10 things that brought me bliss this month August 2023

I am so excited to write this post.

In my 15 years of blogging, one of my favorite post series that I ever created was 10 things that rocked my world this week.

I started it back when Instagram first launched and I would share my “10 things” from all of the Insta posts I did that week. I would take beautiful captures of my week and write every detail, see a 10 things post here. These posts were always my highest read blog posts and my absolute favorite to write because I love the relationship I get to have with my readers.

So, I started it up again, but this time I’ll do it monthly because weekly seems a little ambitious for me right now.

I also felt called to change the title to what “brought me bliss” versus what ‘rocked my world’.

These days, I am no longer subscribed to the ‘hustle culture’ and really here for the soft, slow & abundant living movement.

1. My favorite way to start my morning is by putting on background music from Youtube. I sit with my coffee and my journal and just let the music guide me into my day. It helps me get in a good mood. Here are a few of my favorite morning playlists:

♥️ Buddha’s flute : Healing Sounds

♥️ Cozy New York Apartment Jazz

♥️ Bossa Nova soundscapes

2. Even though we aren’t in October yet, shopping for Halloween is one of my favorite things to do. The skulls, ghosts, pumpkins, bats and fun spooky decor. I love the way my Halloween DIY turned out.

3. I don’t know what has come over me in the last two years but I am officially a green thumb & plant addict. And I mean addict. I am always dreaming up new plants to add to my collection. I’ve been seeing some plants with pink in their leaves and quite honestly, I’ve been craving one.

So, I went on a little afternoon excursion to Buchanan’s. It’s my favorite nursery in Houston. I found this adorable calthea dottie and put her in the cutest pink pot that another one of my plants grew out of. Doesn’t she look adorable?

4. I finally took the plunge and got a gorgeous juice extractor so I could make my own juices at home. I’ve been doing a 5-day carrot juice cleanse and 3 days in I have never felt better. The benefits of carrot juice are incredible for you and your gut health, I’ll be making some celery juice this week too.

5. Once the pumpkin spice hits the shelves at Trader Joe’s I start loving the color orange and craving it everywhere in my life. Especially in my wardrobe. I am obsessed with the flattering fit of this orange slip dress, pair it with a denim jacket and you are golden.

6. For the month of August, I decided to shift my focus to growing my Pinterest. In less than a month, I grew the engagement from 500k to 1.8m viewers per month. I have learned so much about using Pinterest as a marketing tool and way to grow the traffic to my blog and it feels so good to finally get the hang of it. I am teaching a workshop on exactly what I have been doing, you can sign up here.

Orrrrrrr.

You can join my 5 days to a better blog challenge. It’s so good. Sign up here.

7. If you don’t already know this, perfume is my absolute obsession. Smelling good is always right at the top of my life, you can read my post about how to make your perfume last here.

Thanks to Tik Tok, I found the BEST dupe for Baccarat Rouge 540 and it’s Orientica Amber Rouge. As we move into Fall, I wanted to switch to a more subtle yet delicious fragrance. This amber scent will get you compliments everywhere you go.

8. I found this book, Slow Living while browsing over on Amazon and hit add to cart instantly. Anything related to a more clam and easy living lifestyle is just where I am at vibrationally. I am so into romanticizing my life as much as possible.

It’s what makes being a stay at home mom entrepreneur workable for me. Taking the month to make my way through this book was actually really fun.

9. This month inside of the Manifestation Queen Membership, we did a 90 minute workshop on creating a Grounded Life Vision to help our members create a life level up goal map for the next 90 days. We had a blast discussing our dream life and creating an actual plan to get there. Manifestation isn’t just about wishing for something and waiting for it to happen, its about taking action in the energetic state of the place of where you want to be. It’s so much fun to do with a community of women supporting you.

I put a little sneak peek of the workbook (above) that you can download and work through as you watch the video. Join us inside the membership here.

10. I love me some Tik Toks. There are a ton of just random pointless videos but there are also some really helpful ones. I try to curate a feed full of tips on cleaning, DIY’s, organization, self care, wellness and health tips.

