What is a M.O.M. ?

Who knew that M.O.M. would end up being an acronym for a cause to which I could devote my dreams and energy, as well as being the word which easily summarizes what I feel to be one of my highest purposes for being alive?
Whew, that got a little wordy. I like to try to follow grammatical rules when I write, but when you are trying to never end a sentence with a preposition, well, it can start to sound too complicated.

More simply put, I know that God's purpose is for me to be a mom, and I also believe that the M.O.M. cause is one that God has called me to. (Preposition or not, that just sounds better!)
In case it isn't clear, M.O.M. is the Movement of Moms. And in case that isn't clear, allow me to reiterate what I'm hoping the Movement of Moms can come to mean to you. This is a work in progress, something that I've been thinking about since last July. My desire is that it is designed in such a way as to have room for everybody, with a framework that makes our cause obvious to anyone who's looking. Here's my best explanation so far:

The Movement of Moms is a community connected by support, nutrition, activity, and education. It can often be difficult for moms to have regular, meaningful interactions with other "grown-ups" because of the particular challenges associated with raising kiddos. Whether working or being at home full-time, moms are usually just too busy to create a support network that helps them take care of themselves while they are caring for everyone else. I'm right there with ya. That's why M.O.M is largely virtually based. The goal is to be able to take a few minutes online and be able to see from Instagram, Facebook, this blog, YouTube, and even Skype that there is a group of people who care about how you spent your day, and how they can help you make decisions that create positive changes for you and your family.

I didn't know exactly why I started blogging, except that I wanted to encourage other moms. Now I know that I want to genuinely share what being a M.O.M. means to my life each week. Often it means craziness with a toddler. Or some time and effort given to a new healthy recipe. Even what I'm learning about worshiping God in the midst of this chaos. Because I quite often have either a cup of Herbalife tea or a shake nearby, it makes sense that what I write always involves a hint of Herbalife. Honestly, that's what fuels the Movement of Moms. Without Herbalife, it's hard to imagine having the energy, sleep, or confidence it takes to create deliberate connections with "the outside world" instead of hunkering down and just trying to get through each day. That's why I love it, and that's why I offer it as a helpful solution.

Herbalife is why Yia is down 5 pounds and suddenly motivated to find friends that will want to go outside and play volleyball with her even if they look silly, just because they feel too good to not be active. It's why "A.R." has the energy to start exercising again and will feel super sassy on her anniversary. It's what helped Joan feel like she wasn't alone in the world and could start to take care of herself again after multiple challenging surgeries. It's what helped me believe I could still make a difference in people's lives even after an injury took away my nursing career. It's the vehicle that can drive M.O.M., because at it's core it is about making the world a better place for families like ours. With Herbalife, you can choose to tailor what you do to the things you care about. I care about seeing other moms feeling encouraged, so that's really all I want to use Herbalife to do. That's what the Movement of Moms is for.


Now, since you know that I'm just an ordinary mom with a crazy little toddler (who has on occasion been known to sneak off with my mascara...), you may well ask what I think is really possible from a "one woman movement" startup idea. I figure, what are some things that I really like, and can I offer them to a community in a virtual setting? Ideally, of course, it won't always remain just online. As moms make connections virtually, they will hopefully feel more confident about finding local moms to bring into the community as well. With both aspects in place, here are some of the things M.O.M. has to offer:
Energy - Perspective - Free Dinners (that you don't have to cook or clean!) - Feeling Good - Emotional Support - Dancing - "Lookin' Good" - Intellectual Growth - Inspiration - Sleeping "Good" - Girls' Weekends - Group Acitivities - Daily Motivation - Reasons to Dress-up (one of my personal faves) - Playdates - Accountability - Listening Ears - Fitness - Movie Nights - Extra Income if desired.

Does that sound good to anyone else? What would you ideally find in a community of moms - please share, I would love to make this about what moms really want, and make it accessible for everyone.

Join us.

