I've Lost It, What Do I Do Now? GIVEAWAY

About 6.5 months ago, I made a goal for myself that I would lose all of my baby weight (33 lbs) by my 5th Wedding Anniversary.



Before-size14

After-Size 6/8

Well, my anniversary is two weeks from today and I have made it!



After having three babies in under three years, I found myself in quite the shlump (yes, I made that word up...isn't it awesome?)  I had gradually gained 33 pounds and I felt like it was far too much weight to even try and lose...it wouldn't happen.  I wasn't happy with how I looked and even more with how I FELT.

So, one day, after feeling sorry for myself and giving every excuse under the sun, I decided to get over myself, join a gym, and figure this out. If I wanted to be the mom that I wanted to be, I needed to be able to climb stairs without huffing and puffing.

After much thought, I got a personal trainer. That was one of the most painful decisions simply because of the cost, but it was the single BEST decision I made. I really lucked out because my trainer, Adam, took the time to acknowledge the stresses in my life but never let me wallow in my own self pity. One day, while complaining about how hard I was working, he simply looked at me and said,

"If you want to lose it, you have to do more."

Point taken.

Adam and I met twice a month at which time he would give me a new workout for the next two weeks. It was awesome to work with someone who believed in me FAR more than I believed in myself. Some weeks, he would give me work outs for the sole purpose of proving to me how much I could do...how cool is that?

This pictures just screams
'LAUREN'! 
Isn't she awesome?

As awesome as it is that I have finally gotten back down to my 'pre-baby' size, my body looks NOTHING like what it used to. That was quite an adjustment. After feeling sorry for myself for a bit, I decided to stand up, be proud of myself, and keep moving. The only problem was that I had no clothes that fit and had spent so many years covering up that I didn't know the current styles.

This is when one of my closest friends, Lauren, from It's Becker Style, jumped in to save me. I had a style board in my e-mail inbox within days. She had scoped out the top 10 things that I needed to buy, explained exactly what I was looking for, and their versatility. She pushed me out of my 'mom-box' and as scary as it was it felt AMAZING. For the first time in years, I felt like more than a mom; I felt like a woman...a proud one at that.  Lauren really helped me to learn how to dress my new curves.  She has this natural understanding of what styles fit what body-types...something that I know NOTHING about.

So, in celebration of my accomplishment, I wanted to share with you this awesome gift!  Lauren has agreed to work with one of my readers to create their own style board!!!  This includes a consultation (phone, skype, e-mail, etc) and a visual board consisting of 10 items recommended specifically for you, based on your expressed needs. Includes tips on how to buy the items and where to look for them.

What's even better???  You have SIX different ways to enter!

How to enter: 

Comment on this post for each entry (make sure to leave your e-mail address if you do not have a blog profile).

1) Become a Follower of It's Becker Style via google connect

2) Follow It's Becker Style on Twitter

3) Follow The Common Sense Mama via google connect

(right side of the page under the live feed)

4) Like The Common Sense Mama on Facebook

5) Follow The Common Sense Mama on Twitter

6) Share this giveaway (facebook, twitter, blog, etc.)  Just use the link!

This Giveaway ends on Sunday November 20th @ noon!  The winner will be announced on Monday!

Good luck and Have Fun!

Mama Recommendation: Scentsy

My friend, Lauren, sells Scentsy.

Because she knows of my aversion to smelly things (I get serious headaches), she never told me about it. 

But, once September hit, I had this incredible desire to have SOMETHING fall smelling in my house.  (It was probably because of all of Lauren's blog posts about making apple cider, fall decorating, and pumpkin pies.) Anyways, I looked into a few different options but didn't try TOO hard.  Finally, I decided to call Lauren and ask her about scentsy.  My biggest concern was my headaches and I wanted to know if there were any scents that were either very mild or could be controlled. 

I was DELIGHTED when she told me that you could use as much or as little of the wax therefore controlling the strength of the aroma.  So, after she told me, much to my surprise, how incredibly affordable scentsy is, I decided to try it out and buy one. 

Enchanted Mid-Size Warmer with the Pumpkin Roll Scent

Isn't it pretty?  It looks so pretty on my kitchen counter!

Anyways, for those of you who don't know how it works, here's a little run down.  Scentsy uses ZERO fire.  It is not a candle (very child friendly).  Instead, the light you see coming through the holes is from a lightbulb.  You place your wax bar on the plate on top, turn it on, watch the wax melt, and fill your home/office/whatever with a wonderful smell!  What is amazing is that in order to get another scent, you don't have to buy another warmer, just pay $5 for the new scent block, AND THATS IT!  AMAZING!

So, I HIGHLY recommend scentsy.  I can't tell you how excited I am to order my Christmas Tree Scent for Christmas...WOOHOO!  If I didn't already have my Christmas gifts, I know quite a few sister-in-laws, mothers, and grandmothers who would be recieving one of these.  I. LOVE. IT.

Hop on over to Laurens Scentsy page and check it out!
www.laurenbecker.scentsy.com
Checkout through Lauren Beckers party.

I can tell you now, if you buy from her, you are supporting a military wife who is preggo with baby boy #2.  Seriously, she's the kind of girl you want to support! 

If you want to read more about Lauren, her family, and her style, this is her blog: www.itsbeckerstyle.com

Have a great fall weekend!

A Mama Shopping Alert!

One of my all time favorite stores is Ann Taylor Loft.  I have LOVED this store since I was in high school and now that I am a mom, I love it even more! 

One of my best friends, Lauren, of It's Becker Style, is helping me find my new style after having three children, losing weight, and dealing with a completely new body shape.  I think this is something that most of us deal with.  More on that topic later.

Anyways, in my quest to find some new STYLISH threads, I stumbled upon the LOFTS awesome sale!  They are doing 50% off of ALL SALE ITEMS!  And let me tell you, their sale tab is not small.  They have regular sizes, petites sizes, AAAANNNDDD MATERNITY! 

So, hop on over there and see if there is anything that peaks your interest!

www.anntaylorloft.com

If you are struggling with the same thing I am, contact Lauren for some styling advice!   No matter where you live, she can provide you with a style board.  I speak from experience, it is SO nice to have some guidance in this department!