2018 In Review

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2018 was a busy year! From pregnancy, a super fun reveal, adventures, maternity workouts and clothing, prepping Nico and Luca for a new sibling, welcoming our sweet Baby Knox, and adjusting as a family of 5, there was a lot to celebrate all through the year. There were a few scary moments in time with illness in the family and a pregnancy scare, but happy to say 2018 ended well! Not sure yet what 2019 will bring, but here is a look back at the past year…

Hit my 4 year health and fitness coaching anniversary at the end of this year helping others get healthy and strong, and helping women start businesses from home. I am so incredibly grateful for what this opportunity has given me from being able to have freedom and flexibility to work on my own time from home, spending more time with my kids and family, while earning and income and building toward an income I am proud of. I am accepting new challengers and new team members for my challenge groups and coaching mentorships for the upcoming year, so please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have some goals to crush this year!

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Our little family announced there would be a new addition coming to The Notes Crew!

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Nico tried and loved gymnastics for the first time

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I really dove into matcha during my first trimester (because coffee made me feel yucky), and I became super curious about crystals and sage.

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I surprised Zack for his birthday and took him to the Alesso concert in Brooklyn which was probably not the BEST place for a pregnant lady to be and we realized how “old” we’ve become because we couldn’t last the whole night, but it was hella fun!

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I finally learned how to poach an egg…even better, I learned from Vanderpump Rules, because I figured if fricken Tom Sandoval could poach an egg, then so could I!

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Survived a week of HELL when we got back scary blood test results telling us that our baby’s chances for Trisomy21 were much higher than normal. We did further testing to reveal that he didn’t have this genetic disorder and these were my tears of relief after finding out.

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Became obsessed with dragonfruit. It’s seriously delicious!

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Continued to exercise all throughout my pregnancy and documented the growing bump on Instagram!

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Fulfilled my dream of making pasta from scratch on a date night with the hubby. We made ravioli and fettuccine!

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Found out we were having a 3rd baby BOY!!! Shots captured by Scratch Studios.

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Zack and I celebrated our wedding anniversary on a Spring Break trip to Charleston! Thanks to my parents for watching the kids!

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I gained a sweet new nephew!! Here he is with his older bro.

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Nico had an amazing year at Pre-K for his first year in NYC Public School. Luca completed his first year of school with a 2’s program, and while it was a tough transition, it truly made a world of a difference for him and school has been a breeze this year in  3’s!

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I traveled to Indianapolis for the first time to meet up with these fabulous ladies as we learned how to grow our coaching businesses together at our annual Summit. This was my 4th Summit, and it’s an event I never want to miss!

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We headed to Cape May for family vacation with my husband’s side of the family, and had an amazing time! We then hopped over on the ferry to Rehoboth, DE and continued the fun with best friends and some family! I also had a record breaking week with my business while we were away!

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Sissy and bro-in-law came up to Brooklyn and we took them to Coney Island for the first time to celebrate our birthdays. Even though I felt like I was about to pop, we had a total blast!

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Nico turned 5 and Luca turned 3 with a Firefighter themed backyard Birthday Bash

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We welcomed Knox Gannon Notes on 8/19/18 and officially became a #partyof5.

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While it was a beautiful and happy time, the first six weeks post partum were also rough with tongue tie issues causing painful nursing problems, sleepless nights, borderline post partum depression, and hormonal tears. I honestly thought three would be a breeze, and we were thrown for a bit of a loop in the beginning, but we had been through two kids before and we knew there would be a light at the end of the tunnel which kept us going. Happy to say even though there are still some crazy days, the fog has lifted.

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Took the boys upstate to go apple and pumpkin picking at Fishkill Farms. We also attended my cousin’s beautiful wedding down in Maryland for our first official event as a family of 5! They learn to travel young in this fam! LOL.

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Had an EPIC Halloween dressed up as a family of TROLLS this year!

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Started exercising again after having Baby Knox and starting to see some progress, though it’s also been even more beneficial for my sanity and clarity to be cleared to move every day again!

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Had such a wonderful Christmas season visiting our favorite NYC sites like the Bronx Botanical Gardens Holiday Train Show, the Dyker Heights Christmas lights, and roaming Manhattan. We also had such a memorable season with our family and friends down in Maryland.

