Healthy Chicks

I’m officially 26+ weeks pregnant, and time is starting to fly! I can’t believe we have only 14 weeks left until we get to meet our sweet little girl. She’s already such big part of our lives (we love her so much!), and I know our life is about to change in a big, big way.

While I don’t agree with the random woman who told me I won’t have a life once baby comes (um, that’s bizarre advice to give someone you don’t even know), I do agree that life as we know it is about to come to a closing. It will be hard, there will be a lot of change, but we’re about to experience a love like never before and for that I am SO excited.

To celebrate being three months from our due date, hubby and I decided to take a much-needed Babymoon getaway to West Palm Beach last week! In this post, I highlight our favorite places to stay, dine and play while vacationing in West Palm.

Getting There

We are suckers for flying JetBlue, so you can imagine my excitement when I found super affordable flights for just $163 each roundtrip from Logan … Read More!

To celebrate Baby Girl coming this summer, hubby and I escaped to West Palm Beach for a Babymoon last week. (You can read all about out trip here!)

It was a totally different kind of vacation since a.) I’m six months pregnant b.) I’m not drinking and c.) I often want to go to bed by 9:30PM. Needless to say, getting some solid relaxation was a must for me, and I don’t know of a better way to relax than being pampered at a spa.

One of our favorite days on the Babymoon was our Spa Day at the PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, a must for anyone babymooning to the Palm Beach area.

Our Treatments

We arrived at the beautiful spa about 30 minutes before our appointments so we could relax and settle in — each going our separate ways to our changing rooms. When I opened my locker to change into my robe, I was greeted with a sweet welcome note and gift!

The full service spa has dozens of treatment options depending on what you’re in the mood for, but I went with a fitting Mommy-to-Be Facial and hubby opted for his … Read More!

Mother’s Day is just around the corner! Today on the blog I’m sharing my 2018 Mother’s Day gift roundup packed with unique, one-of-a-kind gifts for all those special mommas in your life.

Best part? They’re all under $75, ranging from beauty products and jewelry to tea and chocolate!

1. Healthy Chicks Spark Your Bliss Deck, Healthy Chicks, $19.99

I’d be remiss to not include my affirmation card deck, Spark Your Bliss! This practical 36-card deck includes positive affirmations with journaling prompts and action steps to boot. The cards come in a beautiful illustrated mandala tuck box, and are intended to help you set your soul on fire. You can find them on Amazon, and locals can purchase at Juice on Main in Mansfield, MA, An Unlikely Story in Plainville, MA, SheBreathe’s in Walpole, MA, or Hair Today Salon in Glastonbury, CT. Go ahead and spread some positivity to your mom BFFs!

2. PeaceFull Gift Set, Organic Bath Co., $57

As a mom-to-be myself, I know how sacred those moments of peace are going to be. I’m in love with this gift set from Organic Bath Co. bringing together two of my favorite products — PeaceFull Body Butter and … Read More!

When I moved to the suburbs, one of the things I missed most was walking (or taking public transportation) to my favorite healthy hot-spots. Since that’s no longer an option, I realized I had to get used to driving but taking the trip all the way into Boston isn’t convenient or feasible for me anymore.

That’s why I’m super grateful for Dedham’s Legacy Place, an outdoor shopping plaza with a Whole Foods, boutique clothing stores, restaurants and more! Bonus: It’s just a 25 minute drive from me, and I don’t have to fight for a spot on the T to get there! 😉

Since I’m a foodie at heart, I wanted to share a roundup of my favorite healthy restaurants at Legacy Place — some of my old-time Boston faves and some brand new to me!

sweetgreen

Why I love It

I love that sweetgreen is a scratch-kitchen, changing their menu seasonally and sourcing local as much as possible. In fact, they even have a local list in each store clearly outlining where their food comes from. Can’t get much more transparent than that! You can order one of their signature salads or grain bowls, or craft your own … Read More!

“If you want to be a Queen, you have got to learn how to bow to other Queens.” -Guru Jagat 

I absolutely love this quote by Guru Jagat, and I’ve been reflecting on it all week. It’s basically saying if you want to be recognized and celebrated, you gotta learn how to celebrate others too.

Here’s the thing: Jealousy, resentment, and attacking other women does no one any good, and quite frankly it’s super unhealthy.

If you want what someone else has, bow to her. Celebrate her. Throw her a big freakin’ cheer party. Know that her success doesn’t make you anything less, and those beautiful things are for you too.

On the other hand, I see a lot of women out there (myself included), shying away from sharing happy news or questioning weather or not they should talk about their successes in fear or hurting someone else’s feelings.

No, no, no!

Ladies, there is no need to dim your light to make others feel better. That’s doing a disservice to you and all your other sisters.

Instead shine your light so bright that it encourages others to shine bright too. And next time you see one of your soul … Read More!

Happy March! I freakin’ love new months as they’re the perfect time to reassess where you’re at and where you want to be going. This month is extra special since it also falls on a Full Moon!

The first Full Moon of March is known as the Worm Moon, as it’s the time of year that earthworms reappear as spring is indeed on it’s way. This moon symbolizes renewal, rebirth and new beginnings. The ice is finally melting, tiny flowers are starting to pop out of the ground and good things are on their way!

In honor of the new month and this beautiful Full Moon, I wanted to share with you my new month ritual.

Here are the simple steps I take at the beginning of each month that you can easily implement too!

1. Put the phone away + play light, inspiring music. My Journaling playlist on Spotify usually does the trick!

2. Reflect on last month’s abundance. How much money did you bring in? What connections did you make? What are you proud of? What did you celebrate?

3. Let Go of the “Ick.” Let go of any relationships, clients, work assignments or exercises that aren’t … Read More!

Let’s have some real talk for a minute: How do you spend your final two hours before bed? 

Do you watch Netflix?

Are you up late working on your computer?

Texting your friends?

Social media stalking?

Are you stressed out? Rejuvenated? Tired? Energized?

Do you fall asleep easily or does it take some time?

Do you feel your best self?

If you asked me this question a couple months ago, my answer would have been completely different, and I would have sheepishly said “yes” to the first four questions. In realty, my evenings were spent zoning out with my husband binge-watching Netflix episodes, while simultaneously finishing up work, checking my instagram and texting my friends the latest and greatest.

To be completely honest, it didn’t feel good. My “evening routine” was actually pretty darn draining, and that’s so not what we want right before bed.  

With a little bit of trial and error and listening to my body, I have developed a new routine that works for me. Below I outline my evening ritual, which you can feel free to pull from to get started on your own!

7 Evening Ritual Tips for Mindful Sleep

1. Play With Essential Oils

The first time I felt self-conscious about my body was when I started developing acne around 14 years old. This was followed by years of dieting, obsession with the scale and hating my thighs all throughout high school and well into my 20s.

While I’ve certainly come a long way and have learned to fall back in love with my body and discover joy around food, the journey wasn’t always easy. In fact, even I still have my off days from time to time where I don’t feel 100% confident with my body.

Because I’ve been there, I now make it my mission to empower women to break free from dieting and discover joy around food. A lot of this has to do with a woman’s overall confidence — inside and out.

While most of the woman I work with are in their 20s and 30s, it pains me to see that many young girls start feeling insecure about their bodies in some way as early as ten years old — or earlier! At my cousin’s 11th birthday last year, one of the girls was afraid to take off her shorts when she went swimming in the water … Read More!