Unscripted: Reflections

Life in the Fast Lane…or Warp-Speed Through Life's Transitions!
These are tag lines that could easily describe the last year (not to mention preceeding years) of my life.  I am not the type of person that realizes all I have been through in such a short period of time, until I force myself to slow down and intentionally reflect.   I find the day to day of life to be busy and exciting.  Weeks can go by before I realize I've just been through some major life event, let alone how deeply I've been impacted by it.
Moving, different jobs, no job, adding a child, marriage, poverty,  you name it, it is probably something I have sped through in the last couple of years without giving myself the proper time to respect the MASSIVE personal changes that result from those kinds of things.  But here I am.  And right now, I'm thinking about last year, specifically, and reflecting on the big things that came about.
Zion's First BirthdaySuccessful EMDR TreatmentJoined New Church CommunityMoved, Again (Third time in 3 years!) Maid of Honor in my BFF's WeddingThird Wedding AnniversaryGave Up Alcohol, AgainCelebrated My 30th BirthdayMoved Blog from Tumblr to Blogger  
I know this list is incomplete, but just seeing the few things on the list, 2011 was definitely a very busy year for me.  Some of these events brought great joy, and most took a lot of energy and planning and were down-right exhausting!  Few of these events received their proper weight of reflection and introspection.  
But 2012 is going to be a different year…intentional living, moment by moment.
This year I am going to slow things down or at least make an attempt at it.  I'm going to say "no" more and "yes" less.  I am going to be more real with myself, and unafraid of what people think.  I'm going to be a courageous storyteller, a devoted and respectful wife, and an approachable mother.  I am going to weigh decisions, and options more heavily.  I am going to learn how to relax and let things be less about time efficiency and more about quality.  
I am not going to make any more excuses for where I am, instead I am going to work hard to get to where I want to be.
Perhaps it was the pivotal moment of crossing that threshold from my 20's to 30's that has motivated me to make life count, or maybe it was my transition to motherhood and seeing how quickly my daughter has grown?  It very well may be God just asking me to slow down and not miss the "living" part of life.  Whatever the reason, this year I'm doing just that.

Time and tide wait for no man, but time always stands still for a woman of thirty. ~ Robert Frost

 

Link ♥

Hey guess what….I'm guest posting today!  Come say hello and checkout Nicole's recently redesigned blog!! Yay!!! :)

Do you own a Bumbo seat?  Did you know there is a safety warning about them?  You can get a FREE exchange for a PrinceLionheart BebePod!

This Mama is so bad-a$$.  I would have done the same thing, no question!

You know you're a parent when…{fill in the blank}.

50 Healthy All-Natural Detox Recipes … no pills, just good food.

Pondering chopping it all off for the new year?  Here are 10 ideas!

Good, cheap fun for toddlers.  And 40 ways to entertain your toddler while laying down {you know, for THOSE kind of days.}

These shoes, oh these shoes! LOVE!

Sorry ladies, JT is officially off the market.  *sob*

If you want to know why I'll never go bungee jumping, this is why.

Happy Friday!




 

Muffintop Meltdown {v.2}

Let's talk progress, points and one-for-one!!

 
 
 

Progress Report:

Total Weight Lost: 2 pounds

Total Inches Lost: 3.5 inches

I had a chance to sit down with the hubs to discuss my proposed point reward system.  Besides talking numbers in terms of weight lost or inches lost, the only other numbers I'm interested in are the ones that get me something I really want as a reward (besides the satisfaction of meeting my goals!)  For me, this means CASH money.  

Each day I collect points for doing something toward my goal:

At the end of each week I tally up the points, and at the end of the month I tally up those.  I can turn in my points at any time, but in order to get the bigger amounts I have to save my points. 

Did somebody say KA-CHING?!  Yeah, I want that cash, and it has so far been super motivating.

This Week:

I'm proud of these choices:

Grocery Shopping:  I didn't buy CHEESE OR BUTTER!  And since Jerry is away this week, I went ahead and loaded up on my modified vegetarian kinds of foods.  This is a HUGE win for me!

Tuesday Morning:  After a very rough night with Zion (only 4ish hours of sleep) I still headed out the door determined not to miss a free Pilates class that my Mops group was hosting!

I'd like to work more on:

Determining the difference between when I am thirsty or hungry.

Getting more consistent sleep .

Cutting down to 1 cup of coffee a day.

I totally cheated when:

I was surprised by how sad I got when Jerry left for his business trip this week, and proceeded  to justify eating a giant peanut-butter-chocolate chip milkshake to make myself feel better.  (I justified this by: hey, this ice cream needs to get out of our house…and I don't want to waste it!)

My One-For-One this week will be:  Yogurt/Applesauce/Herbs for Fats/Oils/Butter, as much as I'm able to substitute that is my goal!

How did you do this week?  I'd love to follow your success!  Feel free to link up below!

