Enjoy Every Moment

I've been a little behind on my blog posts over the past few days, because life has been a bit crazy over the past week or so. My dad woke up with chest pain, shortness of breath and nausea on Tuesday morning, and has been in the hospital ever since with pneumonia ever since.  After being scared of the what-if's of his condition, we're just waiting for him to get better so he can be on his way to feeling like himself again.

All my dad kept saying was, "I was fine on Monday.  I didn't feel sick like this at all." It reminded me to stop and think about how quickly life goes, how one second we may be fine and the next, we aren't.  Life throws us curve balls that we don't always anticipate.  I cant stress enough how important it is to love the people who are close to us, and tell them how important they mean to us each and every day of our lives. In a moment, everything can change.

Live life, and soak up all of the good times.  I'm so thankful that my Dad is going to be okay.  This "scare" taught me to live even more in the moment, and savor the good, healthy times.

I love you, Dad.

High Five for Friday: I survived our field trip today!

Happy Friday, Everyone! The weather is supposed to be beautiful this weekend and I can't wait to spend most of my time outside. Here are a few reflections on my week:

1. Receiving Girl Scout Cookies. Mmmm. Enough said, right?! I always have many students approach me about ordering cookies and I end up ordering from each student. I give my boxes away to my family and keep a few for myself. Cracking open the first box is always the best...they're dangerously addicting. These are my favorites...

2. Receiving an unexpected Teacher Appreciation Gift. I received an unexpected gift this morning from one of my students. He's one of my quiet and shy students and he was so excited about sharing the delicious goods he brought in for us. His note was pretty adorable too:

3. Surviving our field trip today. If you're a teacher, you know that a lot of stress and planning goes into field trips. We only go on a few field trips a year and today was our biggest (most stressful) one. We traveled to New York City to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I love this field trip because it connects perfectly to our Social Studies curriculum on Ancient Civilizations. The other amazing aspect is that we allow our students to plan their itinerary for the day. We had a lot of headaches this week and I came home exhausted today, but it was a huge success and I'm so happy that we made it home safely.

4. Saying goodbye to our student teacher. We showered our student teacher with love yesterday and it was really hard saying goodbye to her after our field trip today. She was such a great addition to our class and helped us so much. We're really going to miss her! Hearing her stories about her upcoming graduation made me miss that exciting chapter in my life. Time flies!

5. Being featured on Yesterfood [Treasure Box Tuesday Link Party] Facebook Page! We love being recognized throughout the blogging community and on Wednesday, Joy, blogger of Yesterfood featured us on her Facebook page! We're so incredibly honored! Thank you, Joy!! :-)

 

Tonight we are linking up with Lauren Elizabeth and the ladies that host 5 on Friday. Click over to see more awesome stuff! 

High Five for Friday!

This week has been anything but relaxing...but it turned into a good one!

1. Although my dad ended up in the hospital on Tuesday, his chest pain and shortness of breath symptoms were only pneumonia.  Thank goodness.  I can say that I'm thankful that both my parents are retired so my mom could take care of him and get him help when he needed it.  

2. My dad's illness brought my sister and my niece home to visit!  It was awesome seeing my sister and Sarah two days in a row.  I went home after work on Wednesday, and playing with my niece was awesome!  I wish they lived closer so we could do that more often!

3. Being honored at Monday night's PTA meeting was one of the highlights of my week.  It touched my heart to be thought of in such a kind way!

4. I was able to teach my students all week without any test prep, and it felt amazing! We were able to laugh, learn and discover together! It makes me feel exactly why I became a teacher.  I love teaching in May and June.

5.  Tonight, Marc and I got together with friends to celebrate another couple's engagement.  I love celebrating happy times and moments in life.  

This week definitely made me stop and enjoy the small, little moments in life, because in an instant, everything can change!

Tonight we are linking up with Lauren Elizabeth and the ladies that host 5 on Friday. Click over to see more awesome stuff! 

Blog Crush: Glisten Fit!

I had so many ideas as I sat down to write my blog post tonight.  I had one of those days today and I really felt like sharing some of the experiences with you...some funny stuff, some crazy stuff, and an email tonight that involved the sentence: "he'll bring an extra plastic bag in case he throws up on the bus tomorrow." Wait, what?! Really?! Ewww! So... I decided against writing about my crazy day at school and decided to write about my motivation to exercise instead!

I've been crushin' on Glisten Fit for quite a while now. Jessica is a true inspiration and she's really motivated me to get back to a great fitness routine. Jessica's blog posts are amazing for so many reasons. They're focused on fitness, but in a very fun and real way. I feel like she's a good friend filling me in on the best strategies or recipes to try. She also writes about aspects of her life (her wedding!) and life in general. 

Every month Jessica posts a calendar of health and fitness recommendations for each day. She emphasizes the importance of maintaining a balanced and well-rounded lifestyle... and working at this every day. It's about our attitude, how we look and feel, how we treat others, what we do in our spare time... all of this impacts our fitness journey! I really love the challenges on this calendar and will be using it! Will you?

She often posts awesome workouts! I LOVE THIS ONE! 

What am I crushin' on the most? Her 3 B's... Be Fierce. Be Fabulous. Be Fit. 

Be Fierce: It's being passionate. Being alive. Giving your all. Being present in every moment. Making your presence known.  

Be Fabulous: Fabulous is defined as extraordinary. I see this "be" as more of an outward appearance. I know that it's what's on the inside that matters most, but I think it's important to take the time to love you outward appearance as well. 

Be Fit: To appreciate being fit and to reach your goals of being fit, you need to be fierce and fabulous, too! Being fit is a constant battle...it's a journey, not a destination. 

If you haven't clicked over to Glisten Fit yet... click over NOW! You'll fall in love with Jessica right away. You'll crush on her wedding photos at first and then you'll be inspired by the many fierce, fabulous and fitness posts she has! I'll be blogging about some of her routines over the next few weeks! 

Tonight we are linking up with Creative-Geekery for the Pin-It Party and Fry Sauce and Grits for the Be.You.Tiful Party! 

[The Good Friend's Guide] Helping your Best Friend through a BREAK UP!

This is a positive post...a post for the girl who is watching her best friend feel defeated by a break up. The moment that a relationship ends...usually a long one, is terrifying to the person going through the breakup.  Life as they know it is going through a major overhaul (usually one that is necessary for personal growth), but for a very long time, he or she hasn't done much without thinking about the person they've broken up with.  

Being a person who has gone through a breakup, and is now in a healthy, loving relationship, I can tell you that it isn't easy to go through something like this, BUT I can also tell you that it was the best thing that could have ever happened to me.  I'm making a list of a few things you can do to help your friend through one of the toughest times of their life.

1. Go to the bookstore and buy them the book, It's Called A Breakup Because it's Broken.  I literally stumbled over this book one night browsing the internet while nursing my broken heart.  It woke me up from feeling sad for myself.  It made me realize that this breakup was necessary because I didn't deserve the crap I endured.  Here's a little summary from Amazon.com:

"There’s no doubt about it—breakups suck. But in the first few hours or days or weeks that follow, there’s one important truth you need to recognize: Some things can’t and shouldn’t be fixed, especially that loser who dumped you or forced you to dump him. It’s called a breakup because it’s broken, and starting right here, right now, it’s time to dry your tears, put down that pint of ice cream, log out of his e-mail, and open this book to Chapter One–and start turning your breakup into a breakover.

From Greg Behrendt, the co-author of the smash two-million copy bestseller He’s Just Not That Into You, comes It’s Called a Breakup Because It’s Broken--the ultimate survival guide to getting over Mr. Wrong and reclaiming your inner Superfox. From how to put yourself through “he-tox,” to how to throw yourself a kick-ass pity party, Greg and his wife, Amiira, share their hilarious and helpful roadmap for getting past the heartache and back into the game. You will learn:

• Why you shouldn’t call him—and what he’s thinking when you do
• How to keep your friends and not lose your job
• How to avoid breakup pitfalls: IMing, stalking, having sex with your ex
• Reframing reality—seeing the relationship for what it was
• How to transform yourself into a hot, happening Superfox and get a jump on the better, brighter future that awaits

Complete with an essential workbook to help you put the crazy down on paper and not take it out into the world, It’s Called a Breakup Because It’s Broken is a must-have manual for finding your way back to an even more rocking you."

