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MaeLove Beauty Serums

March 1, 2021

Sometimes it feels like you need to undertake a particular course in beauty to figure out what some skincare solutions do to your skin. Anyone else feel that way? One product that people get confused with is beauty serums, popularly known as face serums. This product is different from moisturizers. As it turns out, serums happen to solve several skincare problems. By definition, beauty serum is a skincare product designed so that it can deliver high concentrations of various active ingredients to your skin. There are multiple types of serums available in the market, working to perform different functions, others brightening the skin, and others for hydration. Often, serums are clear gel-based liquids and less thick than a moisturizer. When incorporating this product into your daily skincare routine, you need to apply it before the moisturizer to help keep moisture. Serums, unlike most heavy creams, can hydrate the skin effectively. This is because the molecules can penetrate the skin deeply. This article will discuss what serums are, their benefits to the skin, and focus on serum products from MaeLove.

Benefits of Using Beauty Serums

Individuals use serums for various reasons, and therefore to get the most out of it, you need to pick a serum that is well suited for the specific issue you want to address. Below are some of the benefits you can get from using a beauty serum.

It absorbs into the skin. Serums are known for absorbing into the skin so quickly. This is because serums are lighter than moisturizers. This allows the serums to absorb into the skin so easily. As a result, the serum becomes the ideal first step in the layering process.
It improves your skin. Serums sometimes contain retinol components, which are useful for reducing the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.
It provides visible results. When you get a serum with a high concentration of active ingredients, you can quickly see the results of using the serums compared to other types of skin products.
Protects the skin from damages. Skin is a vulnerable part of the body because it is out in the sun all day long. However, with a good serum that contains ingredients such as green tea, vitamin C, vitamin E, astaxanthin, and others, you can have healthy skin unable to be affected by ultraviolet rays. Also, serums help protect your skin from pollution, which often causes premature aging and wrinkles.

MaeLove Serums

MaeLove is founded by a team of graduates from MIT to create incredible skincare formulas using science, AI-based research, and data. The company has so far made different types of serums available in the market, one being the popular MaeLove glow maker. Below are some of the common serums you can find at MaeLove.com.

The Glow Maker

This formula contains about 15% of ascorbic acid, ferulic acid, and vitamin C and E. These ingredients are known for delivering antioxidant protection. Also, the serum contains hyaluronic acid to provide long-lasting hydration. This serum is good to use when applying makeup because it contains ingredients such as botanical blends, which are great for nourishment provision. Most importantly, the product is gluten and oil-free.

Nia 10 Calming

The product contains 10% of the Niacinamide component, which protects sensitive skin from turning red and reduces the existing redness. Moreover, you can find vitamin B3 in this serum to help condition your skin and act as an anti-aging factor. This component helps reduce fine lines and pigmentation in your skin for a long time. For soothing purposes, the team added more ingredients to this formula, such as mushroom extracts, Zinc, Aloe, and white tea. This MaeLove serum is called calming because it has calming properties that make it suitable for acne-prone skin and sensitive skin. If your skin does not work great with glow maker or do not like the serum’s smell, this is a good alternative for you.

B5 Gel

This serum contains hyaluronic acid used for boosting skin moisture. The B5 vitamins, together with the Panthenol in this serum, are suitable for providing your skin with nutrients and enough hydration. It is also oil and gluten-free.

Love 31

Love 31 is another skin product from Maelove with all the ingredients found in the above three serums types. It is a good product for your skin, providing solutions from nourishments, hydration, and skin repair. When you want to try all the MaeLove serums, you can choose to pick Love 31 for your first test and see if it works for you because it is the ultimate skin indulgence or keep trying each individually.

Serums are usually applied before a moisturizer making it the second step of your skincare routine.

