It's Simply Lindsay

05/4/16

Self Care as a Mom

This is a sponsored post, though all opinions are my own.

When I reflect back to those sweet newborn days, it’s extremely bittersweet. While I developed an incredible breastfeeding relationship with my daughter, I sometimes felt trapped. While I took pride in nourishing my baby girl from my own body, I felt the burden of responsibility. While I cherished those moments of complete reliability on me, the pressure was palpable.

Joys and Terrors

The beautiful and terrifying new mom phase is short-lived, though in that season, there were moments where 5 minutes feels like 5 hours and 10 minutes of inconsolable crying was surely an eternity. I spent my maternity leave, for the most part, braless, holed up in my house, both loving and relishing my greatest creation and crying because I didn’t leave the house in days.

05/1/16

Full Body Workout Roundup (Knee-Friendly)

Since having my baby, my body completely changed. While I used to thrive off of high intensity workouts, my joints can no longer handle that kind of impact, so I was left to search Pinterest and Youtube for exercises:

1. I could do at home
2. Were rigorous
3. Were easy on my knees
4. I could complete in less than an hour
5. That I could still feel the burn

I am rounding up my favorite exercises that meet my criterion in addition to being enjoyable – these are all workouts I actually look forward to doing, and I know you will, too.

Since these workouts are generally short, you can do them every day, and you can mix and match them, depending on what you want to focus on. I think arms and abs are a great addition to every workout, and I do these daily. Be sure to pin this for easy access, and have a friend join in, too. By having accountability to someone, you’ll be more likely to follow through with your workouts.

04/25/16

Clear Skin From the Inside Out

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BioreCharcoal #CollectiveBias

As we’re entering into this spring season, I hear so much emphasis on spring cleaning- you know, choose a different project every week to deep clean your home type of thing.

While I am totally on board with this idea, it inspired me to take a different approach, one that doesn’t have me scrubbing baseboards and cleaning the gutters in my spare time. No, as a working momma, my spare time is precious, and though I’m all about a clean home, I’m also all about taking care of myself. That’s why I came up with 7 ways to spring clean your skin this season; I know I’m not the only one in need of some major TLC in the complexion department.

To celebrate your radiant, healthy skin, check out a quick 5-minute highlight/contour tutorial to show off those clean pores at the end of the post!

04/21/16

An Open Letter to High School Students

While I am only one teacher voicing one humble teacher’s opinion, this is a letter intended for high school students everywhere. Maybe this applies to you and maybe not. Maybe you read it and think back to your high school days and realize, “that was so me.” Maybe not. Either way, read this with an open mind, an open heart, and minimal eye rolling please. Because I’m telling you all the secrets behind me being a teacher; all the deep dark truths behind my methods and strictness that you might not realize. I’m speaking to you frankly because I know you’re equipped to take a real assessment of yourself after being confronted from a place of care.

Often when people think of a teacher’s job, they comment on the benefits of the schedule- getting off work at 3, winter break, spring break, and all those random days off in between. But what you don’t realize is that when you leave school and head to soccer practice, play rehearsal, your job, or home, pushing all thoughts of school and teachers far from your brains, is that I’m thinking about you.

Kind of a lot. Like, all the time. And maybe not in the way you think.

04/19/16

The Cool Club You Need to Be In

Do you remember in grammar school when “clubs” were all the rage? I was a founder of several exclusive clubs, which really upped my playground status- you had to know the secret password and everything. Then you move from student council and yearbook clubs in high school to sorority and fraternities in college; we clearly have this strong desire to compartmentalize ourselves and our interests, so that begs the question: what’s left for adulthood?

Enter Club W to the rescue, the best kind of club for adults. I was so thrilled when they reached out to me to see what they were all about.

Let me ask you: do you like wine? Sparkling wine? A good deal? Well, then you’ll happily be accepted into this wonderful club. Let me give you the run down.

04/14/16

The Dangerous Thing You Need to Know About Limes

You know when you’re browsing Facebook or the internet and come across seemingly freakish health-related topics with pictures that make your stomach curl and think, that could never happen to me, and go on the rest of your day thinking nothing of it? I hope that is not the case with this post – I hope you read it, share it with your friends, and prevent this from happening to you, your friends, and your children. I hope you share it with everyone you know to avoid this seemingly freakish health-related topic because it can happen to you. How do I know? Because it happened to my husband.

Justin came home from work one day with some small blisters on his hand; he seemed only mildly bothered by it, and it looked like nothing to me. I gave him Benedryl ointment and thought nothing of it. The days went by and the blisters not only spread and enlarged, but a painful bright red splotchy rash developed. My husband is not a complainer and has a high threshold for pain, so he played it off for a while like it was nothing. Every day it grew worse until he admitted the horrible pain and burning he felt.