It was a day of a thousand questions from my four year old. We were FaceTiming with his Dad from work and our son was leaning in and crushing my chest. So I moved him as I was becoming a uniboob and it was painful. Anyways I adjusted myself, and then cuddled my son in close only to hear him reply “Mom stop, you’re crushing my boob!” My husband was laughing so hard he couldn’t breathe! Out of the mouth of babes. 😉
This has been my submission to One Liner Wednesday’s with Linda G. Hill please check out the hilarity and inspiration in her link up. Thank you. ❤️
Gamble
I’ve been living the life of a gambler. I’ve been running on empty for a long time thinking that I can continue this way. I’ve been going on whiffs of exhaustion and sleep deprivation. Reacting strongly with my emotions and easy trigger finger of blame. I have spent more time looking at a bottom of a wine bottle with only tears and rambling writings to show for it. I have spent nights in overwhelming valley and vacationed at heartbreak hotel. I’ve given my power away only to feel like a shell of my former self.
I have decided enough is enough since my crazy train has run off the rails. I’m taking a gamble on myself and putting myself on my list of priorities. Self care will be my goal each and everyday. I will exercise to walk, run, move my body to feel good. I will get more rest, even if it’s not a lot of sleep. I will find a routine that works for me. I will have fun again as me not just Mom. Where I can laugh, love, find my hobbies that make me happy. I will be with others who share these common interests. I will begin to create again to draw, paint, scrapbook, and craft with my kids and on my own. Art is the way to my heart’s inspiration, love, and light.
Eating well and maintaining a balanced diet of healthy foods will feed my body and nourish my mind. I will be kind to myself, by putting myself first, seeking guidance from my family and friends, and counselling from my therapist. I will get outside and explore my new town and surroundings. I will bask in the fresh air and the sunshine, and get my hands back in the dirt with my love of gardening. I will seek daily ways to relax, not just when the stress is choking me physically and emotionally. I will not gamble with my health and happiness again. I deserve to be fully, completely, safe and comfortable in my skin.
I will participate in my yoga practice, keeping mindful with my deep breathing and my temper. I will put my deepest thoughts that aren’t meant to be published in my journal. I will read to fill my mind with beautiful words, my heart with the longing to write my own words to inspire, and my soul with the love of making those chapters part of my being. And when the world is too much for me to handle I will sink into my loves arms and find my solace and believe in myself again. I vow to make my self care an integral part of me that it won’t be a chore, a list of demands to meet, it will be my gift to me.
This has been my submission to More Than Cheese and Beer please check out her anonymous Sunday confessions and all the talent who link up. Thank you. ❤️
Writer’s Quotes Wednesday
I know it’s Sunday and I’m finally posting. I had to wait till inspiration hit me. So when I was out for a walk the heavens opened up and gave me this. 💞
This has been my contribution to Silver Threading Writer’s Quotes Wednesday’s. Please check out her selection this week, and all the other talent that links up. Thank you. 🌸
J.C. Cliff’s Bylss Blog tour
I’m jumping aboard J.C. Cliff’s book tour for her book series titled Blyss, Blyssful Lies, Blyssfuly Undone. Read on to see what the trilogy is all about. 😃
Synopsis:
This is Julianna’s story. She lived a normal life until she was about to turn twenty-one, and then all hell broke loose. Years of diabolical scheming unraveling at the seams, unleashing torrents of lies and deceit. The whirlwind of chaos and heartbreak will forever change the game.
Her chosen fate is one of stellar proportions, and she struggles to keep sane, trying to hold it together every step of the way. As the matrix of her concealed past unfolds to deliver the final blow, rationality and sanity begin to take on a definition and meaning of its own.
Nick thinks he’s the night in shining armor while Travis believes he will be enough to save her from herself, but does she even want to be saved?
Both men want her. Both men love her, and both men want to claim her, keeping her for themselves. But, as usual, Julianna has other plans.
