle when it comes to weight loss. If it were up to me, I’d work out all day every day than start dieting! But, how can I pass up The Fresh Diet, it has the taste, the variety, and the convenience!

I’m starting the year right, by trying my complimentary week of The Fresh Diet, and if you start today for just $29.99 per day, you get 3 days free with this special promo code: singlejan3. Visit www.thefreshdiet.com/single to take advantage of this special offer or call 866-FRESH-50 (866-373-7450).

It’s true what they say about confidence…it comes from within. By fueling your body with good for you foods that confidence will exude from you and tip the dating scale in your favor as a single woman seeking. Why? Well because men are attracted to confident women!

The Fresh Diet is my perfect accessory to prepare me for the dating scene after all the holiday parties! Get the edge on your competition by saying YES to FRESH in 2012!!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post by The Fresh Diet. All opinions expressed are the blogger's own views not influenced by any outside biases.

I ♥ my Zoya color spoons!!

2012-01-09T17:56:00.000-08:00

Back back back in the blogging zone!! Although I don’t usually post about beauty products I wanted to give it a shot because I’m a product-a-holic and I love love my new Zoya color spoons! I don’t get my nails done that often professionally, but like having my nails looking fresh, which means I do at home manis with lil mama weekly. As a result I’ve become a bit of a nail polish junkie! I heard about Zoya via twitter and was excited to learn more about them from their website. They have a gazillion shades to choose from, I felt like a kid in a candy store browsing through the website!

Zoya Nail Polish is a nail polish free of toluene, formaldehyde, DBP (phthalates) and camphor. Nail Polish by Zoya offers over 300 gorgeous nail polish colors to choose from, plus 4 seasonal collections of nail polish every year. Awesome!!!

The only downfall is that I couldn’t find a retailer near me so had to order online, which made me a little nervous. So I was thrilled when I found out about their color spoons! It’s Zoya’s version of trying before you buy! I loved the idea and ordered 10 spoons! I mean they were only $0.50 AND the spoons ship free via ground shipping! Winning!!! Oh and wait, it gets better….as soon as you are invoiced for the price of your spoons you are also send a promo code for a discount in the amount equal to the amount you spent on spoons to be taken against your next order! See why I love these color spoons!!!

I was delighted to get them in the mail; they were great quality and came packed beautifully and professionally. The color spoons make so much sense and it was great to get to see them up to my nail and see how they worked with my complexion.

It’s hard to choose a favorite, I really love them all!! But with the spoons I was able to compare what I bought to colors I already have in my collection, which was a great great. Since getting them last week I’ve already made an order with them for full bottles of polish!!!

What’s your favorite brand of nail polish? Would you try Zoya's color spoons?

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-28T10:22:00.000-08:00

What we can learn from the Grinch

2011-12-22T18:08:00.000-08:00

“And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,

Stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?

It came without ribbons! It came without tags!

"It came without packages, boxes or bags!"

And he puzzled three hours, `till his puzzler was sore.

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!

"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store.

"Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!"

My daughter and I have already watched the Grinch (the original & Jim Carrey’s version) about six or seven times already this December. I think there is much to be learned from the Grinch’s story and Cindy Loo Hoo, who despite the community’s fear and disgust with the Grinch, decided that he wasn’t so different from them all after all.

I love the passage above the most from the book, for me it’s a friendly reminder of what the holidays, and Christmas is all about. As a young professional and single mother, the holidays are extremely stressful and I worry about money and being able to get my daughter a few nice things. And then there are my nieces. And my sisters. And my Mom. And my co-workers. And a few close friends. Ahhh!! It’s overwhelming because I like to give meaningful nice gifts to those I care about…and they often carry hefty price tags. And every year I end up in debt over the holidays, regardless of the budget I create for myself. It’s easy to get caught up in the holidays, and I’m guilty of forgetting what the holidays really mean to me and my family. My daughter and I spend Christmas Eve and Christmas together, just the two of us, making cookies and watching movies, and dancing of course. And it’s those moments: setting out cookies and milk for Santa, and when I tuck her in to bed Christmas Eve night that reminds me of what Christmas is all about.

I often doubt my ability to provide for all my daughter’s needs and wants being a single mom. I’m spread t-h-i-n and I have to sacrifice on a daily basis. Christmas isn’t about the gifts; it isn’t about shopping till I drop. It’s about the memories, it’s about love. Under the tree will be full, heck my whole house will be full of Christmas spirit this year because I am blessed; I have a beautiful, happy, kind, healthy child who I am crazy about. She inspires me, she makes me laugh, and she may be the wisest person I know. She is my gift every single day. And that’s not something you can buy in a store.

Happy Holidays from our hearts to yours

How to Talk to Little Girls

2011-12-21T08:22:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine, who is a mother of 2 daughters, forwarded me this article titled How to Talk to Little Girls featured in The Huffington Post. The article by Lisa Bloom talks about girls & self image and how we as parents and adults play into girl’s self-esteem. Think for a second about your encounters with girls, do you comment on their hair or outfit? Are you quick to tell them how cute they are? (slumps down in seat).

Lisa says, "Teaching girls that their appearance is the first thing you notice tells them that looks are more important than anything. It sets them up for dieting at age 5 and foundation at age 11 and boob jobs at 17 and Botox at 23. As our cultural imperative for girls to be hot 24/7 has become the new normal”

Not good!! The article was enlightening to me; it made me take a hard look at how I interact with my own daughter as well as little girls I come across. I realize that I often comment little girls on their new haircut or sparkly tights. And while I never saw anything wrong with it, I am becoming more aware of how these constant comments can affect a girl’s self-esteem and expectations.

My friend Marlene who forwarded me the article had this to say after reading:

“It really opened my eyes to how I interact with my girls and other young children their age. I mean I am definitely one of those people that use compliments as an ice breaker with kids like "wow, you look beautiful in that dress" and even with boys "he look so handsome in that outfit" etc. And I also thought showering my girls with compliments like these would build their self confidence, but it's actually counter-productive because now thinking back I can recall instances where my own daughter would get dressed and ask ‘Mom, do I look pretty in this dress?, Does my hair look nice like this?’ I always say of course you look great no matter what.....BUT now I realize that she was seeking my approval. I want my girls' self confidence to be based on who they are and what they know and not how they look. I guess all we can do I acknowledge this and try to break the cycle. At least I do.”

This article made me think of a previous post of mine titled Does this diaper make my butt look big. In the article I talked about the poison that are Bratz dolls and how more and more kids are concerned with their image, when they should just be concerned about being kids! Raising a healthy and confident daughter is extremely important to me, and I know that in order to achieve this it takes a lot of patience and conversations with her. Though it seems that society is completely against my desires, promoting the complete opposite of role-models and putting so much pressure onto image.

Did you read the article by Lisa Bloom? How do you counteract society’s fascination with image when interacting with your own daughter or girls you may know?

Favorite Quote Friday

2011-12-08T18:40:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted new quotes recently, my apologies! My posting is a bit sporadic, as life has changed ALOT recently, and I'm trying to do better!

I am only one, but I am one.
I cannot do everything, but I can do something.
And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.
~Edward Everett Hale

This week's quote speaks to my core...I am committed to helping someone... somewhere.... somehow. And I believe we all have a responsibility to make this world a better place. And this is why I give, this is why I volunteer. We all have the ability to do something...even though we are just one.

Happy Friday

ROCKETTES Boston Christmas Spectacular Giveaway Winner Announced!!

2011-12-04T18:16:00.000-08:00

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNER: BRANDON! Happy Holidays & Enjoy the show!!

--
I am still in awe from watching the Rockettee’s Friday at the Wang. I have to admit prior to the show I wasn’t in a very jolly mood…the holidays, and especially Christmas, tend to stress me out to the max. Walking into the show I wasn’t sure what to expect, and by the time the red curtains closed my jaw was on the floor. The show was ah-ma-zing!! And the Rockettee’s sure did deliver their signature leg kicks! From the glitz and glamour to the props and singing the show was DYNAMIC, we all had a blast!!! I’m happy to announce a 25% discount to the Rockette’s Christmas Spectacular AND a GIVEAWAY to the Wednesday December 28^th show!!! Details below:

For any non-peak show below, I am offering a 25% discount code!!

Select a NON Peak Performance between Sat, Dec 7^th – Dec 28^th for your 25% off discount:


12/2/2011 at 8 pm	12/16/2011 at 2 pm, 5 pm
12/3/2011 at 11 am, 2 pm, 5 pm, 8 pm	12/17/2011 at 11 am, 2 pm, 5 pm, 8 pm
12/4/2011 at 12 pm, 3 pm, 6 pm	12/18/2011 at 12 pm, 3 pm, 6 pm
12/7/2011 at 2 pm	12/20/2011 at 2 pm, 7:30 pm
12/8/2011 at 2 pm, 7:30 pm	12/21/2011 at 2 pm, 7:30 pm
12/9/2011 at 2 pm, 5 pm, 8 pm	12/22/2011 at 5 pm, 8 pm
12/10/2011 at 11 am, 2 pm, 5 pm, 8 pm	12/23/2011 at 2 pm, 5 pm, 8 pm
12/11/2011 at 12 pm, 3 pm, 6 pm	12/26/2011 at 2 pm, 5 pm
12/13/2011 at 7:30 pm	12/27/2011 at 2 pm, 5 pm
12/14/2011 at 2 pm, 7:30 pm	12/28/2011 at 2 pm, 5 pm
12/15/2011 at 2 pm, 7:30 pm

Bolded Performances = Peak Pricing/no Discount

Enter Promo Code: ROXMOM11
*Offer is not valid for Gold Circle - $130 seats, for which there are no discounts. There is a 8 ticket limit on this event.
Pricing Peak Non-Peak
Orchestra (Pit & Rows A-D): $130.00 $130.00
Orchestra (Rows E-O center): $99.00 $89.00
Orchestra (Rows E-O sides, P-EE): $83.00 $73.00

Mezzanine: $83.00 $73.00

Balcony (Rows E-J): $83.00 $73.00
Balcony (Rows K-S): $74.00 $64.00
Balcony (Rows T-Z): $58.00 $48.00
Balcony (Rows AA-FF): $29.00 $25.00

Prices include a $3.00 Facility Fee.

You can purchase tickets by visiting: www.citicenter.org/radiocity and using promo code ROXMOM11. Offer is not valid for Gold Circle - $130 seats - 8 ticket limit.

Deets on the show:

This holiday season, THE RADIO CITY CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR® starring THE WORLD-FAMOUS ROCKETTES® returns to Boston… and if you’ve never seen it before, this is DEFINITELY the year to go! Playing the City Performing Arts Center-Wang Theatre Friday December 2^nd – Wednesday, Dec 28^th!

This year’s show features brand-new scenes and songs, spectacular new sets, dazzling new costumes, an amazing 50-foot LED screen, and an unforgettable new finale! You’ll marvel at the incredible precision dancing of The Rockettes® in beloved scenes like the legendary “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” and the stunning reenactment of the first Christmas in the “Living Nativity.” And you’ll adore the new number “Christmas in New York,” featuring a chorus of Broadway-style singers and a life-sized double-decker bus! This year, through new technology and jaw-dropping new special effects, Christmas becomes more magical than ever before!

Now for the GIVEAWAY! One lucky reader wins 4 tickets to the Wednesday December 28^th performance at 5pm AND a MEET & GREET before the show with the ROCKETTTEE’S!!!

Mandatory Entry – Leave a comment below and tell me who you’d bring to the show!

