Tag: blog linky | Baby Doodah!

Turn It Up Tuesday – #58

Posted on October 27 by Jillian416 • 2 Comments

Welcome to the 58th week of Turn It Up Tuesdays!!! We’re so happy to have you here this week – and thanks for the amazing posts last week!

Can you believe that last week we had 298 blog posts link-up and we featured 13 of those posts across over 15 different blogs. That’s a lot of exposure!! You definitely should consider linking-up, we would love to have you!

Happy Halloween!!! The holiday is right around the corner, and it makes me realize that the year has flown by! What are you doing for Halloween? Going to any parties? Dressing up your kids in those adorable costumes? Share them all with us this week – present or past!

Turn It Up Tuesdays is all about being happy, excited, energetic…and having fun! Link up your favorite posts (old or new) and meet some awesome bloggers in return! Link up your funny stories, DIY posts, recipes, mommy moments — anything at all, as long as it is family-friendly. We want to laugh, be entertained, be inspired, and have a good time!

Thanks so much to everyone that joins us each week and makes this blog hop the best that it could be!

SPONSOR OF THE MONTH

Danielle from The Frugal Navy Wife

Danielle is a Navy Wife and Stay at Home mom to 3 (soon to be 4) children age 5 & under! She has learned to save money on a set income & I want to teach you to save money for the things you WANT to spend
it on and not what you HAVE to, like bills! The Frugal Navy Wife provides fellow military wives with recipes, DIY, deals, and money-saving tips, along with homeschooling tips.

Stop by and check out her blog…it’s definitely a great read!

Are you interested in having your blog or website featured in this spot? Then, sponsor Turn It Up Tuesday for a month! Click here! It’s only $5 for an entire month!
We’re accepting sponsors for 2015!

Welcome the lovely ladies of Turn It Up Tuesday!

(from the top – left to right)

And welcome our awesome guest hosts for October!

This is the last week for our October guest hosts…thanks for all you have done to make this month great!

(from the top – left to right)

Interested in being a guest host or becoming a permanent co-host?

Complete the form here! Monthly co-hosts will be chosen on a first come first-serve basis. We’re now accepting guest hosts for December, January, and February.

Here are the Featured posts from last week!

Laura chose Nature Mini Wreaths: Love Inspired from Simple Nature Decor. “I love the simple and adorable idea. This could easily be made with the family or that special time when Mom needs to hide and just be creative. Bringing Nature and memories always inspires me as a Blogger to want to be even more creative.”

April chose 10 Reasons to STOP Breastfeeding from MBA SAHM. “Butterfly turned ONE this week, and to stop nursing has been wearing on my mind a lot lately. There are so many things that are easier with breastfeeding. That said, things are getting more difficult as she’s teething and using me to soothe herself.”

Jillian chose Dollar Store DIY: Easy Owl Banner from Table Decor Ideas. “I chose this post because I am looking for new fun ways to decorate for Halloween outside of pumpkins and skeletons. This is perfect!”

Cathy chose Spiced Apple Cupcakes with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting | Apple Recipes from A Simple Pantry. “Karly creates the ultimate fall sweet treat! A moist apple cupcake topped with a creamy caramel cream cheese frosting with an added M&M on top! This cupcake is the perfect mouthful of fall flavors!”

Meghan chose How to Create An RH Baby Room without Spending the Money from Seeking Lavender Lane. “I want to redo my daughter’s room soon as she transitions to a toddler bed, but I already redid her nursery once so definitely can’t afford another major redecoration! This post gives great ideas on how to decorate affordably and still give you the look you are going for.”

Stacey chose Candy Overload Magic Bars from Annie’s Noms. “OMG! Those look absolutely amazing! I am definitely getting some sweetened condensed milk the next time I go to the store! Maybe even 2 cans, so that I can make a version with nuts, all for me! LOL! Thank you so much for sharing!”

Bernadyn chose Marriage and Money from Trusting the Journey of Motherhood. “I think this post about separating your finances in a marriage is a smart and practical way to keep the marriage more balanced. It may not work for everyone but then again, it may be a great way for some couples to be happier with how the finances are handled in their marriage or partnership instead of only one person having the burden of handling all the financial obligations.”

Jessica chose Couponing: My New Addiction // How I Saved 50% on My Groceries from Mommie and Wee. “I’ve been wanting to try out couponing for awhile. It’s kinda hard in San Antonio becuse the only main grocery store is HEB, but once she mentioned WalMart, I was like, huh?!? Maybe I need to start looking into couponing again and pick up the Sunday paper! Thanks for the tips :).”

