Tag: lifestyle blogger

Do You Believe in Yourself?

mariong_bbheadshots_sundance_imagesbyjami-194

***Do you believe in yourself?*** (APPLICATION BELOW)
 
I have always been a confident person on the outside, and I was raised to always believe that I was capable of achieving anything I set my mind to. My parents always believed in me and instilled that confidence in myself. And somewhere inside I did believe that.
 
Regardless, as I moved through life and chased dreams…sometimes along the way you start to doubt yourself. Well, can I REALLY become an actress, or REALLY be a news reporter? (Yes, I wanted to do those things). Can I REALLY build my dream house? Can I REALLY feel completely fulfilled? Am I REALLY worth it?
 
There have been times where I have been stuck in old habits because they were comfortable…because I was afraid of the unknown…because I feared change. Because I had to try something new and get out of my comfort zone.
 
When my company folded, I was very sad, because I enjoyed what I did and I had the best co-workers. I had an amazing situation of supportive people who made me laugh on a daily basis. But it was also a chance to start fresh. A chance to figure out who I was now that I was a mom. A chance to discover my true potential. I was already uncomfortable and jobless, so I had nothing to lose at this point right? Sometimes life forces you to reexamine things and which direction you want to go.
 
Having kids definitely changed a lot of my priorities in life and the 9-6 grind with an hour and 15 min subway commute each way just wasn’t working for me anymore. I wanted to be around more for my boys.
 
When I discovered coaching, I had no idea if it would be something that I would love or hate. I just knew I wanted to get back in shape again, I enjoyed helping people, I could work from home, and I could be my own boss.
 
And while I have been able to help change so many lives throughout this process, what I have gained is even more incredible. Through this experience, I have been challenged to look deep within myself and find out my true passion, to discover what I REALLY truly want in life, WHY I want it, and a plan of action to actually GO FOR IT.
 
Through personal development, I have been able to grow and change into a person who really believes that she can achieve more in life. And I have gained a network of like-minded #bosses who push me to be the best person I can be. They say you are ultimately a portrait of the people who are around you, and I could not have found a better group of positive, inspirational people to surround myself with.
 
This WEDNESDAY night at 8:30pm, I will be hosting an online event to showcase what coaching is all about, why we love it so much, and how you can fit it into your already busy life. If you want to believe in yourself and go after your true potential or you are just curious to learn more, I hope you will join me!
 
Please fill out the application below, and I will be in touch!
 
https://pandpfitness.wufoo.com/forms/team-spark/
mariong_bbheadshots_sundance_imagesbyjami-206
Hope you are staying dry on this rainy Tuesday!
XO,
Gina

Sweater Weather

img_9275_layers_v1

img_9316_layers_v1

img_9251_layers_v1

img_9257_layers_v1

img_9321_layers_v1

img_9288_layers_v1

img_9280_layers_v1

img_9297_layers_v1

img_9300_layers_v1

img_9307_layers_v1

Sweater: Forever 21 (last season) / Top: J. Crew Factory – multiple colors / Denim: Rag & Bone – similar / Boots: Target / Sunglasses: Vintage / Tassel Necklace: Gifted – similar / Heart Necklace: Love, Lori Michelle / Lip: Mix of Kat Von D Homegirl + Lancome All Done Up

On Nico: Top: Genuine Kids from Oshkosh / Pants: GAP Kids / Shoes: Saucony

It’s feeling like fall around here and the fall foliage is in full force. The sun has been shining and it’s been pretty nice for the start of November. Generally the holidays are one of the most fun times of the year, but they can also be really stressful with all the shopping and parties and traveling and more. All the more reason for me to take on the 3 Week Yoga Retreat this month for my Namaste November Challenge Group (which officially started yesterday)! Many of my coaches and challengers will be doing the new kickboxing program…and I WILL be joining them soon…but I thought it was important to give my body a bit of a rest after Hammering + Chiseling for the past two months. I am MORE than excited for 21 days of ZEN if I do say so myself.

