WHAT'S UP WEDNESDAY! | FEBRUARY 2021

 Hey hey!! Happy Wednesday friends from good ole WARM Texas! Yesterday, I think the high got to 79 degrees, y'all. Just one week before, it was -3. No exaggeration. Texas weather is like the boyfriend that just won't commit.

Anyway, I'm back today for the February edition of What's Up Wednesday with Sheaffer and Shay and I'm excited to share #allthethings! These posts are so fun so let's get to it!

Ok. So the other day I mentioned that Craig and I were about to start Weight Watchers together. The NFL has a program called The Trust that basically helps support players once they retire and move on to the next phase in their lives. It's a really amazing program. Anyway, the other day they sent out an email saying that all members and their spouses would have access to a free WW membership if they wanted it. I did WW to lose the baby weight after Matthew was born and really liked it. Granted, that was 13 years ago so I know it's changed a lot since then but it was fairly easy to follow and it whipped me back into shape pretty quickly.

So when I heard about the WW membership, I was like "Why not?". What could it hurt to at least have a go at it? Now, hear me when I say this. I'm not doing this because I think I'm fat. I'm completely normal and healthy but I DO have a penchant for fried foods, tacos, pizza, burgers...all the good stuff. I also don't work out on a consistent basis and as much as I tell myself I'm going to start being better, it is hit or miss at best. These bad habits show up on my hips, butt and thighs mostly which annoys me to no end. But it is what it is. However, this is not why I'm joining this program.

I'm joining to be a support for my hubs. God love him, he just doesn't have great genes when it comes weight gain and his eating habits are less than stellar. He wants to lose about 40lbs which I feel like he could do in 4 or 5 months. Maybe even quicker because guys just tend to lose weight so much faster than us which is totally unfair. #amIright But I worry about his heart especially since he has a family history of men with heart issues on both sides. So it's time to do something about this and if I don't do it with him, he knows he'll never stick with it. 

A couple of the questions I got once I posted this were:

 "Are you still on Keto?". 

No, I'm not currently doing the Keto diet. I LOVE the Keto diet and use it off and on when I'm feeling motivated to drop a few pounds if my weight starts to creep up or if I just start to feel bloated and sluggish. Keto (or even just going low carb) is a great way to banish the bloat quickly and once you're in ketosis, your cravings disappear, you're not super hungry, and your body is literally burning fat all the time. It's awesome. I always feel the best when I'm on Keto but it's also hard to stay motivated to be on it when you don't have a ton of weight you want to lose or a big goal you want to hit. It just makes it too easy to eat the pasta or the pizza or even just the sandwich when there's no end goal. I did AWESOME on it when I wanted to lose 20lbs. And I did it fairly quickly. But again, it's just something you have to be in the right mindset to do and be prepared to study up a little and get to know the diet before you dive in.

Another question I got a lot was:

"Which color are you?"

On WW, they have green, blue and purple plans. I took the quiz at the beginning and they gave me green. Craig took it and he got blue. From the feedback y'all gave me, I figured it was best for me to switch over to blue too so that's what we are going with. 

We have not officially started yet. I'm still learning about things and finding recipes I want to try but when we get going, I'll make sure to fill y'all in! I had so many responses and messages about it so I'll keep you posted!

So...remember last month when I was excited about my two trips I had planned for February? One of them was a Leadership Retreat to Arizona that went off without a hitch and was absolutely perfect.

The other was a girls trip to Galveston for a Galentine's Weekend. (That was literally the only wknd we could do it so we were going with the Galentine's theme! 😍) 

Remember when I said that the last time I was this excited about a trip a hurricane hit and ruined it? (Flashback: Beach trip to Alabama with just my parents, my very own condo all to myself, 4 days to do absolutely nothing but whatever I wanted, heaven on earth...oof...it still hurts to think about that missed experience.) Anyway, fast forward to Thursday before our trip (leaving Friday) and we had to cancel it due to the giant snowmaggedon coming our way. Beach trips + me just don't seem to work out. However, we are so glad we were able to reschedule it! We are trying this again THIS weekend and we are pretty dang pumped!! I'm going with two of my best girlfriends and the Holiday Inn Club Vacations Galveston Seaside Resort is hosting us. I've partnered with them before and when they asked me if I wanted to scope out another of their resorts and report back, I KNEW I wanted to get my girls in on this! I want to treat them like the VIPs they are!

