Healthy Chicks

In the midst of everyone talking about New Year’s resolutions, goals and accomplishments, I’m much more concerned about how you want to feel, and just as importantly — why?

In fact, before you even think about crafting your vision board or vowing to go to the gym X times a week, I think it’s crucial to get crystal clear on how you want to feel first.

For me, 2019 was all about living in the flow. Here’s what I posted on my instagram last January:

“This year, my intention is for things to flow more freely — money, new friendships, this beautiful life as a new mama. Yes, there will be work to do (because #GirlBoss) but things don’t have to be ‘hard.'”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsdNr-UASs3/

Reflecting back on my past year, I’d say I definitely felt in the flow. Things felt easier, I didn’t try so darn hard and I was happy with a simpler life. That doesn’t mean it was boring; I simply embraced a life without the hustle.

Some highlights from the year included seeing Fleetwood Mac live in concert, celebrating my 5 year anniversary with hubby, moving back to Connecticut to be closer to … Read More!

Christmas is less than a week away! If you’re still wrapping up your shopping list, here are five feel-good gift ideas for your soul sisters. Best part? You can buy them all online from the comfort of your couch (fuzzy slippers, hot cocoa stains and all).

For The Dreamer

Spark Your Bliss Deck, $19.99

For the friend who’s obsessed with horoscopes, vision boards and journaling, you can’t go wrong with a deck of positive affirmation cards. My Spark Your Bliss deck comes with 36 cards, each with a word, affirmation, journaling exercise and action steps.

For the Mama Bear

Mama Bear Mug, $19.95

This cute Mama Bear mug comes in a variety of colors, and is perfect for your mama BFF. Holding 14 oz., this mug will get you through those mornings you need an extra large coffee.

For the Clean Beauty Lover

Jade Face Roller, $14.94

Your clean-beauty-obsessed gal pal with love adding face rolling to her morning routine! This Jade Face Roller is under $15, and is said to work wonders for anti-aging, puffiness and relaxation benefits.

For the Vegetarian

… Read More!

The holiday season is full of joy, peppermint mochas and first snowfalls, but it may also bring up anxiety and difficult feelings for some.

One of my favorite “tricks” to stay in a positive mindset is practicing gratitude. And no, it’s not just reserved for Thanksgiving time.

Personally, I keep a gratitude journal, writing down a few things I’m grateful for each morning. It sounds super simple but this practice has been monumental in my life, and consistently keeps me in check when I’m feeling low or “not enough.”

Want to give it a try yourself? Here are some other ways to incorporate gratitude this holiday season:

• Grab an old mason jar, and create a gratitude jar by dropping in a post-it note each night. Feel free to get the family involved too!
• Before diving into the feast, go around the table at Thanksgiving to share what you’re grateful for
• Start your day with positive affirmations
• Tell a friend or coworker how much you appreciate them, and why
• Pay it forward

Want more? I’m co-teaching a Gratitude Workshop at The Barre CT on 11/30. Enjoy a yoga flow followed by a guided meditation and affirmation workshop with me!

Wishing … Read More!

Fall brings lots of action — from kid’s sporting events to new business opportunities — and you’re likely meeting lots of new faces along the way. Some of these connections you’ll naturally “vibe” with, while other relationships may feel a little icky or not right (and that’s OK too, BTW).

I challenge you to open yourself up to receiving the kind of relationships that will be a good fit for you, lift you up and help you grow.

Here are some practical tips for creating meaningful connections:

Join a New Group

If you’re craving connection, one of the best places to start is your local community! I recommend joining a networking group, moms club or business meetup.

While it can be a little nerve-wracking being the “new kid on the block,” it’s exciting to mingle with new people. Plus, I’ll bet you everyone else felt just as awkward as you do their first time.

Spark Your Creativity

Consider signing up for a class that sparks your creativity like painting, photography or jewelry-making.

You’ll ignite your inner artist, have a little fun, and meet other like-minded folks you can hang with outside the classroom.

Stay in Touch with Old

… Read More!

While I’m all for the fall apple festivals, oversized sweaters and pumpkin spice everything, I’m not quite ready for cold and flu season. I’ve got a whole “wellness toolkit”  to protect myself, but at the end of the day one of the simplest things you can do is keep it clean.

Good ol’ fashioned hand-washing with soap and hot water is my recommended go-to, but when I’m on the go I reach for a natural hand sanitizer as the next best thing. That’s why you’ll always find a travel-sized sanitizer in the diaper bag for car trips, dining out, and family outings!

Desert Essence Probiotic Hand Sanitizer

I’m a huge fan of Desert Essence products — especially their jojoba oil — so I was intrigued when they came out with a hand sanitizer…made with probiotics. I’ll admit, at first I was a little confused — probiotics in your hand sanitizer? But isn’t that counterintuitive?

As it turns out, there’s actually a pretty genius reason for it. In addition to the powerful plant-based antibacterials killing 99.99% of germs — like tea tree oil, thyme and elderberry — they top it off with super probiotic kefir to condition … Read More!

To the new mom running off cold coffee and two hours of sleep, you are enough.

To the recent graduate who’s unsure of what they want to be when they grow up, you are enough.

To the 20-something going through a painful breakup, you are enough.

To the entrepreneur who sometimes feels a little lost & lonely on this path of life, you are enough.

To the single mom raising 2 kiddos on your own, you are enough. To the working mom who works long days & makes it home for dinner and goodnight stories, you are enough.

To the burnt out employee who feels unappreciated at the office, you are enough.

To all the women who don’t feel comfortable in their skin, can’t stick to the “diet” or are battling an eating disorder, you are enough.

You are enough. You are enough. YOU are enough. 

I mentioned before in this post that I have been making a conscious effort to cut back on social media use. And while I tried everything from putting my phone on “Airplane Mode” at night to deleting Instagram for a few days, nothing seemed to stick.

Try as I might, I somehow always ended up right back where I started — in a deep, dark hole of insta stalking.

It wasn’t until one evening putting our baby girl to bed that I realized this was a real problem and something had to change…like now. While nursing my sweetie during her bedtime routine, I caught myself once again mindlessly scrolling through other people’s lives on the gram (while my own life was happening right in front of me).

I had some serious FOMO, but this time it was fear of missing out on my own life. That’s when I decided to go on a weeklong social media detox — and get serious about it.

You can read all about my experience over on WELL Insiders, including how to set yourself up for success and my key takeaways. Spoiler alert: I became a much happier, better version of myself.… Read More!

One of the best pieces of advice we were given when becoming new parents was to keep living your life, and just bring the baby with you. It’s been so much fun taking our sweet baby girl with us to do some of our favorite things — whether it’s hitting up a new brewery (hubs idea), apple picking or going for an early bird dinner at one of our favorite restaurants.

Last weekend we finally bit the bullet, tossed the Pack ‘n Play in the car and took her on an overnight trip to Cape Cod! Our little family was lucky enough to spend a night at the Cape Codder Resort & Spa in Hyannis, the perfect weekend getaway destination for us new parents.

Today on the blog I’m sharing all about our experience staying at a hotel with an eight-month-old including wining, dining and splish-splashing around in the waterpark. Spoiler alert: I’m not sure who had more fun, us or baby!

Getting to Cape Cod & Exploring Hyannis

Road trips under two hours are my jam, and getting to Cape Cod couldn’t have been easier for us! From the Providence/Foxboro area (where we were coming from) it’s just a … Read More!