My little guys are both on the move now and the playground is more fun than ever with both of them running around, sliding together, walking around holding hands, and more. They get stir crazy at home, so I need to keep getting them out of the house as much as possible before it gets frigid around here and I come running to you all in need of more ideas for indoor activities!

Enjoyed a few much needed movie nights with the hubs over the weekend (we NEVER watch movies these days), but caught up with Dope + Whiplash. Both awesome and I would recommend! Though most of you are probably all, been there done that! Haha.

Hope you are all having a great week so far! I’m off to the polls to get my vote on.

XO,

Gina

Feeling Like Fall

img_9232_layers_v1

img_9231_layers_v1

img_9227_layers_v1

img_9233_layers_v1

img_9228_layers_v1

Top: J. Crew Factory – sold out but other colors here / Hat: J. Crew Factory / Denim: AG Jeans / Booties: Target / Lip: MAC Rebel

Friday night post whoooo! Maybe some of you are as lame as me and able to read this tonight…maybe not 😉 Either way, hopefully you get a chance to check it out at some point over the weekend haha.

I took these photos last weekend when it was truly starting to feel like fall and then we had a week of 80 degree weather!!!! LOL! Go figure! I scored this J. Crew top and hat over at the Factory outlet on summer vacation, and was excited to finally bust them out.

You may have gotten a glimpse of my crazy week over on Facebook, but things are looking up and trying to focus on the positive. Last weekend we had good friends in town and took them up to Bear Mountain for an awesome fall hike. We made it to the top, and I was incredibly impressed that my 3 year old did 95% of the hike himself! I carried the baby on my back which was an extra workout, and we had a great time catching up while enjoying the great outdoors. Tomorrow we are on the road to Maryland to reunite and celebrate a dear friend who has a baby on the way.

In other news, I have the BIGGEST popcorn and pandas giveaway of the YEAR coming up which I will announce here on MONDAY!!!! So make sure you come on back to see what it’s all about! 🙂

Happy Weekend!

XO,

Gina

P.S. I need a haircut. Any good ideas? Throw them my way! 😉

{40} Lately…

img_9317

Lately I’ve been…

reading  I’ve read a lot since my last Lately… post! Some of my favorites include Girl on a Train by Paula Hawkins (finally read it!), Me Before You by Jojo Moyes, You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero and No Excuses! by Brian Tracy.

writing  A workout calendar and agenda for my Lipstick + Lunges Challenge that starts TOMORROW! So excited. There’s still time to join, so feel free to comment below if you want to be included.

listening  You may think this song is terrible, but I don’t care. I love it anyway. 

thinking About how excited I am for my littlest guy who just started learning how to walk!!! If you haven’t seen the video yet, you can check it out here on my Instagram page.

smelling  The amazing food from the coffee spot I am currently sitting at writing this post. That’s right…I’m at a coffee shop…ALONE! #amazing

watching  Not much these days, but still Orange is the New Black when I’m folding laundry or need a break.

wearing  Jeans and a tank top or tee. My fav go-to uniform these days. My Mama Bird tee above can be found here along with some others you might enjoy.

exercising Been beasting out lately with Hammer + Chisel, which is mostly weights. Whew! Not so used to the constant weight lifting and the longer workout times (I’m used to getting it done in 30 minutes over here!), but after 2 weeks down I am feeling pretty strong!!! I think I’m even ready to bump up the weights a bit.

feeling  Uneasy about the recent explosion that went down yesterday in Chelsea (NYC).

wanting  Time to slow down. My boys are getting too big too quick.

needing  To decide what I am going to pack for my upcoming coach’s trip to Sundance, Utah!!! My coach is setting up a professional photo shoot for each Diamond member of our team! And of course, out of the whole trip, we are in a tizzy about what to WEAR! LOL! Typical…

loving  The hilarious and imaginative stories my 3 year old has been coming up with lately. Everything from traveling to different states by train, to being eaten by bears! He cracks me up and I love hearing what he will come up with next!

wishing  That I brought headphones to this coffee shop. But honestly. I’m not complaining. Because remember? I’m at a coffee shop…ALONE.

hoping  That I can find the Califia Farms Pumpkin Spice Latte at my local Target. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE be there! I must try it.

craving  The Farmer’s Biscuit with egg, kale, and cheese at this coffee shop I’m sitting in…oh wait…craving satisfied. I’ll work that off tomorrow. 😉

clicking  Over on the fall trends at my favorite go-to mama/baby/kid deal shop, Brickyard Buffalo. Obsessed with the “Sharing is Caring” tee!