Incorporating Serum into Your Skincare Routine

Flawless skin is not a matter of DNA but sticking to a skincare routine that works for you. There are three steps involved in the skincare routine, namely:

Washing your face
Toning
Moisturizing

The first thing you do with your face is cleansing it with a face wash. Thereafter, use a toner to tone it. Under the toning step, you can treat your skin using a serum. The serum helps protect your skin from environmental aggressors as it contains active ingredients. Also, for specific issues such as acne and the rest, find serums with Vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, peptides, retinol, and niacinamide. Fortunately, all these can be found at MaeLove .com.

Importance of Hydrating Your Skin

The human body, including the skin and other organs, require adequate hydrating to continue carrying out the usual functions. Water is an essential component when it comes to hydrating the skin. Here are the benefits of hydrating your skin.

It improves elasticity- this enables your skin to stretch and snap back to the original shape
Reduces the appearance of wrinkles
It balances the oiliness of the skin
It improves the skin’s ability to fight diseases and environmental aggressors

To sum up, beauty serums are essential in your daily skincare routine as they not only add to your great skin but provide solutions to your skin problems. Fortunately, MaeLove delivers the most outstanding serum products with all the required ingredients to help your skin glow. Also, serums help your skin to hydrate and look smooth all the time. All you have to do is visit MaeLove.com to find a suitable serum for your skin.

Check out my other blog post on the top 4 MaeLove skincare products, click here!

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Lifestyle

Top 4 MaeLove Skincare Products

February 14, 2021

Let’s talk about skincare, specifically my favorite Maelove Skincare. I have struggled with skin issues since puberty. The majority of that being acne and oily skin. I remember being in high school and so embarrassed at how bad my skin was. I would go to the dermatologist and it would clear up for a while and then it would rear its ugly head again. The same cycle over and over. At 16, I started working at a video store and it had a tanning area in the back. That’s when my tanning bed addiction started. I felt prettier with a tan. I would go max amount of time and use the hottest bed. I also noticed with tanning, my acne seemed to clear up. At the time I thought win-win. Oh boy, was I so wrong. I continued laying in tanning beds (sometimes twice a day) and the sun with no sunscreen all the way into my 20s. I knew better but for the first time in my life, I felt confident in my skin. Now here I am in my early 30s, still having issues with acne and fine lines, wrinkles, and dark spots. One thing I’ve never incorporated into my routine that I wish I would have started in my teens is a skincare regimen. I started using MaeLove skincare products a few months ago after receiving them as a gift. As crazy as it sounds, I didn’t know what the different products were for and when was I supposed to put each product on or in what order. I was a little bit overwhelmed. Needless to say, I figured it out and now I love my skincare routine. Let’s go through all the MaeLove skincare products I use.

The Sun Protector

The one most important thing with any skincare routine is sunscreen! This is something I really regret not starting to use in my teens. It would have saved my skin so much. I have sunspots and wrinkles on my face that I know is the direct cause of sun damage. MaeLove sunscreen is a sheer mineral sunscreen with a broad spectrum of SPF 30. I love how light it feels on and not greasy. I use it as a primer and put it on under my makeup. I’ve even mixed it in with my foundation before. I feel good knowing I have on sunscreen to protect my face from further sun damage. Take my advice and please wear sunscreen. It’s the largest organ you have and just like anything else you have to take care of it.

The Refresher

Before getting a skincare routine. I was not consistent with washing my face. Especially in my early twenties, I would even sometimes go to bed without taking off my makeup. Gasp! I know, I know! This was more than likely not helping the acne situation I had going on. Once, I did start a nightly skincare routine it has helped my acne clear up and I don’t seem to get that deep cystic acne as I used to. MaeLove’s facial cleanser is so good. It’s gentle enough to use up to twice daily and doesn’t use any harsh chemicals that pull the skin’s natural oil production down. When this happens you can experience dryness. The triple AHA cleanser helps to revitalize your skin. If you like the smell of mint then you’ll enjoy this facial cleanser.

