Minnie Mama's Blog

Although I’ve thought about this blog a lot over the last few years, I just couldn’t bring myself to open it up and write. It sounds totally silly now that I am actually typing, but when I thought about blogging again, I would just freeze up and tell myself that I had nothing to write about worth reading. But then I started reading my old posts and realized I never had anything totally substantial to write about in the first place so what the hell?! Ha ha. In all seriousness though, I felt like now that my ‘baby’ wasn’t  baby anymore what was the point? I no longer have a toddler to blog about and all of our silly adventures so it’s not like my blog would be helpful to fellow new moms. But I realized since I’ve changed on so many levels, then why can’t my audience readers change too, right?! While I don’t plan to blog as much about Isabella as I did in the past, I will be blogging instead more about ME and my life as a mom to a pre-teen and 2 pups. Now don’t get me wrong, I could easily sit here all day and babble on and on about Isabella (both good and bad stories as you fellow parents can relate, I am sure), but as she’s entering her pre-teen years and kids are more internet savvy these days, I do want to respect her privacy as much as possible and try to keep her out of the limelight, so to speak.

I hope that all of my old and new readers will enjoy this blog as we kick off our summer adventures.

Hey, hey, hey! Guess who’s back?! Minnie Mama! Yay! And I am here to stay this time, pinky promise. 🙂

So much has happened since I last blogged and we have a lot to catch up on. Go ahead and grab a cup of coffee and sit down as this is a must read…

Ready? OK here goes..

I FINALLY became a stay-at-home Mama. Can you believe it? I’ve only been bitching and wishing for this lifestyle change since the moment I found out I was pregnant, nearly 7 years ago! And now after much perseverence, hard work, prayers, tears, tantrums, etc. the stars finally aligned and I was able to quit my dead-end job and follow my dream. Of course, I couldn’t have done this without my amazing, hard working, loving, and hot hubby who I will be forever grateful to. I probably sound like such a kiss-ass wife, but its the complete truth and I really am beyond blessed.
I absolutely love every second of my life now and I couldn’t be happier.

I feel like I’ve found my purpose and direction in life which is something that I never thought would happen. I was never interested in school and college was a fun party which didn’t last long enough for me to even earn a degree. Of course I went to aesthetic school and got my beauty license, but let’s be real — that wasn’t a career, it was just another fun outlet to play makeup and get dolled up. Anyways, I ended up in a dead-end job for far too many years and it literally sucked the life out of me as I sit in a jail cell all day, well a cubicle, but what’s the difference really when I couldn’t even see daylight?!

Long story short, my life feels like it’s exactly where it’s supposed to be now. I am the CEO of my household and more actively involved in Isabella’s life than I ever imagined. I am a Cheer Mom to her squad, her troop’s Daisy leader, a volunteer on the PTO, always there for school drop offs / pickups, and she’s able to have playdates with her friends after school. Our days are filled with much laughter, tea parties, and baking cookies. It’s everything I dreamed of and so much more.

I am blessed and finally at peace… And I now have no excuse not to blog and get my booty back in shape. A Mama can only clean the house and visit the mall so much, right?! 😉

With summer being here, I’ve been taking more and more days off so I can spend time w/ my little BFF. She only goes to work 2 days a week now and it’s been awesome having her home! We seriously never run out of fun and silly things to do with each other — she’s the best! But with this never-ending heat wave we’ve been experiencing in the Boston area there is only so many things we can do. I mean, we’ve done the museums / movies / library 1,0000 times already and as much as we love the beach it’s almost too hot to go bake in the scorching sun. So what’s a girl to do? Well, these girls go shopping!

We spent the morning at our fave mall and had so much fun walking around in the AC while doing a little shopping. And of course we had to make a stop at Sephora — my girl loves sitting there and getting made up all sparkly & pink. Ahhh, be still my heart! 🙂

So after working up quite the appetite from all our ‘hard work’ we decided to go check out Jamba Juice thanks to the awesome that I joined who provided me with a GC. Isabella is on a totally smoothie kick lately so this was the perfect option — healthy, delicious, and quick. Plus I’ve never actually visited Jamba Juice so I was excited to check it out and see what all the hype was about. I was expecting a little kiosk in the middle of the mall, but it’s actually a pretty good sized store and it’s super cute w/ all kinds of bright decorations and wicked friendly staff.

