Put in the Work - Lose the Cupcake & Beat the Bulge Challenge

IT. WILL. NOT. BE. EASY.

If it was easy...everyone would be doing it. 

If you wanna see changes in your body...you've gotta put in the work.

PUT. IN. THE. WORK. 

It's as simple as that.

I often catch myself making comments or looking at myself wondering why I'm  not progressing as fast as I want to be...then I realize...it's s because I've been slacking on my diet and work outs. I've been doing NOT.SO.GREAT.  with my diet and it's noticeable.

YOU are the only person that can make the change. Find the time and make the change.

NO. EXCUSES.

Just because its the holiday season...does not mean you can slack off! 

BEAT THE BULGE CHALLENGE

Starting Dec 1st and ending Dec 21st...I will be eating a clean diet to get a jump start on NOT getting the holiday bulge. For three full weeks I am holding myself accountable. 

If you would like to join the challenge with me....I'll send you a meal plan based on your weight and needs for only $8. You can turn around after the holidays and use this same plan! 

Send me an email that you would like to participate at forloveofacupcake@gmail.com ...and I'll send you an invoice and a little questionnaire so that I can prep your meal plan! 

It will help you determine the correct portion sizes for your body, you get cheat meals and supplement suggestions if you choose to do those. I will give you your macros calculation if you want to use My Fitness Pal to track your food. (Correct portion size is a biggie...before I started a meal plan based diet...I was 'eating clean'. BUT I couldn't figure out why I wasn't losing weight. It was because i was still eating too many good carbs)

If you've already bought a meal plan from me in the past...feel free to join in!! 

happy Black Friday shopping yall! 

xoxo

manda

Stocking Stuffers for the Pups - A Few of My Favorite Things

Our dogs are just as much our kids as Rea is and we never forget about them during Christmas. Are you the same way with your fur babies?

Here is what Tank and Chloe might expect in their stockings this year!

 

 

1. Mini Ball Launcher
2. Cotton Rope Alligator Toy
3. Fashionable Collars
4. Busy Bones
5. IQ Treat Ball

6. Benebone Nylon Chew

What are you giving your pups this Christmas? 
 

Hope everyone has a great day!!
xoxo
manda

Gone. Missing. Disappeared.

 

 

I wrote this post on Thursday but wasn't ready to post it until today...

I. AM. MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY. DRAINED.

It's been a long day and it's only 1:45pm as I type this. 

Rea is taking a nap. 

Chloe is at the window watching it sprinkle. 

Tank is at my feet snoring.

Yesterday was a tough day with Rea...and I was up with her a lot during the night as she woke up wide awake at 1:30 which is odd for her. I was ready for a new day and today was that day! I was going to clean out our closet....which is seriously MUCH NEEDED.

Well Rea was fussy again today but that's ok....I think she's going thru a growth spurt. 

So back to today's events.

Rea woke up at 11 from a nap and the dogs hadn't been out for a little while so we all go outside. I'm playing with Rea and I notice the dogs go around the side of the house which is normal. But if they're out of sight for too long...I'll need to check on them. After a couple of minutes...Tank came back around but chloe did not. So I walk over to the side and there is no chloe. So I walk to the other side.

No chloe. 

I yell for chloe knowing she probably got out thru the rabbit hole in the fence (she is obsessed with the rabbits). At this point I am freaking out.

I run to the front door (ok jog) with Rea in my arms. Burst thru the door and start calling for chloe. 

She is no where in sight.

I choose to go left. Still holding Rea, I'm walking (and jogging) down the sidewalk with only socks on...luckily Rea was fully dressed with socks and headband and thank goodness it wasn't cold outside. NO CHLOE. So I turn around and walk a few streets to the right of us.

I'm freaking tired (huffing and puffing) so make my way back into the house. I put my shoes on. Go to the back yard again hoping i just didn't see chloe the first time...NOPE...still not there.

Rea and I go back outside. We make a few more rounds around the neighborhood and by this time I am literally hyperventilating. No joke. Im crying and hyperventilating. All types of scenarios are going thru my head.

It's already been an HOUR since chloe has been missing.

I'm about to put Rea in the car to drive out to the highway. And what do you know....chloe is going from house to house making her way back home trying to figure out where she is. She was 3 houses away at this point so Rea and I run over to get her. 

Chloe had gone to the right. 

We were all over that area, so I don't know where she was for that hour.

.........................................

Fast forward to today.... We did end up having a good weekend.

I've had chloe for 6 and a half years. She is sensitive and has a serious case of anti-separation anxiety.

At one point while looking for her...I look down and there is blood all over me....I didn't figure out where it came from until after I found chloe. I had somehow cut my finger on something. 

Well...I'm just glad Chloe's back home. When I think about it now...it all seems like a dream.