 

Word{ful} Wednesday: Happy Birthday Mama

Today my birth Mama celebrates another birthday.  On behalf of her special day, I've written a little note with a blessing/prayer.
Dear Mama,  On this day {51 years ago!} you were given the breath of life.  God himself chose you to come into this world.  There was no guarantee that life would be easy, and if anything it has been severely difficult for you.  It's not too late to embrace Him, to accept His love in your heart, to be transformed by His great mercy.  Nothing you have done or have been through is great enough to separate you from His love.  He stands waiting to wrap His loving arms around you, washing you in the cleansing waters of His tears.  Tears that He has cried for every hurt that you have endured.  His love never fails.  This I know to be true.
Today, I pray for you a blessing of unshakable peace…no matter what you are facing today.  Today, I pray for you a blessing of courage to boldly take the next step in front of you without wasting another moment looking back.Today, I pray for you a blessing of health, and many more years to come.Today, I pray you will find your way to the God who loves you, and receive Him fully.Today, I pray that we would talk more than once a year.
Love,Courtney



 

Trying It Now: BeautyMint

I am in no way being sponsored to write this post, just sharing my recent find and what I think of it so far.  


Have you heard of BeautyMint?  (If not, I am sure you've at least heard of JewelMint, StyleMint, or ShoeMint?)  Basically, it is the Skin-Care line created in partnership with a "Beverly Hills Celebrity Dermatologist" and Jessica Simpson.

I decided to try it out.  Until I hit 30, I cared relatively little about my skin.  Sad, but true.  Now, I am looking in the mirror and seeing fine lines…noticeable ones.  My husband has great skin, and is going to age better (it is in his genes!)  So I've been really adamant on getting a good regimen going.


What I've tried before:
ProActiv - I have adult acne outbreaks, especially since being off birth control.  Thank you hormones!  So I used ProActiv for a while, too long even.  Don't do it!  It is very damaging and harsh to the skin!
I've used the MaryKay Timewise System.  I used to be a consultant.  I'd be willing to try it again if I don't like BeautyMint.
I also sampled the Somme Institute's MDT5…and that stuff…Ahhhhh-Mazing.  But it is out of my budgetary reach right now.  (*tear*)
So I finally responded to one of the "deals" in an email and got my first box of BeautyMint (a 5 Piece Set.)  I've been using it for almost a week.  I have some good things to say, but the jury is still out.

The highlight of using it so far is that I've always had flaky, dry skin in the creases of my nose, and it is COMPLETELY gone.  I'm amazed.  I've seriously used prescription strength lotion from the dermatologist I see here in NYC with no relief…and in one week…gone.  
On the other side, I have been having some breakouts…so not sure if that is just my skin purging itself of the impurities or what.  
I'll let you know later in the month whether I decide to keep using it or try something different. 
Do you have a skincare line that you love?  Would love more options!


 

"Pinning!" {Wk.7} Motivation

Welcome to the FIRST "Pinning!" Post of 2012!!!

First timer?  Check out the RULES, then link up below!

This week's theme: Motivation

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I'm ready to do this! Are you!?  What is your current motivation?

THANK YOU for Linking up last week… year!  Let's pick up where we left off and build some momentum going forward!!

Who will win the very first Award for Pinning-Est in 2012?

Are you "Pinning"?  

Come on, everyone is doing it.  

Join me MONDAYS for weekly sharing of Pinterest finds.  

After all, together we are "Pinning!"

{Rules}

January 9th: Motivation (Anything related to your goals in 2012)

January 16th: Baby It's Cold Outside (Anything to survive the cold winter)

January 23rd: These Boots Were Made For Walking (Boots!)

January 30th: Take Me Away! (If you could go anywhere right now…)

February 6th: Partytime (Plan a party, any party!)

 

The Weekly Wrap {1.8.12}

My in-laws {who I love dearly!} came for a visit over New Year's weekend.  They live in Ohio, close enough for a day's drive.  It is always a special time when they come, but this trip was by far one of the best yet.  Zion was so warm and accepting of them into our home…she played for hours with Grandma, teased Grandpa for sleeping alot…it was a weekend I will cherish for years to come.


 

Pizza is definitely a favorite food in our family, especially homemade pizza.  As I watched Zion participate with such joy, it made me realize just how quickly she has grown.
 
 

My mother-in-law had always wanted to go to Times Square on New Year's eve, something us locals cringe at the thought of.  But, to cross it off the bucket list, Jerry went with her and they stayed long enough to see the ball being lit-up, then hurried home to spend the time counting down with us.
  

New Year's day we headed out to Riverside Park to take a few pictures, hoping to get some print-worthy ones of Zion with her grandparents.  Unfortunately, I have a lot to learn still, so though I felt my ideas were good, I need to work on the technical aspects.   It was still a good trip, and I do have some nice pictures to show from it.



 

 


 

 

After we were done at the park, we headed to a little brunch spot while Zion napped.  Then to cross off another bucket-list item for my mother-in-law we took a horse-drawn-carriage ride through Central park.  Sadly, they have a 3 adult limit with 1 child, so we couldn't all go.  Zion loved every second of it, and you can tell that my mother-in-law did as well!

 
How was your week?