Purchase Links: BLYSS
US Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NLUZ3SA
UK Amazon Link http://amzn.to/1q02e2R
AUS Amazon Link: http://bit.ly/1qIKsvM
Purchase Links: BLYSSFUL LIES
US Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Q997I0G
UK Amazon Link http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00Q997I0G?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
AUS Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00Q997I0G?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
Purchase Links: BLYSSFULLY UNDONE
On sale April. 23 rd- April. 26 th
US Amazon Link: : http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TU9OWDS
UK Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00TU9OWDS?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
AUS Amazon Link :http://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B00TU9OWDS?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
Visit me at: J.C. CLIFF
Visit me at:
www.facebook.com/BLYSS.TRILOGY
◈ RAFFLECOPTER:➜ http://on.fb.me/19sqe6E
◈ FB PARTY:➜ https://www.facebook.com/events/804220516329494/
Facebook is not responsible for this giveaway.
Release Day Blitz
* A dark and twisted erotic romance…Kidnapped by the obsessed Nick, Julianna’s only hope is his sexy right-hand man Travis. There’s an undeniable spark between them, but Nick is determined to have her for himself… 
The Tapped book Review and Blog Tour
I’ve been enjoying being a beta reader the last while. This month I was able to read a book series from Stacey Grice the author of Totaled and Tapped. In the first book we’re introduced to the characters Drew and Bree. He’s an up and coming UFC fighter and he begins training at her family’s gym and thus begins their love story. Admist tragedies and triumphs they manage to make it through as a couple together. After following their story and the trouble that befalls the main characters, I needed to read the sequel ASAP! I fell in love with the star crossed lovers and had to see what happens to them. Can they survive Drew’s past demons, will their love really heal his mind, body, and soul? Read on and find out in the next book in the series.
Totaled
We begin the story with Bree and Drew still in love and maintaining their relationship despite her Father’s opposing stance on it. Drew continues training at the gym and is trying to move up the ranks of the Mixed Martial Arts world. Then one fateful night it all changes and Drew and Bree’s love story is tested to its core! I loved getting to know these characters and I was cheering for them with every positive experience, and supporting them with each negative one. I loved all the twists and turns in their journey. Just went I thought I had the story figured out there was another plot twist. Stacey Grimes weaves an exciting story line and really made me want to root for the under dog, and believe that love does conquer all.
Available on Amazon
Kindle link Totaled available for .99
Tapped synopsis…
Unexpectedly thrust into a whirlwind romance, Bree thought her relationship with Drew could withstand any obstacle thrown their way. Excited for the future, everything she thought she knew came crashing down in one horrible night. Forced to re-evaluate her feelings, Bree is left alone with a heavy heart and the realization that Drew’s nightmare changed everything.
The effects of his trauma once again surfacing, Drew had no idea how volatile his actions were until it was too late. He must work to rebuild trust with everyone around him, all while participating in vigorous therapy and being separated from Bree. When a once-in-a-lifetime career opportunity presents itself with impeccably poor timing, Drew has some tough decisions ahead.
Can he heal the wounds his past has created and quiet the demons that haunt him? Can he repair the damage done with his love or will he give up?
Discover if it’s all too much and Drew ends up…
Tapped.
Author’s Note: Tapped is a continuation of Totaled, the first book in the Totaled series. It is highly recommended to read these books in sequential order. Due to mature content, profane language, and sexual situations, this book is recommended for ages 18 and up.
Title: TAPPED
Author: Stacey Grice
Add to Goodreads
I am a mother, wife, Registered Nurse, avid reader, and most recently pursuing taking my own writing to the next level. I appreciate honesty but not cruelty, a wicked sense of humor, and a good cup of coffee, blond with enough creamer to coat my tongue yellow.Being an astute people watcher and having an extremely judgmental mind gives me constant inspiration for my stories. But my characters, like many authors, are conceived from actual people in my life. A hodgepodge of personality traits, real world instances, and conversations that I have directly taken part in are the foundation for my fictional world.
