I'm On a Diet, Kind Of

Well, winter didn't last long in southwest Florida. It's back up in the 80s- just another sign that summer and beach season is upon us. With that comes the pressure of breaking out the old swim suit and praying it still fits.

Two kids in less than three years did its work on me. When I was in third grade, one of my friends told me she had 'birthing hips'. I assume she heard that from her mom, but it stuck with me, mostly because I had no idea what it meant. Three kids later, I understand. And I'm proud of those hips- my deliveries were easy, with no complications. But putting on a bikini still makes me a little less than confident.

You'll have a better workout with this shirt! Available in my store!

In light of that, I decided to start a semi-diet. I hate dieting. I'm not good at it and counting calories drives me insane. Besides, I go to the gym and then for a run five days a week- if I want a bowl of Black Cherry frozen yogurt, then I'm going to have it! Still, I could be more conscious of portion sizes and just having 'one or two' chips while packing the boys' lunches.

Enter Fitbit. My wonderful, beloved Fitbit. The whole reason I carry everything in my left arm so that my right one stays free to swing and give me credit for those steps. And the app dutifully records my food/water intake, in addition to my calories burned/steps taken/sleep achieved. I've realized that what I like is the accountability. Do I really want to have to enter that I ate three fruit snacks, a bite of circle waffle, or an afternoon cookie? It's easier to just pass on them and save my calories for more fun things- like wine or ice cream.

I was discussing this with my boss and she mentioned that she weighed herself every day. Every day! I would be a basket case. Then I found myself on Amazon and discovered a smart scale- who would have thought? It syncs to your Fitbit and helps track your goals. Supposedly. I ordered it and we'll see how this goes. In the past, I've had a tendency to unhealthy body image, so this might be a little too much precision.

But on the other hand, I'm not old yet and I'm not really ready to give up fun swim suits for the skirted old lady ones. Not sure I should share this, but a couple years ago I was at the beach with Micah and a couple teenagers were behind us and I overheard them refer to me as a 'MILF'. I'd like to hold onto that illusion for a while longer.

This post is getting long so I'm off to enjoy Easter weekend with my family. I hope you all have a safe, fun weekend and remember the reason we celebrate is Jesus!


PS- Unwrapping the small Hershey's chocolate eggs from their foil and replacing them with grapes is an awesome April Fool's trick for your little ones. 

With Love,
Susanne

My First Ever Giveaway, aka Get Free Stuff!

Hi guys, happy Friday! Life has been really hectic lately, and I haven’t given my shop, Love You 5 Design, the attention it deserves. So with that in mind, I’ve decided to do my first ever giveaway! The key word here is ‘first’, so bear with me as I figure it out. All this internet/blogging/stores/advertising is totally new to me but it’s been fun. So I’ve decided to give away three items to my appreciated readers!

 

1.  Mom Hair Can’t Care Trucker Hat

2. Strength, Courage, No Carbs Flowy Work Out Tank

3. Peace Love Lattes - my newest shirt!!

Available in a few different colors

  What the heck, let’s do four items! 

For all you beautiful brides- Your choice of Honeymoon Honey or Love-Struck Bride 

Rules are simple:

Either enter via Facebook or Instagram and follow those directions

or

Comment on this post about which shirt you’d like and why

Winners will be announced on March 10th!!

Help me give my blog and shop some love, guys!


With Love,
Susanne

Vision and Vibes

Happy New Year!! I know I know, I'm a couple days late. Forgive me. But I've been busy! I have a bunch of new shirts in the shop- including a couple cold weather items. And there are more on the way! I think I'm hitting my stride and 2018 is going to be a great year for Love You 5 Design.

So like everyone else, I've been thinking about and planning my goals for this year. I've never really written anything down or had definite ideas for what I wanted to accomplish in a particular year. However, I think it'll give me focus and direction. Plus, our local brewery, Oil Well Craft Beer, is having Create Your Vision Night, complete with DIY Vision Boards! I'm sure the wine will greatly inspire my vision.

Back to the important things- my new merchandise! And I'm still offering free shipping for a while longer (GIMMEFREE). AND, if you're really nice and shoot me an email, I'll even give you a discount coupon code. Let the shopping commence!

 Celebrate your people! I love this shirt because it represents those I love fiercely. Have a different size tribe? I can do custom numbers, as well.

Because #OBVIOUSLY  

This shirt is really soft, flowy, and flattering.

 

Attitude? Me? Nah

Cold enough for you? Even here in Florida we're freezing! Represent the city you love and stay snuggly at the same time! I can do custom cities- just message me!

Go out and make those 2018 dreams come true with hard work and vision!

With Love,

Susanne

Love You 5

So I launched into a new venture today, no big deal. Well technically, this has been ongoing for the last few months, but today everyone knows about it. I'm very nervous, as well as excited. There are only a few shirts in the store so far, but more will come. Baby steps.  The shirts are really high quality Bella brand shirts. They're super soft- I wouldn't sell anything I wouldn't be comfortable wearing myself. And these are screen printed shirts, not iron-ons or stickers.

My shop is called Love You 5 and the name is very special to me. When Cayden was a little younger he could only count as high as 5. That was the biggest number he knew. So when I'd ask him how much he loved me, he'd answer, "I love you 5, mommy!" Melt my heart.

My favorite shirt is the Daily Meltdown Survivor. Little Ezra is my inspiration. The kid is totally fine until he sees me and then has to be glued to my hip or it's the end of the world. How many can relate?

Those three boys are my life and the reason I work so hard. Micah has been so encouraging and eager to help me set up the shop and work on 'marketing'. The kid's definitely going to be president of something someday.

All the shirts are my original ideas and designs. I want to be unique, creative, and fun- not copy what everyone else is doing. Well, besides the fact that I'm selling t-shirts, like the rest of the internet. But they're special, dang it!

This one is probably more suited to New Year's, but go ahead and get it so you're prepared for all those gym resolutions! And since I'm just starting out, here's a 10% discount code to get the ball rolling- WELCOME10. PLUS, when you buy 2 or more shirts, I'll even pay your shipping costs. I'm so nice. Hear that Santa?

In conclusion, I have a Christmassy shirt that I'll introduce by the end of the week, so stay tuned.

Okay, almost conclusion. Here's your life without happiness and awesome shirts:

 And here's how your life Could be- with puppies and smiles and sunshine:

Your choice, people!

With Love,
Susanne

Customer Service Win!

As I'm still trying to get my new company off the ground (I'm a late-blooming entrepreneur) I received a happy message this afternoon. Apparently, the business cards I so painstakingly created 'may have been scratched by the machine that created them.' Or so I was told by the perky voicemail lady. Fabulous! Well, fabulous because not only was I getting the 'possibly scratched' set of cards, but they had also sent another set for free! $0 for another 500 business cards to hand out to my upcoming customers! Thank you, Vistaprint, for the great customer service! It's the little things on a Friday...