My oldest baby turns 5 today!!!!!!

 So I wanted to write a sort of different blog today in honor of my oldest sons birthday.  He turns 5 today and I'm not really sure where this time has gone.  I look at him and I am proud that he has grown up to be such a smart and handsome little boy.

 He has shown me that you can love another person unconditionally and has shown me what challenges are and how to become stronger from them.  He pushes me everyday to be the best mom I can be for him and his brother.

 He has such a big personality and is not afraid to be silly.  He makes me laugh when he know i'm not having a good day.  He is always doing silly little dances or making silly animal sounds to make others laugh.  He is a big comedian and I have always said that.

 Jordon is a very curious little boy.  He is eager to learn and loves animals.  He loves the ocean and is always looking for more information when it comes to the ocean.  He loves it more than anything, I think.

 I am so lucky to be his mom.  I can only hope that he will grow up to be a well rounded man and always keep the things I teach him in his heart.  He has made me so happy over that past five years and I don't know what I would do without him.

Jordon, Mommy loves you more than you will ever know buddy!!!  Happy 5th Birthday lil' man!!!!!!!

Favorite Things in Fall

Fall is obviously the Best season of all.  The weather is beautiful, the leaves all turn immaculate colors, the clothes are gorgeous, I mean I could go on for days.

One of the best things about fall are bonfires.  I love a good bonfire.  Roasting marsh mellows, making s'mores, listening to music, having a good time with friends, I mean you couldn't ask for anything better.

Pumpkin patches are super fun.  If you have little ones, they are sure to enjoy pumpkin patches.  Even if you don't have children, anyone can enjoy a pumpkin patch.  Pumpkin picking is another great thing to do in fall.  Going with you kids, or a group of friends and picking out pumpkins and then bringing them home to carve into jack o lanterns is sure to be a great time for anyone.  Going apple picking is another activity I enjoy in the fall, or going to local farms and picking berries in general.  Going on hikes, breathing in fresh, cool, crisp Autumn air is amazing.

Halloween is also another favorite of mine.  I love Halloween.  Everything about it is amazing.  I Love the month of October basically. Haunted houses, scary movie marathons, dressing up and taking the kids out to trick or treat and best of all, My oldest sons birthday!

Thanksgiving is another favorite holiday of mine during fall!  Enough said about that!!!!!!!! :)

Staying in and having a cozy movie night with the family is one of my all time favorite things to do in fall.  I so enjoy cuddling on the couch with my husband and kids and watching movies.  Hocus Pocus is an ALL time favorite of mine.  I love this time of year so much especially when those marathons of all the Halloween movies comes on.  I am a huge fan of horror movies, but I'm alone on that one in our house.

The fashion in fall is beautiful and so comfy.  I love to wear big cozy sweaters and leggings and boots.  Leg warmers, scarves, dark colors, flannel shirts, hoodies, motorcycle boots, and layering clothes are just amazing.  I love love love this time of year oh so much!!!

What are your favorite things about fall?

-XO
Danielle

New Career Path

Hello Everybody, 

Sorry for the blogging hiatus.  It's been a pretty crazy time for me these last few weeks.  I am just going to come right out and say it.  I quit my job.  I know some of you will understand where i'm coming from and some of you will think that is the most absurd thing a person can do but it is what it is and in the end it was a decision my husband and I chose carefully.

It was a pretty difficult decision to make, i'm not going to lie.  I was given the opportunity to be able to be a stay at home mom and wife and it is a decision that I am happy to have been given.  I have always wanted to know what it was  like to be able to stay at home with my children and be home when they get home from school and be the one who takes care of the house and make sure my family had a hot meal and clean home waiting for them when they get home.  Now, I finally get that chance.

I get to watch my children grow up and I never have to feel bad for missing out on anything.  I'm not going to lie, this is very hard to get used to, but I do not regret my decision and I am thankful that I am lucky enough to be able to watch my kids grow up and I get the chance to be the best mom and wife I can be. (not saying that working moms and wives aren't doing their best...because THEY ARE!!)



-XO
Danielle

How to take better Instagram Pics

Hola Todo el Mundo, (I totally googled that)

Have you ever looked at someones perfectly lined, spaced, brightly colored instagram and wondered how the heck they got it so...well...perfect?  Well, to be honest, it's not so difficult after all.  I am here to save the day and your instagram page because I have 10 tips that have your page looking spiffy in no time. 

