Hi Mamas! Enter to win our giveaway at our blog www.fitnessreviewsoc.com
We are giving two lucky people a $100 gift card to Trader Joes and a $100 gift card to Target! There is no purchase necessary. Contest ends Thursday

http://fitnessreviewsoc.com/giveaway-100-gift-cards/

Hi Ladies, 

As you know and have read a million times on here :D  I am a HUGE advocate of working out for your social and emotional health post partum... Get in a stroller strides, a baby boot camp or to our fit mamas workouts!

BUT I also understand that sometimes leaving the house is not an option...

So here I embarass myself so that you can get your home workout done!

We have a 30 day fit mama's challenge and I have taped and posted a fitness video…

Ok ladies, let's talk a little bit about post-partum depression. This is SUCH a tabu topic that NO one wants to talk about. "If I say I have PPD then they will judge my parenting skills" "I don't want them to think I am a bad mom" "I don't want them to pity me" and all the other horrible negative self talk and damage we do to ourselves...

let's take a moment

• We have 60,000 thoughts a day in our head... they are just thoughts, they are not the truth. Thoughts are…

When my son was born in 2010 OCmommies.com was my saving grace! From park playdates to swimming lessons, I have met my best friends on this site. I am now looking for help to help us foster the support and friendships of other mamas and their little ones!!

Please remember OC Mommies is a FREE site and everything is done on a volunteer basis so we need help to keep active!

Moms of 2011. If your little one was born in 2011 I need help…

Hi Mama's

As promised here are 2 of the recipes from todays Cookies Exchange. I didnt get a chance to grab all of them. If anyone else has theirs please post it in the comments!

Thanks for coming!!!

Candy Cane Cookies

Prep Time 40 minute Total time 6 hrs Makes 4 1/2 dozen cookies

1 cup sugar

1 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon peperment extract

1 egg

3 1/2 cups Gold Medal all…

As many of you know I have always been a big supporter of getting Mama's up and moving, be it working with me in my studio, going up to Move it Mama's, Stroller Strides, Baby Boot camp. I think it is SO vital to get moving and fit after having a baby for the following reasons

• exercising increases endorphin's, these endorphin's make those sleepless nights much more bearable
• exercising decreases the baby blues
• getting into an exercise routine and maintaining it…

Hi Mama's

There is a small show room next to my fitness studio that shows and sells these mural wall paper designs. The company is called smart mural stix. These are life sized and super sized graphics and high quality graphic pictures to put on your walls. The ones they have for kids rooms are so cute!

Its a little pricey, but it really is like having a mural hand painted on your wall by a professional. The quality of these is awesome. Here are some pics, or you can check out…

So I know that a lot of people talk about not obsessing about your weight during or after baby, but I think its natural… right? I mean if you are athletic (even if you aren’t) and you spend 10 months with a growing belly that at the end of pregnancy begins to seriously impair your movement, it becomes something to focus on… that, and all the pain and lack of sleep… sheesh! How has the human race survived!? It SUCKS…

With my son I gained 61 lbs… and I have no idea how. I ran, I swam I…

You wake up, you feed your little munchkin, get dressed get your things packed into the car, possibly feed your little one again, and head to the Spectrum for a playdate. You are greeted by other moms with babies the same age as your own. You sit back and relax knowing you are in the comfort of a kinship of motherhood. You no longer count the hours until your husband gets home to help out or to just have an adult to talk to. You no longer wander the parks seeing other moms and their kids.…

 let’s face it.

As amazing as our bodies feel as we are growing a baby, at some point we all think “what the hell happened to my….. (fill in the blank) butt, hips, boobs?!?!

And while we would love to believe we are not vain, we can’t help but feel a longing for a day when our bodies were all tight and smooth.

This article isn’t about looking good naked… because the reality is that I would…

http://www.ocmommies.com/profiles/blogs/10-amateur-tips-for-expecting

I still giggle everytime I read this, thought some new mama's might enjoy... Thanks Nicole G for writing this!

:o)

Natalie

OK, I know that as a mom that the idea of a Holiday Fitness Plan sounds impossible, but it really isnt as hard as you think. Because the average american gains 5-8 lbs between Thanksgiving and and New Years day, a large portion of the plan does involve self control. Trust me it is easier to just NOT gain the weight then it is to lose it later! Keep in mind the number one resolution for people in the New Year is to "get in shape" and "loose weight" 75% of people last until Feb 20. and…

This past weekend Anthony and I got in the Holiday Spirit by going up to Knott's Merry Farm and enjoying their Holiday festivities. I was quite surprised at all the activities, parades, and shows there were to enjoy! From Thanksgiving day until Jan 1 Knott's turns its park into "A Charlie Brown Christmas"

 I actually haven't been to Knott's since I was 13, so I had no idea what to expect. But the wild west theme of the park all spruced up for Christmas was awesome, there was so much…

As Moms we tend to be the decision makers in our households as to where our expendable income is spent. 

- toys for our kids

- clothes for ourselves and family members (most husbands dont shop)

- groceries

- gifts for the holidays and birthdays.

This holiday season we have the opportunity to greatly influence our local economy. Take a stand with your local small businesses, spend the majority of your Holiday budget at your local businesses, get…

From the american pregnancy association:

Come check out our FREE prenatal exercise classes every Tuesday and Thursday from 10-10:30 at the Woodbury park. Brought to you by Baby Boot Camp - Foothill ranch, and Irvine. And PURE sports fitness and therapy. email natalie@purefitnessoc.com to reserve your spot!

The positive effects:

Exercise during pregnancy helps to alleviate many of the common problems of…

So this is a bit of a regurgitation from a previous post

Ok so we are super busy, super overwhelmed, missing our old bodies. But loving every second of baby time.

And most babies can handle 10 minutes on their own (jumper, bumbo, swing, play mat etc)

So here are my suggestions for better health and fitness...



On Sundays around 12 I run into the grocery store and…

Here is a great question that was sent to me... I get this alot.…

So by no means is this a well thought out blog. I had a girlfriend ask me advice about how to pick a baby jogger, So I am copy and pasting from the email I sent her. . I welcome anyone to post comments on their joggers and how they picked 'em and why they love 'em

k so essentially, It depends mostly on how much jogging you are actually getting done.

I had a very…