While waiting for our smoothies, I had Isabella do a little informal photo shoot. Yes, we probably looked like total weirdos posing in Jamba Juice, but we had fun!

Isabella ordered the “Jamba Kids Berry Beet It” with only 190 calories plus dairy & gluten free (luckily she has no allergies and she’s a little girl so we obviously don’t count calories, but just in case you were curious!) and I had the “Tropical Harvest Smoothie” which is only 230 calories and dairy / gluten free. Both smoothies were wicked good – like seriously delicious! Honestly, I wasn’t sure if my little chocoholic would go for a smoothie made with beets, but she didn’t even notice and she happily drank the whole thing. I snuck a little taste and it was really delicious — sweet, but not in a sickening sugary kind of way. My Tropical Harvest Smoothie was soooooo delicious, all it really needed was a little umbrella and I could’ve been on a tropical island, ha ha.

We also ordered the Kid’s pizza turkey roll which Isabella planned to share with me, but decided it was too good and she needed to eat it all. Of course her eyes are bigger than her stomach so she only ate 1/2 of it and I got to finish it — totally delicious!

I am probably supposed to tell you the following:

Only 8% of Americans achieve their recommended target for fruit in an average day.
Only 6% of individuals meet their recommended target for vegetables in an average day.
1% adults and 2% kids meet both the fruit and veggie recommendations each day.

But I don’t think we need to get into all those details because all you need to know is that you have to get your booty to Jamba Juice ASAP! Like seriously, I promise you won’t regret it — the prices are very reasonable and more importantly the smoothies are deliciously made from only real, whole fruit and vegetable juice with no added sugars and every smoothie is made-to-order. Mmmm, I am craving a Jamba Juice smoothie now — off to the mall we go! 🙂

Important Disclosure: I received this product for free from the Sponsor of the Moms Meet program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet Blogger, I agreed to use this product and post my opinion on my bloy. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturer of the product.

I’ve said it so many times over the past 1 1/2 years, but I think it’s finally clicked this time. It clicked many moons ago and I did it, but then like I’ve mentioned in the past the weight slowly crept back on. Well, this time it’s clicked again and I am DOING IT!

I saw a quote online that said something like: Losing weight is hard. Maintaining your weight is hard. Being overweight is hard. Choose your hard.

And that totally clicked for me. I can continue to self-loathe my body every single day for the rest of my life or I can do something about it. I can treat it right and take care of it and work hard to get it where I want it to be. I can hate going clothes shopping and dress like an old fat lady or I can get to the shape I wanna be and enjoy shopping again and wearing cute outfits. I can do this. I will do this. I am doing this.

I need to set a good example for my little girl. I want to keep up with my little girl. I want to be healthy for my little girl.

I want to be a hot sexy wife for my husband. I want to keep the spark alive.

I want to have more babies in the future (did I really just say that out loud?!). But I need to be healthy and strong for myself and my future babies before I allow myself to get pregnant. There is no way I am gaining 20+ lbs on top of what I already weigh. That is soooo NOT happening.

But most of all I want / need to get healthy and fit for myself. I owe it to myself first and foremost to be the hottest, fittest, healthiest Mama / wife / woman that I can be!

And what post would be complete without a pic of my favorite little BFF. Is she seriously not the cutest little girl ever?! 🙂

I was recently asked to review Sambazon juices and smoothies through #momsmeet. In all honestly, at first I was skeptical if I’d like these products as I am / was a strong believer that you need to sit down and enjoy a meal by actually chewing it, not drinking it on the go. I realize everyone is on the juicing wagon, but I like a nice hearty breakfast to start my day — oatmeal w/ fruit or toast w/ pb! Plus store bought smoothie drinks typically have a lot of added sugar and other additives that we really don’t need.

