Self-Imposed Time Out

After this giveaway, I will be taking about a week off from blogging, the internet, and my computer in general. I know I've been in and out, and I guess it's because I am kind of ambivalent about the blogging world right now. I want to write, I want to share, but the games get so exhausting and overwhelming that it stops being fun. The frustrating part is that I have SO MUCH to write about and I am too busy to do it! I need to be able to clear my plate a little before I can take the time to do any quality writing. (Which sucks, because I am so excited to have new readers!) I keep saying, "One day, this will be running like a legitimate blog. One day..." But I can't keep up!

I also live with anxiety and depression and my symptoms have been worse since our big move. I feel the constant pressure to be a good mom and wife and I feel like I can't do everything I need to do, which makes me feel inadequate and worthless (as long as we're being honest...) So, what happens instead is I pretend my daily responsibilities don't exist and drown myself in stupid tasks (like playing Candy Crush or watching Season 2 of The Walking Dead for the fourth time.) Of course, that's counter-productive and makes everything worse. The dishes and laundry won't do themselves, and obviously my daughter needs me. I need to dig back in my memory to my early therapy sessions and do what I know will HELP:

1. Make lists. My "wiring" makes it difficult for me to prioritize, so in my head, getting the mail is just as important as showering and checking Facebook is right up there with showering. The only way for me to fix this is to physically write out a list and put things in order of importance from 1 to whatever. This forces me to see what needs to be done FIRST and what can wait. If I don't do this, I get overwhelmed by EVERYTHING that needs to be done and end up doing nothing.

2. Work out. It's tough to get motivated when you are dealing with even a small bout of depression, but medical studies have shown that exercise is proven to help with depression and anxiety. There are both physiological (releasing endorphins, lowering blood pressure) and psychological (gaining confidence, feeling healthier) benefits of exercise.

3. Eat cleaner and healthier foods. I haven't even looked at a Paleo recipe in MONTHS. When I start getting depressed, I tend to eat foods that appease my need for instant gratification. For me, that's anything sweet. A box of cherry cordials from Valentine's Day, cupcakes, chocolate chip cookies, etc. And because of my addiction to sugar, it just snowballs out of control from there. To the point where I NEED to eat at least one sugary food a day or I get a miserable headache.
 
4. Drink more water. In addition to cleaning up my eating habits, I need to drink more water. This will help me feel full when I am only craving sweets and not actually hungry as well as fighting off fatigue and those nasty headaches.

5. Meditate and play with my baby. Instead of turning to TV and games, I need to work on my breathing (which will help keep my anxiety in check) and PLAY. Nothing in the world makes me happier than hearing my little girl laugh. Getting on the floor and making silly faces, or making a fool out of myself by singing and dancing for her, is truly the best therapy for me right now. So instead of wasting my days on time suckers, I will live in the REAL world for a while. The internet can wait.

Here is what I am working on right now:
Reviewing products for Mami's and Papi's (my awesome local cloth diaper store/baby boutique.)
Becoming certified as an Elite Personal Trainer with ISSA.
Custom orders for my Etsy store.
Organizing and keeping my home.
Watching my baby girl grow up.

So, there is the top of my "Priorities" list. I love to write, but the blog will have to wait until I have a few things figured out. Thank you for understanding! <3

Handmade from the Heart *GIVEAWAY*

Happy Valentine's Day!

To celebrate Valentine's Day, I've joined the Blogging Mamas Network in the Handmade from the Heart Giveaway Hop!  This Event is all about the Love for Handmade things - each blogger involved, including me, has a great prize for you to enter to win!  

My sponsor, Unique and Chic Creations, is offering a tutu wreath like the one below to one lucky winner!

After you enter my giveaway, be sure to hop around to all the others.

And you definitely don't want to miss the Grand Prize...

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fine print: Open to US only. Winner chooses any two colors and letter initial they'd like. According to Jenny, So Easy Being Green, and the Handmade from the Heart participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill prize obligations. Anyone found to have fraudulently claimed an entry will be reported. 

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: Unique and Chic Creations

Megan Hamer (KraftinMommy on Etsy) is a former elementary school teacher who now stays home with her baby girl and managed to turn her dream hobby into a business. Full disclosure: She's the sister of an old friend and she specializes in LOVELY custom decor for kids' rooms and events. I super-heart (go ahead and cringe, people, but I mean it!) her work and she has agreed to sponsor me for the Handmade from the Heart giveaway event which begins on TOMORROW!

Her shop features an array of adorable and attentively handcrafted gifts for the littles in your life. She makes name plaques and personalized letters to hang in a nursery or child's room, unique diaper bikes (as opposed to diaper cakes), and ribbon wreaths and banners for any celebration-worthy occasion!

Megan has offered a small tutu wreath, similar to the one above, to the lucky winner of our Handmade from the Heart giveaway!

Quite literally, a rainbow of colors to choose from. You can match ANY decor!

Something about theses wreaths just makes me so happy! I personally plan to order one in orange and blue so I can represent my Florida Gators out here in Texas. ;)

In addition to shopping her Etsy store, check out her blog and follow Unique and Chic Creations on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with sales and giveaways she has going on!

Confessions of a Mommy Blogger

     I have had a few weeks to reflect on my blog. I know it's only been live a few months, but I've gotten pretty caught up in the mommy blogosphere. I figured that if I wanted more people to read my posts, I should give something away as an incentive. Then I realized that not many companies want to give you free stuff if it's only going to promote their product to 10 people. It's a cycle. You host giveaways to prove to sponsors that you have a broad audience. You convince the audience to stay by offering more free stuff. And you get free stuff, too! People have received some pretty sweet promos. How awesome would it be to get a $400 stroller to review? Pretty awesome, right? But...

