Relaxation Apps Perfect for Busy Moms

On days like today, I am glad that apps like these exist.  After a full weekend of freezing temperatures, an insurance adjuster dreads heading to the office.  You will be bombarded with claims of roof leaks and frozen pipes.  Today we had no less than 10 claims in all areas of the region with varying degrees of damage.  It is times like these that I am so happy that I have have found these relaxation apps perfect for busy moms.  They help me take a few minutes and relax during busy stressful days.

The first one is perfect for days like today when I'm running around like a chicken without a head.  The second, will come in hand when I have to spend long hours in the office writing up reports for all these claims.  Either way, they are perfect for busy working moms!!

OMG I Can Meditate

OMG. I Can Meditate ! - Meditation and Mindfulness Techniques Made Easy - OMG. I Can Meditate! Inc.

This app was created to help the typical busy person relax and remain calm. You don’t have to be an expert yogi with years of meditation training to take advantage of this meditation app. The app teaches some really simple relaxation techniques that you can use wherever you may be, and whenever you need them. In just 10 minutes, meditation coach Lynne Goldberg guides you through a simple meditation to help you relax and reduce stress.

If you think that spending 10 minutes a day meditating with this app is a waste of time, think again. When you are calm and relaxed you are prepared to accomplish more than you ever could when you are overburdened and stressed. That 10 minutes of meditation can actually save you time! Plus, you will be happier, more relaxed, and energized!! Meditation is used by many of the best and most successful minds out there from businessmen and women, to actors to athletes. If they can benefit from it, so can you. Best of all, this app is free for iPhone and iPad!

Office Yoga MD Lite

Office YogaMD Lite - Physical Medicine Associates This app came to my attention after it was named a Top 20 App for Working Mom's by Working Mother magazine. It is an essential app for any mom who works an office job, or just needs to reduce pain in general. Office YogaMD Lite is the ideal app for relief from computer-related pain and fatigue. The app presents various yoga moves that can be performed right in your office. These movements are presented in a clear and detailed audio-visual format.

Office Yoga teaches you easy yoga poses and practices that immediately improve your posture, breathing, and stress levels at work or at home. The application was created by Mary Schatz, M.D., a graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and is certified by world-renowned yogi B.K.S. Iyengar to teach his method of yoga. Through the app, Mary provides instructions on how to reduce eye, wrist, neck and back fatigue, stretch, and relax. It also includes a built-in reminder system that you can set to encourage regular breaks. If you have any of the following pains or issues, you need this app.

Great for: back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, wrist pain, eye strain, fatigue, and stress relief. This app is available in the iTunes store for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.

Everyone has busy days now and then. These apps are perfect for helping you relax and decompress.  I hope you try them out!! What do you do to de-stress on busy days?? Let me know in the comments.

Cheers,

Emily

Picking a Third Birthday Theme

 

With my son's third birthday quickly approaching, it was time to pick a theme for his party. For the past two years, this job was pretty easy. During the time prior to his parties, T was pretty much gravitating to one thing. For his first birthday, that was Sesame Street. For his second birthday, he was mad about Toy Story. Now that his third birthday was rolling around, picking a birthday theme was not so easy.

We obviously wanted to pick something that he liked, but unlike prior years, we had too many choices. This year he has various interests including Avengers, WWE, Lego, Star Wars, and more. Picking one of these to be his theme would not be easy.

We also had a second dilemma. We do not want to repeat birthday themes. He only has a certain amount of years of throwing birthday parties and we want him to get to celebrate with all different themes. With that in mind, themes like the Avengers were ruled out because when he is older he may want that theme to play with his friends. We considered a Muppets theme, but there just wasn't much available for Muppets. If I wasn't in grad school, I'd consider diy-ing it, but I just don't have the time.

What to do, what to do...

