Review: My newest obsession

My newest obsession...I am not a yogurt lover...at ALL...but this stuff is amazeballs. Seriously. I can't get enough. Yoplait Greek 100 calorie Whips! I've had a few flavors (Cafe Latte, Raspberry, Vanilla Cupcake, Strawberry, Strawberry Cheesecake) and they have all been incredible. The yogurt is smooth, light, and doesn't have that weird "yogurt tang" that makes me loathe most yogurts. It is filling too! At only 100 calories, 9g protein, and about $1/each...I can't go wrong. Try one and let me know what you think!

Side note: I am not being paid in any way by Yoplait for my review. I just tried a new yogurt and adore it. 

A New Day...A New Treehouse

First off, to all our fans new and old, we appreciate you. We wouldn't exist if it weren't for you. 

Now, we have been quiet in the Treehouse lately filling orders and changing our structure. We are VERY excited for our changes though and we think you will be too. The people and places have not changed, just the focus of our business. 

The Monkey's Treehouse will still offer handmade items at a great value. Many of our items will be available with customization but we will take very few fully customized orders. The majority of our products will be already crafted and in stock which means you will be able to get that lovingly handmade quality you love, at the speed of a box store. Additionally, our blog will be Where. It's. At. 

The Monkey's Treehouse will very soon become your absolute resource for reviews, events, ideas, advice, Treehouse products etc...Our calendar of events will be updated (For the New England area) and will be available for you to find events to attend with your family. We will also be sharing more of our story with you so that you can be a part of The Monkey's Treehouse Family. 

We hope that you will join us on this next adventure and be as excited to be a part of our future as we are to be a part of yours. 

From our treehouse to yours...Thank you.

Groundhog Day

Earlier this week was Groundhog Day. Yes, the groundhog saw his shadow...Yay for early spring!

Remember the movie Groundhog Day though? The one where the day repeated over and over again. That was my day on Tuesday. And I loved it. That's right. L-O-V-E-D it.

I know that sounds a little weird that I would be so excited about the same old routine, but I was sick this weekend. Like, dying on the couch can't do anything except get up and pee, sick. Mr. Incredible was amazing and took care of the kids and me. Don't get me wrong, I am well aware of how lucky I am to have had him around to take care of everything. It was kind of terrible to be unable to do anything though. Like I wasn't able to help the kids fold their laundry, or hear about their days at dinner. I wasn't able to help the girls with their hair or make sure the boys didn't accidentally have each other's clothes on. I wasn't able to hang out on the couch with Mr. Incredible after the kids were in bed. Simple, mundane things that I do every single day...the tasks I sometimes take for granted (and sometimes grumble about)...for three days, those small moments were all I wanted.

Tuesday...Tuesday I was back to MY Groundhog Day. My every day, take care of the house, take care of the kids, take care of my hubby...My. Every. Day.

And I loved it.

Sometimes you have to lose a little to know what you have. Fortunately for me this time was just me being out of commission for a few days...but there is the morbid, though very real, chance that it could be more serious. Hang on tight and appreciate every day...each day, no matter how "normal" or "mundane"...no matter how exciting or frustrating...Take it in. Enjoy it and appreciate it for what it is, one more small moment with your loved ones. One day you will be wishing you had another Groundhog Day.

Image courtesy of: www.funnydam.com

There were 3 in the bed and the little one said...

Welcome back Treehouse readers! 

We promise that we will be getting back to our daily blog with updated activity calendar oh so very soon. We are working on finding just the right balance of guests, information, stories, and activities to share with you. In the meantime, we are back with one of our "balanced" guest bloggers- the ever so lovely Christina- with your weekly Hump Day Happenings. 

Happy hump day! Welcome back!
Today I wanted to talk a little about how sex changed from pre-children, and then after child #1 and then #2.

Sex used to be spontaneous, at the drop of a hat, mid movie, mid conversation, morning, afternoon, evening, it didn't really matter.  We were in love and completely free to be engulfed in each other... ALL THE TIME! 

Fast forward slightly, we are expecting baby #1.  My body is changing in so many ways.  My hormones are all over the place and so are my thighs, my belly and my booty!  Haha.  How can I possibly still look sexy to my partner or feel sexy?  I can say now, with certainty that I wish I had cherished this time.  I had no idea then, that for quite some time it would be the last of "our time".  After countless sleepless nights and about 6 months of colic, we got into the groove of parenting.  About 2 years later, we got back into the groove of more "regular sex" and more sleep (which didn't hurt). 

Fast forward one year later, and welcome baby #2.  Same thing (maybe a little more frequent sex this time), but essentially now I was on call 24/7 for two kids.  I was the milk maid, the nurse, the professional tushy wiper and the best thing to puke all over, among so many other "duties"!
How could I possibly feel sexy by the time my husband got home from work and wanted some us time? 