Instagram has all kinds of tools to help you edit your photos before you post them.  You can crop a photo, adjust the brightness, add a filter on it to make it look professional, I mean, the list goes on.  You just have to play around with the different settings to see which ones you like best. 

Below I am going to list ten different ways to help you get your feed looking like a pro's page. 

1.  Get inspired.  Use pinterest or other instagram pages to help you with inspiration.

2. Stick with a theme.

3.  Have good lighting.

4. Make sure your picture is in focus.

5. follow the rule of thirds for photography. 

6. Take multiple pics so you have a variety to choose from.

7. Practice posing so you get comfy with your camera. 

8. Think about how you want to crop the pics.

9. Shoot straight on.

10. Post often.

Using these tips will help you out tremendously when it comes to making your instagram look amazing.  It takes practice so don't give up.  Just keep in mind that it takes time to get it the way you want it so don't rush and just have fun with it.

-XO,
Danielle

What my blog means to me

Hello Everybody,

Writing is something I have always had a passion for but never thought in a million years I could actually do.  I never thought I had the courage to write and let people read my inner thoughts.  I always felt so insecure with my writing, that I just didn't do it at all.

When I was on maternity leave after having my second son, I realized that I needed a hobby and I needed one fast.  I sat one day and mulled over in my head, things that I could do for fun and only one thing came to mind....BLOGGING.  I had always wanted to start a blog, but never could muster up the courage to actually do it.

Finally, I just went for it.  I didn't have anything to lose, only things to gain.  I have gained a lot of confidence and satisfaction from my blog.  I love it.  It is a way for me to decompress after a long day and get out some of the things that I have on my mind on a daily basis.  It is literally one of the BEST things I have ever done!

My advise for anyone who wants to start a blog or anything, and you feel scared or insecure to do it, just go for it....as long as it makes you happy and you are able to feel good about it, then forget about what the haters are going to say.

Doing something like blogging and putting yourself out there for people to criticize is really a brave thing to do.  It takes a lot of guts and hard work to do so don't focus on the negativity, just do what makes you happy!

-XO
Danielle

Back to School: Week 1 Tips For Getting Used To The New Schedule

Hello Everybody,

If you have children that are of school age, then you know how stressful it can be trying to get everything ready for them to go back to school.  Getting used to the new schedules, making sure the kiddos are up and ready and ON TIME, have had breakfast and are happy when they leave the house.  Once you wrap your mind around all that craziness, think about how you felt when it was your FIRST TIME doing all of these things.   Yeah....all those memories are flooding back all at once....You're welcome for that!!!!! 

Let me just say that I feel for you all because I am going through the same exact experience at this current moment.  My son just started his first year in school this year and don't get me wrong, I am excited for him and glad that he is really liking it, but getting used to everything mentioned in the previous paragraph is complete HELL.  The biggest adjustment in our household, at least for myself, is the whole getting up super early.  When I say super early I mean 6am.  That may not seem so early for some of you, but I work nights at a hospital and for me, that's like graveyard hours. 

In the past few days, I have learned that in order for everything to run smoothly, you have to plan ahead.  By that I mean, get school clothes ready the night before, put the book bag in a place where you won't run out the door and forget it, have multiple alarms set so no one oversleeps, and last but not least, STAY CALM!!!  If you are running a little late, don't freak out, because in my experience, freaking out leads to other mishaps and it just ruins the whole day.  I'm not saying you CAN'T get anxious, but it really doesn't help the situation at all.  If you know you are going to get your child to school a little late, call the office and let them know.  Trust me, they understand.  The first week of school is hard for everyone, so they won't throw the book at you and make you feel like the worst parent in the world.  Remember that the first week is always crazy and hectic and filled with chaos and just because it's like this now, doesn't mean that it will be like this forever.  You will have little morning setbacks, but just hang in there, you will get used to everything in no time at all.


-XO
Danielle

Wordless Post

Spotify Playlist

Hello everybody,

I have been loving the new music that has been coming out lately, so I thought I would put together my current favorite songs from my spotify playlist.  Hope you enjoy!