Find Stacey:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/staceygriceauthor
Tsu: https://www.tsu.co/StaceyGriceAuthor
Twitter:https://twitter.com/SGrice_Author
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/StaceyGrice
To add Tapped to your Goodreads TBR… https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24865564-tapped
Pinterest: http://goo.gl/xwaw19
Instagram: http://goo.gl/iUUME6
Buy Links:
Buy links for Totaled…
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1tjNKbi
B & N: http://bit.ly/1hkjGuh
iBooks: http://bit.ly/1pLKXZ6
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1lbdN1L
CreateSpace: http://bit.ly/1peDj7h
to add on Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1nWndSx
GIVEAWAY
Two winners: (1) a signed paperback USA only (1) $10.00 Amazon GC
giveaway code: a Rafflecopter giveaway
directlink: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/ZjZkYWNmMmY3NzQwYzczNWIzY2RlN2IyYWI0OGJiOjE3MQ==/?
EXCERPT:
Something told me to walk around to the back and my legs took me. I followed the skinny path within the dunes and sea oats on the side of his house until he came into view. Standing with his back to me, he watched the water as the sun rose higher and higher above the horizon, the colors beautifully framing his silhouette. He turned his head ever so slightly, I guess sensing that I was there, and then turned around completely.
I froze.
I was unable to take another step for a few seconds as we stared at each other. His posture relaxed, relieved to see me before him, and he advanced toward me. I walked forward, my stomach in knots of nervousness, and he matched me step for step until we were mere feet apart. The salty sea breeze blew violently around us both, coming off of the crashing waves and onto our skin. The second we entered each other’s space, my world went silent. I didn’t hear the water or smell the ocean. I didn’t feel the wind on my face or the sand under my feet. I was only in tune to him.
He swallowed hard, his eyes sharp and assessing, darting around my face as he took me in. They roamed and finally settled on my cheek just underneath my left eye; his shoulders fell as he exhaled. His right arm reached for me, stopping midway and then slowly continuing up, his eyes asking for permission. I lowered my chin and leaned into him as his fingertips grazed over my skin, tracing the scar he had given me. My eyes closed at the intensity of the moment.
He moved a few inches closer and cradled my jaw in his hand, urging me to open up and look at him—to really see him. I did and his eyes brimmed with tenderness and compassion. I looked into them, trying to memorize every shade of green, every fleck of gold, not knowing what the future held. I just knew that if I was never able to lay eyes on him again, this was the image that I wanted to remember. My gentle and loving Drew, normally stuck inside a giant, rough exterior, was now exploding out, his shrapnel penetrating my soul.
Stops:
| Muffy Wilson | 20 |
| Author Stalker Chelle’s Diamonds | 20 |
| Diary of an Urban Housewife | 21 |
| Sugar Shack Book Blog | 21 |
| My secret romance | 22 |
| The Book Avenue | 22 |
| Mean Girls Luv Books | 23 |
| Blushing Babes Are Up All Night | 23 |
| paranormal book club ( PBC | 24 |
| Book Lover Amber | 24 |
| Jsack1 | 24 |
| Book Bitches Blog | 24 |
| Mama She’s Crazy About | 24 |
| JackieR | 24 |
| Sassy Girl Books |
Part 2 #Taking Back Me Fitness Challenge
Here’s the continuation of Part 1 of the Taking Back Me challenge that Tracy on the Rocks and I are embarking on. We have lots to share, read on dear followers. 😃
Continuing my answer from the question:
What strategy do you intend on utilizing to reach your goals?
Jsack Mom: I will be using the Beach Body on demand program with access to various workouts. As well as recipes, meal plans, and fitness nutritional products. I also have my fitness challenge group who keep me accountable, inspired, and motivated to keep to the course. I’ve also downloaded this app called Happify that is working on keeping me positive and eager to meet my challenges each week.I’ve also downloaded this app called Happify that is working on keeping me positive and eager to meet my challenges each week.
Tracy on the Rocks: Accountability!
For nutrition: My girlfriend who I am doing the Medifast through will check up on me with the eating. I also downloaded “My Fitness Pal” app.
For exercise : My friends at work with yell at me if I don’t come to boot camp and or yoga, and encourage me while I am there.
Specifically, I intend on losing 2lb/week through the Medifast meal plan and exercise.
What are some challenges you anticipate facing in the upcoming weeks?