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2018, that’s a wrap! You’ve treated us well. We’ve grown as a family and grown with even more love to give. Looking forward to seeing what’s in store for us in 2019!

What were your favorite memories of 2018???

XO,

Gina & the Boys

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2016 in Review

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So much has happened over the course of this past year…here is a little recap…

 I came upon my 2 year health + fitness coaching journey this January and I have since been able to help over 300 challengers to reach their goals and over 30 coaches to build a business of their own. I am continuing to help those who want to make changes in this brand new year.

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My sweet little Luca was officially Baptized into the Catholic Church with a beautiful Christening celebration.

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I earned my first Beachbody Coach Success Club Trip and was able to take my whole family on a Caribbean Cruise on the Oasis of the Seas!!! Holy amazing!!!

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I had some fun collaborations with Younique presenter Suzy Engler & UncommonGoods. I now love a great lip stain and one of my readers is rockin’ an Elwood mug.

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We traveled to New Jersey, Ithaca, and Baltimore / (x2)  to celebrate some incredibly beautiful weddings of close friends.

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We spent a week at the lake with close friends in the Poconos.

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I returned to Nashville for my 2nd Beachbody Coach’s Summit and got to hang with my amazing team!

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Nico turned 3 and Luca turned 1, and we celebrated with a Lego themed Birthday Party

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We tackled potty training over the summer and got one kid out of diapers lol. This book was super helpful.

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We spent two weeks at the beach with family from the Outer Banks, NC to Cape May, NJ

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Hubby finally started back up on his own health and fitness journey…and he’s got the abs to prove it!

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Got in a ton of good reads this year including You Are a Badass, Girl on the Train, Me Before You, No Excuses, The 15 Laws of Invaluable Growth, The 5 Love Languages, and more.

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We hiked to the top of Bear Mountain with great friends and Nico almost did the entire thing on his own including the hand and foot scaling!!! I was super impressed.

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I completed several new at-home workout programs and challenged myself from P90X3, 21 Day Fix Extreme, 22 Minute Hard Corps, Country Heat, Hammer + Chisel, 3 Week Yoga Retreat, and Core de Force. Feeling happier + healthier than ever before!

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I traveled to Sundance, Utah for my first ever Coach’s Diamond Retreat which was an experience of a lifetime. What an amazingly beautiful place to reflect, learn, and be inspired by so many other leaders.

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Made some amazing fall soups that were so great, they will definitely be made again this winter.

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Little sis and I pulled off the surprise of the year celebrating our amazing Mom + Dad’s 60th Birthday. Aren’t these two adorable?!?!

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Got in another memorable family Christmas Eve photo by my cousin and fav photographer Misa Me.

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Rounded out the year with a fabulous holiday season with my bests in our Christmas jammies.

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What an incredible year, and we cannot wait to see what 2017 has in store!!!

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What was your favorite memory from 2016??? What are you most looking forward to in 2017??? Please share below!!!

Wishing you all a happy + healthy New Year! Happy Monday!!

XO,

Gina

Jam out July

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Like music? Like working out? Like listening to music WHILE working out?!?!

Then THIS is the challenge for you!!!

Join some of the top coaches on Team SPARK! July 18th for Jam Out July!!! This FREE 5 Day Health + Fitness Challenge will incorporate a summer jam for each workout on each day of the week. You can listen to the song once for a quick mini workout, play the song on repeat for more of a challenge, or string them all together at the end of the week to pump up that jam!

We will also be sharing healthy recipes and tips for summer fun! Should be a good time, and you won’t want to miss this one!

Comment below with your email address to JOIN the fun or reach out to me for more details!

gina.notes26 {at} gmail.com

Cannot WAIT!

XO,

Gina

Zucchini Chips

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When Autumn Calabrese, creator of the 21 Day Fix, came out with her new cookbook, FIXATE, I just knew that I had to get my hands on that! I am not typically a cookbook person. I have a bunch, and then totally forget to use them. I usually end up looking up recipes on Pinterest or somewhere else online. However, this cookbook was different! Not only are the recipes super easy to make, they are also extremely healthy…AND the best part is that it’s perfect for those following the 21 Day Fix plan. Autumn lays out exactly which color coded containers she uses for each recipe along with other nutritional information.

