Where a Woman Can Dream (not to long she has kids)

What No Meat!

Posted on October 14, 2014 by queenshaven

This past week the Mr. and I started our meatless meals journey. I decided not to put a time limit on it because
the holidays are coming up and I would like to enjoy my self and not limit myself with what I am allowed to eat. Especially since I still breastfeed and I haven’t been able to enjoy a glass of wine for a little over a year (totally of the subject). Anyway cutting meat out from our diet has allowed me to start thinking of some creative meals. The first night I made spaghetti squash for the first time and no one in my home liked it. They all said it was to crunchy. So yeah that is out unless I can find a better recipe to use it in.

This change came about because I really want to become healthy and also because we don’t eat pork and beef and I am sick of chicken and turkey. I needed a change and so did my body. Plus I am sick and tired of the way I look and wanted to shock my body and not having meat is doing that. I have even realized I don’t really miss it. I haven’t had a craving for any of it. Hopefully I am not saying that to soon. Going into week two has me feeling pretty proud of myself.

To help mix things up I am going to start incorporating smoothies into my breakfast and a egg so that I can make sure I get my protein in. I am excited about all of the research I have been doing to find recipes and meals that my little picky eaters will eat. I do have to be careful because I am feeding someone else and I have a minimal of three months left before any of that changes.

Have you done meatless meals before? What are some of your favorite meatless meals and how often do you incorporate this into your meal plan?

Back to School Memory

Posted on September 23, 2014 by queenshaven

I am participating in The Sits Girls Blogging Challenge and today is Day 2 “Back to School Memory’.

My memory comes from my high school days. When I entered into the 10th grade my mom moved into a different district which meant I was going to have to transfer schools. It wasn’t so much as transferring schools; I was going to a BIG TIME RIVAL school. Well school starts and everything is going pretty good. Plus my older brother and younger sister attended the same school so it wasn’t like I was completely alone. Well football season was getting ready to start and on some Fridays they have “Spirit Day” which is the day you wear your school colors. Well my previous school colors were Red and Black and my new school colors were Black and Gold. I wore Red and Black and to top it off we were playing my old high school that night.

It wasn’t a great day for me I got all kind of looks but you best believe I didn’t wear those colors again. I started representing my Black and Gold to the fullest and still do plus my College colors were Black and Gold. Once I got use to my new school and new environment I really enjoyed it plus it was fun going against my friends at my old school and having bragging rights whenever we beat each other in sports..

I have plenty of memories some good and some not so good but that is what school is all about. I love hearing my kids talk about school and helping them create and recording their memories with them.

Amiri & Kali First Day of School

Do you have any great memories Back to School or not so great memories that you would like to share. I would love to hear about them. What are somethings you do to help your kids remember their school days?

Oxford High School

More Time Please!!!!

Posted on September 11, 2014 by queenshaven

Have you ever had one of those days where nothing goes as plan. Well that day for me was yesterday. I had every intention of doing about 5 or 6 things on my list I probably got about 2 or 3 complete. Running errands grocery shopping and picking up Baby Girl from school was it. Then I forgot all about my oldest son PTA meeting and class objective meeting. Yeah that’s bad especially since they called and reminded me about it the day before. So that means dinner was not done when the Mr. got home. But I swear if I don’t put it in my calendar then it might slip through. I thought this quote that was on http://www.livingwellspendingless.com was great! Because this is so true for me.

I depend on the calendar on my phone. It has my whole day in it. Plus having a 8 month old I think makes time management so much more important. I breast feed meaning half the time I don’t pump (let’s be honest 95% of the time I don’t pump)so if I don’t make a stop home within a certain time frame he gets upset. So at the PTA meeting the Baby was super upset because mama didn’t feed him earlier. Time management is my lifeline at the moment.

I have been working on time management when it comes my blog as well. Especially on social media. I am on it but I don’t post like I should. I am getting better and attempting to do it more. So yes time management is important in my household because I have 3 kids two in different schools get out at different times and an infant plus a Hubby. If I don’t schedule my day right things don’t get done not majority of the things anyway.

On www.dearhandmadelife.com she offered 7 tips on how to creatively manage your time.

