Happy New Year!

Well, 2013 is behind us and now we are headed into 2014.  Who knows what we will have in store for us?  There are so many things that I would like to do in my life and so many changes to the person I am.  I know that I won't be able to accomplish everything and it is really hard to stick to changes but I know I want to try. 

Making New Years resolutions seems silly to me because I can honestly never stick to them.  So, instead of making a resolution, I am going to create a 2014 manifesto for myself. Hopefully, it will be something that I can come back to if I get lost or loose focus.  So, here it goes.  I hope it will give you some motivation as well!

My 2014 Manifesto

 

 

In 2014, I will be a stronger person; emotionally, physically, and mentally.

I will know that it is ok to make mistakes and mistakes help us to grow.

I will not hold it against myself if I loose track of my goals. I will just hop back on the train towards those goals.

 

I will not compare myself to other people and make myself feel bad if I fall short of those people.

I will know that I am a good person, mom, and wife (even though I will mess up and make mistakes).

 

I will know that if people who don't truly know my heart and soul make wrong judgments about me, that it isn't my fault and that I did nothing wrong.

 

I will always own up to make mistakes and move on to make better ones.

I will try and stand up for myself when it really matters.

 

 

And lastly, I will just be me. I will love everyone no matter who they are or where they come from and I won't make apologies for that!

 

 



Loving my Clarisonic!

I have been hearing about Clarisonic face brushes for forever.   However, I never wanted to pay that much money for one.  They can range between $99 and $250 depending on the model and what comes with it.  Well, after seeing them over and over on QVC and in stores I decided to break down and get one. 

I got the Clarisonic Mia in a really pretty lavender color.  The Mia is an affordable model.  I bought mine from Sephora for $125.  It came with the Mia, one sensitive skin brush head, a charger, and a sample of Clarisonic's face wash.  What's great about the Clarisonic is that you can use it in the shower and use whatever face wash you would like.  I use Philosophy's Purity (which I LOVE!!) and I also use Cetaphil when I don't have any make up to take off. 

As soon as it arrived I plugged it up and let it charge over night.  Let me tell you I couldn't wait to use it the next morning.   After the first use my skin was super soft and after a while I could tell that my skin looked clearer.  Now I still get break outs but my skin as a whole looks great!
The only maintenance that your need to do the Mia is charge it and also change the brush heads every 3 months.  There are a few brush heads to choose from...Sensitive, Normal, Acne, Deep Pore, and Delicate.  Since, my Mia came with sensitive brush head I decided to get Deep Pore and Normal skin brush heads.  The Deep Pore is on it right now and I love it too!!  I thought that it would be rougher on my skin but it doesn't bother my skin at all!! It still feels soft on my skin! 

I have truly fallen in LOVE with my Clarisonic Mia.  It was well worth the price.  Now I wish I would have gotten one sooner. 

**This review is my personal experience and your experiences may be different.  I am in no way affiliated with Clarisonic or Sephora and I was NOT asked or compensated for this review!!***

A New Adventure...ZUMBA®

Well, it has been a while since I posted last but I have some very exciting news!! I am officially a LICENSED ZUMBA® INSTRUCTOR!!! YAY!!!  I am sooo excited! 

Last weekend I went to the Basic 1 training.  It was from 8am to 5:30pm!! Yes, that's right all day!  My ZES, Zumba® Education Specialist, was Loretta Bates! Can I just say how AMAZING she is?!! Not only is she beautiful, can dance, and a great teacher but she is truly a role model for Zumba®.  She pushes you but making you have fun at the same time! At the end of the day I walked away with so much...technique, some new friends, my license, and my whole body was sore!! But it was worth it! Here are a couple of pics that we took at the end of the training!

Since getting licensed, I have been working daily on choreography and at the point I have all the dances for my class almost down pat.  I'm a little nervous that I will mess up but I just need to jump on in! 

Now for the mini problem...I know what time my classes will be but finding a "for sure" place is a little bit harder.  Hopefully, I will get everything worked out by tomorrow and I will be able to start on Wednesday! 

Wish me luck!! 

PS.  If you would like any information on getting your Zumba® License just visit www.zumba.com
For my classes and information visit... http://shannonknott.zumba.com or www.facebook.com/shannonknottfitness

Books, Books, Books!!

So, I have to say that growing up reading was not my favorite thing to do.  I would read for school or at least try to read for school but I found it sooooo boring!  When I got to college I started reading the Harry Potter books and really enjoyed them.  However, it wasn't until the Twilight books (I read all four books in 4 1/2 days, crazy I know!) that I started reading, reading, reading. Since, the Twilight series I have read I don't know how many books!!  Don't laugh but most of the are paranormal love stories! Being a wife, a mother, and a teacher my life can get very stressful.  So even though these books are meant for teens, I find them to be a great escape from my reality and they are easy reads!! 
 I was buying a new book the other day and thought to myself "Growing up you would never be in the book isle, now look at you have become book crazy!"  I have a book shelf for books that haven't been read yet and a shelf for books that I finished.  I guess I could sell my books after I read them but they are my trophies!  I absolutely love when I get to add a book to my bookshelf of finished books!  Over the Christmas break I finished two books (over 300 pages or more) and I just started another one today!  Who knows I may able to finish this book and start a new one before we go back to school on Monday. 