Follow me on Instagram @happyfitnessmama,
 share photos of what makes you happiest about being a mom, and tag them #movementofmoms
 so that we can keep perspective with you!

Oh - and if you like this post, then go ahead and click on of the icons below to share it!

Disclaimer - Research shows that those people having a Formula 1 meal replacement shake twice daily as part of a healthy eating and exercise plan can reasonably expect to lose 1/2 to 1 lb a week. And the average annual compensation provided by Herbalife to its distributors at the Supervisor position with a downline is approximately $5,800. I have chosen to consistently follow my Herbalife nutrition plan and work hard at running my business, which is the reason for my personal results.

Lovin' Cranberry Citrus Snack Muffins (Gluten Free)

It's Valentine's Day, a day typically noted for corny romance, extra flowers, and yummy food. I for one am happy with all of it. Why not take a day and celebrate the special relationships that God has given you? When I was single in college, I would wear a pink shirt with a red scarf and go out for ice cream with a friend. Now, seven years later with a husband and toddler, I have to deliberately stop and consider in my busy days how incredibly blessed I am to love and be loved. Valentine's Day makes me do that. So think of this day what you will, and even if you don't agree with me, maybe these yummy muffins will still bless your tummy!
When I started baking this experiment, I hadn't considered blogging the recipe until I began to realize how yummy everything could possibly taste. This has been modified from multiple other recipes, for which I am grateful as a framework, and I think you will be pleased. Not crumbly, as many GF products tend to be, and also no cane/beet sugar or eggs.
First, we must begin with a gluten free flour blend. The extra can be saved for another day.

Gluten Free Flour
3 cups brown rice flour
1 cup potato starch
1/2 cup spelt flour
1/2 cup millet flour
2 tsp xanthan gum

Cranberry Citrus Snack Muffins
Yield: 36 mini muffins
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 20 min

Ingredients-

• 2 cups gluten free flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup full fat yogurt
• 2/3 cup honey
• 3/4 cup safflower oil or melted butter
• 1 tbsp orange zest
• 1 1/4 tsp lemon extract
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup buttermilk (okay to mix 1/2 cup milk and 2 tsp vinegar, let sit, and use instead)
•  1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries, processed in food processor until finely chopped

Directions-

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Pour a little bit of oil onto a paper towel and apply it to the inside of your muffin cups (most pans have only 24 cups, you may want to use a second pan, a large muffin pan, or even a small loaf pan for the remainder. I used a small loaf pan.)
2. In a medium bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients. Set aside. 
3. Let your toddler/child help stir if one is there and curious!
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt, honey, oil, orange zest, lemon and vanilla extracts, and buttermilk until it is well blended. It will look like an emulsion, very creamy and the oil will separate only slightly.
5. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir until just combined. Overstirring will make them tough. 
6. Fold in the chopped cranberries just until evenly distributed. Batter will be very light.
   
7. Divide the batter among the muffin cups (and additional pan), filling almost to the top.
8. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean.
9. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, which will be difficult, because they smell amazing!
10. Feed them to your family as a healthy snack, and don't feel guilty for indulging, yourself. Enjoy!

Here's a parting wave of enthusiasm from my Little Valentine!

Join the movement of moms.

Follow me on Instagram @happyfitnessmama, share photos of your family's favorite snacks or Valentine's moments, and tag them #movementofmoms so that we can love along with you!

Oh - and if you like this post, then go ahead and click on of the icons below to share it!

Disclaimer - Research shows that those people having a Formula 1 meal replacement shake twice daily as part of a healthy eating and exercise plan can reasonably expect to lose 1/2 to 1 lb a week. And the average annual compensation provided by Herbalife to its distributors at the Supervisor position with a downline is approximately $5,800. I have chosen to consistently follow my Herbalife nutrition plan and work hard at running my business, which is the reason for my personal results.