1. Know the time of day you work best

2. Block out time on your calendar for specific tasks

3. Prioritize and learn how to say “no”

4. Set boundaries

5. Negotiate: what tasks can be flexible?

6. Get off facebook and turn off the tv (FB is the hard one for me)

7. Be kind to yourself

Do you think that you can include any of these tips in your daily routine? What are some tips that help you with your time management?

xoxoxo

Queens Haven

Just my Thoughts!

Posted on September 9, 2014 by queenshaven

Look at me I am sticking to my schedule and posting on a more regular basis. This weekend I hosted a Park Lane Jewelry party and got a great hostess gift. It was lots of fun and a lot of work. I didn’t realize how bad my house needed cleaning until I started to clean. Boy was it dusty; I think I am going to get back on the Fly Lady cleaning track so I won’t have to do so much when someone is coming over or if I decided to host another party. Have any of you followed the Fly Lady before. It’s really helpful so you don’t have to do so much cleaning at one time. Because really who has time for that. But she breaks it down for you in Zones and gives time limits on how long you spend cleaning.

A friend and I are going to start the Daniel Lifestyle plan this week and I am excited about that. I have to get my health under control before it gets out of hand. Plus my kids are really busy individuals and I want to look good being busy with them. The Daniel Plan still allows me to eat food but not all the process things. So that means I will have to create or find new recipes that will fit into my new lifestyle so that I can still enjoy some of the foods I like. I really have to get the baking under control especially since I just purchased a new tips for cup cake and cake decorations which I can not wait to use.

To prepare for the Daniel Plan I have been trying to use up everything I have in my house or pantry first so that I will not have any excuses to do right. Plus the Mr. said he would do it along with me to make it easier developing a meal plan for the entire family. Hopefully I can find coupons for some of the healthy options that I will be purchasing and that they go on sale so that I can get them at a great cost.

Since Fall is my favorite time of the year especially when the weather starts to cool off some I am going to starting doing more fall activities with the family. I want to go Apple picking and taking the kiddies to hay rides and pumpkin patches. I will be searching the web to try to find festivals for us to visit (which should not be to hard since we don’t stay far from Atlanta). One of my personal goals is to really start creating more exciting memories with the kids because they are growing up so fast. So creating some type of traditions to incorporate will be great especially now while they are young. Soon they will not want to do anything with their parents. The oldest one anyway.

What are some traditions you and your family do in the Fall or what are some traditions you would like to start with your family?

Have a great one until next time!

Changing Times

Posted on September 4, 2014 by queenshaven

I have been debating what to write about on my blog. Should I focus on a particular subject or just let it flow with whatever is on my mind. I think the whatever is on my mind would be great. Why because this is my haven. I am the Queen here and what I say goes. (LOL) Not only that I am trying different things and I would like to discuss them here. My life is ever changing and this is my place to express it.

Prime example my baby boy is a busy body. Always finding things to get into now that he is crawling around. I am forever blocking things. My time management skills have also started to improve since my two older kids are in different schools for the first ever. Homework is such a different experience now and my patience is forever being tested with my oldest. Then my The Mr. is always wanting me to do things at the last minute which is really not my style but anything for him. But not last but not least the princess of the house baby girl she is the middle child but she is our little princess and can be very Diva like. And boy does she know how to put on the water works.

So yes I have a busy plate and plus I am about to embark on the wonderful world of coupons and a couple of DIY projects that a friend of mine told me about. But I believe those four are worth all of my time and energy and I wouldn’t trade them for nothing in the world.

I am also getting back on my reading game. I haven’t talked about books in a while one reason is b/c it is hard for me to sit down and read and enjoy the book. Hopefully that is about to change because I need something to take my mind a way for a little while.

It’s my favorite time of the year and I can’t wait to share with you all some of my favorite recipies that I will be doing and some experiments also. Trying to change some of my eating habits so I will trying a lot of new things and talking to you all about it.

Well let me go as I speak the little one is trying to figure out the stairs and I’m not ready for that yet.

What is something new you all are trying out for the fall? Leave a comment would love to hear from you.

My Crew

xoxo

Laina

Keeping the Faith

Posted on March 7, 2014 by queenshaven

This marks the end of my first week of a new lifestyle. I wouldn’t say it has been easy but it hasn’t been difficult. I made sure I had things for me to snack on and I also prepped earlier in the week so I wouldn’t have to try to fix something to eat when I was hungry. I have great motivators also helping me stay focus and on track as well. Roni from the thesavvyhousewife.com and Dee at theexquisitemommy.blogspot.com. I must say they are truly a great support system for me at this time especially since I just had a baby. One of the challenges that I am experiencing is that I am breast feeding so I have to make sure I take in enough calories to still produce enough milk to feed my baby (he is greedy). But I just try to incorporate more veggies and fruits and I am taking a liking to brown rice also.