Luckily, we received an Oriental Trading catalog in the mail just as we were discussing matters. They had a bunch of fun but generic party themes one of which is perfect for Tyler. We found that the color brick party would be perfect for Tyler. All the items in this set have building blocks resembling Legos. They have tableware, accessories, favors and more. And we can supplement with his own Legos and Duplos. Need a utensil holder? Build it from blocks!

The best thing is, we can gear it to duplo versus Lego, which is more his speed anyway. If he wants a Lego party when he's older, we can always do a party at the Lego Discovery Center which would be totally different.

We found a cool vendor on Etsy, Blaked Potato Press who made custom invites for us. You can see the top portion of the invite in the cover photo. You can find them here: Blaked Potato Press Check out their other themes as well.

So in conclusion, here are my tips for choosing a third birthday theme.

  1. Make a list of all the things your child is into at the moment

  2. Remove items that may be more appropriate for older kids

  3. If there are items remaining after step two, find the theme that had the most items available

  4. If step 2 cleared your list, see if there is a generic version or a toddler version of your theme. So instead of Disney Princess, think generic princess or instead of Avengers, think generic super hero. At this age, what matters is how fun you make it!

Good luck in your party planning!!

If you could use a planer to help put together your birthday festivities, check out my birthday party planner here!

Cheers,

Emily

Pregnancy Progress and Humor

Pregnancy Progress and Humor

I don't know about you, but this year seems to be the year of pregnancies for practically everyone I have ever gone to school with. Clearly, I am not an exception to this. At 24 weeks, I am well past the halfway point. I have been very lucky in that both of my pregnancies have gone pretty smoothly. Other than a few days of upset stomach/nausea in the first trimester, I haven't really been sick at all.  I was exhausted 1st trimester, but that's about it as far as symptoms.

This trimester has been going very well.  I'm showing a lot more than I did with T, but I'm still all belly.  In fact, people are often surprised when I tell them I'm having a girl.  At least those people that believe in old wives' tales. Ever since Christmas week, I have been back to working out 5-6 times a week.  Although it is sometimes hard to get up and workout, and it is easy to think I have any awesome excuse why I shouldn't have to, I also know I have any awesome reason to workout. A healthy mommy and baby!! I also feel 100 times better on the days I do workout so that is also motivating.

Tyler loves telling people where the baby is and he will sometimes talk to and kiss the baby.  However, I don't think he has fully grasped what is going on and he just likes to follow daddy's example.  Both of my boys have felt the baby kick. Well, sort of. I put Tyler's hand on my belly one day while we were watching Sesame Street together.  Baby Hailey gave 2 really good kicks so I look to Tyler for a reaction.  However, he was so distracted by watching Mr. Hooper surf (it was a very old episode) that he had no reaction at all.  At this point, the kicks are often sporadic and it's hard to get Tyler to keep his hand there waiting for a kick, especially since he doesn't know what he's waiting for. But, I hope to get a reaction out of him soon.

What Tyler really does love is taking the belly pictures every week.  As soon as he sees me write the number of weeks on the paper he is ready with his shirt up for a picture. Below are some of our more recent progress pics. After delivery, I will definitely do a post with every pic from when we first found out til the end so you can all see the progress.

22 weeks pregnant

22 weeks pregnant

23 weeks pregnant

23 weeks pregnant

24 weeks pregnant

24 weeks pregnant

Luckily, I still have my energy up since this is the first week of the spring semester of grad school.  Even though my professors have been forewarned about my pregnancy and due date, and they have promised that accommodations can be made, I can't help but be a little worried about the end of the semester.  This is especially true if this little girl decides to come early.  But we can only take it day by day.  So to relieve some stress, I have a few more pregnancy poems for your enjoyment!

