You guys know I travel from time to time. Here's an awesome video that has some great tips on what to pack on your carry on. I'm totally using some of her tips!
Today, I'm going to give you a little peek into how I have "me time." As a mom who works from home, things can get hectic sometimes. I get caught up cleaning, taking care of the kids, editing and emails, and sometimes I forget about me. It can be really easy to do. When I was younger, before I had children, I had all the time in the world to pamper myself, take long baths, get massages, go to the salon and just spend hours doing my hair and makeup. I don't have that kind of time now. So when I want a little "me time," it's much less involved than it used to be, but it's still just as amazing.
It's funny how life changes!
Nowadays, my "me time" is taking a long, hot shower by myself once the kids go to bed. Simple right? But it's so nice. No interruptions. Just me and the hot water and some lovely products to help pamper my skin and hair. I can take as much time as I want in there. Shave my legs, wash my hair, exfoliate my body and step out feeling like a human being again! Haha!
Here are the items I used last night to make me feel pampered in my very own home. All of these items can be found at your local Target. Plus, they all smell AMAZING!
The first thing I do is wash my hair with the Proganix Anti Fade Cheery Blossom Shampoo & Conditioner. I have to be honest: I kind of picked this up because the packaging is gorgeous! Haha! I'm a sucker for pink and gold. This smells so gorgeous too. But it's actually a really nice shampoo and conditioner. It's sulfate-free, so it doesn't lather a huge amount, but it leaves your hair feeling clean and very soft. The conditioner does a really great job at detangling and leaving hair silky smooth. I always make sure to leave my conditioner on while I exfoliate, shave, wash, etc. So be sure to do this first so your hair is really getting a good conditioning treatment.
Next, I use Boots Extracts Mango Sugar Scrub. You all know I grew up in England and absolutely love Boots. So it makes me so happy that Target carries this brand. Their products smell amazing and feel really moisturizing on the skin. The mango is heavenly! I like to exfoliate my skin once a week before I self-tan to ensure that I will get the most even, glowy self-tan possible. It also helps to get rid of all of the dead skin cells and old self-tan that is still on your skin. I use mine with an exfoliating glove.
Once I've exfoliated and shaved, I use the Boots Extracts Mango Body Wash. Again, this smells so delicious. I just want to eat it! Haha! It's a very moisturizing formula that leaves your skin feeling super hydrated. I also wash my face in the shower with the Acure Facial Cleansing Gel. This smells like citrus and lathers really well. It's a gel formula that leaves your skin feeling squeaky clean, but not tight or dry.
It's a super simple routine, but it just feels so nice at the end of a long day to have taken a little quiet time to yourself. After that, I apply my self-tanner, let my hair air dry and go and edit the vlog. It's my little half-hour of me time, and it always makes me feel so much better.
How cute is this dish? I found it at Target in the dollar section. It's actually a candle holder, but you could use it to store your favorite skin-care products, Q-tips or lip gloss, or use it for its purpose and light a nice candle and take a hot bath and relax.
Don't forget to check out your local Target to find all the items I showed in this post, as well as many more amazing products to help you feel relaxed and fabulous!
How do you do "me time"? Leave a comment below or tweet me @samschuerman and use #TargetStyle and #MeTime.
Be sure to check out Target's YouTube channel for tips on how to de-clutter your closet and bathroom! They have some amazing tips!
Now that I'm thinking about this more as a lifestyle change and less of just a for now, I've decided to be a little easier on myself. I don't want to deprive completely. Or maybe I'm just justifying my slacker habits haha. Either way, I had pizza today and I feel bad about it. LOL.
We didn't go to the gym because the kids had no school today. But we did move BS's stuff into her storage unit and that in itself, was a workout. So at least I did something right today haha!
I think once Feb comes I might stop the daily food diary. I tend to like to eat the exact same things and I feel like it becomes repetetive. Hope you don't mind ;)
Cheat Day! Technically I cheated yesterday but I never got my chocolate so I had that today haha! I didn't do terrible today. I basically left it till the end of the day.
So I missed two days of my daily food diary. Sorry guys.