My exercises consist of squats and planks and lying on my back and using my baby as weights for my arms. This week I will be incorporating Hip Hop Abs. I was doing this prior to becoming pregnant and I loved it so I am excited about starting back up. Once the weather gets warm and stays warm the Kid and I will be going for walks.

I keep forgetting to take pictures of my meals to document. It looks so good that I can’t wait to eat it but I will place a sticky note up in the kitchen to see if that helps me remember.

This has been my motivation for Week 1

What are your motivators?

How do you fit in working out and kids?

Do you prep earlier in the week?

A New Beginning

Posted on February 27, 2014 by queenshaven

I just recently gave birth to a healthy baby boy (last one). Prior to finding out that I was pregnant I was on a healthy lifestyle change. I was working out eating better(not that I wasn’t when I got pregnant) trying my best to get in shape. Well it has been six weeks and I have been cleared by the doctor to resume normal activity and I must say I am extremely excited. I will be beginning my lifestyle change Saturday March 1st and I must say I am very excited. I have been pinning like crazy on Pinterest saving healthy recipes that both I and my family may enjoy. I am also ready to become more active because I am starting to feel sluggish which may also be caused by lack of sleep due to a newborn (which I just love :)) Time management is going to be my biggest problem but I will soon overcome that obstacle once my baby has a schedule.

I plan on keeping you all up to date on the fitness and the different recipes that I will be trying. If you have any suggestions on how I can better manage my time and different recipes and exercises that I should incorporate please let me know in the comments I would love to hear from you.

Till next time find your Haven and enjoy!

Ingenuity Moonlight Rocking Sleeper Review

Posted on February 25, 2014 by queenshaven

The Moonlight Rocking Sleeper is awesome. My baby sleeps very well in it on his back. To be honest this is the only time he sleeps on his back outside of his car seat comfortably. I think because the material is so soft and and their isn’t a hard mattress under him. The material is also very breathable meaning he doesn’t get hot in it. I love the music and sounds and the lighting effects. The stars shines either on the ceiling or the wall because it turns. Their is also a vibration that goes with it that helps soothes him when he gets restless.

I can place the sleeper by the side of the bed and look down at him without having to get up to make sure he is okay. It is also very light weight and easy to move around but at the same time very sturdy. The sleeper was also very easy to put together. My two kids helped without a problem. I would highly recommend this product having had a traditional bassinet this is a good option if you are looking for something different.

**I received the Moonlight Rocking Sleeper as a complimentary product but all opinions and views are my own.

So Many New Things

Posted on January 31, 2014 by queenshaven

I can not believe how many new things are out for babies these days. Grant it my daughter is just five years old but it seems like there is so many different baby items that have been upgraded in those five years. My little one which is just 3 weeks old has been truly blessed with the amount of items he has received because to be honest I wouldn’t know where to start. People ask what do you need my response diapers and wipes because that is what he uses the most. Since this type of weather is RSV weather we are in the house a lot so his sleepers and tee shirts are really all that he wears. But I guess theses new gadgets make it easier for parents and to be honest I love trying the new things out with my little one. Can’t wait to let you all know my experience with them all.

I Am Bacccck!

Posted on April 18, 2013 by queenshaven

It has been a long time since I have been online. My apologies I have been very busy but I am BACK with a vengeance. I have been getting my reading game back on and I must say I have read a couple of great books. I am very anxious to tell you all about them. I also started back reading some urban fiction which I had stopped reading for a while but my favorite Urban fiction author Treasure Blue pulled me back in with his most recent book Fly Betty. I also read Perfect Peace by Daniel Black this was my first time reading one of his books and it was very good; so I will be reading more books by him. Another book that I read during my hiatus is Fourth Sunday written by B.W. Read it was very good as well.

Reading has become a great vacation. It takes me away to different places and if the book is really good I start to picture myself in those stories and my imagination just takes off. The three above books are really good and like I said I cannot wait to share my thoughts and feelings about them. Two of the authors are my first and I was very pleased and cannot wait to read more of their books.

Who is your favorite author and what is your favorite book?