2. Tell her to shut off the radio.  One of my closest friends told me while I was going through the toughest days was to stop listening to the damn radio.  You don't realize how many songs are about love until your heart is being ripped out of your chest.  

3. Listen to Kelly Clarkson's Album, Stronger. Go here and buy it: amazon.com

This girl is a genius when it comes to making girls feel empowered and better about themselves.  It got me through. It will help your friend, too.

4. Check in on her more than you think you should.  Be there for her.  Call her up and get her out of the house on the weekends.  She needs to feel like she has a life outside of her house.

5. Buy her an alarm clock.  She needs to get up every single work day and go to work.  Don't let her sit home and eat ice cream.  She'll be a boyfriend-less, job-less, girl.  That's not attractive to anyone else out there.  The best thing I could have done was get my crying ass out of bed every single day.  

6. Schedule a mini-getaway.  Have a girls weekend and get her brain busy!

7. Let her date whenever she's ready to date.  She'll know when she's ready.  Be her "check in" friend if/when she decides to online date.

I can't tell you how important friends are to a girl who has a broken heart.  These tips will help, and before you both know it, you'll be gushing about Mr. Right instead of hating on Mr. Wrong.  I promise!!

Tonight we are linking up with Creative-Geekery for the Pin-It Party and Fry Sauce and Grits for theBe.You.Tiful Party! 

Honeymoon Gift Bag [Summer Fun!]

Tonight I'm linking up with A Savory Feast blog for the Hump Day Happenings party! The theme of their party this week is summer. Oh, summer. You're so close to being here... you're finally going to arrive! 

Summer just so happens to be my favorite season and there are so many things that I love about it. I could probably write a full month's worth of posts about summer. But for tonight, I've chosen to narrow my focus to what I enjoy the most - the beach.

When I think of beaches, I think of my honeymoon, which was this past August. Since we love to share ideas on the blog, I thought I'd share a fun gift bag that my sister made me for my honeymoon, as a bridal shower gift. I also did this for my sister a few years ago when she got married and thought it was the best gift ever!

She put together a "Honeymoon Gift Bag" - an actual beach bag filled with a number of items to use at the beach, pool, or during relaxing down-time. Some of the items inside the bag included: towels, flip flops, water bottles, spray bottles, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, body lotion, magazines, aloe, chapstick, hats, gum, and other fun stuff.

If you're in a bridal party and looking for something fun to make for the bride, consider putting one of these Honeymoon Gift Bags together! The honeymoon was something I was certainly looking forward to, but didn't put a lot of thought into because I was so busy planning last minute stuff for the wedding. Having a fun gift like this reassured me that I had the little things covered. I threw everything in my suitcase and knew I'd be taken care of for my days at the pool and beach.

Even if you don't know someone that's getting married, consider making this as a fun birthday gift for a friend. It could also be a fun "pick me up" for someone who needs it. This would also be an awesome teacher appreciation gift - just sayin'! :-) 

Miracle Hair Product: It's a 10

Each time I make a visit to my hair stylist, Desiree, she uses products by it's a 10.  I look at it all the time whenever I shop for shampoo, but am always deterred by the price of it.  I finally caved this week and picked up a 2 oz. ($12) bottle of this miracle solution.  My goodness....I have to tell you, I LOVE IT!  You spray it onto your damp hair, comb through and blow dry.  The company swears this product will:

• Repair dry and damaged hair
• Add shine
• Detangles
• Thermal styling protection
• Seals and protects hair color
• Prevents split ends
• Stops hair breakage
• Creates silkiness
• Enhances natural body
• Flat iron spray and thermal protector

I promise you, if you try this spray you will love it!  Let me know if you use any other it's a 10 products!  I am thinking about trying their volumizing spray!