However, I learned that all Sambazon Superfood juices are NON-GMO, USDA organic, vegan, gluten-free, full of antioxidants, healthy omega 3-6-9s and provide whole nutrition. Plus, their marketing principles really won me over:

SAMBAZON’S PRINCIPLES OF PURPLE LOVE – a manifesto guiding us to always:
1. Foster a healthy disregard for the impossible.
2. Be fiercely committed to Sustainability + all things Organic/Non-GMO.
3. Share Superfoods that energize the Body + Soul.
4. Live an active lifestyle that’s centered around vibrant Health + Wellness.
5. Be honest, upful, playful, open, curious, driven and humble.
6. Trust in “One Tribe. One Vibe.” by being earnest, approachable and radically inclusive of all.
7. Measure success through a Triple Bottom Line: Social + Environmental + Economic.
I decided to try the following:
ENERGY Acai Berry + Yerba Mate + Guarana
PROTEIN Acai Berry + chocolate
BLENDED Breakfast

I tasted the Energy Acai Berry first and it was absolutely delicious. I actually felt like it gave me real energy, not a caffeine boost of energy, but actual energy. And it tasted really yummy. I am not sure I’d drink it again as a meal replacement as it was more of a snack, but it did the trick for a little while.

The following day I tried the Protein Acai Berry and this was actually really filling. I drank it post-workout and OMG I didn’t even end up eating dinner. It totally filled me up and it was delicious. The chocolate was very subtle, but satisfied my constant sweet tooth without being too sugary.

And then on the 3rd day I had the Blended Breakfast and planned to try that one as my breakfast. I say ‘planned’ because honestly it wasn’t my favorite so I ended up eating a banana and raisins instead. I feel bad saying this because Sambazon is asking me to review their product, but I always pride myself on providing my readers w/ honest reviews and honestly it was gross. It was very thick and I could literally taste the oats with each sip — it was just not my thing.

Overall though, I loved Sambazon and will definitely be adding these into my weekly grocery shopping list. They are awesome and perfect for on the go or just for an afternoon pick-me up.
Are you curious about trying these smoothies? Well then, you’re in luck because I’m hosting a very special giveaway for one winner to receive THREE free product vouchers plus a wooden bowl and spoon valued at $45! All you have to do is become a follower of Minnie Mama’s Blog and then leave a comment letting me know you did. For an extra entry, leave a comment telling me if you’ve ever tried Sambazon or why you’d like to try it.

**You must be a legal US Resident over age 18 to enter this contest. All entries must be submitted by June 30th at 12am.

Important Disclosure: No monetary compensation was received for this post, but I did receive products to test out. All opinions stated are strictly my own and are 100% honest as you will see. 😉

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the amazing women in my life!

I wouldn’t be the woman / wife / mama that I am today without these beautiful & strong women who I look up to. I love you so much, Mom, and Grammie too. Thank you, Mom, for always being there for me and loving me no matter what. You’re my best friend and my little BFF and I are both so lucky to have you as our Mom / Grandma.

Now with that said, please, please, please, please take back that wish that I’d have a daughter just like me someday because we both know how screwed I will be once she’s a teenager, ha ha!

And a special ‘thank you’ to my absolutely beautiful and wonderful little girl who made me the luckiest Mama in the whole wide world.

I hope all of you have a really special day and make sure to celebrate all the special moms in your life!

Last night I worked my ass off on the elliptical and could feel sweat dripping down my body into all sorts of places. It was totally disgusting and invigorating at the same time. I was proud of myself. I really stepped it up a notch and worked hard.

But then when undressing for the shower I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and it was depressing. Like seriously, it was bad. I saw bulges that I never noticed before and rolls that a baker would be envious of. It was awful. How did I allow myself to get to this point? Why did I not stop eating when that first 5 or 10 or even 15 lbs was gained? Why did I wait till I gained 30 freaking pounds?! Last summer at this time I knew I needed to lose 15lbs and now 1 year later, did I lose it? No I went and gained another 15lbs. Freaking crazy…

I could sit here all day and make excuses for my weight gain — sitting down all day at a desk job; I am a stress eater / celebration eater / bored eater (see a pattern here?); not nursing anymore (god, I miss being able to eat so much extra, lol); etc. But excuses won’t help me lose this weight and fit in all my old super cute skinny clothes. Only hard work and proper eating will get me where I need to be. And I will be there, God dammnit. The excuses are stopping here and today is THE day that I will start. Well, actually, I did really good yesterday so technically it was yesterday, but it sounds better to say today, ha ha!

I want to set a good example for my daughter so she will follow in my strong & healthy footsteps. And I want to set a good example for myself. I want to be the best me I can be. I want to be happy with myself inside and out. I want to shop for fun clothes again instead of dreading shopping because nothing fits right. I lost 80lbs about 10 years ago and managed to keep it off all this time with the exception of these 30lbs that creeped up over the last couple years. If I can lose 80lbs then I can sure as hell lose 30lbs and I am gonna do it by my 30-something Birthday in August.

