Self-Care + At-Home Teeth Whitening = Mom Win

My life at home with 2 kids can get pretty crazy busy. Which makes it difficult to find time for myself. I have admitted before that I kinda lost myself to motherhood after having my babies. And it's even harder now that I'm a stay-at-home mom. So I have been trying to get back into the habit of practicing self-care more regularly -- like waking up a little earlier to get a good workout in or occasionally putting on a pretty dress and doing my hair + makeup just so I can feel a bit like I haven't completely lost who I was pre-baby.

One thing that I have recently decided to try is teeth whitening. I have never had my teeth whitened before but it's something I've always wanted to have done because my teeth has definitely stained over the years and has made me a little insecure especially when it comes to taking pictures -- I blame my love for coffee and almost 2 decades of drinking it daily. But who has the time to sit in the dental office for hours to get this process done? Definitely NOT me.

So, as you can imagine I was super excited when Smile Brilliant reached out to me and asked if I was interested in trying out their teeth whitening kit! Their whitening process takes about 45 minutes a day and can be left in for up to 3 hours. It still sounds like a HUGE chunk of my day but the fact that I could do it AT home while doing all the mom things was a major WIN for me. They recommended that I do this every night before bedtime as part of my routine -- which I did implement. But I loved that I could do it at any time of the day, even when I'm playing with my babies or doing chores.

If you were wondering, this is what comes in the kit: the molding paste to make your teeth impressions, tubes of whitening gel and desensitizing gel, and detailed instructions on how to make your teeth impressions, as well as instructions on the whitening process. On average, you will see results after 7-14 daily applications. It took me a little longer than usual to complete my whitening process because I experienced some teeth sensitivity within the first couple of days, so instead of applying the the whitening gel for 14 consecutive days, I did it every other day. And the in-between days, I would only apply the desensitizing gel to help with the sensitivity issue.

My overall experience with Smile Brilliant has been amazing. Their kit is very easy to use and if I had any questions or concerns, they were there to help me every step of the way. I am also very pleased with the results. At first, I didn't think it was really working but my husband was the first to really notice the difference. My teeth have definitely whitened some and the staining is not as noticeable which makes me feel much more confident to smile BIG and fearlessly for the cameras and...just because. Check out the results!

Oh and guess what?! Smile Brilliant has decided to give away ONE teeth whitening kit to one of YOU! How awesome is that?! All you have to do is click here to fill out the entry form. But if you're kinda impatient (like I am) and want your whitening kit NOW, you can always use my code "thatplainjanelife15" for 15% off your entire purchase!

Also be sure to follow both Smile Brilliant (@smilebrilliant) and me (@thatplainjanelife) on Instagram and tag/share with your friends who would also love a chance to win!

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Do you or have you ever whitened your teeth? Have you tried Smile Brilliant? If not, would you be willing to give it a try? Tell me your thoughts in the comments below!!!

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Disclosure: This is sponsored by Smile Brilliant. I have been compensated to create this post, however all opinions are my own. I only recommend products I’ve personally used and love! This post may contain affiliate links that earn me a small commission, at no additional cost to you. 

Tags: #smilefearlessly #teethwhiteningkit #teethwhitening #smilebrilliant #selfcare #momlife #athometeethwhiteningkit #affordableteethwhiteningkit

Introducing: Mom Diaries

Hi!!! If you've somehow found your way here to this blog post, I just want to say THANK YOU! Whether you stumbled upon here on "accident" or you actually clicked on this post with the intention to actually read it, I want you to know that I truly do appreciate you doing so!

So if you're still reading this... welcome! Welcome to this new segment of my blog where you will find my raw honest truths about life. And I say "life" in general and not just "mom life" because I hope that those who are not yet moms will still want to read this and still be able to relate to the things I talk about. This series will touch on anything I feel like sharing - it could range anywhere from happy thoughts to sad thoughts; stories of my frustrations, my triumphs & victories (both little and big) in this tough journey through motherhood; it could be about ANYTHING that will make you go hmmmm.

My main goal with this is to create a safe place that will allow women to be vulnerable and open up and want to share their thoughts, experiences, and stories with the rest of us. A place where we can support other overwhelmed moms and have a dialogue without judgment. There is no 'one way' to do this thing called life. Because I feel like in this day and age, especially with social media, the expectations and culture of momhood (and womanhood) has changed so much since the generation of moms/women before me. Social media allows other moms/women out there to "hide" behind their computer screens or smart phones and openly criticize or bully other women (don't get me wrong, I know there are a lot who empower and encourage too). And then if it's not the mom-shame that gets to us, it's the mom guilt that we inflict on ourselves from the comments that weren't necessarily meant to shame us but rather to "encourage" us. Blame the hormones, man. They really do a number on us during pregnancy and postpartum. 