Since I have been demoted to sous chef in my household (not due to terrible cooking, mind you…but due to childcare duties and hence lack of a desire to cook on my part these days), my husband took on this recipe for Zucchini Chips, and I have to say they were bomb diggity! Yes, I just said that…sorry I’m a child of the 90’s 😉 We will definitely be making these bad boys again…and you know, maybe I will even make them myself next time around!

Ingredients:

2 Large Zucchini, very thinly sliced

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1/2 tsp. Sea Salt (or Himalayan Salt)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees F
  2. Place zucchini slices in one layer between paper towels to help draw out liquid.
  3. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
  4. Place zucchini slices on prepared baking sheets.
  5. Brush zucchini with oil; sprinkle with salt.
  6. Bake for 2 hours, or until golden brown and crispy.
  7. Cool completely before serving.

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We had our first family road trip to Maryland this past weekend as a family of four. It was definitely challenging, but we survived! It was wonderful to celebrate two of my best friends as one is expecting her first child and the other is getting married very soon! We have all been friends since high school, and it’s amazing how close we still are even after so much time has passed.

I hope you are all enjoying the week so far and embracing the fall!

XO,

Gina

Shakeology Super Sampler!

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Have you been wondering about what the heck is the dealio with this Shakeology “stuff” I have been drinking? Are you in need of getting your health and nutrition back on track?

Since I am not yet cleared to get back into exercise just yet, I am going to switch it up this month and run a group based on nutrition and Shakeology! If you have been curious and you are interested in trying out a sampler before making a full monthly investment, then you are a perfect candidate for this group!

I will have all 6 flavors available to ship and try out along with some of my favorite recipes to go along with each flavor. You can also feel free to try out your own recipes and share them with the group.

Why Shakeology? Because it’s a great way to get in all your vitamins, nutrients, and super foods each day. It’s been known to boost your immune system, curb those sweet tooth cravings, lower cholesterol, improve digestion, increase energy levels, help with weight loss, strengthen your hair, skin, and nails…and so much more.

Not only will I be sharing Shakeology recipes in this group, but I will also provide recipes for nutritious meals and tips for healthy, clean eating (because you definitely should not be drinking ALL of your meals!)

Shakeology veterans who are interested in learning new recipes and sharing with the group are also welcome to join!

The group will begin Monday September 21, and I wanted to make sure to give everyone enough time to get their Sampler Packets before starting.

COMMENT below if you want in or MESSAGE me for more information on how to get started, get your sampler pack, and join the group!

Have a great week everyone!

XO,

Gina

Tank Top Arms & Tasty Treats

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Do you have tickets to the gun show? No, I’m not talking about the right to bear arms….I’m talking about the right to BARE ARMS…see what I did there? 😉 Ok ok…I admit, I’m a nerd…the point here is…it’s FREE Challenge time, and this month is all about those TANK TOP ARMS! It’s summer time and the guns are out, so let’s show them off with pride, ay?

Starting next MONDAY JUNE 15th, we will be sculpting those shoulders, building those biceps, and toning those triceps. Who says arms can’t be sexy?

We’ll also be mixing in some TASTY TREATS next week with some refreshing summer slim down recipes for meals and snacks.

No equipment necessary…and you can do this challenge from the comfort of your own home! We will meet online in a private Facebook group for support.

Who’s with me? COMMENT below with “I’m in!” and your e-mail address, and I will add you to the group You can also email me at gina.notes26 {at} gmail.com. Friends are always welcome, so feel free to spread the word!

Looking forward to seeing you next week!

Happy Hump Day!

XO,

Gina

Bikini Body Boot Camp

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Happy Tuesday dahhhhhlings!!

It’s FREE Challenge Group time!!!

***Next Monday, 5/18, I’m hosting a free, 5-DAY BIKINI BODY BOOT CAMP***

Spend the week prepping for summer’s unofficial kick-off, Memorial Day Weekend!! We’ll focus on your core with a “crunchless” ab circuit. Then we’ll maximize those results in the kitchen with some “Bikini Bites” or ideas for healthy snacks + recipes. Get ready to ROCK your swimsuit + most importantly, feel great!!

COMMENT below with your e-email if you would like to be added to the group! You can also email me at gina.notes26 {at} gmail.com. Hope to see YOU + your beautiful bod next week. <3

XO,

Gina