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How To Get Rid Of Mom Tummy?| At-Home Postpartum Workout Programs And Postpartum Exercises For Tummy

You know what is hard? Planning and starting your postpartum weight loss journey. The hardest part is starting. Once I am in a routine and can see results it becomes part of my lifestyle! But before that I am constantly researching at-home postpartum workout programs and postpartum exercises for tummy.

I had 2 babies before I realized I could not avoid taking care of my body – that taking care of my body is not for my own vanity but for keeping up my health and energy to be the better mom for my children. With the limited amount of time I have to go workout by myself the solution I found was to use at-home postpartum workouts.

Are you tired of not fitting into your clothes because your mommy tummy or muffin top can't squeeze into your jeans? Hannah, from the popular Canadian mom blog Honey & Betts, shares the best postpartum workouts for losing baby weight after she had 4 babies! If you are having a hard time losing baby weight this is the weight loss blog post you need to read!

After my first baby, Annaliese, my body did not immediately snap back but after a year I was able to wear my most of my pre-pregnancy clothes. Then I had my second baby, Abigail… it was a completely different experience!

My baby bump popped a lot sooner than with my first while I was pregnant, and then postpartum around the 9 months mark I could tell I was going to need to start some kind of workout and dietary change for multiple reasons. For one, my energy levels were super low. I could lay on the couch all day while my toddler and baby played on the floor. And the second reason is that my stomach muscles were very much stretched out and my core was not what it once was.

Now that I’ve read the novel The Four Tendancies by Gretchen Rubin, I know that I’m an upholder and have no problem self starting activites on a whim. But for some of you you need the pressure from someone or good enough reasons to start something up. So let me share what postpartum at-home workout programs I’ve used and why I like them all for different stages of your postpartum fitness journey!

Love Yourself Work Out Plan – Way of Grey

The sucky part about this awesome workout program is that, I believe, it’s not available anymore. Sophie Grey is an Edmonton based fitness entreprenur who a couple years ago offered online or on-location workout programs. I stumbled upon her social media 3 years ago and bought her 3 month program, and to be honest I never made it past week 7. I’ve done her 3 month program 4 times and once I hit week 7 it was a combination of the workouts being too hard, or I would get sick, or not look forward to working out.

With that said I did see results! And it was not a light hearted workout, they probably revivaled the BBG workouts before BBG was a huge thing. Each workout touched on cardio, core, and then a circuit. You were left drenched in sweat everytime!

4+ Weeks Workout – No Tummy Mommy

I know Trisha though Instagram, and the best part is that I unexpectantly met her when I was in Toronto during the summer on the Toys R Us trip! It was a lovely surprise!

Skip forward a couple years of using Way of Grey, add in a new baby and a move to a new house with a big, open basement I wanted and needed to start working out again!

And the reason I started using No Tummy Mommy was the Way of Grey program was unavailable online for some reason. So I tried a free BBG workout and did not like it at all, and then remembered that Trisha had an at-home program available as well! So I signed up!

I was 9 months postpartum when I started her No Tummy Mommy program and love that it was the perfect push for my postpartum body. The workout program was challenging but not impossible, and left me feeling sore but not immobile.

I did Trisha’s workout program for 10 weeks and felt much stronger in my core and arms. It prepared my cardio and strength for the next program…

AX-1 90 Day Program – AthleanX

Woah, that’s a full head spin on workout programs! Yes, this program is not specifically postpartum centred and I don’t recommend it for early on in your postpartum fitness journey. But my mom has been doing this program for months and always encouraged me to try it so finally I did!

I now see why she likes it! The workouts are quick sessions (which I love) and the are “400 challenges” that test your strength and cardio. If you don’t pass then you go back to the beginning of the weeks exercises and repeat until it’s challenge day and you retest. It sounds daunting but it is addicting and fun to see how much you’ve grown!

And all along my postpartum weight loss journey I have used Weight Watchers – as someone who had a great metabolism as a teenager and then had babies at 20 years old I thought I could eat anything, drink as many lattes as I wanted, and feel great! My food choices caught up with me quick.

