Author: marcetheblogger

Sharing my journey through writings and pictures. Here to inspire, motivate, & support.
Travel

Dolphinaris – Cozumel, Mexico

marcetheblogger

During our family cruise this past August, our ship docked at beautiful Cozumel, Mexico. This was our one stop where we decided to participate in an excursion. It was a family friendly activity that we all truly enjoyed.

For our last stop, we booked the Dolphinaris Experience. Due to my son being so small we opted not to do swimming with dolphins since he would not be able to participate and we were also on a budget. We booked the excursion directly on the Carnival app which was super easy and convenient.

We received our instructions in an envelope the morning of our excursion. Typically we would have received it the night before but we booked it super last minute. Once we docked, we made our way to our meeting spot where we had to wait about 45 minutes to be taken to our transportation. Our group was split into different taxi vans and the drive was about 15 minutes.

When we arrived, we were greeted by the super nice staff. We were able to watch some of the excursions that were already taking place while we waited for our host.

Shortly after we were given instructions to get ready. We had to shower beforehand to make sure we washed off any products that could harm the dolphins and water life.

Our instructor was great and we were in a small group of 4 plus the baby. The instructor explained what we had to do clearly and also shared valuable information about the dolphins. The two dolphins were named Marce and Frida. We were able to interact with them and had such a fun time.

After we were able to enjoy a buffet with an open bar before we had to head back to the ship.  The options ranged from building your own taco to a good ol’ burger or hotdog. We also enjoyed some drinks called “Sex on the beach.”  At the end, we had the option to purchase our pictures and other gift items. Tip: NEGOTIATE! 😉

Below are some pictures of our adventure.

Jena getting a kiss 😘
Dancing!
Baby John got in on the action!
Frida jump!
Splish splash!
Family, Mom Life, Travel

Cruise 2019 – Pictures

marcetheblogger

Hi everyone!

I am a picture fanatic so this post will be dedicated to a few pics from our family cruise. We went this past August and had a great time! It was an amazing experience and we all enjoyed ourselves! We stopped at some beautiful ports in a week span. Thank you Carnival for the memories!

Family, Mom Life, Travel

Family Cruise 2019

marcetheblogger

This summer we went on our first family cruise. We did it right before the beginning of the school year as a way to close out our summer. It was a 7 day cruise leaving from the Port of Miami to the Grand Cayman Islands, Roatan Island, Belize, and Cozumel.

We flew into Fort Lauderdale a day in advance and then took a cab over to Miami. We stayed at a Marriot close to the Port. We didn’t have a car so we mostly just walked around the surrounding area to do some exploring. We ended up doing a late night Target run and were able to get some necessities for our trip that we were missing.

This post will focus on some of the items I felt were important to have on this cruise especially traveling with a family. I will do a post and share some great pictures at a later time.

Items to bring in no specific order:

These were the key items to have. The cruise ship helped with our milk supply as it was available 24/7 for the baby.

I will keep updating this as I receive feedback. Feel free to share your own tips and I can continue to keep this growing!

NOTE: LINKS ARE NOW COMMISSIONED!

Posts

Update update…I’m back!

marcetheblogger

Hi everyone!

I am back from my hiatus. My original plan when starting my leave was to blog a lot more but I decided to take some much needed time away from any commitments and just go with the flow. I didn’t want to spend time stressing about blogging when it is something that I do because I enjoy it.

This past summer was the longest vacation I have ever had from work and school and it was absolutely amazing!! I spent 3.5 months at home with my kids and although it started off extremely overwhelming, I quickly adapted.

My respect for stay at home parents has increased to another level after these past few months!!

I am truly grateful that I was able to be home to witness Baby John’s milestones (crawling to walking). I also enjoyed having time and help from my big girl Jena. I did give her a break though and she was able to attend camp for about a month which she loved!

So that is my very quick update to say that I am back and ready to blog! Can’t wait to share some incredible trips and activities I was able to do this summer and also update you all on my journey to a healthier lifestyle.

Stay tuned for some posts!!

Family

Real Fear

marcetheblogger

As I get older, I start to think more and more about my parents passing away. It is a horrible thought that creeps up and gives me the most anxiety ever! I know everyone has to leave this earth one day but can’t parents just be eternal?

I think the more Mother’s Days and Father’s Days that go by, I see others missing their parents because they are no longer here. I instantly wonder how they even live each day knowing either their mother or father or both are gone. Whenever I think about it, my eyes fill with tears and I am actually surprised I don’t have them now.