The Exfoliator

MaeLove’s deep exfoliating facial scrub is something I use 2-3 times a week. I really look forward to this because it makes my skin feel soft and clean. It uses salicylic acid and clay to help unclog pores and rid your face of those dead skin cells. I didn’t realize how important that was to help to prevent those big pimples. It’s also important to get off the dead skin cells because it allows for better absorption of your other skincare products. I always wet my face a little bit before applying any cleanser or scrub. I just take a small amount and rub in circular motions for about 30 seconds then wash my face with warm water.

The Night Renewer

Unfortunately, I’m noticing more wrinkles and fine lines. The years of not taking any sun precautions are definitely showing on my face. This glycolic acid night cream has been a much-needed asset to my skincare. I use this after washing my face nightly. I used it 3 times a week in the beginning just because glycolic acid can sometimes be harsh on the skin. I was very impressed after using this for a week. My fine lines on my forehead didn’t appear as noticeable. The dark spots I had from the sun were also diminished. It does have a tingling feeling when you first put it on but that is completely normal. I don’t notice the tingling anymore.

You know the old saying, “It’s better late than never”. Which is so true! I finally started a skincare routine in my 30s. Yes, I should have started a routine much sooner than I did. But I am so happy that I finally started one. Your skin is the largest organ you have. Just like exercising to keep your heart healthy, we should take care of our skin too. I’m getting older but I feel like my skin looks better now than it did in my 20s. I definitely credit that to the wonderful Maelove skincare products. If you have taken anything from this blog post, please remember to wear your sunscreen. Learn from my mistakes. If I could go back to my teen years and tell myself one thing it would be to wear sunscreen and get on a skin care routine STAT! These four Maelove products have changed my life for the better. If you try any of the products listed, I’d love to hear your experience with them! If you haven’t yet you can follow me over on my Instagram where I share behind the scenes of my chaotic and fun life as a stay-at-home mom.

Check out my other blog post on self care

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Home Decor

DIY Subway Tile Backsplash

November 11, 2020

We bought our first home in 2017. I was so excited because I knew all of my farmhouse Pinterest boards were going to be brought to life. We bought an older home (built in the 1950s) because we wanted to have a fixer-upper. I dreamed of renovating the kitchen, bathroom, hardwood floors, and new paint throughout the house. Although we would do the work ourselves (my husband works in construction/remodeling) it was quickly adding up. So I knew we had to do a modified version. First on the list, the kitchen and the unknown DIY subway tile backsplash.

I knew that I would spend a lot of time in the kitchen so I wanted that to be the first thing we tackled. The cabinets were oak with gold hardware. I painted the cabinets white, put down a peel and stick countertop, spray-painted hardware, and my husband did the subway tile backsplash. The first time I suggested doing a black sharpie instead of grout, my husband looked at me like I had three heads. I knew I wanted to at least try it. The worse thing that could happen was, it didn’t look good and we would have to grout it. The best case, we wouldn’t have to grout at all. One night after everyone went to bed, I took a fine point black sharpie and went through the task of completing my DIY subway tile backsplash. In a little under an hour, it was complete.

Here’s the video on TikTok showing how I completed it.

I’m obsessed with how it turned out. My husband was impressed with it too. I think it changes the whole look of my kitchen. It was so much easier to do than the grout! It’s definitely something to think about if you are wanting to add grout to your subway tile backsplash.

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Check out this article from the Top 40 Interior Designers on How to Create a Farmhouse Kitchen!