Additional Entries: (Please leave a new comment for each extra entry)

1. Follow Mommy Glow on Facebook

2. Follow me on Twitter - @MsAlexandraV

3. Tweet about this giveaway (1 tweet daily – leave link): Enter to win 4 tix to the #Boston Rockette’s Christmas Spectacular from @MsAlexandraV ends 12.9 http://bit.ly/vTvDKm #Giveaway

4. Share this giveaway on your Facebook wall

5. Follow Mommy Glow via Google Friend Connect

*Contest ends Friday December 9^th at 4pm!! After winners are announced they have 24 hours to contact me.

*Winner will be chosen by Random.org. Tickets will be available at the Will Call at the Wang on the evening of the show.

If you are in Boston I highly encourage you to enter! It’s a remarkable show, suited for those young and old! Be prepared to break out into kicking after you watch the performance!

Disclosure: I received four tickets. All opinions are my own and no other compensation was received.

Are we promoting the idea that love comes without responsibility?

2011-11-04T06:44:00.000-07:00

Raising a daughter, especially alone, I am very aware of the messages I am sending her by what I say and do, and what I don’t say and do. Co-parenting has its struggles, and one of them includes comforting your child when the co-parent isn’t around. Mommy, where is daddy? Why isn’t daddy around? Is Daddy working? Mommy, WHEN is Daddy coming? There is no worse feeling for me as a Mother to see my precious daughter sitting at the window, peeking through the blinds just waiting for her father’s car to pull up…but never does. My heart breaks, and as furious as it makes me, I clench my fists for a minute, then calmly soothe my daughter’s anxiety and tell her that her daddy loves her very much and is going to see her very soon.

But, something hasn’t been adding up for a while. I often wonder how she processes what I am saying and the actions (or lack thereof) of her father. He is clearly not around consistently, but I am assuring her that he loves her. But again…he is not around. I have begun feeling like I am promoting the idea that love comes without responsibility. I am afraid that these mixed messages are actually just confusing her more. I wonder how this will affect her in the future, and it makes me scared.

While our experiences have been different, I shared my concerns with the fabulous Natasha Vianna, a fellow blogger and friend. She is also raising a young daughter on her own, and I wanted her perspective on the idea of promoting love without responsibility.

Much like Alexandra, I feel overwhelmed with sadness and anger when my daughter’s tears are provoked by her father’s lack of presence. I also realize that I have played a major role in setting her up for a possible disaster. Whether she heard conversations over the phone I had with him or saw how frustrated I became when he didn’t show. She emulated a lot of how I felt. She saw my facial expression and my disappointment even though I tried to mask my anger. As a mother, the last thing I wanted was to have her little heart feel broken when I’d have to tell her that her dad wasn’t going to show up today.

A lot of that changed when I accepted that her father was never going to be my definition of an amazing dad. Instead of pushing for more, I realized that I would have to settle for what was 100% achievable now and work my way from there. So that meant only Sundays for them. Her father could guarantee his presence and I could guarantee her availability. And so it began. No tears. No sadness.

I also feel like a lot of what I want for my daughter is directly related to my experience as a child with my father. I grew up with a dad who only saw me once a week on Sundays. I’m sure there were times when he canceled, came late, or dropped us off early, but I really don’t remember. In my teen years I didn’t get along with him, then he became my best friend for a while. But what teenager always gets along with her dad? I told him how I truly felt about him sometimes and it hurt him. And my daughter will have that opportunity too. Her father can one day feel guilty for not being more involved, or maybe he won’t. He’s only being the father that he knows how to be. Do I support it? No. All I can do is support my daughter, how she’s feeling and tell her that it’s completely okay to feel the way she does. It’s not my job to mold a man.

Although I don’t want to promote love without responsibility, I also don’t want to promote love as a duty. I don’t want to define love for her. Love shouldn’t feel forced. If I force her dad to see her when he’s not mentally or emotionally capable, I’m only setting her up for more pain. She will sense the turmoil and feel like a burden in his life. I cannot expect her dad to make a huge flip overnight and decide to take her for more than one day a week, be completely consistent and reliable if he’s never been that before. He has to want that and he has to make that change on his own.

Until then, I give my child the best love a mother can, ensure she spends time with my dad who serves as a positive male, father-figure role and encourage her to be more vocal about her feelings when she’s with her dad. I empower her to understand that she deserves the best love in the world and she has so many different variations of it – close love from mom and distant love from dad. It’s tough but my sole responsibility is raising a happy child.

Visit Natasha's blog HERE

The Choose Health Challenge Sponsored By BistroMD

2011-10-26T10:30:00.000-07:00

To say living healthy lifestyle is a challenge is an understatement. As a single working mom, it’s hard to ensure that I’m taking all the necessary steps to live a healthy lifestyle not only for myself, but my daughter as well. We have fallen victim far too many times to grabbing something on the run which is always unhealthy. Committing to living a healthy life is hard, and I have tried a lot of different programs to help me lose weight and tone up. Everyone says that your diet is key, and as I learn more and more about the items I consume, I couldn’t agree more with this statement.

But, I’m glad to say that I have committed to living a healthy lifestyle not only for myself, but for my daughter as well. I have to start practicing what I preach. I make it a priority to ensure that my daughter is eating a balanced diet and getting plenty of exercise, and I need to start applying the same principles to my own life. It’s amazing how one seemingly small change can lead to a lifetime of healthy choices. My small step has been to eat breakfast. I’ve never been a fan before, but I realized by the time lunch came around I was devouring everything! Not good. So usually on Sundays I boil 6-8 eggs to have in the morning along with some almonds and/or baby carrots. I never desire a huge portion, so having a small breakfast really works well for me.

I was excited to hear about BistoMD’s new “Choose Health” challenge. BistroMD delivers meals for a lighter, healthier you. Every meal is hand-prepared by chefs and provides lean adequate protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy fat ratios to support healthy weight loss. They use quality, natural ingredients without hormones, added fillers and unnecessary additives or preservatives. This means no MSG, no Trans Fats, just delicious meals that are good for you. I can dig it!!

To join in on this amazing challenge visit www.facebook.com/bistromd and tell them how you’ll challenge yourself to start living healthy. If committing to a healthy lifestyle wasn’t enough, you can also win great prizes like a week of healthy weight loss meals, an iPad2, or a $500 shopping spree or cash! So run, don’t walk over to their page!! In addition BistroMD.com is offering FREE Shipping on your first week of meals. Simply Use Discount Code: ChooseHealth at checkout.

Have you committed to living a healthy life? If so, what small steps are you taking to help reach your goals?

Happy Healthy Living!!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post by BistroMD , opinions expressed are the blogger's own views not influenced by any outside biases.

Raising a child without a village

2011-10-24T19:29:00.000-07:00

We’ve all heard the phrase it takes a village to raise a child. Having support when raising a child is crucial, and I know many people who rely on a village to assist in raising their family. It could be their immediate family, extended family, spouse, parents, or friends. These are the people that have your whole back, who are there for you and your family. You here about all the wonderful benefits of having a village, but what happens this village doesn't exist for you and your family?

I read a lot of posts talking about the wonderful support people have in their lives, and I sink down in my seat. It’s no secret I’m a single parent, but beyond myself I’m the only one around consistently caring for my child. The dynamics of my immediate family have changed, and though I wish it weren’t the case, they are no longer a phone call away. I was frustrated last weekend because I wanted to go for a run Saturday morning…and had no one to call. Sure, I could hire a sitter, but that’d swallow more of the money I don’t have. Maybe it’s my pride; I don’t love asking for help. Part of me expects the people who claim to care for my daughter and I to step up and make more of an effort to be part of her life.

While it would be great to get out once in awhile, that’s not my reason for desiring a village. I view a village as a safety net. You know the trust fall we did back in high school. I want to close my eyes, fall back, and know I won’t hit the ground. Trusting in united hands to support not only me, but my daughter as well.

Have I tried to build up my village? Of course. But, something is missing. Something big. I am doing my best, but I wonder how great I’d be doing if I had a village behind me.

Bracing For Impact

2011-10-11T06:55:00.000-07:00

One of the wonderful and unexpected joys of motherhood I have experienced is the wisdom I pick up on from my daughter. That’s right, I learn from my 6 year old daughter. I learn that timeouts are good for relaxing and that farting gives you energy! Lol. But, really, I am so taken by her imagination, her creativity, and her amazingly giving heart. She inspires me daily.

This weekend I took her roller-skates out for some fun. I wouldn’t let her leave the house without the proper safety precautions – helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, gloves. Once she was strapped in we set off. She held my hand for most of our time outside (even though she didn’t want too) but I did let her skate on her own as I stood back and almost had a heart attack. That was my baby, and my responsibility was to protect her from harm. If I could help her avoid hurting herself then I had too…right? Instead I took a step back. Even though she was nervous, she skated (not too fast) and flashed her million dollar smile as she was becoming more confident on her skates. And off she went. She wobbled and even fell once, but she got back up, dusted herself off, and skated some more.

I *knew* she could skate on her own, but I wanted to do everything I could to ensure she was safe. This got me thinking how much I spend my life bracing for impact, just waiting for something to happen. As a single parent, I don’t have much room to spread my wings and fly. The amount of responsibility I have is enormous, I have a child who needs and depends on me, and me only. So because of this, there is little room for error in my eyes. But, my precious daughter taught me another important lesson, one that I may have known, but have forgotten. As much as you try to protect yourself, and avoid potentially unsafe situations, there are some things you cannot avoid. When you choose to live your life always bracing for impact, you miss these crucial experiences that help shape you. No one is perfect, and I am sure far from it. You may fall, you may hurt yourself, but you don’t have to stay there. You get back up and go forward, you keep trying, you keep living.

Update: Where Have I Been?

2011-10-03T06:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday, and Happy October! Hope this finds you all well and enjoying the Fall! I love this time of year and seeing the leaves change and running through piles of leaves with my daughter! I haven’t blogged since August! Yikes! But, I took a hiatus for good reason! Below you can find a list of things I've been up too since August:

1. I graduated from COLLEGE!!! (more on that in another post!)

2. My daughter turned 6 (yay!!)

3. I turned 26 (ewww)

4. I seriously have considered up and moving to South America for a year to tap into my latina side

5. I’m contemplating taking the steps to become a Kindergarten Teacher

6. Looking into Grad schools

7. Because of #5 and #6 I have thought maybe I was going crazy insane

8. Went on 3 interviews with the 1^st company I sent my resume too…but didn’t get the job *insert sad face*

So I’ve been keeping busy busy busy….as always!! Funny, how I thought life was going to s-l-o-w down once I graduated, but definitely not the case. As much as I hate to admit it, I work best when I have a zillion things to do. I sorta feel like I’m drifting now, trying to get a handle on life post-graduation and like almost all College grad’s trying to figure out what the hell I’m gonna do with the rest of my life!! Which has proven to be not a simple task.

So, what did I miss? What updates do you have to share??

Buckle Up PSA - Must Watch!

2011-08-08T06:25:00.000-07:00

My co-worker showed me this PSA at work last week. She prefaced it by saying every time she watches it she cries...so I wasn't sure what to expect. But, what I saw was a brilliantly simple inspirational PSA that should remind us all to always always always buckle up. We all need a reminder sometimes.

I often wonder how so many people choose not to buckle up for no good reason. Just as I wonder why bikers and people on motorcycles choose to put themselves directly in dangers way by not wearing helmets. Every time I look or even think about my daughter, she reminds me of how important it is to practice safety when I'm in a car. I want to see her grow. I want to see her graduate. I want to see her bloom into a woman.

So, I choose to buckle up.

Babysitter = Stranger = Panic Attack

2011-07-11T18:40:00.000-07:00

If you follow the blog, you may know that I don’t have a tight support system. Sorta just me, myself, and my divalicious daughter. It’s been hard to accept, and at times I get down, but at the end of the day it is what it is and we are family and I’m so lucky to have her.

