24 Day Challenge Update

First of all, a huge thank you to everyone who tuned in to my TV debut this past weekend! If you missed it, you will still be able to catch it this weekend on ABC, or you can view the episode online HERE! My segment starts at about 7:50 minutes in. Hope you enjoy! Look how famous I am!!!

Anyway!

I started the AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge on May 6 and I wanted to give you all an update on how it is going and how I did on the initial cleanse.

The Cleanse portion of the challenge consists of using the above three products. You drink Spark, an energy drink before breakfast, and then you take certain supplements and also drink a fiber drink 6 out of the 10 days. Your diet should be free of dairy and you are encouraged to eat clean, drink lots of water and exercise.

I had started Couch to 5K before I began the challenge, and then I also added in Jillian Michaels' Ripped in 30 to the mix. I freaking love that DVD. I was also eating pretty clean, but I really paid attention to tracking calories and ingredients.

Overall, I never felt like I craved anything bad, and I was actually able to avoid temptation (we went to a Mexican restaurant and I ordered a salad and didn't even touch the chips! Now that is focus, people!). Mother's Day weekend was in the middle of this, which did not help, and my in-laws took us to Maggiano's (aka my favorite restaurant in the world... we had our wedding reception there!). That was the only time I let myself to splurge a little, although I kept my portions very small. Not the best choice during the cleanse, but at the end of the day I didn't over do it.

I made sure to eat a lot of fruit, vegetables and lean protein (and continue to do so as I'm still on the challenge). I haven't had coffee since May 5, and I can honestly say I haven't missed it!

At the end of the 10 days, I had lost a total of 4.6 pounds and 3 inches from around my body (most places losing half an inch). This is coming from my bust, natural waist, belly button, hips, thigh, and bicep. I feel great, and energized. That makes me about 3 pounds from pre-pregnancy weight!

Ready to tone that belly some more!

I am kind of mad at myself that it's taken me this long to take up running....because my legs have never looked this good. I'm currently on week 4 of 8 in the Couch to 5K training, and I have really enjoyed it.  I'm glad I'm doing this before it gets majorly hot outside. I usually run right before it gets dark, pretty much my favorite time of day.

Me, in shorts! Never happens. I honestly would have never noticed that little muscle cut in my leg had I not put those shorts on. My legs are one of my problem areas and I always hide them. I can't wait to see what 4 more weeks of running will do to these legs!

All in all, I have enjoyed this challenge very much. I think your success highly depends on what you put into it, as there is no magic pill or solution. Because I started a lot of things before the challenge, I think it has made the transition more seamless and easy to the cleanse. I have felt I've gotten that jump start to the success I was really hoping for.

If you guys are interested in trying the challenge or ordering any products for yourself, my awesome friend Katie is offering a 10% discount to all of my readers! Please email her at advocare.morris@gmail.com if you'd like to take advantage of it. If you don't know where to start and don't have a lot in your budget, order yourself some Spark! You won't regret it!

Tune in Tomorrow for My TV Debut!!!

Hey guys!!

Remember when I told you about my segment that I filmed with Deals on the Live Well Network? Well, it airs tomorrow!!

This show is nationally syndicated, so there are a few ways for you to be able to catch it.

THE SHOW - DEALS
SEE IT:

1. Saturday, May 18 (tomorrow) on the Live Well Network at 8:00 a.m. Central Time

2. Saturday, May 25 on ABC at 10:00 a.m. Central Time

3. Online on the Deals Episodes Webpage (not sure when!)

I look forward to seeing how this all turned out! I hope you tune in with me!

Mrked iPhone Case Review & Giveaway

If there's anything I love, it's discovering new companies that have a purpose. And when it has something to do with the support of education, you really have my attention. When Mrked offered to send me an iPhone case to review and an opportunity to give one away to my readers, I was thrilled. I mean, this new company is awesome.

Why, you ask? Well, aside from the fact that my phone case is adorable and I've gotten like a million compliments on it....

Here's a little bit about Mrked, via their website:

Each founding member grew up in an unique environment that shaped our personal lives. But one common feature is that our parents migrated from South Asia in order to provide us with a proper education. The stories of the struggles our parents went through to make it in America has motivated us to excel in our studies and do something to make them proud. This idea became the foundation and driving force of Mrked: we wanted to provide an opportunity for people, like you, to change a young girl’s life in an Asian or African country.

