Experiments In Happiness: The Vision Board

Earlier this year, Red Lotus Mama Nicole and I took a wonderful workshop aptly titled "Happiness Bootcamp: How to do a Vision Board and Keep Resolutions." I took away so much from this 2-hour class, but one of the things that stuck with me is this idea of putting together a mass vision board that includes hopes, thoughts, goals and ideas for ALL of us. 

But instead of listing out traditional resolutions, coach Stacie Somers suggested finding a THEME for the year. Words or a simple phrase that you will strive to achieve, and build your vision board around them. I loved this idea. Resolutions are so finite... and so breakable. But a THEME can grow and change over the year. 

But how do you FIND your theme? Here is an exercise that we did with Stacie to figure it out. 

Rules:

1- Re-Write these questions down using your dominant hand (your normal writing hand - for most of us, the right hand.)

2) Answer the questions writing with your SUB-dominant hand (for most, the left hand)

Crazy, huh? But using your "other hand" triggers parts of your brain that you normally are not using and really helps with figuring these things out. 

Questions:

1) How do I want to experience the world this year?

2) What do I yearn to have more of in my life?

3) What do I need in my life?

4) What was missing from my life last year?

5) What would it feel like to have these missing things in my life this year?

Now, did you notice something in your answers? A recurring theme or words that stick out more than others? Use those to create your personal theme. It can be one or two words, it can be a phrase... but use that to build your vision board and guide your year. 

Without getting too personal, for this year I chose two key words: Energy and Clarity. Two things I'm striving for and working to achieve in many different aspects of my life this year. As far as my actual vision board is concerned, I will admit that just like me,  it's still a work in progress....

Staci's Happiness Bootcamp was a free event held at Bliss 101 in Encinitas, CA. If you are local I highly suggest "liking" thier Facebook page for more information on upcoming events.  

Goldie{HipMama}B and The 3 BB Creams: A Quest for the One Thats JUST RIGHT

BB Creams (beauty balms) are ALL THE RAGE. I first heard about them last year (or the year before?) with all the talk of the high-price Korean imports that touted being "The. Best. Make-Up. Ever." Creams that do it all - heal, conceal, cover and correct your skin all in one bottle. But I gotta tell you - I'm a hard sell. I'm picky on texture, color and coverage. I've been wearing Dior Skin Foundation for years, and hard as I try, I can't find anything else that I like.

But still the lure of the perfect make-up/skin care combo had me trying and testing... Here's the story of my quest. 

Dr. Jart Premium Beauty Balm: This One's Too Oily 

This is the one that you read about in Allure and celebrities tell you is the only thing they will put on their faces. I was excited when it came in my Birchbox a few months ago, as for some reason I always thought of it as a high-end product. Whatever, it didn't matter. It sat on my face in a slick mess. My chin looked shiny and I felt the universal color did nothing for me. The second time I tried it I actually washed my face and reapplied make-up half way through the day because I hated it so.

Too Faced Air Buffed BB Cream: This One's Too Cakey

With this one I totally fell for the marketing promises. According to the packaging it was supposed to even my skin tone and BANISH imperfections. The soft brush was supposed to give you an air brushed look and it was supposed to be a fuller coverage than other BB Creams offered. What it was was thick and cakey. The brush didn't do much but slow down the application process, and I found myself still using my fingers to blend... and blend, and blend and blend... I tried to pretend I liked it, then I got a look at myself in the rear view mirror and packed that baby up and returned it the next day. 

Naked Skin Beauty Balm: This One Is JUST RIGHT

I had given up. I wasn't even looking at BB Creams anymore. The $75 Sephora gift card that had been burning a hole in my wallet since Christmas was going to a new NARS bronzer, the Viktor&Rolf Flowerbomb perfume rollerball and a new brush head for my Clarisonic Mia. As I was checking out I was offered a sample of the Naked Skin BB Cream, so I took it. What they hey, it was a free sample. And? It was love at first application. 

