Out of work today...

I woke up with a horrible migraine, to the point where I couldn't even stand up. I feel bad when I'm home on sick days because my son wants to play and I can't until my migraine goes away. Last night I made skinny sour cream enchiladas's I used the recipe found here:

http://skinnymom.com/2012/05/11/skinny-sour-cream-enchiladas/

They were a huge hit with my boyfriend and my mom, I also really liked them and they were pretty good for you. I made them with brown rice and black beans on the side! Props to skinnymom.com

I have not decided what's for dinner yet tonight but I know it will include lean ground beef.

Some of the stuff for my son's birthday party decorations are coming in, most everything will be DIY except for his cake. We did pay a local bakery to do it but they specialize in vegan, raw, and gluten free foods so they should make the perfect gluten free cake for him. I'm actually really excited to see it and if you live in Arizona make sure to check out:

www.24carrotsjuice.com

I will post the decorations as I make them, I'm super excited to have something to occupy my time. We are taking him to Sea World for his actual birthday, even though I know he won't remember it, I know he will love the fish! Plus we get to spend time at the beach and that will make everyone all around happy!

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

Ultimate Body Applicators

You can tell what arm she "wrapped", these are real results. You can get these results on any part of your body. Results like this make me so happy to be apart of this company. Of course I still believe you need to change your lifestyle to be healthy, but for those of us who lose like 80lbs in less than a year, we sometimes have extra skin hanging in places we don't like. These wraps helped me tone my stomach, they've helped me reduce my stretch marks and they have help my arms shrink.

But when I saw that picture above I was even more amazed, it's just such a drastic but real difference. Whenever I see that underarm flap, I always think about that movie with cameron diaz where she compares her underarm flab to the american flag waving. Who wants a waving flag under their arm? Not me, that's why I have to continue to work on it, as well as when my order of wraps get in I will be doing another session on them! My goal is to lose 20 more pounds by my son's birthday which is September 10th.

Who wants to lose weight with me? We can keep each other motivated? It's always easier with a buddy!

IF you are interested in the wraps please contact me at wrapyourselfthin@live.com or you can check them out by clicking on the picture above.

Mocha Protein Shake

I CAN'T wait for my chocolate profit to get in to make this recipe, it sounds so DELICIOUS! I'm going to use almond milk in my recipe! YUM!

Click on the picture to get more info on the profit protein powder!

Birthday Party Planning

We have started to plan our son's first birthday. Most of it will be DIY, mickey mouse clubhouse. I am so excited, but also so nostalgic, this past year has gone by so FAST. I wish I held him more, cuddled on him, just enjoyed every second. Time goes by so fast once you become a parent. My son is the love of my life, I couldn't ask for a better human being to enter my world.

We are going to check out a local bakery on Saturday they do gluten free cakes and cupcakes, since Lennon can't eat gluten we will be getting both gluten free. I'm also going to do Hot Dog's (which I don't particularly like) to go with the hot dog song at the end, pizza slices shaped like mickey and deli meats shaped like mickey. I'm so excited it gives me a project to do for the next two months.

What did you do for your child's first birthday? did you go all out or keep it low key?

That's a picture from when he was like 6 months old, he's just full of personality. Love him! Love being a mom. Can't wait to be a stay at home, thankfully my It Works! is getting me closer and closer everyday and letting me pursue my education!

Anxiety

So I suffer from pretty bad anxiety, to the point where after arguing and fighting for about 3 years I finally have started to take medication for it. My insurance covered the first part of it 100% but then I ran out of money on my HSA and the medication is $42 a month! So being a one income family, we didn't have the money to afford it. I ran out on Friday and have been having horrible withdrawl symptoms, no matter what I've tried to do for it. I tried stretching, breathing excersises, so on and so forth.

I borrowed the money and just picked it up tonight after I had to leave work early and threw up a bunch. It's crazy to me that a supplement/medication can mess with your body so much that your body depends on it. I try to take my all natural vitamins and I try to stay away from medication in general, but my anxiety especially after having a baby got much worse.