Not a Pinterest Life, part 2

When we left off earlier this week, you had been made privy to some of Little Man's and my misadventures in housekeeping and exercise. We had fumbled our way through the morning, determined to stay "amused", when LM pooped during the last few minutes of my workout. I would change it as soon as I finished stretching, right? But then the phone rang. Now, let's continue:

It’s an Herbalife client, and her cellphone isn’t getting great reception, but I’m certain I hear her say that her assistant, Dave*, wants a nutrition program as well. I proceed to ask if I can talk with Dave. She tells me that he’s eating lunch but she has all the info. As we go through the questions, I’m thinking, “This guy is awfully bold getting his boss to order his nutrition program. And she sure seems to be close to him, knowing his weight and everything…” We finally get to the end, after establishing that I am shipping his products to her house, and I check his last name. It’s her last name. He’s her HUSBAND, not her assistant! And I get the idiot mom/health coach of the day award. But hey, I made a neat connection in the end on that embarrassing phone call, so being an Herbalife coach offers the consolation that at least I got to talk to another grown up and help somebody other than a two year old.

Whew, off the phone and done with the workout.  What now? Oh yes, diaper change. Well, it’s a loaded one. And as I reach for a wipe, Little Man decides to reach down and explore. Before my mom reflexes can catch up, his hand is in the poop.

“Buddy, wait!” Nope, I am too late. His hand has smeared his leg. One moment’s delay, and now that finger is in his mouth. Oh dear. I’m just hoping that most of the poop got on his leg and didn’t make it to his mouth. I finish the diaper and leg cleaning, and now run to the bathroom myself. You mothers know that of course LM came with me. This time, though, he wanted to really know what was going on…

Things you never imagine yourself saying out loud. “No, kiddo, you can’t pull at my legs to watch me go poo-poos.”

Okay, lunchtime! In the highchair, WAIT! I haven’t washed his poopy hand!!! Run to the sink. It's still full of last night’s dirty dishes, and pots from making lentils with quinoa for my week’s lunches. (It tastes better than it sounds, especially with some feta.) Anyway, I reach for the Wet Ones and solve his yucky hand problem. I chug my recovery drink (yes, it’s also Herbalife), while absent-mindedly overheating his Mac’n’Cheese, which he therefore refuses. While easing his hunger with some fruit, he maneuvers himself so that his buns are still in the seat but his legs are up on his highchair’s tray.

“There,” he sighs, as if he’s finally found his groove. And now that naptime is only minutes away, maybe I have, too. Until he wakes up…

                                             Join the Movement of Moms.

Follow me on Instagram @happyfitnessmama, share photos of your
 "we will stay amused" days, and tag them #movementofmoms
 so that we can keep perspective with you!

Oh - and if you like this post, then go ahead and click on of the icons below to share it!

Disclaimer - Research shows that those people having a Formula 1 meal replacement shake twice daily as part of a healthy eating and exercise plan can reasonably expect to lose 1/2 to 1 lb a week. And the average annual compensation provided by Herbalife to its distributors at the Supervisor position with a downline is approximately $5,800. I have chosen to consistently follow my Herbalife nutrition plan and work hard at running my business, which is the reason for my personal results.

*Name changed for privacy

Not a Pinterest Life, Part 1

It was a typical day in the life of a toddler, with his mother barely keeping up behind him. By the time they’d been awake for not even an hour, a choice had to be made; be amused, or give up! I was that mother, my Little Man was that toddler, and this is how we kept each other amused that day…

Naturally, I have no time for a shower. As soon as he wakes up, Little Man is eager for action. Since a long road trip last month when he was allowed to watch “Winnie the Pooh” and “Thomas & Friends” to his heart’s content, the carseat has held an oddly powerful sway over LM’s imagination. Before I can even get him dressed, “Dah-sea” is the ceaseless cry.

“No, buddy, not yet. It’s too early to go play in your carseat,” while I try to find a clean pair of socks. Victorious, I turn to find him peeling nasty dead skin in huge sheets from his toes. Having recently recovered from Hand Foot and Mouth disease, we were unpleasantly surprised to find out about this nasty final symptom… You basically exfoliate entire fingers and toes at a time. “Lllllucky” is LM’s reaction to his bright red toe underneath. We are still working on “y”, not “l” sounds.

