In just a couple short months we are headed off to Mexico for a little trip (without the kiddos that is!)

While I am a little nervous to leave the boys I'm also super excited to just get away!

In preparation I have been putting together wish-lists of items that I want for each leg of the journey! I have decided to do a little series on Wednesday's (What to Wear Wednesday) of these specific items in hopes of keeping things organized for myself as well as inspiring those of you heading on your own vacations plan your packing list!

1. Bayside STL Heart Hat - I don't know about you but I can't imagine doing my hair the morning of any trip. Especially since our flight leaves around 6 am! This hat is not only a necessity but also super cute and I can represent my city at the same time!

2. Camp Director Tote in Mint - I'm obsessed with this tote bag! I want it so bad, it seems perfect to travel with! I'm always looking for a sleek, cute and functional bag to bring along on a trip and this one fits every single one of my wants!

3. Army Green Cargo Pants - Comfort, comfort, comfort. That's the only word I care about when traveling and these pants seem like they fit that bill while being cute and flattering as well! I can definitely say that I want these to be a staple in my travel wardrobe!

4. Airport Greeting Cardigan in Oatmeal - Again with the comfort, this cardigan can be worn closed or open, which is great because we are traveling in November and if anyone knows anything about St. Louis, it's either going to be colder than all get out or hot as heck, okay maybe not that hot but still. To top it off we are traveling to Mexico so having a versatile cardigan to wear in the weather change is a must have!

5. Reggie Sneaker - Another aspect of comfort while traveling is foot wear and for me it's sneakers all the way! They're perfect for any weather and let's face it, they're cute at the same time!

That does it for today's outfit inspiration! I hope you all enjoyed it and come back next Wednesday for the next installment of What to Wear Wednesday!!

With the Fall Semester's starting, Sworkit and I have teamed up to bring you all an incredible series of workouts that can be done in the small area of your dorm room or apartment!!

Not only are these workouts perfect for the college student they are also awesome for those of you who live in smaller apartments, don't want to make a lot of noise while working out (like me once I put the boys to bed at night!) or if you don't have a lot of time!

I can't begin to explain how excited I am to be able to bring you all this awesome new series of workouts. Every Monday be sure to check back for the next workout! This weeks workout is an intro as to what is to come the next multiple weeks!

All you have to do is DOWNLOAD THE APP and then CLICK THE WORKOUT HERE and add it to your list of custom workouts!

Be sure to share pictures and updates tagging myself as well as Sworkit on all social media (IG, FB, TW), along with the the hashtags #nogymnoexcuse and #dormroomworkouts

Cheers!

On Monday I shared with everyone some words that keep me motivated on a daily basis.

Along with that I shared my journey on Instagram and Facebook, along with some before and after pictures that I have taken throughout the past year.

All I can say is WOW!

I was blown away by the amount of love that post received.

I just couldn't believe it and I just wanted to thank everyone for being so caring and encouraging!

My entire journey started about a year ago after I was given the "okay!" to start working out after Charlie was born. I immediately went into "get my body back" mode, however that didn't last long. The holidays came up and I fell backwards a bit, not too far back, but enough to discourage me. About six months ago I buckled down and got to work and way back on track. I've been through some crazy ups and downs along the way but with the support of my husband, the rest of my family and all of my friends (& now all of you awesome people here in blog land) I can proudly say that I am in the best shape of my entire life. I've lost all my weight and then some, however the scale hasn't been something I've been too concerned with lately, it's more about how I feel on the inside that's making this whole thing so much more meaningful to me!

So with that said I was wanting to share with everyone, today, kind of a break down of what I eat on a daily basis. Along with regular exercise and running, this is how I got myself back into shape!

***This isn't exact because, well, life happens and there are days where eating a completely healthy diet isn't exactly the easiest thing.***

Breakfast : 99% of the time I have a Green Kale Smoothie.

I look forward to this breakfast every single day and I even have to make a little extra for my son to have some, other wise he wants to drink all of mine. It's just a really easy way to get in some extra vegetables, which is what I have the hardest time incorporating into my diet.

Lunch : Usually I have a spinach salad of some sort.