This hair tips post I saved because I like to refer to this list so I thought it would helpful to share these helpful hair tips with you too.

Tips on how to get healthy hair:

• shampoo your hair twice when you wash.

• use a detox shampoo once a month, I love the Aveda scalp balancing shampoo.

• rinse with ice cold water for shine

• scalp scrubs are amazing, again the Aveda scalp exfoliator is so good. I love their products because they are clean and created by Auyervedists.

• do not sleep with wet hair

• start getting trims 4-6 times a year

• invest in high quality products

• train your hair to be able to wash once a week

• minimize the amount of heat you use on your hair

• do a hair mask weekly, I use the Shea Moisture Castor Oil Mask. ( I go through these like water, order 2 containers, trust me )

• hair oil is a must, I use the Young Again hair oil. Best smelling oil for your hair.

I hope you loved this post, if so, let me know in the comments below! I love connecting with you. Don’t forget to sign up for my love letters & grab all of my FREE ebooks and resources.

10 simple and healthy living hacks to get you back on track {Podcast Ep. 271}

This post is all about 10 healthy living hacks that will help get you back on track for a healthy lifestyle from Blissfully Ambitious podcast episode 271.

I hate to admit it but I have NOT been taking care of myself as well as I normally do. Several years ago, I discovered that I had issues with my gut and I’m highly sensitive to so many foods that I actually love. When I learned this about myself, I started eating a more Vegan diet ( not super strict because I absolutely love fish and cheese ). I also tend to stick with a strong gluten-free diet now that there are so many options out there. Banza pasta is my best friend.

With back to school season coming up and my little boy starting kindergarten this year, I am noticing that I’m not feeling so “ready” for my schedule load to get piled up. So, I have been feeling that it is a really good time for me to get back on track with my healthy lifestyle. I thought it would be not only a good idea to document the hacks that I am going to use to help me shift back into a healthy routine but also good for me to share with you so that I can be held accountable, too.

10 health hacks to help get you back on track for a healthy lifestyle

1. Swap alcohol for probiotic mocktails. I personally will be taking a 30-day break from any and all alcohol to give my body a complete overhaul. Alcohol slows down your bodily functions that help keep you in shape and healthy, like your metabolism, digestion, etc. So, if you give yourself a complete alcohol detox, you will reset your bodies natural health abilities.

   However, I totally understand the difficulty of taking an alcohol break when it is completely socially normal to have a glass of rose at a party. So, I like to keep several options in my fridge so I can grab a few whenever I am going to a party or event where alcohol will be present.

   My favorite? The Ginger Lemon Olipop probiotic sparkling water. It’s kind of like keeping a little mocktail at hand. I like to pour this over ice, garish with a lemon and drink it with a straw in my colorful wine glasses or even a to go water bottle. It feels so fabulous.

2. Swap scrolling your phone first thing in the morning for journaling. Did you know that when you first wake up your brain needs time to move from delta ( deep sleep ) to theta & alpha brain wave states and then finally to beta brain ( wide awake ). When you wake up and scroll your phone, you push your brain to move immediately to beta, bypassing your most optimal brain wave states.

Also meaning that you completely bypass your subconscious minds prime state for rewiring. “Big mistake…HUGE” as Vivian Ward said in the movie Pretty Woman.

So, swap it for journaling. I am a big fan of the morning pages. Where you just dump everything out of your brain first thing in the morning. This is super helpful for your mental health and wellbeing. You can also start dream journaling and just record whatever it is you dream about.

These are my absolute favorite notebooks to journal in. Something about the spiral notebook, the size and the lines.

3. Replace scrolling screens with reading books or listening to podcasts. Look, I love a good Real Housewives binge or Tik Tok scrolling session more than anyone. I will also be the first to tell you that I know just how much those very things bring about chaos in your brain. Just one scrolling session for me and I feel like my brain has 39242 tabs open all at once.

