I wasn’t super into the whole side hustle thing. Granted, I was a teacher, living on a teacher salary while my husband was dipping his toes in to the fitness industry. We were not rolling in it, by any means.
Yet I was hesitant to start a side hustle…why? Honestly, I think it’s because most side hustles are usually MLM type businesses and I had a few bad experiences with those and was a little hesitant to be a part of one.
I got over the fear very quickly when I saw the income potential and started thinking through reasons like the ones I listed below. I’m 1.5 years into a side hustle, and I have zero regrets.
What is holding you back from starting a side hustle? Don’t let other peoples opinions weigh into your life, boo. You do you.
This is just going to be a dump of cute IG ads that have gotten me and I figured I’d share in case you are like me & can’t stop buying all the baby clothes (sorry, Josh, but not really).
Okay so your general stores — check the sales sections. Especially as seasons change. Think about what size your sweet babe will be next summer or Christmas and pick up things in that size. No one will know its “last seasons attire” because they’ll be looking so dang cute. Also check the online websites because sometimes you can find goooood deals there too.
Old Navy
Gap
Target
H&M
Walmart
JC Penny
TJ Maxx (especially for brands like Nike)
Marshalls
Now here’s where it gets fun! These are some IG ads that have gotten me. Their stuff is SO dang cute & I cannot stop watching stories & adding things to my cart!
@littlepumpkinclothingco
@beebeebabyboutique
@katequinn_shop
@littleplanet
@ryanandrose
Here’s a few of my most recent cutie finds that I just couldn’t resist. Just so you know my style! Drop your fav places to shop for baby clothes in the comments below!
Basically, this is a suuuuuuuper simple post to share all of my favorite first trimester YL products in one place. Hopefully this is helpful to some of you, but if not, I want it to look back when we hopefully have our next little babe. Here are my fav YL products to use in the first trimester & why/how I used them —
Pro+ (discontinue use in the second trimester because your body will makes its own progesterone at that point)
NingXia Red: healthy baby, natural energy & placenta goodness
Super B & Multigreens: folate boost and energy (& who wants veggies first trimester anyways)
Master Formula: basically your women’s multi vitamin
Gentle Baby& Coconut Lime Body Butter: to rub all over that expanding tummy
Those are all I can come up with for now. What did you use in first trimester? I’ll take any & all recommendations because I know first tri can be really ROUGH!
Grief comes in waves & miscarriage is a grieving process. I went through SO much grief when I lost my baby.
It’s not fair. Why did this happen to me. I’ll never get pregnant again. Do I even want to get pregnant again? Scared of loss. Isolating myself from all babies and pregnancy. The list goes on.
Then came healing. Even though it took months to heal & share (&& there are still days of overwhelming sadness), these are some things I wish someone would’ve shared with me.
So if you know someone who lost their child or is going through a miscarriage and you don’t know what to say, try these things. Validate their grief, then treat it like you would if they lost a child — Send starbies Hug them Cook them dinner Offer to clean their house Etc.
They’ll appreciate the little things the most & some times, actions speak louder than words or show they are cared for when you’re at a loss of words.
*Again, I am not a doctor, please do not take my advice as medical advice. This is my research & what I have discovered from personal experience
Do you suffer from any of these? This is typically a sign of hormone imbalance. Hormone imbalance can come from endocrine disruptors (see my previous post), birth control, and a myriad of other things. If this is something you are dealing with, I recommend reading about the endocrine disruptors, seeing what you can start to change & then reading below to see what healthy hormones look like & why we want those so badly.
Symptoms of imbalance:
Fatigue
Depression
Slow Metabolism
Bad Mood
Irregular Periods
Low Libido
Hormonal Breakouts
Brain Fog
Hair Loss
Healthy hormones look like:
Regular periods
Good sex drive
Quality sleep & energy
Mental clarity
Clear skin
Regular bowel movements
Stable moods
Wish that was you? This was my experience once I came off the pill & started switching to low tox products. Not saying these will work for you, but here are some lifestyle tips that I recommend to help balance your hormones.
Want to start finding those lower tox products? I’m your girl. Let’s chat!
* I am not a doctor. This is purely what I have found from research & personal experience. Please consult your doctor before making any giant lifestyle changes
Did you know that the EU law bans 1,328 chemicals from cosmetics that are known or suspected to cause cancer, genetic mutation, reproductive harm or birth defects? But the US FDA has only banned or restricted 11 chemicals from cosmetics?
& that since 2009, 595 cosmetics manufacturers have reported using 88 chemicals, in more than 73,000 products, that have been linked to cancer, birth defects or reproductive harm.
Last mind blowing fact: The average woman puts over 500 chemicals on her body (aka skin OUR BIGGEST ORGAN) daily without even knowing it && 60% of what we put on our skin is absorbed.
What are endocrine disruptors?
Many chemicals, both natural and man made, may mimic or interfere with the body’s hormones, known as the endocrine system. They are found in many everyday products, including some plastic products, liners of metal food cans, detergents, candles, flame retardants, food, toys, cosmetics, pesticides & more.
What are the most common endocrine disruptors?