Today I was naughty. I ate two chicken & spinach crepes at Mimi's and it was delicious. I was on a lunch date with my freind and I just have such a hard time resisitng when I'm out to eat. So I feel kind of guilty about my lack of self control. But then I spoke to Jay on the phone in Montana and he was eating pizza. So then I felt like I wasn't the only one hahaha!
Here's what I ate today.
Breakfast:
1 Cup of Greek Yogurt with Hazelnuts
16 oz water
Lunch:
2 Chicken, Spinach & Tomato Crepes with a delightful creamy dijon sauce on top.
What a night we had. Poor Lily had a fever all day on and off and all night, so we were up most of the night with her trying to help her feel better. It's no fun when your babies are sick!
No gym today because Lily stayed home from school and our gym has no childcare. PLus she's still not feeling well. Neither is Jay.
Here's what I ate today.
Breakfast:
1 Grapefruit
Turkey, tomato, kale & 1/2 avocado scramble (no egg)
1/2 cup of Green Tea
8 oz water
Lunch:
(it was supposed to be snack but time got the best of me... it's been a busy day)
The day after cheat day. I was actually really excited to get back to eating healthy again. That grapefruit in the morning tasted so amazing and fresh haha!
No gym because it was Sunday and we're doing Mon - Fri, which I think is enough for now. I woke up much less sore.
Here's what I ate today.
Breakfast:
1 Cup of Green Tea
1 Grapefruit
Turkey, tomatoes & kale scramble (no egg)
16 oz water
No snack. I got distracted with a sick baby.
Lunch:
Peanut Butter & Banana Smoothie (for 2 people)
2 tbsp Peanut Butter
Almond Milk
3 bananas
Ice
Carrots
8 oz water
No snack again. These are the hardest for me. I think I've gotten so used to trying to take out my Invisalign the least amount of times, that I find snacks to be bothersome.
Dinner:
Tuna Salad
1 can of tuna
Handful of spinach
Handful of grape tomatoes
1/2 avocado
Balsamic Dressing
3 tbsp Sesame Oil
2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 tbsp Spicy Brown Mustard
16 oz water
That's it guys. I was really busy with Lily yesterday. She wasn't very well and my diet reflects it. I didn't drink enough water.
I figured I'd ease myself into this whole situation. Let's face it. I'm a sweet tooth. I love chocolate. I've been craving it so badly and it's terrible. I'm only a week in so I'm not ready to have one cheat meal. So for now I'm doing a cheat day and then eventually I'd like to get down to one cheat meal. It's baby steps haha!
I ended up getting a whole lot of exercise yesterday just from keeping busy around the house but I didn pig out and it was amazing. I did ended feeling very guilty by the end of the day. I also felt sick, had major stomach grumblies and i had awful heart burn all night while I was sleeping. Chocolate eh?
Last day of the week to go to the gym and we ended it with a bang. I am exhausted. My body is sore, it hurts to sit on the toilet, get up from the couch, walk in general. I'm pooped! I need the weekend to recover for sure! Also, I'm pretty excited because tomorrow is cheat day! I can't wait lol! I just need one day to enjoy myself a little haha.
Here's what I ate today.
Breakfast:
1 Grapefruit
Turkey warmed up dry
1 cup of Green Tea
16 oz water
Snack: (once again I was at the gym and forgot to bring something)
I wasn't super keen on the red snapper. It was a bit meatier than I like my fish to be and it's also a little more fishy tasting than I like. Not my favorite.
I'm sore. LOL. That's about it really. Jay's been working my booty off at the gym. I can't say I'm a super happy camper when I work out. I get grumpy, tired, irritable and just want it to be over with. So usually Jay gets yelled at while we're there and once I'm done, it's all good haha! Poor guy.
I've also noticed since we started working out, that the salads for lunch aren't cutting it. I'm so much hungrier and feel like I need more, so I've been adding some good carbs to our meals.
Here's what I ate today.