Here I also have been trying to add in some vegetables as well, like corn and tomatoes mostly. Meat wise I usually go with ham or chicken, basically whatever we have in the fridge from the deli that week. For a dressing I go really simple and usually use red wine vinegar or lemon juice with a splash of olive or avocado oil. Instead of croutons I've been substituting my home made granola, which helps give it that crunch but it's coming from a bit healthier place!

... Of course there are days where I eat a wrap of some sort or left overs from dinner the night before. Either way I try to keep it as healthy as possible!

Dinner : Head on over to my Pinterest Page and on my Food board you will find the majority of what we have eaten here recently for dinner!

Now, this is where it gets tricky. For breakfast and lunch it's easy to make something for me and then something different for the boys. We tend to eat at different times and the meals are much more "on the go" in my opinion so I don't ever have to worry.

Dinner on the other hand is different. We like to eat as a family, at least I like it when we do! So cooking for two little boys, myself and my husband sometimes poses issues. I'm not making two to three different meals for dinner each night so I do my best to take recipes and substitute healthy alternatives in a way that won't mess with the taste or flavor of the dish. Now there are times where I just go with it, I eat healthy all day long and workout daily so splurging here and there on dinner doesn't really bother me anymore.

Also we have one to two nights a week we do leftovers so on those days I will be able to be a bit pickier about what I eat without it effecting everyone else. Plus it's Summer so we BBQ once a week which is awesome for me in the healthy eating department. It's easy for me to create a burger without a bun or grill up some chicken!

Snacks : It's inevitable that snacking happens throughout the day, what you choose to snack on matters.

I try to have a melon (usually watermelon) of some sort cut up in the fridge in containers ready to be eaten. This makes it super easy to just grab a container of the melon and go. I am a huge fan of the easiest route possible so taking the time to cut the melon one evening and having snacks for the week just makes good sense. I also like to pick up a banana from time to time and if I want it to be more substantial I'll add some peanut butter with that and it makes a more filling snack, along those lines I do the same with apples as well.

I've been slacking on the veggie department, like I said, here lately. However when I was in full on weight loss mode I would prep bags of carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and grape tomatoes to eat throughout the week as well!

Another one of my favorite go-to snacks right now is a parfait with plain greek yogurt! I start with a couple spoonfuls of PLAIN Greek Yogurt, top it with some all natural honey. Add diced up strawberries and blueberries (or whatever berry you enjoy and have on hand!) then finish it off with some of my home made granola and voila, you have a great, healthy and tasty snack! (Make sure you stick with plain Greek Yogurt and don't get flavored, I've found I much more enjoy adding the natural honey for a sweetener!)

Cheers!

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If you're anything like me you love Fall!

Seriously, it's the best season ever... I just can't wait for the cool weather to come our way and to be able to eat and drink anything and everything pumpkin flavored.

Andrew may or may not have already brought me home some pumpkin coffee ;)

... He knows me well!

Anyway, another reason I love Fall is because of the clothing.

Boots, sweaters, scarves galore!

But before we get there we have those few weeks in between Summer and the beloved Fall.

During that time it can be tricky to find something comfortable to wear.

Do you go jeans or shorts?

Long sleeves or short?

Sandals or boots?

The questions are really never ending.

So I have compiled a list of my absolute WANTS for this Fall season that can also be used as transitional pieces, paired with more Summer trending items to help make the leap a little more seamless.

1. Double Strap V-Neck Camisole from Topshop: This adorable white tank found at Nordstrom is everywhere. Or maybe it's just me thinking it's everywhere because I want it so badly. Anyway, it's perfect for transitioning because it can be worn under any jacket, cardigan, trench etc. Should the temps get a little too warm to wear your long sleeve item, just take it off and you have an adorable tank that pulls together your outfit even without the outerwear!

2. 'Bashina' Perforated Booties from Lucky Brand: Okay so these aren't on my wishlist anymore, but nicely tucked away in my closet. I couldn't help but jump on these boots this year at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. They were so cute and at the price point I wasn't passing them up. I really do think booties like these make for PERFECT transitional pieces because of the cut and the air flow that they get. You don't wear socks, yet your feet don't get all sweaty by any means due to the incredible amount of airflow. Hence, making them perfect for that transition into Fall and I dare say probably for most of Fall in and of itself. They protect your feet enough from any sort of cold that may be going on but not too much, like what you would get from full on closed booties for Winter!