The answer is: I didn't.  For a long time sex felt like a "chore".  I still very much loved my husband and am more attracted to him now than ever but at that point, mentally, I couldn't get my mind off of the countless times I had been covered in someone else's body fluids and even a shower couldn't wash away my mental exhaustion. 

Then I joined Athena's.
This past May I went to a workshop at company head quarters in Rhode Island.  The topic of the education portion that evening was sex and motherhood.  It was presented by none other then the president and CEO of the company who is a married mother of two.  I listened with such intensity that I actually started crying.  

As important as it is to be everything and give everything to my children, how could I be forgetting the reason they are here?  That love and lust my husband and I had. How could I have pushed it all aside?  

She mentioned how important it is to still invest in your relationship and your intimacy for both yourself and your children; how important it is to keep the spark alive. She told us how she and her husband planned a weekly date night.  No matter what was going on in their world, they set aside one night a week (even if just for an hour) to completely devote themselves to each other. If they had a 5-10 min break during nap time or other occupied time that they would sneak away for a quickie. You know what? They are still so in love 30 years later!  

Food for thought:  What are you doing to keep the spark in your relationship?  Do you make the time your partner deserves from you and visa versa?  Do you remember why you fell in love in the first place? 

Until next week!
Xoxo Christina

Image from www.genconnect.com

The little word that can change your life

In this season of thanks, what are you thankful for? We are thankful for many things up in the treehouse, but we are extremely thankful that today we get to introduce a new weekly guest blogger to you. 

Whether you are thankful for it or not, sex is a part of our every day lives. After all, chances are good that sex is exactly how you ended up with your own little monkeys. Our friend and Athena's Goddess, Christina will be talking weekly with us about sex in our lives, with a focus on sex in our lives as parents. Tune in every Wednesday ("hump day") to find out what Christina has to say about this little word that has a huge impact on all of our lives. 

Greetings readers!I am so excited to be a guest blogger!  I thought it would be extremely appropriate to be your "hump day" blogger.  Here is a little about me!

My name is Christina, I am a 27 year old married mom of two.  I have been married for 5 years and have a darling daughter that is 5 and a sweet little boy that is 2.  I am a stay at home mom and childcare provider by day and an Athena's Goddess by night.

I started my journey with Athena's in February of 2014 to get some adult interaction and to feel like I was making a contribution to my family's income.  My reasons for continuing are infinite.  My confidence has grown tremendously, I have made life long friends from my fellow consultants, hostesses and party guests, I make a fabulous income on my own schedule, and I change people's lives.

Let's talk about that last one for a minute.  When people think of Athena's they don't realize all that it encompasses.  I like to think of myself as an educator.  I meet people from from all walks of life, parents who have trouble keeping the "spark" post children, people that have been victims of sexual abuse, people that have been shamed in regards to sex or their sexual preferences and so many others.  

"Sex" is not a dirty word.  As a mother of a daughter I have thought to myself that some day she will have questions, and I will have to answer them... Do I want to give her the run around or shame her?  Who knows how she will get her answers then.  I want my daughter to someday understand what a healthy sexual relationship is.  Including having enough respect for herself and her body to not be afraid or manipulated. Someone once brought to my attention that it is up to me to teach her what is OK.  I would rather her get "grossed out" by the sight of my husband and I showing affection in front of her, than hearing us argue and her watching the opposite. 

Food for thought, if your children "learn what they live" how would your current relationship shape their future relationship?  Would you want that for them?  I'll "see" you next week.  Feel free to find me on Facebook and friend request me.  I'd love to answer any questions you may have and I am open to any topics you would like me to discuss.  

Until next hump day xo Christina

How do you "do it"?

So our little peanut started preschool this week.

Yes, I know I already did a post about that.

This was the first week EVER that mommy had any time without children. 

Can I admit something? It was bizarre. I missed my kiddos. 

Can I admit something else? I was a better mom, better wife, and better business woman this week than I have been in a LONG time. 

I was more productive this week at The Monkey's Treehouse. I was able to make dinners and pack Mr. Incredible's meals for work. I was able to help kids with their homework and fill out papers and tote little monkeys to activities. I was even able to get Belle and Bean's birthday party set for today without major stress. It was easier this week, but I've always done these things. 

"How do you do it?" I get asked this at least 5 times a day. And there have absolutely been days where I answer, "I don't friggin know...I just know that I do."

So I came up with some of the things that help me. Here they are for your use.   

Lists. I got organized and made lists. I like to use either paper or dry erase boards for my lists. If I'm out and about and think of something I need to do, I put it in my phone and then add it to my physical lists later. There is something much more satisfying about crossing something off a list than just pressing a button to delete it. 

