Waterwipes review, thank you Influenster!


Influenster sent me these water wipes to try on the babies. I usually don't try anything like this on my kiddos, but once I saw the ingredients I totally was hooked! They are chemical free and made of 99% water. The wipes were really durable, soft and thick! I didn't think they'd work, only because I was really freaking skeptical on the whole "water only" thing.. but I feel I was wrong. Oliver has been getting these really bad rashes and since switching, it has healed up nicely and not returned! I will be buying these on our next shopping trip!



They even washed this girls whole leg up when she got into some markers and colored all over herself! 







Review on L. tampons, Super pads, and panty liners.


LET ME START OFF BY SAYING THIS IS NOT A SPONSORED POST.
I paid for these with my own money from Target. 

Hi guys! If you follow me on Instagram, then you probably saw me talk about the L. products in my stories!! I was VERY excited to see, purchase and TRY these out. I did get a lot of ladies ask me if I would review them so they knew if it was worth the switch. So, this post is going to get really personal and probably a little T. M. I.... but I warned you! haha! I just really want to be helpful, informative and honest.

Okay, so.. when I found these at Target I was really excited because there was finally another option other than Seventh Generation for natural menstrual products. I did look them up online but I didn't find much on them review wise? I was hoping to find more than just the positive stuff on their website, because, come on.. can we always trust that? 

Originally the packaging caught my eye. It is BEAUTIFUL. Absolutely beautiful. And then, when you read the back you're kind of hooked by the feel good sisterhood that we all are connected through. I love 1 for 1 companies so much and try to purchase from them when possible, because I really believe in that kind of company and the good my money is doing for another person!


I also love that the ingredients list on these products is something that won't give me a rash. I have had terrible problems with other brands of tampons and pads, especially with skin rashes. I have sensitive skin and I felt comfortable trying these because of that.

Okay, so let me show you what you're buying- since there isn't much about that online.

I will show picture of each product, and then I am going to compare them to what I've been using.. and explain why I like or dislike something. :-)


All 3 products unwrapped.



According to the packaging, you pull that bottom part 
out and then it allows you to push the tampon in place.


This is the tampon once removed from plastic applicator.



Extremely thin.



OKAY- I am going to now review, and share comparison photos to the product I have been using.

First off, I have a really short period. It lasts 4 days. 

The first 2 days I bleed VERY heavily, with a lot of clots. 
At night I don't bleed at all. The third day I don't bleed at all. 
And the fourth day I bleed for a half day and then I am done. 

This is not how it always was, (flashback to my 9 day periods pre-baby *cringing*)

Because of my sensitive skin, and how heavy (+ clotty) my period is I am having a hard time finding a solution. I need something that can handle those nasty clots and won't allow blood to stain my clothing. I also need the tampons to be able to handle that as well. 

Currently I have been using the Seventh Generation products. Additionally, I use the regular size Maxi Pads by Always. 


L. Super pad:

Pros: I like this pad for the size. I didn't feel like I had a huge wedgie or that it was noticeable at all. It was very thin as promised on the packaging. I loved that it had the wings, because some pads or panties allow for those suckers to move or bunch. 

Cons: I was expecting this pad to have some sort of cushion around the edge, similar to the maxi pads. Because of how thin it was, it didn't absorb as much I feel. I actually only wore this pad a couple times, and had to change it like every 30-45 minutes because I kept nearly overflowing this thing. That was very disappointing. I change my pads regularly as is, because I feel so gross wearing them, but what if I was out in town and needed it to last 2 hours? I would have definitely been walking around the French Quarter or grocery store with blood on my booty.. FOR SURE. I feel they should call these a regular pad, not a super.. or maybe I'm a freak that has s crazy heavy period?????? I dunno..

Would I buy these again? I will probably keep these on hand for my lighter day, or for wearing when I am home and can change them often... but I'll continue to also purchase the Maxi pads.

Would I recommend them? I do if you have a light to regular period. If you're on the heavier or major clotter side like I am, just expect it to not last long.

Seventh Generation 
Super Pad:

I love this pad, but because it doesn't have wings it MOVES. I feel like it bunches badly. I have a really big butt, and it somehow bunches up and moves. (sorry if thats TMI but I'm trying to be REAL.) I also have to change this pad often, so I only wear it when I am home.

