43 weeks

How old? 43 weeks

Likes? Grapes

Hates? Riding in the car to silence. We did a lot of driving over the holiday weekend and I noticed when the car was silent, he fussed awful. Didn't like the fact that he thought he was alone. But I noticed when Bobby and I would talk, he would be quiet and just relax and listen. 

Milestones this week? Standing all by himself. He will fully just stand there now. No holding on, no swaying. 

Sleeping? We have slept better this week. I think he has hit a growth spurt and that is the cause of his sleepy time. That or his teeth have slowed some so he isn't in pain. 

Eating? We tried grapes for the first time and he loved them. Wouldn't stop eating them. I love that he is such a good eater. 

30 in 30: 16: Join a fitness class

My brother in law and sister in law both do CrossFit. And they both love it! About a year and a half ago, Kristen invited me to one of her classes. They were doing "bring a friend for free" night and she thought it would be something I would enjoy. It kicked my ass! That brings us to about 3 months ago. 3 months ago I did a blog how I was not feeling myself. You might remember it {you can read it here} because A LOT of you reached out to me! Well so did Kristen. She sent me a very long text (I bawled like a baby) and she told me about her CrossFit class and how she thought it would be the perfect thing for me. I told her I didn't want to do CrossFit (having done it before) and then she told me about another class her gym has.

So here we are: 30 in 30: number 16: Join a fitness class

She goes to a gym called Swink. The class she had me look up is called Swink Sweat. She told me that Groupon had a $44 deal for a month trial. It took about a month of convincing and making sure Bobby was ok with Brody by himself at night while I did this. (FYI: Bobby is wonderful with Brody. Brody's witching hour is between 7-8pm and class is from 6:30-7:30pm, Monday, Wednesday and Friday so making sure they were both good without an extra set of hands was/is my first priority).

Swink Sweat is like a baby version of CrossFit. By no means is it easier, I leave class dripping wet. It's just that we don't use as heavy weights and we don't do some of the movements like you would do in CrossFit. 

I can't begin to tell you how much I have enjoyed this class. I leave every time with a bounce in my step. I always go to workout excited too. One reason I go excited is because of the 3 people below; Andre, Betsy and Meg. I can not tell you enough how much I love all three. Andre is the owner of Swink and coaches CrossFit and the one on one classes. Betsy and Meg take turns coaching my class (they are sisters (if you can't tell) and Betsy is engaged to Andre). Meg is a nurse and Betsy helps people figure out why they are hurting and she will teach you how to roll out the pain. She can even tape you to help with the pain. 

Betsy, Meg, myself and Andre
Notice my shirt! haha....get it....my class is called Swink Sweat and my shirt says Sweat.....ok I thought it was cute. It's from Cotton:ON but as of this week I can't find it on the website. Sports bra and leggings are Fabletics

They never push me to far, are always eager to teach, never complain when I ask questions, make sure everything I am doing feels right. They don't make me do anything I don't want to do or aren't comfortable doing. They show you the way a workout is supposed to go/look and then modify it if you have an injury or the movement is too hard for you. Not once have I felt like I was stupid or couldn't do it. Since day 1 of class they have made me feel like part of the family. The vibe is always positive. They are always happy. 

The ladies I workout with come from all over. They are different ages, different backgrounds, different jobs. But it doesn't matter. Swink is very big on supporting one another. You don't put up your equipment until everyone in your class is done with the workout. We encourage one another. No one is chatty or looks down. They always cheer you on and always give you that extra push. 

As soon as you get to class, you start. You do a warmup to get your muscles warm and moving, then they teach you the workout of the day and then you do it. Class is from 6:30pm-7:30pm in Midlothian, Monday/Wednesday/Friday. 

I am a very shy person and doing this was totally stepping out of my comfort zone. And I can't tell you enough how glad I am that I took this leap. This has been one of my favorite 30 in 30's so far. I am down 2 pounds and I can now fit in my size 6 jean shorts. I am not eating as clean as I would like to be, but I am working on that. I feel stronger and before I started class, I couldn't do a push-up or a squat to save my life. No joke! Now I can do 7 push-ups in a row and my squat has improved beyond what I ever thought I could do! 

My month trial is over tonight and I am so excited to say that I am staying. I have decided to join. If you are interested in learning more, {here is the website}. Also, the {$44 Groupon} is still going on so get on over to Groupon, buy it and come join me in class! You will be amazed at what you can do and what you can learn in just 30 days. Seriously....go to Groupon and come join me in class! 