Everyone who knows me knows that I live, breathe, eat, and sleep being a Mother. She is my life. For real. It definitely gets overwhelming not having any support, and I sometimes think I’m over my head, but I somehow manage to pull it all together. I've considered hiring an occasional babysitter to come to our home once a week for a few hours in the evenings to watch lil mama so I can go for a run or go to the library. Yes, you heard that right, I don’t want to hit the town or socialize, I want to be boring. Don’t judge.

But, honestly, the thought of a stranger caring for lil mama makes me have an asthma and panic attack all in one with a side of hives. Yes, call me paranoid, call me dramatic, but I get n-e-r-v-o-u-s. I’ve gotten some responses, and if I think there is potential I google/facebook/myspace their name or email. Not kidding. Any inappropriate pictures or language or funny smile and I hit the SPAM button with the quickness, cause homie don’t play that. The protective Mom inside me wants a complete background check, fingerprints, need to see if they’ve been arrested. Not kidding. Sigh. And then what they charge an hour! I mine as well just stay my butt home!! Oh well, it was a good thought, but this process has reaffirmed my thoughts that I’m not ready to hire a stranger to come in my home to watch my daughter.

Have you hired a babysitter before? Would you hire a babysitter? If you have, how have you calmed uneasy nerves about a stranger watching your child(ren)? Am I overreacting?

Shop Black Friday deals in July on Target.com !

2011-07-11T08:18:00.000-07:00

Black Friday in the middle of July? You heard right: some of the year’s best deals aren’t just for Thanksgiving week anymore, thanks to the folks at Target.com.

Target.com is planning another “Back in Black Friday” online summer sale this Friday on Target.com/BlackFriday, offering up to 50% off more than 1,500 items, from approximately midnight (PST) to 11:59 p.m. (PST). There are limited quantities at these prices, so the earlier you log on, the better.

You don’t have to be one of those super-early, organized holiday shoppers to be into this sale (hello, we’re only in the middle of July, after all). You just need to like a good old-fashioned bargain…and who doesn’t.

To find out which popular products the site will feature at steep sale prices, join their official “Tweet Peek” launching today: the “tweet” button on Target.com/BlackFriday will be the key to revealing some of the sale’s biggest deals. The images for each of the top three deals will begin to de-blur as the number of tweets increases. Once the tweet button reaches 500 for each deal, the images will be revealed.

In other words, the more we all visit the page and click the button, the faster we’ll see the best steals before the sale starts.

Time to get that mouse-clicking finger warmed up and ready…Friday, here we come!

I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for a Kitchen-Aid mixer, what about you?

Favorite Quote Friday

2011-07-01T09:22:00.000-07:00

My apologies for not posting regularly, I am hoping to change that. I came across the quote below yesterday and it rang so true for me. I laugh in the face of uncertainty.

“If you want me to do something… tell me I can’t do it.”

-Maya Angelou

Have a great weekend.

Together Counts Twitter Party

2011-06-13T18:12:00.000-07:00

Together Counts: Across the country, families and their children are pledging to become more active and healthy together. They’re eating meals with each other; they’re being physically active together. We’re helping them track their progress.

I was delighted to be asked by Leah Segedie, the woman behind Mamavation, to become a panelist on the Together Counts Twitter Party tomorrow. I’ve participated in a few twitter parties before, and for those of you who haven’t they move fast! I mean so fast! But it’s a fantastic way to connect with tweppole and there are often prizes to those who participate!

I’m really excited to be a panelist, because Together Counts is pretty awesome. They are a nationwide program inspiring active and healthy living. The principle behind their program is Energy Balance, which means balancing the calories we consume with the calories we burn. Calories in, calories out. It’s that simple. Together Counts was started by The Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, a CEO–led organization, that is a national, multi-year effort designed to help reduce obesity–especially childhood obesity–by 2015.

Join us Tuesday, June 14th from 8-10pm EST as we celebrate Together Counts, a fantastic program that encourages families to get more activity and eat meals together as a commitment to a healthy lifestyle. The key is doing it together!! I made the pledge and you should too!

To participate in the twitter party be sure to use the #togethercounts hastag! To find out more about the twitter party (and awesome prizes you can win like a $200 gift certificate to Sports Authority) click HERE!

Hope to see you tomorrow!

AOL & Jeep ® “Life is Legendary” Campaign

2011-06-08T17:24:00.000-07:00

What inspires you? This is the question I was asked in reference to the Life Is Legendary campaign that AOL & Jeep® are running. The mission of this campaign is to connect with single ladies like myself and express that single women are marvelous pioneers living inspired lives, and living life on their own terms, embracing their womanhood and freedom.

So, what inspires me? What inspires me to live a legendary life?

The first things I think of are my daughter, my freedom, my nation’s history, beautiful art, and satisfying music. Going deeper, my own experiences inspire me daily to press forward and keep moving. It would have been too easy to have given up at this point. To accept the little voice inside my head that keeps ranting you can’t! I’ve fallen victim to the voice before, but I’ve kept moving, grasping my dreams one by one. Being able to go through the wondrous miracle of being able to give life to a child, I realized that I would be doing my daughter a disservice if I merely existed in this world. That wasn’t enough. I wanted to live. I want to live.

Selfless people who have given their time and often their lives to help others inspire me. Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, Mother Theresa, Ghandi, and Ella Baker to name a few. Reading about their journey, about the severe challenges they faced, knowing that they were change makers using nonviolent means, all to make this world a better place for myself and my child, makes me grind harder. I’m not in this life to be a cheerleader on the sideline; I’m in it to win it. Go hard, or go home.

What inspires you to live a legendary life? I encourage you all to upload your own Inspiration Board by clicking HERE. AOL & Jeep® have created this custom destination where you’ll be able to develop an Inspiration Board online outlining everything you represent and what you aspire to be. Everyone who engages in the above site will be entered for a chance to win a random sweepstakes rewarding a weekly $50 gift-card, and all users have the opportunity to win the Grand Prize: a $4,500 gift-card!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post by AOL & Jeep® , opinions expressed are the blogger's own views not influenced by any outside biases.

Who’s got your WHOLE back?

2011-05-26T09:12:00.000-07:00

Well…who? I was having a conversation with a friend about ridding myself of toxic people, but that in doing have become a bit lonely. She brought up a great point of understanding that the various “friends” in our lives fill various roles, but few people have your whole back.

What do I mean? Looking through my phone right now there are a total of 2 people I can call at any time for any reason who I know will listen to me and also not just tell me what I want to hear, but give it to me straight, no chaser. Don’t get me wrong, I know a lot of people, but I’m not quick to call someone my friend right off the bat.

But then I’m like damn, really only 2 people? But see, I don’t confuse friendship with loyalty. I guess I just know where my “friends” fit into my life. Not everyone is willing to support you through the good, the bad, and the ugly. These 2 ride-or-die friends that I have are not parents. But they understand the various struggles I face being a younger single mom, working fulltime and going to school and trying to have a social life. They don’t try to put me in a box. They see potential and inspiration through my chaos.

It’s these people I am able to open up completely with, and that’s rare for me. I’ve had a lot of issues with dishonesty and trust in previous friendships, which makes it very hard for me to reach out and make connections.

There are many people that support me…but it’s only to an extent. And I’ve had to learn to accept that, and as a result I don’t have a great with them. I’m glad to say that I have genuine people around me who will stand by me no matter what, but it’s bittersweet. I look back at all the friendships that I’ve had, that never reached full bloom. I get caught up over it every now and again, but I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason.

You know that phrase: People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. When you figure out which one it is, you will know what to do for each person. Mmhmm! Not everyone friendship we have will blossom.

So, who’s got your WHOLE back? For me it isn’t any of my family members or childhood friends. It’s my earthy-crunchy co-worker who is my complete opposite. And the second is my Ex, who still remains my closest male friend to this day. I appreciate them, and as much as they support me, I’m there to support them.

It’s great that I’m able to cross paths with such diverse people, but at the end of the day it’s about quality over quantity when it comes to friendships. Well, to me at least.

Hanging up my SuperMom Cape

2011-05-13T17:36:00.000-07:00

I doubt my parenting skills often. Been doubting myself ever since the first day I brought my daughter home. I was all by myself with a 2 day old newborn. Those 6lbs 14.5oz wanted nothing more than to be loved. And I have tried my best to shower her with love and affection every single day. I have promised not to be like the Mom in the mall yesterday who slapped her 3 year old son across the face.

I know that life is full of ups and downs. Yesterday was a major down, and as a result I’m hanging up my SuperMom cape. My daughter who is 5½ was having a hard day after school. She was getting easily frustrated and whining a lot. When we finally got home she settled down a bit, and then went back to the whining. I firmly asked her to go to her room [something I never do], she looks over at me and says Mommy, I don’t want to live with you anymore, I wanna live with Daddy. My jaw dropped. I sat there starting at her for a good 5 minutes in shock, then again asked her to go to her room. As soon as she left the living room tears started flowing. Me, Mama, the most consistent person in her life. She really wants to just push me aside?

Mama who is always there for her to put a band-aid on an invisible scratch.

Mama who is there at every swimming glass grinning in pride at the edge of the pool.

Mama who dances and sings with her in the living room every evening.

Mama who is snuggled next to her every night.

Mama who is there at every parent-teacher conference, every pot-luck, every school event.

Mama who grinds.every.single.day for her.

Mama who juggles being a fulltime student and fulltime employee, to make her life better.

Mama who has no social life, so I can be present and available for her every need.

Mama, whose number one priority is to love and support her.

Yes my daughter is only 5, and I know that she loves me, and that our bond is rock solid. Those tears flowed because for so long I have puffed out my chest and worn this SuperMom cape, so sure that single handedly I could provide for her every mental, emotional, and physical need. Shielding her away from toxic people and protecting her from harm. In that moment staring at her I realized that I can’t do it all, regardless of how hard I grind and how much I sacrifice.

As I was bawling on the couch, my friend who had witnessed everything went in and talked with her. She was able to communicate what she was feeling. She missed her Dad, and didn’t know why he wasn’t around all the time. Didn’t know why he said he would come and then didn’t. She was acting out because she was frustrated and didn’t know how to tell me. My heart b-r-o-k-e, because I cannot be her Mother and Father. I have juggled this single parent thing, and tried to overcompensate for being the only adult in the home. My heart broke because I have tried to shield her from constant inconsistency, but it hasn’t worked. I’ve tried to redirect her sadness, and try to fill the void he’s left. She’s a kid, I thought, she’ll bounce back. But, she hasn’t, and this is why I hang up my SuperMom cape.

So SuperMom cape, I retire you. You are tired and worn, and need a break. I’m only human; I can only do so much. And while I never think my best is good enough, it has to be enough, because it’s all I have.

Support Make It Happen: The Young Mommy Guide To Creating A Career by The Young Mommy Life

2011-05-05T12:39:00.000-07:00

Being a young parent has created its challenges and struggles. There are many days when I just want to throw the rag in and call it quits. I wonder if all my hard work will ever really pay off.

Enter blogger Tara from The Young Mommy Life.

I “met” Tara last year when I first began Mommy Glow. I didn’t really know where my voice fit in the virtual world. When I came across her and her site, I was like wow. Here is a young woman, a young mom, who is out there hustling, making moves, and creating a forum for other young parents to talk about the experiences us young parents encounter.

Tara has become not only my friend, but my personal cheerleader as well. She’s not someone asking me how I’m doing to be nice. She asks because she truly cares and wants to help in whatever way she can. She’s always been there for me, to help support me in my times of need. To help listen to me when I need to vent. All the way from Ohio she is a vital member of my support system.

