September 2019 – christyleepixx

bed bedroom cute dog — Photo by Burst on Pexels.com

Let’s talk goals and habits for a minute.

How many of you are night owls?

What about morning people?

What about both?

I try to do both and I can tell you, I am ready to go to bed earlier and feel more refreshed.

There are countless articles out there discussing the importance of getting enough sleep as an adult. The Mayo Clinic, as well as many other health organizations recommend 7-9 hours of sleep per night for adults.

Sleeping 7-9 hours may not be a reality for some people, however, if it’s something you are able to do…I challenge you to try this goal with me!

I am 7 months pregnant and have a lot on my “to-do” list. I always feel like it’s nice to get things accomplished late at night. The side effect of this, is a grumpy, tired mom the next day.

So I decided TODAY is a new day. Our own personal health is so important and sleep is very necessary to be healthy not only physically but mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

I personally notice my memory struggles greatly when I don’t get a good nights rest. I am also much more moody, and I even tend to get headaches when I don’t get a decent nights rest.

Starting tonight I will be in my bed ready to sleep by 10 pm. No reading, no social media…just going to sleep.

I will report back to you in one week on how well I handled this challenge.

I would love to have others join me and hear your reactions!

Next time I get on here I will hopefully be a more rested, happier and healthier person….

Until next time,

xoxo

Christy Lee

Family

My Favorite Little Friends:Reflections from a mom with two young children…

September 19, 2019September 18, 2019 christyaustin1680

My Favorite Little Friends

I have two favorite friends in my life right now

One boy that’s four and a little girl whose two.

These little friends have lots of fun and love to play in many ways

Their goal is to smile and find joy in the world around them.

Sometimes life is hard at this age

They can’t always communicate their wants and needs, which results in tantrums and meltdowns.

Disappointments and failures are heartbreaking to them, and they never hold back their emotions

Sometimes reasoning and being rationale with these two little ones is harder than herding kittens.

And yet, despite the many areas where they may fall short, these two favorite friends of mine make it up in many ways …

My favorite little friends are quick to forgive and forget, they realize that even their parents fall short and lose their cool, but these two little friends are forgiving.

My favorite little friends sense when something’s not quite right, and even when they don’t know exactly what’s going on, they provide lots of loves and hugs.

My favorite little friends find the smallest little things to get excited about: an airplane in the sky, a hummingbird on the flowers…

My favorite little friends are great reminders that despite living in a big world full of trials and hardships, we also live in a world of beauty and excitement, for these two little ones find joy in simple things.

My favorite little friends don’t want to waste a second of the day without doing something fun. Even though their energy level can be tiring and hard— the memories made with my favorite little friends will never be wasted.

For I know that one day far too, soon these favorite little friends of mine will grow up big and tall.

Days of simplicity and joy will be swept far away and these favorite little friends of mine will mature into caring adults. My hope is that their lives will still be full of fun and love, and yet, I know I won’t be involved in all the minute details of their lives.

This reality will be harsh for this loving parent and caretaker to take in.

So for now I’ll enjoy every plane in the sky, all the running and spinning and playing that we can… for as each new day comes, we glean closer to the phenomenon that life won’t always be this way.

Enjoy every moment, every memory, every heartache and scrape that comes.

And keep these two favorite little friends close with the hope that one day they may become two favorite BIG friends who can still forgive and forget, cheer you up when days are sad, and remind you that you too, are their favorite person and will cherish every moment spent with you.

Yes, having these little ones as my favorite friends may be challenging every single day, but the love and rewards far outweigh these hardships. There would be nobody whom you’d rather spend your days and friendship with than these two favorite friends. Enjoy this time and always keep them close, these favorite friends will end up being the truest friends you’ll have on the earth, no doubt, no question.

That deep love you have for these two sweet children will be what keeps your world turning from days on end.

Oh how I love my favorite little friends❤️

To my sweet littles: Cade and Makell

Love your mommy: Christy Lee Austin

Family

This great product helps me to get my kids to drink more water and not spill so much in the car…Win/Win for this product!

September 10, 2019 christyaustin1680

Do you ever wish you could get your child to drink more water? Or if they are drinking something in the car that it doesn’t cause a big clean up at the end?

Well this product that I picked as a favorite today helps our family with these two issues.

The product is called Snackeez and we LOVE the disposable kind. Mind you, we do have one that is non-disposable and it works great, however for quick clean up and for this mom who loses so many cups and sippys in the car…disposable is our favorite.

If you have never seen or heard of Snackeez, they are cups with a lid and they come with a straw, and what’s really neat– the lid can hold little “snacks,” hence the name “Snackeez.”

What I like about this product is that they are a decent size, I did a comparison next to my protein bottle and they are much larger than regular kid-sized cups, they hold 12 ounces. I have a son who has to be reminded to drink water and stay hydrated, and having a “cool cup,” fixes this issue more often than not.

The kit comes with 10 cups, 10 lids, and 10 straws.

Looking online the best price right now is buying this product from Wal-Mart where they sell for $9.99 and you get a 2 pack..click HERE for the link.

I noticed Amazon also sells Snackeez as well if that is a better option for you.

Hopefully this little nugget Snackeez can be as fun for your family as it is for mine!

And…next month I plan to feature this on a give-away so stay tuned!

(PS-notice how she eats just the cheese off of her cheese sandwich;)

Until next time,

xoxo

Christy Lee

Food

Family favorite snacks & treats you will want to go buy today….

September 5, 2019September 8, 2019 christyaustin1680

Here are some of our family’s favorite snacks. Some of these snacks are sugary and others salty…but bottom line, these snacks make our family happy. We don’t buy these snacks all the time…with the exception of the string cheese. Some of these snacks are harder to come by and we have to order them online, but I just wanted to share some of these delicious tasty treats!