Jsack Mom : My biggest challenge was in this week I started the Beach Body 21 day fix program and after lunge overload I tweaked my old back injury. So I’ve been able to follow the meal plans but not workout. I was saddened and frustrated but I’ve taken the time to rest, ice, and recuperate. My coach has been wonderful and encouraging as well as my fitness challenge group. I feel very blessed and motivated to get back up on the workout horse as I’m feeling a little better as the swelling has been dissipating. This time I will be smart and I won’t be the “go big or go home” mentality.
Tracy on the Rocks: My biggest challenge is going to be laying off the wine. And trying not to whine
too much about the hard workouts. Also, being impatient about seeing results. I want to be skinny RIGHT.NOW. Dammit!! ha
What is your Plan B if you fail on this challenge?
Jsackmom: I won’t fail, even with this physical set back with my back injury. I’m still eager to get back into working out at a moderate pace while I gain strength and endurance. And fix this muscle imbalance between my abdominals and low back region. I’ve incorporated more stretching and yoga in my rest days as well.
Tracy on the Rocks: There is no
Plan B!! I won’t fail!!!
So BOOM there it is (as my coach says) Tracy on the Rocks and I will be keeping each other motivated, accountable, and updating our progress here each week. Stay tuned my dear readers, because we’re going to rock this #takingbackme challenge. 😃💪🎉
We will be back next week updating you dear readers on our progress. And if you’d like to join in with us please do.
#takingbackmechallenge
#Taking back me challenge Part 1
Today we embark on a new journey to fitness and beyond. I Jsack Mom and Tracy on the Rocks are teaming up and are in it to win it! Follow us as they embark on individual fitness challenges. We will log our personal results, our struggles and more importantly our wins! Getting fit isn’t easy- especially when you’ve fallen off the wagon! But we are determined!!!
My Story:
I looked in the mirror tugging at the extra skin left over from two emergency cescarean sections. Looking at my body that housed my children not with respect, but with disgust. This body used to be strong, and now I wake up everyday in chronic pain. I cringe as I get out of bed each morning and slowly get my son up for school. After a old back injury of a bulging disk five years, ago mornings are the worst for me.
My youngest is up and breakfast is served and we eat together I set him up with a cartoon. I get my yoga mat and settle in to do my yoga routine. I do this so I can move throughout the day. I wish this was relaxing and zen but the pain doesn’t allow me to feel that until I loosen up. I don’t talk about my chronic pain it’s just something I’ve lived with. So now I’ve decided after surviving life I want to thrive so the fitness challenge began. So let the Q&A begin!
What is your history/background with fitness?
Jsackmom: I remember doing my first Jane Fonda workout in the 80’s and I loved it. Compared to what they teach now it was contraindicated scary aerobics but no one knew the difference back then. I embarked on a fitness career after high school when I took my training to teach general choreography aerobics, step aerobics, weight training, and personal training. I ended up teaching for seventeen years as well as yoga for ten years.
Tracy on the Rocks: Unfortunately, my relationship with fitness has been a sordid one over the years. My mom’s side of the facility struggles with weight and my grandmother was morbidly obese. Weight issues definitely run in the family. I have never loved working out and when I am working out regularly, it’s not because I get some great high or rush out of it…it’s because I’m very conscious that it’s good for me and that I should do it.
Have you always struggled to stay on track to be fit?
Jsackmom: I was always really active playing sports in and out of school. Fitness and weight gain didn’t become a problem for me until I was sixteen. I moved a long ways away from my family to live with other family members. I was very homesick and depressed so I gained the “freshman fifteen.” I ended up losing it all with the Fit for Life plan written by Sam Garcia. Then I moved back home to my former province and became serious about working out regularly at the gym.
Tracy on the Rocks: It pains me to admit, but like many adolescent women, I didn’t like how I looked starting in Jr. High and into high school. But, the first time I gained a bunch of weight was in college. I worked my butt off to get back in shape. The short answer is yes. I will get at a good weight and be on a great streak of working out and eating healthy for a few years. But, it’s been a pattern that I’ll gain weight and then have to work really hard to take it off again. I really want to find a healthy balanced lifestyle so I don’t “Fall off the wagon” every couple of years. Side Note-To my point that I’ll stay on a good streak for a couple of years, here’s a post from my blog from 2 years ago about working out. It is one of my most popular posts and I think you might find it quite amusing.