And now I want to be there for Tara, and her recently published e-book called: Make It Happen: The Young Mommy Guide To Creating A Career You Crave available on Amazon for $5.99. I am so inspired by Tara’s go-getter attitude and her continuous positivity. She is a real inspiration to young mommies everywhere.

I was able to ask Tara more about Make It Happen and why this is a must read for all young parents, and below is what she had to say:

I decided to write a book about career and money first (as opposed to the "sexier" topics of relationships, body image and all that) because a good chunk of our day-to-day life revolves around money. For a lot of us, being a stay-at-home mom isn't really an option - even if that's what we long to do. So we go to work to support our families the best way we know how. Our jobs may not pay that much or we might just really feel like our job is sucking the soul right out of us. But we don't want to complain because that job is putting food in our babies' mouth. Right?

I wanted to tell other young parents what I've learned over the past couple years - that we own our future. Too often we feel like we're scrambling, playing catch-up, but the truth is, we've got just the right combination of factors - youth, motivation, drive, the new digital age that allows us to contact anyone anywhere - that makes success more than just a strong possibility for us.

We CAN have a career that is of our making that allows us to pay the bills and then some, that gives us a daily dose of happiness. If it sounds like poppycock to you, let me just say: I'm living it now. Other moms I know are either there or well on their way.

In the book, I help you find your passion, learn to budget so you make the most of the money you earn, and give you 20 ideas for side hustles you can start TODAY for little or no money. Once we get financially empowered, it makes all the big decisions - where we live, what we eat, where our kids go to school - so much easier to make. I hope once people finish reading, they're ready to make that next step in their career - whether it's reaching out to someone they admire or setting up their own website/portfolio (I cover both items in the book).

I’m proud to know Tara, and uber proud of her publishing her 1^st e-book Make It Happen. I plan to read it this weekend, and hope you all take the time to download the e-book and write a review.

Let's show her some support!

Interview with Nicole Lynn Lewis

2011-04-29T09:49:00.000-07:00

I came across Nicole Lynn Lewis's site last year, and ever since then I've been a huge fan of hers. Shes a mother, author, wife, businesswoman, public speaker, and former teen mom. She inspires me and continues to pay it forward everyday.

Below is a part of my interview with Nicole:

I think you have to turn setbacks into challenges. Don’t let them stop you in your tracks. Look at the problem and try to think of a solution. You can either accept your situation or you can decide that you want more for yourself and work your way out of it. It’s going to be difficult and embarrassing at times and people are going to doubt you, but if you are able to turn your story into a testimony, the rewards are great. Not only do you change the course of your life, but you inspire others, and that’s an amazing feeling. It’s special.

Head over to The Pushback and read my entire interview with Nicole!

http://www.nicolelynnlewis.com/
http://www.supportgenerationhope.org/

MA Alliance Teen Pregnancy Prevention PSA Contest!

2011-04-01T07:14:00.000-07:00

I am so thrilled to be part of the MA Alliance community serving as a member of their Teen Parent Policy Advisory Board (TPPAB) and contributing blogger on their blog, The Pushback. The mission of The Pushback is to "push back against all that ignorance, bitterness, and prejudice and show what young parenthood really looks like." One of the areas myself and other bloggers have talked about are the lack of quality PSA's [public service announcements] aimed at preventing teen pregnancy. Who can forget the disastrous Pause Before You Play PSA with Bristol Palin & The Situation.

So when I heard about the Alliance's PSA contest, I was PSYCHED! Details below:

In preparation for the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy on May 4, 2011, they are holding their 1st Annual Teen Pregnancy Prevention PSA Contest! Create your own ad on why and/or how we should work to prevent teen pregnancy. Drawing on personal experience is encouraged!

The winners will receive (drumroll, please…) 1st Place: $100 gift certifcate to Amazon.com! (2nd Place will get $50, 3rd Place will get $30).

Here are the rules:

Your PSA should be accurate. If you cite statistics, you should be able to let us know where you got them from and be confident that they are correct.
Your PSA should not diminish the capabilities, potential, or hard work of those that do become young parents.
No scare tactics, please! Young people deserve better.
We believe young people have the right to information about their sexual health and how to prevent pregnancy. PSAs that focus exclusively on abstinence are discouraged (though focusing on abstinence in part is totally fine!)
We want PSAs generated by youth and young adults! We’re defining that as under age 25. If you work in a group, at least 1/2 the group should be under age 25.

So, get your creative ideas flowing! Print ads, images, and videos are all accepted. You can send them to Gretchen by April 28. Submissions will be posted here and readers will have the chance to vote on them the week of May 2, with winners announced the following week.

If you could create the ideal Teen Pregnancy Prevention PSA what would it look like? What would it need to connect with teens?

I'm excited to get my creative hat on this weekend creating my PSA! I encourage all of you to submit and/or pass on to friends who you think would be interested!

Happy Friday!

Teen Parent Lobby Day 2011

2011-03-15T09:29:00.000-07:00

Last week was the annual Teen Parent Lobby Day at the Boston State House hosted by The Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy. I am a member of the Teen Parent Advisory Board (TPPAB) through The Alliance and we were given the opportunity to speak at Lobby Day and share part of our stories about the challenges of being teen parents.

*above is video from Lobby Day

Lobby Day was inspiring and motivating, but a message we wanted to rely to the audience of over 700 teen parents and teen parent programs across the state is that, "the journey is ongoing. While all of the TPPAB members have pursued higher education & gained some form of stability, we still face struggles & hardships every day, & continue fighting the fight of being young parents because we want more for ourselves. More for our children."

Read my post Making Hisotry: Teen Parent Lobby Day 2011 HERE over at The Pushback!

Share Your Breakfast: Call to Action!

2011-03-08T08:01:00.000-08:00

Today is National Breakfast Day and I'd like to highlight a phenomenal program ensuring that children start their day with the most important meal of the day: breakfast!!

Action For Health Kids and Kellogg Company is asking moms like you to Share Your Breakfast between now and July 31, 2011 to help Kellogg’s and Action for Healthy Kids, a nonprofit organization that focuses on childhood obesity and undernourishment donate 1 million breakfasts to less fortunate children. Providing an underprivileged child with breakfast is as easy as taking a picture or sending a text. Simply take a photo of your breakfast and share it at www.shareyourbreakfast.com or text your photo with the word “Share” to 21534. Each time you share a photo or description of your breakfast, Kellogg will donate the monetary equivalent of school breakfasts to Action for Healthy Kids.

Spread the Word:

-Encourage your friends and continue to share

-Upload your breakfast photo (no matter what it is) at www.shareyourbreakfast.com

-Text the word “Share” with a photo or description of your breakfast to 21534

- Tweet about Share Your Breakfast using #ShareURbreakfast

Share Your Breakfast!!

Education is the Key & Univision’s Es El Momento Campaign

2011-03-04T18:02:00.000-08:00

I can’t remember a time during my childhood that I ever disliked attending school. I loved the atmosphere. The sense of community. I was a curious child and my needs were nourished being in school and learning every day. I was heavily involved in school activities and vividly remember a talent show in which I participated in. I practiced Whitney Houston’s Greatest Love of All for weeks before the talent show. I remember my older sisters helping me make sure I breathed correctly and sung the notes until the end. I remember standing on stage in my school auditorium surrounded by friends and teachers, and of course my mom right on the side of the stage singing along with me.

I gave birth to my daughter after I had already completed a year of college. After I had her I didn’t have any immediate plans on going back to school, but it was always in the back of my head. When I began job searching when my daughter was 6 months old I quickly learned that I would never make the type of money to live a comfortable life without education myself and obtaining a degree. I was still passionate about school, so I eagerly enrolled in local college and changed majors to something that was more in tune with my passions.

I’ve always been pretty insatiable about learning. I always crave more. This instability caused me to transfer two years ago to one of the area’s top universities in my area to finish out my studies. Now as a senior, I am eagerly anticipating graduating this September, and am looking back at all my hard work and sacrifice knowing that I have gained so much from choosing to pursue a college education.

There were many times in the past and even now when I want to give up. I’m a single mom, I work full time, and I’m a fulltime student. I often think maybe a college degree won’t mean anything, that it’s a waste of time. Then I look at my daughter, and I remember that I’m not just doing this for me. I’m doing this for my daughter and both of our futures. I don’t want to just be part of this world. I want to make change; I want to help enact change. I want to make a life advocating for those that that are overlooked, invisible, and too often forgotten. I cannot do so without education myself and getting real life experience. This is what has pushed me when I have felt like giving up. Just 6 months away from my graduation, I am an overloaded with a lust for life and learning and excited about all that I will be able to do with all that I have learned when I graduate.

Being part of the LATISM community[half Colombian], I was so thrilled to hear about the Univision’s Es El Momento [The Moment is Now] campaign that launched in early 2010. It’s a comprehensive, multi-year national education initiative in partnership with the ill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, educators and civic and community leaders from around the world. The Es El Momento initiative is aimed at improving academic achievement among K-12 Hispanic students with a specific focus on high school graduation and college readiness.

According to research, the high school graduation rate for Hispanic students is 55% compared to 69% for their non-Hispanic peers. In addition, only 34% of young people graduated high school ready to succeed in a four-year college and that number drops to 20% for Hispanic young people. Hispanic parents face two key barriers: access and awareness of the academic preparation/requirements needed for college and financial preparation.

Es El Momentum is a crucial resource necessary to ensure that Hispanic youth are equipped with all the necessary tools to succeed and reach their dreams and goals. The statistics are disappointing, but wonderful programs like Es El Momentum are supporting our minority youth and setting up the necessary bridges to ensure that regardless of your circumstances our youth can and will achieve.

This is a sponsored post on behalf of LATISM. All opinions, ideas and thoughts are my own.

I've been gone for a minute, but now im back in the jumpoff

2011-02-28T12:29:00.000-08:00

Let me talk to ya’ll for a minute…

So I know I haven’t been blogging very much lately. What happened? Life. I get overwhelmed very easy and realized I had way too much on my plate. See, I’m what you like to call an overachiever. I like to be involved in as much as possible, but doing everything I easily forgot about myself. I was having daily breakdowns holding it all in. Not good. I recently reached out to my mama and confided in her about some of my troubles, which felt really good, and not something I’ve ever done. I realized that I don’t have to carry around all this baggage with me, and I’m lucky to have a few close friends whom I know will support me.

So I took a step back from blogging and twitter for awhile. I felt like I was forcing it a bit. I got caught up and forgot the reason why I created Mommy Glow. I created this blog to document my travels as I navigate being a mom, an employee, a student, a young woman. This was a place to share my lows, my highs, my accomplishments and challenges. To gain support from others and at the same time support others, to show that young mommies are competent and not failures!

But somewhere somehow I got caught up. It all started seeming to be a game, a game I didn’t want to play. This whole follow me and I’ll follow you business rubs me the wrong way. Started feeling like it was all about numbers to some bloggers. But I soon learned that a high follow rate does not mean a lot of support or quality information. I felt like I was slacking, I wasn’t getting enough followers, I wasn’t going after sponsorship or hosting giveaways or teaming with companies. While my hope is to grow my blog, I want to do so in a way that is genuine to me. I want people to follow Mommy Glow because they like what I write, not because they want me to follow their blog back, know what I mean? So I needed to take a step back and regain my focus, my desire to write and connect, to remember my purpose.

I have a lot to blog about and hope you’ll all stay tuned and continue with me on this journey.

Happy Monday.

Mamavation Monday

2011-02-28T10:05:00.000-08:00

What’s new? After gaining weight 2 weeks ago, I’m happy to report that I lost last week. Seems like I gain a little, and then lose a little, still not making significant process, which is annoying, but I understand why. School has been brutal and I’ve been an emotional eater, and I also haven’t been on my workout game so much. I’m still walking as much as I can, but not carving out time to workout at home as often as I’d like. Boo.