Do any other moms out there find that reading is an escape for them?  If you do, let me know what books you have really enjoyed by sending me a comment!



Here are some of the series and books I have read...

• Harry Potter series by JK Rowling
• Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer
• Mortal Instraments series by Cassandra Clare
• Vampire Kisses series books 1-8 by Ellen Schreiber
• All of the Balefire series by Cate Tiernan
• Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks
• The Vampire Diaries series books 1-5 by LJ Smith
• 50 Shades of Grey series by EL James
• The Crossfire series books 1-2 by Sylvia Day
• Sweep series by Cate Tiernan
• The House of Night series by PC and Kristin Cast
•  Wicked series by Nancy Holder
• True Blood Series books 1-5 by Charlaine Harris
• and more!!

Dec. 28th, 2013- Here are some more books that I have read.

• The Divergent Series books 1-3 by Veronica Roth
• Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton (I am currently reading the 2nd book Wings of the Wicked)
• Wake by Amanda Hocking

Easy and Healthy DYI Microwave Popcorn

So, I got this idea from my mother in law.  Here is what you will need...

1. A bag of loose popcorn

2. A paper lunch bag (brown or white)

3. A measuring cup

4. Kernel Season's Popcorn Spritzer Butter Flavor (Zero Calories, Zero Fat!!)

5. Popcorn salt

6. A Microwave

Here's what you do...

1.  Measure out about a 1/2 to 1 cup of popcorn kernels. (Depending on the size of your paper lunch bag)

2.  Pour kernels into bag and roll the top the bag closed 2-3 times. 

3.  Next, holding the top of the bag with two hands make a 1 inch tear through the folded part of the bag.  This will help steam escape and also keep the bag closed.

4.  Place the bag laying flat in the microwave. 

5.  If you have a popcorn setting on your microwave you can use it...If you know how long store bought microwave popcorn cooks in your microwave use that time.  For me, my I cook my popcorn for 2 min and 15 sec.  This may be trial and error until you find your perfect cooking time!  NO MATTER WHAT stop the cooking process when you do not hear constant popping, this will help from burning your popcorn.

6.  Take the bag out of the microwave and pour into a bowl. 

7.  Spray with your popcorn spritzer (ZERO CAL, ZERO FAT) and salt to taste

8.  ENJOY!!  This is some of the best and healthy popcorn I have ever had!! LOVE LOVE

Let me know what you think or if you have any questions!

***Just for your info....
According to the Jolly Time white popcorn kernels bag.  1 cup of popped corn (with nothing on it) is 20 Calories. 

SOOO, there is no fat and no calories in the popcorn spritz, 0 calories in the popcorn salt, and 20 calories in 1 cup of popped corn!!!

 EAT, EAT and BE Healthy!!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Today is Christmas Eve and for many mom's with young children today is a special day!! We, as parents, are making sure the spirit of Christmas is alive in our children!  Not only is Santa coming tonight but my husband and I make sure that our children know that this time of year is for love and sharing more than gift getting! We also teach them about the birth of Jesus!  He is the "reason for the season"! 

My kids are at the age (5 & 6) that Christmas morning is still so much fun and special!  I can't wait to wake up and see their faces!  These are the memories that I will cherish forever.

No matter how you celebrate Christmas or any holiday this time of year, I wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, and a Happy New Year!! 

Garnier Ultra-Lift Daily Targeted Wrinkle Treatment Review

So, I just have to rave about about this product!  I have been using this product for a while now and I love the way it makes my face feel and ultimately look.  The Garnier Ultra-Lift Daily Targeted Wrinkle Treatment comes in a 1 fl oz tube and has a pleasant fragrance.  I believe I paid around $13 for one tube.  The treatment is suppose to be used morning and night after you wash your face and before you use moisturizer.  Mornings can be kind of hectic for me so I usually just use mine at night. It can be used on just the spots you need or as an all over treatment. For me, when I apply this product I can actually feel my skin tightening and when I wake up I still have that feeling on the areas that used the product.  I can also see a difference in my forehead 11's.  My skin feels soft and not oily at all.  The Garnier Ultra-Lift Daily Targeted Wrinkle Treatment will definitely remain a staple in my skin care regime. 

***This review is just my personal experience with this product.  I make no claims on how it will work for you and your skin.  This review is meant to be a possible help to those who may want to try the product and you may end up with different results than I had.  I was not asked by any company or persons to write this review. ***