Almost two years ago, my best friend lost her mother. I cried so much. It was one of those things that you really can’t believe because my best friend and I are only a year apart and I just instantly thought that my parents could be next. About a six months ago, my fiance’s father passed away and once again I cried. I have such a hard time thinking about both. It really breaks my heart and some days they (my best friend and fiance) come to mind and I wonder what they do to get by everyday.

I know when the time comes, I will have to deal with it but for now I just wanted to share this. It is really sad to think about but I feel better writing about it then constantly retaining these thoughts in my mind. I am thankful for God and my faith because I know no matter what when that day comes, they will be in a better place and he will help me through the hardship and grieving.

Family

Stay At Home Mom – The Beginning

marcetheblogger

Hi everyone,

So tonight I am finally making some time to begin this post. Hopefully I can finish it before the end of the week. I told myself I would dedicate so much time to my blogging while I was on my additional 6 weeks of maternity leave and guess what, I def have not had time or honestly the energy to even touch this site. It is definitely not a good feeling but I have a lot to share after just about 2 weeks of my leave.

I began my additional 6 weeks on May 20th. Since I was not at my job for a year before the baby was born I could not take the 6 weeks when baby John was first born but it sure sounded great during this time of the year.

My experience thus far…

Being a stay at home job is definitely the most exhausting job anyone could ever have. Honestly, these past few days I have been worn out to the maximum. Between trying to find time to workout early in the morning, tend to my daughter’s needs, clean, cook, catch up on spring cleaning, and chasing after my son, I end up super exhausted. I cannot imagine how this can be done daily for longer than I am about to do it. When I say breaks from your own home and kids is needed, well that itself is an understatement.

Let me fast forward to yesterday. I swear I thought I was going to have a breakdown. I felt myself about to cry from pure exhaustion. In that moment, I turned to look at my baby crawling. He was moving so fast with a smile on his face to his big sister. In that moment, I could no longer cry. I just felt a joy in my heart. My kids are the loves of my life. It is definitely tough! Parenthood is no joke and staying at home has opened my eyes all over again. I love them and although I may be super tired some nights, their happiness means more to me. I am looking forward to the next few weeks and will keep updating you all on my progress and time management.

Family, Travel

Jenkinson’s Aquarium

marcetheblogger

A few weeks ago, we were lucky enough to get a beautiful spring day here in New Jersey. We were able to jump in the car and randomly drive down the shore to Point Pleasant Beach. We walked the boardwalk and were able to take in some sun, the smell of boardwalk food, and of course the lovely view of the ocean.

It was a great day to explore the Point Pleasant boardwalk with your family and I believe everyone else felt the same way. The boardwalk was full of families out flying kites, eating, having ice cream, and just strolling along.

On this trip, it was my fiance, myself, my two kids, as well as my sister and her two kids. While walking on the boardwalk, we tried to think of what more we could do besides eat. My fiance had the great idea to check out the Jenkinson’s Aquarium. We had been to this particular boardwalk often but had never visited the aquarium.

To start, the pricing was pretty decent for adults and children. We try to be budget friendly and this place definitely did not break our pockets. They had great animals to see and even some we could touch. The large sharks were definitely a site to see.

I think the family favorite was the Penguins. There were so many and we were able to catch the feeding. They were all distinctly labeled by the use of beads and we were impressed by the age range of these animals. The voiceover was descriptive of the feeding process including what they were being fed and what they actually wanted to have.

Unfortunately, I had the baby stroller so I was unable to check out the upstairs. The only con I could see was that there was no elevator. Being a family friendly spot in my opinion should definitely come with an elevator. It would make it easy to get around and get my complete money’s worth.

Overall, we had a great time. It was definitely family friendly and all of the kids loved it. It is a must do if you are ever visiting Point Pleasant. More info here –> https://jenkinsons.com/aquarium/

Let's Get Personal, Mom Life

Self-care Update!

marcetheblogger

Hi Everyone!!

I am super excited that I can finally write this. I have made some progress on my weight-loss journey. I have started working out and counting calories again. I am almost 2 weeks in and I feel great. I am down 8 pounds from when I started which is a small number but it is definitely a start.

After having baby John, I lost a lot of weight. After I decreased the times I was breastfeeding and returned to work, I quickly put on some unwanted pounds. I am not going to lie, I felt extremely defeated. I felt horrible about myself and couldn’t believe I let this happen to me once again.

I finally got myself out of my own mind and decided to start all over. I began jogging with my dog in the mornings and have now added workout videos at home. I started counting calories because I am not a fan of diets which has helped me control how much and what I eat.