Determined to accomplish one task in my house this day, I grab the broom and go to work on the kitchen floor. Just as I have nearly finished, with 3 piles to show for my effort, my husband calls. First mistake – I set down the broom. Second mistake- I turn my back. The inevitable result of my carelessness? As I chat with the hubby I turn to find my very helpful toddler “sweeping” through my piles and redistributing them throughout my kitchen. Ah, well. One must learn very quickly to not be too fussy about appearances and spotlessness. Or not learn, and go crazy. Next we tackle the bathrooms. If you want some excitement, try using a toilet bowl brush in front of your toddler, combined with minty-fresh scented cleaner, and then keep him from using that same brush to “clean” the floors when you’re not looking.

Okay, house is tidy, sorta, and it’s time to attempt a workout.

I take my Herbalife24 Prepare 

to help myself believe that I am 

100% committed to completing this workout. 

 As I put in the dvd and grab my mat, I am at least reassured that he’s seen this routine often enough to recognize it, and yell out “Ah-cize!!!!” Great, small victory, my son believes exercise is fun and exciting. In fact, while I start with jumping jacks, he attempts his own comically flailing version as well.
 Here’s when it gets exciting. After getting through the warmup, I grab some weights and start with squats. In this exact moment, Little Man decides that he MUST take his pants off, or disintegrate. Well, I don’t want to lose all of my momentum, so I decide to just talk him through the process.

“Buddy, your pants are stuck because you have your slippers on. Take your slippers off.”

“PANTS OFF!!!!!!!” Hmmm, I’m not getting through.

“Kiddo, I understand. Start with your slippers, then your pants.”

“PANTS PANTS OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF!!!!”

“Yes, I understand. But mommy is busy. You may not yell at me. Timeout, please.”

Miraculously, he actually goes to timeout. After a minute, I call out to let him come back. By this time, I am doing mat work and can grab the slippers, then the pants, between crunches. Now that his pants are off, he feels free to have a sit on my tummy/abs (it depends on the day!), and attempts to hug me…  

Next he moves into his Tonka Truck and tries to run over my head with it, yelling, “Vroom, Vroooooooooom!”

“Buddy, enough with the truck please. Be gentle with mommy.” Gentle, hmmm…. 

Next thing I know there’s a hairbrush being dragged through my ponytail. I disentangle my brush and move on to bicycle crunches, the worst most awful exercise ever. And much harder when you are laughing because your toddler now has his head between your legs saying, “Hi Mommy!” 

As if the comedy isn’t enough already, he brings me his treasured bubble wands and puts one up to my mouth to “bo bubboos” every time my head rises. No matter what I try, he finds a way to be involved. And since this is reality with a toddler and home workout combo, I try to just keep laughing and redirecting, as patiently as possible. How does he thank me?   He backs right up to my face as he stares in fascination at the screen, and then… Yep, he poops. The odor is overwhelming, and he’s grinning. I make a quick decision that since I’m already 15 minutes into a 20 minute routine, I’m just gonna push through and change it as soon as I’m done stretching. 

Of course, no sooner do I start to stretch than the phone rings.

Check back in two days for the sequel, we're only half way through the morning!

                                               Join the movement of moms.

Follow me on Instagram @happyfitnessmama, share photos of your "non-pinterest" days, and tag them #movementofmoms so that we can remind you that you're not alone!

Oh - and if you like this post, then go ahead and click on of the icons below to share it!

Disclaimer - Research shows that those people having a Formula 1 meal replacement shake twice daily as part of a healthy eating and exercise plan can reasonably expect to lose 1/2 to 1 lb a week. And the average annual compensation provided by Herbalife to its distributors at the Supervisor position with a downline is approximately $5,800. I have chosen to consistently follow my Herbalife nutrition plan and work hard at running my business, which is the reason for my personal results.