   That is NOT why I started writing, and that is certainly not what inspired me to begin writing Minimally Mama. I don't want to hustle my blog to potential sponsors JUST to get free stuff. I learned a lot from this past giveaway. It was pretty damn hard to get sponsored for two reasons:
1. I ONLY contacted companies and individuals whose product and ethos I would be excited to promote.
2. Most potential sponsors won't give you the time of day if you don't have impressive numbers to share with them.

     I was very fortunate to have a really cool eco-conscious company and a super sweet and talented WAHM give me an opportunity. That's really the way I see it. I LOVE reviewing products for you guys! I love SHARING. (Some people have even accused me of oversharing.) THAT is why I started this! So here is what I am going to do...

I am going to continue to write Minimally Mama.
I am going to write whenever I feel I have something of value to contribute--not however many times a week will make me attractive to sponsors.
I am going to review products that I use and companies that I believe in--not whoever approaches me, and not whoever I beg for free stuff.
I am going to host giveaways if any of the aforementioned companies are gracious enough to sponsor me, or if I have it in my budget to sponsor it myself. For this reason, my giveaways probably won't be very often or offering really high-dollar items.
I am going to be honest with my writing (as I have been) and not try to lure readers with promotions, and if that means I am writing to an audience of 2 and not 2000, so be it.
I hope you find value in what I share and continue to read. I've always been a better journalist than a salesman and this past month or so has validated that for me.

Thank you for reading! Please stick around. I have a lot more to say. ;)

It's here! Yankee Candle giveaway!

 

Welcome to the Yankee Candle Fall Festival Giveaway! 

     Real Mom Reviews has teamed with an awesome group of bloggers to bring one super lucky reader three large Yankee Candle Jars in fall scents. The traditional design of Yankee Candle signature jar candles reflect a warm, relaxed sense of style that's always at home. Convenient and easy to use, the large Housewarmer Jar Candles provides 110 to 150 hours of true fragrance enjoyment! The seasonal candles one reader will win help celebrate the best of fall with fragrances inspired by the beauty of nature and the bounty of harvest.  

• Apple Cider is a welcoming aroma of hot cider spiced with cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg! 
• Spiced Pumpkin will quickly fill your home with the smell of fresh pumpkins baked in simmering spices of clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon, and sweetened with brown sugar. 
• Autumn Leaves provides a vibrant scent medley of birch and maple leaves with pomegranate, juniper berry, and orange blossom that will leave your whole house smelling like fall! 

One lucky reader will win them all! Giveaway is open to US and Canada. Entering is simple, simply read over the giveaway rules and then enter using the Rafflecopter form below!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wordless Wednesday - Baby Feet

(This part isn't wordless. Deal with it.) I decided to jump on the Wordless Wednesdays bandwagon in order to motivate myself to post more pictures and post more frequently. Right now, I'm participating in Wordless Wednesdays on the Natural Parents Network. Here's my photo of little miss Silly Monkey:

Her favorite place to nap. <3

EDIT: Oops! Looks like I'm a week ahead. :facepalm: I'll just switch with next week's which is Story Time!

Southern Savers

I went through an "extreme couponing" phase last year in which I memorized the coupon and discount policies for every grocery store in the tri-county area. I got over that as soon as I realized Publix doesn't double coupons in Florida. (Bummer, right?) However, I did still find Southern Savers to be an extremely valuable resource.
Yes, it is called Southern Savers, but the site includes national chains (like Target, Wal-Mart, CVS, and Whole Foods) as well. The ads are updated regularly and include "Deal Ideas" which group coupons together for the maximum savings.
If you are new (or just completely oblivious) to couponing, the site also offers an explanation of the system and strategies you can use to get the most out of your efforts.

I just wanted to share this blog with you guys because I found it to be not only extremely helpful, but also very easy to navigate. So, check out Southern Savers and utilize the information Jenny works so hard to provide on your next shopping trip!

Yankee Candle Giveaway!

I am participating in the FREE Yankee Candle giveaway event hosted by Real Mom Reviews.

One super lucky reader will win three large jar fall fragrance Yankee Candles!

Cost: Free with announcement post or 3.00 with out.  

Giveaway Open to: US and Canada.  

The event dates: September 28th-October 19th.  

Free Link Option: Facebook  

Optional Paid Link Options: $2.00 for Twitter or Pinterest

To sign up for this event click here!


     ***You guys know I am working hard to find sponsors for the Merry Fluffy Christmas giveaway, and I'm in the process of reviewing Make It Paleo, but in the meantime, I'm participating in this giveaway, so MARK YOUR CALENDARS! (If you are trying to declutter like I am, this would be an awesome gift. Just in time for the holidays!)***

Make It Paleo Review *coming soon*

I'm ecstatic to announce that I will be receiving a copy of Make it Paleo (from Bill and Hayley at The Food Lovers Kitchen) to review for you guys! I know I cannot wait to try out some of the 200+ recipes and share my experiences here.

In the meantime, check out their website (linked above) which is incredibly user-friendly and helpful for those of us just venturing into the Paleo world. If you have an Android phone or iPhone, you should also download their myKitchen app. It makes shopping, cooking and meal-planning ridiculously easy. From their website:

myKitchen is the easiest way to take your favorite Paleo, Primal, and Gluten-free recipes with you wherever you go. You can save your favorite recipes, create daily meal plans and unique menus, and even generate shopping lists.

It's true. So easy and it's FREE!