1. Fly- Maddie & Tay


2. Ghost Town- Adam Lambert


3. Uma Thurman- Fall Out Boy


4. Fun- Pitbull ft. Chris Brown


5. Cool for the Summer- Demi Levato


6. Beautiful Now- Zedd


7. All Eyes on You- Chris Brown ft. Nicki Minaj & Meek Mill


8. Failure- Breaking Benjamin


9. Where are U Now- Skrillex ft. Diplo & Justin Bieber


10. Photograph- Ed Sheeran


11. Thinking Out Loud- Ed Sheeran


12. Kick The Dust Up- Luke Bryan

My Sephora Wishlist

Sephora Wish list

My Current wish list from Sephora....I'm sure a bunch of stuff will get added to it but this is the most current one for now.  

1. Urban Decay Naked Smokey Palette

2. Two Faced The Chocolate Bar Eye Palette

3. Make Up Forever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Stick

4. Benefit Cosmetics Hello Flawless Foundation

5. Dior Star Fluid Foundation

6. Urban Decay Naked Flushed

7. Two Faced Love Flushed Long-Lasting 16 Hour Blush

8. Tarte Cheek Stain

9. Benefit Cosmetics Dandelion Box O' Powder

10. Benefit Cosmetics Coralista Box O' Powder

11. Benefit Cosmetics Watts Up Hilighter

12. Tarte Bronze & Glow Contour Brush

13. Sephora Collection Pro Contour Brush #79

14. Tarte Tartelette Palette

15. Kat Von D Lip Gloss

16. Urban Decay Naked 1, 2, 3 Palettes

To Be Continued.....

Sephora and Victoria's Secret Haul

Sephora 

Hello Everybody, 

Today, I'm posing a haul for you guys, because I bought extremely too much at the mall this weekend.  I don't go shopping for myself much but when I do buy things for me, I like to share them with you guys.  Seeing hauls is one of my favorite kinds of blogs so I thought I would share with you all some of the things I picked up from Sephora and Victoria's Secret.  Hope you all enjoy.

Victoria's Secret

From Sephora.  www.sephora.com

1. Benefit Boi ing concealer

2. Benefit Hoola Bronzer

3. Benefit bad gal lash mascara

4. HD forever lip gloss


From Victoria's Secret.   www.victoriassecret.com

1. Aqua Kiss body spray

2. Aqua Kiss body butter

3. Love Spell body spray

4. Love spell hydrating body lotion

5. Passion Struck body spray

Sephora && Victoria's Secret Haul

Hope you all enjoy this haul...Leave some of your favorite products from these stores in the comments below.

-XO
Danielle

5 Best Teas for Losing Weight

Hello Everybody,

Being a southern girl, I'm no stranger to tea.....The REAL SWEET kind, but we all know where that sugary sweet goodness goes after being consumed....Right to the hips, thighs, belly and butt!!!!! 

I just recently had a baby, so I'm still in the stages of losing "baby weight" as I like to call it, and trust me when I say that I have done my fair share of research on ways to lose the weight.  Obviously, I know diet and exercise are truly the only legit way to actually lose the weight and stay healthy while doing so, but I figure a few lifestyle changes along the way couldn't hurt...Right?

I mostly like to drink my tea sweet and southern (of course) but knowing how unhealthy it really is, I have been drinking hot teas and to be honest, they're not so bad...especially if you have a sore throat or are feeling a bit under the weather. 

Tea is a great way to get antioxidants and is pretty good for you in general.  Tea has a lot of benefits for your body and health and yes....even weight loss.  I have researched and found five teas that are great for losing weight and they are super tasty too.

1.  Rooibos Tea- This tea regulates fat-storage hormones and has Aspalathin in it, which reduces stress hormones that cause hunger.  Basically you can control your hunger with this tea.



2.  White Tea-  This tea prevents fat cells from forming.  It is rich in antioxidants and boosts lipolysis and blocks adipogenesis which forms fat cells.



3.  Mint Tea-  This tea strikes hunger as well.  It suppresses your appetite and helps you control your hunger.  It is really good to have before bed.



4.  Oolong Tea-  This tea boosts your metabolism.  It is packed with catechins which boost your bodys ability to metabolize fat.



