One of the best things about having a little girl is getting to play dress up. Maddie has been in this ultra-girly-tutu-princess-fairy phase for the past few months and I just love it. Every morning before I can even make it out of my room, she’s already put on some sort of fluffy, frilly thing, complete with at least 3 random accessories that don’t match whatsoever. One day, the Cinderella dress was accompanied by a scarf, sparkly red Toms and a pink beanie. It’s a surprise each time.
I was beyond excited when TheHairBowCompany.com sent a rather generous package of goodies for Maddie and I. Moms, LISTEN. If you have a little girl, this is your one stop shop for all the essentials. They offer the most adorable flower hair clips, headbands, tutus, fairy wings, hats, leg warmers… seriously, you name it, they have it. Everything is incredibly affordable and just plain cute!
Maddie has been wearing this purple Petti Skirt and refuses to take it off. She absolutely loves it and spins and twirls nonstop.
Another one of our favorites is this super fun Korker bow. So colorful! And for $1.99, you seriously can’t beat it.
I can now tell you from experience, that the wonderful things I’ve heard about their customer service is true. They are amazing, helpful and respond so quickly.
Now that I’ve full on gushed, I have a sweet deal for my sweet readers! For a 10% discount on your purchase, enter the coupon code “ohmorgosh”. This is valid through 5/15/12 and each customer can use it TWICE. Not too shabby! Now go get your little princess something fancy!
So, it’s day 7 of the Reboot juice cleanse. I wanted to give you guys an update at the halfway point to let you know how things are going and also to keep myself in check. It’s been one of the most challenging weeks of my life, without a doubt. You think, “Oh, juice tastes good, I can handle that for a few weeks!” and then by noon on the first day, you would give your left boob to eat the bark off a tree. Gosh, I don’t even know where to start explaining everything that has happened and all I’ve learned so far. Forgive the disorganization of this post!
Day 1 through 3, I wanted to punch the face of all things. I would love to tell you how amazing you’ll feel the entire time and how you’ll be a little Energizer Bunny, ready to conquer the world. But those, my friend? Those would be lies from the pit of hell. Something I wasn’t aware of before I started this fast was how intense your crashes are and how quickly they happen when you’re drinking so much juice. You know the feeling of a sugar crash? Exhaustion, moodiness, hopelessness, hunger for something that will stick to your bones? Well, it’s basically that, except NO FOOD FOR YOU. And YAY, you get to drink more juice and experience it all over again! -_- I would say the crash happens about an hour and a half after you finish drinking, so yeah. It’s a pretty vicious cycle, those first few days.
Struggles I experienced:
Watching TV was painful. The Food Network is just pure torture. Characters on your favorite shows eat meals together every 2 minutes. BEGGIN STRIPS COMMERCIALS. I kid you not, I was so desperate to chew on something solid, those Beggin Strips were looking mighty tasty. SICK.
I’ve never been a big breakfast person, so this is totally weird to me, but I would wake up each morning and be like, CINNAMON ROLLS. The next day: FRENCH TOAST. The next day: BANANA NUTELLA SOMETHING. It was a huge disappointment when I realized I couldn’t eat what I was craving. It would seriously put me in the most cranky mood.
I realized how much focus I put on meal time and how excited I get about the act of eating a meal. I was made aware of the bad habits I have surrounding food and eating. For example, I eat some sort of snack every night while watching TV. BAD MORGAN. While reading blogs, I usually have something crunchy to snack on. While I watch the kids play outside, I have something sweet to snack on. While taking a shower, I have… kidding. But really, are we seeing a trend? I am a serial snacker.
Food plays tricks on your brain. There is so much psychological mumbo jumbo tied to it and when you can break yourself free of the hold it has on you, you’ll be much happier and healthier. I’m still working on that.
Cleaning the juicer several times a day is just a pain in the butt.
It’s not ALL bad though, I promise!
That angry, grumpy, cranky feeling goes away after a few days. I know all those yucky feelings meant my body was going through a major detox. Plus, psychological issues are surfacing. At least, they did for me. I just kept visualizing everything nasty and gross being kicked out by all the nutrients I was shoving into my body. By Day 4, I was feeling great and had the mental and physical energy to do a legit workout. The next day, I did it again. My old happy, ALIVE self was coming back. I was feeling pretty proud and was eager to keep at it for the next week.
Pros I experienced:
7 pounds down on the scale (in a week)
Normally bloated belly is flattening
High energy levels after those initial detox days passed
Much brighter and clearer skin
Slept like a baby every single night and wasn’t groggy in the morning, as I normally am.
Sense of pride and motivation to see this thing through to the end!
Tricks of the trade (from myself and other juicing veterans):
The first day (as I said before), you will want to chew on something. You’re so used to the physical act of eating and it’s a tough habit to break. If you can’t stand it anymore, take a bite of an apple, carrot or other raw fruit or vegetable. Take that ONE bite and refocus. Remember why you’re doing this cleanse and stay strong!