Big News: I think I’m going to sign up for my first 5 mile race in April. I reached out to my friends, but none of them want to run with me, so I’m going solo. Which makes me sad, but completing a 5k is a personal goal of mine for this year, so if I have to run by myself, then so be it. I’m worried that I won’t have enough time to train for it, considering March is tomorrow! But I talked with a coworker who gave me some tips about building up endurance, and I hope to be able to kick serious ass in April. This means I have to start running like yesterday. I’m thinking I’ll start training during my lunch break at work weather permitting. It’ll be tough to squeeze in time to run, but I want to do well in my first 5 mile race! And hope that registering will give me the extra umph I need to lose more weight by then.

I’m down to 166.2 and I am really tired of being in the 60s. I hope to be in the 50s by the time I complete the race.

Mamavation Monday

2011-02-14T18:31:00.000-08:00

Another super crazy busy week.My classes are really hard and this has increased my stress level and I've been an emotional eater. I am trying to only reach for healthy snacks, but its very very hard with all the juggling that I do. But I am trying. Managed to continue walking everyday and incorporated turbo jam a few times this week.

Scale shows I lost 0.8lbs last week which is progress.

Going to continue walking this week, and will try to do turbo jam as much as I can, but will be hard with 2 final exams, 1 quiz, 1 paper, work, and a child to take care of.

Where is the love, the love, the love?

2011-02-14T10:25:00.000-08:00

I’ve read so many anti-valentines updates today, and they’ve all rubbed me the wrong way. I’ve spent the past 2 Valentine’s Day with my significant other, but this year I’m single. And before today I was feeling really bummed about it. I mean, you can’t escape the reds and pinks and flowers and cards and candy. I was like, come ON already!! I was entirely salted that I was spending this Valentine’s Day without a boo by my side to enjoy this hallmark holiday with. And when I woke up I was all my all black everything status. No happiness here, just gloominess. Then I had a change of heart. I told myself my emotions determine the mood. This can either be a good day or I can spend the whole day miserable. So I put my black dress back, and instead chose a cream one topped off with a light pink scarf. And I decided that today was going to be a good day. Who friggen cares that I don’t have a boo today. I’m not going to curse all the couples I see. Love is a beautiful beautiful thing. And if people are lucky enough to find it than that’s glorious. We need to stop the hate, and appreciate!! We should all remember the wonderful people in our lives that we love and that mean something to us. This is a day not only for lovers, but this is a day for love in general.

my daughter this am

I am so so blessed to have a awesome 5 year old to call my daughter and I love her to pieces. She is my valentine today and always. I turned my frown around when I saw her hair standing up in bed as she perked up and said mommy, its party day at school! She lights up my life, and makes me truly appreciate my ability to love and be loved.

And know what else I love about this hallmark holiday? Super awesome valentine chocolate will be discounted tomorrow! Hollller!!

This Isn't Just For Colored Girls...

2011-02-08T10:06:00.000-08:00

When I saw the previews for For Colored Girls I knew it was a movie I had to see. So along with 2 girlfriends we went to see the movie on opening night. It was great to see the packed theatre and all the support for the film and amazing cast. I started crying about 20minutes into the movie. And by the end my eyes were red and puffy. Its like I was hit by a train. The movie didn't just move it. It dragged me. It swung me. It threw me down in the dirt, and make me take a look at myself. At those around me. At the secrets that I am carrying around, and I wrote this shortly after seeing the film"

Do our secrets define us?

Shape us, make us. Break us?
We all have secrets.
Let them unite us
Not tear us apart
Let us be able to release ourselves
from our secrets
and allow ourselves
to be
loved
to be
supported
to be

cared for.
Let us not store our secrets away
Let us not fear our secrets
Let us find healing
and
peace
Let us drop the baggage
and begin a new journey
Let us believe in the power
of a
community
of a
sisterhood

Because this..
Is For Colored Girls
Who Have Considered
Suicide
When the Rainbow
Wasn't Enough

There is no way to describe the power of this movie. The messages are available to those who want to listen. This movie isn't just For Colored Girls. It's for all of us, all of us who have struggled, who have scarified, who have made mistakes, who've been beaten down by life, who have been silenced, who have had sex without love, who have ever loved and lost, and those whom are seeking comfort and affection.

The movie is available today on DVD. Though I have no plans on watching it soon, because it put me in a dark emotional stage, its a movie that I have to have in my movie collection. After watching the film, I went out and bought the book, and am excited to read the poems within it.

Mamavation Monday

2011-02-07T15:07:00.000-08:00

Last Weeks Goals:

-Walk 15 miles

-Continue Shred

-Turbo Jam 2x this week

-Add brown rice/whole grain pasta

-STRETCH after every workout!

Mon: 4.21mi -Shred
Tues: 4.08mi
Wed: 0mi - Turbo Jam
Thurs: 5.28mi
Fri: 4.36mi - Shred
Sat: 0mi
Sun: 1.91mi

Total Miles = 19.84miles

Jan 17th Feb 7th

Weight: 168.4 Weight: 167.4

Chest: 39 Chest: 38

Waist: 39 Waist: 39

Hips: 42 Hips: 40

If you recall, last week I lost 1lb and I wasn't that excited about it, but happy to see the scale decrease. Well this week I gained back the 1 lb, which is frustrating. I'm honestly running out of workout/fitness steam, and not sure what it will take to get back on track.
I don't handle stress well, and I'm stretched so thin raising my daughter, working, Senior year in College, volunteering, blogging, dealing with absent parent, and trying to figure out life after school. When I stress, I don't think yah I should work out. I think, I need to go lay down.

It is encouraging to see that my measurements have gone down a tad, minus that damn stubborn waist. Ugh.

I've been wanting to lose 2lbs a week since like forever, so this week, I will continue the walking and do a workout DVD everynight...which will most likely mean I'll be headed to bed an hour later everynight. Which will mean a crankier mommy. There honestly doesn't seem like there is any damn balance!

This week's goals:

-Lose 1-2lbs

-Walk 15 miles

-Workout DVD everyday!!

-Increase water intake

BLOGGING CARNIVAL: This week’s blogging carnival is sponsored by Chef’s Requested.

Question: What are you doing to keep your heart healthy? I have honestly never considered making sure my heart was healthy, and don't know how to ensure that my heart is staying healthy.

Favorite Quote Friday

2011-02-04T10:14:00.000-08:00

"I feel like I'm losing control of myself, I sincerely,
Apologize if all that I sound like is I'm complaining,
But life keeps on complicating, an' I'm debating,
On leaving this world, this evening, even my girls,
Can see I'm grievin', I try and hide it,
But I can't, why do I act like I'm all high and mighty,
When inside, I'm dying, I am finally realizing I need help.
I can't do it by myself, too weak, 2 weeks I've been having ups and downs,
Going through peaks and valleys, dilly dallying,
I'm hatin' my reflection, I walk around the house tryin' to fight mirrors,
I can't stand what I look like, yeah, I look fat, but what do I care?
I give a fuck, only thing I fear, is Hailie,
I'm afraid if I close my eyes I might see her,
Shit.."
-"Going Through Changes" Eminem - Recovery

Eminem is just amazing. His voice is electrifying for me, and I am a huge fan. I listened to his latest album, Recovery this morning on the way to work, and Going Through Changes is one of my favorite songs on the album. This first verse of the song speaks to me so loudly. Life has been nothing short of a damn roller coaster ride lately, and I'm barely hanging on. I wish I could share great news with you all, but honestly, its not what is whats going on in my life right now. Yes, I am so so blessed to have my daughter and so blessed that she is happy and healthy. But, there is so much more going on in my life. Its tearing me apart. But, anyway wanted to share this verse with you because I've had the song on repeat all day.

Have a great weekend

My 2011 Vision Board

2011-02-02T19:37:00.000-08:00

I was introduced to the idea of making vision boards years ago during one of my classes. I intitally didn't like it. I was pessimitic that a little poster could help me reach my goals. But I was pleasently surprised, and have been making vision boards for years now.

After my homegirl Ashley over at Glam No Labelz talked about creating a vision board for 2011, I promised to create one as well. Then you know...life happened, and I didn't create one. Then Ashley posted hers on her blog, then I knew I had to get my butt into gear!

So here is my 2011 vision board, which I completed weeks ago, but haven't had time to post.

There is alot going on. But in a nutshell in 2011 I want too:

-Lose 30 lbs [gulp!] and get sexy abs, butt, and thighs lol

-I want to remain in a positive coparenting state of mind [woo-sah]

-I want to believe in myself

-I want to spend more time building relationships with my girlfriends

-I want a Wii, Blackberry, and Sony Vaio

-I want to save more + eliminate debt

-Build up my Project Single Moms affiliate

-Continue blogging and networking

-Breathe and try to relax [Though relax is not in my dictionary lol]

-Continue being the best mom I can be!

-GRADUATE COLLEGE!!!!

I've also included phrases that are meaningful to me like capable single mom, just live your life, and oh yes I can!

I've put this vision board in my bathroom so I can look at it everyday and remain focused on my goals.

Have you made a 2011 vision board? If so, what is on yours? Whats important to you this year? If you haven't made one, would you consider making one?

I've Chosen a Domain Name!!

2011-02-01T10:18:00.000-08:00

THANK YOU to all who voted and helped me choose a domain name! As I mentioned in my previous post, the domain mommyglow.com was taken, so I needed to come up with something.

So I asked you all to help and the 2 most popular domains [chosen by you] were:

themommyglow.com and mommy-glow.com and some of you even mentioned that you liked thatmommyglow.com which wasn't on the list [which I really like myself!]

So after some carfeul consideration the domain I've chosen is......drumroll please.....

www.mommy-glow.com !!!

It's simple, its cute, its easy! So now after I figure out how to purchase the domain, which will still be hosted through blogger, I'll finally have a domain!!

[If you have any experience or can point me in the right direction, please let me know!]

Thanks for your help!

Mamavation Monday

2011-01-31T12:16:00.001-08:00

Last Week’s Goals:

-Walk 15 miles

-Lose 2lbs

-Low-No Carbs

-Continue eating hearty breakfast

-Stretch/Heal traps

Last Week’s Totals:

Monday: 4.2mi

Tuesday: 2.84mi

Wednesday: 5.33mi

Thursday: 0.13mi

Friday: 4.34 mi

Saturday: 3.39mi

Sunday: 1.05mi

Total = 21.28miles

I overall had a not so great week and my pulled trap muscle had me not engaging in Shred or rigorous workouts. Instead I did alot of stretching. I tried Yoga, but only lasted 15 minutes. I’ve tried Yoga in the past. Really tried to love it…but I don’t. Yoga is just not for me lol.

So I surpassed my goal of walking 15 miles so that is awesome, oh and I lost 1lb! I measly pound, I know, I know I should be happy, and given I had a hard week I didn’t think I was going to lose. And I did! It’s just frustrating. I’m making all these changes in my life, and I just lost 1lb?! At this rate it’s going to take forever to reach my goals. I walk an average of 20 miles a week, so I know I’ve gained some muscle. And muscle builds fat. Soooo burn baby burn lol!

Speaking of goals, I have quite a few. The biggest is I want to lose 30 pounds by June!! One of my closest friends is getting married in Canada in June, and I’m using her wedding as a goal to lose 30! Somehow, someway I WILL be down 30 pounds by June! Ahhhh!! But it feels really good to have a goal to be working for. I added a “Get it right – Get it tight” widget over on the right column to track my progress.

Last week I also decided to go low-carb and man was it hard! I’m so used to incorporating pasta and rice into my meals! But I didn’t have any! It was super difficult, and this week I’m going to integrate brown rice and whole grain pasta [which I love] but of course only in moderation. Going to continue a diet high in fruit and veggies!