At Mrked, our mission is to not only give our customers high quality products, but want to give them an opportunity to "Leave A Mrk" on the world. Our vision is to create a business model that would bring positive change. We chose to educate, as it is a vital part in making sustainable improvements in the developing world. We have created a profit-sharing model with Room to Read to help provide education to girls in Asian and African countries. Together we are working towards alleviating the lack of education within these countries.

The tech accessories maintain a contemporary, chic appeal while proving to serve it's protective purpose.  We sought to keep the design slender as not to make your phone too bulky and really push the opportunity to provide girl's with access to education through our "Leave A Mrk" initiative.

All of the cases that Mrked sells are very stylish and I find mine to be very durable, even withstanding the likes of my ever so clumsy toddler. I love that it has a rubbery insert and then a hard plastic shell over it. Not to mention, it's ridiculously cute. Being able to support the cause of education is something I feel very strongly about, especially since I am an educator. I am happy to support the cause of Mrked and I truly believe in their vision to "Leave a Mrk".

Be sure to visit their website: http://www.mrked.com
Like on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mrkedbrand
Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrkedbrand
Follow on Instagram: http://instagram.com/mrkedbrand

Mrked is offering you guys two things today! 

1) 10% off your order with the code "onthego"

2) One case for one lucky reader!

Enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget below.
Please note: all entries are optional but the first four options give you ten entries each!

GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Unfinished {Part 2}

"What's wrong with her eye?"

"What happened to her eye?"

"Is she blind?"

"Does she have a lazy eye?"

"What's wrong with her?"

"Can she see me?"

"Is it going to fix itself?"

Those are just a few examples of some more of the things I have heard regarding Kennedy's coloboma. Need to read up on what it is? Check out this post.

I realize those questions come because Kennedy's condition is so incredibly rare, and she will most likely be the only person in their lifetime that they will meet like this. Regardless, hearing this hurts. I go through days of not even noticing her eye or thinking about it, and then I hear one of these questions, or someone acts pretty ignorant about the situation, and I'm truly saddened and worried for my little girl.

I love Kennedy so much. I love every single part of her, including her coloboma. I think it makes her incredibly special. It literally is a physical manifestation of how our lives and souls are never finished; how we are a continual work in progress. I just worry for how others are going to start treating her once she starts going to school where children become judgmental. Let's face it, it is different and kind of weird. You can try and compare whatever birth mark you have to her eye, but the fact is that it is not the same. Every time I look at pictures of eyes or every time someone draws eyes, the pupils are always round. But what about Kennedy's keyhole shaped pupil? How do I explain this to her when she later has questions after she learns that eyes are two circles with two little dots inside the circles?

I just worry about the future. I worry that kids will be mean. I worry that she will rebel and try and hide her face, retreat from others, and become socially awkward. I wonder if she will ask me for  a contact lens to hide her coloboma (I discovered this website that deals with cases like hers, and it's pretty neat), and I will gladly let her have one. I just hope she doesn't become ashamed of herself. Ashamed of what God made her, because God doesn't make any mistakes.

Why am I writing this post? Why hash this out again when I've already posted about it before? I just think there is a lot to learn, especially with how we look and treat other people. Specifically when it comes to teenagers.

Throughout the school year, when Kennedy would come to rehearsal with me, some of my students would push her around in the stroller. She loves walks. Some of the other random kids that would be around after school would approach her and ask really ridiculous questions, just like the ones up at the top of this post. High schoolers are the absolute worst, aren't they? My students were really offended and, of course, they felt hurt and came and told me. We had a thoughtful discussion about Kennedy and about how others pass judgment in high school. They shared experiences on how others have judged them before, even on things that weren't as noticable as Kennedy's eye. This discussion had a few of us in tears, and it felt amazing to just talk about this to them. Kennedy doesn't even realize that she is already helping others open up and talk about these issues! What a blessing she is!

It makes me so happy to know that my students care about her so much. Kennedy really is a normal, beautiful girl. She has perfect vision. She truly brings everyone joy. The kinds of students that I have that care about her so much give me hope. Also clicking on the #coloboma hashtag on Instagram has made me feel so inspired (go look it up now!). I hope Instagram or something like it exists when Kennedy is a teenager so she can find her community. I've already found one little boy whose eyes are exactly like hers. It's so crazy. So insane to think out of all the people in this world, I could find one little boy on instagram only months younger than her with eyes that are almost identical.

Like I said before, we are all unfinished. We are all a work in progress. We all have something that we feel we are different because of it. Kennedy's is in the window to her soul. Perhaps that may seem bad, but I find it incredibly humbling.