Celebrating Mothers! [Tribute Video AND Printable!]

Disney does a lot of things the best.  This video compiles the best clips of mothers and their children from the Disney Movies we love.  I had to share it with you!  

The next idea comes straight from the party-planning, it's a good thing woman, Martha Stewart!  Martha's website has this incredible printout for kids to simply fill in and give to their mother.  They can even color their own photo.  Alert to Dads: Print this out for a fast and easy activity with your kids.  You can thank us later!!

The Mom's Gazette can be downloaded here: World's Best Mom Printout

Mother's Day FREE Printables!

I'll be selling Mother's Day cards tomorrow with my Social Action Club. The kids are SO excited! We're selling them before school and during all lunch periods. We printed cute images we found on the internet and glued them to pretty card stock. We'll have markers available for kids to write their own messages on the card. I forgot to snap a few photos of our beautiful work. I'll be sure to snap some tomorrow! :-) 

With Mother's Day quickly approaching, here are two great blogs that are offering FREE printables to help out with cards and gifts:

These great printables are found on the Elegance and Enchantment Blog. Michelle is a graphic designer and whipped up adorable gift tags and stickers to help make everything pretty this year! I love how you can attach these to anything... plants, cookie boxes, etc. Click on over and download everything for FREE!

I also really LOVE the I Heart Naptime blog! Jamielyn shares absolutely amazing ideas and this one, posted by a guest blogger, is super adorable. Click on over for FREE printables to use as cupcake toppers and a mini bunting banner. Don't forget to type "Mother's Day" into the search bar on her blog - there are many Mother's Day posts that all share great ideas!

Tonight we are linking up with Lil' Tori for the Do Tell Tuesday party! Click on over for more awesome stuff! 

Thank a Teacher

Today marks the beginning of Teacher Appreciation Week!

Last week, I was invited to attend tonight's PTA meeting.  I was humbled by the fact that two of my students wrote paragraphs about me in response to a request for students to think about a teacher who has been a Positive Influence in their lives.  Many teachers were included in this request, and it was incredible to be thought of in this way.  So many of us put our heart and soul into what we do each and every day, and this was just one incredible gesture that I will never forget.  We were presented with a framed certificate along with the student's writing piece.  In addition, one of my students brought me a bouquet of flowers!

In honor of such a wonderful day, I wanted to remind you to please, please thank your child's teacher for all he or she does each and every day.  A small note, an email will do, saying thank you.  We aren't looking for presents or extravagant gifts.  Just something to acknowledge that you know they are there, and you appreciate all he or she does.

Soul Pancake has put together a video in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, and I thought you'd enjoy it!

I remember the teachers who pushed me to do my best, and helped me to discover my love of learning.  I'll never forget them.  I also remember the teachers who taught me how to be the teacher I am today.  Tonight's post is dedicated to Cathy, Jenn, Suzy, and all the other teachers who have touched me in some way, including my very best friends who continue to do great work.  You are appreciated.  You are loved.  You are looked up to.  Even when you feel like all your hard work is gone unnoticed, it isn't.  I promise, your students notice every single day...and even if they don't say it today, someday, they'll thank you for it.

We are linking up with the Treasure Box Tuesday party! 

Click on over for more great stuff! 

Cinco de Mayo [Recipe] - So Delicious!!!

Happy Cinco de Mayo, friends!

When I think about Cinco de Mayo, I think about Mexican favorites that include margaritas, tacos, dips, salsa, quesadillas, and enchiladas.  My husband makes a mean margarita and you haven't lived until you've tried it. I promise. 

Tonight I'm sharing a favorite recipe that my sister introduced me to last summer. After mixing together the ingredients, you might find that it doesn't look appetizing. AllRecipes.com even includes the words "ugly dip" in their title for it. But it's, oh, so delicious, and you won't be able to stop after one bite.