Who is your biggest inspiration to getting healthy and fit?
Jsack Mom: My inspiration is my children. I want to be fit and healthy so I can keep up with their activities. I’m classified as an “older parent” with two young children in my early forties. I want to teach them healthier ways to eat, think, and live. My husband and I will be those parents that are keeping are children’s minds and bodies fit and active with physical literacy.
Tracy on the Rocks: I wish I had some answer here that made me seem less shallow. But the truth is, my pants stopped fitting and I don’t feel very good about how I look right now. I kind of hit rock bottom with tipping the scale and having to buy new pants so um yeah it was glaringly obvious that I needed to reel it in..
Is this about not liking the numbers on the scale or for health reasons?
Jsack Mom : I personally don’t own a scale so I weigh myself once the year at my Dr’s office or a friends house. My clothes are my deciding factor of whether I’ve put on weight. I had a health scare back in December and I had to get a complete blood panel to rule out diabetes. I’m happy to say that I’m healthy and my Dr told me to keep doing what I’m doing. My pain level has increased and I need to address that as well. I don’t sleep a lot with my youngest son’s sleep disorder. I very rarely feel rested so my body doesn’t feel refreshed or healed. I need to do more than have stress and anxiety be my chosen weigh to shed pounds. I don’t have a great balance right now and I’m feeling the adverse affects of late nights, poor eating choices, and sleep deprivation. I’ve been researching for the last while about the affects of losing sleep and it scares me. I don’t want to be a statistic!!!!
Tracy on the Rocks: It’s about both. What I said above is true, feeling bad about the number on the scale and having my clothes not fit…that’s a reason for sure. I saw a friend a couple of weeks ago who has lost a lot of weight recently- I can tell he is feeling good about himself and that was probably ultimately the catalyst. I was jealous- not in a malicious way, but envious nonetheless- of how what he had done and I wanted to remember how it feels to not be ashamed of how I look. That said, I also care about being healthy and fit. I care about being more active. I care about having a healthier lifestyle. I care about balance- right now I have many of the other areas of my life balanced: career, friends, family, writing….and the one area that’s really hurting right now is my fitness. I notice that usually it’s one thing that I let go unattended. When I had a job I hated, I would use working out and my blog as an outlet for my stress. So while my blog and fitness were doing great, my career was not. I hope that this last go of it will be my way of finding balance in all areas. I know it won’t be perfectly balanced but I’m working on not neglecting one area too much for too long.
What program are you doing?
Jsack Mom : I’m doing the Beachbody program complete with workout, meal plans, shakeology, and fitness challenge group. With them and my coach they keep me motivated, supported, and accountable for my daily check in’s.
Tracy on the Rocks: I am incorporating exercise into my schedule including boot camp and fitness classes. I am also trying the Medifast meal plan.
What was the deciding factor for choosing that program?
Jsackmom: My health, motivation, and my pain level has increased so I need to get that in check. Plus I’ve spent the last few months getting to know my amazing coach before I signed up. He’s a great motivator, supportive, fun, and energy I wish to bottle and sell to make my millions. His experience with the program and how honest he’s been about his and his wife’s own personal journey has been the deciding factor in a long list of positives.
Tracy on the Rocks: Boot camp and yoga are paid for by my work and they are right at my office so I have no excuse. I also have a bunch of co-workers who go and who can hold me accountable and shame me if I don’t show up haha. As for the Medifast, my friend reps it and honestly I am just lazy. I needed an easy “grab and go” solution because I am sososoos busy and I just don’t have time right now to shop, prepare and cook health meals all week. I opted for just shakes and bars for convenience. I didn’t realize that there is a whole diet/restricted foods business to go along with it. I recommend you do a little research before diving into a system like I did though hahaha. #lazybones
What are your ultimate goals with this challenge?
