Thanksgiving Week

I think I'm having a case of the Mondays...I woke up with a bad attitude, I'll admit it. It's only 9:30 so I'm hoping to turn this day around! I thought I would write a little about Thanksgiving, that will make me feel better for sure!

It's Thanksgiving day week!! I love Thanksgiving and this year my husband will be joining us since he doesn't work...he's worked the past few years so I'm happy he will be with us. It's no secret I love food so Thanksgiving is a great day for that...I usually make homemade mashed potatoes and this year I'm making some chocolate gooey butter cookies as well (google that and you should get Paula Deen's recipe for them, they are so good! Bet you can't eat just one :-) ) so needless to say my Wednesday is going to be busy getting things ready and then my Thursday morning even more busy but it will be fun...the house smelling like turkey and watching the parade on tv...I love all the memories that are made around this time of year. 

I know people have been putting daily on Facebook the things they are thankful for and I haven't done it but I thought I would put a few things I'm thankful for on here. 

I'm of course thankful for family. I have a great husband, two beautiful, healthy children, amazing parents, great siblings and wonderful extended families. I have been blessed!

Friends! I have the best friends in the world! They are always there for me and mean so much to me. I value each and every one of their friendships. Even the ones I'm not that close to anymore or ones that I may chat with occasionally, there is a special place in my heart for all of you!

I'm thankful I have a place to live, food to eat, a warm bed, clothes to wear, I'm thankful my husband has a great job and I'm able to be home with our kids...I'm thankful and I feel extremely blessed!

I'm also thankful God is my hope! He has never failed me and has brought these blessings into my life. I'm most thankful He loves me no matter what...I wouldn't be the person I am today if it wasn't for God's grace, mercy and love.

I hope everyone has the best Thanksgiving week..enjoy these times with family and continue to make memories! 

Refreshing!

My life is in such a refreshing time right now!

I've been praying for awhile that God would bring some women into my life that would build me up spiritually and as I mentioned in a past post I have a few really good friends and since we never really talked about spiritual things I wasn't sure where we all stood. I'm so thankful for that night out where we talked about Bible studies. We started our new Bible study, Gideon, yesterday and I already love it! I can't wait to see what God will do in our friendships and then in our individual lives. 

My sister in law had invited me to another Bible study and it just ended a week ago but I had an amazing time going to that as will. We were the youngest ones in there but it was nice to be around women who are older in their Christianity and to get their perspective on things. I really learned a lot during that study.

I'm reading the book His Needs, Her Needs and so far I am loving it. My husband and I are not perfect. We argue, we say mean things to each other, we are selfish...but we fight for our marriage and I love that about us. We married each other because we loved each other and when you argue you sometimes forget where everything started. As I'm reading this book it's making me understand my husband better and it's making me realize who I am as a wife as well. I've tried for years to "change" who my husband is but you know what...there is no changing. Instead I am working on loving him no matter what. I don't want to make it sound like he is the worst and in spite of that I'm loving him, no, he is truly a great man, he's a great dad and provider but I notice that I tend to pick at so many little things and bring him down. I want to be more of an encourager and make him feel secure as my husband and as a dad. This book is helping so much and it's the first book since I read Love and Respect that really makes me think. I'm happy with where we are and I want to cherish these moments and times.

I always get nervous when life is going great because they say that means something bad may happen...whoever said that is just plain rude! I'm not going to let that bring me down and stop me from enjoying this time in life. I'm happy. God is blessing my family, He's blessing my marriage, He has brought people into my life to help my spiritually and I am in awe of what He is doing. 

I tend to write down goals for the week...now that I'm doing Beachbody coaching they talk about goals a lot so not only do I write down my business goals but I put personal goals for the week as well. Prayer is a top goal of mine. I'm not the greatest at going to God in prayer but I am working on it...I know prayer brings great things and while I'm feeling blessed, I know God wants to do so much more. 

I feel refreshed...I feel God moving in my life and I am ready for more! I hope you will feel refreshed as well in life...join a Bible study or do your own, PRAY, write down the blessings in your life and thank God for them...whatever you need to do to feel refreshed and feel God's presence...do it, it's a great place to be. I could go on and on but for fear of rambling I will stop here. :-) 

High Five for Friday!

It's Friday!! 

1. I feel like this has been a pretty good week with the kids. I've had a lot of fun with them and they are both growing up so fast! My son is army crawling and we can't keep him still. Plus he is getting into his sister's toys and that doesn't make her very happy. Welcome to the world of sharing with your sibling!

2. Since becoming a coach I've gotten back into working out. It was just the boost I needed to motivate me. I also got some healthy food at the store. I know a lot of people "eat clean" and while I may strive for that I am going to go slow...it can be slightly expensive to be all healthy at one time so I'm building up my pantry slowly. I bought quinoa and I can't wait to use it! 