This pic of Rea made me feel a little better that evening as we were trying some clothes and hats that cousin Addie gave us!

I'm linking up with Biana today for Weekendings!

Have a great day everyone :-)

Xoxo

Manda

Thanksgiving Pins

I love Thanksgiving and I love the food cooked during this time!

Below are a few recipes I will be trying (or at least would like to try) that I've pinned.

Creamed Corn / Sweet Potato Casserole

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Fudge

Pumpkin Pie Shooters

Pecan Pumpkin Pie Bars

What are some of your favorite Thanksgiving dishes?

have a great day!

xoxo

manda

Five on Friday

Some of my thoughts and fav moments throughout the week!

1. Rea is absolutely loving her jumper now that she's getting the hang of jumping!! She's too big for her bouncer now and I need something to keep her entertained for minutes here and there!

2. I know that all babies spit up but Rea's has been ridiculous. Spit Up in my coffee, spit up in my mouth, 3 bibs or more PER feeding, projectile thru the room...it's everywhere! We switched to Walmart Brand Formula on Monday....and what do you know....it's 99% better! We do still take medicine for her reflux though.

3. Barkbox - the dogs absolutely love it. It comes once a month with toys and treats and it's the highlight of their day! We just received this months on Wednesday!!

4. I saw this on Pinterest and love it! Would be a cute Christmas gift. But for real y'all...We wouldn't have survived our first night as parents if my mom hadn't stayed the night with us :-/

5.

 

Linking up with the Five on Friday ladies: 

Darci, April, Christina and Natasha.

Jennie for Friday Favorites

Rebecca for That Friday Blog Hop

Amy for Oh Hey Friday

Amanda for Friday Favorites

I hope y'all have a wonderful weekend!!
xoxo

manda

Thoughts on Thursday

So lately I've been loving me some organic baby leggings. 

Nope...Rea isn't wearing any in these photos...we only have one pair that for her right now.

They are not the cheapest especially when Rea is only wearing clothes for two months or so at a time :-/ Headbands aren't cheap either!

Below are some of my favorite picks!

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

Did you know that there is a whole world of Brand Reps on Instagram? Shops will choose a few kids to send free stuff to and the parents take high quality photos of their kiddos wearing the items.

Yep.

Just search the tag #BrandRepSearch

Seriously...I'm jealous of these kiddos haha!!

I tried out one for Reaghan...well of course I did...she's the cutest thing in the world to ME haha! She didn't get it....I'll chalk it up to the fact she can't sit up or crawl yet!

Just let me believe that...ok!?

But also...when you try out for these brand rep searches...you have to repost the shops image in your feed and I don't like to bombard my followers with this type of feed too much.

So I'm not sure where this post is going...other than the fact I love me some organic leggings and there are some cute kids out there repping these stores!

Whether you have kids, nieces, nephews or friends with kids...these would make cute little Christmas gifts!

Have a great day y'all!

xoxo

manda

Favorite Sports Bras

For me...it is so hard finding a supportive sports bra...does anyone else have this problem?

I need the heavy duty shit, yall lol. Don't give me some light way t-shirt material with no support!

I actually usually layer two for added support.

One of my fav sports bras is THIS ONE...it's called the Shock Absorber. I buy them at Bare Necessities. They have a large selection and you get to choose the size you need. I think they even go up to a cup size of HH!

If you sign up for their email....you'll get lots of coupons!

I'm sure you can find it on other websites as well like HerRoom.com or Amazon.com

Another favorite sports bra is more of a medium support from Victoria's Secret. Not to mention they are cute! Find it HERE.

Where do you buy your fav sports bras from!

Have a great day!

Manda

Fitness 101 - Push Ups to Tone Your Arms

I posted about these Push Up variations a long long time ago but wanted to do it again because I love it so much.

Complete all 3 variations doing 10 reps of each...resting 1 minute in between and then repeat for a total of 3-4 sets.

I'm doing a regular push up, the triangle push up and the pike push up.

Tank is obviously not impressed with this haha.

Let me know if you try it!!

Have a great day!

manda

Restless Nights

 

I cant wait until she can sit up and start crawling! she changes so much every day...I'm very lucky to be able to stay at home with her...for now...!

Last week was actually kind of a rough week. She has been more whine-y and her sleeping has been restless. Sometimes (like last night) I'm having to get up every hour on the dot. (We are so used to her sleeping at least 10 hours....it's been a little tiring lol!)

 

I had downloaded this app called The Wonder Weeks....and it said this time would be 'stormy' because she is at the beginning of a 'leap'. You'll have to download the app if you have a little one! It kind of explains what is happening and when...as their little brain develops.

Well I'm pooped yall! 

How was your weekend? We definitely had a great trip to Austin!

Xoxo

Manda

Chewing the Fists ALL Day Long

That's all this little girl does! First we tried on her new hat and then went to the park!