Jsack Mom : My goal has been to
One Liner Wednesday’s
This weekend I enjoyed some much needed cuddle time with my youngest son. There we sat cuddling and watching cartoons while he gave me what he calls “scary” kisses. This is when he gives me a kiss then leans in to give me another and then roars in my face. *Sigh* how I love my life. 💞🌟💞
This has been my submission for http://lindaghill.com One liner Wednesday. Please check out her post for today and all the other talent who link up. Thank you. 💗
#1000 Speak Compassion-nurturing
At this moment in time I could use some nurturing. My heart has suffered from being judged, my body from pushing it to the limit of injury, my soul from putting myself last on the list of life’s priorities. It’s been my own doing, I put myself out there and recieved ridicule and embarrassment. I allowed it to hurt my heart and make me feel cheap, dirty, and ashamed. There is a thing about being too honest especially on social media.
I started a new workout routine as I’ve been living with chronic pain for the last five years. And slowly it’s grinding away at all the wonderful things I’ve accomplished over that time. The nurturing place where I housed my children and now my back is full of white hot pain if I do too much. Lifting my child who is showing all the signs of a sensory meltdown as he runs through a parking lot. Carrying him to bed after he’s so wound up from seeking sensory input all day he crashes in my arms on the couch.
Picking him up and cradling him like my little Joey and I’m his kangaroo Mama keeping him safe from a world that’s too loud, busy, bright, and at the same time beautiful in it’s simplicities and complexities. I exercise to keep myself fit, healthy, and fabulous. I started a new workout routine and matched the instructor for move for move. No matter how fast or extreme it would be in the long run. What the end result was an aggravated old back injury from a bulging disk, and not being able to walk properly for three days!!! What was I thinking I asked myself as I had to hobble around with a cane and parent from my couch?!
I wasn’t thinking about my age that’s for sure. I was thinking of who I was before when I was the fitness instructor with seventeen years experience. Who gave those intense workouts and also participated in them. It’s been a humbling experience as I recently started a fitness challenge and I’m on the sidelines cheering everybody on. I have an invitation to start a free one week bootcamp in my town. I look at each day mocking me and my lack of flexibility. How is it possible after ten years of teaching I could become so inflexible? Easy enough I allowed my mind to become that way being a right fighter, and my body became rigid and immobile.
I need to nurture that part of my myself that makes me feel whole again. I write, read, whine onto my digital paper and drink copious amounts of wine to dull my pain. Who knows of this push and pull existence that I put myself through time and time again. It’s you my dear readers who have followed along with me on my journey through heartache, grief, self loathing, and sometimes redemption. I lay myself bare and venture out into the world when it seems to be less cold, hard, and judgemental. This is my life as a Mom with children with special needs.
You can’t see my son’s conditions but if you push them to the limit they’ll bleed through with their reactions to noise, over stimulus, and disapproving stares. One has a disorder called Sensory Avoidance. I refer to it as his needs are like a bucket of water and everyone puts in a cup throughout his day. When he’s home from school his sensory bucket is overflowing. and he needs to empty it out and self tegilate with calm and quiet time. I give him this time to decompress as I know it’s essential to his psyche and mental health!
My other son has the opposite disorder he is a seeker of sensory input and it’s referred to as Sensory Modulation. His condition I refer to as having an empty bucket that he fills with cups of water all day long with every interaction, noise, and stimulus. Each time his bucket is almost full he dumps it out and has to start all over again. So this is the push and pull of my son’s existence. One wants to avoid all contact until he’s regulated and able to fill up his bucket. The other is constantly dumping it out and finding new ways to fill it!
They both empty my patience bucket on a regular basis, and I need to fill it back up again with things that help. Like quiet time to myself, being able to read, write, soak in a bubble bath until enveloped in the softeness and luxury. Closing my bedroom door each night and cuddling into my love my husband, my soft place to fall. He holds me and nurtures me and my hearts love bucket is full of self worth, respect, consciousness, and unconditional love. And I’m refreshed and restored and able to face another day. Whether it’s full of fighting, auditory hyper sensitives, food texture issues, sensory seeking, or sensory avoiding.
We all need to be loved, respected, accepted, loved, and nurtured. Please take that time to give your body, mind, and soul are crying out for. Don’t be like me who pushes and pulls into the core of my existence till my broken, weary, sleep deprived shell of a human body can’t take it anymore. Find those ties that bind you to the ones you love, absorb their love and strength, full that love bucket, and be more than, better than, stronger than the pain that threatens to grind you down. Love, nuture, take the steps to self care, and truly cherish that reflection that stares back at you from the mirror of your life.