Here is an update on me:
The photos on the left were taken 30 days ago and the photos on the right were taken Wednesday night.

My arms are a tad buffer and I have less fat. My arms are a big problem for me (they hold weight easily) so I find this to be an improvement.  

Before I still had the baby pooch, now I am slimmer and the "donut" has gone down half of what it was. I feel like my butt has slimmed just a tad too. 

I can tell a difference from the front too because if you look at my belly button, on me today it is positioned higher on my stomach. Meaning I am flatter and more toned there. 

Starting to get my abs back and I couldn't be more thrilled! 

My attitude towards life has improved. My attitude towards myself has improved. I feel happier. I feel healthier. Bobby has been telling me this past month how good I look. My mom has too! I can't even begin to thank Kristen and the Swink family for all they have done for me. For pushing me just a step farther. For telling me I can do more, even when I don't think I can. You guys simply are the best!

________________________________________________________________

And I just want to say a BIG thank you to all of you who reached out to me, either through text, Facebook, email or in person about my baby blues. I can't even begin to tell you how much it meant to me to know I wasn't the only one or that I had a shoulder to cry on or there was bottle of wine and a girls night if I needed it. Thank you for all the prayers and the thoughts and the time of day to think of me. I love you all! 

And to my husband, thank you for stepping up in a big way when it comes to Brody! He's not the easiest baby but you have never complained to me once about him. He is all about daddy these days and it makes my heart just grow a thousand times. Thank you for the encouragement and the questions about my workout when I get home. I am so glad I have you. I love you! 

Contouring

Dear Diary,

Younique has brought out the best thing! 

The Sculpting Trio for contouring. 

Don't know what contouring is? I knew what it was but I didn't know how to do it. So I first googled it and then YouTubed it and it looked super hard and so time consuming. Contouring is something that helps define your features, creating the appearance of higher cheek bones and slimmer nose and chin. 

Here I am in full makeup with the contouring using Younique's sculpting trio. 

Thank God Younique has this now. It is so easy and it tells you exactly what to do and wear to put it. It doesn't take very long either and the more you do it, the easier it gets. 

You put your foundation on first because you want your skin to be an all over even color. Youniques liquid foundation is the bees knees. Lord, I don't know what I would do without it. Then after you have apply it, you then apply the contouring. After I follow the instructions, I blend it in with my blending buds and then add a touch of powder to set it. Apply your 3D fiber lash mascara and you're set for the day. 

The Contouring comes in light, medium and dark. I went with light for me since my foundation colors fall in that color scheme. 

Here I am before any makeup

Here I am with just foundation

Here I am with foundation and contouring

Here I am with foundation, contouring, powder, 3D fiber lash, Moodstruck Precision Brow Liner (in medium) and Lip Bon Bon (in Chocolate Truffle).

Full on in a better light. I already have high cheekbones, but this helps magnify them. It also helps make my rounded nose seem longer and slimmer. 

Please note that I did not instagram filter any of these. They are the original photos. 

For the remaining time in May, you can get a free contouring brush as part of the kudos! Makes it even easier to apply. 

Here is a side by side comparison. 

Here is a list of everything I used and what color:

Liquid Foundation- Velour ($39)

Contouring- Light ($49)

Pressed powder- Taffeta ($32)

Precision brow liner- Medium ($19)

Pigment powder eye shadow- Sexy ($12.50)

Pencil eyeliner- Perfect ($15)

3D mascara- only comes in one color ($29)

Lip Bon Bon- Chocolate Truffle ($22)

You might be saying....that's expensive and yes, as a one time purchase it can be. But the foundation, contouring, powder, eye shadow and bon bon will last you for a really long time, especially if you don't wear makeup everyday. And even if you do, it will still last a long time. Younique's makeup is made to be worn all day. It is made for you to only have to use a little. There are sets and collections if you want to purchase a bunch of things and those are always at a smaller price since you are bundling. 

No makeup vs full on makeup. 
My face looks smoother, my color looks all the same and the contouring helped do that.  

My younique website is: https://www.youniqueproducts.com/DaniLynnLewis 

Please let me know if you have any questions! 

Also note that when you see a product and it is in the bigger font, you can click on that and it will take you directly to that product for you to look at! Your Welcome :-)

Love, Me

New pool

Two weekends ago, we decided to go buy Brody a play pool. But I didn't want one of those small plastic ones because I knew Dash would get in it and get it all muddy. Plus Brody would be able to crawl out and I didn't want that. I love the one we got. It's large enough for all 3 of us to get in, I can put as much water in it as I want, I can drain it easily and add fresh water. Brody doesn't need a lot of water to play in. I got it at Target and the brand is Intex. 