Tina chose Painted White Mini Boos from Woods of Bell Trees. “I love this craft. Nice, easy to make and so elegant. I’d love to have them all year around!!”

Sonya chose 3 Mobile Mystery Shopping Apps That Pay Cash from Being a Wordsmith. “This is a great post for anyone looking to make cash from mystery shopping. Kimberly does a great job of explaining how each app works. Along with listing the pros and cons for each app.”

Elina chose Flower Collage Canvas from Sum of Their Stories. “I love this project because she takes you step by step on how she created it. The floral papers she used were beautiful and I love that she used a black marker to draw an offset outline around the petals. It really gives the completed project a touch of whimsy.”

Natasha chose 7 Things You Don’t Get Warned About When You are the Parent of a Toddler from Mum-bo-jumbo.com. “Love this post! All the points are so true – no one can truly warn you about what to expect with a toddler, but sometimes I wish someone would’ve warned me how crazy it is!”

The post with the most clicks is 5 Reasons Why You Must Watch How to Get Away With Murder from Being a Wordsmith.

Stop by and show some love to our featured bloggers this week! I’m sure they’d all appreciate it!

If you were featured above, feel free to share the badge below with pride on your blog or website!

<div align="center"><a href="http://epicmommyadventures.com" title="Epic Mommy Adventures" target="_blank"><img src="http://epicmommyadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/200pxturnitupbuttonfeature1_zps09bd5c75.png" alt="Epic Mommy Adventures" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

And the Best of the Best is…

Spiced Apple Cupcakes with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting | Apple Recipes from A Simple Pantry

There’s a tie for second place!

Candy Overload Magic Bars from Annie’s Noms

Marriage and Money from Trusting the Journey of Motherhood

Show some love to our Best of the Best bloggers this week!!!!

As the Best of the Best, you win free ad space on Epic Mommy Adventures for 30 days! Please showcase the badge below with pride on your blog!

Please send an e-mail to Natasha at 1EpicMommy@gmail.com and she will provide you with all the details!

<div align="center"><a href="http://epicmommyadventures.com" title="Epic Mommy Adventures" target="_blank"><img src="http://epicmommyadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/200pxturnitupbuttonbest_zps00692ef1.png" alt="Epic Mommy Adventures" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

So now that you’ve met our sponsor of the month, our hosts and co-hosts, the Featured and the Best of the Best, and the winners of our anniversary giveaway…

let’s get started!

*Show some love to your hosts and co-hosts simply by following them on social media and leaving a comment so they can follow you back. *Link up as many posts as you’d like! The more, the merrier! *Check out some of the other posts and make some new friends! *Grab the button below and showcase on your sidebar! Invite your fellow bloggers to join the fun!

<div align="center"><a href="http://epicmommyadventures.com" title="Epic Mommy Adventures" target="_blank"><img src="http://epicmommyadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/200pxturnitup1_zps05216d89.png" alt="Epic Mommy Adventures" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Link up your posts, make some friends, and earn the chance to be featured or become the Best of the Best on Turn It Up Tuesday! We will feature the favorite posts each week!

An InLinkz Link-up

Interested in reading all of the Featured Posts on Turn It Up Tuesdays – past or present? Or do want to know if your post was featured before we go live next week? Follow Natasha Peter’s board Featured on Turn It Up Tuesdays! on Pinterest.

Filed Under: All About Me, Family, Link-Ups

Social Media Mixer – #16

Posted on September 13 by Jillian416 • 0 Comments

Welcome to the 16th week of the Social Media Mixer!

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Week 15 – we had 150 blogs and numerous social media link-ups!

The Social Media Mixer is all about networking and making connections. Also, you can gain exposure and increase your social media following! Link up your blog posts and social media accounts and mix it up with some of the other linkers. Each week, the Weekday Mixer will start on Saturday nights at 8:00pm and go on until Wednesday night at 11:59pm. A blog post will be chosen each week by each of the hosts and guest hosts and featured in the following week’s link-up! If chosen, a brief summary about yourself and your blog/website and all of your social media accounts will be featured. It’s a great way to stand out among the crowd! One blogger will be chosen for 2 weeks of free ad space on Epic Mommy Adventures!

Welcome your hosts!

And welcome your guest hosts for September!

And here are the Featured bloggers from last week’s Social Media Mixer…

Tiffany chose…

Never Say Never from Three Boys and a Mom

Before you become a parent, there is usually a list of things you say you’ll never do. That list looks different for every one, but I’m pretty sure grabbing poop with your bare hand doesn’t even make the cut. It’s just not something you’d think would be necessary to specify on a list of things you’ll never do.