Lose your Cape-Book Review
Today I’m going to tell you about a wonderful book that I read this month, and fell in love with. I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC (Aquired Reading Copy) for my honest review. I knew with my first child that I wanted to be a super Mom so badly. I stayed home and spent endless hours reading and researching on how to be a good Mom. As I look back on it now I realize all I had to do was love my son, feed, change, protect, and put him first and that was being a good Mom. In Alexa Bigwarfe and Kerry Rivera’s book I saw myself as a first time Mom relating to the anecdotal responses from other Mom’s like me. And all the mistakes that I made trying to wear that cape and be that Super Mom. From the newborn to the toddler stage they cover each part of parenthood with honesty, joy, and humourous anecdotes. I felt so connected with their advice and the advice of bloggers they interviewed. Each chapter begins with a quote and for a quote junkie like me I loved it. Chapters covered are preparing for life with a newborn, spousal support at home, tackling chores, keeping organized, and family mealtimes. Also included are information on single parenting, getting the help you need to tame that laundry beast. I appreciated the pertinent information for surviving in today’s world as a modern day Mom. Including all the excellent websites, blogs, and books recommended. I loved this book so much with its’s honest approach to just loving and accepting who I am as a Mom, and just lose the cape because to my kids I’m already a SUPER hero MOM without it. My favourite tip was the chapter on family organization. Learning about the different calendars and apps to help my family get coordinated with our busy schedules. As well as all the tips on mealtimes and how to appease picky eaters. Which I could write a book on myself with my son’s food texture issues! Special thanks to Alexa and Kerry’s blog tour coordinator Alison for granting me the pleasure of beta reading this wonderful book. And to the authors for writing such a fabulous, candid, heartfelt book. 😃
You can preorder your copy here release date April. 26 th 2015
Amazon link
You can follow Alexa and Kerry on social media sharing their book here:
https://twitter.com/LosetheCape
https://www.facebook.com/LoseTheCape
https://www.pinterest.com/losethecape/
Authors Background Information
Alexa Bigwarfe
Alexa Bigwarfe is a freelance writer, wife, and mother of three children and a dog. In addition to raising her children, managing her home, and writing, Alexa’s heart is in advocacy and raising funds to support nonprofit organizations involved with infant, children and women’s issues. Alexa launched her writing with her personal blog No Holding Back, (katbiggie.com). Here she chronicles topics including health and wellness, living with autoimmune diseases, and most importantly, her grief after the loss of one of her twin daughters to complications from Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS). Alexa took the experience from that painful life event and channeled it into a compilation book for grieving mothers entitled Sunshine After the Storm: A Survival Guide for the Grieving Mother. She has also been published in two anthologies, The Mother of All Meltdowns and The HerStories Project. Alexa enjoys writing articles about parenting and children’s health and wellness topics for regional parenting publications and online magazines. In her “spare” time, you can find Alexa enjoying time with her girlfriends or hiding in her closet for some “alone” time.
You can follow Alexa here:
https://www.facebook.com/NoHoldingBack1212
Kerry Rivera
Kerry Rivera is a full-time working mom of three kids with a to-do list that stretches to “infinity and beyond.” Between a demanding corporate gig, the nightly homework and kids’ activities, and managing a household with her full-time working husband, she blogs about the “juggle” at BreadwinningMama.com. Her career journey started in the newsroom trenches and has since transitioned to working for one of the largest global automotive companies. She additionally writes for corporations, government agencies and brands in her “spare” time, and especially enjoys sharing the joys of modern parenthood around the web. Her love for content creation is only trumped by her love for content consumption. Her Kindle and nightstand are equally full, and a stack of magazines can be found in every room of the house. As a Southern California native, she takes advantage of the outdoors, enjoying both the beaches and mountains with family and friends, and loves to caffeinate with Starbucks Refreshers and Coke. She aspires to perfect a handstand in yoga, but is still working on touching her toes.
You can follow Kerry here:
https://www.facebook.com/BreadwinningMama
https://twitter.com/breadwinningmom
Now go on a get your ebook preorder link here: release date April.26 th 2015.
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