Lifestyle Changes

On May 12th I decided that I was done being sick and tired. For weeks I felt like I needed to nap during the day. I had no energy to get out of the house with the kids. My patience was minimal. When Olivia (age 4) asked to be carried I could only do it for a short amount of time. I was feeling majorly blah! In the past years I've tried the Jillian Michael's shred and was bored. I did kickboxing that I loved and it was a great workout but wasn't something I could financially afford to keep up with and getting that time out of the house at night was very hard to schedule in. In steps my sister in law Nadine. She had been posting on her Facebook about a program she was trying and how great she was feeling. She joined a 21 day challenge to get on track and had lost 15 lbs, 10 inches, and had her energy levels up. I decided on the next round I was going to join her with a little extra push from her that I needed. I decided I was going to do the program she was doing through Beachbody. It's a 21 day challenge, eating clean with portion control,  working out for a half hour a day, and drinking a protein shake called Shakeology. I am on day 14 now and my entire day to day outlook on my life has changed. I was never overly concerned with my weight, but I was never fully happy with my body either. I didn't feel powerful. In the first two weeks of the program it wasn't hard for me to cut out the crap I usually eat. I was at the point where I knew I needed to change. At 31 I should not be eating like I'm a teenager with a limited menu of what I like to eat. I have had such a hard time recently picking out things to make for dinner. I was sick of everything! Now I have a game plan! I'm excited to go to the store. Try new healthier foods. My body immediately responded to the changes in my diet. While I still look in the mirror and wonder am I making progress? I only have a week of the challenge left.  Have I lost any weight? For me the true test was this weekend when I didn't bring Olivia's stroller to a short zoo trip we took on Saturday and she was tired of walking. I actually carried her for an extended period of time and still felt great. When I'm pushing through a workout that's what I think of, being a better mom to my kids. If I'm feeling better, they will feel better. The other thing I like about this program is that it's not a yo-yo diet, it's not do this, lose weight, and go back to your old habits. It's taking a look at your health and fitness and showing you the proper way you should be doing it. It's a community with all different people from all different walks of life coming together and supporting each other, motivating each other (via the beach body website or through Facebook accountability groups). I ordered my kit (21 day fix-extreme) which includes guide book with recipes, portion containers, workout dvds, a month supply of chocolate shakeology and a shakeology cup. For real, were on a budget, I'm not going to spend money frivolously, that was also a motivator for me in the first week. I DO NOT waste money. And in the past two weeks my grocery bill has been reduced. (insert thumbs up emoji)

Here are my before pictures which I cannot believe I am posting on the internet! But I'm trying to keep it real and also keep myself motivated. I will post again at the end of my 21 day challenge on the 31st.

                                              

I decided to sign on as a coach because I believe in the concepts of the program and how much it helps people that are just like me. So I'm going to share some links to my coach website if your interested in seeing what some of the programs look like. I decided on doing the extreme challenge pack but that might not be for everyone. There is a also one titled 21 day fix. 

My Beach Body Coach Site

My Team Beachbody Site

My Shakeology Site

What I've been reading lately….

                       

 

Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress Series/ Night Huntress World Novels

THIS SERIES! So addictive! Once you start Cat and Bone's story in Halfway to the Grave you will HAVE to read the rest of the series and spin offs! Perfect blend of paranormal romance, humor and action. Jeaniene has an awesome reading order on her website so you know exactly how these are to be read. The spin off series fits seamlessly into Cat's Night Huntress books. Above are the books I have read so far. I'm also excited to start The Night Prince series which features Vlad. He will quickly become one of your favorite characters from the Night Huntress novels.

                       

Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate Series
I have fallen in love with this series. Each book gets better. The main character Alexia is tough and hilarious. Now I just want to carry a parasol! You know when I'm running to Target or the grocery store, all casual like. Any who, every character in these books are well developed and the story keeps you intrigued. These are a fun read, not very heavy. Looking forward to checking out her teen series Finishing School and the newest The Custard Protocol.

 

A.C. Gaughen's Scarlet Series. THIS TRILOGY! An unforgettable story. Even if you are not a huge fan of Robin Hood tales you will love this series. Will "Scarlet" is a woman disguised as a boy! A boy that can scale trees and throw knives! She's a talented thief and is best friends with the noblest man around, Robin Hood! This is so much more than a Robin Hood story. The journey the characters are on throughout all three books is so moving. There is so much to Scarlet. You will love her and want to hit her upside that head of her's but ultimately you will cheer her on. I absolutely recommend this series to everyone (it is considered a Teen novel). And can we appreciate the beauty of these covers?!? Stunning!

