You will get so sick of hearing me talk up water like it my life depends on it… which it does… but still.

WATER. Water was the very first remotely fit thing I dedicated myself to. I used to hate plain water. Iced, chilled, room temp, warm. It did not matter. Ew gross, gag me. But I was in a little fitness challenge with some friends and they INSISTED that had to be part of it. A freaking gallon a day.

I plugged my nose and chugged. I gagged. I complained. And the first three days I hated it.

Day four was a weekend and a break from the challenge. Omg I was SO thirsty. My body was craving it. I drank it and I kept drinking it and now I am Water’s free PR person.

How Do I Start?

Well, I can tell you what worked for me. I took an empty milk gallon and some sharpies and went to town decorating and marking water lines for each hour. I told my kids what I was doing and they kept me on it. I took all the other non-water and non-coffee (I wasn’t insane, now) and kicked them out of the house. Then I chugged like I was dying of thirst. You can also try adding cucumbers or mint but that made it harder for me to chug.

What are the first few days like?

Like you are the founder of Gottapee Land. Seriously, your bladdar isn’t used to this you are going to pee every thirty seconds till it expands. But also in the first few days you will start to have more energy and less bloat and you’ll start to like this. I had less dry skin and less acne.

The best part is that you aren’t as hungry either!! There is science out there that your body commonly misinterpretation thirst for hunger.

What about the next week?

The next week was what officially sold me. In one week I lost SIX inches off my belly. My body wasn’t holding every ounce of fluid it was dying for and my bowels were moving and it was a HUGE difference. Ask me for the pics, they will blow your mind.

Your body is a water based life form. If you only do ONE healthy thing this week, drink your water for a week! That is my challenge to you.

Welcome to the mom game, where ketchup is a food group and the points don’t matter.

A few years ago I had what could charitably be described as a “frog butt”. You know, the kind where you stand up and it actually kind of dips in? Yeah. Me.

So my friend started a fitness type group and well all decided to do a thirty day squat challenge and I jumped on it. My hope was to get a butt that was just flat, not indented. We aim big around here.

Step One- Download the graphic and tell everyone I was doing this challenge. Its harder to back out if people are asking you how its going

Step Two- Pull up you tube and figure out how the hell to do a squat. There is something about knees and toes but since I hang with toddlers and it doesn’t involve head and shoulders as well, I need a fit young you tuber to make it look way easier than it actually is.

Step Three- do squats and whine. Don’t need a video for that one, the toddlers know it best.

Okay so I do this for like a week and everything is going great but at about day eight I just don’t wanna. My legs are tired, my attitude is bad and there is a hole in my favorite black leggings. So I sit on the couch and along comes little almost two year old Rowan. He wants to know why I didn’t do my “ec-er-size”. I told him I was tired and he informed me that was okay, he would do it for me.

In all my motherly wisdom I said “Yeah okay, you do that”.

And he did.

This little baby did the most picture perfect squats ever and he just smiled away while he did them. Happy as he could be. He paused and danced and went right back at it.

So I got up and I did the stupid squats. I’m out of breath and dying and he is still going, living his best baby life.

My point is, find your motivator. Some days it is an accountability kid, some days it is my fitness group, some days its a little black dress. Get shown up by a toddler now and then, that seems to do the trick for me. I have a whole butt now, its crazy.

Check out my instagram below for the adorable video and don’t forget to subscribe!

Baby Squats!

Hey there! I’m Raven and I am a recovering blog quitter. Anyone who has been around a while has seen a few of my other attempts but this one I have a good feeling about so welcome. Enjoy the Show.

Those kids up there are mine and they are my world. Zoe is the oldest, she is an archer an artist and my mini me. Danny is next, he is a violist and the class clown around here. Rowan is my gamer guy, he is five and will stomp me every time. But then he snuggles me so I am good with it. Molly, the little blondie, is a year and a half old and she runs the show. She’s everyone’s sassy sweet princess. They all run circles around me and my sexy husband, Josh. Josh is my partner in crime and my batman. He has a sweet beard.

I’m the mom. Mom-ing is what I do best. I am also a fitness coach and run a preschool in my home. And go to college. And drink all the coffee. I like to read and paint too, but mostly coffee.

This is going to be my place for wellness tips and funny kid stories so subscribe and enjoy!