momlife – Page 5

Top 5 Reasons to Make Bone Broth

Filed under: Mom Life, Recipes · April 17, 2017

I was out to lunch with another Sporty Momma the other day and I was sharing with her some of the things that I have learned on this health journey. I started telling her how I have to go to Whole Foods to prep for my bone broth for the week. Once I told her all of the benefits of bone broth she said that I should definitely share this with my readers. So here we are. If you are interested to see the top 11 bone broths that excel in flavor, nutrition, quality, and price, buoy heath is the place to go.

Bone Broth is amazing! It has been around since the beginning of time. It is the real “Chicken Soup for your soul”. Drinking bone broth daily can have tremendous health benefits. It is soothing and girl I learned it can help reduce cellulite! Did you see that? It helps reduce cellulite!!! Here are my top 5 reasons to get your bone broth started tonight.

Reduces Inflammation
Promotes Strong Bones
Fights Colds and Flu
Calms Mind and Promotes Sleep
Banish Cellulite

Beef Bone Broth Recipe

Ingredients:

3 pounds organic grassfed beef soup bones (I get mine from Whole Foods)
1 onion, chopped in quarters
2-3 large carrots
2-3 celery stalks
thyme
parsely
¼ cup Braggs apple cider vinegar
Filtered cold water

Roast the raw bones at 400 degrees in oven, which you can view here, for about 45 min to an hour.
Put the roasted bones, veggies, and Apple Cider Vinegar into your crockpot or oven roaster and fill with water to cover the bones.
Let the mixture sit for 30-60 minutes. DO NOT TURN THE HEAT ON YET. This allows the vinegar to extract minerals from the bones.
Turn the crockpot on low or oven roaster at 200-225 degrees for 48 hours. And if you have a broken oven that needs repair, a good place like Appliance Hunter is the best place to go!
Strain the broth. Store in the fridge up to 7 days, in the freezer 3-6 months, or deep freezer up to a year. Let the broth come to room temp before putting into the freezer. Leave the top off for 24 hours to freeze if you are storing in glass jars in the freezer to allow for expanding (or you will be very sad to see your cracked jar in a few days!).

The Unexpected

Filed under: Mom Life · February 28, 2017

I know that most people see me as the Mom who has it all! The amazing husband that doesn’t mind grocery shopping or packing the kid’s lunches. Three beautiful, smart, kind, and loving kids. And yes the home of my dreams. Some days are definitely better than others. To tell you the truth the last 3 months have sucked big time. I keep going back asking when did it all begin to take a downward turn or let’s say a more challenging turn and well it was after that crazy election. Yes, November which is normally one of my favorite months turned out to be the month that everything changed.

After the stress of the election and looking at all of the post election drama it really hit me. We are living in some wild times. Little did I know what was coming next. I won’t go into a whole lot of detail but I will tell you that in three months we have lost 3 loved ones unexpectedly. One of our kids came down with a stomach virus that turned into 3 months of visiting different doctors. There have been days of questioning why, why right now, why are we experiencing all of this back to back?

In the middle of all this I have learned who my real friends are. I have also learned that it is okay to ask for help. I know that everything happens for a reason and that this too shall pass. Most importantly I have learned that we go through things so that we can share with others. So in the next few weeks I will share my journey of going through the unexpected.

Keep the Faith

Filed under: Mom Life · January 24, 2017

This post is for those of you moms that may be going through a storm right now. Before you panic or throw in the towel remember that you are not alone. I have realized over the past few weeks that a lot of us are going through different trials and some are worse than others but when you are going through it, it doesn’t feel good. Be encouraged. Know that trouble doesn’t last always and yes, joy does come in the morning. If we just keep the faith and keep moving forward, everything will work out for the best. Keep smiling and don’t be afraid to ask for help. We are strong women but even the strongest woman needs a hug sometimes!

