Find and Follow Friday!

I love you all! You are so amazing and your support is overwhelming! I am still getting situated with working part time out of the home and everything else along with holidays and everything else chaotic! But beyond the craziness that is going on in life right now I am so excited I get to be a cohost of the Find and Follow Friday with Me & The Moon! 


Thanks for joining us! So let's get to it:

1. Follow your hosts. 

They will be numbers 1 - 5 on the list. **I try to always follow back, so PLEASE leave a comment letting me know you're new here so I don't miss you! ** Sometimes it takes a little while, but I always get through every comment and follow back. :) ----------------- My co-hosts this week are Terri over at Rambling Momma Misty over at Monkeys and Tutus Nicole over at Sunkissed with a Twist +   Myranda over at Pretty Living PDX! ----------------------------- 2. Link up your blog's main page

3. Try to stop by at least 3 blogs and follow ones you love. 

I'm sure they'd love it if you left a comment, as well :)

4. Take a button! 

Sharing is caring :) The more awesome blogs = the more awesome bloggy friends you make.

<a border="0" href="http://meandthem00n.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src=http://i1077.photobucket.com/albums/w475/meandthem00n/FindandFollow.jpg></a>

5. Tweet this hop!

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Spread the hop love. 

I've decided to make this hop every other Friday for the time being-- e-mail me at nmariephoto@gmail.com if you'd like to co-host! 

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Today's the day!

It's official... I have a 3, 2 & 1 year old! November is the month of all my babies birthdays and its also the month I start reflecting on this past year... This year started out hard as we waited for the hubs to get home from his first deployment.  But in between December 2011 and march 2012 I lost 45 lbs! I was well on the way to my 100 lb goal! 

Once the hubs came home life changed dramatically. It was wonderful to have him home but somehow the weight loss stopped.  Way to many ice creams, bags of chips and everything else bad along the way!  We have both gained weight!

In july I started a biggest loser challenge with some friends and it just didn't go as planned! Over the past 6 months I have been up and down in my weight and here I sit today 13 lbs more than I weighed when my hubs came home! My best friend is getting married in 4 weeks and my brides maid dress does NOT fit! 

Along my struggle I found Brittany from the Denny Buzz and she began talking to me about doing this 24 day challenge!  Today I started the challenge and am very excited! 

Every morning has a fiber drink that was, well... Awful... But worth it and i made it through lol. The spark energy drink was amazing and I feel really great! 

This is another beginning... One where I look at the past year, a little frustrated knowing that if I had done better I'd already be at my goal weight! Instead I'm 13 lbs back! My goal through this next 24 day challenge is to lose 20 lbs.  

Here is the link to the info post on the challenge! Check it out! It's going to be epic! 

http://monkeysandtutus.blogspot.com/2012/11/24-day-biggest-loser-challenge.html

I will share more throughout this week and of course over the whole challenge!  Excited to be getting back on track!! Thanks so much Brittany! You guys are awesome!!!!

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Mommy moments hop

I'm sorry I have been totally MIA all week! Holidays plus new job equal no time! I'm working on a great post for tomorrow and also getting ready to start my 24 day challenge!!! 
I will tell you more later but for now I wanted to invite you to be a part of this weeks Mommy Moments! 


Welcome back for another week of Mommy Moments Monday Blog Hoppin'!  
Did you all have a great Thanksgiving? I hope you have some great memories from the day to share with us!

A sincere thank you to all of you who link up so faithfully every week. I wish I could visit every one of your links, but time just won't allow it:( I know you are all making some new friends and learning lots of great mothering tips and tricks through this link up! I know I am!

The top viewed link from last week belongs to one of my personal favorites and our very own co-host, Megan from The Mrs! Megan shared with us last week The Truth About Madison's Birth Day.

Madison had a C-section birth and Megan shares the truth of how she felt about it. Megan is so honest and real in this post and I know many moms will be encouraged through her genuineness. Above all, I love Megan's reminder from her husband that God works ALL things together for the good of those who love him. So true! Thank you for sharing sweet Megan!

 Now, let's get this party started!
To link up, just...

1. Follow Host: The Life Of Faith 

and Co-Hosts: Monkeys and Tutus, The Not Quite Military Wife, and The Mrs. 
and this week's guest host: Bridget from Full House, Full Home

2. Link up your post!
Post can include anything related to mommy-hood, children, homemaking, pregnancy etc. If you aren't a mom yet, feel free to link up your preparation for motherhood, your journey as you try to conceive, or even a post that would be encouraging to the other moms in the party!