My newest "heart eyes" are for Sarah J. Maas. I got to meet her at Apollycon this year and she was so nice and seriously looks like a real life Disney Princess. In my swag bag I got a copy of her book Throne of Glass. AH! This book! It was so good! Magic, intrigue, assassins! Amazing! So far I have only read the first book in the series (Throne of Glass) but from what I hear from other readers it gets better and better with each book! I can't wait to pick up Crown of Midnight. She will be in my area on May 5th for her book launch of A Court of Thorns and Roses. I received an e-reader advance reading copy of this but chose to actually hold it in my hands and borrowed from my friend Bonnie. From beginning to end this book sucks you in. The world building is beautiful. I connected with the female main character but I really think the stars of the book are the male characters. Each one has a different personality and there is a lot of humor. A great villain and Sarah has really created a wonderful book to start her series with. I also snuck a sneak peak of the book at work and the cover is BEAUTIFUL! Can't wait to get my hands on it and meet Sarah again at her signing.



Reading to the kids…

                                 

These adorable picture books are by Emma Yarlett. I've read Orion and the Dark several times for story time at the store and the kids loved it. I ordered in Sidney, Stella, and the Moon for our house and it doesn't disappoint. Emma's illustrations are so whimsical and beautiful. Sidney, Stella, and the Moon focuses on sharing. Orion and the Dark focuses on being being afraid of the dark and other fears. Both of my kids ages 4 and 10 enjoyed these books, although my 10 year old was just interested in the illustrations. My little artist! If you follow Emma on her twitter she released a photo of her newest book cover (Poppy Pickle: A Little Girl with a Big Imagination). *Grabby hands over here*

What I've been buying lately….

1. I wore this dress for Easter. It was so comfortable and the pattern is something different to me.

2. I bought this dress in the coral, gray, and black. Super comfortable. I went up a size since I was ordering online, I probably could have used a smaller size but after washing I'll see how it is. This is so easy to just throw on and run out the door. I've been pairing with chucks and my jean jacket. I really need to invest in a statement necklace to go with these.

3. Last year I bought this dress in a black pattern and I loved it. I'm usually not a fan of strapless but this dress fits well. I've been loving the dip-dyed look.

1. On a shopping trip with my mom I bought these three. I love the pattern of this skirt.

2. I wanted to start getting some more intricate tank tops instead of the usual plain cotton..this is a good compromise of dressing up or down.

3. I don't think I would have had the balls to buy this hat if I wasn't at the store with my mom. She loves hats. I always wanted to be a hat person but never quite got there. Of course John had several snarky comments. His verdict: Please don't wear that to the mall (as I'm getting ready to go meet a friend and shop), its a beach hat. 

Opi's You're such a Budapest! I'm a sucker for purple nail polish! 

*Photo credit: Of Life and Lacquer 

Available from Ulta 

COMING SOON: What I've been reading lately….

Apollycon 2015

Woah! This week went by so fast! Between work, kid's school stuff, and snow days, I haven't had a chance to write about what a great experience Apollycon was. (I may have also fell into a full day worm hole of The 100 on Netflix.)  I went to Apollycon with two of my friends from work Bonnie and Alexis. We got down early and visited some of our friends that were working the bookstore since our store was providing the books. We visited Jen's table first since it was her event for launching her book "The Return". Thank God we did because she was busy the entire day. Her line ended up being so long she was still signing until after 7pm. As always she was super nice and remembers you from other events which is amazing. That woman has an awesome memory. Also pictured below is Drew who is the cover model of "The Return".

Katie McGarry is an author I was super excited to meet. Bonnie turned me onto her books and I literally couldn't put them down. She was so nice and appreciative since I told her I handsell her books at my work all the time. So excited for her new book "No Where But Here". Also SELFIE!

This is Jeaniene Frost. Mah Kween! She is probably the author I was most nervous to meet. I just feel like she is huge. She's epic! I see her name everywhere! Her books are amazing. Like I can't put them down-must finish them in a day!!! She was so lovely and she looked amazing at the after party! I didn't get photos with her later because of..nerves!!

 Here is the squad! Sarah J. Maas, Susan Dennard, and Alexandra Bracken! These three were so incredibly nice. Sarah J. Maas will be at our store in May and were all so thrilled! At the after party they were so cute dancing together! 

A new author to me, Riley Edgewood! She is THE SWEETEST! Seriously so nice. I'm excited to check out her books. We instantly just wanted to be her BFFs. Everyone we talked to raved about how awesome she is. 

Another new to me author Elizabeth Briggs, who we also fell in love with. She is so nice! Bonnie blind-bought her book and can't wait to start it. I will also be checking it out. She's located all the way over in L.A. and was so excited to see snow here in Philly. It was adorable! I hope she makes it over here again soon we would love to hang out. And the star in the middle is Cristin Terrill the author of "All our Yesterdays" one of my all time favorite books. You can't tell from this picture was I was "fan-girling" hard core which made me super awkward. I seriously probably overwhelmed her with my ridiculousness!