Do you suffer from anxiety? What do you take/how do you deal with it? How do you feel about RX medication?

Sunday

Where did the weekend go? We had a family day yesterday, Lennon got to spend time with his grandpa and his great uncles. We relaxed most of the day, today is another relaxing day. Cleaning, organizing, planning for the week ahead. I'm trying to get our household on more of a routine/schedule. It's hard because I'm not the one who is here taking care of the house during the week but I figure it can't hurt us to try.

The other two are napping right now and so I figured I would take a minute to let you know simple ways you can be active today, these can even incorporate your family/friends:

 

I think we are hopefully going to try to go swimming today and get some vitamin D in our systems! I hope everyone is having a relaxing happy Sunday!

Scentsy Saturday

https://ramelle.scentsy.us/Scentsy/Home

I am also a Scentsy Rep! If anyone is in need of a Scentsy Consultant I am here to help! Just wanted to send out a friendly reminder to my customers as well as customer's of other Consultants that June is almost over which means all the scents above will be going away again! Get your order in now before you are missing them again!

Banana Nut Bread and Lemon Lavender are on their way to me!

Selling on Ebay

First off Happy Friday from Lennon and I:

Secondly, I have recently started selling some of our old baby stuff on eBay for extra income. We have so many clothes that our son never wore or wore once and that are in excellent condition. I ordered priority and express mail packages from the USPS which they provide free of charge and give you a flat rate on the packages, you can even print labels from home and the post man will pick them up from your door step! Luckily one of my favorite mom's has given me so many tips to make my listings more appealing!

TIPS:
-Make the most of your package, see how much you can fit in your package! A medium flat rate priority mail box costs $11.35 to ship so I fit at least 25 items in the box, I will always try to include more for free!
-Offer discounts for second packages, especially if you can fit them all in one box!
-Ship internationally, just remember it will cost more to ship so make sure you calculate your costs.

 There are so many ways to make money at home/supplement your income. Don't miss out! You can click on the picture to view my link and get an idea of my listing tips in action

Happy Humpday

To those who aren't into Thursday yet! Sorry for the lack of posts and updates this week as been hectic, work has been busy, my work at home job with It Works has been super busy and my son is getting in two new teeth! So needless to say it's been a little chaotic!

BUT it's almost the weekend! My dad is coming to town to visit us and hopefully we can get some of my son's pictures done to send with his invitations! I've found a couple gluten free bakeries to do his smash cake, that's really the only thing I'll be spending money on, everything else will be D.I.Y!

What did you do for your kid's first birthday? Low Key or All Out?


On that note I wanted to leave you with some amazing results one of my customer's experienced recently, only three weeks of using our products and her body has changed dramatically:

Check the products out see what interests you, ask questions. These products work I know from first hand experience, I use It's Vital daily, I use the defining gel about every other day and I try to use the ultimate body applicators "wraps" if I have them on hand.

DIY homemade febreeze!

We love scents in our house and I probably have a mildly over the top obsession with Febreeze. However it really does not fit in the budget and unless we have a coupon for it we tend to not purchase it. BUT I came across a post on pinterest to make your own Febreeze. I did it and I LOVE IT. It should only cost you about $0.15 for the whole bottle (27oz).

This is all you need:
 -1/8 Cup of fabric softener We used the Purple Snuggle
- 2 tablespoons Baking Soda
- Hot tap water
- Spray bottle (if you possibly have an old Febreeze bottle you can use it or we got our spray bottles for under $1 at walmart)

Shake all together and spray! You will be amazed!

Happy Sunday

I just wanted to share this picture, this lady recently lost a lot of weight and couldn't figure out how to tone up her loose skin. She decided to try one of our Ultimate body applicators "wraps" and these are her results after just ONE wrap:

A box of wraps contains FOUR wraps just imagine the results she will see. I saw results very similar to this on my own and it just amazes me when I see other people who have had great results as well! If you have any questions about this product please don't hesitate to ask me!

