Ashling Drew, Author at Joyful Messes

The Best Organic Protein Powders for Kids Who Are Picky Eaters

Protein shakes are such a wonderful way to give your children the protein, vitamins, and nutrients they need! Especially if you have picky eaters like I do. Many toddlers and kids go through stages where they don’t like a majority of foods. It reminds me of being pregnant. It comes and goes, yet as a parent, you worry about them getting enough nutrients to their brains and bodies. If it were up to my kids, they would live off of chocolate milk, toast, and donuts. If I cook their eggs just a little bit too long, they won’t touch them. If there’s a small brown spec on the banana, no way. I’ve found protein shakes to be a great help in easing my frustration with meal times, as well as giving me peace of mind about how much nutrition they are getting. Choosing the right protein powder is very important.…

How To Lose The Baby Weight With Protein Shakes+ My Favorite Protein

Losing weight after baby arrives is exciting and frustrating at the same time. It is exciting to get back into shape and no longer be pregnant, but it is also really frustrating when the weight doesn’t just fall right off. If you’ve just had a baby, and summer is around the corner, there can be even more pressure to get that extra baby weight off. I had to lose over 25 lbs after each baby, so I’ve learned what works well, and what doesn’t work. I breastfed all three of my babies, and I never let weight loss compromise my milk supply, which because of my very healthy, nutrient-dense diet, I lost weight quickly, without ever experiencing a low supply. One of my best tricks to do this is using protein shakes as a tool to help me get in the nutrients I need, along with the protein I need.…

5 Clever, Non-Tech Ways To Keep Toddlers Busy In The Jogger Stroller

This post is sponsored by Baby Trend, a company I love and have loved for many years. #BabyTrendFamily I’ve gotten back to my running in the past few months now that I have one child in a small Pre-K class for a few hours. Boy does it feel good now, even though it was miserable at first. I talk all about how to start running again after having babies. Make sure to Pin that one for later. One of the problems I ran into while starting to run was keeping my babies entertained. A 3-year-old and one-year-old don’t like to sit still for very long. This leads to whining and crying, which completely ruins my focus. To be able to run for more than 10 minutes, I had to come up with some clever ways to keep my children entertained. We don’t have pads for our kids, and I am OBSESSED…

My Home Gym + Play Space On A Budget

I turned a spare/storage bedroom into a home gym and play space a couple weeks ago. There is a built-in desk corner for working. It really is a happy place that is just mine. There is still some extra furniture and things from that we are storing and need to get rid of, but that’s what spring is about right? The gym flooring was super affordable from Amazon, I painted quick and cleared it out in just a couple days. I want the space super open. This way we can roll around, jump around and ultimately get lots of activity in. The super hot summer is coming here, so playing inside will be more of a norm for just a few months. The mirrors were light-weight mirrors I grabbed at Walmart for about $5 a piece. Command strips are being used to hold the mirrors up. I lined the corners,…

How To Strengthen Pelvic Floor Muscles For a Fast Postpartum Recovery

Many of us read that kegels are essential for tightening our pelvic floor muscles for a speedy recovery postpartum, but there is so much more to the story than a few kegels. Our pevlic floor muscles are a whole group of muscles that are connected to our diaphragm. Many factors in addition to pregnancy and delivery go into weakening the pelvic floor muscles, which means we need to do a lot more than kegels to fix our pelvic floor. I’ve finally decided to focus on my pelvic floor muscles, three babies late, but better than never. Incontinence while running is not fun as a runner. I’ve never been able to do jumping jacks or sneeze without a bit of an accident, but since I’ve made myself really focus on my pelvic floor strength, things are much better. The good news is you don’t have to suffer embarrassing moments, the bad…

The 6 Safest Protein Powders To Increase Breast Milk While Breastfeeding

Protein shakes are my secret weapon to increase breast milk and postpartum weight loss. The key to increasing your breast milk while also losing weight is nourishing your body properly, more than how many calories you are eating. If you give your body amazing nutrients, your body will let go of fat, produce lots of breast milk, and ultimately function properly. It is a natural process to use stored fat to create breast milk, and if your body is properly fed, it will do what it is designed to do! So many protein powders are way more than protein powders. They are nutritional supplements full of gold. These powders are so full of micro and macronutrients, super greens, super fruits, good bacteria, digestive enzymes, and more, that it is a no-brainer to add them use these dietary supplements to your diet postpartum. I talk all about the power of protein for…

5 Ways To Simplify Your Laundry Situation

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #allfreeclearclean #CollectiveBias My laundry situation can quickly get way out of hand. Our dryer recently decided to have electric problems, which forced me to really think about how I was organizing and managing my laundry situation. It wasn’t great. So, I decided to focus on ways I could simplify all the laundry for three, wild and dirty little boys, plus myself and husband. I have to admit, my own laundry is a lot because I run almost every day, which means I’ve got some smelly clothes to deal with every day. I came up with these 5 steps, which really help me keep things simple, and less intimidating. The laundry pile used to intimidate me, and I would shove the clothes back in the washer, rather than put them away. Here’s what I…

7 Top Galactagogue Foods for Increasing Milk Supply

Galactagogue foods should be your number one focus to increase your milk supply. Let me tell you, I’ve had three babies, and needed to use galactagogue foods to keep my milk supply healthy. After three kids, I’ve been able to find the foods that are the most powerful for increasing your milk supply, while also helping you lose weight! These galactagogues also provide lots of the essential nutrients postpartum mamas need. I’ve got a complete list of 7 galactagogue foods, so hopefully you will be able to choose some you can eat daily, and not get tired of to encourage your postpartum weight loss, without having you worry about your supply! If you are struggling with milk supply while trying to lose weight, check out this post on the best milk boosters, or how my sister and I increase our milk super fast! Let’s get to the list of galactagogue…

12 Beautiful DIY Mother’s Day Gifts That Are Actually Useful

Mother’s Day is almost here, and there is such a joy in making your mother a gift. Here are some upgraded, beautiful DIY gift ideas you can make for your mother this year, and years to come! These ideas don’t look DIY at all, your mother will be able to use them, and they are full of flowers and bright colors to make her feel special! From Dear Paradise. Check out the tutorial! What a beautiful clutch anyone can make! Find the tutorial at The Polka Dot Chair This is one of my favorite ideas! Find the tutorial at LulusSarah Hearts created this beautiful, personalized planter tutorial I am obsessed with. A Beautiful Mess is ultimately one of my favorite DIY sites. They create simple, elegant projects I can’t wait to re-create! Find the tutorial for these marbled jewelry holders on their site, and you will find a couple…

Shakeology For Breastfeeding Moms and Postpartum Weight Loss

Let’s take a look at Shakeology, minus all the Beach Body stuff for breastfeeding moms working hard to stay healthy and lose the baby weight. I’m sure you’ve wondered if it is a good choice, but been afraid to ask because sometimes one tiny question leads to a spew of salesy answers. Since I wrote this post, about a year ago, I’ve launched and created my own protein powder specifically formulated for breastfeeding mamas. This means that is has lactation-boosting herbs to help increase milk supply. It also has specific nutrients to curb sugar cravings, super foods for energy, protein and omega-3s for baby’s brain health and development. I highly recommend you check it out, and feel free to use my code: JOYFUL for 10% off your first order! My price point is also much lower than shakeology, but with more benefits specifically for breastfeeding mamas! I did my research…

Ashling Drew