This Week’s Goals:

-Walk 15 miles

-Continue Shred

-Turbo Jam 2x this week

-Add brown rice/whole grain pasta

-STRETCH after every workout!

BLOGGING CARNIVAL: This week’s blogging carnival is sponsored by Earth Footwear.

Question: What does “wellness” mean to you? Hmm, what does wellness mean to me? Not a very easy question to answer. Wellness means that my body is in harmony and fluid. Wellness means that I am engaging in activities and eating foods in which provides positive fuel to my body to be the best it can be. Wellness means making healthy choices for myself and my daughter.

Domain Name Help!

2011-01-25T19:45:00.000-08:00

What it do, what it do? For awhile now I've been trying to figure out if I want to buy a domain for Mommy Glow. I've had this wonderful blog for a little under a year, and I've been able to connect with some wonderful wonderful people, and I know that 2011 will being only bigger and better things for my blog! Yay! Buuuut, mommyglow.com is taken!!! And annoyingly the owner is just waiting for the right price to sell. Not gonna happen! Which means I have to come up with an alternate domain name. Hmmmm. This is where you come in! I can't figure it out by myself so asking for your help! What name below do you think would be best for my domain??

Domain Choices for Mommy Glow!!

Thank You for your help!

In 2011 I choose....

2011-01-25T07:30:00.000-08:00

In 2009 I initiated Africa 500. An effort to collect 500 books for an impoverished primary school in Zimbabwe. Together with friends and professors I completed this task and was able to ship close to 500 books over to the library of the primary school. After the first shipment of books arrived, the community decided to name the new library after me. Little did I know, but my efforts all the way in Massachusetts sparked a change within the community in Zimbabwe. My seemingly small effort enacted a sense of excitement within the community, and the principal encouraged everyone to learn how to read.

In 2010 I created Mommy Glow. I created Mommy Glow because as a younger minority mom I didn’t hear the voices of other young moms (especially minorities) represented positively in media and print. So I brought my voice into words and have the joy of connecting and collaborating with other moms of various backgrounds and nationalities. And what a wonderful journey it's been.

In 2011 self-love is the journey I’m undertaking. I can honestly say that I don’t have much self-love. My love is showered on my daughter. She is my joy. She is my heart. She is love. I don’t take the time to learn myself and love myself. And, I suppose I don’t know how. I grew up in a household where my Mother wasn’t openly affectionate with me and my siblings. When I was a teenager, she wasn’t around much and I was just sort of wandering. I was lonely. My Father was not a part of my life, and I leeched onto boyfriends to fill the void within my heart. Looking back now I see that I was looking for a cure. A cure for an unfulfilled heart. A heart quenching for love and admiration. A love that I didn’t get from either parent. And when I loved, I loved hard. Too hard. Fell too fast. Hurt so badly I bled. I put up with so much that I shouldn’t have. For what…love? I’m not sure I know what love is.

My solution to the end of a relationship was to fill my time with someone else. I didn’t want to think, I didn’t want to hurt, I just wanted to f-e-e-l. To feel something other than numb. Silly me, huh? I have yet to heal from my past relationships. Left are wounds that still hurt, that still bleed. These wounds are left unattended, because I’m afraid to go back and fix them, to remember the pain. And I hold so much guilt inside. The guilt weighs so heavy on my mind. On my heart. I’ve realized that no one else can remove this weight. Regardless of how much they love me. Because if I don’t love me, no one can ever truly love me. Which begs the question, who am I? I feel that my purpose has been clearer since giving birth to my daughter. But am I just a Mother? I eat, sleep, and bleed for my daughter. And she knows that. People who know ‘me’ know that. I cannot be away from her without having a slight asthma attack. But I’ve gotten to the point where I have too much baggage. I have so much hurt within that it’s starting to seep out of me. I don’t want to feel hurt anymore. I don’t want to lean on relationships to mend my heart. It’s up to me.

So in 2011 my journey is self-love. Self-acceptance. To find out who I am. To find out what makes me happy, because I’m unhappily unhappy, and it's not ok. It’s not ok.

Mamavation Monday

2011-01-24T17:36:00.000-08:00

Goals for last week:

-Walk 20 miles

-Keep track of water

-Continue Shred

-Watch serving size

Last Week’s Totals:

Monday: 2.5mi [5,662 steps] - Shred

Tuesday: 5.23mi [11,848 steps] – 1hr Zumba

Wednesday: 3.01mi [6,828 steps] - Shred

Thursday: 5.73mi [12,967 steps] - Shred

Friday: 0.74mi [1693 steps] – Turbo-Jam

Saturday: 2.71mi [6149 steps] - Stretch

Sunday: Stretch

Walking Totals: 19.92miles

I continued the 30 Day Shred this week and as of today have 7 days left. I’m really excited to be on the last week because Jillian Michaels is really getting on my nerves!

I’ve had upper trapezoid pain for awhile now. Seems like whenever I get into a workout routine my traps get super tension. And it has happened again. I pulled my trapezius muscle. They hate life. They are super super tense and ache! Which means I haven’t been doing Shred for the past couple days. I’ve instead been switching hold and cold ice packs, stretching, and popping advil. Eck. I tried Yoga tonight, but it just reaffirmed how much I hate Yoga. This pain is ridiculous and I want it to go away ASAP! I'm going to try to swap out both my chairs at work and home with stability balls with hopes that it helps me with my occasional lazy posture. If you have any tips/suggestions please send them my way!!!

In happier news on my weekly weigh-in on Sunday I managed to lose 0.8lbs. Again. What is up with this not-even-1-pound-business? I’m getting really annoyed!!! I know I should be happy the number on the scale is going down, but I’m getting bummed the number isn’t decreasing faster considering all the darn walking I do! I mean I WALK giiiirl! Sigh.

My daughter and I were FINALLY able to make it to Zumba on Tuesday! Getting there and getting home was a disaster, but the actual class was fun and there were only a few people due to the crazy weather, so we really got to enjoy ourselves. She was a little shy at first and by the end of the class she was running around and dancing around. Too friggen cute!!

I really really really want to lose 2lbs this week!!! So I’m going to try to go low-no carb. No potatoes no bread. I’ll have to grow to love brown rice and if I need to I’ll add in whole wheat pasta. This will be a challenge. Also, once traps are feeling better going to increase my 30min workouts to 45minutes by adding in TurboJam as cardio.

This Week’s Goals:

-Walk 15 miles

-Lose 2lbs

-Low-No Carbs

-Continue eating hearty breakfast

-Stretch/Heal traps

How are you getting more fiber in your diet this New Year? I've started using flaxseed in smoothies and dishes as well as FiberOne bars.

BLOGGING CARNIVAL: This week’s blogging carnival is sponsored by Fiber Plus

Favorite Quote Friday

2011-01-21T10:48:00.000-08:00

"It's easy to be negative and unmotivated, but it takes some work to be positive and motivated. While there's no off button for those relentless "tapes," there are things that you can do to turn down the volume and shift your focus from the negative to the positive."

-Donna Cardillo, R.N.

Speaker, entrepreneur, humorist, master motivator.

Your perspective is everything.

Have a great weekend!

Mamavation Monday

2011-01-17T19:16:00.000-08:00

Last Week’s Goals:

-Walk 20 miles

-Continue The Shred – Level 2

-3-30sec planks everyday

-10 pushups everyday

-Zumba class Tuesday

-Buy water bottle & record water intake

-Lose 2lbs

This Week’s Totals:

Monday: 3.4 miles - Shred

Tuesday: 3.4 miles - Shred

Wednesday: 0 - Snow Storm

Thursday: 3.4 miles - Shred

Friday: 6.42 miles, 14,539 steps

Saturday: 3.09 miles, 7,012 steps

Sunday: 0.41 miles, 931 steps

Total Miles = 20.12

This was a rough week for me mentally, physically, and emotionally. My semester started on Monday and I have two very interesting and tough classes: Social Problems + Biology of AIDS and STDS. They are 6 week intensive courses compared to regular courses that run 12 weeks. That means double the work. Which means I’m stressing out. On top of that I was chosen as a Mamavation Mom finalist, which means I was on a crazy marketing campaign trying to get votes. I’m exhausted. The results of the 2 Moms are the winners are announced tonight. I’m sure I’ll have a post up tomorrow one way or another. THANK YOU to all that have supported me and voted and helped spread the word. It was so very very appreciated. Thank You just doesn’t seem like enough.

Update: I didn’t win Mamavation Mom.Thank you for the support of friends, family, and fellow bloggers.

Next Week’s Goals:

-Walk 20 miles

-Keep track of water

-Continue Shred

-Watch serving size

Measurements:

Weight: 168.4

Chest: 39

Waist: 39

Hips: 42

Entering another Mamavation challenge, called Move it or Lose it.

(2) $25 Sephora OR Amazon Giveaways!!

2011-01-12T11:33:00.000-08:00

I’m a Mamavation Mom FINALIST!!

I’m happy to announce that 3 weeks of gaining support I have been selected as a finalist! Now we were told there would be 5 finalists, but in a surprise twist 12 finalists were chosen. That means 12 mom are fighting for 2 Mamavation Mom spots. AKA: More competition. I’ve been reminded that this is not about the competition and more about changing your lifestyle and connecting with like minded people. Totally get that, and I have had a blast connecting and making positive steps in my life. BUT only 2 women will be chosen. This is a competition.

And I need YOUR help and votes!!! The 12 finalists are open for the public to vote. The 2 Moms with the most votes on Monday January 17^th by 6pm PST will be the next Mamavation Moms.

So…. My fantastic blogger friends. I’m setting up a little competition here to gain more votes.

Prize: (2) $25 Amazon OR Sephora gift cards

Guidelines: I’m asking that you do a blogger spotlight on...me!! Outlining a little about me and my quest to become the next Mamavation Mom. I already have text if you don’t want to write something. Include a picture of me, and ask that your followers/friends VOTE for me: @YoungFabMama.

The 2 bloggers who get the most of their followers/friends for me WIN the giftcard.

Comment below to let me know if you are interested in writing a post on your site. Leave an email so I can email text and photo for the post. If you want to write your own text then check out my previous posts for more information on the campaign and me:

http://mommyglow.blogspot.com/2010/12/help-me-become-mamavation-mom.html

http://mommyglow.blogspot.com/2010/12/i-want-to-be-next-mamavation-mom.html

You’ll have from now until Sunday January 16^th at midnight to get as many votes. At the close please come back here and let me know how many votes you were able to get and the top 2 bloggers with the most votes will get their choice of a $25 Amazon or $25 Sephora gift card.

You can use whatever means you want to get votes. Use the contact form on the menu bar to email me with questions/concerns!

Voting is super easy takes under 1 minute requires no login or registration. Only 1 vote per person-per computer!

Here is the link to vote: http://www.mamavation.com/2011/01/vote-for-mamavation-mom-2.html

Ready. Set. Go!!

$25 SEPHORA Giveaway!!

2011-01-12T09:27:00.000-08:00

I love love love me some Sephora! They have such a wide variety of makeup, skincare, perfume, and hair care options that I never leave there empty handed. My newest purchase from Sephora is the Sephora Collection Professional Platinum Angled Eyeliner Brush #23. Its slanted design makes it not only ergonomic, but super easy to achieve a smooth line with minimal effort! Loooves it!

Too often for us Moms our up-keep isn’t a priority. Our kids come first, and I know that after my daughter is taken care of I could care less that my hair isn’t combed and looks like fireworks or that my nail polish is chipping. Horribly. Our priorities as Moms definitely change once we become parents, and I don’t spend nearly the same amount of money on my hair or nails as I did before my daughter. Just like Tara over at The Young Mommy writes in her post Making Time for Pretty “I used to be a product junkie. Hardcore. If there was an anonymous support group I would have gone weekly” Giiirl I was there!