The recipe is called Black Bean and Feta Cheese Dip. My sister calls it Southwestern Corn Salsa. It's a great side to a Mexican dinner, or on top of a cold salad, or as I've always had it, served as a delicious dip! The dip is crunchy, colorful, and made with fresh and healthy ingredients. You just have to give it a try! You won't be disappointed! The best part? It takes 10 minutes to whip up... try it!!

Here are the ingredients:

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

¼ cup white sugar

¼ cup olive oil

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (11 ounce) can corn, drained

½ green bell pepper, chopped

½ red bell pepper, chopped

½ small red onion, diced

1 (4 ounce) package crumbled feta cheese

5 green onions, chopped

Instructions:

Whisk vinegar, sugar, olive oil, garlic powder, and pepper together in a bowl.

Mix black beans, corn, red onion, and red and green bell peppers together in a separate bowl.

Drizzle dressing over black bean mixture; toss to coat.

Refrigerate dip 1 hour.

Top with feta cheese and chopped green onions before serving. Serve with corn chips!

Whenever I make this dip, I receive incredible reviews. If you happen to try it, let me know what you think and leave a comment below. If you've made this before, let me know if you change any of the ingredients - I've seen it done differently, too! 

We are linking up with the Treasure Box Tuesday party! Click on over for more great stuff! 

Super Soul Sunday: Oprah and Tracy McMillan; Love & Marriage

Why You're Not Married

This morning, I was doing some much needed spring cleaning, when I was looking for something to watch on TV.  I decided to give Oprah's Super Soul Sunday a try, and it just so happens she was interviewing Tracy McMillan, the author of The Huffington Post's article, Why You're Not Married.  This article has been shared over 54,000 times on Facebook, and has been liked by 290,000 people.  Tracy gives women a no-nonsense outline of why they haven't met "Mr. Right."  The fact is, that if you aren't married, it's probably because of you...not the jerk men you blame your single-status on.  McMillan has six reasons that women are unmarried:

1. You're a bitch

2. You're shallow

3. You're a slut

4. You're a liar

5. You're selfish

6. You're not good enough

I can see your face now.  You're probably thinking, "Amanda!  That's an awful list." Well...go read the article, and then we can talk. Not for nothing, but if you read the article to the very end, you'll understand where McMillan is going with all of this.  I'm pasting her words into this blog post because she couldn't be more right:

"Alright, so that's the bad news. The good news is that I believe every woman who wants to can find a great partner. You're just going to need to get rid of the idea that marriage will make you happy. It won't. Once the initial high wears off, you'll just be you, except with twice as much laundry.

Because ultimately, marriage is not about getting something -- it's about giving it. Strangely, men understand this more than we do. Probably because for them marriage involves sacrificing their most treasured possession -- a free-agent penis -- and for us, it's the culmination of a princess fantasy so universal, it built Disneyland.

The bottom line is that marriage is just a long-term opportunity to practice loving someone even when they don't deserve it. Because most of the time, your messy, farting, macaroni-and-cheese eating man will not be doing what you want him to. But as you give him love anyway -- because you have made up your mind to transform yourself into a person who is practicing being kind, deep, virtuous, truthful, giving, and most of all, accepting of your own dear self -- you will find that you will experience the very thing you wanted all along:

Love."

Women need to remember that we have to take care of ourselves.  We need to get to the bottom of our own issues before we look for Mr. Right.  The white dress...the love story...all of that will not make our lives a fairytale.  The fact is, that we need to realize that marriage is a life long commitment to love someone even when they aren't so lovable.  It's facing the fact that you can't just walk out the door, because someone's counting on you.  

Oprah's interview with McMillan was fantastic.  I urge you to go to The Full Episode on Oprah.com and watch the episode for yourself.  Even if you are married, I know you'll take something from it.  If you have single friends, pass this blog post on to them. 

Tracy McMillan just published a book, titled Why You're Not Married...Yet.  It's "the straight talk you need, to get the relationship you deserve."  