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family

Self-Care As A Busy Mom

November 7, 2020

Have you heard all the buzz on self-care and thought to yourself, “I don’t have time for that – self-care as a busy mom is impossible!” I know that #momlife is hard and finding the time is harder, but I’m going to show you how you can make it happen – how you can put self-care back into your everyday life. I realize Mamas like to put everybody and everything before ourselves, but the way that you feel about yourself (both physically and mentally) matters and it affects SO many aspects of your life. Implementing self-care is not a selfish act. This is not about putting yourself first. This is about putting your self-care into the equation and reaping the benefits from it, which will only improve your motherhood journey. Here are a few ways to implement some self-care as a busy mom:

Get Connected With The People Around You

Don’t let your busy schedule squeeze out time for family and friends. If weekly date nights (or days) aren’t going to happen, then try to at least schedule some time to connect on a regular basis. Make the first Friday of each month date night, for example, or schedule a one-Saturday-morning-a-month coffee date with your friends. Make it a goal to invite neighbors over for dinner at least once a month—and plan on pizza and a movie with everyone’s kids, so you don’t feel the need to full-on “entertain.”

Start A Good Workout Plan

Self-care comes in many forms and that includes, but is not limited to, physical health. Starting a good workout plan is essential to your overall health. You can workout at home, go on walks with friends, or join a gym that will help you meet your goals such as CrossFit Solid Orange, based out of Nashville, TN. They offer options for a CrossFit gym membership in Nashville and welcome all fitness levels! When you workout at CrossFit Solid Orange, “you can expect an absolutely fun, exciting atmosphere, friendship, healthy competitiveness, challenges, progress, growth and a version 2.0 of yourself.” They say, “Because we see members who can barely do 1 pull-up become proficient masters, or imbalance issues and extreme stiffness able to have perfect balance, flexibility and stability; we know the same exact process will work for you, as it has for our members.”

Their class list is impressive. They offer classes from five in the morning to seven at night. Perfect for any schedule! Plus, they even have a yoga class on the weekends, which really interests me, because it would allow me to relax my body and mind, which is so important for busy moms!

CrossFit Solid Orange is a great place to go when you need a great workout, no matter how fit you currently are.

Don’t Skimp On Showers

Let’s be honest, it may be your only shower during the week! Prioritize it. Chances are the only thing standing in the way of showering regularly is you. So hand over responsibility to your spouse or put on a show. Enlist an older sibling to watch younger ones, if possible. Don’t skimp on this. I know a mom or two who have never given up their daily showers after having kids, no matter what. I applaud them. But generally, they’ve given up time in other areas they need for themselves, such as at bedtime. We all have our hill to die on, and we all sacrifice ourselves more than we need to. But, back to showering… There has got to be a 20-minute slot in your day someone doesn‘t need you. If not, look deep inside yourself at control tendencies and see if you can let go for enough time for a shower. For quicker showers (you still need one long one though!) and if you’re at a stage where you have little ones under one, I highly recommend investing in a portable jumper to make it easy to bring your little one into the bathroom with you. Don’t allow showers to fall down on the priority list. You need at least one (preferably more) shower or bath a week to feel human.

Prioritize The Things You Love

As a mom, it’s easy to lose yourself in the day-to-day routines of family life: car pools, laundry, preparing meals, paying bills, cleaning, etc. Before you know it, 10 years have gone by and you’re a shell of your former self. The answer? Pursue hobbies. Journal. Meditate. Read. Garden. Volunteer. Whatever you love!

Invest In Your Health

Be honest, when was the last time you went for a full body check-up and physical? Know that your health and wellbeing is just as important as that of your family members. So, make time to go for annual doctor appointments, dental appointments, and even maybe a trip to the counselor. Make sure you get any important test such as mammograms, pap smears, and blood draws, too. In addition, be mindful of what you put in your body. Load up on whole foods like grains, nuts, lean meats, fresh fruits and veggies. Slash your caffeine intake and drink plenty of water!

Sleep Is Important Too

Prioritize sleep. Getting adequate sleep is a very basic yet crucial self-care practice. It alleviates stress, improves cardiovascular health, strengthens the immune system and boosts memory, among other things. Meanwhile, regularly skimping on sleep impairs cognitive function and puts you at risk for serious health conditions like diabetes and heart disease. Bottom line: Don’t cut back on sleep, even when you’re tempted to get just a few more tasks done while the kiddos are asleep.