What this does is create clutter, confusion, stress, fatigue and overwhelm in your mind. When your mind is stressed, your body is stressed and it is going to hold on to every ounce of fat possible because your body feels that it is in fight or flight.

Drop the scrolling and opt for reading a really good book. Also, when you are reading or even journaling, your mind gets put back into that meditative state which is prime for rewiring your subconscious and manifesting your dreams. If you have a hard time reading a book, you can always download audible or get your self a kindle, too.

Here’s the one I have my eye on: the Kindle Paperwhite in Agave Green

4. Plan your meals daily. So, instead of rushing to grab a last minute bit, when you plan out your meals for every single day before hand, you will save so much time, stress and energy. I like to have a calendar on my fridge where you can plan out a week of meals and know EXACTLY what to buy at the store for each week.

This will also help your mind get out of decision fatigue and just already know exactly what it is going to eat every day of the week. It’s a fabulous brain hack that will also save you so much money at the grocery store.

Grab this magnetic calendar to stick on your fridge. It also comes with a shopping list so you can literally see everyday and start planning what you’re going to have for dinner for the week. You’ll also be able to have a glance at how well you are nourishing your family all month.

5. Schedule your workouts ahead of time. Even if it’s just a 20 minute walk, you need to move your body daily. I have a better time at committing to this daily habit, if I put it in my calendar. I’m big on workout classes.

You can join a membership like ClassPass and take a variety of classes or you can join a gym and take theirs. When you have a habit of sticking to a particular class, you will be more likely to make it a habit. You will also make friends which feels more like a sense of community which is nice.

On the days I don’t go to my classes, I either go for a walk or do workouts at home. Youtube has so many great options for workouts at home. I love to do 20 min pilates bar workouts. I got myself a cute pink pilates bar and I am obsessed, I’ll never miss a day of moving my body.

6. Make your water more fun. I talk about how much I love adding salt / electrolytes to my water in this post here. It is a habit I absolutely swear by, especially for women over the age of 35. There are so many benefits to getting in your nutrients while you are hydrating and half the time those nutrients help you to hydrate faster.

So often, when we think we are hungry, we are just dehydrated and need some water.

Another thing I LOVE to add to my water is Chlorophyl drops. It’s benefits include detoxing the body, clearing up your skin, fixing bad breath, neutralizes toxins, helps weight loss, etc.

7. Use a vitamin planner. I have been using my pink jumbo vitamin planner for years. I absolutely swear by my vitamin regimen and if I don’t plan them out weekly, I completely forget to take them. I have an entire video training on the specific vitamin routine I use for my age and cycle inside my workshop, Goddess Glow Up.

8. Use a planner & a habit tracker. You MUST begin to somewhat get your life organized. I use the calendar on my phone AND a daily planner. I also keep my habit tracker on my desk. If you can get in the habit of scheduling out your healthy living habits, I promise you, you will feel so much more calm and like you have your life together.

I have tried out so many different planners and for some reason, these large blue sky planner layouts are always my favorite and I use them consistently.

9. Greens at every meal. This is my daily rule. I have to add something green to every meal. In the mornings, I love my green smoothies. If I have an iced coffee in the AM, I drink a match in the afternoon. If I order french fries, I also get brussel sprouts. I add spinach to my eggs, etc.

If that’s hard for you, you can also add the daily green powder to any drink, I add this to my smoothies but also, if I haven’t had a vegetable all day, I will drink this at night. It is so so good for you.

10. Get to sleep by 9:30 every night. Or at least try getting to sleep at the same time nightly, preferably before 10. At 9pm, your natural body rhythm produces melatonin. So, if you stay up too much later than you are wasting your natural sleep aids and it will be harder for you to get to sleep.

HOT TIP: put your phone down and screens off by 8:45, 9:00 at the latest. Save that show for the next day. The way that a good night sleep aligned with the natural circadian rhythm will change your life has always had me in a chokehold. Just try it.

I recorded a podcast episode to go along with this blog post and dive in a little deeper into each hack. Take a listen here: