EmpowerMoms

I received a copy of Ilana’s Wish in exchange for a blog book review. All opinions are my own.

Ilana’s Wish is book 8 of the Newport Ladies Book Club novel series, or can be read as a stand alone book.
You can read more about the Newport Ladies Book Club series here:
http://thenewportladiesbookclub.blogspot.com/

I have read all 8 books of the series now over the last 2-2.5 years and have really enjoyed them! They are all great clean womens fiction books. They can be read alone in different order and still make sense, or read in order of release date like I did.

Ilana is a professional woman who appears to have a great life. She ends up having 2 major surgeries within a month of each other and ends up dealing with alot of emotional and physical pain from them. This book is not a “happy feel good” book, but it DOES have a good ending and is worth reading. Life is hard and alot of people deal with addictions, disappointments and discouragements every day-its a fact of life. How you deal with it is up to you. I like that this book ties into Shannon’s and Tori’s stories, both of which I read so some of the book scenes were familiar. This book will give you hope.

Book Description from Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/Ilanas-Wish-Newport-Ladies-Novel-ebook/dp/B00JJZIQGC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1400007110&sr=8-4&keywords=annette+lyon

The final and 9th book, Tying the Knot, is a thank-you to all of our readers who have asked “What happens next?”

This post is part of the No More Frumpy Mommy Moms’ Night Out challenge with Tricia Goyer-you can also join the challenge by going here: 

http://www.triciagoyer.com/join-the-no-more-frumpy-mommy-moms-night-out-challenge/

Day 2 challenge here:
http://www.triciagoyer.com/how-to-get-to-church-on-time-with-kids/

What’s your best advice on how to get to church on time with kids?

I have 2 boys-ages 12 and almost 4 and trying to get them (and daddy!) up and dressed including myself can be challenging Sunday mornings when I’m so exhausted from the week! My church starts at 9am so we have to leave between 830-840am to get there a few minutes early. My church also lasts for 3 hours so I also pack snacks for the car ride home because we all get pretty hungry by the time church is over!

-I lay out clothes the night before so we already know what to wear. This is especially important for myself since I seem to change outfits multiples times because I don’t like how I look in something… if I figure out my outfit the night before and try stuff on, I never have problems in the morning. The kids also keep their dressers organized and shoes put away in a specific spot, so getting them dressed is alot easier because we can the house organized and picked up. I would totally recommend getting a “shoe basket” or something similar to put all shoes into, so you never have to hunt for matching shoes!

-I gather up church books and pack the kids activity quiet bag the night before. My hubby and I teach sunday school for adults, so we use a couple manuals and our scriptures so I gather them up and put them in one place. It also helps every week to have a church bag of christian magazines, books, coloring stuff etc. for my 4 year old to stay quiet during the main church service.

-I pack snacks for everyone either the night before or that morning. non messy stuff like cheese sticks, bananas, crackers, protein bar for me, water.

-I GET UP ON TIME!! This is crucial!! If I sleep in or get up late, then everyone else gets up late, we all rush around totally stressed trying to get ready and out the door. We share one bathroom so its VERY important for me to be up around 645-7am so I have time to shave, shower, do my hair, get dressed and then get the boys up around 730-745. If I’m running on time and not stressed; then the rest of the family seems to be as well. There is nothing worse then being grumpy and late when trying to feel the spirit of God and getting ready for church!!

Make sure you check out the blog post from day 2 mentioned above for more ideas!!

This post is part of the No More Frumpy Mommy Moms’ Night Out challenge with Tricia Goyer-you can also join the challenge by going here: 

http://www.triciagoyer.com/join-the-no-more-frumpy-mommy-moms-night-out-challenge/

Day 1 challenge here:
http://www.triciagoyer.com/easy-hair-no-more-frumpy-mommy-moms-night-out-challenge-day-1/


What is your best hair tip for frumpy-haired moms?

Well, I have to admit I’m a frumpy haired mom! 
I’ve been meaning to color my hair for MONTHS now to cover all the gray hairs… I hate that I even have to do it! and I’ve also been meaning to get my hair cut and just haven’t made the appointment yet… Between working full time, blogging, exercising, having only one vehicle for our family, and taking care of kids when I get home-I don’t have alot of free time to make extra appointments. After 2+ years I finally went to my annual OBGYN appointment this week-can’t rush these things! LOL 

In the mornings I have very limited time to get myself ready so I typically style my hair the same way every day and blow dry it with a round brush to give my bangs and rest of my hair some body. I feel like I’ve always had limp hair so I’m always trying to find good products to help with volume. 

