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I’ve been getting a LOT of questions lately on some of the beauty products I use. My daily look is light and natural and all about hydration and glow. I present to you my essentials. I truly cannot live a day without these items and usually have a backup for each and every one of them in stock at all times. If ever the day comes that I run out of any one of them that would be a very very very bad day. And guess what…with the exception of the lashes which I order right here. I get the rest off @amazon! Because let’s keep it real, I never leave the house unless I have to. What’s on your essentials list?

@drunkelephant Anti-Pollution Sunshine Drops
@sunbum Face Stick
@sunbum Sunscreen Lip Balm
@laneige_us Lip Sleeping Mask
@lumifydrops Eye Drops
Rotho Cool Max Rye Drops
@tula Cooling & Brightening Eye Balm
@blinkifly Lashes in The Darling and The Natural (use code MODERNWIFE10 for 10% off your order)

Drumroll please…

I FRICKIN DID IT!!! I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT I DID IT! I AM DONE! I have successfully completed the #75hard Mental Toughness Challenge!!!

For the last 75 days…I have completed 75 workouts at home, 75 workouts outdoors even in triple digit heat, high winds and even rain, I have read well over 750 pages of a good old fashioned paperback personal development book, I have drank over 9,600 ounces of water, and for 75 days I have followed a nutrition plan, no cheats and ZERO alcohol! I’m down 10.2lbs and my body fat has dropped 1.5%.

Not every day was easy. Matter of fact some days I just plain didn’t want to do it anymore. Like when Hunter had a super bad fall and we almost had to take him to the ER. Or the day that he split his head open with a rock. It was especially hard when the virus hit our household and my outdoor workouts were done in our tiny backyard. Yup that’s right, not even CV-19 could stop my from achieving this goal! The holidays were super difficult but I was determined to succeed! What possessed me to do this over the course of four major U.S. holidays I will never know but I’m so thankful for the experience.

I did not do this for fame, notoriety or bragging rights and I did not do this for weight loss either. I did this to prove to myself that I AM CAPABLE OF ACCOMPLISHING SO MUCH MORE THAN I EVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE! When I said #noexcuses I meant it. Now please excuse me while I go stuff my face with Gnocchi and Marshmallow Dream Bars. Gonna get food drunk today for sure!

I would like to give the biggest thank you to my family and friends for all the love and support these last 75 days! I appreciate your words of encouragement throughout the challenge! I could not have made it without each and every one of you!

For more details on the 75 Hard Mental Toughness Challenge go to http://www.75hard.com

2020 has been such a HUGE year for me! Dare I say this has truly been my best year yet? Cue judgy eye rolls…but it’s the truth! 2020 has been my best year! As I look back on what could’ve been the most difficult year I am filled with pride and am beyond grateful for it all. For me it’s been a year of strength, grit, determination, learning and growth. But if I had to decide which word best describes my year it would be STRENGTH for sure!

Strength is something I’ve never had and it’s definitely not something that comes easy to me. I had to work extremely hard to find it and continue to work just as hard to maintain it. This past year I’ve found the strength to commit to my physical health. I found the strength to open up about my mental health, my past mistakes and share openly just how far I’ve truly come. I found strength in sharing my spirituality and love for Jesus. I found the strength to work on me, all of me for the first time ever.

I found strength in sharing my journey with others. I found strength in the most amazing community of like-minded men and women whom have all become my second family. I found strength in letting go of my past and moving forward with a confidence unlike any I’ve ever experienced before. I found strength in my marriage and strength in my confidence as a mother. I found strength in letting God take the lead.

Thank you Lord for giving me the strength to make what could’ve been such a debilitating year my best year yet! There is not a single day that goes by that I do not feel immense gratitude for all you given me. You give me strength each and every day. The strength to show up for myself, for my family and for others. My strength comes from You.

I used to be so fixated on everything I ate. And I mean EVERYTHING! “Treats” were “cheats” and if I over indulged I’d be so riddled with guilt and disgust I’d simply throw the food back up. But on this night while decorating Christmas cookies with Hunter I simply popped that cookie in my mouth and felt immense joy in the memories I was creating with my son! It was on the very last bite I realized there was no overthinking that darn cookie. There was no making up excuses with Hunter as to why I couldn’t eat the cookie. There was absolutely NO fixation or thought about that cookie beyond the experience and the memories being made. There was absolutely ZERO guilt. And not even a twinge of need to throw it up.

Mental strength is just as, if not more important than our physical strength. When I think of how far I’ve come I am hands down most proud of the mental strength I’ve gained and the healthier relationship I have with food. Do you need help? Are you struggling to enjoy life’s blessings? Do you want to be able to enjoy that damn cookie without guilt? Let me share with you the Shred Plan and program that changed my life! This lifestyle does not suck! Drop a 🍪 below for more details or DM me your goals today.

