EmpowerMoms

The DeVaughns kick-start their healthy journey by. Adrea Eagan

Meet the DeVaughns

Where are you and your family from?

I grew up in Pennsylvania and my husband grew up in Ohio. Both of our families moved here to Virginia in 1996 when we were both in high school. (Salem for me and Cave Spring for Mike). We didn’t meet until we were in our mid 20s.

Why have you chosen to raise your family here?

We have stayed here in Roanoke because of our current jobs and both of our families live here. We bought our first home together almost 3 years ago after renting for awhile. We like this area and everything: the parks, libraries and community have to offer our family.

Tell us how you and your husband met.

We met at church bible study one summer. After being friends for awhile, we started dating and after dating one year, we got married. We had a small wedding outside with our family members.

Tell us the names, ages and occupation (or grade and favorite school subject) of all members of your family.

Rachel age 33. Works full time as a corporate office manager for Affordable Corporate Suites which is a locally owned extended stay hotel.
Mike age 33. Stay at home dad and part time package handler at the airport in the evenings.
Steven age 14, 8th grade. Favorite class is band.
Zachery age 5, preschool. Favorite activity is coloring at school.

What are your hobbies?

Rachel: online fitness and book blogger at www.EmpowerMoms.net, reading, scrapbooking, crafts.
Mike: gardening, video games, wood refinishing.
Steven: video games, sports, reading.
Zachery: legos, gardening with dad, arts and crafts, any activity outside.
As a family: yard work, volunteering at church, walking at the park, playing family board/card games.

Why did you sign up to be a spotlight family?

To find things we enjoy doing together as a family to stay active. To help each other with our fitness goals, try new fitness things and learn more about healthy eating choices.

What are your goals for this challenge?

Exercise together at least once per week. Find workouts we enjoy doing separate at least 4 times a week. Keep a food diary so we can focus on eating from all the food groups. Drink lots of water.

What changes are you planning to make as a family to meet those goals?

Every Sunday, we will pick one day that week to do a family workout together and decide different activities to do each week. We will also do our food planning and cooking to prepare us for the upcoming week. We already cook our meals at home and pack our meals for work/school.

What do you look forward to doing in the challenge?

Working together as a family with trying new fitness routines, finding activities we can all enjoy, and recipes.

Original source of article is here:
http://www.myfitfamilychallenge.com/article.php?Meet-the-Roanoke-Spotlight-Families—DeVaughn-37

Did you get to attend the Fit Family Challenge kick off event at the Star City roller rink this past Sunday?

Our family went and it was alot of fun! They had some vendors set up inside and outside that are participating in this challenge-like the dietician Kayla Williams, YMCA, Launching Pad, and Super Kicks.

Our family got 100 bonus points for attending the event and an additional 100 bonus points for going around and talking to the vendors.

My boys played on the gym for quite a while and then we skated as a family. What a fun way to kick off this challenge and it was FREE! Thank you local vendors!

Make sure you are logging your activity minutes on the Fit Family website here:
http://www.myfitfamilychallenge.com/VA

I love that they show top ranking families with points and what families are being active today!

This week our family will be going to an intro karate class with super kicks and to the Kirk YMCA for the Y-arcade activity.

I hope you all are finding fun ways to be active indoors or outside as a family! Next week I’ll share some pictures of our workouts and activities that we end up doing this week.

Don’t forget that you can sign up for the challenge at any time, even though it’s after May 1st!

Leveraging Lincoln: A Civil War Novel (The Liberator Series Book 1)

Annabelle lives in the south with her grandfather and former slave Peggy, who is more like her mother. Her family and her plantation have been ruined by the civil war but Annabelle tries to help by using her plantation as a hospital and burial ground for soldiers. She foolishly accepts a dying soldiers wish to deliver a secret note to another soldier, not knowing that ultimately she will be labeled as a spy.

Along the way, she and Peggy met confederate soldier Matthew Daniels who happens to be an old family friend. Together they all embark on a dramatic and secret journey to find Matthew’s brother and discover what the deceased soldiers note really means.

