Farm Fresh Perfection

As promised!!!! The SECRET trick to getting FRESH farm hard boiled eggs to PEEL!!!

Hallelujah!!!

No more frustration and wasted protein!! 😂😂

I loooove having chickens..🐔🐔

But I HAD to figure out how to get these perfect sources of protein to PEEL!!!

Thanks to the AMAZING theprairiehomestead.com:

I learned.... You have to STEAM them!!

Put your eggs in a metal colander...

Place your colander in a large pot with water on the bottom!!!

(Not enough to submerse the eggs!!! Just enough so you don't boil it all off)

Put a lit on the pot and steam them for 20-22 minutes!!!

Place them in cold water directly after steaming to halt the cooking process!!

Then...dry... Peel and enjoy!!

Or if you're ME.... Draw happy faces on them with sharpie and put them in the fridge for FAST and perfect protein!!!

Yay for EGGS!!!

Happy Faces

Happy Faces, People!!! ....They aren't just for kids

Happiness ....can be INTENTIONAL.

I'm standing in my quiet kitchen.

Quietly thinking about my day.

Saying my affirmations to myself....
(I am calm. I am kind. I am confident. I am intentional...)

Listening to...silence.

Breathing deeply... and just BEING.

And then of course ...

eating my healthy and cheerful breakfast!!!
(Steel cut oats + coconut + coconut milk+ happy strawberries)

My friends....

Take a quiet moment today to

stop.
smile.
breathe.
be grateful.

And set your intentions on happiness.

My Oatmeal is happy.... Let's all be Happy today 

Happy Saturday!

XOXO,

Missy
💙issy

How to STAY Motivated

Happy Monday everyone!! I hope you had a great weekend. Jeff and I just got back from Cancun and had an AMAZING time there. It was so much fun catching up with friends and learning more about what Beachbody has on the horizon (don't worry, I'll share much more about that soon. It's fantastic!!).

Not sure how to even put the last week days into words. Jeff and I went to Cancun on our honeymoon almost 13 years ago!! This trip came after a lot of life experiences... 4 kids... and lots of hard work. 

This trip was pretty incredible. Sure.. it's nice it was paid for (thank you Beachbody) ...but it's our time together we spent reflecting on what we've learned the last 13 years that made it so amazing. (Ok I feel old!!)


The parties were fun...Seeing beachbody friends was really fun.... But just doing a whole lot of nothin' together was the best part!! I don't know about you but when I get home from vacation it can take me a bit to get back into the swing of things. This has helped me reflect a bit about staying motivated and how important it is to keep working on your daily life that coincides with reaching your BIG goals.

As I mentioned before, you aren't going to reach all of your goals in a single step, but you CAN DO IT!! So how do you stay motivated?? I'm glad you asked!! The next video in my 'Goal Diggers' series is about what I've learned about staying motivated, even with all the distractions of life swirling around. Enjoy!!

Spring Cleaning: Body, Mind & Spirit

ITS  SPRING!!!  Are you feeling READY for a FRESH START??

If there is one thing I have learned on my FITNESS JOURNEY…it's that to have TRUE SUCCESS you have to a have BALANCE!  You cant JUST workout…you have to EAT well.  And even if you take care of your BODY….you wont feel FULFILLED without NOURISHING your SOUL.  

Are you READY  for SPRING CLEANING>>  MIND, BODY, SPIRIT??

Here are MY TOP 5 TIPS to SPRING into a FRESH NEW START!

1.  PUT YOUR BEST FRIDGE FORWARD!!

START by taking a good hard look at your fridge!!!  Throw out all the processed food you can find and FILL IT with FRESH HEALTHY FOODS!!!  Not only are FRESH FOODS BEAUTIFUL  but you CANT have a FRESH START stuck in your OLD EATING HABITS. 

This goes for your PANTRY too!!!  Throw out sugar cereal and replace it with oatmeal.  Throw out white bread and bagels and fill it with WHOLE grain bread and English muffins. 

2. Life is better with a BOWL OF CHERRIES!!!   TRY IT!!!   Instead of buying fresh flowers to brighten your mood  TRY FRUIT!!!  Buy a CUTE fruit basket and FILL it with FRESH FRUIT.  LEAVE IT OUT where you can see it!!  It wont just help you EAT better…but it will brighten your MOOD to look at it everyday.   Make a HABIT of ALWAYS having a FULL fruit basket

3.  Put some SPRING in your STEP.  Spring Fever is a REAL THING!!  We’ve been COOOPED up all winter and our BODIES NEED to MOVE!!  TRY SOMETHING NEW with your fitness routine.  The excitement of something NEW is motivating.  Go to a new class, walk a different route….GET OUT of your exercise box and  DO something FUN!!  SKIP !!  Swing on the swings between laps at the park, go SWIMMING at the local pool.     Just GET MOVING!!