The Battle

I have a foe who is always with me, always on the attack. They’re quick and smart and stealthy, never to be seen when I look back. I cannot seem to loose them, wherever I may go. When I try to fool them, they always seem to know. They kick and punch and jab me every time I take a ride The funny thing about it is it's coming from inside The creature that’s inside me, will never let me rest Despite all that I do for it (I really try my best) I feel you punch my kidneys, I feel you jab my spleen I have to be quite honest, I think it's very mean When I try to go to bed and get a little sleep I sense you calmly lying there lurking in the deep As soon as I lie down at night it’s like an alarm just rung You don’t want mommy to relax, you go and kick my lung I love you little peanut but you need to understand I need to go to sleep sometimes, it's something I demand So please get off the defense and lower down your guard Let’s call a truce, at least at night, so sleeping is not so hard

My Newest Love

I have fallen in love for the third time The excitement of it makes me rhyme They come with me when I go to the gym They make my bottom feel so slim They come with me when I go to work They never make me look like a jerk These leggings are my new best friend My time with them should never end They look like tights when under skirts They’re also great under long shirts They never bother my growing bump Nor fall down when I move or jump If possible they're all I'd ever wear Without a worry or a care I wear leggings nearly everyday And that's the way it's going to stay Until this little babe is born It's the only bottom that will be worn

Cheers,

Emily

Finding the Balance

It's that time again! Next week starts the next semester of grad school.  Last semester I enrolled in 2 classes completely unaware that I would become pregnant at the start of the semester.  It was rough.  Having a packed schedule during the first trimester of pregnancy is not easy.  This semester I decided to enroll in 2 more classes. Yup, I'm doing it again.  Time to see what school, work and everything else is like in the 3rd trimester.  My goal for these next few months: finding the balance.

This semester, my last day of classes is also my scheduled due date.  It is literally d-day, lol. I informed both of my professors of this situation at the time of my enrollment last October.  They promised that arrangements would be made so that I would be able to complete the semester regardless of when the princess arrives. Hopefully, that doesn't mean taking a final 2 days after delivery but I expect that the accommodations will be far more reasonable than that.  Luckily, I have prior experience with both of these professors.

So on my plate for the next few months prior to my due date May 6, we have a few things.  Obviously, keep growing baby Hailey keeping her and myself happy and healthy.  Then there's grad school where we would like to continue with A's and B's.  Next my hip hop class: I would like to have their dance completely taught by the time the baby comes.  They will have to have a sub the following few weeks and then the recital is in June so I want them to be able to be fully prepared before hand.  I am also set to choreograph a college production of Anything Goes in the next few weeks.  This is a big tap show, which I love, but I'm not sure how many actual tappers I'm getting.  So, we'll have to play that by ear.

On top of those things, there is continuing work on my non-profit, whose growth is slow but steady.  We are continuing to sell our calendars and will be bringing them to a few events.  We are also in contact with several dance schools to see if they can be sold at the studios.  If you are interested in a calendar or know someone who would love one, you can check them out here: www.ihopeyoudancecalendar.com. 100% of the profits go to support youth dance.

agenda-1928419_1920.jpg

Then of course, there is maintaining this blog,  helping T with his YouTube video project and work.

The best way to find balance amidst all of these obligations is to first list them all out for a specified time frame.  My time frame is the next approximately 4 months.  If you can, estimate the amount of time each item will take from your week. For example, teaching my hip hop class is 1 hour and coming up with that week's choreography is about 20 minutes.  So that's an hour and 20 minutes I put into my schedule.  Now on those days, teaching dance class is my workout, so that frees me up to do something different in the morning.  Therefore, I might schedule uploading T's videos on Friday mornings, since that's the day I teach.  I might then schedule 2 hours on the weekend where I will work on my non profit.  I also schedule 1.5-2 hours each evening for school work after T goes to bed. Once you schedule all of your obligations, the coming months seem less daunting.  You won't have to wonder how you will find the time because you already scheduled it.  This simple process can reduce stress immensely.

When things come up, as they often will, you can adjust your schedule, but its good to have a plan.  It's also good to have your tasks prioritized.  For example, if work gets super hectic, I may only be able to blog once that week. Sorry guys, but clearly keeping my job is the priority!! Lastly, schedule in some breaks and some family time.  Nothing recharges your battery better than some quality break time! It will also make you more efficient in doing what you have to do.