While I mentioned busy Moms, this giveaway is open to everyone, Mom or not!!

So here is my gift to 1 reader. A $25 Sephora giftcard! But, you must promise that you’ll purchase something for YOU! Not a new hair product for your child, or gift for a spouse. This is about YOU ladies. So take advantage!!

You have the option of winning a Sephora e-giftcard which can only be redeemed online at Sephora. Or you can choose to have a Sephora giftcard mailed to you.

Giveaway Guidelines:

*Please leave a separate comment for each entry. Please be sure to include an email address or twitter handle with every entry so I can contact you if you win.

How to enter:

2 entries –[Mandatory] Vote for me aka @YoungFabMama HERE. Please leave 2 separate comments for these entries.
1 entry - Follow Mommy Glow publicly via Google Friend Connect
1 entry - Comment below and tell me what you’ll get with your giftcard.

1 entry - Take my button and put some Mommy Glow on your blog or add Mommy Glow to blogroll

1 entry - Follow me on Twitter: @YoungFabMama

1 entry – “Like” Mommy Glow on Facebook

1 entry - Tweet about this giveaway:

“I just entered a $25 Sephora #giveaway from @YoungFabMama http://bit.ly/gmqqVA (ends 1/16)" You can tweet about this giveaway a max of 5 times. Please leave a comment every time you tweet w/ URL.

This giveaway ends on Sunday January 16th at 5pm. At the close of the giveaway 1 winner will be chosen at random using random.org and notified via email and/or twitter. The winner has 24 hours to claim prize, or another winner will be chosen. Only regulations with the giveaway are that you need to live within the United States.

Good Luck!

Mamavation Monday

2011-01-09T18:59:00.000-08:00

What a week!

Last Week’s Goals:

-Walk 18 miles

-Continue with The Shred

-Continue eating healthy snacks

-Increase water intake

-Become a Mamavation Mom finalist

This Week Walking/Exercise Totals:

Monday: 3.4mi [2^nd day Shred, Lv1]
Tuesday: 3mi Shred, 45 sec plank, [3^rd day Shred, Lv1]
Wednesday: 4.1mi [4^th day Shred, Lv1]
Thursday: 4.2mi [5^th day Shred, Lv1]
Friday: 4.3mi [6^th day Shred, Lv1]
Saturday: .5mi, 3-30sec plank, 50 jumping jacks [7^th day Shred, Lv1]
Sunday: 1mi, 4-30sec planks, 15 push-ups [8^th day Shred, Lv2]

Total Miles = 20.5

Another week in a row that I surpassed my walking totals! I walked an extra 2.5 miles beyond my goal, and it feels great! I’m really getting used to walking now; it’s become something I have to do. I don’t even get mad anymore when I see the bus go by. Walking has given me a time to clear my head and get my thoughts together and catch-up on my music!! I’m pretty obsessed with Kanye West – My Dark Sick Twisted Fantasy oh and N.E.R.D! Definitely have to have something upbeat for my walk to work in the morning. And I feel like my legs jiggle less and that they’ve possibly firmed up! Wouldn’t that be awesome! With all the walking I’m doing, my legs HAVE to be toning up!

I have continued with Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred. Somehow. You’re supposed to do Level 1 for 10 days than switch to Level 2, but I along with Tara at The Young Mommy Life have been doing The Shred together and she progressed to Level 2, so I HAD to switch. When she told me she sat on the floor for 20 minutes after, I was a little scared, but I went ahead and did Level 2. And…..it kicked my butt, big time!! Attempting to do Level 2 really showed how out of shape I am! I had to stop multiple times even though I followed the modified version of the exercise. Jillian Michael is serious! Its 20 minutes of pure butt-kicking. Instead of motivating me, it’s making me want to run away! But I know that I HAVE to press on. That I have to force my body to work hard. It’s just really discouraging when I cannot keep up with the pace or exercises! But into week 2 we go, and I’m determined to by the end of the week do Level 2 without stopping! Go hard or Go home I say.

I think I did pretty good eating healthy snacks last week. I tend to snack on the same things and immediately go for almonds or tangerines or my dried fruit/nut mix, so overall I have been doing ok. I didn’t buy many new snacks for this week because I still have a lot of snacks from last week.

Breakfast. UGH. So I have to admit, I don’t love breakfast. I would much rather skip to lunch. Most days my body isn’t hungry until 11am, but I know waiting that long to eat is not healthy for my body SO I’m going to be making smoothies or oatmeal in the morning. There is a great smoothie recipe featured in this month’s Health magazine that I’m going to adapt for me. The ingredients include baby spinach, ground flaxseed, frozen fruit, and milk. I’m excited and nervous about the spinach, but hoping its packed with good for you stuff, so hoping my body likes it…and my tastebuds!

I went grocery shopping today and these are some of the foods I picked up:

Oatmeal, flaxseed, whole grain pasta & egg noodles, mushrooms, strawberries, and baby spinach.

Been doing a lot better with water this week, and I hardly had any juice which is great. But I realized that I probably should try to pay attention to how much water I’m drinking. So the plan is to go buy a small water bottle and keep on filling it up. If you remember in a previous post I said a bigger bottle intimidates me and I like my water really cold, so I think a small one would work out great for me.

I packed my lunch everyday but Tuesday, when I was craving sushi!! So I headed over to Whole Foods and got some veggie sushi and inari and it was just delish!!! Mmm, totally worth the money!

I was supposed to go to Zumba with my daughter on Tuesday, but she was sick so we’re pushing Zumba class to this coming Tuesday. Now that I’m really thinking about it, I’m nervous about how she is going to do for an entire 60 minutes of dancing. Yes she loves to dance and is a ball of energy, but ya 60 minutes, I don’t know. But I’m still going to try and will bring a bag full of goodies to entertain her if she doesn’t want to dance anymore.

Mamavation finalists get chosen tonight at midnight, I’m going to try to stay up as late as I can, but I start getting cranky at 10 so we’ll see. Big thanks to all those that have supported me in my quest for wellness, it has meant so much to me!! I’ll keep you updated to let you know if I am a finalist!

Oh and I lost .2 lbs lol. Its not much, BUT its a start. And I am very very happy that the scale did not INCREASE!!

This Week’s Goals:

-Walk 20 miles

-Continue The Shred – Level 2

-3-30sec planks everyday

-10 pushups everyday

-Zumba class Tuesday

-Buy water bottle & record water intake

-Lose 2lbs

I also want to start meal planning to try to make my life easier, and I’d love if you could share your favorite healthy dinner recipes!!

This week’s blogging carnival is sponsored by SalonPas.

Have you ever been injured starting a new exercise routine? Tell us about it…If not, do you get any aches and pains? Where?

I have not been seriously injured as a result of starting a new workout routine, but while doing the workout program Chalene Extreme last year I experience severe discomfort in my neck. The Chalene Extreme program utilizes weights and focuses a lot on the upper body. For some reason 3 weeks into the program my trapezoid became extremely tense and seemingly flared up. Nothing I would do with ease the discomfort and world stretch and stretch, but nothing. Finally after consulting my Doctor she told me to stop the program and prescribed a muscle relaxer and weeks later the extreme tenseness of my trapezoids went away. But they are still generally tense and I know I can attribute that to the fact that I’m on the computer 40 hours a week at work and then when I’m home on the computer. Boo!

Favorite Quote Friday

2011-01-06T18:52:00.001-08:00

You are the average of the 5 people you spend
the most time with.

-Jim Rohn (Self-made millionaire & author)

Look around you, are the 5 people you spend the most time with positive? Driven? Motivated? Are they a reflection of who you want to be? Are they helping you or are they hurting you?

Have a great weekend!

Mamavation Monday

2011-01-02T19:23:00.000-08:00

Last Week’s Goals:

-Walk 10 miles [there is about a foot and a half of snow so hoping to get as much walking as I can]

-Pack lunch the 3 days I’m in the office

-Eat healthy snacks

-Do a workout DVD one time this week

-Limit alcohol intake on New Years

This week walking totals:

Monday: 1 mile
Tuesday: 2.8 miles
Wednesday: 2.8 miles
Thursday: 2.7 miles
Friday: 2.5 miles
Saturday: 3 miles
Sunday: 1.9 miles

TOTAL: 16.7 miles

Woo-Hoo, I surpassed my walking total by 6.7 miles which is great! Luckily we didn’t have any more snow, pair that with warmer temperatures and walking wasn’t too difficult this week. This weekend my daughter and I walked a total of 4.9 miles together! That is a lot for her little legs!! This is her today on our walk:

And today I did Day 1 of Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. If you are unfamiliar with Jillian Michaels, she does not play around. She can be very intimidating. She means business. There are 3 levels and workouts are only 20 minutes, which is great for my schedule. But, you do not stop moving the entire 20 minutes. I literally laid on the floor for 10 minutes after I completed today’s workout. I was beat. I used 5lb weights for the arm workouts and figured that would be too heavy, but it proved to be quite hard and I know my arms are going to burn tomorrow. But no pain, no gain. I am doing the Shred with Tara over at The Young Mommy Life so we are going to keep each other motivated and accountable. I am hoping Ro over at RandomRoRo will join in as well! Let me know if you want to join in The Shred-Get it right, get it tight team! Lol

My daughter wanted to work out as well and she was sooo ready for 20 minutes with Jillian:

I did a good job at bringing lunch last week and am going to do better this week!! I made a big pot of yummy Lentil soup for lunch and look at all the yummy snacks I have for the week:

I've got: almonds, cucumbers, apples, celery, carrots, tangerines, almond butter, wheat thins, and a couple of mixes from Target

To help me with water intake I’m going to be using some Crystal Light packets [thanks ThrBabyMamaChronicles], but not the entire packet in my water bottle. Using the entire packet makes the water way too sweet for my taste.

I did great with my alcohol intake on New Years, because what I got to drink at home [Skinny Girl Margarita] was absolutely disgusting!!

So all in all I think I did pretty damn good with my goals for this week!

-Ordered a great Eat Smart Precision Scale from Amazon, so now I can get accurate readings of my weight! My scale now is old and never accurate.

-Finally went out an bought a foam roller to relieve the tension in my muscles, I’m very excited about finally using it!

-Won a Kymaro Door Trainer from Mamavation [thank you!] so excited to do some pushups, situps, and dips!

This weeks goals:

-Walk 18 miles

-Continue with The Shred

-Continue eating healthy snacks

-Increase water intake

-Become a Mamavation Mom finalist

Ok Glowicious readers, if you don’t know, I’m applying to be the next Mamavation Mom and there are just 3 more days to voice your support for me to be a Mamavation Mom. I’ve had such tremendous support and I thank you all for believing in me and voicing your opinion. Finalists are chosen on January 5^th so I am asking you to please continue the support by doing the following:

Please head over to Mamavation and tell bookieboo that you believe I would be a great Mamavation mom. Please use my twitter handle @YoungFabMama

And please keep the support going on Twitter by tweeting:

“Hey @bookieboo! I want (@YoungFabMama) to be the next #Mamavation Mom. She has my support! http://bit.ly/zqUxa”

What are ways you can work out without having to leave the house?

Now that the weather is cold, exercising inside is ideal for many people. While I dont have one [yet] I hear systems like Wii & Xbox Kinect are great interactive ways to exercise and have fun within the comfort of your own home.

I have purchased a few dvds that vary in style, and I'm able to choose which one fits my mood and workout style.

MAMAVATION TV: Join us Monday night at 7pm PST/10pm EST on Mingle Media TV. The Mamavation Mom applicants [including myself] will be special guests!!