There is so much that goes into self-care when you are a mom! You feel the need to do it ALL and sometimes (or all of the time), this leads to you neglecting yourself. Let’s do our best to change this because, in order to take care of others around you, you really need to take care of yourself first.

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Special thanks to Crossfit Solid Orange for sponsoring this post.

Home Decor

Tiered Tea Tray

October 24, 2020

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Let’s talk about tiered trays. Tiered trays are a staple in our little farmhouse. I think what I love about them is how versatile they are. You can change the decor according to the holiday or season. Or even as a food tray for gatherings or just everyday use. Hello, Coffee/tea bar! It’s the first thing I gravitate to for an easy way to change up my home decor.

Tiered Trays

One thing that I love styling is tiered trays. Not only do I use my tiered trays to showcase my farmhouse decor but I also use the one in my kitchen for my tea and nutritional supplements. I can be very bad about remembering to take my supplements. Out of sight, out of mind. Not any more thanks to my tiered tea tray. Having them on my tiered tray helps me to remember to take them. With my tiered tea tray, I’m not forgetting anymore.

Teami Tea and Supplements

When you’re from the South and someone hears tea, it is automatically assumed you’re talking about sweet tea. Although I love sweet tea, I’m talking about hot tea. I have to be honest and say that before this pandemic I wasn’t consistent with any of my vitamins or nutritional supplements. Now, I strive to make sure I’m keeping my body in tune with as many healthy choices as I can. Teami is my go-to health supplement brand. They have everything from teas, collagen, matcha, and wellness powders. You can’t forget about those cute bottles to put them in. They even have storage compartments! Perfect for on the go! The butterfly tea is my favorite. It is a beauty tea blend that tastes sweet. It has butterfly pea flowers that change colors and helps protects the skin from stressors from the inside out. Jasmine tea is a well known immune booster and stevia a healthy alternative to sugar. I like to drink it hot in my Teami blends bottle.

Beauty Collagen

This collagen powder is amazing for overall beauty support with powerful antioxidants. Acai Berry is one of my favorite flavors. It has a sweet kick to it and I like adding it to my smoothies. Don’t let the description scare you. It’s wild-caught marine collagen from codfish but it does not have a fishy taste. I alternate between the butterfly tea and beauty collagen. Since I drink one hot and one cold it all depends on my mood for that day. Collagen is an essential amino acid for healthy skin, hair, and nails. I 100% credit collagen for my skin looking brighter and my nails not being so brittle.

Wellness Powders

My two favorite wellness powders are Wellness Protein and Restore. I’ve suffered from anxiety my whole life and I suffer from insomnia. Since taking Teami’s Restore powder I haven’t had trouble going to sleep. I’ve also noticed my anxiety doesn’t rear it’s ugly head as much. Restore’s ingredients are Calcium, Magnesium, and Vitamin C. These three promote stability, ease, and calmness. Something this mama needs! The body needs Magnesium and Calcium to feels its best daily. Teami’s Wellness Protein is a plant-based protein that tastes like chocolate. Another great powder to add to smoothies. You get 17g of protein with each serving. What I love about it most is it decreases my cravings and makes me feel full longer. I’m a snacker so this has helped me to not eat every time I pass the kitchen.

I’m so glad I found Teami Blends. They have improved my overall health and I’m able to maintain a healthy balance for my body. I feel great and in turn, I’m able to be the best wife and mom to my husband and kids. I have a discount code if you’d like to try some of their products for yourself. Use code FHDM15 for 15% off a minimum $29 purchase on the Teami Blends Website.

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How To Bottle Cold Brew Coffee

October 17, 2020

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My love for cold brew coffee runs deep. On a crisp fall morning last year, after taking the kids to school I went by Starbucks for a pick me up. I noticed the pumpkin cream cold brew on the menu. At that time, my go-to was a hot mocha coffee. On a whim, I decided I was going to try the pumpkin cream cold brew. The rest is history. I’ve been obsessing over cold brew ever since. As a stay at home mom, I obviously couldn’t afford a $6 cold brew from Starbucks daily. Then came my determination to bottle my own cold brew at home.