You know what the hardest part of posting my transformations online is? It’s the fact that my transformation is reduced to mere looks alone. It says absolutely nothing about all of the work I’ve put in to get where I am at and says zero about the obstacles I have overcome.

Take this transformation for example. I posted this about a month ago and asked y’all to decided based on looks alone which version of me was healthier. I then provided facts about my lifestyle at each point in my life and asked again. Virtually no one thought that the woman on the right was in fact the healthier woman. So either based on looks alone they assumed that the woman on the left was healthier or they didn’t read the full story.

Either way, neither photo tells the entire story. You don’t SEE the starvation, the binging, the purging, the attempts at drinking myself to death. You don’t SEE the tears, the pain, the hurt I caused others and the horrible way I treated myself and my body. You don’t SEE all of the work I put in to get to where I am at. The lessons I’ve learned and the obstacles I’ve overcome are what make me who I am today.

I am a strong ass woman! I’m more confident than ever before and I’m ready to take on the world. I run with a fire in my soul and am determined to help others and lead them to a healthier and happier future. Often times it’s what we don’t see that is truly the most important. Don’t EVER judge a book by its cover. If you or someone you know is struggling with their worth and self image my inbox is always open.

Time to let the cat out of the bag. I’ve been hiding something from y’all and you will never guess what it is! 29 days ago I woke up and decided right then and there that I was going to do the #75hard Mental Toughness Challenge by Andy Frisella. Yup, that’s right! In a year of absolute chaos and poor health I decided to take on the toughest challenge out there to see if I could really make 2020 my healthiest year yet!

For the last 28 days…I have completed 28 workouts at home, 28 walks outdoors even in triple digit heat (now y’all understand my plea for fall weather), I have read over 280 pages of a good old fashioned paperback personal development book, I have drank over 3,584 ounces of water, and for 28 days I have followed a nutrition plan, no cheat meals and ZERO alcohol!

Not every day has been easy. Matter of fact some days I just plain don’t want to do it anymore. I know I have a ways to go. I know the holidays will be difficult. But I am determined to succeed! I kept this between my family and closest friends up to this point because I’m not doing this for all of you. I’m not doing this for fame, notoriety or bragging rights. I’m doing this for me, myself and I!

Y’all, I’ve had the few friends I’ve told, tell me right out the gate that I will fail. There have been days when I myself, have felt like I might fail. But here I am on day 29 still going. Only 47 more days to go and I’m frickin proud as hell of how far I’ve come. I’m excited beyond words for the challenges I’ll face this next month and a half. When I say #noexcuses I mean it!!!

I would like to give the biggest thank you to my family for all the love and support these last 28 days! I appreciate your words of encouragement on the toughest days I’ve faced so far immensely! I could not have made it this far without each and every one of you!

For more details on the #75 Hard Mental Toughness Challenge go to http://www.75hard.com

Based on looks alone, which girl do you think is healthier??? The girl on the left or the girl on the right? I’m giving you full permission to critique and judge. Go ahead and drop your vote in the comments below.

The girl on the left…always ate out or never ate at all and sometimes threw up her food if she felt she ate too much. She drank a minimum of three energy drinks a day and that didn’t include the pot of coffee and the multiple five hour energy shots. She smoked a pack a day, never worked out a day in her life and tried to drink herself to death.

The girl on the right…eats clean and has a far better relationship with food than every before. Her drink obsession of choice is water but she does still enjoy a good cup of coffee or the occasional drink. She hasn’t smoked in over three years and never will again. She moves her body daily but also feeds her mind and soul. She’s determined to live her life for herself and for her family. She still struggles every single day with the bad habits of her past but she no longer lets those habits consume her.

Now I’ll ask you again but with the information I just provided above, which girl do you think is healthier???

When I rescued this pretty puppers twelve years ago she was emaciated, scared of everything under the sun and had been found in a home that was breeding a fighting pitbulls.

Although quite particular and not a fan of new and unfamiliar faces, with time and patience she comes to love everyone most dear us. Her special bond with Hunter is pure magic. She would do anything to protect him. She is Justin’s little shadow following him everywhere he goes. She is my not so little cuddle bug always trying to sneak up onto the couch or bed, forever thinking she and all her 80lbs can pass as a lap dog.

She’s has grown leaps and bounds and has overcome so many fears and obstacles. She has been the one constant in my life and has helped me through some of the most dark and difficult times. I don’t know where I would be without her. Quite frankly I don’t even know if I would still be here if it weren’t for her. Being able to come home to her each and every day gave me purpose at a time when I was so so lost. The day i rescued her I thought I saved her life. But in reality this little miss has saved mine!

Check out her birthday slideshow here…Happy 12th Birthday Athena.