Let me give you an example of a time I experienced mom-guilt from a comment that was not meant to shame me. And it's not even a really big or dramatic one. I'm sure some may think it's silly or that it's not even a big deal. But it really was for me at the time because I was a new mom. Like brand spanking new. Extremely hormonal, sleep-deprived, and completely overwhelmed. There were times where I felt defeated and so alone because everyone I knew that had kids were already past the baby stage and they really did not remember the details of just how hard it was and couldn't really help me feel better about going through it. I've had friends/family say to me "I'm soooo glad we're way past that stage" when they see all the work I'm putting in to try and establish some sort of schedule or when they see how tired I look or how I can't do things because my babies are so clingy and needy. And when I say "do things" I'm talking about simple things like daily chores. Don't even get me started on that subject. I'll have to save that one for a future post. I'm trying to keep this post short and sweet but it's actually turning out to be a long one.

Anyway, I digress from the actual story I'm trying to tell.

Ok so back to when Ella was about 6 weeks old. I posted this photo to my personal Instagram account - which is private by the way and only friends and family can see it. It's a photo of me wearing Ella in a Baby K'tan. And my caption said something along the lines of "trying to put baby to sleep" while the photo showed me in the living room, standing (most likely bouncing) while watching TV. And one of my friends commented something like "ohhhh watch out, you're going to spoil her!"

That's it. That's all that was said.

And I. Just. Lost. It.

Not because I thought she was shaming me. Because she wasn't. She's not a judgy person at all. That's not even her personality or style. She said it jokingly and I do know that. But at the time, because I was still so new to this and experiencing all the highs and lows of this beautiful chaos, I totally took this comment out of context and just immediately felt like I was failing as a mom. Because that photo or caption did not capture the entire story behind it. No one knew that I had tried everything I could think of to get my baby to sleep without the help of me rocking her to sleep. Or nursing her to sleep. Or bouncing around the entire house to get to her to sleep. No one knew just how badly my baby would scream the minute I put her down and how stressful it was for me to hear her scream. And I'm talkin' bloody murder type screaming. There was no cute "quiet" kind of crying from this child in the first few weeks of her life. Nooooo, this child of mine screamed like she was dying. And I'm not exaggerating. My neighbors would actually come over to check on us sometimes because they could hear her. The only way I could get Ella to nap during the day or go to bed at night, was to hold her. So yeah I became this extremely sensitive human being and I questioned everything about my ability to care for this tiny creature because I felt like I couldn't do anything right. And then I'd hear comments like "my baby never cried that bad as a newborn" which then made me think that something was wrong with Ella.

Like I get that most of the comments I've read or heard in person weren't meant to offend me. But there are still the ones that comment with the purpose of making you feel like sh*t because those type of people don't care if they hurt your feelings. Trust me, I've had my share. But when you're a brand new mom that has never been through a life changing event that drastic, it can really mess you up.

Me? I was a hot mess. I was alone (at least it felt that way). And then after that I kind of limited what I shared on social media because I put so much pressure on myself to be that perfect mom that society expects us to be - and for every mom, the definition of a perfect mom is different. I know there are many new moms out there that feel this same exact way but don't want to share their stories because they fear that someone might shame them or make them feel guilty. We torture ourselves by comparing ourselves and our babies to others. We look at photos on Instagram of Facebook and take it for what it looks like and don't know the whole story behind that perfect picture. When we see others parenting differently from how we think parenting should be, we either judge or we try to do it that way too and see if we get good results. Social media just makes it so easy to get caught up in all of that when we're feeling like we have no idea what we're doing.

So I'm hoping if I share my stories that others will want to, too. It always feels good to talk it out. And I have a lot of stories to share with you. 3 whole years worth. I may not have a lot of experience under my belt just yet but it's definitely been quite a journey for me.

If you have any stories you'd like to share, shoot me a comment and let's talk about it like real life girlfriends do!

tags: #momdiaries #momlife #postpartumjourney #newmom #motherhood #momcommunity

TIU Bikini Series - 4 Weeks Down, 4 More To Go

Now that Everly is past the newborn stage and is becoming more and more mobile and independent (as independent as an 8-month old can get - her favorite place is still in my arms), I've decided to finally get back to workin' on my fitness. And this time I'm determined to make it stick. I attempted at the start of the new year but 2 weeks in, I just couldn't keep up with the meal preps and workin' out in between meeting the demands of my 2 year old and nursing infant. So on Monday May 7th, I committed to doing the 8-Week Bikini Series Challenge with the rest of the Tone It Up community.