5.  Green Tea-  This tea also boosts your metabolism and unlocks fat cells.  It too has catechins to help metabolize lipids.  It is great to have before a workout as it boosts energy levels and burns fat super fast.

 

 

 

Follow me on Bloglovin'  www.bloglovin.com/daniellecoleman2

12 FREE things to do in Cleveland Ohio

Hello Everyone,

If you live in, or are ever visiting the city of Cleveland, Ohio, you know how expensive things can get.

What if I told you there were a lot of things you could do here for FREE?  That's right.....FREE!  I know, I know...You can thank me later.

Cleveland can get a bit overwhelming whether you live here or you are just visiting and sometimes you just need to take it easy and have a little fun, but you don't always want to break the bank to do it.  Not to worry, I have done some research and found a few things that will keep you busy if you are looking to keep the kids busy during the summer, or if you are on vacation and want something entertaining to do while learning about our little nook in Northeast Ohio.

1. Cleveland Museum of Art
        Completely free.  visit their website at www.clevelandart.org

2. Free Mondays at the Cleveland Zoo
        Sorry folks, this one is only free for residents of cleveland.  www.clemetzoo.com

3. Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland Learning Center and Money Museum
        That's right....The money museum is FREE!  How Ironic.  www.clevelandfed.org

4. Rockefeller Park Greenhouse
        If you like anything having to do with horticulture, this is the place to go.

5. Go to the Beach
        Northeast Ohio is home to a few beautiful beaches along the coast of Lake Erie.  What better way to enjoy your summer than spending it at the beach?

6. International Women's Air and Space Museum, Burke Lakefront Airport
        Visit their website at www.iwasm.org

7.  Preston's H.O.P.E at the Mandel Jewish Community Center
        Located at 26001 S. Woodland Road in Beachwood.  This is a dreamland for kids.  visit the website at www.prestonshope.com

8. Stearns Homestead
        Located in Parma, this farm sits on about 40 acres of land and is home to an abundance of animals and fun.  www.stearnshomestead.com

9. Cleveland Police Museum
        www.clevelandpolicemuseum.org

10. Tremont Art Walk
        www.tremontartwalk.com

11. NASA Glenn Research Center Tour
        Call 216.433.9653.

12. Rocky River Nature Center
        www.clevelandnetroparks.com


Thanks for reading.  Let me know if I left anything out.

-XO
Danielle

Photo of myself (30 day challenge)

Hello Everybody,

 

As part of the 30 day blogging challenge, I wanted to post a photo of myself that I love.  Not to sound conceited or anything, but I really love this picture of me.  I am not dressed up and have on minimal make-up and for some reason, I feel really confident.  I love that I can feel this way about a photograph of myself because I am always criticizing myself whether it be in photos, or in real life.  I am my worst critic and I know that's not always a good thing to be so hard on yourself, but it's just something I have always done. 

 

In this picture, I feel beautiful without even trying.  I think it's important to be able to feel that way about yourself at some point in your life, even if it's not on an everyday basis.  Having self confidence is important and it feels really good when you don't always beat yourself up about everything. 

 

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this post and please follow me on bloglovin.  All you have to do is click the box and follow me and i'll follow you back.

 

-XO

Danielle

 

 







Favorite Quotes

 

Hello Everybody,

I wanted to blog about something a little different today.  I found this 30 day challenge for blogging and I thought it was a pretty cool idea to try.  I'm not going to do it in the order listed, but I am going to do the ones I like most first and then the others will sort of just fall into place. 


Favorite Quotes:

• We were born to be real, not perfect.
• Remember, it's just a bad day, not a bad life.
• Life is a story;  Make yours a best seller.
• Enjoy your OWN life WITHOUT comparing it to another.
• Life is better when you're laughing
• The things I treasure most in life, cannot be taken away
• Sometimes we just have to let things go.
• If you correct your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place.

These are a few of the things I try to remember so that I can always try to remain positive.  Being positive is sort of a struggle for me, but it is something I will continue to work on everyday for the rest of my life.  I have learned that being negative and being around people who are constantly negative, will cause you to be that same way, and it is toxic.  I try my hardest to find something positive in every situation I am faced with;  I know that there are days where I will just feel blah and not be able to do anything about it...I mean c'mon, I'm not perfect, but trying to stay positive is something I am working really hard at and will continue to do so no matter what challenges I am faced with. 