So, sit down, schedule your obligations and go get em tiger!!

Cheers!

Emily

Joining YouTube Unboxing

In a past post, I had talked about my son's obsession with YouTube surprise egg and unboxing videos. It started by innocently putting on Sesame Street and Toy Story videos to entertain him once in a while.  Later he would start clicking the recommended videos which brought him to Toy Story surprise eggs.  This progressed to surprise eggs in general and finally YouTube unboxing videos.  He watches these video regularly and will ask for his swipe (my old iPhone) so he can watch a few videos.

Some videos, he has watched so many times that he can narrate the video along with the presenter or he knows which toy is going to be revealed next.  From this, he would start saying some odd things after opening his own toys.  For example, after opening a new toy he would say, "Thanks for watching, please subscribe, see you soon, thumbs up if you like it." Of course, these are the things the presenters say at the end of the videos.

Separately, my husband has always been a toy collector, since long before I met him.  He collects figurines from various movies and TV shows.  He is a big fan of pop vinyls and various other brands that I can no longer keep track of.  This combination proved to extremely powerful.

Soon Dad started fueling T's desire to collect toys.  He started buying him Mashems and Shopkins which he had seen in his perusing of YouTube.  This totally impressed my toddler who would open and describe and line up the toys as he had seen done in his videos.  Eventually he wanted his unboxing of toys to be recorded.  We did a few unboxing videos of Tyler and dad on Periscope, but those only last for 24 hours.  Seeing how popular some of these YouTube channels had become, we decided to join the ranks of YouTube unboxers.

My son officially has his own YouTube channel with 2 videos posted so far and more on the way! We created a quick intro for him showing pictures of him playing with some of his favorite toys using iMovie.  We then recorded a few videos of Tyler unboxing toys with his dad.  We also recorded him and dad building a small Lego set which we then sped up in iMovie for a speed build video.  Two videos are posted so far and a few more are in the pipe line.  We also saved most of the recordings from Periscope which we hope to edit and upload onto YouTube as well.  Our goal is to record the unboxing of toys and figures that the boys would have purchased anyway.  Once we get a decent following, we plan to do giveaways of any doubles we get.  We are also looking into donating some of the doubles we get.

You can check out our channel at the link below! Please like and subscribe to support the T Monster and for your chance to be notified of our giveaways.  We already have a decent collection of Shopkins doubles, so stay tuned!!

Tyler's Toy Time

Cheers,

Emily

Pregnancy Workouts

I'm going to be honest here.  I'd like to say that I have been working out throughout my pregnancy and I am the perfect model of health and wellness.  I did start out strong, working out about 5 times a week throughout the first and start of the second trimester.  Then December came. With finals week for grad school and the Christmas show hell week, something had to give.  That something was working out.

At the time, I could feel the difference in my body, but I chalked it up to the hectic schedule I was attempting to maintain.  I was exhausted and lacked my usual energy.  I could not get myself up for a 6 am workout and the rest of my day was packed. When Christmas week came, it was time to jump back in the saddle.  After that first workout, I felt 100 times better. I had energy for the day and my body felt good being used and challenged. Even my mind felt sharper and ready for the challenges of the day. Here are some tips to help you with your pregnancy workouts.

  1. Choose workouts that involve a lot of stretching, like yoga. Stretching can really help with pregnancy aches and pains and tightness.  A good workout will stretch out your back and hips easing a lot of the tension there.  If this doesn't motivate you to do the workout knowing how much better you will feel after, I don't know what will.

  2. Think about your post-pregnancy body.  Getting back into fitness after a baby is hard.  Working out throughout your pregnancy however makes it a lot easier.

  3. These workouts should not be super intense, high energy workouts.  You don't want your heart rate to exceed 140 BPM. Light cardio and moderate weights depending on your activity level prior to pregnancy is awesome.

  4. Don't think of it as work or an obligation. As I said with the yoga, your mind set should be relieving pain and tension.  For cardio, you can have a dance party with your kids or play my son's favorite game, "You can't get me" where I chase him around the dining room table.   Go for a walk with your baby in the stroller.  Anything that gets you moving.

  5. Remember to also lift some weights a few times a week.  Your baby may pop out at 7 lbs., but that baby is going to grow fast.  You want to be prepared for carrying that baby around.  This is another fantastic motivator.

You don't need to go to the gym to get a workout in. In fact, there are tons of pregnancy workout DVDs that you can use.  With winter weather finally here, you will not find me getting my bottom outside in the early morning to get a gym workout.  I use several different DVDs, and sometimes do my own workouts depending on where I am feeling tension.  Some DVDs I use are the Yoga Booty Ballet: Baby on the way DVD, and the Summer Sanders' Prenatal Workout DVD.  I also use the regular Yoga Booty Ballet DVDs for Cardio. I don't find the cardio overwhelming for my pregnant self and I just leave out the exercises that require laying on your belly.  While I love Jillian Michaels, she can be saved for your post-baby workouts.  Those DVDs are a bit too heart pumping for the typical pregnant woman.  There are so many DVDs to choose from, you can definitely find one that fits your needs. Here you can find a ton of prenatal workout DVDs: Prenatal Workout DVDs. Note if you make a purchase using this link, I will make a small commission off of your purchase.

If you need the accountability that a gym class can provide., you can set up a text group with your friends where you have to check in when you completed a workout.  Each day you check in when you completed a workout and everyone gets held accountable.  They don't need to be pregnant for this to work!  You can also set up a workout schedule for yourself if that works for you.  Or we can create a Facebook group where we check in after a workout to keep ourselves accountable.

Just remember, loosing weight is not the only reason to workout! You will feel better, relieve tension in your muscles, and clear your mind. Many times starting your day with a workout will give you the energy to get more done during your day! (And when you're pregnant, you need as much energy as you can get!!)

Here's to a fit pregnancy in 2016!!

Emily

Telethon Wrap Up and Gender Reveal

So, this weekend has been major for our family. We had T's onstage debut in Telethon for Santa and we found out the gender of baby #2!! Because I like to do things in chronological order, we start with Telethon for Santa.  If you really can't wait to find out, you can always scroll down and then come back!!

So this week was T's theater debut and I must say I am thoroughly impressed.  He spent practically every day last week at the theater helping is dad and Uncle Chris put together the set for the show, often missing naps.  Then he would spend all evening at rehearsal.  He never caused a problem or had a fit and he was a delight to his fellow actors.

Opening night of the show was Friday and I was every so slightly nervous of how he would react to an audience.  It was like he didn't even know they were there, except when he got a laugh, which he utterly enjoyed.  He actually got 2 big laughs in his first show! The first was when he sneezed in the middle of my line.  The second is when he kicked his feet when one of the other elves has to hold him awkwardly to make it seem like he's never held a baby.  In all he had to be carried by 2 other people during the show and he never made a fuss or reached out to mommy.  This 2 year old definitely has what it takes to be in theater! Back stage he was quiet when he had to be and he actually enjoyed watching the show from side stage when he had the chance.  He even had a cold which didn't affect his good behavior one bit!

Besides the show this whole weekend has been crazy! Friday night I had work, then taught a hip hop class, and then had the show.  Saturday, T had dance class then the matinee show, then an ugly Christmas sweater party.  Sunday was the gender reveal shoot, another matinee performance, and finally dinner at Aunt Katie's for her birthday and a visit with Santa.  Some things had to give, but it was a long weekend none the less.

Here are some pictures from the show!

Back stage with mom and dad.

Telethon for Santa 3

Telethon for Santa 3

On stage, acting!

Here's the full cast!

Soooo now it's time for the GENDER REVEAL!!!

Sunday morning we went to the park and my sister in law, Katie, had filled a big box with balloons.  The idea was to have T open the box and we would learn the gender based on the color of the balloons.  We then did a variety of shots with the balloons.  It was so much fun and I love the shots that Katie got.  It definitely captured our emotions and excitement.  It's a GIRL!!!