Blog | Facebook | Twitter

Ce Ce and Anni chose…

Recipe: Calzone from A Little Bit of Everything

This delicious sandwich by Giada De Laurentiis is an ideal appetizer or lunch. Simply follow her recipe below and enjoy! I did substitute pepperoni for the prosciutto and I rolled the dough into a rectangle rather than a circle.
The pizza dough is often found in the deli or bakery department of most grocery stores. You can now find gluten free pizza dough as well in some stores.

Blog | Pinterest | Networked Blogs

Shana and Avie chose…

Make This: Mocha Coffee Breakfast Shake from Style Island

I feel a little like Ray Liotta in Good Fellas. As far back as I can remember, I’ve been a coffee addict. These days, coffee is like a religion in my household. I have several coffee machines, all varying degrees of effort, status, and needs.

Jillian and Cyndi chose…

9 Amazing Green Cleaners You Should Not Be Without from Wonderfully Messy Mom

If you are looking to make the switch to a cleaner, greener home, I have 9 solutions you should try. These can be found in your local grocery store or whole foods market. Some of these items may already be sitting in your kitchen right now! Not to mention these green cleaners are simple, cheap and best of all- EFFECTIVE!!

Angel, Mila and Holly chose…

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cracker Candy Recipe from Glimmer Creations

These candies are out of this world delicious, and they are pretty easy to make. Be warned though, that the process does get a bit messy, but the result it worth it. They are delightful mix of semisweet chocolate, salty peanut butter and crisp, buttery crackers. Pure goodness that makes it hard to just eat one.

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest

Danielle chose…

Let’s Do Lunch from Domain of the Mad Mommy

Jennifer chose…

Autumn Bucket List for Toddlers from How to Make The Sun Shine

The magic of summer has been replaced with backpacks, football, leaves changing colors, and pumpkin flavored EVERYTHING! The end of summer doesn’t have to equal the end of fun. Here is a list of fun fall activities you can do with your toddler to keep the magic alive!

Tara chose…

Laboring Away – DIY Blog Hop from 702 Park Project

I’ve found that a lot of furniture in our home is dark…whether wood or fabric. Most of the time it’s nice to have these hearty pieces, but sometimes it can darken the mood a bit. So to keep things fresh and summery year round, I decided to make over this sad little dresser I picked up at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

Silvie chose…

Apple Recipe Round-Up from Cooking with K

It’s September and that means apple season! Apples are by far a favorite around our house. There are so many ways to use them, appetizers to salads, or main dishes to desserts! I have gathered up a list of some of our favorites. Hope you enjoy going through these. Go ahead and pin some of them when you hover over the picture with the pop up pinterest button.

Natasha chose…

Longing to be a Grandma from Looking on the Sunnyside

Can I be honest? I am a little jealous of my friends who are grandparents. They post pictures of their grandchildren, just gushing with the kind of pride that only a grandma or grandpa could exude. I look at those pictures and look at how much fun they seem to be having and I admit – I am jealous.

Blog | Facebook | Instagram | Google+

And the winner is…

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cracker Candy Recipe from Glimmer Creations

Congratulations!! You have won 2 weeks of free ad space on Epic Mommy Adventures! Please e-mail Natasha at 1EpicMommy@gmail.com for more information on your free ad space.

Stop by and follow our featured bloggers! We’re sure you’ll love them as much as we do!

If you were featured above, feel free to share the badge below with pride on your blog or website!

<div align="center"><a href="http://epicmommyadventures.com/category/blog-hops/social-media-mixer/" title="Social Media Mixer" target="_blank"><img src="http://epicmommyadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/i-was-featured-on-button.png" alt="Social Media Mixer" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Are you ready to start mixing it up?? Then, let’s go!

Make sure to add the button below to your sidebar to invite even more people to join the fun!

<div align="center"><a href="http://epicmommyadventures.com" title="Epic Mommy Adventures" target="_blank"><img src="http://epicmommyadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Social-Media-Mixer-2.png" alt="Epic Mommy Adventures" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

An InLinkz Link-up

Filed Under: All About Me, Munchkin Meals

Fitness Fridays – #4

Posted on July 4 by Jillian416 • 2 Comments

Oh yes, folks – It’s Friday!! Though, a lot of folks had off today, so yesterday was their Friday.