Always 
Maxi:

This is the ONLY pad I trust to leave the house in. It is sad though, because it really does bother my skin. But I can't find another pad that is organic/natural and constructed the same way!!!!! It does make me feel that everyone in the world knows that I am on my period... but at least they won't know because I have a big ass red stain on my butt. LOL.



As you can see,  these ones are way thicker than the other one. I know that it said ULTRA THIN on the L. ones, but it also claims to be SUPER.. So, I dunno, confusing?




First off, I never use the Seventh Generation tampons anymore, because I have the HARDEST time with that stupid paper applicator. It gets stuck on itself and then I have the most awkward time trying to get it situated.. TERRIBLE.

I was very pleased to see the plastic applicator with the L. Tampons. 
It was such an easy and smooth process.

The L. tampons went in smoothly, and I know it was in there correctly, but for some reason it really wasn't long lasting. I work out a lot, so tampons are preferred! But like the pad, I didn't feel confident that I wouldn't end up bleeding all over myself and not having somewhere to change. That was a major bummer, especially because it is such a wide little thing. I really thought it would absorb more, but I feel like maybe it was too dense of cotton that it allowed the clots to roll past it somehow?? I'm no expert, so I could totally be wrong. this is just my experience.


Last but not least, the panty liners. I have no real complaints, because it did save my undies and clothes every time the tampon let me down.. but that is because I could feel the clots passing the tampons and ran to the bathroom in time to change my set up. 

Overall, I would probably keep the liners and pads on hand, but I won't use the tampons again. 

I'm not using any tampons right now, because nothing is working for me as they used to once upon a time. 

New Orleans Audubon Nature Institute.



Hey everyone! I wanted to share some photos from our recent trip to the zoo with some friends we did this past weekend. We have the year long membership to the zoo, aquarium and insectarium. Knowing that we're going to be leaving here so soon, we are trying to really use them and take the kids out somewhere each weekend. 

May 1st- 2 month update measurements and photos.

Hello everyone!!! It is that time of the month again!!! No- not our monthly visit from Aunt Flow..... it is UPDATE day!!!! I have been feeling really crappy about my belly the past couple of weeks, mostly because I can SEE the difference in my legs, but not in my belly.. I have also been eating some unhealthy snacks and junk, but no more. I am gonna stick to my meal plans now that I've seen that I am still making a huge difference in my life! 
This month Dillon had to take me to look for new work out clothes and shirts! I even had to buy all new bras and panties because the rest were becoming so large on me! It is great to see results, and visually blowing my mind from these new photos.
So just so y'all know I am only eating a vegan/ pescatarian diet. 2/3 or 4 meals have to follow a VEGAN diet, then the other 1 or 2 have to follow PESCATARIAN. I don't really eat much cheese or milk. I only eat grains in one meal a day, and lots of water through out the day. 
Friday night I eat pizza with my family, and saturday/ sunday I allow myself one cheat meal or snack a day.
I walk 4 to 5 miles every morning, and throughout that walk I do a LOT of leg workouts like running stairs, chair steps, and lunges. I also do a lot of tricep dips, jumping jacks and rope, and walking uphill.
After I do that outdoors workout, I go home and do another hours worth of workouts from an app called: 30 day fitness challenge by Leap Wellness or Fitness, something like that. it is teal!
I love this free app, and it honestly is my favorite part of my day.
If you have any questions, let me know, I don't mind answering them.

Okay, enough talking... let's get to the good stuff!!!!!

This month I lost about a pound a week, but overall I lost 11.25 inches throughout my body! I can see a huge difference in my legs, especially when wearing shorts. I also can feel myself becoming SO strong, and loving my workouts. When I first started I couldn't do a single push up, and now, I can do around 15 with no pauses. I am always so proud of myself when I push further and further. I am now working on getting myself to do a pull up. I'm halfway there- hahah!


Tour of my refrigerator and pantries.

Hi guys! So this might be a suuuuuper weird post, or a helpful one. I kind of wanted to just share some of my staples that I keep stocked in the refrigerator at all times. 
let's just jump right into this really different blog post, hahahah. 

April 1st- 1 month update measurements and photos.