Things You Will Need To Make Cold Brew:

Tools needed for cold brew coffee — Cold Brew Coffee Maker and my favorite ground coffee from Walmart

Cold Brew Coffee Maker

For a long time, I convinced myself that I didn’t need a cold brew maker. I bought the cold brews from Target. It just wasn’t the same. Amazon had quite a few cold brew maker options and I’d cart them but never would hit the check out button. Have you done that before? I’m bad about it. I finally hit the buy button. It had great reviews and so I was excited to put it to the test. Here’s my step by step guide to bottling cold brew coffee at home.

Bottling Cold Brew Coffee

Once, you have your brand of ground coffee you want to use. You take the filter out of the cold brew maker and set it on a flat surface. You will add the ground coffee to the filter until it is full. Place it into the glass carafe. Then you want to slowly add cold water on top of your ground coffee. The glass carafe has a max fill line. I keep adding water slowly till it reaches that fill line. You want to also make sure you’re getting all of the coffee grounds wet. Once it is full I then put the top on it and make sure it’s pushed all the way down so that there is a tight seal. Then I place it in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours. The longer it sits in the refrigerator the richer the taste. I do a minimum of 24 hours. After 24 hours, I pull it out of the refrigerator and get out everything I need to make my pumpkin cream cold brew.

How to Make a Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew

Things you’ll need:

I pour my cold brew coffee into my mug. I add a few cubes of ice and a splash of vanilla syrup to my cold brew. I have a milk frothing pitcher and a handheld milk frother. I’m so glad I purchased both. The Zulay Kitchen Milk Frother makes a perfect consistency foam and the Zulay Kitchen Milk Pitcher makes for easy cleanup. I pour 1 cup of heavy whipping cream in the frothing pitcher. I add a couple of splashes of vanilla syrup. Then a spoonful of pumpkin pie filling and a splash of milk. Then I use my handheld frother to mix it all up into a foam. I pour that on top of my cold brew. Then take the pumpkin spice and sprinkle some on top of the foam. Enjoy! (I don’t use all of the foam. I save some for the next day. I keep mine in the pitcher and just place it in the refrigerator. That way I’m not having to make it daily.)

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Uncategorized

Party of Five

August 20, 2020

On New Year’s Eve 2015, we were planning a small get together with friends that evening to ring in the New Year. I was busy cleaning the house and getting food ready. I had noticed when I woke up that morning that I had a slight headache and felt a little dizzy. I have horrible allergies all year round so I chalked it up to that. As the day went on, nausea started. When that happened, I stopped what I was doing and went straight upstairs. Since I was still breastfeeding and my periods were not regular, I always had a stash of pregnancy tests under the bathroom sink. I took the test and waited. Honestly, I was scared to know. My oldest son was only two and a half and my daughter had just turned one a month and a half prior. I slowly peeked at it and when I saw the words pregnant. I cried. What was I going to do with three kids under three? How was I going to handle it? I was still breastfeeding my daughter and I didn’t want to have to wean her. So many thoughts raced through my head. I immediately took the test to my husband who was playing with the kids in their playroom. I showed him the test and when he saw it, he smiled. I was in tears. He hugged me and just kept saying everything will be okay. He was so excited. Which made me feel worse because I wasn’t. Those feelings quickly went away. I started becoming so excited about adding another blessing to our crazy and wild family.

At 20 weeks, we found out we were having a boy! We already had a name picked out and I couldn’t stop buying the cutest baby clothes. I loved feeling him kick around in my belly. It’s one of my favorite things about being pregnant. My pregnancy remained uneventful. I went in for my weekly checkup on a Friday, a day shy of 38 weeks. I was surprised to find out I was already dilated to 3 and 100% effaced. My doctor joked that she was on call Sunday and maybe she’d see me then. I went back home and finished getting some things together in the hospital bag. We decided for supper we’d try something spicy since that’s what I ate before going into labor with my last two. Sure enough, after eating tacos, my contractions were getting stronger. They were so strong I was having trouble getting into a comfortable spot on the way back home.

