Ashling Drew, Author at Joyful Messes

Miracle Postpartum Tabbouleh Salad for Weight loss

This is the salad. The great Bambino (Sandlot anyone?!) of all salads for weight loss and milk supply. Like all postpartum mamas, two major issues on my mind are getting rid of the baby weight and keeping up a healthy supply. Now, parsley is a big player in this salad, and it’s been said it can lower your milk supply in large amounts. I have not experienced it, and Parsley is one of the healthiest foods you can eat, which is why I call this a miracle salad. Plus, this salad has way more Bulgur in it, which is a grain full of fiber and minerals that promote a healthy milk supply. Either way, I have a substitute for you in the recipe if you are concerned and don’t want to risk it! I have also have a gluten-free substitute for the Bulgur as well! I go over the specific health…

Honest Review of Beach Body On Demand From A Non-Coach

I think its safe to say most of us have a friend that would love to sell us their Shakeology and sign us up for their fit camp, or add us to their accountability Facebook group. The industry is a bit saturated now, but I can totally see why. The selling point, Get paid to get fit and post on Facebook!, that I’ve seen is attractive in and of itself. But, what I REALLY WANT TO KNOW, is does it work? Is it all hype, or is it a great workout? I saw the advertisement for Beach Body on Demand’s free 14-Day trial, and thought I’d give it a go, and report back to you all with an honest review! I attempted to report to you in diary-form. So you can get an idea of what it looks like to work out with kids. I took some video footage, but…

8 Activities To Keep Your Kids Busy While Working Out At Home

Meet guest poster, Katie Pickett, a seasoned entrepreneur and mom of three who has shared her wisdom in crafting this blog post. At joyfulmesses.com, we’re committed to providing you with the latest parenting insights and tips, thanks to contributors like Katie. Stay tuned for expert advice, as we continue to update our blog to support moms like you on your journey. Love, Ashling! Well, I’ve been working out at home rather than the gym, where I was getting my workouts in, and to be honest, it’s just not fun. I’ve been dabbling in a few videos combined with my own workout routines, which if I could focus, would be great. Then, I wanted to challenge myself and give myself some new motivation, so I signed up for the free 30-day trial of the Beach Body On Demand. I reviewed it completely and honestly because I’m not a coach at all.…

The Question I Wish I Knew I’d Have to Answer in The Delivery Room

*this post is sponsored by CBR. As always, my opinions are all my own! I’m three babies deep now, so the delivery process isn’t as mysterious and foreign to me now, as it was with my first baby. I remember staying up late and watching A Baby Story (apparently they are bringing it back!) at 2am on TLC. I was trying to mentally prepare myself for this unknown, magical experience that was going to happen to my body. Of course my hospital bag was packed three months too early (my first baby was a week late), and I was packed for a week stay at a hotel. My new baby had five outfits and seven hats. All were way too big. I prepared for my first labor by spending hours and hours on Pinterest, reading everything I could. Making sure I knew about every car seat and high chair on…

6 Foods Better Than A Cup of Coffee for Moms

I’m not sure about you, but I live off of coffee. My coffee cup is basically attached to my hand like an IV. Let’s face it, us Millennial moms do everything. Probably too much of everything. We cultivate organic vegetable gardens, teach our 8 month-old-babies to read and pursue emotional intelligence with a vengeance. We are over-achieving to say the least, and sometimes our bodies get a bit run down from our zealous ideals. I know that coffee isn’t always the best way to get back the pep in your step. Especially after a long night of researching various parenting methods focused on love, understanding and empathy…time outs just don’t cut it anymore do they?? Well, let me help you, by sharing the foods you can grow or eat that will give you a buzz that rivals your cup of coffee. Please note, this isn’t your standard healthy food list.…

Making My First $1000 From Blogging

I’ve been blogging for almost a year now, but I haven’t gotten too much into income reports like some of the other bloggers you will find. I just didn’t want to report $20 here and there, and I was more interested in writing. That is my true passion. Writing about motherhood. My goal is to continue to write and develop my writing, but also have my blog provide an income. When the day came that I added up the income streams, and they were over $1,000 I couldn’t believe it! Skip to the bottom of the post for the breakdown of the income streams. Since I wrote this post a year ago, I have gotten myself in the 5k range in terms of income for my blog, and a lot of that is because of sponsored posts. You don’t have to have just a lot of traffic for sponsored posts,…

What I Missed On My First Registry

Well, I am a mom of three now, and boy were there some things I totally and utterly missed out on because I didn’t put them on my registry. Do you know how many clothes I got? Blankets and cute things that were to die for at the time, but totally not that useful? I literally had a Boppy Pillow sitting in my closet for three years until I gave it to my sister. I just thought I needed it. PS, if you sign up for Amazon’s Baby Registry, you get $100 dollars towards diapers and wipes. Believe me, you need it, and everyone uses Amazon! I recently did my first few months with the diaper subscription. I am so mad I never did that before. Totally worth it. I’ll be reviewing it here soon. Baby Registry – $100 credit towards diapers and wipes As a first time mom, its…

Get Rid Of Your Mom Butt with These Moves

Well, it’s that time of year when the cheeks end up coming out. And not those cute baby cheeks, but our mom-butt cheeks. I’m not sure about you, but even after losing the baby weight, my butt is still squishy and flat. Like not the sexy bouncy, but the flabby jiggly. This post contains affiliate links. The 5 Best Foods To Lose The Baby Weight and Pump Up Your Milk Supply 3 Tricks I Use To Lose The Baby Weight That Worked Three Times Now I was a Pilates instructor years ago. Before my life was taken over by little ones, and since the birth of my now 8-month old baby, I’m working on firming that booty back up. I wrote a post on some moves to help you get your booty back, and in this post, I want to talk more about what you need to do before you…

Boost Your Milk Before Baby

I’ve had great success nursing all three of my baby boys, and I believe part of that is due to the steps I take before my little one arrives! Believe it or not, there are some small things you can get started on now, while your in your last month or so of pregnancy. Don’t you just love the last couple months?! I am such an impatient person, that the last few weeks seem to drag on and on! And my babies have NEVER been early! The earliest I got was my middle child, who arrived like a speed racer the the night of his due date. My other ones took me after my due date, which makes for one frustrated, pregnant mama! Anyways, let’s give you some tips to get you started on creating an abundant milk supply. This is important because you want your body to be ready…

Packing Power Lunches With Protein for Better Learners

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser, Organic Valley. All opinions are mine alone. #GetCheesy #CollectiveBias Being a mom of boys, you get used to managing these big bundles of energy that are almost unmanageable both for me, the mom and for the boys. But, their energy is also very subject to what they eat. I am super serious about what I pack for them in their lunches, because I know how quickly their blood sugar can drop, which they then become lethargic and very grumpy. My boys are high-energy, and they tend to get low blood sugar fast. Being at school limits the amount of snacks they can have, so it is super important that I pack the right lunches, as well as give them the right after school snack to boost their blood sugar with a stable energy source. This is where…

Ashling Drew