You can check out more details about the Ultimate Body Applicators here:
https://wrapyourwaytothin.myitworks.com/Home

Food Friday

Tonight's dinner was DELICIOUS, super easy and pretty healthy!

Ingredients:

• 1-4 large boneless skinless chicken breast (use as many as you want per person or if you are cooking for multiples use more)
• Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce
• Franks Red Hot
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Garlic Powder
•  salt/pepper to taste

Boil the chicken breast in a pan full of water, should take about 20 minutes but the time will depend on your oven, make sure the chicken is cooked all the way.

Set the chicken on a plate and shred away using a fork. Place all the shredded chicken pieces in a bowl:

Add BBQ Sauce, Franks Red Hot, Red Pepper Flakes, Garlic Powder all to taste. If you want it more spicy add more of the red pepper flakes and franks red hot, if you want a BBQ flavor add more BBQ Sauce. Mix all the ingredients until the chicken is all covered:

Place in the fridge for about an hour or two to let the flavor marinate into the chicken.

The chicken will already be fully cooked, but place on a skillet to heat up and to cook the flavors into the chicken (I recommend cooking on medium heat so you don't burn your chicken-or dry it out):

The best part about this chicken is you can put it in a wrap, on a salad, eat it by itself or the method in our house tonight was to place on hamburger buns and enjoy:

Super easy super tasty!




You can purchase sweet baby ray's and franks red hot here:

Present Time

Amazon has The Avenger's Four Disc Combo for $29.96 right now and free shipping if you are a prime member. Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD + Digital Copy + Digital Music Download! Great deal!





You can click on that picture to be taken to the purchase page!

Colonoscopy

So today I had a colonoscopy ordered by my doctor due to some "issues". It's a weird and touchy subject to talk about with people, because people are uncomfortable with the subject. PLUS it's not normal for someone of my age to be getting one, but my doctor suggested it and it makes me feel better knowing that nothing is wrong.

The worst part about the whole thing was the "prep". I was given a RX for this stuff called Moviprep, it tastes like super salty mountain dew. You have to drink that the night before you procedure and then the morning of. With nothing else except a clear liquid diet. I read SO many horror stories about the "prep" process that I think luckily I psyched myself out about it, because honestly it wasn't that bad. I mean it wasn't fun running to the toilet all night and all morning but other than that I really can't complain.

The actual colonoscopy itself was super easy, they take you in, you get undressed and hooked up to some monitors. They then took me into the procedure room and told me to lay on my side, the lady gave me some anesthesia into my IV and said "you'll start to feel some burning as this goes in" and I replied "I can feel it in my throat" she then said "nighty night" and the next thing I knew I was waking up in the recovery room. Luckily all is good besides a few internal hemorrhoids which is normal after you have had a baby, but all other scares are gone for now!

If anyone else is suggested to get this by your doctor, do it. It can save your life, don't think just because you are young, or because there is no cancer history in your family that it can't happen to you because it can.

And on that note I am tired so I'm going to go read and relax! If anyone has any questions about the procedure or prep please feel free to ask.

Miracle Wraps?

The guy in this picture is using one of the products that the company I work for sells! It's called the ultimate body applicator! It can do AMAZING things for you. Look at how much more defined his abs are after one use! Check out this all natural product that helps firm and tone your skin, click on his picture to learn more! Any questions?? feel free to ask!

Expect "ultimate" results with this amazing 45-minute body Applicator! The Ultimate Body Applicator is a non-woven cloth wrap that has been infused with a powerful, botanically-based formula to deliver maximum tightening, toning, and firming results where applied to the skin.

• Tightens, tones, & firms
• Minimizes cellulite appearance
• Improves skin texture & tightness
• Mess-free and simple to use
• Results in as little as 45 minutes
• Progressive results over 72 hours
• Made with natural ingredients

These wraps along with the defining gel has helped me on my almost 80 lb weight loss as well as helped my stretch marks disappear!