When we got back home, my younger sister and her family came over and let the kids play. I was having a lot of contractions! They left around 8:30 pm. As they were leaving, my sister said, “I think I’ll be seeing you later.” We get the kids in bed and I stayed up to read some. Then my oldest came to tell me that he had to go potty. I lifted him up on the potty when I felt a pop and a small trickle. I froze. Did my water just break? Even after two previous pregnancies, I wasn’t sure. I got my oldest back in bed, woke up my husband, and called my sister. Since we had two small kids my husband and I decided he would stay home with them and my sister would drive me to the hospital. I didn’t want to disrupt their normal routine at all. She got to our house around midnight and we made the 40 minutes drive to Vanderbilt. My sister hit every pothole on the interstate. By the time we pulled into the emergency department and I went to get out of her car my water went from a slow trickle to a gush. We got up to the labor and delivery floor and got settled in. I held off on an epidural as long as I could and by 5:30 am I was ready for some relief. I was dilated to a six. But just like with my previous pregnancies, the epidural didn’t take. I was numb on one side and nothing on the other. The anesthesiologist was trying to get it working when all of a sudden I had the urge to push. I had horrible back labor and it felt like my back was breaking. After a few pushes at 6:22 am our sweet baby boy was born sunny side up.

I called my husband and let him know that our son was here. He was shocked that it had happened that fast. A few hours later, he and the kids came to the hospital to see their baby brother. One of my favorite memories is seeing my kid’s faces walk through the door to see their brother. We were all in love and still are. He makes us all laugh with his silliness. He loves being the center of attention. He will walk up to you and give you the biggest hug and the sweetest I love you! Happy Birthday, sweet boy!

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Amazon Fall Home Decor

August 14, 2020

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As far back as I can remember growing up in Tennessee, I’ve always loved Fall. I love everything about it. Seeing the leaves change from a bright green to orange, yellow, and brown, the temperatures cooling down, pumpkin patches, corn mazes, the cozy nights by the fire sipping pumpkin spice coffee, wrapped up in the fuzziest of blankets. A must fall activity is visiting the Great Smokey Mountains and seeing all the leaves changing in the mountains. It’s breathtaking. It all puts a smile on my face.

Fall Welcome Sign
https://rstyle.me/cz-n/ef83sdct2df

I’ve always liked interior decorating but it wasn’t until we bought our first home in 2017 that I really got interested in decorating. Before then we had just rented and it just didn’t feel like mine. Fast forward to today, and decorating our home for all the seasons and holidays has become a hobby of mine. I love finding deals online or in-store that I can incorporate into our little farmhouse. I tend to go more towards neutral decor. When it gets closer to Halloween, I’ll incorporate more orange/black into the mix. I tend to always look online before going into stores and this year for obvious reasons I’ve been online shopping more. (Thanks, Corona!) I wanted to share what Fall decor I’m loving on Amazon!

If you decorate for Fall, when do you start? I normally start the first week of September. Even though, here in Tennessee, the temperature can still be in the 80s. But that doesn’t stop me. If you’re interested in viewing any of the pictures I have above, you can click on the picture or Click here! Stay tuned to see what Fall decor I use in my home!

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Are Cash Back Apps worth it?

July 29, 2020

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Before becoming a stay at home mom, I didn’t give much thought to cashback apps. I thought they were a waste of time. Looking back, that was crazy thinking. I’ve been a stay at home mom for 7 years and now these apps are my friends. Being a family of five on one income, I need all the cashback I can get. The gift cards that you can get just from scanning your receipts onto your phone has funded many of my trips to Target! (praise hands) That alone sold me. It’s not as time-consuming as I originally thought. So, let’s go through the top 5 cashback apps that I use.