The goal of this challenge, for me, was to get back into the groove in finding that balance. It was difficult for me after having my firstborn back in 2015 especially when I went back to work 6 months postpartum because my commute to and from work was almost 4 hours roundtrip daily. So by the time I got home to relieve Daniel of his daddy duties so he could go to class (he was getting his Masters at the time), I really only had a couple of hours to have Ella and I fed and ready for bed. And sure I could have worked out on weekends, but I made the sacrifice of not working out because I wanted to spend time with Ella since I missed so much of her during the week. I did, however, try my best at eating clean and meal prepped as much as I could. Anyway, what was the point of my story again? (Mom brain strikes again) Oh yeah, that's right. So this challenge was meant to get me to get back into the groove of working out again. And meal prepping.

I wanted to get used to working out 4-5 times a week. My pre-baby days, I worked out 6-7 times a week. I lifted weights at the gym. Sometimes I did 2-a-days when I incorporated HIIT cardio workouts. I did have "rest" days where I would take a break from the gym but I'd do something outside - like bike riding or hiking or taking my dog on long walks. Now, the only gym I have access to is the one in my apartment complex. It consists of 2 treadmills, 1 stationary bike, 1 elliptical, and 1 universal weight lifting machine that lets you do lat pull downs, chest press, peck flyes, etc. I wish there were more equipment to work with (like free weights and a squat rack) but at least it's a good start.

Weeks 1 and 2 kinda went like this: On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I did HIIT cardio on the treadmill. A jog/sprint combo for 30 minutes with a 5 minute warm up and 5 minute cooldown. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I took my girls to a park nearby to walk for 30 minutes. May not seem like a lot, but the paved walking trail has some pretty good up and downhill grades which makes for pushing a double-stroller a bit challenging especially for someone who is NOT in shape like me. The stroller weighs approximately 29 lbs, Ella weighs about the same, and Everly is about 20 lbs now. So it definitely is a great workout. Then after my 30 minute walk, I let Ella run & play on the playground. But wait! I'm not done yet. On top of these cardio sessions, I also did home workouts. Tone It Up has an app that gives you access to free daily workouts and also LIVE studio workouts on the hour every hour. But you have to pay for that one. Each day is a different workout that targets different areas of the body. The workouts may look easy, but they're really not. And they are soooo very effective. I was sore (and still am) for days.

Weeks 3 and 4 weren't as intense but I still worked out. I had to take it a little easier because somehow, I managed to injure my knee. To the point where it hurt for me to walk or even just get out of bed. I couldn't do a jog/sprint HIIT cardio combo on the treadmill without almost eating it. So instead I did a walk/very brisk walk combo instead. We still did park walks AND neighborhood walks. And I continued to do the daily moves.

Now, as for the eating clean and meal prepping part. I haven't been super strict with this one. For the most part, it's been clean. But throw in a Mother's Day celebration the first weekend after the challenge started, then a family member's birthday BBQ the following weekend, and then Memorial Day weekend where we attended a Gender Reveal party... well you can safely assume I did have a little bit of not-so-clean meals. But totally in moderation!

So far so good. This is the most consistent I've been with both working out AND eating clean in the last almost 3 years. It's still a struggle to find the energy to get a workout in, but at least I have a little more time in the day to play with since I no longer have a job with a long commute. And Daniel finished his Masters program a year ago so now he's able to hang out with the girls when he gets home from work so I can go to the gym.

The pressure we put on ourselves to get back into pre-baby shape can be ridiculous and sometimes unrealistic. I struggled with that disappointment for a long time but I know if I can just commit to staying on this path without huge expectations, I know eventually I will get there. I don't want to be skinny. I want to be healthy and in shape and to just look and feel great in my postpartum skin. I've accepted the fact that I may never have my rock hard abs again. And that's okay because I'm so proud of what my body went through to bring my 2 babies into this world. So I'm not paying attention to the number on the scale. My progress will be monitored by my pant size. I haven't stepped on the scale since my 6 week postpartum checkup back in November so I don't know even know how much I currently weigh. But I do know that I'm wearing clothes that are waaay bigger than I would like to be wearing. I just want to feel confident again. You know?

How long did you wait to start working out again postpartum? Was it difficult? Was it easy? Have you reached your goal? Let's talk about it in the comments below!

Tags: #fitnessjourney #healthyjourney #fitfam #tiubikiniseries #TIUteam #toneitup #postpartum #momlife #fitmom #postpartumfitness