4.  Grow you MIND!!  We feed our bodies….but we often forget to CULTIVATE OUR MINDS.   Take 5 minutes each morning to meditate and count your blessings.  Listen to an audio book while you drive to and from work or fold laundry at home.   There are thousands of free audiobooks on You-tube!!!   Turn one on while you make dinner or even when you work out!!   My favorite book right now is “The Power” by Rhonda Byrne.  It has taught me to walk each step with gratitude and love.  When we fill our minds with goof positive things……it changes our entire outlook on how we see everything. 

Choose a book on a topic YOU are interested…and find a few minutes each day to give yourself the gift of learning something NEW!!

5.  Wake up and Smell the Roses!!  Spring is FULL of new life and your SPIRIT will be lifted the more you find time to experience it.   GET OUTSIDE everyday.  Get up and watch the sunrise and listen to the birds….or make an effort to go out each night and just SIT and watch the sun go Down.   Take a blanket and eat your lunch out on the lawn or bench outside your office…Just SIT.  Close your eyes and just let the sun warm your face for a few minutes.  Or, if you are a night owl….before you go to bed each night go out and take 10 minutes to look at the moon and the stars.   A little bit of nature goes a long way in raising your level of happiness.  Spring is SO BEAUTIFUL…take time to experience it!!

Make Your M.A.S.H.

Today was a day of introspection. I had a flashback to Junior High school...
Remember the game M.A.S.H???

You know where you sat around in 7th grade and predicted your future and pretended to gag yourself "with a spoon" when you ended up marrying your next door neighbor???

So here's my question.....Does your M.A. S.H Match??

I am pretty glad M.A.S.H didn't match. Well at least the way I expected.

I had VERY clear goals as a child. (some things never change) From the time I was 5 I knew I was going to grow up, get married, be a mom and a Nurse.

When my 12 yr old friends predicted EVERY TIME that I was going to have 12 kids and a mini van...I was secure with that. They also used to tease me that I would be the one with the perfect house and kids all dressed to match. (not true..my kids never match and are often barefoot and running wild)

So today I thought about where my MASH Matches my life NOW??

Boys:
I had every intention of marrying a blonde surfer boy with blue eyes and a tan from California
well..l am married a to boy from California ...with green eyes and dark hair.
He doesn't surf... but loves to snorkel.

He's pretty cool...I think I will keep him.

Job: I graduated from nursing school and took my boards at 19. Worked pediatrics for 11 years. LOVED IT. Worked nights...through 4 pregnancies. Then I QUIT...to be a Beachbody coach. Say WHAAT?? Didn't see that one comin'. Both jobs have fueled my greatest desire...and that is to spread the love smile emoticon

Place: I always felt more MER than MAID. Practically raised at the beach...I also figured I would end up living by one. We ended up in Utah...for 11 years.

Until we followed out hearts to the OREGON COAST....and I was smitten. We have BOTH worked SO HARD...and GOD has worked SO HARD to get us here. Now I get to live in the Trees and drive to the beach whenever I want.

Friends: I always loved having friends..and keeping them means a lot to me.
I STILL am VERY close to my friends from Jr high who I played MASH with. I have also made so many close friends for various reasons. At the hospital, at the park with my kids, at PTA, at Church, and since coaching for Beachbody....weirdly enough...I have a LOT of online friends.
It doesn't matter WHERE they come from...the measure of the friend is HOW they show up in your life everyday...by LIFTING YOU UP.
I am SO GRATEFUL for my AMAZING friends.

Pets: I was a cat person growing up. But after having kids ...and developing a love for running...I have resigned myself to become a dog person.

I need something to run my kids ragged....and run along side me. Also, my love for clean eating has given me the overwhelming desire to have chickens...and a garden. So...I guess its dogs and chickens for me. Didnt see that comin'

Kids: Well....turns out being a MOM is a REALLY hard job. Also turns out ALL my kids are VERY strong willed. MASH said 12...I wanted 8 kids...I have 4. so far. Not sure about that ending number quite yet....but for now...4 is feeling like 12.

So do dogs and chicken count towards the 12??

Vehicle: As predicted ....the Honda Odessy has always been my dream. Yes my dream car is a VAN. I'm totally ok with it.
The last few years through graduate school I drove VERY used cars...one winter without heat ( and a newborn). Jeff wouldn't let THAT happen again so we upgraded to another one.... that was an endless money pit.
FINALLY when we sold our other house we paid off both our cars.
I wanted to just get a new one. I wanted to not worry my car was going to fall apart every time i drove on the freeway. But I'm cheap... and being debt free felt good.