Breakfast:
1 Grapefruit
Turkey (like always)
1 cup of Green Tea
16 oz Water
Snack:
32 oz Water
1/2 Banana
1/2 cup of Pistachios
Lunch: Chicken Tortilla Soup (for 4 people)
2 tsp Southwest Blend Seasoning (Costco)
2 tsp Chicken Boullion Paste
2 Carrots
2 Celery Stalks
3 Kumato Tomatoes
3 cloves Garlic
4 cups Hot Water
Put those all in your vitamix on high for 1 minute. Then add 2 rotisserie chicken breasts torn into pieces, 1 handful or blue corn chips, a pinch of parsley & 1/2 cup of sweetcorn. Put on variable 1 until everything is mixed in and chips are broken up. (30 seconds)
Snack:
1 Pear
Handful of raw almonds
Dinner:
BeachBody 21 Day Fix Turkey Meatloaf
Asparagus
Broccoli
(I didn't have ground turkey and we have a bunch of ground beef to use up so I used that but obviously turkey ground would be better). This recipe was delicious.
Today has been really hard. All I want is something sweet. Chocolate, cake, ice cream, donut.... whatever. Just not lettuce. We also had a really hard work out today, that kicked my booty so I was wiped out and starving and the last thing I wanted to do was eat a dang salad. LOL. The struggle is real.
Today I was ready to head to the gym and instead I ended up going to the grocery store because I had super bad tummy cramps. I just couldn't imagine stretching and working out. So I feel like a failure today. They ended up getting better towards the afternoon and so I ran up and down our stairs a little bit haha. I felt like I at least did something. I planned on jump roping but got distracted with cleaning, baking cookies with the kids, making dinner and now I'm working on the computer. Fail again. So let's just say I suck today lol. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be better.
I did really enjoy my food today though hahaha! Lunch was so good and dinner surprised me with how yummy it turned out.
Here's what I ate today:
Breakfast:
1/2 cup of Fage 2% greek yogurt
1 handful of raspberries
1/2 banana
1 tbsp of glazed walnuts
16 oz water
Lunch:Pear & Walnut Salad
1 chicken breast
1 Big handful of spinach
1 pear diced
7 grapes cut into thirds
Glazed walnuts
Dijon Honey Vinaigrette (for 2 people)
3 tbsp Sesame Oil
2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 tbsp Honey
1 tbsp Spicy Brown Mustard
16 oz water
Snack:
1 Banana
1/2 cup Pistachios
8 oz water
Dinner:
Paleo Stuffed Peppers
(I substituted the tomato paste for 5 fresh tomatoes on the vine)
That's it for me today :) I'm finding my mid morning snack hard to remember to eat because I'm really busy when the kids are in school. I need to be better about it. I also really want chocolate today. WAHHH!
Today was my first day at the gym. It's been a very long time since I was in the gym and the minute I started stretching.... I felt it haha! I hate stretching. It hurts. A lot! But I got through it and by the end, it was feeling pretty good. We basically just did a bunch of stretching and exercises with our own body weight. We plan on going Mon - Fri while the kids are at school. I woke up extra early to get ready before the kids woke up, so that I could still film while they were at school, and still get my work out it. Ahhhh, the sacrifices we make to look good. I'll see you one day sleep. It will be delightful.
Today I was busy and lost track of time. I didn't eat my snacks like I should have. I'm hoping tomorrow I will remember to eat them.
Here's what I ate:
Breakfast:
2 slices of Turkey Bacon
1 Grapefruit
16 oz of water
Snack:
8 oz water
Lunch:
Cucumber Salad
1/4 English Cucumber diced
2 Kumato tomatoes diced
1/2 avocado diced
1 slice of red onion diced
1 chicken breast
Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp spicy brown mustard
Pinch of salt & pepper
3 tbsp Sesame Oil
16 oz water
Snack:
1 cup of green tea
8 oz water
Dinner:
White Fish (cooked the same as yesterday)
Broccoli
Asparagus
Carrots
16 oz water
No headache today. I did have stomach cramps (low down) and Jay said it was because we worked on our cores. They went away by the evening.
Today I am hungry. I feel like my body has realized I'm not joking around with this whole eating healthy thing. I think the first and second day, it was just thinking it was a good day. But today I have been hungry all day, even after I eat. So I think it realizes we gotta start eating some of that fat off hahaha!! I've also peed all day. I feel like the last three days have been spent peeing. I find that when my pee is clear, I know I'm drinking enough and when it starts to not be clear... I need to drink more.