Lub dem. ❤

I will no doubt be blowing up my stories on IG during the trip so if you want to follow along with us be sure to find me @amandanall. The weather is supposed to be nice (not layout on the beach and get tan nice but nice for February) but honestly, as long as it's not snowing and there is no hurricane warning, we'll have a great time!

Baseball season is almost here!! We're pretty excited to get back to that. Craig's Elite 11 Football Camps will start up again in a couple of weeks too which is exciting because they all got cancelled due to Covid last year.

About a month ago, I posted this backpack purse in my Deals Group on Facebook and a lot of y'all snapped one up OR you said you'd just gotten one from a boutique and paid a lot more for it! Well, if you want one in another color (I do) or if you haven't gotten one yet, get it HERE and look for a little clickable coupon with it as well! There is one available as I'm typing this but it can disappear at any time.

I used this when we went to Arizona a few weeks ago and LOVED IT for travel. I haven't used a backpack in a long time and forgot how freakin' fantastic they are at keeping your arms free and your shoulder weighed down!

What I love about it:

The leather is so soft and pliable. The strap is reversible and I love the pop of color. It's also removable if you don't want it. There is plenty of space inside and lots of zippered pockets and regular pockets. Super functional and would make a great diaper bag or bag for you moms with little kids who have to tote around ipads and snacks for emergencies. 🥰 (I miss those days!)

What I don't love:

 

In a perfect world, the backpack straps would be removable as well but really that's my only complaint. 

A lot of people have asked if it's too big to be a regular everyday purse and I feel like that's a personal preference but for me, yes. I didn't buy it to be an everyday purse. I know some people like big bags so they would probably think this is a good size but others may think it's huge. So it's hard to say. FOR ME, I don't need something this big on Target runs or to take to dinner but it's going to be great for baseball season since it can easily hold all your baseball mom junk (bottled water, Gatorades, sunscreen, sunglasses, wallet, hand wipes, snacks, etc) and I'll use it every time I travel for sure. 

It comes in a bunch of awesome colors too so good luck trying to decide! It's only around $30 too! I'm really happy I got it! Check it out HERE.

Oh you know...a little of this...

...and a little of that...

I recapped our snow adventures HERE on Monday.

I love this picture of the boys when they were little! Mimi sent them some valentine's goodies in the mail. Take me back.

Ok girls. I started binge-watching Lost last month and I finally finished it last week. I'm not even sure what to say about that crazy show. It's bizarre, a little hard to follow and has some major Back to the Future vibes but I was sad when it was over. I can't even tell you if I liked the ending or not. I know the end was very controversial and a lot of people hated it but I didn't hate it. I was just kind of like..."Ok. Huh." I'm still not sure it all makes sense and I have to admit I did some major googling throughout the show when things perplexed me. But overall, I'm glad I checked that off my "to be binged" list. ;) It was definitely good although I felt like the wheels started to come off toward the end and the writers were just kind of grasping at straws to finish it out. But still. Glad I can say that I've seen Lost now.

As for what I'm reading, I'll have a new book review soon so I'm saving those! ;)

I've had this cute sweatshirt on repeat this month! I thought it was perfect since I turn the big 4-0 in 2021 (October)! And I can never have enough sweatshirts.

 

I'm wearing a small and I'd say it fits TTS but if you want a more oversized, cozier fit, size up! I got it HERE and they can do any year! Just check the box that says "add your personalization" and type in your year. They come in a few different colors as well as t-shirts, tanks and hoodies!

This picture was in my Leadership Retreat post from a couple of weeks ago and it was probably the most-shopped outfit I've posted in a long time! Walmart cami, Amazon cardigan, Amazon earrings...can't beat it! ;) 

I feel like my sweet Etsy shop has gotten the short end of the stick lately because I've been so distracted with traveling, weather, and my new side gig. I'm getting back into the swing of things though now that everything is settling back down and we're getting into a rhythm again. So if you need cute cups for those warm months ahead, teacher gifts or teacher name signs (my most popular item), little wood signs to add to your office or playroom, fun earrings and more...be sure to check out my shop HERE to see what you can find!

I'm also busy with my collagen business! I hate to even just label it "collagen business" because they have so much more than just collagen. The liquid collagen is just the hero product (and for good reason). But it's a health and wellness company that has clean, safe and non-toxic products from dish soap to their liquid collagen and so many things in between. I feel like I forget to mention the other stuff a lot because everyone just wants that collagen! haha And I get it. It's transformed my skin and my hair growth has been remarkable to say the least. 