So in no certain order…here they are:

#1: G.H. Cretors popcorn brand called “The Mix” with caramel and cheese popcorn. I will admit, I was suspicious of this mix at first. I love caramel popcorn but cheese with it? Well, I can tell you I am glad I tried it because it’s my family’s favorite popcorn mix! I have tried other caramel and cheese popcorn blends and they just don’t compare to this brand.

I have found the big bags of this mix from Costco and Sams club, and the small bags from Target. And of course you can order online. Try it…you won’t regret it…just maybe the calories;)

$3.29 for the small bag at Target. Click here

And I recently purchased a big bag at Sam’s Club for $6.48

#2 Hickory Farms Beef Summer Sausage.

Normally, I wait patiently until Christmas season to purchase these delicious summer sausages. I have found that most malls in the U.S. sell these summer sausages for about $10. I will tell you this may sound pricey, but this beef summer sausage truly is the best one out there. I am some what of a beef snob (grew up on a cattle ranch), and I have bought and compared different beef summer sausage brands and Hickory Farms is hands down the very best. Both my kids love these summer sausages too.

If you order online there is currently a 10% discount plus free shipping. You get 3 packages of beef summer sausages for $25.00. Click here to purchase.

#3 Philippine Brand Dried Mangos

Let me preface this tasty snack by saying I have never been a huge fan of dried fruit. However, when I tried this particular brand of dried mangos I was completely sold on them. I will warn you, there are many brands, but in my opinion they don’t hold a candle to the Philippine Brand of dried mangos. My husband served a two year LDS mission in the Philippines and he talks frequently about how amazing the mangos tasted there, he does not love the mangos here in the US now:) So if the mangos do actually come from the Philippines that may be why these dried mangos taste so good…I don’t know?! All I can say is that anyone I have offered these dried mangos to always asks where I buy them.

I first found these dried mangos at Costco but haven’t seen them there for a while. However, if you go online you can get a two-pack from Amazon for $7.99, Click here for details.

#4 Cache Valley String Cheese

I love all types of cheese. I always feel a bit better snacking on cheese versus candy or chocolate. Normally I am not too picky about the type of cheese I eat, but when it comes to string cheese Cache Valley is my very favorite! Even my young 4-year-old son can tell the difference and won’t eat any other type of string cheese unless it’s Cache Valley. I think the difference may be that there isn’t a strong after taste with the Cache Valley string cheese. Whatever it may be, we are constantly snacking on this tasty cheese at our house.

You can find Cache Valley String Cheese at Kroger stores, Wal-Mart and online. Here is a link to purchase.

#5 Coconut almonds with dark chocolate by Edward Marc

So I may have left the best for last! I love all these snacks but if I HAD to choose just one snack from this list, I would more than likely choose these coconut almonds. I will add, don’t let the dark chocolate fool you. I am not a huge dark chocolate fan, but on these coconut almonds….mmmm! This tasty treat reminds me a lot of an almond joy, but even better!

A secret to eating these tasty snacks is to stick them in your freezer and eat them cold. My friend told me she does this freezer trick and I tried it myself, and yep…sold!

I again, found this item at Costco originally, but you can also purchase them online through Amazon. Click here for purchasing details.

I hope you are intrigued by one or more of these tasty snacks. I will always be thinking of more to share with you, but I would also love to here YOUR favorite snacks and treats.

Hopefully your tastebuds will enjoy this post.

Until next time,

xoxo,

Christy Lee

Lifestyle

A few personal thoughts on gratitude and how it can heal and refocus our lives…

September 1, 2019 christyaustin1680

Fall is my favorite time of year for many reasons: I love sweater weather, football, pumpkin spice everything AND all the fun holidays! Oh, and candy corn… I love candy corn:)

photo of field full of pumpkins — Photo by James Wheeler on Pexels.com

I also love that during the fall you have the reminder of “gratitude.”

What I love about the idea of gratitude is that it gets us to focus on the “good things” in life, versus all the negative.

In a world surrounded by negative issues and problems, our thoughts can be engrossed by all the adversity that faces us each day. It’s easy to become anxious and overwhelmed. We can get so pre-occupied with what is wrong in the world, or what may make our lives better…that we forget those small and simple joys that bless us everyday.

So my message to you is, keep a gratitude journal. Whether it be in a planner, on a notepad, verbally spoken out loud everyday, on a post-it, in your phone etc. It’s amazing what happens when we re-wire our brain to think positive, to remember gratitude in life.

There are numerous scholarly articles and studies out there that prove just how crucial practicing gratitude is.

affection appreciation decoration design — Photo by Carl Attard on Pexels.com

If you talk to any therapist or counselor, they will always bring up the importance of gratitude in life.

The act of expressing gratitude daily is not only healthy for our brains, but for our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.

So from here…I will challenge you to take time everyday to write 3 things your grateful for. Make a rule that you can’t keep repeating the same ones. Many of us are grateful for our family, and friends, home, etc. But what about those little things we forget about?

I have written down simple things I’m grateful for, like a camera on my phone to keep track of memories, or a hot shower everyday, or even a beating heart that keeps me alive and well.

I think we would all be amazed at the long…constant list of blessings and joys we have in our life when we focus on gratitude.

So despite all the strife, and and problems that we go head-to-head with everyday, hopefully we can think beyond the negativity and find the light. Hopefully we can find the happiness and the blessings each day gives us by thinking about what we have to be grateful for.

I will be working on this gratitude challenge with you and I hope it can be a great help to you as you tackle the hills and valleys of life.

Until next time,

xoxo

Christy Lee