Wealthy Wednesday

So living on one income has proven to be difficult. At the beginning of the year we used our tax refund to pay off all our debts (other than my car) and got my credit score up to a good enough rate to get a home loan. Then came the job loss and we had to rack up our credit card, my credit score went down and we have been living mostly pay check to pay check.

I read a ton of blogs on how to save money, how to save living in an apartment, I cut back on our expenses, worked with our utility companies to lower our bills and just started budgeting more. But my favorite tip so far has been the dollar savings plan. We do a modified version of it because we can't save every dollar that comes into our hands, so we save dollars that have serial numbers starting with either: J, L, R or G. Those letter represent our initials for each of our first names and last name! Our son also has a piggy bank he received from friends of ours when he was born that has his initials engraved on it that we put all our change into.

His piggy bank looks something like this:


Now for the dollar savings method I suggest you set a goal, save all our dollar bills or every 10th dollar bill until Christmas Shopping or until our anniversary. Then put it in something that is not easy to get into, when you get tempted to go into your savings remind yourself of why you are saving in the first place. You'll be amazed at how many dollar bills come into your hand when you start using cash instead of credit and you'll be even more amazed at how fast your savings will add up!

Happy Wednesday!

Tasty Tuesday Tip

Courtesy of the wonderful Jamie Oliver

 

Quick and Easy Flavored Water

(it's summer make sure you stay hydrated, do it the healthy and cheap way)

It only takes a second to turn a plain jug of water into something much more exciting. Chuck in a few handfuls of ice then try any one of these simple things:
• Add a few slices of fresh lemon or lime.
• Quarter an orange, squeeze in all of the juice, then toss in the squeezed quarters for color and extra flavor.
• Mash up a handful of strawberries or raspberries with a fork then add to the jug and stir through.
• Scrunch a handful of fresh mint in your hands to get the flavor going then add that to the jug with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice. If you’re feeling a bit adventurous, add a few slices of cucumber too. It might sound strange, but it is seriously refreshing. 

 

This picture pretty much sums up my other half and I's life. I am a complete bed hog, when I was pregnant it was the worst. However since he probably won't see this, I will still never admit that I know I do it to him.We recently bought a King Size bed, (pre becoming a one income family), and I still feel like we could've gone bigger! 

He snores though and I put up with that. It's love, you have to give to receive. 

Does your significant other do anything that bothers you (but you put up with?)

My son is 10 months old today! Time goes by so so so fast. This time last year I was pregnant enduring the Arizona summer heat! Birthday planning is taking effect, most of it will be all D.I.Y. He has officially learned how to climb on the furniture and is quite proud of himself. I'm proud of him too, just mildly terrified, as Dad is alone with him all day when I'm at work.This picture below should explain my worries:

 Yes those are his shorts under his onesie, what happens when dad is left to dress him! All joking aside he is an amazing dad and I am so happy he is here to take care of him everyday!

With all that aside it's dinner time, cooking is spicy grilled boneless skinless chicken breast, marinara and whole wheat pasta.

Pizza and teeth cleanings

Today was not so good healthy eating wise... my mom watched our son and then brought over:

I definitely indulged in two pieces and they were delicious, but it's also a good thing i have my fat fighters:

 

Powered by NeOpuntia™ (a naturally based ingredient made from the "prickly pear" cactus) and the It Works! proprietary blend, Advanced Formula Fat Fighter delivers dynamic, clinically tested results for both men and women.

• Blocks some of the fat & carbs from meals
• Helps balance blood glucose level and reduce cravings
• Designed to be taken up to an hour after meals
• Cactus-based formula
• Does not contain shellfish

On another note, I also did one of my least favorite things today after work... I went to the dentist for a teeth cleaning, mind you the lady is super gentle because she knows i'm a big baby but it still hurts. I have braces AGAIN because when i was 18 and got them off I didn't learn to wear my retainer and I'm vain and so I need them again, but part of the agreement is to keep up with your regular cleanings. I want to cry whenever I get their phone calls, my next one isn't until december though.