The first time I put him in it, he wasn't a fan. The water was too cold. So he sat in my lap for awhile till he got adjusted. Once he realized it was just fine, he was up and down and crawling back and forth. We took some of his bath toys for him to play with but I need to find some pool toys for him. The second day we put him in it, the water was from the day before so it was much warmer. He played for about an hour. Then slept for 2 and half hours! 

My sister had this cute little speedo from Hayden that she gave me. I also bought another one from The Honest Company but I haven't gotten it in yet. Can't wait! No need in wasting swim diapers in my backyard. If he pees, we just drain the water. He has yet to poop but if he does, it will be an easy clean too. 

I love seeing them play together. Brody fell in the water multiple times but pulled himself up and kept on playing. He doesn't mind water in his face and loves splashing. Plus we never make a big deal about him face planting. I can't wait to put him in a big pool to see what he does. Summer is soooo close! 

42 weeks

How old? 42 weeks

Likes? Doritos (he is my kid after all)

Hates? Cold water. The pool we got him was a little too cold for his liking and he just cried. But once it warmed up a tad, he was golden. 

Milestones this week? Standing by himself. He is starting to let go and just stand there. 

Sleeping? Much better now that he is back on his acid reflux medicine. I am trying to keep him busy because the more busy he is, the better he sleeps. He gets bored at night, so if I keep him doing stuff during the day, at night he plays much better with his toys. 

Eating? This week he tried Doritos for the first time and loved them. How can you not love a Dorito? 

Memorial Day

I hope you enjoy your day and take the time to remember all of those we have lost protecting our country. God bless you all! 

#beourguest

Oh.My.Goodness

Beauty and the Beast live's trailer just dropped this morning!

I am so excited right now. I have seriously watched this trailer about a thousand times. I kid you not.

First off......I love Belle. I love her personality, I love her relationship with her dad, I love that she loves books and loves to read, I love how she was able to tame the wild beast and I love how she was able to show him love again.

Second off......I love Emma Watson. Loved her in the Harry Potter movies and I have loved every movie since then. I find her to be the best for Belle.

Third off......take a look at these names! Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellen, Josh Gad, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Kevin Kline, Emma Thompson, and Stanley Tucci.

The story. The music. The love. I CAN NOT wait till 3~17~17. Turn the volume up and get ready for goosebumps. 

Rocky the Raccoon

Meet Rocky

I have had Rocky since I was a little girl. I have no idea where he came from, I just always remember him. He was one of my favorite stuffed animals growing up. I slept with him every night until a certain age (probably much later than I care to admit). When I got married, I left him at my mom's house. Fast forward to a few months ago and Mom sends me a text message asking me if I wanted him back for Brody. 

How could I not?! It was only right he come back into my home. I never imagined how much my little boy would love him like I do. He wrestles him, crawls on him, gives him kisses then shakes him. 

Rocky, we love you! 

Happy Friday and Have a Wonderful Weekend! 

30 in 30: 15: Mother's Day

Dear Diary,

With this being my first Mother's Day, I thought it was only appropriate that it be a 30 in 30. I've never had one, I've never gotten to experience what it's like to have a Mother's Day, so I thought it was only fitting to have it be one. 

So here we are: 30 in 30: number 15: Mother's Day

What a day it was. We woke up and went to breakfast at this awesome place called Our Place in Mansfield. I got sausage pancakes and coffee. They put actual crumbled breakfast sausage inside the pancakes. 

Then we came home and Brody took a nap and I relaxed some. After he woke up, we went to the grocery store and my boys bought me some flowers. 

After we got home we all just hung out together and played. Then Brody and I took a nap. That evening Bobby made me a feast! He made pimento cheese bacon burgers, loaded cauliflower mash and broccoli fries with a spicy ketchup. And a nice white wine to drink. 

My first mother's day was simple. Was easy. No flashy jewelry or extravagant dinner. It was spent with my boys. And the best thing that I got that day was Brody saying Momma for the first time. I got it on video and will load it to Instagram tonight. It truly is the best and I will forever remember it. There is nothing like hearing your child call you the name he gave you for the first time. I have watched this video a thousand times and can't wait for you to see it.  

Because God gave me you, we made him and that is the best gift in the world!

Love, Me