Be Blessed,

Sharonda

“2016”

Filed under: Mom Life · December 26, 2016

This year has been quite interesting. I have learned a lot about myself and those around me. It is true what they say, one minute you can be on top of the world with everything going your way and the next minute well you can be laid out wondering WTF just happened. It is the roller coaster of life and some parts just plain suck.

But instead of venting and stressing over all that didn’t go as planned let’s be thankful and celebrate all of the victories that we had this year. Like, we are still here. Still standing. Still breathing. We have another chance to get it right. Another chance to love those around us. To forgive those that hurt us. And a chance to reach those goals that we didn’t quite conquer in 2016.

Motherhood is hard. Being a wife is hard. Life is hard, but you are strong, beautiful, brilliant and a survivor. So adios 2016 and all of the politics, failures, loses, disappointments. I am ready for 2017. Ready for the challenges. Ready for the blessings. Ready to make a difference. Are you ready?

Let’s do this!

XO,

Sharonda

See Your Strong Challenge

Filed under: Fit Moms · November 15, 2016

About a month ago, Pure Barre announced that they would be doing a challenge leading into the holidays. In order to complete the challenge you have to take 20 barre classes in 31 days. Your reward will be an exclusive See your strong hat! My first response was oh that is easy. I will just take a class 5 days a week. I told my hubby I was going to do the challenge and he laughed. (He knows I don’t like to workout everyday) I said watch me. I got this!

The first week was easy. I was a little sore but I did 5 classes in a row. The second week became more of a challenge. The schedule of school activities and well #momlife came up. I ended up taking a class on a Sunday to keep up. By the third week I was starting to notice muscle toning that wasn’t there before. The back to back classes were bringing quicker results than ever before. Omg! I can see the finish line.

I am so proud to share that on Monday, I completed the challenge of 20 classes in 28 days! I feel great and I see a difference in my whole body. It was not easy and now the hard part is maintaining the results that I have gained over the past month. So I leave you with this. Set a goal and crush it. No pain, no gain! You got this!

Back to Reality

Filed under: Mom Life · August 20, 2016

The summer has come and gone and well, I guess it is time to snap back to reality. We had a great summer though. The kids enjoyed a few weeks of basketball, soccer, and fun camp. We took our annual trip to Atlantis and Disney. (I think I could live in the Bahamas a few months out of the year) I celebrated my birthday all of July until I caught a horrible head cold. That sucked!

I will truly miss sleeping in until 8 a.m. (lol), the late nights watching television and not doing homework five nights a week. I will miss not having to cook. Ok I don’t really cook during the school year either. (I am so happy Grown has a drive thru) But, I am looking forward to a real schedule and having a little more flexibility during the day. Plus I get to have lunch with my mommy friends whenever I want.

Who am I kidding? It is about to be a three-ring circus around here. We have three kids playing soccer. (One on travel team) That means three different practices and three different games. This year basketball is in the rotation too and oh there’s tutoring! Not to mention homework. Yes my least favorite word. Then play dates and games and conferences and PTA meetings and well I am getting exhausted just thinking about it.

Oh well, I am off to get these last few school supplies. And a bottle of wine!

#momlife

August Top 5 Must Have Beauty Products

Filed under: Blog · August 6, 2016

It is August already! Where did the time go? As we enjoy these last few weeks of summer, I thought I would share my top 5 (can’t live without) beauty products! These products are perfect for the busy mom who is always on the go. Check them out and let me know your favorites.

Dinner for Two

Filed under: Mom Life, Recipes · June 26, 2016

Summer is here and for most of us busy mommas that means it is time to relax and have some fun. I am normally not a big cook. I mean I prepare the average 2-3 meals a week but during the summer I chill. That is why I was so excited when Applebee’s contacted me to try their new wood fired menu items.

My youngest daughter and I headed to the Cutler Bay location. The managers were awesome and even gave us a tour of the kitchen. (The little one thought we were on a field trip) He showed us how they cut, season and grill fresh meats daily. We also saw the wood soaking and all of the workers preparing for a very busy Friday afternoon.