Anyways,  I hope you all enjoyed this blog and please feel free to leave feedback in the comments about ways you stay positive, or your favorite quotes.  I look forward to reading them.

-XO
Danielle

30 Facts About Me!

Hello Everybody......

Welp, by the title, I'd say this post is pretty obvious, so without further ado, lets get to readin'!!!!

1. I have been happily married for almost 2 years now
2. I have 5 kids.  Two boys and 3 step-daughters
3. I'm 27 years old
4. I want to go to cosmetology school
5. I want to be a stay-at-home mom
6. I am terrified of outer space
7. I want to visit England and Ireland
8. I have green eyes
9. I love Naps
10. I love make-up
11. Coffee is my BFF
12. I have never broken a bone....EVER
13. I wear a size 9 shoe (Bigfoot)
14. I'm scared of the unknown
15. I hate surprises
16. I'm trying to be more positive in my life
17. I am an over thinker
18. I am a worrier
19. I am a people pleaser
20. I love YouTube
21. I love photography (hobby?)
22. I am a bit of a romantic (i think anyways)
23. I hate spiders/bugs
24. My favorite colors are pink, purple and lime green
25. I'm passionate about people and things I care about
26. I give pretty good advise to people
27. I am horrible at taking my own advise
28. I can be creative at times
29. I have tons of thoughts/ideas but have a hard time letting them out
30. I am a GEMINI

Thank you for reading.

-XO

Danielle

DIY Pink Box make-up toolbox

Hello Everybody,

I'm sure you all know exactly what I'm talking about when I mention the Pink Box toolbox for make-up.  If not, allow me to introduce to you this beautiful piece of HOT PINK metal that has a lot of people in awe, myself included.  

See what I mean?  When I saw this on Pinterest for the first time, I gasped, pinned it IMMEDIATELY, and kept going back and staring at if for weeks on end.  After a while, I googled the box and was in complete and utter shock when I saw the price tag attached to this thing.  Now, I knew it was going to be a bit pricey but I had no idea it was going to be over $500 dollars.  After seeing that, it was safe to say I was pretty sad.  I continued to look at the photo and after finally showing my husband what I had been longing for, He had a brilliant idea.  First, let me say that he is the mastermind behind this entire DIY and he is a freaking GENIUS!!!!! 

So, He looks at the photo, and I tell him how much something like this would cost and he, like me and the rest of you probably did, GASPED!!!!! "I know, I know....it's a lot of money" I said to him, "but I really would love to have this one day."  Little did I know, he already had his creative gears turning.  He told me that he could make something like this cheaper.  I was all for it at this point.  So he got on craigslist and found a craftsman toolbox in the standard old red color that they come in.  I think he spent about $20 bucks on it.  So we went and picked up the toolbox and went to Home Depot and got some fluorescent pink spray paint and white primer.  My husband attempted to paint it hot pink for me but it turned out kind of an orange color so we were a little disappointed and gave up for a little while.  It sat in our garage for months before we actually did anything with it.  

Once we saw the orange color turn out, I was like, "I don't have to have a pink one, we can make it any color we want."  So we thought about it and I decided that I wanted to paint it purple and he suggested black drawers which I attested to at first, but finally agreed (and I'm glad I did.)  

Finally, after of months of it sitting in our garage, I went to Home Depot and picked out my paint which only cost me about $18 dollars and after that, it was go time.  I pulled the toolbox out of the garage, washed the dust and cobwebs off of it (yuck) dried it off and went to town painting.  Mind you, this is the first thing I have ever spray painted in my entire life, so I had no clue what I was doing.  After what seemed like hours, (was really only about an hour and a half) I finally finished painting my toolbox and I let it sit out in the sun and dry.  After about forty five minutes or so, the paint was completely dry so I put the drawers back in and wheeled that bad boy into our house.  I COULD NOT wait to fill it with all my hair and make-up products.  

In conclusion, the original Pink Box is super beautiful but so expensive, so if you're like me and really want one but don't want to spend that kind of money on one, a good'ole Do It Yourselfer is the way to go.  You can find a cheaper toolbox on craigslist or even at places like Home Depot or Lowe's sells smaller toolboxes like the one you'll need for pretty decent prices.  All you gotta do is pick what color you want yours, get the spray paint and get busy creating your beautiful new make-up toolbox that will make everyone around you super jealous (trust me on that one...hahaha) and for a little less that $40 dollars, you will have yourself a beautiful brand new make-up toolbox just like the Original Pink Box without that super expensive tag attached to it.