*

HAPPY SUNDAY!

What have you been up to lately?

XO,

Gina

Belvedere Sparkle

IMG_0289_Layers_v1IMG_0284_Layers_v1IMG_0277_LayersIMG_0290_Layers_v1IMG_0294_Layers_v1

Dress: Vijiv via Amazon Fashion (I know. I can’t believe it either. Amazing, right? Just wait ’til you see the price!) / Shoes: Nina / Bracelet and Earrings: Gifted / Sunglasses: Vintage / Lip: MAC Up the Amp / Bag: Old, cheap, and don’t remember! Oops! – But LOVE this one here

TGIF!!! Every Friday deserves a little SPARKLE!

Can you believe I seriously found this dress on Amazon? Like PRIME, 2-day shipping Amazon. With 3 weddings in June, I needed some fancy dresses quick, and I was happy to say that Amazon did NOT disappoint! As surprised as I was to find this gorgeous number, I am actually obsessed with this dress, and wish I had a million more occasions that I could wear it to!

This occasion in particular was the beautiful wedding of a fantastic couple and long-time friend. It was held at the classy establishment The Belvedere in Baltimore, Maryland. This classic, fancy, old-style venue seemed like the perfect opportunity for a flapper dress.

That being said…we rocked out the night to a Bruce Springsteen cover band (who was amazing) all night long! I think it was the busiest dance floor in that I’ve seen in my wedding guest history (and I have been to a lot of weddings!) The energy was plentiful and the dance floor was PACKED the whole night through.

Honestly?!?!?!?! I think the venue had some trouble getting us out of the building!!! It was as if we were at a real-live concert and the lights came on to kick us out, but everyone just screamed ENCORE!!! Pretty cool if you ask me.

SUCH a fun night, and I’m looking forward to posting more photos from their wedding soon!

Tomorrow, we are having a joint birthday party for both Nico + Luca!! Their birthdays aren’t until the end of the month, but we will be on vacation, so we wanted to do something at home with our friends in the neighborhood and any family that could come to town. We are doing a LEGO theme this year and we have been busy building over here this morning! I seriously cannot believe Nico will be 3 and Luca will be 1 already. It’s like I snapped my fingers and 3 years have gone by. They always tell you it will happen that way, but it’s hard to imagine when you are living it! The days are slow but the years are too quick!

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!!

XO,

Gina

Sun Kissed

IMG_9968_Layers_v1

IMG_9906_Layers_v1

IMG_9898_Layers_v1

IMG_9896_Layers_v1

IMG_9939_Layers_v1

IMG_9956_Layers_v1

IMG_9970_Layers_v1

Dress: ASOS / Shoes: Badgley Mischka / Earrings: Stella & Dot / Bracelet: Vintage / Sunglasses: Brickyard Buffalo / Lip: MAC Snob

Ahh this dress! During an online shopping spree for our June wedding season, I saw this dress at ASOS, and I just HAD to have it! I just love the bright neon florals for summertime, and it was perfect for the outdoor/indoor wedding we attended in Ithaca, NY. I hedged my bets with this one hoping it would fit as only the smaller size was available. I normally would have gone for the slightly larger one, but it seems my hard work in the “gym” aka my living room has paid off and I was able to slip into this delightful fit and flare silhouette! So happy that it worked out, and we had an amazing evening watching the sun go down and dancing the night away with great friends.