Rakuten

I know I’m not the only one that has been doing more online shopping since this pandemic hit. Being quarantined at home with three kids, four dogs, a goat, and 2 chickens would make anyone have an online shopping addiction. (just kidding, kind of) This app can also be used for in-store purchases but I’ve used it mostly for online. For example, if I were shopping online at Target. Instead of going straight to Target.com, I go to the Rakuten app and then click on Target. It activates the 4% cashback and takes me straight to their website to shop as I normally would. Once, you’ve checked out you get 4% cashback from your purchases. Then you can take that amount you got back and transfer to a Paypal account and now you have the money back! Click here to make your own account on Rakuten!

Fetch app

This is by far my favorite cash back app! First, it’s so easy to use. Second, You shop like you normally would and then scan your receipt. It gives you points depending on what was bought at that store. As you accumulate points, you can use those points to cash out for gift cards to Target, Amazon, Walmart, Tjmaxx, Home Goods, and even restaurants. They just recently added restaurants that include dine-in, drive-thru, or delivery. You can also use this for online shopping. When you receive your receipt through your email it will calculate your points and add them to your total. A definite positive for all the Amazon shopping I’ve been doing. The Fetch app is a free download in the app store. You can use my code B2XCX to get 2,000 points after successfully scanning your first receipt. (any receipt from the last 14 days).

Ibotta

This app is a little different than the others. Before my weekly shopping trip, I go on this app click on the store I’ll be shopping at, and see what items cashback is offered on. If I see an item that I know I’ll be buying I click on the plus sign and it adds it onto my list. Then I go to the store, shop, and when I get home I scan my receipt and it gives me cash back on the items I had chosen. Once you get to $20 you can withdraw that amount to your Paypal account. The newest feature is grocery pick up and delivery from Instacart, Shipt, and others. This app is a free download in your app store. Use code WVMMXUH to sign up!

CoinOut

This is the easiest app to use. It’s a free download in the app store. You just scan your receipts and it randomly gives you money back. It could be one cent all the way up to 75 cents. It’s completely random. They also have a list of retailers that you can shop online through the app to earn cashback, similar to Rakuten. Once you get to $10 you can send that over to your Paypal account. Click here to set up an account!

ReceiptPal

This app is very similar to Fetch. The only difference is you get 100 points for every card you fill-up. So after you scan four receipts (one card) it will give you 100 points. Once your points reach 2,200 you can redeem those points for gift cards. You can download it free in the app store. Click here to sign up and grab some bonus points!

Why I think Cash Back apps are worth it

I absolutely think cashback apps are worth my time. My weekly routine with this is to save all of my receipts for the week and then on Fridays, I will sit down and scan them into all of my apps. I’ve tried doing it daily but I always end up letting them pile up anyways so I thought by setting aside one day of the week to do them as helped me be more consistent. I’ve cashed out my points for smaller gift card amounts before but I’ve found I like to let my points accumulate before cashing them in. There is a Fetch tutorial saved in my highlights on my Instagram page if you want to check it out.

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Where have you been all of my life?

July 17, 2020

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This is the exact thing that went through my head after trying the air fryer. I feel like I’m always the last one to get into any trend. But what’s the saying? Better late than never, right? I’m so glad I finally bought one. It makes my time in the kitchen so much easier. For example, my kids LOVE chicken nuggets. Before, I’d have to put them in the oven for eleven minutes. Now, it takes six minutes! That’s almost half the time, ya’ll! They are also the perfect kind of crispy.

We have cooked cheddar peppers, loaded potato skins, cheesesticks, butterfly shrimp, and even frozen hamburger patties. I haven’t had anything that I didn’t like. Plus, I’m from the South and love anything and everything fried.

I’m so happy with this purchase. It’s crazy affordable! Click here for air fryer!