I also noticed I've had a headache today that started in the afternoon. I had this when I went on the South Beach Diet. I remember it well. It wasn't fun.
Here's what I ate today.
Breakfast:
Turkey warmed up dry on the pan until brown.
1 Grapefruit
16 oz water
1 cup of green tea
Snack:
1 Banana & 1/2 cup of pistachios
8oz water
Lunch:Tuna Salad (ingredients below)
1 can of tuna
1 handful of grape tomatoes
1/2 Yellow Pepper
1/4 English Cucumber cut into circles and then 1/4's
1 slice Red Onion - diced
Romaine lettuce
Balsamic Dressing (for 2 people)
3 tbsp Sesame Oil
2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 tbsp Spicy Brown Mustard
Pinch of salt & pepper
16 oz water
Dinner:
White fish (parsley, lemon, sesame oil, salt, pepper, scallions)
Asparagus
Carrots
16 oz water
Dessert:
1 cup Cantaloupe
I also went for a short walk today while the kids played in their cars. Tomorrow I start the gym. AHHHHH!! I'm not looking forward to it. LOL.
So I woke up this morning STARVING!!! My stomach was grumbling at 6:30 and I was immediately ready for breakfast. Normally I can wait a little while for breakfast, so this was the first change I noticed. I also had to pee really bad haha! Other than those two things, I haven't noticed anything else.
Here's what I had to eat today.
Breakfast:
Turkey cooked dry on the pan until a little brown
Handful of strawberries
1 Grapefruit
16 oz water
1 cup of green tea
Snack:
1 apple and 2 tbsp chunky peanut butter
8 oz water
Lunch:
Khloe Kardashian's Fruit Fanatic Salad from the "Strong Looks Better Naked" book
16 oz water
Snack:
1/2 yellow bell pepper
2 tbsp Hummus
Handful of baby carrots
8oz water
Dinner:
1 Chicken Breast (olive oil, salt & pepper)
Roasted Veggies (Eggplant & zucchini)
16 oz water
That's everything today. While I'm typing this my tummy is growling lol. But I'm feeling just fine and dandy. So far it hasn't been hard at all.
Jay and I have decided to eat healthier this year, so I wanted to start documenting what we eat every day on here, so I keep myself on track, as well as have the recipes somewhere for you guys to find. I'm excited to get into better shape this year because a couple of years ago I felt really awesome about my body, and now I don't. LOL.
Starting on Monday (when the kids get back in school) Jay and I will start going to the gym, which I'm nervous about. I hate the gym but it's cold and icy and I don't want to freeze my booty off outside and Jay likes the gym, so I figured it would be a fun thing to do together as a couple. Unfortunately our gyms in town, don't have child care, so if we want to go together we have to go while they are in school. Hopefully I can still keep up with my work schedule and keep going to the gym. We shall see.
Here's what I ate today.
Breakfast:
2 strips of turkey bacon.
1 bowl of sliced strawberries & bananas.
16 oz water.
Snack:
1 orange and a handful of pistachios. 16 oz water.
Lunch:
Khloe Kardashian's Chinese Chicken Salad from her "Strong Looks Better Naked" Book.
16 oz water.
1 cup of green tea.
Dinner:
1 fillet of White fish (with lemon, parsley, garlic, red onions, salt & pepper and olive oil)
1 cup broccoli
1 cup cauliflower
16 oz water.
Dessert: 1 cup of grapes.
16 oz water.
So far, I feel fine. I'm not feeling deprived or sad I can't eat chocolate. I peed my life away. It was clear by lunch. Sorry if that's TMI but that never happens because I'm terrible about drinking water. The lunch took way longer to make than our normal lunches, which will take some getting used to. It took about 1/2 an hour but usually it's maybe 10 minutes because it's a tuna fish sandwich or something simple like that. This one did take a bit more effort but it tasted absolutely amazing. I highly recommend trying this recipe guys. It's delicious!