Prepare your fruits and vegetables the night before for your morning juice. Chop the ends off of carrots, cut up your apples, rinse off your kale. Make it easier on yourself so you don’t chop off a finger in a fit of hungry morning rage.
The ideal combination of juice is 80% veggie and 20% fruit. If you have a sweeter palate, it won’t hurt you to go 60% veggie and 40% fruit.
Drink A TON OF JUICE. This is not a starvation cleanse. You don’t need to count calories. You need raw juice and you need enough to fill you up! Take a sealed container to work that you can sip on all day. If you work in an office, it will be easier to ward off temptation if you have your juice nearby.
Get a good reusable, sturdy cup with a lid and a straw. Take that baby in the car with you, to the grocery store, to the restaurant where your family plans to eat in front of you, WHEREVER. That cup is your new best friend and you will get very close.
Justin thinks I’m corny and have an extremely immature sense of humor. While this may be true in some cases (see: my love for Spongebob), there are some things that are so hilarious and I can’t understand why everyone in the universe wouldn’t pee a little in agreement.
There’s this AT&T commercial with the flash mob guy who busts out dancing too early and it freaking KILLS ME every time. I’ve seen the thing at least 50 times and it still has the same effect. I’ll be cracking up when he does the bent over backwards-swimming arms-shuffle thing and look over to Justin on the couch, expecting him to be laughing alongside me. Yeah… he’s never laughing. He just looks at me with a disapproving stare and slowly shakes his head. Watch it.
Heeheeheee.
Back to Spongebob. There was a time when I absolutely loathed the show and wanted to beat myself over the head with something large and heavy anytime it was on tv. SO MUCH GOING ON. SO MUCH NOISE. And then there’s that thing about how it’s bad for the brain and causes learning problems of some sort. The show is just bad. The thing is, I don’t let Maddie watch it, but I will on occasion. WHAT IS IMMATURE ABOUT THAT, JUSTIN?! There’s this episode where Spongebob is so scared that his eyeballs start screaming. It sounds ridiculous and disgusting, and it IS… BUT I STILL DIE.
Now, movies that remind me of my childhood will always hold a special place in my heart. My brother and I watched Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York all year round. Nothing beyond the first two movies though because they just started getting stupid. The originals, though? Comedy gold! Kevin beating up on The Wet Bandits still gets me every time. Apparently, my brother and I reference Home Alone often in everyday conversations because Justin is always saying how obsessed my family is with the franchise. Maybe we are… and MAYBE WE ARE.
Harry getting his head torched right before he jumps into the snow headfirst. heeeeeee
Marv trying to break in the house through the doggy door. He just saw Kevin sitting there with a bb gun. lawls
*ding!*
Don’t even get me started on Dennis the Menace, guys.
Chiclets to replace the two front teeth in Mr. Wilson’s dentures
“G.D. garden lanterns!”
“Tastes like paint… and wood.”
The little cross-eyed kid, Gunther
I’ve always felt a sort of kinship with Gunther, being that I had crossed eyes as a kid. Okay, and I still do occasionally, but only when I’m sleepy. :)
Anyway, that’s the reason I don’t feel guilty for laughing when he makes this face:
I giggled a little too much while writing this post.
You may remember the super adorable pink teardrop earrings I was wearing in the Drugstore Beauty Love post. A few of you have already perused T+J Designs and picked up a pair for yourselves, but for the rest of you who haven’t, GET READY. You’re about to have a steamy love affair with your computer screen.
(Meaning, with the JEWELRY. Not me, sickos.)
-- wearing the Pink & Gold Layered Necklace --
T+J is owned by the sweet and gorgeous Tiffany from one of my all-time favorite fashion blogs, I Am Style-ish. Tiffany and her sister Jen have serious style and an obvious talent in designing jewelry. I’m incredibly thrilled I was able to get my little grubby paws on three pieces from their collection.
-- wearing the Light Blue Pyramid Bracelet --
-- wearing Pink Teardrop earrings --
For someone who is accustomed to the poostank grade Forever21 stuff, I have to say what a thrill it is to wear truly nice jewelry. Nothing is falling apart, chipping or fading and you can just feel the difference in the quality. On top of everything else I love about T+J, their prices are incredibly reasonable. You guys will love their stuff, trust me.
Go check them out!
Interested in owning your own fabulous jewelry from T+J Designs? My readers get 15% off non-sale items by using the code MRSPRISS.
Our Christmas gift from my parents was a trip to Disneyland! Of the 20 or so times I’ve been there, this one was the most special by far. Kids just make it better.
A 20-something year old mother to the strongest-willed little girl in the universe. Wife to the handsomest geek. Reader of teenage romance novels. Lover of all things Anthropologie. Just gave birth to baby #2 and happy to tell you all about my nutso new life as a stay at home mom.