Bisphenol A (BPA): used to make polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins, which are found in many plastic products including food storage containers
Dioxins: produced as a byproduct in herbicide productions and paper bleaching; tampons & feminine products
Perchlorate: a by-product of aerospace, weapon and pharmaceutical industries found in drinking water
Perfluoroalkyl: used widely in industrial applications, non-stick pans, paper and more
Phthalates: used to make plastics more flexible, they are also found in some food packaging, cosmetics, hair products, children’s toys, and medical devices, and anything with “fragrance” in it
Aluminum: often found in deodorants
Parabens: found in many body care and hair care products
Phytoestrogens: naturally occurring substances in plants that have hormone-link activity, such as Feinstein and daidzein that are in soy products (like tofu or soy milk)
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE): used to make flame retardants for household products such as furniture foam and carpets
Triclosan: may be found in some microbial and personal care products, like liquid body wash and deodorants
What should we be ditching? Things you may use often that could have endocrine disruptors in them:
Deodorants
Body washes
Body lotions
Shampoo & conditioner
Candles & fragrances
Tampons
Lubes
Plastic containers and bottles
Teflon pans
Furniture
Sugary food products
Artificial coloring and sweeteners
Inflammatory vegetable/seed oils
Meats & dairy that aren’t hormone/steroid free
High fructose corn syrup
GMOs
Want to learn more about how to choose cleaner options? Stay tuned for a blog post coming or follow along over on IG (@hrmarciano).
Let’s chat supplements & pregnancy. Since the FDA doesn’t regulate the supplement industry, I only turn to companies who I believe in and trust to make top of the line, natural and clean products. These are some of my favs & ones I’m reaching for during pregnancy.
* as always, this is not medical advice. Please talk with your physician & do your own research before changing up your diet // adding in any additional supplements
Young Living Alkalime: helps maintain optimal pH in the stomach with an alkaline blend of biochemical mineral salts, lemon powder, and premium essential oils that also work together to soothe occasional upset tummy
Young Living Multigreens: provides energizing greens with revitalizing essential oils & supports overall health and well-being
Shared these over on IG the other day, but thought they deserved a permanent place on my blog as well. I hope these reach the mom who needs them or gives you something to say to a friend going through this.
There truly is nothing you can say to make it better, but these are beautiful reminders while they process the loss of a baby.
Some of my first trimester favs coming in HOT! I had a pretty easy first trimester. My biggest “pregnancy symptom” was pure exhaustion. I napped for MULTIPLE hours every day and slept 9-10 hours every night. I probably slept 12 hours a day and was awake the other 12, but didn’t have a ton of energy. I am SO thankful to have some of that energy back now.
I did have some food aversions & things that didn’t sound good. I was also the queen of cooking dinner and then deciding it didn’t sound good and eating cereal instead. Thankfully, all of the foods that didn’t sound good first trimester are back in my life second tri. I feel very blessed to have as healthy of a pregnancy as I have so far. It has been a true gift.
So without further ado, here are some of my highly recommended first trimester products. As always, if ya wanna get your hands on some of my YL favs, let me know && I can hook ya up, boo 🤍🤘🏼
• Water flavorings: Liquid IV, mio & YL vitality drops — you have to up your water intake when pregnant, but honestly plain boring water x 100+ ounces a day gets really boring. Find something to add to your water to make it more appealing. I reached for Liquid IV (even though it has more sugar and sodium) because it was a great during/post workout recovery and its basically the equivalent of drinking 3 water bottles. This was a great way to start my day. Then I would switch to some regular water and always threw in some drops or fresh fruit later on in the day when I was over plain drinking water. • Tummy tamers: digize (on the bottoms of my feet) & alkalime (in my drinks) — these are both YL products, but I dont know how I would’ve survived without them on the days that nothing wanted to sit right • Supps: Orgain plant based protein/Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides, YL multi greens and NingXia, Ritual prenatal vitamin (here’s a $15 off code) — I was not into protein or veggies during my first trimester (and still am not really into them). I would eat fruits & carbs all day, but meat in general was just not appealing. I worked in protein powder so I knew that I was at least getting a few servings of protein. I also supplemented my diet with multigreen capsules to keep my body fueled with some greens. Lastly, I CANNOT RECOMMEND ritual enough. First of all, they are the HIGHEST quality vitamin around and all of their products are ethically sourced (& you can track their ingredient sources). They are also so easy on your stomach. I can take them with or without food and at basically any time without issue. • YL Vanilla Mint body butter for my growing belly. This body butter is a literal dream and is so hydrating and moisturizing for my belly. I ordered another scent (coconut lime) and I cannot wait to try this one out. Perfect for summer!
I shared more about how I use each product in my most recent IGTV over on IG if you’re interested! Or as always, holler if you have any additional questions!
First of all, I wanted to share with you all about my fav antioxidant drink that is SO stinking important in pregnancy. What is it? It’s NingXia Red!
What is in NingXia Red? Why is it something I swear by? It has so many amazing benefits (see below) and is made with real ingredients & essential oils and the NingXia (aka Goji) berry. If you have never looked up the benefits of the Goji berry, you should. If you want to read a quick article about the benefits (& what to look for before you start drinking them), here is an article from healthline with good information.
Then, if you’re a YL Brand Partner, you can save these graphics to use on your social medias or for your team! I love making graphics and wanted to take a minute to share some of these fun ones with you because I truly think that we need to share NingXia with all of the world. Everyone can benefit from this drink! Why NingXia? Here’s why —
There are so many amazing testimonies about NingXia and a healthy placenta, so you better believe I’m drinking this every dang day of pregnancy. Do you have a NingXia testimony? Or are you interested in trying it? I’d love to send you a sample!
Shoot me an IG DM or a message on here if you are interested in trying it!
hrmarciano 