From the Sephora website:

Blur flaws in seconds and get serious antiaging benefits in just eight weeks. This lightweight, velvety, oil-free miracle works instantly and over the long term. Naked Skin Beauty Balm is invisible on your skin (zero rub-off): the universal shade glides on and dries down to a translucent, flawless finish that works on most skintones. While many beauty balms are tinted to provide coverage, Naked Skin diffuses light with high-tech pigments to give you amazing, natural, naked-looking skin that keeps getting better every week. Unlike a lot of beauty balms, Naked Skin delivers measurable antiaging benefits—and the claims to prove it.

This? ALL TRUE. I can wear it to work-out and it doesn't come off when I wipe my brow. It give my skin a blurry, Alexis Carrington filtered glow. The color is perfect and it feels like I have nothing on. And if I see anti-aging benefits in 8 weeks ALL THE BETTER. 

Have you tried BB Creams yet? Which one do you like? 

HipMamaB Lit: Let’s talk about Sex (books) ba-by…

If you know me IRL, then you know that in the past 6 months I’ve somehow become the go-to for “romantic erotica” books. I guess my openness to discussing 50 Shades of Gray has led me to this role – with friends and book publishers alike sending me titles to read and review. While I’ve mentioned a few here and there, I still hesitate to really go into details, but every once in awhile I come across a book or series that I think really deserves recognition.

Months ago I came across the book Backstage Pass (Sinners on Tour #1) by Olivia Cunning, while actually searching for something else on iBooks. I ended up downloading it and WOAH-MY-GOD, it makes Christian Grey look downright virginal.

One of the reviews on Goodreads actually says “How much sex can one get into a book?” A question I found myself asking a few times. I’m not even sure what type of research this author did to be able to come up with some of these scenarios. But sex aside (which is hard to put aside with this book), I enjoyed all the books in this series because at their core, they are well-written, heart tugging, love stories.

No, seriously. 

The Sinners on Tour series chronicles a (fictional) famous, heavy metal rock band as they each individually find love and relationships in ways that work for them as individuals. While each book follows a different member of the 5-person band, the book’s point-of-views switch back and forth during the stories, showing the emotions of both (or in one case, *spoiler* all 3) of the main characters in the book. Each of the characters battle with past issues, intense emotions and the struggle of how to create a future while on tour.

The best part about these books is that I genuinely have grown to like each of the characters. While towards the end of other books you want to scream “If you can’t stop fighting just break the hell up!!!” in these books I found myself rooting for the characters to make it work. Yes, a few of the plot lines got a little silly, but if we’ve learned anything from Downton Abbey, it’s that one group of people can suffer through disaster after disaster in fictional situations.

One note – if you end up reading the whole series - read them 1, 2, 4 and then 3. For some reason the publisher released them in a different order than they were written.

If you are not sure you want to dedicate the time, or you want to see if this type of book appeals to you, Cunning also has recently released a few novellas of similar note in a series called “One Night With Sole Regret,” which highlights one (hot, steamy) night in each of the members of (another) rock group called Sole Regret. These short stories give you all the sex with not a lot of that fancy plot or character development crap - pretty much JUST enough of it to not make it read like a cheesy porno. 

So tease up your hair, put on a mini-skirt and relive your high-school fantasy of falling in love with a rock star and get to reading.  

#FashionFriday: Be a "Fit Fashionista" With Ellie

Moms across America have one thing in common; we spend a A LOT of time in our yoga pants. I'm not saying we are all going to yoga all the time, I'm just saying we wear them a lot. So you HAVE to look cute in them. A few years ago, Lululemon changed the designer workout wear trend into a full-on obsession. They made workout wear into something that was coveted, along with being very high-end and pricey. And, oddly enough, they seem to have monopolized this market for the past few years... with nothing else out there that really compares in style, fit and material. 

Until Ellie. 

A new company out of Los Angeles, Ellie is poised to take on the yoga-wear powerhouse with great styles, high-quality moisture wicking and antibacterial fabrics that have 4-way stretch technology that will apparently never stretch out, so they will always hold you in and look good. Also? Everything is designed and manufactured right here in the USA. 