Remember, the man, the wedding and the dress won't change your life.  You only have the power to change your life.  A healthy marriage is one that is the joining of two equals, taking two great people, and making their lives all the better.

Happy Sunday!

I Love Blogging: New Changes on the Blog!

I've spent a lot of time over these past few weeks making changes to our blog.
Here are three quick reflections about my life as a blogger:

1. Amanda and I continue to make changes to our blog. I love how our blog is evolving. Again, the changes we're making are subtle and you may not even notice them, but they're a big deal to us! The one change we made this weekend was cleaning up our labels/categories. This used to be a VERY long list on the right side and then it turned into a "cloud", also known as a blob of words, that were really hard to read and click on. I've been on a mission to delete labels that are "one timers" and narrow down our labels to specifics that define us and the 730 Moments mission! Can you find the new change?

2. We're eager to learn more about the blogging world and are exploring ways to take our blog to the next level. In our eyes, our blog has really evolved into something amazing, especially since the birth of the "let's start a blog" idea came out of a freezing, cold night at Starbucks. We're both really eager, dedicated, and motivated to continue making this blog amazing. We're inspired by Emma and Elsie, over at A Beautiful Mess Blog, and hope to take one of their courses soon.

3. Each week day I find a new blog crush! I absolutely love being a part of the blogging community and I find more and more blogs that I fall in love with each day. I try to use Bloglovin' to keep up with storing all of my favorite blogs so that I can visit them as much as possible. I always have a new blog crush!

Amanda and I love blogging and we love sharing with you! 

The Newlywed Cookbook!

A favorite wedding gift that I received is The Newlywed Cookbook by Sarah Copeland. This is a cookbook that I am in love with! Even if you're not a newlywed, it's worth taking a look! It's not the ordinary newlywed cookbook that teaches you how to boil water and cut vegetables. Sarah inspires you to bring the love of your relationship into the kitchen and to translate it into the food you prepare together.

 "Fresh food, prepared with love, is a key ingredient to happy, healthful, and playful relationships. It's much easier to laugh through a disagreement when your bellies are full of delicious, nurturing food... "

I just love the cover, the gorgeous photos inside, and the creative chapter titles. I was truly captivated by Sarah's first few pages of the book. She tells about her story with her husband, their engagement, and why she wrote the book.

"There's a moment in a marriage, whether two days or two hundred and twenty-two days into it, where you're standing side by side in the morning barefoot on the cool kitchen floor. Everything is quiet but the hum of him making coffee just the way you like it, with all that frothy milk and sugar. You're stirring together his favorite pancakes, sprinkling a few blueberries in the batter, and then it hits you: these simple moments are somehow the best in life." 

She doesn't only break up the book into breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but includes chapters about your first gathering/feast for friends and family. There's also a "Date Night" chapter emphasizing romantic meals to make for each other. The last chapter is titled "Escapes" for campfire cooking, pretty picnics, and portable parties. 

My favorite chapter? That would be "Indulgences- Sweets to Love, Honor, & Cherish" which includes the recipes for Deep-Dark-Secret Chocolate Cookies and Thousand-Layer Chocolate Chip Cookies. I nearly died when I read these recipes and saw the photos. I actually ran to the store last night to buy ingredients for them. Yes, I really did! 

"The Cookie Jar: Before I was married, I always gave my dearest brides-to-be the same gift at their shower--a vintage cookie jar filled with a girlish apron, something delicate, and a stack of my favorite cookie recipes with a note that said "keep the cookie jar full" --a nod to the flirtatious fun I wished for their marriage. Now that I am married, I realize what good advice that was!"

If you received an invitation to a bridal shower or wedding, or if you know someone who just got engaged, consider buying this book for them! I've received many cookbooks over the past few years and this one is definitely my favorite!

Check out Sarah's website and blog - she posts new recipes at least once a month! And you MUST check out this super cute video as a book trailer:





We are linking up with the Show-Licious Craft & Recipe Link Party tonight! Click on over for more great stuff!