I’ve used both the Weight Watchers meetings and the Weight Watchers app, and both are great! I currently only use the Weight Watchers app because like I said before I am a good self starter. If you feel like you need that external pressure from people to stick to something or you always have lots of questions that you want answered, going to the Weight Watchers meetings and using the Weight Watchers app is probably best for you!

Results wise, I have no problem talking numbers with you – the scale has never been an enemy but I think it’s important to know all women are not petite. I am 5′ 9″ and typically at the end of my pregnancies I gain 40 lbs. So when I was 3 months postpartum I weighed 197 lbs, and at 12 months postpartum I weigh 155 lbs.

That’s my postpartum weight loss journey – it feels impossible at the start but once you have a program you like it gets easier!

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Tell me, what are you favourite at-home postpartum workout programs? Are you ready to start your journey today?

If you like this post, check out My Postpartum Body post before you go!

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Hannah from the Canadian blog Honey & Betts shares her life.

5 Car Rental Tips For Traveling To Halifax

I’m so excited for this next week where my mom and I will be flying to Halifax, Nova Scotia to visit my sister. It’s been 3 years since she moved there for school and I haven’t been able to go see her, though she’s been able to come back to visit us in Edmonton. First thing we did was book our flights but now that it’s a few days before we leave I wanted to share my 5 car renting tips for traveling to Halifax.

Like I said, I have never been to Halifax but my mom has. So she shared a couple of things with me before we started researching what car rental company we would use!

Here are 5 car renting tips for travelling to Halifax:

If you are a Costco Member or Costco Capital One Member (you can be the later without the first), always use the Costco Travel to compare and get the best deals with your membership! I did research on my own before my mom recommended the Costco Travel site and we found a less expensive option for the same car and rental time!
Another perk of the Costco Travel, an additional driver was free to add on! Where booking directly through the Halifax rental car company it was $10/day for an additional drive. Again more savings!
If you have an early or evening flight that is close to their opening or closing times in Halifax, call ahead to confirm they will be open and available for your car rental. Better to be safe, than sorry!
If you’re arrival or departure times are during the Halifax rental car off hours, schedule your rental car drop off at a closer location to your hotel and then use a taxi or Uber to drive to the airport for your flight. It’s an extra step but there are no 24 hour rental car companies at the Halifax airport.
Check your credit card’s travel perks, often your credit card includes coverage for damage and collision incidents of the card holder’s rental car. But make sure to not sign up for the rental car’s damage and collision coverage or your credit will not cover it! This will save you money and, depending on your credit card, it will cover more than the rental car’s coverage.

I can’t wait to see what adventures we get up to on our trip to Halifax! And don’t worry, I will share all of it on my Instagram and Instastories while I’m there!

What are your experiences with renting cars? Good or bad?

If you like this post, check out my Girls Road Trip To Calgary, AB and My Favourite Travel Skincare before you go!

Make sure to pin this post on Pinterest so you can come back to it for your next trip!

Why I Don’t Sell Beautycounter Anymore…

In this post you’ll learn why I joined Beautycounter, why I don’t sell Beautycounter anymore, and why I will not join another direct sales company.

Woah, woah, woah – those are heavy words in the title, Hannah!

You may know me from following me on Instagram or you may be a prospect for a Beautycounter friend and you’re research the pros and cons before you sign up to become a Beautycounter consultant in Canada or the USA.

I’ll let you know right now, selling Beautycounter is not as easy as your upline leader is making it out to be. You work your butt off all year, to be told if you do not make another $1200 in NEW sales (not sales from your formed client base) that you will not be eligible to be a Beautycounter sales consultant.

Talk about stressful pressure!

Now I’m sure you are curious on why I don’t sell Beautycounter anymore, well… let’s start from the beginning.

For many of you who have been around for at least the past year you will have read my Why I Joined Beautycounter and Why You Should Try Beautycounter blog posts, along with a lot of my Beautycounter product reviews before and after I joined Beautycounter as a consultant.

So the reasons I joined Beautycounter in May 2017 were – 1. I had worked with their PR team for a year before I joined, when they announced their availability in Canada, sharing their new products as a freelance blogger creating honest reviews in exchange for free product. 2. I loved their skincare and makeup products and how they made my skin look (vanity, I know). 3. Their mission statement on toxic ingredients in beauty products and educating people on what they were consuming was a movement I wanted to become a part of.

