Ashling Drew, Author at Joyful Messes

4 Awesome Tricks to Ease Aches and Pains Post Delivery

Thank you Biofreeze® for sponsoring this post. Biofreeze® is also available for purchase in retail. Click here to find a store near you. Finding your feet again after having a baby can be overwhelming. Our bodies are going through so much repair and recovery from giving birth, that there seems to be an increased soreness that happens while we are trying to get back into shape. Dealing with sore muscles, on top of aching shoulders from various nursing positions or headaches from lack of sleep is a lot. I’ve got some great tips to help ease the aches and pains that come post delivery while you are trying to get back into shape. Let’s get into the details for some pain relief. First, some Biofreeze® Professional. This is really some topical magic. What it does is override the pain signals with cooling signals. Basically, the cool sensation distracts your mind from the…

Let’s Talk About Breakfast

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PerfectionWithPost #CerealAnytime #CollectiveBias The reality of my life is that I don’t always get breakfast. I am more concerned about getting coffee down, things cleaned up and kids packed up. Cereal is actually a quick and easy option for me, and I love the tasty versions because I know I can even pack them in a baggy for the kids to eat in the car. A better day begins with a better breakfast, and having a breakfast that is packed with flavorful goodness is what every family deserves. With three new Shredded Wheat varieties from Post® Cereals available at Walmart, it’s easy to please adults and kids alike. You can try out these delicious new varieties with this cashback offer from ibotta. And don’t forget to show recipes featuring Post cereals some love on Pinterest. Whatever…

4 Super Simple & Giggly After-School Snacks To Make With Your Kids

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, INC. and The Coca-Cola Company, all opinions are mine alone. #AFreshIdeaForAfterSchool #CollectiveBias I am so excited I get to venture into the after-school snack territory this year. Its new territory, and I am finding that the more fun the snacks are, the more likely my boys are to eat them. Eating in general is not their strong point, unless it’s pure sugar. I am not super strict on sugar, because I want them to learn how to eat sugar in moderation. My boys love Coca-Cola™, and they get so excited to have a little bit with their after school snack. The Coca-Cola Mini Cans are great because the don’t drink that much. Boy do they feel special, and my husband loves a Coca-Cola, so they think they are big boys when I hand them their after-school treat. They get about half-way through, then I save the…

6 Awesome Apps For A Staycation That Will End The Summer Right

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser, Walmart Family Mobile. All opinions are mine alone. #SummerIsForSavings #CollectiveBias #WFM4 Boohoo, the summer is almost over. It’s the last few long days, hot nights and lazy mornings, that I love so much. Summer is my all-time favorite season. I can get behind a good Halloween costume, eat my fair share of pumpkin pie and sing carol of the bells for weeks, but there’s nothing like the long, warm and lazy months of summer vacation. I believe in ending the summer right with some fun right in your home town. That saves time and money, but still gets you some adventure in. As you can tell, I’m holding onto summer as long as possible, and still enjoying some savings and fun with my my Walmart Family Mobile, powered by T-Mobile $49.88 TRULY Unlimited Talk, Text, & Data◊ ! The TRULY…

Tips for Each Trimester to Have a Belly-Only Pregnancy

Gaining only the belly weight and recommended extra weight is near impossible with intense cravings, insomnia, aversions to all things healthy, obsessions with specific flavors, and exhaustion. The first trimester is the most difficult for me. I have the all-day nausea that sets in at about 11 am. It then gets worse and worse, yet I am plagued with this idea that eating will make me feel better. It does for the moment I take a bite of bread and cheese, crackers and cheese, nachos, straight cheese. Anything with cheese and salt and carby is what seems to do the trick for 15 minutes. Then I lay down, only to get back up to go to the kitchen 45 minutes later. This cycle lasts about 15 weeks for me, and I gain way more weight than I should in the first trimester because I’m like a carb-and-cheese vacuum. Needless to…

The Three Best Blogging Tips You’ll Ever Read + Celebrating 1 Year Blogging

I’m shocked a year of blogging went by so fast. I remember being so excited when just 20 people came to my blog in one day! I thought, wow, people want to read what I am writing!! I now have over 60,000 people (hopefully 100k this month!!) coming to my blog. I had a few posts go viral, one republished on FamilyShare, as well as landing some fabulous opportunities to work with big brands like Coke, People Magazine and Walmart. I love to write, and I want to share my stories, lessons and tips on motherhood. I can’t wait to see what this next year brings, as I have an over-ambitious goal-list in my mind of all milestones I want to achieve next year. There are many, many areas I need to improve on (typos and editing my own writing is like nails on the chalk board!), photography, better story-telling…

A Better Day Starts with a Better Breakfast

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PerfectionWithPost #CerealAnytime #CollectiveBias The reality of my life is that I don’t always get breakfast. I am more concerned about getting coffee down, things cleaned up and kids packed up. Cereal is actually a quick and easy option for me, and I love the tasty versions because I know I can even pack them in a baggy for the kids to eat in the car. A better day begins with a better breakfast, and having a breakfast that is packed with flavorful goodness is what every family deserves. With three new Shredded Wheat varieties from Post® Cereals available at Walmart, it’s easy to please adults and kids alike. You can try out these delicious new varieties with thiscashback offer from ibotta. And don’t forget to show recipes featuring Post cereals some love on Pinterest. Whatever you’re…

Celebrate Back to School With Peanut Butter and Jelly Milkshakes

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SoHoppinGood #BlueBunny #CollectiveBias Back to school season is in full swing, and so are the massive amounts of peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches. Being as excited as we are, we are of course celebrating with some fabulous Peanut Butter and Jelly Milkshakes with Blue Bunny® PB ‘N Cones™! These are great because its still hot out as we enter school, so a nice, cool milkshake is a great way to celebrate surviving the first week of school. To make them is even more fun, I did a race car version and princess version. My boys LOVED the race car milkshakes! They couldn’t believe it was red like their race car, and came with a new car on top. My base for the shakes is the brand new Blue Bunny® flavor, PB ‘N Cones™ This flavor blends up so…

Items I Brought To The Hospital For All Three Births

Deciding what to bring to the hospital is actually really fun, in my opinion. I always save packing until the last month or so because my babies come at the very last second on the due date, or late. I always envied the mamas that got to deliver a healthy baby early. The last few months of pregnancy, I’m totally over it. Like, don’t want to be pregnant and looking for any sign of early labor. I try to leave packing the hospital bag for this time period. To help me through the long, last few weeks. I think packing the hospital bag is super fun, and there are some items I’ve brought with me every single time because they are important, and you don’t want to be without them! I’m also reading all about labor in various books and courses. If you are wanting to go natural, I wish…

How I Lost The Baby Weight By Six Weeks

Six weeks post baby flies by. The nights are long and slow, but before you know it, you are headed in to make sure everything is back how it should be. I was able to lose all of my baby weight by six weeks after all three of my pregnancies, not because I’m special or naturally super skinny in any way. I have to eat healthy and stay active, just like anyone else who wants to stay fit. It takes some effort and changing your lifestyle, but you can do it! Here’s exactly what I do, to lose the baby weight by my six week check up, and I know you can do it too!! Because I lost the weight in a super healthy way, I was able to keep up my milk supply after each pregnancy while losing the weight! I have lots of tips and tricks for that…

Ashling Drew