It is still difficult to find the time to workout but I have managed. I tend to just let baby J wander on the floor now that he can crawl and have my big girl sit at the kitchen table doing her homework all while I do my 20-30 minute workout. Talk about crazy house lol.

If there is anyone struggling with weight-loss, all I can say is DON’T GIVE UP! Keep pushing and you will begin to feel better and look better. It will even begin to change your whole aura. At least this is how it is for me! Hope this is inspiring to someone out there. You can also check out my good friend Shina’s weight-loss journey here:
https://marcesview.home.blog/2019/05/07/shina-on-the-road-to-weight-loss/

Family

Happy Mother’s Day

marcetheblogger

I am dedicating this post to the woman who carried me and gave me life. I will try to make this short and sweet although I could probably go on forever.

My mother is the most selfless person I know. Even if she does not have much she will go out of her way to help others. Her heart is pure and filled with kindness.

My mother is the best cook I know. No food tastes like my mom’s and it is definitely a top reason to miss living at home. No matter what day it is, I can count on my mom having food at her house even it’s leftovers from the day before.

My mother is the least judgemental person I know. She never passes judgements because she is a firm believer in karma and never knowing someone’s whole story from the outside.

My mother is one of the strongest women I know. She came to this country looking for better although the journey to get here was quite difficult. My mother has worked since I can remember and for a long time she sacrificed sleeping in her own bed at night to be at work on third shift so she could be home with us (my sister and I) during the day.

My mother continues to show her love for my sister and I and our kids every single day. Not only are we lucky to have her as our mother but our kids get to have an amazing grandmother. Sometimes I wonder how I could ever repay her for all that she does but I can’t. No amount of anything could ever amount to everything she has done for us, sacrificed for us, and continues to do for us daily.

Mom – I can only hope that you know and feel appreciated every single day. I love you more than words can express!

Friends

Shina on the Road to Weight-loss

marcetheblogger

Hi all,

I decided that I wanted to do a section of the blog dedicated to my friends. I have quite a few doing amazing things in their lives and felt it was only right to share that with the universe (with their approval of course).

My first “Friend Feature” is a good friend of mine, Shina. Our kids have attended the same school since kindergarten and we have become good friends in the past few years.

Shina is a married, hardworking mother of 2 (Mikey and Brownie), a sister, a daughter, an aunt, and a friend to name of few. Another title under Shina’s belt is “Fitness Addict.” She has been working hard for the past few years on establishing a healthier lifestyle and sharing her weightloss journey with her social media following. Her progress is very motivational and could be the boost you need to get started on your journey today.

Below I will share some of our conversation together.

A little bit about Shina!
Q: What is your name?
A: Tasheenia Pough

Q: What is your ethnicity?
A: African American

Q: How old are you?
A: 33

Let’s jump into Shina’s Journey!
Q: How long have you struggled with your weight?
A: I have struggled with weight pretty much my entire life. I was always overweight.

Q: When and what was your turning point?
A: I was at an amusement park with my son and now husband and while walking, I began having heart palpitations. I passed out for a few seconds! This is when I knew I needed to change.

Q: Have you tried any crazy diets?
A: I have tried literally every diet. However, I am currently doing Keto diet and I love it. I look at it as a lifestyle change and not a diet, because I plan on continuing it for a while. It has been good to my body and it feels right. 

Q: What keeps you motivated?
A: Honestly, me. I could easily say my son, husband, dog, etc., but, to me, in order for any weight loss journey to effectively work, you have to want it for yourself, not anyone else. 

Q: Any tips for people struggling with their weight?
A: “YOU GOT THIS!” is my favorite saying to all.

I appreciate Shina sharing her journey, her final comments for my readers are below:

Remember in this weight loss journey, it is so easy to make mistakes. I know because it happened to me! Those mistakes may begin to make you feel defeated. DON’T! Always remember, “YOU GOT THIS!” Pick yourself up and continue even when you mess up, because consistency is the key. 

Secondly, comparison is the thief of joy! Only compete with YOURSELF to become a better version of YOURSELF!  You’re working hard for your results. Be proud! A weight loss journey is not easy, to say the least. The more you struggle, the more you’ll appreciate your results!

Work at your own pace, it’s not a race. This is a lifestyle change. Stay consistent 90% of the time and results will follow. I say 90%, because we all have our little slip ups here and there.

Don’t beat yourself up if you fall off track for a meal, a day, or even a weekend. Just get back on it ASAP!

“YOU GOT THIS!” “I BELIEVE IN YOU!”