It’s been a busy summer here with lots of traveling and more coming up in the next few weeks! Nashville is SOOOOO soon!!! Eeeep! If you don’t remember, here is a post of me from last year’s Summit breakin’ it down with CIZE at 8 months pregnant! LOL! I am getting so excited to return to the place where I met all my coaching teammates in person for the first time and looking forward to learning from the best about how to keep moving my business forward and changing lives along the way.

In other news…not that you all particularly care, but the fellow moms out there might! We are in the midst of potty training with my toddler, and so far it’s going MUCH better than I had anticipated! I speed read the Oh Crap! book which helped to reassure me that we were more or less on the right track! I can’t believe we are crossing this big milestone and he seems to be aging SO rapidly right now! Threenager attitude and all! LOL! The baby learned to full out crawl and now a week later he is pulling himself to standing. SLOW DOWN KID! Ahhh they grow up too fast don’t they? But I do admit, it will be pretty darn cute (and terrifying) when they are running around together/in opposite directions. Haha.

Hope you are all having a great week so far!! I am having a blast with the Jam out in July Challenge!! I don’t know why I haven’t been blasting music in my house during my workouts already! SUCH a great idea and such great motivation!

Make it a happy one!

XO,

Gina

Watercolors

IMG_0101_Layers_v1IMG_0059_Layers_v1IMG_0111_Layers_v1IMG_0060_Layers_v1

Dress: Olive & Oak / Shoes: Call it Spring / Sunnies & Bracelet: Vintage / Clutch: Express / Earrings: Stella & Dot by Jess Sigler / Lip: MAC Up the Amp 

No, I’m not traveling to Miami, but this “Miami Maxi” by Olive & Oak  is the perfect flowing dress for summer! Fancy enough to dress up for a wedding, but easy going enough for a Sunday BBQ, this is one of my favorite versatile looks for summer. Plus the colors are just gorg!

June was the month of weddings for us! Lots of traveling, lots of love, and lots of dressing up! Will be sharing some more summer wedding looks on the blog here in the next couple weeks, so stay tuned.

We spent this past week at the lake in the Poconos with friends celebrating Independence Day. It’s getting tougher to “relax” the more kiddos we add to the mix here on vacation haha, but we did have a great time!

Today in my challenge group it’s “Random Act of Kindness” Day. It seems that the world could surely use a little (or a lot) more kindness, so I would love it if the rest of you could also participate in this little challenge! Please do at least one random act of kindness for today and report back in the comments section when you have done something KIND!

Hope you all had an awesome weekend, and cheers to a great week ahead!

XO,

Gina

Dreams into Reality

Team Spark Happy Hour June 23

About a year and a half ago, I felt a little lost. The company I worked for had folded 6 months prior, I had an 18 month old and was newly pregnant with baby #2. My mother had always worked outside of the home, and naturally being the person I am, I always wanted to do the same. I never wanted to rely on anyone else and I wanted to “be successful” in my own right.
 
Before becoming a mom, I also could never have imagined how hard it would be to balance work and life. Going back to work was easier said than done. I liked my old job, but it was definitely hard to leave every morning. During those 6 months of “soul searching” I realized I didn’t want to go back to working in advertising full time and leaving my son (and future son to-be) 5 days a week for incredibly long hours.
 
My blog and a couple writing gigs told me that I wanted to do something from home…and on my own…but I just didn’t know what. Because the blog was certainly not paying the bills…
 
At the same time I was also incredibly out of shape. Aside from walking, I hadn’t done anything since I got pregnant with my first born. This was a heck of a lot different from my athletic past life, and I did not feel like myself and was quite sure I would probably never again.
 
It was then that I stumbled upon the coaching opportunity. A fellow blogger started her journey and I quietly followed until I saw she was looking to mentor new coaches. I thought to myself “WHY NOT ME?!” What did I have to lose? If I hate it, I will just find something else.
 
So I took the JUMP. A year and a half ago, I had NO idea what I was getting myself into…but I knew that I would be helping people and I would be getting healthy at the same time.
 