And finally Bonnie got in a picture! Also some new friends I met through Bonnie. Featured authors: Elizabeth Briggs, Diane Alberts, and Cora Carmack.

My SWAG Bag!!!!

Tomorrow is Apollycon!!!!!

I have been anxiously awaiting tomorrow for months! This is my first big book event and some of my favorite authors are going to be there!! I'm getting all my books in order (seriously I lost count) and making plans with two of my girlfriends from work that are attending with me. Below is information on one of my all time favorite authors Jennifer Armentrout and the main reason for this event. She is one of the funniest women I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Really excited to see what she has in store for us tomorrow. I can't wait to share pictures of the event.



ApollyCon Featured Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

About the Author

# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.



Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV.



She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.



***Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads***



Books

Recent Release

It’s been a year since Seth made the deal with the gods that pledged his life to them. And so far, the jobs they’ve given him have been violent and bloody – which is kind of all right with him. But now Apollo has something else in mind for Seth. He’s got to play protector while keeping his hands and fingers off, and for someone who really has a problem with restraint, this new assignment might be the most challenging yet.



Josie has no idea what this crazy hot guy’s deal might be, but it’s a good bet that his arrival means the new life she started after leaving home is about to be thrown into an Olympian-sized blender turned up to “puree”. Either Josie is going insane or a nightmare straight out of an ancient myth is gunning for her.



But it might be the unlikely attraction simmering between her and the golden-eyed, secret-keeping Seth that may prove to be the most dangerous thing of all.



Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes



Other Titles

Half-Blood | Lux Beginnings | Cursed | Tempting the Best Man | Wait for You | White Hot Kiss | Frigid | Obsession | Don't Look Back | Unchained | Wicked

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Full details can be found on the ApollyCon website.
ATomo

Apollycon Author Spotlight: Susan Dennard and Tessa Bailey

ApollyCon Featured Author: Susan Dennard

About the Author

Susan Dennard has come a long way from small-town Georgia. As a marine biologist, she got to travel the world—six out of seven continents, to be exact (she’ll get to Asia one of these days!)—before she settled down as a full-time novelist and writing instructor.
She is the author of the Something Strange and Deadly series as well as the forthcoming Witchlands series (Tor, 2015), and when not writing, she can be found hiking with her dogs, exploring tidal pools, or practicing her tap dance shuffles.



***Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads***



Books

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Recent Release

In the conclusion to the trilogy that Publishers Weekly called “a roaring—and addictive—gothic world,” Eleanor Fitt must control her growing power, face her feelings for Daniel, and confront the evil necromancer Marcus...all before it’s too late.



He took her brother, he took her mother, and now, Marcus has taken her good friend Jie. With more determination than ever to bring this sinister man to justice, Eleanor heads to the hot desert streets of nineteenth-century Egypt in hopes of ending this nightmare. But in addition to her increasingly tense relationships with Daniel, Joseph, and her demon, Oliver, Eleanor must also deal with her former friend, Allison, who has curiously entangled herself in Eleanor’s mission.



With the rising dead chomping at her every move and Jie’s life hanging in the balance, Eleanor is convinced that her black magic will see her through to the bitter end. But there will be a price. Though she and the Spirit Hunters have weathered every battle thus far, there will be consequences to suffer this time—the effects of which will be irreversible. And when it’s over, only some will be able to live a strange and ever after.



Susan Dennard will leave readers breathless and forever changed in the concluding pages of this riveting ride.



Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes



Other Titles

Something Strange & Deadly | A Darkness Strange & Lovely

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Full details can be found on the ApollyCon website.




ApollyCon Featured Author: Tessa Bailey

About the Author

Tessa Bailey is originally from Carlsbad, California. The day after high school graduation, she packed her yearbook, ripped jeans and laptop, driving cross-country to New York City in under four days.



Her most valuable life experiences were learned thereafter while waitressing at K-Dees, a Manhattan pub owned by her uncle. Inside those four walls, she met her husband, best friend and discovered the magic of classic rock, managing to put herself through Kingsborough Community College and the English program at Pace University at the same time. Several stunted attempts to enter the work force as a journalist followed, but romance writing continued to demand her attention.



She now lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband of seven years and three-year-old daughter. Although she is severely sleep-deprived, she is incredibly happy to be living her dream of writing about people falling in love.



***Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads***



Books

Recent Release

NYPD detective Seraphina Newsom will avenge her brother’s death at any cost. Even if it means insinuating herself into a rough, Brooklyn street gang and going so far undercover, she’s not sure she’ll be able to get out. Every minute she spends in their midst means the clock ticking down on her life, especially when she overhears something that could get her killed.