BLOGGING CARNIVAL: This week’s blogging carnival is sponsored by GameStop.

Dear 2010

2010-12-31T08:05:00.000-08:00

2010 Motto: Just to get by

Dear 2010,

You have changed in me in so many ways.

I have decided to get off this roller coaster ride.

This was a tough year.

I cried too much. I doubted myself too much.

I was full of hurt, and anger, and aggression for most of my time with you.

I barked instead of talked. I chose to fight instead of love.

I alienated friends and family.

I managed to basically ruin the best relationship I've ever had.

I gave up on believing in my worth. I spent most of this year doubting my ability to be a capable parent and friend.

Another year down as a single mom, but why am I so sad? Am I enough? Can I continue to do this solo?

I still feel guilt for how my relationship ended with my coparent. Its my fault, its my fault, its my fault.

I felt like such a failure that we end the year as enemies rather than friendly coparents. Its my fault.

I learned that I am the decisive element.

My wounds bled heavy this year, for all to see.

Depression, rage, and anxiety filled this year.

Unable to see the light at the end of the tunnel, I spent the majority of this year shielding myself from the world, from reality, from myself.

When things started becoming to real…I ran. Fast.

But why?

What I am afraid of? Isn’t this supposed to be what dreams are made of?

2010, I wasted entirely too much time being bitter and angry over situations and people I cannot change, no matter how hard I tried.

2010...I’m glad to see you go.

I’m getting off the roller coaster and ready for 2011.

Signed,

Alexandra

Play Your Way-Personal Fitness Twitter Party with GameStop

2010-12-30T18:28:00.000-08:00

Join the community at Mamavation for a special Twitter party Wednesday, January 5th from 8-10pm EST with Gamestop. Also enter for your chance to win the following:

1. GRAND PRIZE: Wii Bundle in black, white or red. The bundle comes with:

· Black Wii System

· Wii MotionPlus Remote

· Wii Nunchuk Controller Black

· Wii Sports

· Wii Sports Resort

2. Biggest Loser Challenge
3. Biggest Loser Ultimate
4. EA Sports Active 2.0
5. Jillian Michaels FItness Ultimatum 2011 (2 winners)
6. Kinect Sports
7. Sony Move SPorts Champions Bundle
8. Your Shape Fitness Evolved
9. Wii Sports Resort

I’m gunning for the Wii! I’ve wanted one for forever to help me exercise, but haven’t been able to afford it! I hope I win, I hope I win!

See you there!!!

Resurrection of May Book Review

2010-12-29T18:59:00.000-08:00

I’m a bit obsessed with books! I love buying and reading books. My bookcase is overflowing with my favorite books and books I still need to read. I find such pleasure and contentment within books. I was fortunate to review the book The Resurrection of May by Lisa Samson. I’ve never read a book like this before in my life. My usual interest is in self love books and fiction about characters struggling to gain a sense of self and make sense of the world we live in. Well I guess this book is kind of like the later, but with a whole lot of heavy issues mixed in.

Summary:

The Resurrection of May focuses around two main characters: May and Claudius. An odd pair, May is a youthful College student and Claudius an elderly man who lives with his dog on a farm outside of town. Their friendship is unexpected, but turns out to be the best thing to happen to each of them. May goes on a mission trip to Africa and comes back a different person. May encounters a kind of pain and suffering she had never felt before, and it is with Claudius she is able to begin healing. It is Claudius with whom May connects most with when she returns. Claudius’ patience and understanding appeals to May and their friendship blossoms as the years go by.

My Reaction:

Wow. I expected nothing that occurred in the book. It was a complete roller coaster to my emotions. In a good way. The writing is so vivid and enlightening, you feel the words on the page. You empathize with the characters. You feel the pain and hurt and sadness. At one point during the book, I sat on the floor and cried. That is how powerful and moving this book is. It was gripping, frightening, and hopeful. There were many times I was on the edge of my seat frantic about what would happen next for May and Claudius.

May is introduced as a typical College student, but what she encounters in Africa changes her completely, and the reader is able to go through the journey of emotions with her, and watch her resurrection and growth firsthand. You want nothing more than for May to succeed and I was rooting for her the entire book.

I was definitely entertained while reading this book. It was hard to read though, as some parts were uncomfortable to read. But, I definitely felt that it helped me take a step back and look at my life and enjoy it more.

I would recommend the Resurrection of May to anyone wanting a great complex dynamic novel to read.

Booksneeze has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy.

Help Me Become a Mamavation Mom!

2010-12-29T18:19:00.000-08:00

Its game time: I want to become the next Mamavation Mom.

On December 15^th I applied to become the next Mamavation Mom. Why? I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired of my weight and living an unhealthy lifestyle. I’m tired of struggling with sleep apnea and not sleeping. I’m tired of not being comfortable in my own skin. You can read more about why I want to be the next Mamavation Mom HERE.

There are quite a few steps in the whole Mamavation Mom process:

1) Record video, share on Youtube and on blog DONE

2) Complete online application DONE

3) Gain support! Encourage supporters to publicly [via twitter/facebook] support me to become the next Mamavation Mom DONE

4) Help @bookieboo [the woman behind Mamavation] narrow down finalists, by commenting HERE on why I should be chosen as the next Mamavation Mom.

We are currently in the 4^th stage of the Mamavation Mom process. Finalists will be chosen by bookieboo on January 5^th and the finalists that she handpicks will then go to round two–the voting week starting January 10th. Two of the five finalists win the title of Mamavation Mom and start the bootcamp as everyone watches on January 17th.

Including myself there are 9 applicants applying to become the next Mamavation Mom for Campaign 7.

I am the only single mom. And I am seemingly the only one of color.

And I have to admit, I feel like the underdog for many reasons. But, I’m not going to let that stop me. I am determined and motivated to lose weight and begin living a healthy lifestyle, and would love the opportunity to be supported by the Mamavation crew by becoming a Mamavation Mom.

I want to be chosen as the next Mamavation Mom and show other moms and single moms that WE can achieve our goals if we reevaluate our goals and have a support system.

I WILL achieve because I BELIEVE.

“You can’t hire someone else to do your push-ups for you”

-Jil Rohn [philosopher]

I know that this journey is going to be tough, and as a Mamavation Mom for 7 weeks I will have to be extremely dedicated and will be held accountable. This isn’t a game. This is serious. My health and life are in jeopardy and this is why I need to become the next Mamavation Mom. There are a lot of negative devastating side affects that come along with not treating sleep apnea. They include daytime sleepiness, fatigue, congestive heart failure, low blood oxygen, and memory loss. Scary stuff.

No one else can change my life besides me. I have to be 100% responsible for the quality of life that I lead. I cannot blame lack of time or sleepiness or a needy child for getting in the way of exercising or eating healthy. I’ve taken responsibility and now ready for action. I’m ready to kick some ass and show this fat whose boss!!

The fire within me has been reignited. I am ready to change my life, and hope you will support me on my journey.

“It’s time to start living the life you’ve imagined”

-Henry James [author]

Please head over to Mamavation and tell bookieboo that you believe I would be a great Mamavation mom. Please use my twitter handle @YoungFabMama

Below is my YouTube video application:

And please keep the support going on Twitter by tweeting:

“Hey @bookieboo! I want (@YoungFabMama) to be the next #Mamavation Mom. She has my support! http://bit.ly/zqUxa”

Thank you for all who have supported me, it means a great deal to know that I have people in my corner rooting for me.

Mamavation Monday 12/27

2010-12-27T19:45:00.000-08:00

Hope you all had a great holiday!!

Monday: 2.3 miles

Tuesday: .5 miles

Wednesday: .5 miles

Thursday: 1.5 miles

Friday: 1.2 miles

Saturday: Merry Christmas

Sunday: Well Hello Blizzard!

TOTAL = 6 miles… GULP

Last Week’s Goals:

- Walk 15 miles [with the holiday I hope to still get in as much walking as I can]

-Pack a healthy lunch everyday this week

-Pack healthy snacks [already bought carrots + celery sticks]

-Increase water intake!

-Do a set of pushups + sit-ups 3x this week

-Resist temptation on Christmas!!

For the 3 weeks I have averaged about 21 miles a week, so this 6 miles is wayyy under what I have been walking lately, and I’m disappointed in myself, but I know it wasn’t because I was being lazy. I spent the week with some tummy problems that has me barely able to function at work. Add that to last minute Christmas shopping and Christmas, it was a hard week. I should have pushed myself harder, but there was a lot on my plate this week, and so I prioritized other things over making sure I walked 21 miles.

I did a pretty good job at packing a lunch this week. I forgot one day [only had bread] so therefore only ate bread, and was super hungry. I know that wasn’t good, but I didn’t want to go get something and didn’t want to spend any money at food! I spend enough at the grocery store every time I go!

Sooo someone ate my raw almonds at my desk, so I felt a bit stuck with snacks, as they were my go to snack. But I ate apples, celery, and carrots, and this week am thinking raisins, hummus, and apples will be good healthy satisfying snacks for me.

Not doing so great on the water intake. I mean, I’m drinking it, but not drinking enough. I have to figure out another tactic to want to drink more! Ideas??

Because I was sick all last week I didn’t do any pushups, so definitely want to make sure I get them in this week.

This Week’s Goals:

-Walk 10 miles [there is about a foot and a half of snow so hoping to get as much walking as I can]

-Pack lunch the 3 days I’m in the office

-Eat healthy snacks

-Do a workout DVD one time this week

-Limit alcohol intake on New Years

Alright still going strong on my Mamavation Campaign! I would love your support!! I still need your consistent support to become the next Mamavation Mom! We have until January 5^th to show the people behind Mamavation that I have support! The public can’t vote until finalists have been chosen January 5^th so keep the support going please!

1. Visit Mamavation Facebook Page and tell them why they think I would make a good Mamavation Mom. Be sure to include my handles @YoungFabMama | @AlexandraElizabeth

2. Visit, like, and comment on my Youtube video application. Click Here

3. Tweet: “Hey @bookieboo! I want (@YoungFabMama) to be the next #Mamavation Mom. She has my support! http://bit.ly/zqUxa”

Happy Holidays

2010-12-23T22:08:00.000-08:00

© Mommy Glow

Wishing you and your loved ones a blessed, happy, and warm holiday.

Wherever you may be on this holiday may your hearts be full of love and laughter.

Happy Holidays

C is for Choice: Why Should Women Buy Their Own Diamonds

2010-12-22T18:19:00.000-08:00

I know there are many women [I know a few] who expect their boyfriend-spouse-husband to bathe them in fancy expensive jewelry. They want people to know that “he went to Jared” lol.

I’ve always been an independent woman. And I firmly believe that women should buy their own jewelry, bags, cars, clothes, and diamonds. Why should women buy their own diamonds? Why the heck not?! I’ve never expected anyone to buy anything for me. If I want something and have the means to afford it, I get it. If I don’t have the means too than that means I don’t get it.

A woman shouldn’t feel as if diamonds need to be bought for her. She should be able to purchase diamonds on her own if that is what her heart desires.

Personally I’m not rushing to get a sweet diamond necklace or bracelet, I like nice things, but right now in my life diamonds are a reach. A big reach. But I do look forward to the day when I can go to diamonds.com with my credit card handy and not worry about maxing it out. Being able to purchase a diamond bracelet like this one from Diamonds.com:

Would be a real sense of accomplishment especially since I have struggled to gain financial stability since I have lived on my own the past 6 years. Being a single mom and a young single mom, I am still striving to achieve and succeed, but am confident that one day soon…I’d say before I turn 30 [5 more years] that I will be running over to diamonds.com to make my first major diamond purchase!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post by Diamonds.com, opinions expressed are the blogger's own views not influenced by any outside biases.