Fast forward to the present day, and my life has completely changed. I am able to stay at home and raise both of my kids AND also have a full time job that I work in part time hours. I have helped over 200+ people start their health + fitness journey and achieve incredible results, and I have trained and helped mentor 20+ coaches to build their own businesses and start their own journey toward financial freedom. I have been able to take multiple vacations so far this year and have at least 5 more trips on the books for the rest of the year. We are paying off debts from old houses owned in Baltimore, hubby’s student loans, and more. I have made so many new friends (pictured above) from across the country who are positive, uplifting, supportive and who I look forward to talking with every day.
 
The journey is not over, and it’s hard work, but it’s work that I LOVE, so it doesn’t actually FEEL like work. It’s something I can do on my own time, my own hours, + create and design by MY standards. I wake up each day excited to check in with my challengers and my team. I love seeing the lives transform each and every day, including my own. It makes me feel happy that I can provide for my family and be a positive example for my boys.
 
Are you looking for something MORE in your life? If you have ever felt the way I did…if you want more time with your kids, more travel/vacation time, a chance to do something for yourself, the opportunity to feel as if your success is limitless, to surround yourself with an amazing community of people….
 
Then PLEASE JOIN ME + Team SPARK! – THURSDAY night 6/23 at 8:30pm where we will share our stories and give you a behind the scenes of a day in the life of a coach. How we help others, why we love it + how you can fit coaching into your already busy schedule.
 
***Comment below “I want to learn more!” with your e-mail address***
 
Come learn how to turn your DREAMS into a REALITY – And don’t forget something to say “Cheers!” on Thursday! 🙂
–
Hope you all have an AMAZING Monday!!!
–
XO,
–
Gina
 
***Team Beachbody® does not guarantee any level of success or income from the Team Beachbody Coach Opportunity. Each Coach’s income depends on his or her own efforts, diligence, and skill.***

Bloom Bloom Pow

IMG_9602_Layers_v1

IMG_9586_Layers_v1

IMG_9598_Layers_v1

IMG_9587_Layers_v1

IMG_9603_Layers_v1

IMG_9596_Layers_v1

IMG_9601_Layers_v1

Floral Pants: Forever 21 – similar / Tank: Old Navy – similar / Sunglasses: Brickyard Buffalo / Bracelet: Mantraband / Necklace: Amrita Singh – similar / Earrings: Stella & Dot – now on sale! / Lip: MAC Up the Amp

In between all of the rain we have had this spring, somewhere in there was a sunny day. These flowing pants were perfect on this day paired with a tank, some shades, and a few baubles. Dressy enough to look like a human being and not portray my usual tired mom-vibe, but not too dressy that I couldn’t run around and climb things with my toddler.

These shots were actually taken in my parent’s yard over spring break with the trees in full bloom. It’s stunning there this time of year. My Dad is quite the photog, wouldn’t you say? He puts up with me, and we got the shots in before everyone woke up from nap time crying so there’s that…

Can’t believe Memorial Day Weekend is already right around the bend. Looking forward to a busy, exciting summer ahead. And speaking of that sun…it’s back out today 🙂

Happy Hump Day!

XO,

Gina

I Need Coffee

IMG_9279_Layers_v1

IMG_9327_Layers_v1

IMG_9347_Layers_v1

IMG_9277_Layers_v1

IMG_9276_Layers_v1

IMG_9346_Layers_v1

I Need Coffee Tee: Target / Black Denim: ZARA (old) – also like these / Booties: H&M (old ) – similar here / Lip: MAC Up the Amp

Seems this is my mantra these days between two kiddos, working from home, keeping up with my fitness, household obligations, and somewhat of a social life, but hey…I would rather be busy than bored right? I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. Ok fine, maybe I would get just a liiiiiiittle more sleep 😉 But we’ll get there.

Hope you all are enjoying this Wednesday! Hoping to head out to enjoy the sunshine we are finally getting in NYC this week!

Make it a great day!

XO,

Gina