 

Just wanted to tell y'all Happy Friday and keep this post short and sweet to just show you some photos of Rea!

 

We are off to Austin for the weekend for my birthday!

 

 

xoxo

Manda

Currently Coveting - Workout Tank Tops

 

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

 

I've seriously been eyeballing these awesome tanks. They'd make a great edition to any workout wardrobe!

 

what is your favorite workout piece that you own?

 

have a great day!

manda

Rea - 4 Months Old & the Secret to Traveling with Her

 

 

Rea is growing too too fast. She was actually 4 months on Monday!

So on Monday...I mentioned we would be traveling with Rea to Austin to visit my mom for my birthday.

This trip will be super easy with two of us but About a month ago I traveled to Austin to visit my mom (Grami & Papi) by myself. It's about a 3.5 hour trip from Houston (I think...I can't remember haha).

Eric was out of town on a business trip to New York (lucky butt).

I was pretty nervous and fully prepared to stop or turn around if I needed to! 

Well what do you know...she was a fantastic little travel mate.

The secret?!?! 

 

1. Keep about 5 pacifiers in front with you at all times.

 

2. Make sure your arm is long enough to reach the baby.

(Maybe do some arm stretches the week before to make it longer?) haha

 

3. Place a baby mirror in front of her car seat (attached to the backseat headrest) so you can see her at all times.

 

4. Anytime you can't find current paci...give her one from your stash!

Not sure if it's the safest but I did keep my eyes on the road...just reached my hand back to her :-/

What are your secrets to traveling with the baby? Or kids in general!

Have a great day yall!

Xoxo

Manda

 

Fitness 101 - Thinner Thighs in 20 Minutes!

Don't have time to go to the gym?

Try the below Tabata Style workout!

I love doing my workouts using Tabata bc I am limited on time throughout the day, it gets my heart rate going and is helping me lean out.

FYI...I wanna die during the lunge jumps (yeah just take a look at the photo below)...if you can't do the complete 20 seconds of work...do it as long as you can and wait for the next 20 seconds of work to come around.

  

So for this workout...complete each exercise 8 times. you work for 20 seconds and rest for 10 seconds...then repeat until you've done it 8 times. Move on to the next exercise.

AND so you're not trying to stare at a clock the whole time...download a Tabata Timer app on your phone. My fav app is Seconds Pro Interval Timer because it plays your music and counts down. Another app is Gymboss but it doesn't play music. Both are free.

Just FYI...my legs were killing me the next 2 days!

The video below shows you everything except the reverse lunges. You can view how to do a reverse lunge HERE.

Let me know what you think...if you get a chance to try it!

Have a great day!

manda

FIVE

1. Rea is 4 months today! She just keeps getting more fun every day! Laughs when you tickle her, her eyes bulge out when you lift her in the air (yeah Ill wait a little while to do that one again!), lifts her eyebrows at you and finally rolled over!!! We've got her 4 month doc appointment Wednesday!

2. I seriously need a new wardrobe. I'm still not quite down in size to where I want to be so I mostly wear gym clothes around (beides the 1 pair of H&M boyfriend jeans I bought and LOVE!). Yep...still not down to my pre-preggo weight or pre-preggo clothes. But ALMOST! I currently weigh 141 and my pre-preggo was 135. I gained 40 lbs and I swear most of the weight was gained in my booty and thighs.

3. My birthday is Saturday!! I'll be 33...yikes! We'll be traveling to Austin (to my mom's house). Last year at this time...we had just found out I was pregnant a couple weeks before. 

4. I absolutely hate hate hate leaving the dogs when we travel but we do have a house/dog sitter so it makes me feel a little better.

5. Eric is such a great dad! He works so hard at work and then comes home and still helps out. Rea just adores him!

how was everyone's weekend?!

xoxo

manda

Currently Coveting

So my current wish lists and wants are more functional and casual lately since I'm home or running errands most of the time. 

Old Navy Shirt - Loving me some plaid shirts and Old Navy has a slew of them for a great price!

H&M Jeans - I've fallen in love with H&M jeans lately. Since I'm still losing weight continuously (almost back to normal!) I have to buy clothes that fit at the moment and H&M has great quality and are super affordable!

Blowfish Shoes - And who doesn't love Blowfish shoes?! If you've never tried....buy you some!

Hope everyone has a great weekend! 
xoxo
manda

Fitness 101 - Easy Quesadillas

 

Quesadillas...healthy?

 

Sure why not.

 

You've got your protein, carbs, and veggies all in one. dip into some guacamole and there is your healthy fat! as long as you're not frying it in oil...you will be just fine!

 

plus its always a family favorite!

 

 

yeah...I'm not a pro at food photos lol

 

 

 

HERE is where I found the original recipe that inspired this one.

 

Have a great day!!

manda