Overall, I loved their products and their stance on educating consumers.

When I joined I had no previous sales experience, some would say my experience in testing out beauty products and speaking true to their nature is experience enough, but for me sales (in-store, or online) is actually very different from giving an honest opinion online.

But as you can see, I take pride in my photography skills. Photography is a passion of mine and what drives my brand and blog.

So, when did my experience as a Beautycounter Consultant go a little haywire?

Before I get into that let me praise the company, I still use their products. Their mission statement is amazing and authentic. The drive of the consultants is powerful and admirable. But… being a Beautycounter consultant was not for me.

There’s a long version and a short version of why I stopped being a Beautycounter Consultant in Canada, and I’m going to give you the short version for my sake.

It essentially boiled down to the terms and agreements that is not stated when you sign up (my law student husband at the time was shaking his head at me when I expressed my frustration), and that I learned about it more than a month into the online training course they have set up.

It felt slimy and left a bad taste in my mouth, because what I discovered well into joining as consultant is that any content or images produced with Beautycounter products or images by a consultant is owned by the company and can be distributed between consultants freely without charge.

What does that even mean? Why was I upset?

As a blogger I create content to share with you guys, I pour my creativity into it. When I was aware of the awesome new products that were going to be available in 2017 I made sure to buy a big bundle of holiday products ($300 value) to photograph and have ready for their release so I could share all the goodness with you. I was using my photography skills to enhance my Beautycounter business.

Shortly after I had published my content I was contacted by another Beautycounter consultant asking (and I am so thankful that she asked before because that’s content courtsey, photo rights and copyright infringement are real things that you can be sued for if you violate) to use my photos that I created. Naturally, I responded with my photo rights rate which she replied that she would pass. No problem, sounds good!

Later that week I received a text from a lady higher up on the chain of consultants (I don’t know how else to explain it to people who don’t know the system of Beautycounter, sorry if that sounds weird “chain of consultants”) that I can’t charge for my custom photos, it’s stated in the terms and agreements page that all images created with Beautycounter products can freely be used by any other Beautycounter consultants and that you cannot charge a fee for images likewise.

The solution offered for this situation was to watermark all my images.

What? Where was this stated?

In an attached document to a module after you’ve signed up.

And I am 100% for women supporting other women, but I also know my worth as a content creator. It’s a fine balance, that is always shifting and readjusting in each situation. That is just my experience as a content creator! I joined thinking I could elevate my business with fine photography and online marketing, and if that is what you are expecting out of your Beautycounter business it’s likely you could find a similar experience to mine.

Though I hope not!

That leaves us with, why I will not join another direct sales initiative?

Everyone needs to dip their toes into the side hustle business at least once in their lives right? For some it’s Tupperware, for others it’s a fitness business, and for me it was Beautycounter.

All the MLMs companies claim they are not like the “others” – that’s true in some aspects of Beautycounter. But it seemed for me all the new products that were coming out this year were selling mostly because they (I’m not even sure who they is) make it seem like you need every new product for showcasing to your clients. You end up spending a lot of money each month.

The pressure to sell product, host socials (Beautycounter parties), and acquire new clients is too much for me. Being a consultant didn’t fit well with my family and lifestyle, but I will say Beautycounter makes amazing products and I stand by that.

You may be thinking: That’s a lot of negatives… You negative Nancy! Where are the positives of your experience?

The connections I made were amazing. I will never be able to thank Dallas and Tara enough for sharing their passion and friendship with me. From them they taught me a lot on how to run a business and how much dedication it takes – I love watching them continue to grow.

And not only did I make connections with them, but I met a lot of wonderful local women that have become friends and even neighbours (hey, Allison!). Becoming a Beautycounter Consultant forced me, in a good way, to connect face to face with my community. Which is a huge plus in my books!

I hope you found answers to why I am no longer a Beautycounter Consultant in Canada! Thanks for listening to my story!

If you like this post, check out my Cost-Friendly Safer Beauty Products post before you go!

Make sure to pin this post on Pinterest so you can come back to it later!