Mindfulness. Do you realize how much of your day you spend doing just about nothing? You're not actually doing nothing but...you check your email, see someone updated a post on Facebook. You go on Facebook, and 30 minutes later you're on Pinterest looking at kitchens because a friend posted a recipe on Facebook that linked to Pinterest and it reminded you that someday you want to paint your kitchen. Pay attention to how you spend your time. There is something to be said for taking 30 minutes to relax and peruse Pinterest, but not necessarily when you're supposed to be working. 

ODAT. What the heck does that mean? It means take things One ever-loving Day At a Time. Yes, I plan things out weeks (sometimes months) in advance and my calendar is color coded (We use the Cozi app and I absolutely love it). But I can't worry about how I am going to get the kids fed and to all of their activities in the spring when I have to worry about how I'm going to make dinner and get the kids to their appointments tonight. I try to take things as they come. I wasn't always like this. I was a worrier. What's going to happen when the schedule changes and then there might be a conflict? You can't live like that with 5 kids...you can't live like that with ANY kids. If you spend all of your time and energy on worrying what will happen next week or next month...you won't have any energy left to do what matters today. Take things one day at a time and go easy on yourself. 

Make time. There are 168 hours in a week. Every person has that same 168 hours at their disposal. Use them. Yes, you need to sleep, eat, work, and have time for self care. These should be part of your schedule (yes, even self care...especially self care). The rest of your time is yours. Plan it out if you need to. Yes, it's a lot. But time is your power. Use your powers wisely. 

Lastly, Breathe. Light candles if you like that sort of thing...and Breathe. Be sure to take care of yourself so that you can be your best you for those that need you. 

There are days that are rough. Days that I finally get the kids in bed and I think to myself "how the heck did we survive today?" But then I stop and I pat myself on the shoulder because ya know what? We did. We survived. It may not have been pretty, and hopefully tomorrow will be better, but we survived. 

Try out these tips this week and have fun "doing it"!

To the mom-preneur/WAHM who feels like she's drowning...

Water, walls, kids, husband, in laws, parents, friends, clients, bills...
it doesn't matter what it is - it all feels like it's closing in.
There is a serious lack of oxygen in your personal bubble.
You feel like you're drowning in your very own life.

The life that you fought so hard for.

The life that you desperately wanted.

Your mind is filled with "Is this really what I want? This isn't what I thought it would be. Maybe I should just give this up? But I fought so hard to get here."

Your inbox may be filled with "Hey! I found this really great job opportunity for you."

You feel like everyone is waiting for you to fail. You feel like the success you are reaching for is out of reach...perhaps that you are not worth that success.

It's a lot. I hear you. It's overwhelming.

But do me a favor...stop and breathe for a second. I'm serious. Take a deep, belly expanding, full body breath. Now let it go. All of it.

Now listen...I've been there...some moments, I still am there...but those moments are less and less.

Here's what I've learned:

- You are the only one waiting for you to fail. I'm serious. Many small business owners get in their own way and self-sabotage their way right into burnout. I was chatting with fellow mom-preneur, mindset coach, Kimberly Lin Pollard aka "The Troll Tamer" today and she said something that really resonated for me. She told me "Remind yourself that the trolls in your head are lying little jerks who are too lazy to pack up their stuff to move under a bridge in a new comfort zone." Nothing about starting a new business is easy or even comfortable really. You have to work hard and push out of your comfort zone to get where you want to be. You won't get there by staying where you are.

- You are SO worth it. Part of building a successful business is knowing that you are deserving and worth the success that it will bring. Knowing that sometimes, the best way to be productive, is to schedule time for self-care. When we take care of ourselves, we are better prepared to take care of the people around us, and we show the people around us that we are worth being taken care of. Because honestly, if you don't care about you...why should other people? Show them you are worth it by showing yourself you are worth it. This creates a better dynamic with those in your life, whether they be family, friends, or clients.

-You CAN do it. Breathe deep. Take one day, one hour, one project at a time. Be organized. Be calm. Be deliberate with everything you do. Brain dump whenever you can (you can read more about my brain dumping experience here). Know you are worth it. Know that you are the only one standing in your way.

So tonight, after your kids are in bed, when you are trying to figure out where to start and that drowning feeling starts to set in...breathe.

You CAN breathe. You CAN be successful. You WILL be successful.
The only way to fail, is to give up.

Photo courtesy of http://galleryhip.com/michael-david-adams-underwater.html

***For more motivation check out "Fight Song" by Rachel Platten. It will make you cry the first time and then it will kick your butt into gear. I have been known to have it on loop when there are hard days.