-XO

Danielle

Need a little inspiration? READ ME!

 

Don't frown beautiful, pick your head up and Shine as bright as the sun because you are amazing.  Never let anyone bring you down.  Be yourself and be proud of who you are because there is no one else in this entire world like you and that is incredible.  You can do anything, be anything that you want.  Never let anyone tell you any different.  If you want something, you have got to work hard for it and as long as you think positive, positive things will come.  Don't ever let anybody tell you that you aren't good enough, because YES YOU ARE!  You are so special and worthy of love and compassion.  You are a BEAUTIFUL Human Being and YOU deserve the WORLD!

 

 

-XO,
Danielle

The coolest thing happened to me!

 

Hello Everybody,

Okay, so this is a bit of a different blog I'm posting for you all today.  So most of you don't know that I watch the beauty community on YouTube a lot.  It's my favorite thing to do in my spare time (besides blogging, of course ;))  but one of my favorite beauty guru's Ciaoobelllaxo has a beauty channel and a vlog channel and I always like watching her videos.  She recently posted a video on her vlog channel talking about how she was moving and she brought the camera along while walking through her new house and so I took to Twitter and tweeted how I loved her new house and couldn't wait for a full house tour. 

About half an hour later, my phone goes off letting me know that I have a notification from my twitter account.  So like any other normal person would do, I open the notification to find that Ciaoobelllaxo has retweeted my tweet.  Now, some of you will never understand the excitement that I felt at that moment, and that's okay, but for those of you who do understand how I felt, you will know that it was so awesome to know that someone who is basically YouTube famous, actually seen your tweets and takes the time to retweet it.  It is one of the coolest feelings ever. 

Everyone should go and check out her chanel.  She is an awesome cosmetologist.  I always find myself going to her channel for tips and tricks for hair and makeup. 

Anyways, sorry if this seems like a nerdy kind of blog, but I just had to share it and I hope you all enjoyed my fangirl moment!!!!!!

-XO
Danielle

Motivational Monday!!!

Hello Everybody, 

It's motivational Monday and I'm going to share with you all what is motivating me.  My kids have always been my number 1 motivator.  If it weren't for them, I don't know what I would do in my life.  They are my world and I would do anything possible and necessary for my children.  They are really great kids, and they keep me going. (Literally going!)  They are the reason I get out of bed everyday.  I want them to know what it's like to grow up with structure and kindness.  I want them to be gentlemen but also be manly men.  They will know how to treat women right.  They will be respectful to all things, no matter what it is.

  My kids are my world and without them, I don't know who I would be.  Sometimes I sit and think about my life before I had children, and of course I had a lot more fun in the partying sense but those days are long gone for me and I am truly okay with that.  I would much rather sit at home and watch an animated movie with my kids that go out to some bar and get plastered and stroll in at the crack of why am I awake?  (haha)  I don't want to miss a single thing while my kids are growing up.

I'm not passing any judgement here but I have never understood some parents who would much rather go out with their friends, than spend quality time with their children.  I mean, don't get me wrong, It's nice to get away for one night every once in a while, but to go out and party every single night is not something I would even consider now that I am a mother.  I just don't have the heart to do it.  I would feel so guilty for leaving my children at home with some babysitter when I should be the one at home taking care of them.

Having children has changed my life in so many ways.  All of them in good ways and I am so thankful for my children and I would never change anything about them.  They are perfect in my eyes and I am blessed to be able to call myself their mother.  <3

Fourth of July fun with the Family!

Hello everybody,

We had to celebrate the fourth of July yesterday in our family because I had to work today :(
Stinks I know but, you gotta do what you gotta do...Right?  My husband and I and the baby went to a festival near our hometown and had a lot of fun.  I wish Jordon would have gotten to come along with us but he is at his dads house for the summer.  I know he would have had a blast!

Anyways, I tried my best to get some good footage of the firework show.  I didn't film it all but what I got was pretty good and I also got some photos so I hope you enjoy them!!!