3. Add the Mommy Moments button to your post or blog so everyone knows where you are linking up!

<div align="center"><a href="http://the-life-of-faith.blogspot.com//search/label/baby" title="The Life Of Faith"><img src="http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k537/faithkonrath/mommymomentsbutton.jpg" alt="The Life Of Faith" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

4. Explore some of the other posts in the link-up and say hello to some new blog friends! 

5. Tweet or Share the link up on Facebook so we can all make even more friends!

Tweet

And that's all! Thanks for linking up:)

Colossians 3:17 
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Linking up with Mom's Monday Mingle, Mama Moments Monday, Monday's Musings, and The Better Mom Mondays

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Mommy Moments Hop

Welcome back for another week of Mommy Moments Monday Blog Hoppin'!  

A sincere thank you to all of you who link up so faithfully every week!  I wish I could visit every one of your links, but time just won't allow it! I hope you are all making some new friends and learning lots of great mothering tips and tricks through this link up! I know I am!

The top viewed link from last week belongs to Samantha from Hooah and Hiccups! Her post, Come On Baby, 

You definitely don't want to miss this awesome birth story! Samantha's hubby is in the military and could only be home for a few weeks towards the end of her pregnancy. As a result, Samantha was induced and her hubby was able to be there for the birth! Yay! Read her version of how all of that went down. It's a great story! Thanks for sharing Samantha:) 

Now, let's get this party started!
To link up, just...

1. Follow Host: The Life Of Faith 

and Co-Hosts: Monkeys and Tutus, The Not Quite Military Wife, and The Mrs. 
and this week's guest host: Rachel from Dreaming of the Country

2. Link up your post!
Post can include anything related to mommy-hood, children, homemaking, pregnancy etc. If you aren't a mom yet, feel free to link up your preparation for motherhood, your journey as you try to conceive, or even a post that would be encouraging to the other moms in the party!

3. Add the Mommy Moments button to your post or blog so everyone knows where you are linking up!

4. Explore some of the other posts in the link-up and say hello to some new blog friends! 

5. Tweet or Share the link up on Facebook so we can all make even more friends!

Tweet

<div align="center"><a href="http://the-life-of-faith.blogspot.com//search/label/baby" title="The Life Of Faith"><img src="http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k537/faithkonrath/mommymomentsbutton.jpg" alt="The Life Of Faith" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Colossians 3:17 
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Linking up with Mom's Monday Mingle, Mama Moments Monday, Monday's Musings, and The Better Mom Mondays

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Count down to fit my dress eek

I absolutely can not wait for Friday! It was about this time last year when I got super motivated to get my weight loss going strong! I lost 45 lbs from December to March last year and then i have been an up and down yoyo mess of the same 10 lbs since April!  I absolutely have to lose like 15 lbs before Christmas or I wont fit in my bridesmaid dress! I am starting this 24 day challenge (you can read about it in my previous post here)  I know its going to be the exact thing I need to get jump started back on the road to loosing the rest of this dad gum baby weight from being knocked up back to back to back! Ha
Read the info and join me! Its going to be epic!!!

If you've been curious about joining us for the 24 Day Advocare Challenge, check out this website to learn even more about it!

www.choosethechallenge.com

email me with questions or to sign up at newyouadvocare@ymail.com

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New Shoes, Meet Ups and Blown Away

What I love most about blogging is the amazing friendships I have made!  I cant even begin to tell you the amount of amazing gals I have formed a bond with over the past few months!  This past Friday evening we had an Oklahoma Blogger Meet up and I got to actually meet several of my 'online friends' face to face!  It was so much fun!   We started out at this cute lil shop called The Vintage Pearl that makes custom hand stamped jewelry and they so graciously opened their doors for us to just come and hang out and mingle.

I have to tell you, I was absolutely nervous about what to wear!  All I could think of was the dozens of beautiful stylish girls that would be there and spent the entire day stressing.

It turned out great and my mom got me some FAB new Leopard Shoes so everything was perfect! Ha!

We had some amazing giveaways! I even won a $50 GC to Schardein and Co which is an amazing salon in the city!  Cant wait to use it, especially after my most recent hair crisis of going in for a trim and getting my hair chopped all to pieces!

My beautiful friend Melissa over at Pineapple Lily won a $70 facial and a super cozy plush robe from Royal Oak Massage & Spa, which is absolutely the best place for a massage and a facial   I was so excited to see all the local business that supported our meet up and I was blown away by Passion Fruit Ads!  They sponsored our whole event!  They bought us wine (not that i drink wine) and amazing Cupcakes from Pinkitzle. I can not even begin to tell you how amazing these cupcakes were! OMG

I was also very surprised by how many people don't use passionfruitads and some who havent even heard of them!  If you don't use them seriously you have got to check them out!  Its free to use and it does all the work for you!  You dont have to charge people for ads but you totally can.  I have prices on mine but all of them are available for swaps and giveaways!

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Amazed

Holy cow! It's Thursday! This week has flown by! I started my part time job on Monday and all I can say is refreshing!
I'm only going to be working less than 20 hours a week outside of the home and able to do stuff from home too so it's a sweet deal!
A friend of mine owns a massage and spa and I am her new manager! I love it just for the simple fact of it feels like vaca haha!
I adore my babies and adore being home with them as much as possible but it really is nice to get out and have a break. For most of 3 years I've been home 24/7 with them. And over a year of it all alone, because of deployment.

I can't even begin to describe to you the change in perspective of everything. The time with my kids is more quality because I'm away from them some. They are more affectionate and listen more because they have a chance to miss me and visa versa!

However I hate the time away from my hubs! But that will be fixed in about 3 weeks with a very exciting opportunity for him! Will share more later!

Yesterday we spent the day at an exotic animal park and it was amazing! We Aw dozens of animals, more than our zoo for sure! We were within 5 feet of everything which was awesome and we had awesome family time!
Here are some fun pics!
Will post more tomorrow! This week had just been crazy!

Spicy Taco Soup

Friday night my friend made this super yummy super easy taco soup. It's actually a weight watchers meal but I took it and added some things and came up with this most delicious spicy taco soup! Yummy! Ps blogging from my iPhone and iPad have their challenges lol, 

Here's the recipe! This makes a huge pot!

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Ingredients:

2 lb ground beef

2 packets of Taco seasoning

Ranch dressing packet

Large  can of stewed tomatoes

Large can of diced tomatoes

2 cans of rotel

Large can of corn

2 cans of kidney beans

1 onion diced

Cayenne pepper to taste (I added lots to make extra spicy)

Optional 3 Fresh tomatoes ( I threw these in the blender with the taco seasoning and ranch packets then added to the meat first, but totally not necessary)

Brown meat, mix in seasonings and put into large pot

I drained everything except the canned tomatoes and let simmer for 30 mins

Omg soooooo yummy

I'm also so excited for my upcoming 24 day challenge! Here's some more info on it!!!

If you've been curious about joining us for the 24 Day Advocare Challenge, check out this website to learn even more about it!

www.choosethechallenge.com

email me with questions or to sign up at newadvocareyou@ymail.com

 

Mommy moments

Welcome back for another week of Mommy Moments Monday Blog Hoppin'!  

A sincere thank you to all of you who link up so faithfully every week. I wish I could visit every one of your links, but time just won't allow it:( I hope you are all making some new friends and learning lots of great mothering tips and tricks through this link up! I know I am!

The top viewed link from last week belongs to Lesley from Everyday Moments. You don't want to miss out on this big announcement...

What what? Yes there is going to be a 3rd added to this adorable little family! How fun:) I hope you will stop by and congratulate Lesley:)

 Let's get this party started!
To link up, just...

1. Follow Host: The Life Of Faith 

and Co-Hosts: Monkeys and Tutus, The Not Quite Military Wife, and The Mrs. 
and this week's guest host: Christine from Three Gentlemen and a Lady

2. Link up your post!
Post can include anything related to mommy-hood, children, homemaking, pregnancy etc. If you aren't a mom yet, feel free to link up your preparation for motherhood, your journey as you try to conceive, or even a post that would be encouraging to the other moms in the party!

3. Add the Mommy Moments button to your post or blog so everyone knows where you are linking up!

4. Explore some of the other posts in the link-up and say hello to some new blog friends! 

5. Tweet or Share the link up on Facebook so we can all make even more friends!

Tweet

<div align="center"><a href="http://the-life-of-faith.blogspot.com//search/label/baby" title="The Life Of Faith"><img src="http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k537/faithkonrath/mommymomentsbutton.jpg" alt="The Life Of Faith" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

P.S. I will be having a new guest host every week! Want to be a guest host of the Mommy Moments Blog Hop? Send Faith a message at farmprincess14{at}gmail{dot}com. We would love to have you on board!

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24 day biggest loser challenge!

I am so excited to be  joining Brittany of The Denny Buzz on this challenge!!! This post is actually written by her and is full of awesome info! Check it out and join with us!!! 

My family & I started our Advocare journey in August of this year & have had amazing results!  We all feel the best we ever have & look the best we have in a long time!  Since starting Advocare in August, my mom has lost 33 lbs, Shawn (my husband) has lost 30 lbs, my father-in-law has lost 20 lbs, & I have almost reached my goal with 14 lbs lost!  This has truly been a life-changer for us & it was an EASY and completely do-able way for us to change our old habits into new and healthy ones!

We are starting a Group 24 Day Challenge the day after Thanksgiving!  Misty, from Monkeys and Tutus, will be joining us in this challenge and we'd love to have you too!  To make it fun we are throwing in an incentive!  A Visa Gift Card for the Biggest Loser!

What is the 24 Day Challenge??

It is a comprehensive weight-loss system that can help you achieve your weight-loss goals or break through a plateau.  Days 1-10 is the Cleanse Phase which cleanses your body & prepares it for optimal nutrient absorption.  It's a gentle cleanse & we started feeling the benefits immediately!  Days 11-24 is the Max Phase which equips your body with tools to help you reach your personal goals.

What is the cleanse like?  

This was my first question when I started looking into the challenge because I've always been afraid of a cleanse!  I picture it being miserable and being stuck in the bathroom for days.  WRONG!  This cleanse is so gentle and it does not prohibit you from going to work or doing the things you need to do.  The best part is that you will start seeing results and starting feeling a lot better.

Can I eat while doing the challenge?  

YES!  There is a meal plan you follow for days 1-10 and then another plan that you follow days 11-24.  I am a picky eater and the meal plan is totally do-able for me.  We have actually continued to follow the meal plan for days 11-24 after we completed the challenge because it had become such a natural part of our life.  

What kind of products do you take during it?

During days 1-10 you take the following:

**Herbal Cleanse - (1) Fiber Drink - This is a powder that you gently stir in a glass of water and drink in the mornings before you eat on days 1-3 and 7-10.  (2) Days 1-7 you will take an herbal cleanse tablet and days 4-10 you take a probiotic pill.

**Spark - A sugar-free drink that provides fast-acting and long-lasting energy.  It contains 21 vitamins, minerals, and nutrients and helps sharpen mental focus. (flavors are fruit punch, mandarin orange, mango strawberry, cherry, grape, pink lemonade and citrus)  

**OmegaPlex -  Provides essential fatty acids for increased overall wellness.

During days 11-24 you take the following:

**Meal Replacement Shake - You drink this for breakfast and it provides complete nutrition in a delicious shake!  (flavors are chocolate, vanilla, mocha chocolate, berry)  

**MNS - This is a pack of pills that's divided up between before breakfast, with breakfast, before lunch, and with lunch.  There are three different ones to choose from:  MNS-Max 3, MNS Max E, or MNS Max C.  

**Spark - see above

I'm interested, now what?

Contact me ASAP at newyouadvocare@ymail.com with any questions and for information on the next step!  To get you your order in time, please contact me ASAP or by Thursday, 11/15, so we can have it to you in time.

We hope to have you join us in the upcoming challenge!  You won't regret it!






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Operation Oh Crap It Doesnt Fit

My best friend is getting married in a little less than 6 weeks and I've gained 7 lbs! The absolutely beautiful dress won't zip! Eeeeekkkkk! Time to get my butt in gear!!! 

Yea I know horrid pic but its not easy to try to hold a dress together and take a pic with an iPad hahahah 

First I'm setting weekly goals which is what my friend Brittany over at The Domestic Geek does and talks about in her fit friday posts that totally encourag me.  So many times I focus on my big long term goal and get discouraged! So now I'm trying weekly goals!  By setting weekly goals I have something smaller to focus on without being overwhelmed, then at the end of the week I can reevaluate and see what i need to accomplish in the next week! 

This week my goals are:

Lose 3 lbs

Do the 30 day shred 3x

No sugar

My 6 week goal is to lose 24 lbs

And my overall goal is 100 lbs of which I've already lost 42

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