After our tour we were really anxious to try the food. I ordered the Southwest Salad with marinated steak which may be just as flavorful as the one on https://makeadish.net/recipe/steak-and-gorgonzola-salad/. The lil one had chicken fingers and fries. Our waitress was very pleasant and took great care of us. The food was delicious!

Starting this Summer, the Applebee’s menu will include:

8 oz. and 6 oz. Hand-cut USDA Choice Top Sirloin Steaks
Hand-cut Bone-in Pork Chops with Honey Apple Chutney
Cedar-grilled Salmon with Maple Mustard Glaze
Grilled chicken breast

So take a night off from the kitchen and head to your neighborhood Applebee’s. You deserve a break! Oh and did I mention that they have curbside? #kidapproved #win

Sporty Mommas and Applebee’s® are delighted to be giving away a Dinner for Two gift certificate. This gift certificate is valid only at Applebee’s locations owned and operated by Doherty Enterprises in Florida and Georgia (See full list of the 44 restaurant locations below).

Enter here!

In Florida, Applebee’s® is located in Boynton Beach, Cape Coral, Coral Springs, Cutler Bay, Delray Beach, Doral, Florida City, Estero, Fort Myers, Fort Pierce, Greenacres, Hialeah, Jacksonville, Lake City, Lake Park, Margate, Naples, North Port, Okeechobee, Palm Beach Gardens, Pembroke Pines, Port Charlotte, Port St. Lucie, Punta Gorda, Royal Palm Beach, Sarasota, South West Ranches, St. Augustine, Sunrise, Tamarac, Venice, Vero Beach and West Palm Beach, and in Georgia in Brunswick, Kingsland and Waycross. (NOTE: The Naples Applebee’s location does not currently have the wood-fired grills at this time, but will offer the new hand-cut menu items)

*Sponsored Post

Feeling Fly

Filed under: Fit Moms · June 23, 2016

You know the saying, “hard work pays off”? Well this picture reminds me of that. Here are some pictures from a wedding that I recently attended with my family. If you are looking to lift your seat, flatten those abs and burn some serious calories, check out Pure Barre! My dress can be found at Nordstrom! (And it is on SALE)

Summer Fun at Dolphin Mall

Filed under: Blog, Mom Life · June 15, 2016

Yesterday my kids and I took part in the Dolphin Mall loves Mommies event! This was a day full of food, fun, and yes my favorite…shopping! We met up at Brio for light bites and I must add that Brio is absolutely beautiful. They have an amazing private room for meetings and parties. After a few words from our Dolphin Mall hosts, we were off to enjoy the day.

We used the open shopping time to shop for Father’s Day gifts. The kids wanted to get Dad something really cool. First stop the Samsung store! They all took turns trying on the new virtual headset! Next we hit up the Miami Heat store. We are huge fans and had to check out the latest gear. You know that I had to go into my favorite stores Bloomingdales and Neiman Marcus outlets. This is when shopping with 3 kids got a little cray cray. I tried to smile and keep my cool as the sales lady glanced over at my 3 dancing in the aisles. Yes #momlife! After purchasing a few things we met up with the group at the next stop.

Lunchtime was a hit! We love going to Dave and Busters. My husband and I actually had our wedding rehearsal dinner there back in 2005. (Time flies) Yes we loved it before we even had kids. The kids enjoyed mini cheeseburgers, chicken fingers, salad and pigs in a blanket. They were so excited to get to the arcade that they didn’t even want dessert. Dave and Busters has lots of new games, menu items and entertainment for all ages. I know that we will go back before summer is over.

By 3:00 I was beat and we had an hour to drive home and prepare for swimming lessons. It was a full day but I am so blessed to be able to spend time with my kiddos. If you are looking for something to do with your crew head to Dolphin Mall. There really is something for everyone. There’s the Imax movie theater, Strike bowling alley, Cool de Sac, Brother Jimmy’s, Cinebistro and so many great stores and restaurants. You will definitely get the cool mom award!

*Sponsored Post