Author: themommamaven

Trauma and Cancer, A Dynamic Duo

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8-4-2012
I’m not even really sure how to write this post, or if I should write it… all I know is that it replays in my mind constantly and I feel like I need to get it off of my chest.

It is roughly one year to the day that we found out my Dad has cancer. It is also about 4 months since we were told that it had come back and is now stage IV. What a year it has been… I often talk about the hellish nightmare it is, nothing’s changed there. We should have a frequent flyer card for the hospital, even my 2 year old knows how to manuever through the rat maze that is Swedish Hospital, he’ll tell you exactly where to go to see “Grampa and his big owie”

A few days ago was another trek to the hospital. I got a phone call early in the morning from my step mom, clearly panicked, that my Dad had just left the house in an ambulance. He had gone to the bathroom and just as she went to check on him she caught him as he fell to the floor and proceeded to bleed out all over the bathroom floor. Continue reading “Trauma and Cancer, A Dynamic Duo” →

Postpartum life, what the books don’t tell you

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There are 5 million books on pregnancy and what to expect, what’s normal, etc. There are 5 million books on your baby’s development once they arrive. But what the heck happened to the advice and tips for MOM afterward? You don’t hear about this stuff in any book or in any birthing class!

I would’ve appreciated a little forewarning, so I offer the following from my experiences. Each kid came with a new surprise! No shame here in sharing.

No one warned me… Continue reading “Postpartum life, what the books don’t tell you” →

A Clubfoot Journey

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It was the very end of our 16 week ultrasound when the technician said “well baby is looking great! There’s just one little thing here, her left foot is turned in, so the doctor will chat with you about that. Everything else is absolutely perfect!” it was a cheerful voice but you could tell it was awkward for her to say, how do you deliver news like this to a parent? She guided the ultrasound probe around to zoom in on her foot and showed us how compared to the other foot you could see all the foot bones in one plane which indicated that it was turned in. She didn’t use the term clubfoot until I said it. It was obvious she was politely trying to tip toe around things until the doctor came in so that he could do the talking. I asked a handful of questions which she tried to answer vaguely and kept reiterating that the doctor would have a lot more info for us. Continue reading “A Clubfoot Journey” →

Healthy Detox Meal Options

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Here are some of the recipes we used for dinners during the Arbonne 30 Days to Healthy Living cleanse. They’re great options for anyone looking for tasty low to no carb meals. Most are Whole30 compliant and paleo compliant. Some can easily be adjusted for ketogenic diet folks too. For those not looking for “diet” food I can attest that these are great tasting simple recipes that are actually good for you, win win. Continue reading “Healthy Detox Meal Options” →

I Want To Try This Arbonne Thing

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If you’ve decided you want to try this out and buy a kit follow the instructions below.
The Arbonne website is not the most user friendly unfortunately. I’ve attached some screen shots to hopefully help out the process of signing up for those who are having trouble.

You can order the 30 Days To Healthy Living kit without signing up to be a “Preferred Client” but the price is substantially higher and you pay a ton for shipping. If you’re looking for the cheapest way to do this sign up as a Preferred Client. It’s only $29 which is good for the entire year and gets you 20-40% off of all products, allows you to buy the nutrition kit value pack, and you’ll get free shipping and a free gift. Continue reading “I Want To Try This Arbonne Thing” →

Arbonne 30 Days To Healthy Living Review

Published on by themommamaven11 Comments

If you’re new to this Arbonne Bootcamp thing or heard about it and want to know more I’ve laid out my personal honest review of the experience here with a few posts.

I’m always up for any new takes on healthy eating and clean living so when I was told about this Arbonne “cleanse” of sorts I figured sure why not give it a shot. A month’s worth of cleaner eating, some detox for the body, couldn’t hurt.

I’ll cut to the chase, our results, and if you want to know more about what this program is keep on reading about the basics, pros, cons, and how to try it yourself it you want to.

Results

Much to our surprise (we were quite skeptical going in) we both kicked butt! I lost 10 pounds and finally got past the plateau I’d been sitting at, I’m the lowest weight I’ve been in 5 years and this all happened while I was 4 months postpartum with our 4th kiddo which had proven much harder to lose the baby weight than the others.

My husband did even better, he lost 28 pounds! Yes 28, no joke. He is the lowest weight he’s been in 12 years! This is a big feat for him as he’s tried plenty of other things in the past that fell short. Continue reading “Arbonne 30 Days To Healthy Living Review” →

Tried and True Freezer Meals For Foodies

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We’ve all got that board on Pinterest with a million freezer meal ideas. You’ve probably tried a handful or perhaps you’ve even gone ahead with one that has a full blown plan, shopping list, and instructions and made all of them only to find that the majority aren’t very good or don’t cook right. Ditto here, I’ve tried dozens and dozens and finally came up with my own list a while back of recipes that are actually delicious, easy to compile, and freeze and cook well. Some are borrowed and modified, some I made up myself.
Continue reading “Tried and True Freezer Meals For Foodies” →

Kids Bento Lunch Ideas

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When my older kiddos finally started school I went on an exhaustive hunt to find THE perfect lunchbox for them. If I didn’t find the perfect lunchbox it could possibly ruin their entire school experience, moms stress about things like this because we’re crazy. I loved the of bento lunches that let them have a few bites of a bunch of stuff rather than the typical sandwich in a paper sack.
Continue reading “Kids Bento Lunch Ideas” →

All That Glitters Is Gold or Brass

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I’ve been saying this for a while now, much to my husband’s horror, that gold and brass are making a come back in design land. He is a home builder and the only thing he can picture is that awesome uber shiny brass finish on door hinges, door knobs, lamps, and ceiling fans from the glorious late 80’s and 90’s that we’ve continually replaced during renovations the last decade. I’m slowly bringing him to the light of how amazing this come back actually is. Continue reading “All That Glitters Is Gold or Brass” →

WGU The BSN to MSN Program

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The following is a synopsis of the courses I had to complete to finish my BSN to MSN program (I graduated in 2016). These courses may have changed since then but this will give you a good idea of what to expect from the program. I had 37 CU’s to complete for the MSN (they changed this after I was done and removed an OA). There are 14 courses.

You’ll notice a theme in my explanations below, a lot of redundancy. Many of the courses were more work than I thought at first glance and because of this the course insight I have is a bit longer than the BSN courses.
Continue reading “WGU The BSN to MSN Program” →