Hey guys!!!! I'm SO excited to share my measurements and updated photos! I have been working hard to lose the 2 lbs a week with the help of My Fitness Pal. 

If you're looking for an easy way to track your food intake and sync your workout watch- this is it! I love it so much, and no, this is not an ad! I just really recommend it because it works so well!

Anyways, I followed my guidelines and within two weeks I lost 11 lbs! I was over the moon! BUT, I forgot to update my activity level on MFP and that had me eating too little of calories. I didn't notice until I had gained 4 lbs back! So I definitely will be watching my levels of activity and making sure I have enough calorie intake so that my body doesn't think I am starving myself! I'm definitely am not doing that! 

I have successfully reached my monthly goal with extra hard work though! I lost those lbs that I gained back and will keep on going! This week I splurged and ate pizza, a sparkling soda, and Thai food... but my life is all about balance right now and not going crazy strict on myself. I will get to my goal by living life happily while I work hard.

I am going to include some current photos, so go ahead and click on the read more below to the measurements to see the rest!




Two Vegan recipes great for lunch or dinner!


Vegan Italian Pasta

  • 1/4 lb tomato (chopped up)
  • 1/2 tsp olive oil
  • 1/8 tsp garlic powder
  • sea salt
  • 2 mushrooms (chopped)
  • 1/8 cup water
  • 1 tsp fresh minced garlic 
  • 1/2 vegan italian sausage
  • 1 serving vegan pasta
  1. Set a pot of water to boil for your pasta, add it once boiling and cook according to instructions.
  2. in a saucepan, sautée the tomato with the olive oil, onion powder, sea salt, garlic, and mushrooms. 
  3. when that gets mushy, add the water. 
  4. in another saucepan brown the sausage in super light oil.
This pasta was amazing. I seriously loved it more than any other pasta I've ever made in my life. It was sooooooo good.

How I ate vegan at IHOP

On my mother in law's last day here we ate IHOP for brunch and it was my first day going vegan. I honestly could have just said "fuck it" and ate that strawberry crepe I was craving, but I decided to stick with what I started and skimmed the entire menu until I put a few things together. I settled on avocado toast, (no butter on the toast) the side of potatoes, and an unsweetened tea that I added sugar substitute to. It cost around $6 and I didn't even eat the entire thing because I got full! 

I just wanted to make this little post to show that eating vegan can be challenging when you go to places that don't cater to your diet, but it can be done!



Food the last few days.. I forgot to record some of my meals, sorry guys!



Grapefruit + vegan crackers + Garlic hummus


My soon to be before pictures.

Hi guys! So today I was contemplating on posting some photos and measurements I took on March 5th! I decided that I should, since I am already seeing a RAPID difference in my weight. I know I will regret not posting this information now, in even just one month from the 5th! I may not post my actual before photos, (out of complete embarrassment) but- I will post something. I guess we will find out by the end of this post!

First, here is my weigh in and measurement results! This alone is completely embarrassing, but- I have since then already gone down to 181 lbs... so yay me! I will update the measurements on the 1st of every month from here on out!


I decided to just take a lot of measurements so that each month I can really see what a difference I have done! I hate these numbers right now, but they're changing and so am I. I have some rather big goals that I want to pursue, and if I really want it I need to drop around 30 more pounds. I know it is possible, and as of this morning 3-20-2017 I weigh 181. That is an 8 lb weight loss so far! In about 15 days! 

I have begun my journey to veganism with the exception so far of fish and greek yogurt. I haven't given in to the greek yogurt portion yet, so hopefully I can keep it up. (I love that stuff so much!)

So before I post these next photos, I just want everyone to know that since October I have gained around 17 lbs. I was eating junk and not working out AT ALL due to living conditions/ depression. This sucks, and totally set me back in my weightloss from Summer 2016, but it isn't the end of the world.

Food Log Day 10

Today was an errands and deep clean the entire first floor kind of day..


Food Log Day 9

We went to the zoo this day. I sort of skipped lunch, because the zoo didn't have the best options for me. 


I forgot to snap a photo of BREAKFAST, but it was a re-run of some similar tacos from last week.

Food Log Day 8

My mother in law brought 2 bags of apples with her for me, and I decided to use some!