I’m so excited for this long weekend! We don’t have a lot planned, but it is shaping up to be productive, purposeful and fun. 🙂

First up, I’d like to thank Rebecca from Flex and Shout Fitness, for stopping by and linking up. Please stop on over and give her some love!! She has a great circuit workout on the post I linked up there, make sure you pin it for future use.

This week’s Fitness Fridays is a bit different, Kathy is taking a week off, but I wanted to post this week for two reasons – number 1 being so I can talk about my weight loss (we’ll get to that in a bit), and number 2 is because I want to keep the routine going. I tend to get lazy if I stop a routine. So, here I am!

This week week I decided that I would talk a little bit about…

[Tweet “How I Find Motivation in the Darkest of Moments.”]

It’s no secret that I have struggled with depression, I’ve talked about it on here and in my in personal life. My moods swing up and down, but lately, they’ve been swinging more UP! I’m really happy that I can say that it isn’t just happening, I’m working hard at it. I am doing things to make my life better and stronger!

Here are my Top 3 tips I use to keep my motivation for life UP!

1. Wake-up and Make No Excuses! On those days when I wake up at 4:30 in the morning and I don’t feel like doing anything but hitting snooze and the pillow, I literally force myself out of bed, I won’t except no for an answer. Once I’m up and moving I tell myself that I need to move around, make my coffee, sit at the table and think, anything but lay on the couch for at least 10 minutes. 9 times out of 10, once that time has passed I’m awake enough to get my workout in and don’t feel like laying down, wasting the quiet time. That workout is KEY to my happiness, right now!

2. Follow Health and Fitness Accounts on Instagram. If you’re about to consider eating that doughnut or skipping that workout, open Instagram and skim through the hundreds of thousdands of motivational pictures there. You have inspirational quotes, before and after photos and even short videos of people working out. People post healthy recipes, or short-burst workouts, the motivation is endless. I use IG a lot to find my motivation when I’m struggling. Something about other people accomplishing their goals moves me to mine. You can follow my IG account here: Jillian41681

3. Surround Yourself with People that Motivate and Inspire you. I know this seems like a given, but so many people don’t understand the necessity of having people who like to workout and eat well in your life. These are people who are a walking billboard for health. They’re the ones that kick your a** when you say you don’t feel like working out today, or that you’re going to eat that delicious cupcake. They’re also the ones who praise you and high five you when you do EPIC sh*t! 🙂

Those are my top three! I’d love to hear about yours in the comments!

Now Onto the Goals

Amount of Weight Lost

Are you ready for this…………..?

3.2 lbs!! Bringing my grand total to 4.8 lbs! I am .2 away from my first reward. Yay!

This is what happens when you work the program. I’m still following the 21 Day Fix (if you’re interested in learning more about the program, please email me at jillianokeefe1022@gmail.com), and it is working AWESOME!

I haven’t taken my measurements yet, but I will as soon as I get a chance. However, I know I have lost lots, because my tight pants are no longer tight. WOOHOO! 😀

Exercise Goals

I wasn’t completely successful, but I am not disappointed in the effort that I put in. I did 6 workouts, but only once a day. I just couldn’t squeeze in that 2nd workout. I need to work on that!

Next week’s goal is to continue with the 21 Day Fix, doing 6 workouts and then 2 days of running or biking outdoors. Getting outside and in the sun will really benefit me.

Food Goals

Before I go into what my goal was and will be next week, I want to share that I have not had an emotional binge or any other type of binge in 3 weeks. That’s not to say that I haven’t had some junk foods (ie: pizza), but I did not binge. I ate a normal, healthy amount, and felt no guilt! THIS IS HUGE! I’ll be talking more about this next week. I honestly truly feel like I can attribute this curbing of cravings to Shakeology. The stuff is so darn good, makes me feel good and has cut out most of my cravings. And the ones I do get, I am getting better at ignoring, or finding ways to cope with them.

Alright, last week, I stated I wanted to continue with the 21 Day Fix meal plan and Shakeology. I did both to a T! Go me!

Next week, I will continue to stick to the 21 Fix Meal Plan and Shakeology (love this stuff!).

If you’re wondering the reason for me continuing with the 21 Day Fix Meal Plan, it’s because it is so easy to use. The different colored containers and the lists of foods that you can eat, make it completely fool proof.

If you’re interested in learning more about 21 Day Fix or Shakeology, I can provide you with information on both. Please email me at jillianokeefe1022@gmail.com I’d love to hear from you!

Okay that about does it, be sure to link-up your posts below, I love reading them and highlighting your blogs on mine. Let’s grow our followings together!