Here are some of the shots:

You can check out Katie's work at http://www.katiejoyphotographyny.com. She is great to work with and very patient with kids.  Far more patient than you might be, lol!!

I hope you enjoyed our weekend recap! Stay tuned Thursday for our Christmas craft project!

Cheers,

Emily

Thanksgiving Food and Fun

Every year the T monster and I do a thanksgiving craft. I also always make fried apple pies every thanksgiving. This is a big hit in our family and always requested. What's awesome is they are so easy to make! This year I thought I'd share some of our traditions with you!

First let's start with the craft. This year we made a:

Paper Plate Turkey

What You Need:

Paper plate

Washable paint

White paper

Orange and red construction paper

Googly eyes

Glue

1. Let your toddler paint the white paper. There are no rules here. Just paint whatever wherever. Meanwhile, I painted the plate brown. Older kids can probably do this themselves.

 2. Cut out a beak from the orange construction paper and a wattle from the red. Your toddler can help you glue these onto the paper plate along with the eyes.

3. Once your child's painting finally dries (this can vary depending on paint usage), cut feathers out of the painted paper. Glue the feathers along the top of the plate.

 4. Show off your finished turkey to everyone and anyone!

Next, we have the apple pies. These are super simple to make and the recipe is easily multiplied for larger batches.

Fried Apple Pies

Ingredients:

1 can Grands Buscuits

2 green apples (I like Granny Smith)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup brown sugar

Vegetable oil

1. Peel and dice the apples.

2. Apple is a sauce pot and mix in cinnamon and brown sugar. Heat until warm.

3. Roll out the biscuits into discs. Place a heaping spoonful of the Apple mixture in the center. Coat the edge of the disc with water and fold over to seal.

4. Heat vegetable oil in pan. Once hot fry pies 2 at a time until they are golden brown. This should take a few minutes per side.

5. Set on paper towels to cool. Enjoy!!

Both the food and the craft are super easy to make and they both were a hit!! The apple pies make a great on the go snack as well!! Hope you try these and let me know how they turn out!!

Enjoy!!

Emily

10 Tips for Fitness Newbies

Here is a collection of tips for fitness newbies that I've picked up along the way.  There is tons of fitness advice out there, but these are the tips that I feel are the most important.  These items will help you get the most out of any new exercise or fitness routine! The photo below is of me less than  a year after having the T monster.  I definitely made use of most, if not all of these tips.

So, without any further adieu, here we go:

  1. Avoid insulin spikes by not eating sweet carbohydrates.  Instead try to stick to whole grains, potatoes and sweet potatoes.  Minimize cookies and cakes, have fruit for dessert instead. Try to cut out as much sugar as possible.

  2. Exercise at least 5 days per week.  This should be a combination of weight training and cardio.  Having some muscle will improve your performance in the gym as well as increase your overall calorie burn.  Don't worry, you won't look like a man if you weight lift a few days a week.  Cardio is an awesome way to burn through those extra calories!

  3. Don't skip meals.  In fact, healthy meals and snack are recommended! Try to eat 6 small meals per day to keep your metabolism elevated.

  4. Eat your fiber, daily. This will help with your digestion, will slim your waist, and will help with your absorption of nutrients.

  5. Drink lots of water!!

  6. Eat healthy fats including nuts, olive oil and coconut oil.

  7. Drink green tea. It has a slight stimulant effect and is rich in antioxidants.

  8. Create meals that center around protein. Your body cannot store protein for later, so you need to feed your muscles throughout the day.

  9. Get enough sleep. This is essential. Your body needs time to regenerate. Try to get at least 7 hours a night.  It will help your body and brain function better!

  10. Brush your teeth after you eat.  The taste will help prevent snacking between meals!

Hope you found these helpful.  If you have any other newbie tips, leave them in the comments!

Happy Monday!!

Emily