Are you thinking about signing up for Beauty Counter? Are you being pursued by Beauty Counter Consultants Canada USA? Check out why Hannah, from the popular Canadian lifestyle blog Honey & Betts, does not sell Beauty Counter anymore... from high pressure to sell, to consultants knowing nothing about business expenses or how to run a business.

Hannah is a Canadian Mom Blogger from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada who shares her life around motherhood to 4 kids, on-the-go beauty for moms, healthy and delicious recipes, bohemian home decor, family travel, and local Edmonton businesses.

Cool Unicorn Party Idea – Balloon Cloud and Rainbow Streamers Backdrop

Are you ready to blow up a lot of balloons? Get ready! This cool unicorn party idea will either make your arms sore or you will be out of breath – but it’s for the kids right?

Make sure you sign up for my email list! You will even receive my FREEBIE for the 3 phone apps I use to edit all my blog and Instagram photos, hurry up and go get it! It will make taking photos for your own Instagram, or blog, or for your personal photos so much easier! Then head to my latest blog post on how to edit using those apps to get the perfect picture – no matter the lighting!

To make a cloud balloon garland you will need:

white balloons (I used 45 but you can use more)
fishing line
sewing needle
balloon pump (optional if you are willing to blow them up)

And now the steps to making a kickass balloon cloud for the unicorn party backdrop:

Blow up the balloons to be different sizes (I found 1 breathe, 2 breathes, and 3 breathes were the perfect sizes – if you’re blowing them up without a balloon pump).
Unroll a long piece of fishing line, 5 feet long is what I used, and tie a knot at one end.
Tie the unknotted fishing line end to the sewing needle and pierce it through the bottom of the balloon. Alternating balloon sizes and string them all along on the fishing line.
Knot the other end of the fishing line and hang with your DIY rainbow streamer backdrop.

Did you like this cool unicorn party idea? Let me know if you use it for your next party! I’d love to know how it worked for you!

If you like this post, check out my DIY Unicorn Party Backdrop tutorial to match the balloon cloud decoration!

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Easy DIY Unicorn Party Backdrop

What a cool unicorn birthday we had for Annaliese and Abigail this weekend! It was filled with pizza, cake, juice boxes, balloons, streamers, glow sticks, a pinata, a borrowed bouncy castle, and a whole lot of unicorn decor. Like I said on my Instagram post – it was a 90’s birthday party on steriods. But I was most proud of my DIY unicorn party backdrop!

I went to the Great Canadian Dollar Store (I’m sure all dollar stores have streamers in the party section) and picked the colours of the rainbow for the unicorn party backdrop. And then in a couple steps completed the rainbow part:

Unroll tape to be 5 feet long (or as long as you want your unicorn party backdrop to be), and lay it down adhesive-side up.
Place the end of the red streamers (for the pattern of colours of the rainbow, red – orange – yellow – green – blue – purple) on the adhesive-side of the tape and unroll the length you want for the height of the backdrop to be and cut.
Then repeat step 3 for a total of 6 strands of red streamers.
Continue steps 3 and 4 for the rest of the rainbow’s colours.
Unroll a second piece of tape that matches the first, and place it on top of the streamers where the first piece of tape is. It helps strengthen it when you hang it on the wall.
Use additional tape or tacks to hang the unicorn party backdrop on the wall.
Trim the streamers ends to be the same length. And you’re done!

The balloon arch is another story! I’ll share tomorrow here.

If you like this post, check out my DIY Naked Cake post before you go!

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Unique German Baby Names For Boys & Girls

When I was pregnant with our first baby, Annaliese, we had such a fun time picking out both boy names and girl names! And after a little research (or a lot of research) into what kind of names I liked, I discovered how much I love unique German baby names for boys and girls!

They are traditional but unique, something that can grow with your baby from babyhood to adulthood! Here are my favourite German baby names for boys and girls:

| German Inspired Baby Boy Names |

Peter: Stone

Henry: Home ruler

Emmerich: Industrious

Matz: Gift of God

Malkiel: God is my king

Tobias: The Lord is good

Carsten: Follower of Christ

Miles: Merciful

| German Inspired Baby Girl Names |

Hedy: Warrior

Greta: Pearl

Liesel: Pledged to God

Odella: Praise God

Mathilde: Mighty battle maiden

Clara: Bright

Josephine: God will add

I have always been a fan of utilizing family names for middle names, like great-grandparents or grandparents, in my opinion it adds a charming touch!