3. I went out to dinner with a wonderful friend last night for our birthdays and had a great time. I don't see her nearly enough, we are both busy but I love that it's one of those friendships that is easy...we may not see each other for awhile but when we do it's like we saw each other the day before. And we are planning some DIY craft nights together because she makes these beautiful wreaths and I want her to help me make some. I can't wait!

4. I ordered my Shakeology yesterday in vanilla. I can not wait for that! I'm going to make a banana split shake because, well, why not?? There are so many possibilities!

5. We've been slowly buying Christmas presents and my husband is off work tomorrow so I'm fairly certain we are doing more shopping and of course shopping is one of my favorite things to do! My husband doesn't care for shopping but when it comes to buying presents for others or should I say toys for the kids he is ready to go. 

Hope you have all had a wonderful week and hope the weekend goes just as great!

Boo Boo Bags

I don't know if your kids have done this but my daughter has a lot of "boo boos" and likes to put band aids on them so my mom found an idea that has helped save us band aids. Enter the "boo boo bags."

        

                      

I believe there are different names for these but boo boo bags is what we call them around our house. These are actually pretty great, I'm thinking of having her make me some larger ones for headaches. They go in the freezer, the rice inside gets cold, and you get them out whenever your child has a boo boo. We love these things!

Why I Chose Beachbody

I posted a blog a few weeks ago announcing that I had become a Beachbody coach and how excited I was. I thought I would go a little deeper and share with you some of reasoning behind my decision.

My weight loss journey, for lack of a better term, started after I gave birth to my daughter. I was 175 pounds before I became pregnant with her and while I wasn't happy with that number I wasn't trying much to change it. I gained 42 pounds during that pregnancy and pretty much lost it all two weeks after I gave birth. That may sound crazy but it's true. I was down to about 180 before I knew it. Needless to say I was pretty happy about that but I still needed to drop about 40 pounds to really feel healthy. I found during the year after I had my daughter that I am emotional eater. It was a rough year so my weight fluctuated between 175-185. I wanted to be thinner when I got pregnant again but before I knew it was pregnant with my son. I was 185 but only gained about 30 pounds with him and that came off right after as well. Clearly I'm blessed to lose baby weight but my body looks as though I've carried two kids. :-) I promised myself after my son that I would lose the weight and be in great shape if and when we decide to get pregnant with our third child.

I had posted a few times about using Turbo Fire and working out. I did great for about 10 weeks and even lost 16 pounds by eating healthy and working out. I was down to 169...only 29 pounds from my goal. Now, you would think this would motivate me to keep moving, I mean I was almost in a size 12, down from a 16...exciting stuff for someone wanting to get in shape but instead of working harder, I stopped. I was content, at the time, with the weight loss. So I started eating poorly again and worked out maybe every other day or so. I hurt my back at one point and that stopped me for a week and from that moment on I never did much. All while this is going on my coach Miranda was there for me. She is an amazing encourager and made me feel like I could do it. She talked with me about being a coach, how I could make some extra money for my family and have the accountability of other coaches, the people I would be mentoring and the people in the challenge groups. I thought I couldn't be a coach until I had reached my goal but she told me I could become a coach at any point in my journey. I talked with my husband and we decided to try it out. 

I'm just beginning my journey and as my blog title says this is another new chapter for me and I couldn't be more excited. I can't wait to reach my goals while being a coach. I am going to finish the full Turbo Fire program and move on to another one (T25 is next for me and then Insanity!) I'm going to eat healthy and replace a meal a day with Shakeology, I'm going to reach my goal weight, I'm going to live a healthy lifestyle! The opportunities with Beachbody are endless and now I feel like I have a strong community around me to help me meet my goals.

**Now don't forget to check out this November deal!**

 

Chocolate Chip Muesli Cookie Recipe

My birthday was on Friday and I am not a big cake fan...I know I'm crazy but I don't like all the icing. I went to the store and thought about making brownies because I wanted something with chocolate and then I came across this stuff:

                         

It has a chocolate chip cookie recipe on it and it's healthy! Win win! I thought I would share it with you because they were really tasty cookies.

Ingredients:

1 cup muesli

3/4 cup sifted whole wheat flour

2/3 cup applesauce

3/4 cup brown sugar

6 oz. package chocolate chips (I used mini chocolate chips)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Sift flour, baking soda and salt together and set aside. Blend applesauce, sugar and vanilla together. Beat in egg. Add flour mixture and mix. Stir in muesli and chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoons on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

                                     

They do expand a little but for the most part they are a flat cookie, they may rise a little but don't think you've done them wrong if isn't much. I promise they are still so yummy because of all the stuff in the muesli and the chocolate chips. I have all the stuff now and I plan on making these a lot. 

Enjoy! 

Toddler Activity #2

I have another fun toddler activity to share! 