3. Just Keeps Getting Sweater Dress from ModCloth: So I'm picking this dress for a few reasons. First, I love anything with a turtleneck such as this. I can't explain it, and maybe it's my mom's fault for always putting us in turtlenecks when we were kids, making it seem comfy and homey. Also, sweater dresses are just a staple for your Fall wardrobe so grabbing one that is strapless is the quintessential piece to have in your transitional wardrobe. Same as with number one, throwing a nice jacket or blazer over it makes it perfect when the weather gets cooler, however it's not a necessity and looks gorgeous all alone. Lastly, I would pair this dress with over the knee boots to help the Fall feel come alive.

4. 'Mellow Bellow' Open Cardigan by Volcom: This cardigan seriously screams comfort! From everything I've read this cardigan is light weight enough to wear in cooler weather but not too bulky that it's going to make you uncomfortable. I've always had my eye on this one as well. These types of cardigans are perfect to grab and take on the go with you when you are unsure about the weather where you are headed. I definitely want to add a few of these to my wardrobe here in a minute!

5. Off the Shoulder Top by BP.: Continuing this Summer's most popular trend into the Fall is definitely something I plan on doing. Off the shoulder everything took over this Summer's fashion world, at least in my mind it did! So anything off the shoulder, such as this top, that you can transition into Fall is a must. Pair this shirt with some skinny jeans, white or dark wash along with some heels you have the perfect outfit for a date night to transition from Summer to Fall. 

6. Cotton Canvas Anorak by BP.: If you haven't yet seen these army green jackets yet then I would have to say you've been looking in all the wrong places. I can't open instagram without seeing at least one fashion blogger donning this jacket, or something extremely similar. At this price point absolutely anyone can afford to add this essential piece of outerwear to their wardrobe. A little heavier than the cardigan's I shared before, this is the perfect piece to bring when you know your evening's are going to be a bit chillier. This is also the perfect jacket to bring while traveling. I'm pretty much guaranteed to add this jacket to my wardrobe before our trip to Mexico this Fall!

7. Cowled Sweater Tank: Okay so I'm pretty much obsessed with this tank and kind of need it in my closet yesterday. Along with the same deal as with the turtleneck sweater dress we talked about earlier, there's nothing more appealing to me than the same idea only in tank form. Even more so than the dress, this item is the absolute perfect transitional piece from Summer to Fall. You can pair this tank with shorts for warmer weather or jeans for cooler. Boots, booties or sandals all would pair excellently with this tank!

8. Textured Wool Wrap Scarf: For those who know me, seeing a scarf on pretty much every wishlist isn't surprising. I currently have an entire plastic storage tub stuffed full of scarves or every single type. One would think that would make me content, but no, I can't help it. Scarves are such an easy way to accessorize a look and I love the texture that it gives. Adding a scarf just seems to pull together an outfit in my mind. This scarf caught my eye immediately and I really hope to be able to add this to my box of scarves for this Fall. Not as heavy as those blanket scarves you'll see all over this Winter, they're perfect to add to an outfit that just needs a little extra oomph and it helps that there's almost no way you can go wrong by adding a scarf like this!

9. Lace-Up Pullover: Another trend that I have fallen in love with is anything that has the lace-up feature. It gives an outfit a little more laid back look and is perfect for a lunch date or just hanging out with friends or family. This pullover could be paired with jeans or shorts and look pulled together and super on point! I would personally love to pair this sweater with some sneakers and take the level of comfort up a notch! Definite must!

I hope this post has inspired you to create a fresh new look for the beginning of the Fall season. I know it has made me super ready to go shopping!!

What are your favorite Fall go-to pieces?!

Cheers!

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Every day I make the choice to live as healthily as I possibly can and that's all that I can do.

That's all any of us can do really.
I challenge you this week to do your best and not worry about everything going on around you.
We are all progressing in our journeys, no matter what that progress looks like!

And as a very smart woman said...

via Pinterest

What's your favorite inspirational workout quote?!? I'd love to hear in the comments!

Have a wonderful week!

Cheers!

Please Follow Along

INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | PINTEREST | SNAPCHAT | BLOGLOVIN'