Here are some products that I love to use to help me not be “as frumpy”:  😉 

I love this John Frieda shampoo! It gives me volume, shine and feels great. Its more expensive than typically walmart/target/cvs shampoos, but its well worth the price and sometimes you can find coupons!  

I’ve been using this hairspray for the last year or so and I feel like it really helps against fly aways and humidity hair! Doesn’t have a strong smell and its the pump hair spray kind, not the aerosol kind. (I have asthma so that makes a difference to me) 

Now that my hair is alot longer and its getting hotter; I like to put my hair up when I get home after work, during exercising or working outside. I recently found these at Target and they are THE BEST EVER with staying in my hair!! I’ve only found them at Target so far. 

What are some of your favorite hair products??

Don’t forget you can join the No More Frumpy Mommy Moms’ Night Out challenge with Tricia Goyer- join the challenge by going here: 
http://www.triciagoyer.com/join-the-no-more-frumpy-mommy-moms-night-out-challenge/

I just finished week 1 of the Barre3 Spring Challenge.
Details about the challenge are here:
http://66.147.244.197/~empowfu5/2014/05/barre3-spring-challenge-starts-may-5th-online-or-at-a-studio-with-sadie-lincoln.html

Wednesday workout: 10 mins

did online video, Body Burner Endurance/total body with Sadie. 

Thursday workout: 60 mins

Friday workout: 60 mins

Did not do my 10 min Saturday workokut 🙁 

MY FOOD THIS WEEK: 

I love making salads for my work lunches. 

Made a broccoli salad from off the Barre3 website!! 

I drink protein drinks almost every morning.

Made a plain greek yogurt, fruit and pecans snack the other night and it was GOOD!!

I just finished my week 1 of the Barre3 Spring Challenge which I posted about here: 
http://66.147.244.197/~empowfu5/2014/05/barre3-spring-challenge-starts-may-5th-online-or-at-a-studio-with-sadie-lincoln.html

Since I do not have a Barre3 studio near me, I’m using the DVDs from this 28 to Great program I purchased from QVC a couple months ago, as well as the Barre3 online workouts from their website here: http://www.barre3.com/

Let me be clear, the 28 to Great Barre3 challenge program is different from the Barre3 spring challenge I’m currently doing!! I’m just using the DVDS that I purchased as part of my workout schedule for the next 4 weeks. 

With this package from QVC you get a specific 4 week schedule using the 5 dvds and core ball. Read further below to get all the kit specifics and price. 

These dvds are very clear to follow, nice background, light music not really even noticeable. I really love Sadie’s personality! 

The menu gives you options to play the entire workout or 10 minute workouts. So each dvd is divided up into 10 min “sections”. I choose to play the entire workout so every 10 or 11 mins the instructor did some cool down stretches to transition into the next 10 minute segment. I didn’t really like that part because the workout doesn’t seem to “flow” together for the full 30/40/60 minutes because of that 10 minute option. However, I learned to appreciate the break and just got some water or stretched while waiting for the next segment. Its not a deal breaker, just thought I would mention that if you’re trying to keep your heart rate up for the full workout.  

I already used my 15 day promo code that comes with the 28 to Great kit and I liked that it doesn’t ask for CC info to keep on file or that I have to remember to cancel anything in 15 days. awesome!! Check out their online videos-lots of variety and different instructors. 

The core ball is totally awesome and really sturdy-I love it! and it was really easy to blow up. 

This kit is a PHENOMENAL deal-I can’t believe the price! The exact kit is $98 on their website and a live barre3 class is pretty expensive too!! 

I would recommend this kit to anyone looking into trying a Barre-at home method, or someone who loves Barre3 already and wanting to have the ball and dvds for home use.  

$36.30 for Barre3 Kit!
http://www.qvc.com/Barre3-28Day-Challenge-Fitness-Program-w5-DVDs-&-Stability-Ball-Search-Results.product.F11032.html?sc=F11032-SRCH&cm_sp=VIEWPOSITION-_-2-_-F11032&catentryImage=http://images-p.qvc.com/is/image/f/32/f11032.001?$uslarge$

• Includes five DVDs, core stability ball, and 28 to Great four-week meal planner/nutritional guide
• Promo code for 15 days unlimited access to over 100 free Barre3 online workouts
• DVDs include: 30-minute Standing Slim, 30-minute Ballet Bootcamp, 60-minute Studio Shape, 40-minute Barre3 Burner, and 40-minute Barre Ballet Fit
• Ball measures approximately 10″Diam

Barre3 actual website is here: 
http://www.barre3.com/