Food Log day 7

This post isn't going to be as long as you'd think, because I forgot to take pictures of A LOT of the meals I cooked or ate out.. My mother in law has been here since Sunday, (Day 7) and I just have been super busy hanging out with her and the kids. 

Let's get started!

DAY 7

BREAKFAST: Sweet Potato Hash

I am so upset, I made the most delicious Sweet Potato hash and I forgot to take my photo!!!!! Everyone loved it so much that they were upset that there wasn't second portions!! It had: 

2 sweet potatoes

onions

mushrooms

peppers

scrambled eggs

cinnamon



After breakfast we decided to head to the Audubon Aquarium and explore NOLA.
We ate lunch at SEED, it was amazing!!




Food Logs Day 5 & 6

These past 2 days have kind of gone by SO fast for me. I was pretty much lucky to remember to eat, I've been really busy. My mother in law is coming into town and staying with us tonight/tomorrow for a few days, so I've been trying to unbox the last of the stuff thats been lingering, and clean up! 

Well, anyways, try not to judge how badly the food choices were, and the poor pictures. :P


Food Log Day 4

Yesterday was not so great, so today I am working a little harder to get creative. I am about to use the last of any veggies I really have, so lets see how far I can get....

My washer stopped working the other day, so the next (this day) I had maintenance workers kind of in my kitchen/ entrance while I was cooking this. I can tell they were drooling because they kept whispering about it. Every time this week that they've been here fixing things I am in the kitchen cooking, so I bet they think all I do is cook!!! :P


Food Log Day 3

BREAKFAST: 

It Works Greens in OJ

I forgot that I had this little jar of Greens and decided to start this up. Greens help your body to Alkalize, Balance, and detox. If you're ever wanting to try It Works products, I am still a distributor, you can check out my website: www.chelseagon.itworks.com 

I have been doing this for a couple days and can't lie, I really feel like I'm flushing my system out. 

Anyways, I am not only drinking that for brekky, I am EATING!



Food Log Day 2

Funny thing this morning, Oliver wanted french fries for breakfast, so I made shredded hash browns for him. Now, this is something I could've ate also but I decided not to have such a high calorie brekky and opted for an experimental option!

All of these are vegan except the breakfast because of the egg :-)


My food log - day 1

I am starting to watch what I eat again guys! This time around I'm not really counting calories a whole lot, but more focusing on what I eat. I am still a vegetarian, so this time around all I am doing is cutting out breads, pastas, dairy (I'm keep greek yogurt in the mix though), and I am allowing myself to enjoy eggs, though only 1 a day if I eat them. Also, I am only drinking water and one glass (8oz) of Orange Juice a day. I'm taking vitamins and some other things as well.

Anyway, I used to use My Fitness Pal to log my food, but honestly that was not enjoyable, nor something that held my attention. So, instead, I am photo logging my meals and anything I consume a day, so that I have actual accountability. I didn't want to post them to my instagram, so I will just do one daily post sharing my meals.

Another thing, I am not trying to create a cook book or recipes, but I will include a little bit about each meal. If you have any questions on brands of things, shoot me an email! I don't mind answering questions!!


Our first Ferry boat into the french quarter.


On Sunday we took a day off from unpacking and hanging out at the house and decided to catch the ferry (that happens to be only a few blocks from our neighborhood), to explore! I was really excited to be able to take the kids into the city without worrying about parking!

We started at the Algiers ferry stop, waited on a ramp that was for strollers/ bikes/ wheelchairs and cars. I believe the first boat that morning ran at 10:30. It was right on time which meant our wait was only about 5 minutes. Once it got there it was pretty quick loading. We bought an all day pass that was $7 and would include the trolly and buses. We weren't sure exactly how long or where we'd end up so it seemed like the right choice, but we honestly could've just used cash and paid the $2 each way to save a few bucks because we didn't use the other 2 transportation options in the end.

The boat ride itself took around 5 minutes, it was SO fast.


This specific post is REALLY long and has a lot of photos. To continue, please click on the "read more".


Dining Room Inspiration + Life Update


Hey everyone! I've been gone for a while from actually blogging anything here and I feel it is time for a change! I haven't been blogging/ pinning/ planning, etc because life has been h-e-c-t-i-c! And when I say hectic, I mean hectic! Life for Dillon and I has always been sort of what we say, "hurry up and wait!" when it comes to the military....