Since they know that ordering workout wear online can be tricky, they've developed what they are calling "TruFit Technology" which means every piece fits true to size. Also cool? Each piece is designed by women, for women, so it’s made to flatter all body types.

When the team at Ellie asked me if I wanted to become an ambassador for their clothes, I jumped at the chance. Doing The Dailey Method 3-4 times a week means I'm either always washing workout clothes, or always buying them. I was excited to checkout new pants and see what they had to offer. 

I have to say I love the pants I received. The Love Struck Leggings fit beautifully, are snug enough to hold everything in, but stretchy and OH SO COMFORTABLE. And I can't wait to try a few pieces from the March collection. Looking like it was MADE for me (all Black!!) I'm dying to get my hands on a pair of the Little Black Capris and the Black Widow tank top. 

Check out the March Collection: 

 

How it works: 

There are two ways you can shop Ellie. First is by just going on the site and shopping away... the second is by joining Ellie as a FitFashionista Club Member, where for $49.95 a month you choose 2 pieces a month from the current collection. Yes, $50 for 2 pieces! And yes, you can always skip a month if you want.

And, if you use my links on this page, you can save 20% on your first order!

Save 20% on Ellie!

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*disclosure: I am an Ambassador for Ellie. They have sent me clothes to review, opinions are my own. 

Getting My Booty Kicked: 3 Things to Remember When You Start {back} At The Dailey Method Workout

You all know how much I love The Dailey Method workout? For the past year and half my girls Samantha and Shelie at the Carlsbad location have kept me lurching towards that goal of flat abs and a tight, little, lifted "seat." But here is my confession. I took a hiatus. 

I dropped the ball {from between my clenched thighs} and pretended like I was going to back "next week" - only that lasted from about November - January. And every "next week" something new stopped me from slipping on my grippy socks and getting myself back in there. 

Oh, the excuses! Some, like minor dermological surgeries, were good. Some, like "my hair is too dirty to work out today," were really, really, really lame. Truth be told, I was scared to go back. Scared to look at myself in the mirror tucking and clenching for 60 minutes. Scared of the muscle aches and soreness. And 100% scared to death of planking again. But then a challenge for the month of February got me in the door. The lure of new socks (I'm so easily won over with THINGS) and the realization that I had run out of reasons not to, kicked my motivation into gear. 

And I learned a few things along the way:

1) It will hurt like a moth%^*%^&ker the day after your first class back.

To put it nicely, I was hobbled. You should have seen me trying to get down the millions of stairs that we apparently have in this house... it was laughable. My quads were tighter than a tuned snare drum. But I didn't let it stop me. I hobbled my way back in two more times that week..

2) After the third class, you will feel like a rockstar.

Classes 1 and 2 made me say words that my mother would be ashamed to hear me say. Class 3 I think I managed a laugh and smiled during at least one point, and by class number 4? I felt AMAZING. I was already holding my stomach in a little tighter, lengthening my spine without thinking about it and able to plank for a least half of the time frame they want you to. I felt good. SO good I even went and tried on new jeans. {which, I don't suggest you do after just 3 classes because in all honesty I was the same size. But I FELT smaller and that counts for something, right?!}

3) You WILL see results. You WILL be happy. 

To me, the most amazing thing about The Dailey Method are the results. I'm an instant gratification type person. I don't even like online shopping because you are forced to wait 3-5 business days. Call me Veruca Salt, because when I want something I want something NOW. And I see results quickly with TDM. 

While I can't promise that you will also results, remember that I hadn't worked out for about (COUGH) 3 months (COUGH) and I have visible results after 4 weeks. I can see it, and others have noticed. 

In the next few months The Dailey Method will be rolling out a new challenge - the INTERVAL CLASS. I will admit, I'm scared. But also excited. I have no clue what it will entail other than I'm sure that I will cry part way through the first one. But I'm ready.

BRING IT ON TDM. 

*Note that I was not compensated in cash to write this post. I got a free pair of pretty green socks and a little off the monthly cost, so I am not lying to you. I will also say that I'm doing other things that I will talk about over the next few weeks (diet related) that may have helped me. Or not. Who knows.