I don't know how I am ever going to convince my son that going to the dentist is a good thing, if he ever sees me go he is going to be terrified.

How I got rid of my stretchmarks

As much as I love my son, I did not love the stretch marks he left all over my stomach and hips. Everyone said "they are your stripes" "you earned those" "wear them proud'.... But I didn't like them, this is where I was most intrigued by It Works! Before I decided to become a distributor, I ordered what we call the "skinny pack". As much as I loved the body applicators, I love the defining gel even more. My stretch marks are ALMOST invisible now, from being purple/pink/deep/gross....

If you are looking for something to help you lose your stretch marks/skin blemishes/firm your skin, definitely check out this product you will not regret it.

 

The product is also all natural! You can't lose in this situation, I promise you it works. The picture above is one of my clients who loved the product!

ON another note, tonight is Sunday.... back to work tomorrow... I am working only 4 days this week because I have to have a procedure done on friday, so it should be a long week. Fingers crossed that all comes back that I am healthy and well and whatever going on with me is just a scare. 

I finally have broken my plateau that I hit with my weight loss, I was stuck and I've lost about 2 lbs this week, I love seeing the numbers drop and just feeling better about myself. I've lost a total of 76lbs since September!

Yesterdays lunch is my new obsession:

 

So it was 1 medium sized organic boneless skinless chicken breast

fresh organic garlic, to taste, (I like alot)-diced

I did about 2.5 handfuls of organic spinach

1 tablespoon of flax

1 teaspoon of olive oil

red pepper flakes to taste

Spinach shrinks as you cook it so you could always add more as you go

 

It takes about 10-20 minutes to cook, make sure your chicken is cooked all the way through! 

 Then you are done, and you will probably full for most of the day! 

DIY

So we are almost out of laundry detergent, So i have decided I am going to make my own, to save cost and to use things that are more natural. The recipe I am using came from another blog I found through pinterest:

DIY laundry Soap

Instead of using Fels Naptha though we are using Zote Soap:

I will also be attempting to make it in a smaller quanity!

Do you have any DIY products you use? Have you tried this laundry soap recipe?

I will make sure to post my results.

PS the almond milk is a GO, i loved it! No gross feeling, no bloat, I would definitely suggest you try it if you are looking for a milk substitute! 

Happy Saturday!

So it's an early morning in my house well at least for me and the little one. We have already had our morning bath and now he is watching mickey mouse club house and I am doing dishes and getting some other essentials done! Today I am going to experiment with Almond Milk

I am semi lactose intolerant, I mean i can eat things with milk I just feel horrible after (you get the picture). I usually try to use Soy Milk in my baking and morning foods, however I am not a big fan of the taste of Soy and I know it's not the best thing for you (or so recent controversy says). So a recent healthy nut friend of mine suggested Almond Milk, well I accidentally purchased some at Costco (while I was trying to purchase my soy milk) and I have decided might as well take her advice. So today I will be trying it in my morning coffee! If all goes well I may try to use it in my morning oats! What is your go to morning food? How do you feel about the soy controversy? On top of that I did want to put it in there that every morning I do take a daily vitamin my prefered vitamin is the It Works "It's Vital!" I love the way it makes me feel and the vitamin taste is easier to deal with than most vitamins I've tried. Do you take a daily vitamin? You can check out it's vital here:

Here we go!

Hello Everyone! I am Ramelle

and this is a picture of my lovely other half Jacob and I. We have a son who was born on 9/10/2011

his name is Lennon!

I have recently lost 72 pounds since September and I am trying to lose about 40 more! I'm doing this the healthy way and have found so many lovely new recipes and ways to cook. I will share those with you as well as I would like you to share your recipes with me!!

I work two jobs one in the corporate world and one for an amazing company called it works! It works has helped me in my weight loss and you will definitely hear me talk about it from time to time, especially when I get a new product in the mail and get overly excited!
you can check out it works at: https://wrapyourwaytothin.myitworks.com/Home