My hairstylist was blown away when I saw her last month with how thick my hair had gotten and how much those thinning spots in my hairline had filled in. She was holding it up in a ponytail to get a feel for it and was like "Your hair has gotten SO THICK!" So I told her what I'd been using and she made me sign her up while my highlights were processing. 😂 She knows my hair and she was just so impressed with the changes.

(A shot in the morning. A shot at night. Tastes like fruit juice. Easy peasy. Want to see the actual science backing this product? Not just one ingredient in it but the whole thing in double-blind, third-party clinical trials? You can check it out HERE.)

But back to the exciting part. On Friday the company is releasing a brand new product and y'all...we have NO idea what it is. It is so stinkin' top secret that they've only told a handful of people and everyone who knows had to sign a 25-page non-disclosure agreement. #theydontplay All we know is that they expect it to be even BIGGER than the collagen. And that is HUGE. All I know is I'm gonna be ticked off if it doesn't live up to the hype. 😂 They've said that it will be something that will benefit the whole family. That it's been in development for 4 years. And that it's a "category creator". Meaning there's nothing else like it on the market...enough so that it's going to be creating its own category in the health and wellness industry. Talk about intrigue! I'm dying to know what the heck it is!!

We know that it will be on a special promo price when it is released to the public on Friday (maybe Saturday for the public) AND you can add it to your smartship so you can stack it with those extra savings too (extra 5, 10 or 15% off). We don't know how quickly it will sell out or IF it will sell out. But when they released their last big product (the Body Firming Foam) it sold out almost immediately and everyone had to wait a few months before it came back fully stocked. I have way too much FOMO for that. So if you want to be the first to know what it is, how much it is, what it does, all of that...send me your email address in a private message on Instagram or on Facebook! I'm creating a little VIP list for people who want to be the first to know and get the first shot at it if it sounds like something they want. This list is just to fill you in on the details...there is zero pressure to buy. Can't hurt to find out though, right? And OH YEAH--I'll also be doing a drawing for a free bottle of collagen (Biocell Life) for those who are on this list! No obligation to buy a dang thing, friends. So if you want a chance at that, get on the list! Message me! :)

For more info on the products I use and love, you can check out this blog post. Towards the end, you'll find links to my favorites and you'll also get $10 off your first order if you use my referral links/code. Please message me with any questions through IG or FB or if you just want to double-check you're ordering the right thing and getting the biggest discount available.

NOTE: If you are a returning customer and still want a discount, choose the smartship and save option at checkout. I am not saying this to upsell you. I am saying this as a customer myself. Depending on what you're ordering, this could give you an even bigger discount than the $10 off. (They will let you have the bigger discount but won't stack both.) Smartship is basically just another discount code. The more items you have added to your smartship order, the bigger the savings. Smartship isn't the same as autoship. SS will give you every opportunity to change your order, cancel, push it back, add or take away from it...all the things. They will text you 2 days before it ships to remind you to go in and make sure its what you want and they'll also send a couple of emails beforehand as well. Don't let smartship scare you. Take the discount and then just make a change if you need to when you get the text. Also, the more consecutive months you stay on SS, the bigger your discount will be. And the more items you add to your smartship, the bigger your discount will be. 8+ items gets you 15% off and free shipping y'all. 

I know I've shown you this before but it's worth repeating if it's going to save you money, right?  I say this because I know there are several people who create a new account for each order to get that $10 off each time and I get that but if you're continually reordering and staying consistent, you'll get an even bigger discount through Smartship and you won't have to mess with creating new accounts each time.

If you are grabbing the Lean Body System for example (which is 3 items) plus a Biocell (liquid collagen), add one more item and throw it on smartship! And when I say add one more item, I mean anything! Like a hand soap or the dish soap. (The dish soap is so pretty, I think too!)  Whatever the cheapest thing is that you can actually use. Because adding that 5th item, bumps you up to the next discount level! You're going to need hand soap anyway right? This way you'll save money on your collagen!

And that's it for February, y'all! I probably won't be back for Friday Favorites so I'll see ya over on Insta and FB and will be back on the blog sometime next week.

Let's all try to be that girl, friends.

Love you guys! Thank you for being here! Have the best week!

INSTAGRAM | DAILY DEALS GROUP  | COLLAGEN & TRIM

FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | ETSY | LIKETOKNOWIT | SHOP THE BLOG