Bowen Driscol is the heir to a crime enterprise. He never asked for the job, but with his father behind bars, he has no choice but to step in and keep the operation running. But when the NYPD blackmails him with a piece of damning information in exchange for aiding an undercover cop, he finds himself on the other side of the law for the first time in his life.



Bowen knows the danger Sera is in, and keeping her safe trumps saving his own ass. The problem? She can’t know he’s on her side. And there's the matter of the seriously inconvenient heat sparking between them that's incinerating his resistance. But Sera only sees Bowen's past, and men like him are the reason her brother is dead. If they're to get out alive, he'll have to risk exposing the man beneath, and hope to hell he doesn't blow the whole operation in the process.



Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes



Other Titles

Protecting What's His | His Risk to Take | Officer Off Limits | Asking for Trouble | Staking His Claim | Unfixable | Baiting the Maid of Honor | Owned by Fate | Exposed by Fate | Riskier Business

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Apollycon Author Spotlight: Sarah J Maas and Sophie Jordan

ApollyCon Featured Author: Sarah J. Maas

About the Author

I’m Sarah J. Maas, the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series (Heir of Fire, Book 3, will be out in September 2014). The Assassin’s Blade, a bind-up of all five TOG novellas is out now! Starting in Spring 2015 – my New Adult Fantasy series, A Court of Thorns and Roses, will be published by Bloomsbury as well! Hooray! I was born/raised in Manhattan, but traded freezing winters and sweltering summers for No Winter Ever Weather when I followed my then-boyfriend (now husband!) out to California in 2008. After six years in SoCal, I’ve finally returned to the East Coast, and am currently residing in the Philadelphia area. I graduated Magna Cum Laude from Hamilton College with a degree in Creative Writing, and a minor in Religious Studies. I’m represented by Tamar Rydzinski of the Laura Dail Literary Agency.



***Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads***



Books

Recent Release

Lost and broken, Celaena Sardothien’s only thought is to avenge the savage death of her dearest friend: as the King of Adarlan’s Assassin, she is bound to serve this tyrant, but he will pay for what he did. Any hope Celaena has of destroying the king lies in answers to be found in Wendlyn. Sacrificing his future, Chaol, the Captain of the King’s Guard, has sent Celaena there to protect her, but her darkest demons lay in that same place. If she can overcome them, she will be Adarlan’s biggest threat – and his own toughest enemy.



While Celaena learns of her true destiny, and the eyes of Erilea are on Wendlyn, a brutal and beastly force is preparing to take to the skies. Will Celaena find the strength not only to win her own battles, but to fight a war that could pit her loyalties to her own people against those she has grown to love?



Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes



Other Titles

Throne of Glass | Crown of Midnight | The Assassin's Blade

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Full details can be found on the ApollyCon website.




ApollyCon Featured Author: Sophie Jordan

About the Author

Sophie Jordan took her adolescent daydreaming one step further and penned her first historical romance in the back of her high school Spanish class. This passion led her to pursue a degree in English and History.



A brief stint in law school taught her that case law was not nearly as interesting as literature - teaching English seemed the natural recourse. After several years teaching high school students to love Antigone, Sophie resigned with the birth of her first child and decided it was time to pursue the long-held dream of writing.



In less than three years, her first book, Once Upon A Wedding Night, a 2006 Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Nominee for Best First Historical, hit book shelves. Her second novel, Too Wicked To Tame, released in March 2007 with a bang, landing on the USA Today Bestseller's List.



***Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads***



Books

Recent Release

Months after her boyfriend dumped her, Georgia can still hear the insults he hurled at her. Boring. Predictable. Tame. Tired of feeling bad, she’s ready to change her image, and go a little wild. What better way to prove her ex wrong than a hot night of sexual adventure at the secret campus kink club?



In the shadowy den of the kink club, she unexpectedly runs into Logan Mulvaney, her friend’s little brother. A player extraordinaire too hot for his own good, he may be younger, but the guy is light years ahead when it comes to sexual experience. Now he’s telling her to go home—“good girls” don’t belong here!



Georgia is tired of having others define her. She’s going to teach Logan a lesson he won’t forget—one white hot, mind-wrecking kiss . . . that leads to another . . . and another . . . and. . . . Realizing she’s way in over her head, Georgia runs.



Only Logan won’t let her go. Everywhere she goes he’s there, making her want every inch of him. Making her forget who she is. Who he is. And just how wrong they are for each other.



Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Itunes



Other Titles

Firelight | Foreplay | Uninvited | Sins of a Wicked Duke | Wicked in Your Arms

Tickets are almost sold out! Get yours today!




Reserve a TICKET.




Full details can be found on the ApollyCon website.