My daughter loves to play with play doh when we go to Bible study on Tuesdays and while it's fine there I'm not a fan of it at home. I just don't like how easily it crumbles and then it gets stuck on clothes or in the carpet...it's just a mess. We had a play date with a friend of mine one day and she got out one of the best things ever...model magic. Ok, now who knew about this stuff cause I sure didn't until she showed it to me. My life was changed in that moment...a little dramatic but still, I love this stuff! It stays together, doesn't crumble, doesn't make a mess...it's just great! My daughter asks to play with it every day so it's a good thing to have now that it's getting colder outside. I also like that most of the time I can get dinner ready and have her sit at the kitchen table and play so I'm getting something done and she's able to play with something she loves.

                         

I bought a pack of model magic that was on sale at Target and then bought plastic containers because the clay came in single pouches. It's worked out great! We haven't left it out so it hasn't had the chance to harden up but it will if left out so unless you make something really artistic and want to save it...don't forget containers. I believe there are some that come in containers but I haven't been able to find those yet. 

So go out and buy some of this stuff...it will change your mind about play doh for sure! 

The Excited Post

I had a great girls night out with a few friends and we had conversations about things I've really been praying about. I've been praying God would bring friends into my life that would help me grow in Him and last night showed me that I have these friends in my life already. Honestly, we don't usually talk about bible studies and things when we get together for girls nights so last night was refreshing. Not to say I don't enjoy girls nights otherwise but last night was what I needed! I can't wait to see what God does in each of our individual lives and our friendships together. I'm praying He blesses the endeavors I'm working on, I'm praying He gives me wisdom with my kids and patience, I'm praying he blesses my family, I'm praying for my marriage to be blessed and many other things! I want God to touch every aspect of my life. I have really positive days and then I have frustrating days, I think that's how life can be but it's all about how you react to those frustrating days that define you. I'm a work in progress as people like to say but for the first time in awhile I am excited and can not wait to see the changes God brings in me!

Now that I've said excited enough for a week...I'm off to do the housework! 

Oh and my friends gave me a great prebirthday bash! They are so sweet!! Here's a painting my one friend did for me...I love it! 

 

                       

Give & Receive Deal with Beachbody

There is a great deal going on right now with Beachbody and I had to share it!

                                        

For the month of NOVEMBER you can buy ANY challenge pack and receive a $20 off coupon that you can put towards your next Beachbody purchase! Let me tell you why this is amazing. The challenge pack includes a fitness program + a 30-day supply of Shakeology and it now includes $20 back to you! There is a program for every need and you'll have me as your personal cheerleader with you every step of the way to help you reach your goals! If you've been thinking about a program, the time is now to get it so you can join our December challenge group. You can leave me a comment here if you're interested or check out my website. www.beachbodycoach.com/meremannier

You won't regret getting one of these programs and shakeology has so many amazing benefits...don't miss out on this deal! 

             

Starting Over, Revising Goals

Do you ever need a fresh start? That's how I'm feeling today.

I've had to think of goals since becoming a Beach Body coach and it's got me thinking. I decided long ago that I wouldn't get down on myself this time around in my weight loss journey. I haven't done as well as I've wanted since I made up my mind to get in shape but I have come a long way. I am at least down to my pre pregnancy weight...before my daughter and that was three years ago. I'm proud of that but I want to do better. I've revised my goals and think this month will be great! We start a challenge in December and I plan to be ready! 

Not only did I come up with some new fitness goals but I also came up with personal goals. I've put a lot of pressure on myself to get everything done in a day. The cleaning, laundry, take care of the kids, have some me time, cook dinner...I want to do it all but I realize I just can't do that...some days will be better than others but there will be days that I won't get anything accomplished and I'm beginning to be ok with that. 

I feel good about my new goals and I feel like I can easily achieve them. I'm excited to see where this new Beach Body adventure takes me, I can't wait to start reaching my goals and turning my ideas and goals into habits. November is a new start for me...I turn 29 in 4 days so it's time to get my act together! 

Let the fresh start begin! 

New Opportunity!

I normally don't write on the weekends but I'm too excited. I am now a Beach Body coach!

I'm excited and nervous about this but I know it's going to open up a lot of new possibilities and opportunities. I'm excited for the accountability that will come with the responsibility of being a coach. Not only will I need to work hard for myself but I won't want to let others down. I've always been good about starting something but I've never been good at following it through till the end. I've mentioned a number of times how I love Turbo Fire and I'm planning on continuing with that and not making any excuses! I'm also going to change some of my eating habits. Slowly but surely I will reach my goals!

I promise this blog isn't turning into a weight loss blog. I've done that and I got very tired of it. I will mention my Beach Body adventures from time to time and invite others to join me but I am first and foremost a mom. I find though that if I've worked out and I've rested I can make any day great. By taking care of myself I can in turn take care of the ones I love. I am becoming a coach to help others through a journey that may be similar to mine, I want to get my "after" picture! I have a great "before" picture...ha! I'm going to have a group of people surrounding me with encouragement and I will be right there to give it back! 

If you want to join me, contact me! We have a new challenges starting up all the time!