After discovering plans for the kidnapping of the union president, President Lincoln; Annabelle will stop at nothing to try and help. Although she hates yankees and everything about the war, she doesn’t want to see any more violence and hatred.

This historical fiction story had a good, steady pace and although it’s longer book, I felt like the story wasn’t too slow or dragged on. It did take longer to read though because of all the details and historical war facts. The characters and dynamics were well written and I can’t wait to read the other two books in this series.

Leveraging Lincoln ends dramatically with the reader definitely holding their breathe until the release of book 2!

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review on my blog and social media-all opinions are my own.

About the Book
“All we have to do is kidnap their President….” Four years of war have reduced the South to near annihilation. Homes lay smoldering and men become desperate. Amid the shadows of fear, a clandestine group waits for an opportunity to change the course of history. Harlot, liar, spy… On the threshold of losing her plantation, Annabelle Ross finds a cryptic letter on a dying soldier and seizes the opportunity to get out a message of her own. She never dreamed her plan would brand her a suspected spy… or worse, an unwilling conspirator. Deserter, traitor, accomplice… When Matthew Daniels’s brother is taken captive, he finds himself caught up in a plot to gain leverage on the Union. The lines are drawn in blood, and the risk is there for the taking. But will his reckless gamble cost him the woman he had determined not to love? She wants to save her home. He wants to save his brother. Together, they may just save a nation.

Part one of the Liberator Series, a trilogy following the adventures and romance of Annabelle Ross and Matthew Daniels as they play a part in the dramatic conclusion of Abraham Lincoln’s life.

About the Author
Stephenia McGee is a wife, mother of two very active little boys, author, and lover of all things historical. Stephenia currently lives in Mississippi with her husband and sons where she writes stories of faith, redemption and life steeped in southern culture.

I love doing fitness challenges and trying new things ESPECIALLY if they are free! Last month I discovered this free 15 day challenge that is brand new from “Ideal Fit”.

Info here:
https://idealfit.com/mommy-trainer-challenge/

I signed up to get the ebook with all the instructions, meal plans, and workout assignments.

You can also watch the workouts on youtube-the link is at the bottom of this post-which is really helpful! I like to watch the video once to verify all the exercise movements and how to do them, and then I do my daily workout at my home gym or local gym.

All you need is a set of hand weights, yoga mat or towel, and stability ball.

FREE meal plans for pregnancy, nursing, AND post-baby.

FREE daily super-efficient workouts that can be done in your own home.

FREE access to Nicole the Mommy Trainer when you have questions or need support.

JOIN FOR FREE HERE:
https://idealfit.com/mommy-trainer/

I haven’t done the full 15 day challenge yet because I’m doing my obstacle race training, but I’ve done several of the days and they are awesome and a little difficult! I didn’t do any modifications and felt like it was “intermediate/advanced” level.

Mommy Trainer workouts for 15 day challenge here on YouTube:

 

A female bodyguard plus her star NFL client plus danger equals a great recipe for romance! Her One and Only, book four in Becky Wade’s Porter Family novels, releases May 3. To celebrate, Becky is hosting an author chat party on her Facebook page on May 5 at 5 PM PDT/8 PM EDT. Join Becky for an evening of book chat with other bookworms and prizes.

Plus a portion of all pre-sales and sales the release week of Her One and Only will be donated to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. For more details on how to purchase a copy, click here.

About the Book

After ten years in the NFL, super star Gray Fowler is accustomed to obsessive fans. But when Gray starts receiving death threats from a stalker, his team hires an executive protection agency to guard him until the culprit is caught. Dealing with bodyguards 24/7 is a headache, especially when one of them is a young, beautiful woman. How can a female half his size possibly protect him better than he can protect himself?

Dru Porter is a former Marine, an expert markswoman, and a black belt–none of which saved her from disaster on her last assignment. In order to rebuild her tarnished reputation, she’s determined to find Gray’s stalker and, since relationships between agents and clients are forbidden, avoid a romantic attachment between herself and the rugged football player with the mysterious past.

Yet every secret that leads Dru closer to the stalker also draws her closer to Gray. As the danger escalates, they’ll survive only if they can learn to trust their lives — and their hearts — to one another.

Learn more and purchase a copy.