Peppermint Mocha Protein Coffee {gluten & dairy free}

It’s that time of year again… Peppermint Mocha on tap, but it’s hard when you’re trying to stay Gluten and Dairy free to not spend a small fortune on a drink from Starbucks after you make all your substitutions. I’m going to share with you my secret to make them at home, and to add extra protein!

Okay, let’s start with the protein. I have found a protein powder that I love, isn’t chalky, or gritty, and is gluten and dairy free. Perfect Keto Chocolate Protein is DELICIOUS and blends amazing with anything.

THE RECIPE:

(in a 24oz tumbler)

1 Scoop of Chocolate Perfect Keto Protein
6-8oz Chocolate Almond Milk
Drop of Peppermint Extract
Ice
Iced Coffee of Choice (I like Starbucks Medium Roast)

This could be done using a hand frother, or can also be made in a blender like a frappuchino.

1. Blend the Protein, drop of peppermint extract & Almond Milk (make sure no clumps)

2. Add ice, top with Coffee.

3. Stir and Enjoy.

AMAZON LINKS (Just click the image)

Comfortable in my Skin...

There is a photo of me from 2018, that every time I look at it, makes me smile. It’s just me. Being a mom. I was feeling good, had lost weight, was eating healthy and felt so proud of all the hard work I had put in. Verona was just a little over a year old, and for the first time in a long time, I felt like I was finally getting back to my normal self again. About a month after this photo was taken, I found out I was pregnant with Vivienne…

I bring this up not because I was upset about having another baby, but to shed some light on the physical toll pregnancy and child birth can have on your body. I’m not saying it’s not worth it, but for me, knowing what the next year and half would entail made it a little scary to think about. Here I was, feeling the best I have felt in YEARS, tons of energy, starting to see definition in muscles, yet bracing myself for the inevitable hyperemesis gravidarum journey, bedrest, exhaustion, weight loss, pelvic floor dysfuncion, not to mention the belly and back pain. Okay. That’s enough complaining.

It’s been two years since that first photo was taken. In that two years, I’ve been pregnant, had a baby, breastfed said baby for a year, chased around older kids, stopped coloring my hair, but most importantly… kept a promise to myself that I would one day get back to a point where I felt as comfortable in my skin as I did in that first picture from 2018. And here we are.

Proud of the person I see in the mirror, flaws and all. Thankful for a body that carried and gave birth to three beautiful blessings. Even with the loose skin & stretch marks I’m comfortable in my skin.

Being an example to my children to teach them to love & respect the body that God gave them is something that isn’t always easy, but is so important to me.

First Day of School Jitters...

It always starts the same, palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy… just kidding that’s an Eminem song. But in all seriousness. The start of a new school year brings out so much anxiety in me. And when I try to put my finger on why, all I’m met with is confusion and more anxiety. Maybe I should take the advice from the wise Donald Draper and “Think about it deeply, and then forget it… then an idea will jump up in your face.” In this case, not so much an idea, but maybe the whole reason as to why I’m so crazy when it comes to the first day jitters.

Yesterday was our 3rd first day of school for Jonathan. He attended a year of Preschool, followed by young fives, and now his first day of Kindergarten, and I have felt on the verge of vomiting all three times. This anxiety generally starts to subside a few weeks in, once I start to get into the groove and get a better handle on our new routine… but that’s just it. Routine. I thrive on it. I know what to expect. And as someone who actually enjoyed this summer of cancelled plans, forced time at home, and all this SOCIAL-distancing… re-entering the world of OTHER people is so hard. (FOR ME).

Sharing the funny, honest & embarrassing on social media just comes naturally, I’d say I’m a down-to-earth human being, but when you meet me in person I’M PAINFULLY AWKWARD. So much awkward silence, I’m terrible at making conversation, in truth, I’m just SUPER shy… So when I meet people in person, they think I’m just not nice because I’m not super chatty right off the bat. When in truth… I really want to be outgoing, but I never know what to say!

Wow, this is actually quite cathartic as I hash this out in my own head, because I’ve already revealed two truths to myself as to why I feel ALL THE ANXIETY about starting a new school year. 1. Fear of Change. 2. Fear of forced interaction with new people. And the last truth, I just realized. 3. My projected personal fears of going to a new school with new people, for Jonathan. Let me explain…

Jonathan is an incredibly kind and energetic little boy. He loves to laugh. Love dinosaurs. Thinks everyone in this world is good. Doesn’t understand personal space, and general social etiquette with people who aren’t in his own family. So I’m constantly worried that someone is going to be mean to him, or bully him and steal his sweet naive spirit away from him. When I look back on my years of school, I’m not met with all the warm fuzzies some people might have. It was hard. I never felt like I fit in anywhere. People made assumptions about me because I was quiet. And I think I inadvertently project all those feelings on to Jonathan, even though he is a completely different kid. And I need to stop doing that. All I can do is encourage him to be the kind of kid that makes EVERYONE feel welcome, and teach him that everyone is different, but they are EXACTLY how God intended them to be.

So to sum up all my ramblings: Here is what I’ve learned while writing down some crazy thoughts and feelings.

1. Don’t be afraid of change. It’s good. It promotes growth and new habits.

2. Stop being so afraid to meet new people. As your life changes, so do the people you come in contact with, and just like change, new friends are also good.

3. Don’t project your own bad experiences on your kids, and let them draw their own conclusions based off of what they personally experience.

Little Girl's Room Reveal- Geometric Design

I remember when we found out that we were going to have a daughter, and visions of a beautiful nursery flooded my head. Floral wallpaper. Floral wreaths. Wooden script names. Soft tones. I had it all pinned on Pinterest, and was planning this big grand reveal. Then the instagram world vs reality sets in, and I knew that what I wanted to do wouldn’t be financially possible with all that we had going on. We don’t tap from a bottomless well of money, and whatever work that needed to be done in that room, we were going to have to do ourselves, because paying a contractor or designer was not in the budget.

So we waited. And waited. And waited. And then I bought some curtains because that tone of yellow just made me happy and from there I decided to design this room. I found this adorable wallpaper from ColoRay Decor and it was off to the races. Triangles make me happy, and these colors fit perfectly in our colorful home aesthetic.

Slowly but surely, we made small purchases here and there until this sweet room was complete. Repurposed an old dresser & nightstand, gave them a fresh coat of white spray paint. Some custom artwork created by me to go on the main wall, and boom! I’ll give links to all the other artwork, and please feel free to comment if you have any questions about anything else!! Enjoy!

List of links:

Wallpaper -ColoRay Designs

Bedframe -Ikea

Twin Quilt -Target

Shag Rug -Rugs.com

Clothes Hamper- Crate & Kids

Curtains -Target

Floral prints -Lulu Ink Designs

Other Print -Handwritten Hope