2018 and 2019 baby name trends are coming back to unique, traditional names and these beautiful german baby names are perfect for naming your baby this year!

From the list above, what German baby names are your favourite?

Make sure you pin this on Pinterest so you can come back to it later!

If you like this post, check out my Things No One Told Me About Having A Baby before you go!

Must Have Cost-Friendly Safer Beauty | Where To Find Safer Beauty Products At A Fraction Of The Cost

Last year you couldn’t get me to be quiet about educating yourself on what products you’re using on your body, from make-up to skincare to haircare, but the biggest barrier for myself was the price. Just like buying organic food, buying safer beauty products is expensive. So what are the options for cost-friendly safer beauty products?

I was overwhelmed with the excited responses when I shared this Kirkland body wash. One thing I am grateful of my time with Beautycounter (I did not renew my consultant membership this year) is all the valuable knowledge of toxic and non-toxic chemicals that I learned about. One look at the Kirland body wash’s ingredients and I wanted to buy the whole palet!

The ingredients include:

No Parabens

No Sulfates

No Fragrance/Parfum (it’s scented with essential oils)

And the body wash is gluten free and never tested on animals!

To be honest, I use an 60/40 split of safer beauty products versus not safer beauty. It’s hard to find safer beauty products that I can justify to my budget to use. I am so thankful for distributors like Costco Canada that have taken a step towards broadening the safer beauty market!

Can you imagine if Costco supplied a whole Kirkland beauty collection that specialized in safer beauty? I would love them even more!

Never the less if ALL big brand retailers took their own in-house brands and made them exclusively safer? I would die of happiness!

That is the dream!

I’ll keep you updated on more cost-friendly safer beauty products as I find them! It makes me heart happy that you all are striving for change as well.

Are you looking for more cost-friendly safer beauty products or does price not matter?

Make sure you pin this post on Pinterest so you can come back to it later!

If you like this post, check out my Safer Beauty section before you go!

buybuy BABY | Best Convertible Car Seat For Tall Babies

This best convertible car seat for tall babies post is sponsored by buybuy BABY. All opinions are 100% my own.

Quick jump on this amazing sale at buy buy BABY with their Graco® 4Ever™ All-in-1 Convertible Car Seat in Rockweave™! It’s $100 off, and if you sign up for their email list you get a 20% coupon.

It is crazy how much baby products change year to year, but I’m thankful they do because 5 years ago there were not a lot of options for car seats for tall babies. And all my girls have been tall babies that out grew their bucket seats before they were walking! How hard or easy is it to find the best convertible car seat for tall babies?

If you’re unfamiliar with the Canadian car seat guidance on when your baby/toddler can be in a forward facing car seat they must be: 1 year old, walking, and be at least 22 lbs in weight.

But even if your child meets those requirements it’s recommended that your child remains rear facing until 2 years old!

For my older daughters I was hasty and as soon as they were walking I put them in a forward facing car seat – just like Adeline they were tall babies and their heads were within an inch of the top of the car seat, which is a sign you need to move them into the next age car seat.

You know me, anytime I am going to invest into one of the more expensive baby gear items (car seat, stroller, baby monitor, etc.) I do extensive research. I want my baby gear to last a long time and for my purchase to be an intentional one.

The best car seat for tall babies I found at buybuy BABY is the Graco® 4Ever™ All-in-1 Convertible Car Seat in Rockweave™, and I chose it because:

- children can be rear facing from 4 lbs – 50 lbs

- there is an extension panel for rear facing that provides additional leg room

- the head rest extends the tallest out of all the convertible car seats, I stood them side by side
- grows with your baby from newborn, to extended rear facing, to forward facing

machine washable car seat cover

One of the biggest helpers finding the best convertible car seat for tall babies was the car seat expert at buybuy BABY. She was so patient as I tested out all the head rest extensions and compared their heights to each other! The first car seat she suggested was the Graco Extend2Fit but it wasn’t until I had done my hands-on research that I can to the same conclusion.

I highly suggest talking to a buybuy BABY car seat expert if you have car seat questions of your own!