So I set a goal...to pay for it myself. Just before Christmas...I met that goal. I
earned a bonus that would cover both my car payment and the insurance....for all of 2015. So....Jeff went out to "clean the car" and came back with a new one. (cause hes cute like that) Its a HUGE blessing to know we can drive anywhere..and not worry.

And now...my Vehicle MASH is complete.

Color: The last one. SO RANDOM. My favorite color is STILL purple. Interestingly enough its made of RED and BLUE.

Red because as I get older there is a growing FIRE in my heart to GROW and DO GOOD.

BLUE because there is a growing need for depth, stillness, and peace in my life.

Purple....its the extremes of my personality..and my soul. SPOT ON!!!

What about you....Does your MASH MISS or MATCH??

Are you living the life you thought you would live when you were 12??

Mine is definitely a Mix MASH. But its better than I could have predicted...

And the best is yet to come....

Just Be YOU

****VULNERABLE POST******

Yes.  That's me in those pictures.  Dorky...awkward in front of a camera..scared to death to do a photo shoot.... ME!!!

I've worked REALLY hard over the last year and a half to get my body into the BEST SHAPE OF MY LIFE after 4 kids.  I didn't do it for ANYONE ELSE....I did it for ME.  To prove to myself I could.  To learn to PUSH myself.  To leave my destructive body image, destructive negative thoughts, and destructive eating habits in the PAST. 

The result has been incredible.  My heart, my HEAD and my body have changed.  I feel HAPPY to be ME. CONFIDENT in my own skin.  Driven to help others feel the same. 

Which is WHY I decided to coach for Beachbody.  Because they gave me my life back.  And even more importantly...it opened my eyes to a BIGGER life that God has intended for me.  It has taught me to PUSH and DRIVE and WORK for what I WANT and to BALANCE it with what matters most...my FAMILY.

I am just an everyday MOM.  I get frustrated with my kids.  My kids eat macaroni and ice cream sometimes.  I am tired  from chasing them  all day and being up in the night with them.  I am not SUPER HUMAN.  My abs dont always look like that because sometimes I eat too many cookies...or have a diet coke.  Sometimes I sleep in...till like 8. (if only my kids got the MOM wants to sleep memo)   Sometimes I DONT want to workout or do ANYTHING but EAT.  YES...Its a battle for me to not buy oreos or eat all the ice cream.  I've gotten pretty good at that....most the time.

My point here is that FOR YEARS I was wrapped up in what I THOUGHT everyone else thought.  I felt like I had to be perfect all the time.  Keep every toe in line.  Never Cry...never swear. (yes it has happened)   Never have a FAULT.  But guess what???  WHO CAN LIVE LIKE THAT!!???  NO ONE!!!  I was living in a box made of unrealistic expectations and imagined perceptions created out of FEAR of being judged....AND I PUT MYSELF IN THAT BOX!!! Imagine that?? 

WELL...I'M DONE!

I am crazy.  I am silly.  I LOVE chocolate more that words can express.  I love to read.  I love to walk in the rain.  I love to run and run and run and run.  I love to get popcorn at the movies.  I love long walks on the beach. (TRUE) I love spanish POP music.  I love super hero movies.  I love being a wife and mom, and sometimes..I love to be ALONE!!!! (GASP! Silence and personal space after having children is something to be cherished!)

These pictures make me smile.  Because the EXPERIENCE was terrifying for me.  Even though I had some clothes on..being in front of a camera..JUST YOU...PROVING that YOU PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS (so to speak..coaching for Beachbody).....yeah...I just felt NAKED.

I was kinda freaking out the week before...SO nervous. And then my husband (bless his patient heart) said 3 words.

JUST BE YOU

So I did.  I was vulnerable.  I was PROOF that I love my job and that I do it well.  I was dorky.  I was silly.  I was ME.

And I was HAPPY.

Truth.....NO ONE IN THIS WORLD CAN EVER DO WHAT GOD SENT YOU HERE TO DO.  SO STOP HIDING!  STOP worrying about what other people will say...or think..or whatever.   BREAK OUT OF YOUR BOX of FEARS.  DO SOMETHING that SCARES the HECK OUT OF YOU!!!!  Be vulnerable.  Be REAL.  DARE to make mistakes....and Say your SORRY and learn from it. 

But for HEAVENS SAKE......BE YOU!!!  Because YOU are one of a kind. 

....and I spontaneously do the running man...a lot. 

So what??  I am ME.  and it makes me Happy!!!

Who are YOU???  What makes YOU happy??  Now go do more of THAT!!!