Every week I will be posting my weight loss updates — maybe actual weight, but probably just amount lost for now. And I might post before pics too depending on how brave I feel. There’s no better way to actually stick to something then just putting it all out there for the whole world to see, right?

Who’s down with me for the challenge? Let’s face the naked truth together! 🙂

Hey guys! Just wanted to formally announce the winner of the “Run the Rainbow, Eat the Rainbow” contest. It was, drumroll please….Amanda!

Congratulations Amanda! Hope your little one enjoys her super cute and comfy colorful shoes! 🙂

And everyone else, please keep reading this blog because there’s another really special and delicious contest coming up soon!

Back when I was young and carefree AKA not a mama, the definition of a perfect day would’ve been sleeping in late, hitting up the gym, shopping for a bit, lunch out, my fave day spa to relax & be pampered, and then ending the night out on a date w/ the hubby & some bubbly, ha ha. Sounds heavenly even now.

Wanna know what my perfect day is now? Try not to laugh… Getting up wicked early before everyone else so I can jump on the elliptical, a long hot shower w/ enough time to shave my legs, spending the whole day somewhere fun like the Zoo / museum / park w/ my little BFF tantrum free, dinner as a family at one of our fave local restaurants, and then my little BFF being so exhausted that she passes out by 9pm (I can dream, right?!) and catching up on my shows / watching a movie w/ the hubs before passing out too. Funny how things change, isn’t it?

I’m pretty blessed though as all last weekend was almost like my ‘perfect’ day as the weather was beautiful and I spent 24/7 with my precious girl. Of course she didn’t pass out before 11pm and I’m honestly not sure which one of passed out first — I’m guessing me though. But overall it’s been awesome and I am so excited Spring is here as the sunshine just makes everything feel perfect.

Tell me what would your perfect day be like?

All week long I’ve been sitting here at this computer screen trying to think of something silly and creative and clever to blog, but nothing comes to mind. The blank screen stares back at me. There is nothing to say. So much has happened to my city over the past week and it’s senseless, tragic, unexplainable, and downright frightening. I am a proud Bostonian who was born and raised here. I always felt safe here and at peace. But then last week happened and everything shifted upside down. What should have been a fun day for everyone as it has been forever, instead turned into a day of horror that will forever be remembered. Hundreds of innocent people were severely hurt and three lost their lives. I left my work in fear for my own life and didn’t return back until 2 days later.

Once I returned back to work more drama happened at the Courthouse right by my work as a bomb threat was called in. Again, I was terrified.

And then just when I thought maybe things would be alright, again fear took over our whole entire city and the surrounding suburbs when we were ordered into lockdown. Hundreds of SWAT team members / Police / FBI swarmed my baby brother’s neighborhood looking for the terrorists who killed a 4th innocent person, a police officer who was on duty trying to protect our community, and these madmen were now on the loose armed and dangerous. We were ordered to stay under lockdown and no one had a clue where / when these crazy terrorists would strike again. It was beyond scary and all I could do was hold my precious beautiful baby girl and give her kisses and hugs. Her little face is so innocent and precious. So trusting. One of the poor victims who was a little boy a few years older than her. I cannot even begin to imagine the pain and suffering his poor family must be going through. It’s unbearable and beyond tragic. His little sister also lost a leg during this bomb explosion and his mom was severely injured too. It’s horrific. Those are just examples of one family’s pain, but there are so many more people going through this. There are hundreds of victims from this day…these days…and they will forever live with this pain.

My little girl vaguely knows the situation as I explained there was a bad guy who the police arrested and she is safe. She only knows that much of the story as I needed to give her some reason as to why we were skipping school last Friday and yet couldn’t play outside on a beautiful sunny Spring day. It scares me to think that something awful like this could happen in the world that my baby lives in. I want to protect her forever and keep her safe in my loving arms as I know all parents do. It makes me sick to my stomach thinking about the craziness in this world. What is wrong with people? What goes on in a person’s mind to make them want to committ these horrible acts of violence and invasion to other humans?

All throughout Boston everyone is saying “Boston Strong” and I completely agree that we are a strong community and will overcome this together. But honestly, I am Boston Scared too…

That is all that I have for today… I promise my next post will be more uplifting, but today I just needed to get that off my chest.