The True Meaning of a Mother

Mother

The true meaning of the word "Mother" is "Sacrifice".

From the moment you conceive, you begin your Sacrifice.

Your body becomes this teeny tiny little person's home.

Your nourishment, your fluids, your blood are no longer just yours.

As your baby grows you sacrifice your figure..

Your comfort..

Your sleep..

Your favorite foods..

Your clothes..

Your activities..

The list goes on and on.

Then you give birth to this amazing little person who has occupied your tummy for months.

You Sacrifice your attention & every single little thing they do amazes you as if it's your first time every seeing it done.

You Sacrifice your sleep just so you can oversee them & make sure they're perfectly comfortable & safe.

You Sacrifice your body so that you can produce nutrients to give them the healthiest nourishment possible.

As they lay next to you, you Sacrifice your comfortability just so they are comfortable & not awakened. 

You will give yourself the most painful cramps just to accommodate them.

You Sacrifice your food because no matter how hungry you are, should they want some, you will never say no.

You Sacrifice your finances giving every last dime you can to make sure they are secure & have what they need even if it means Sacrificing what you need.

As they grow, you Sacrifice more time & energy to make sure they are taught every little thing they will need to know about this world. 

This Sacrifice extends from putting on their pants to driving their first car & even at that point..

..Your Sacrifice does not end.

You Sacrifice your ears, to listen to their rants, their dreams, their desires and their heartbreaks.

But most of all, you Sacrifice your Heart

You love unconditionally

Undeniably

And fully, with every breath that your have.

Without them your Heart could never beat as strongly as it does.

There is no greater Sacrifice than being a Mother

And there is no other Sacrifice worth Sacrificing more.

-Katrina DeLaFonte

Love MomStyle Network

How to Love...

Not every woman is brought up in a happy, healthy or loving home environment. Naturally, you grow and develop from the garden from which you were grown.

Growing up, some of my very best friends grew up having very little affection and encouragement at home and it led to a number of troubling factors. Some had low self-esteem. Some became promiscuous. Some found a way to distract themselves from the reality at home through other ventures. Drinking, drugs, etc.

For some women, they can't even fathom growing up without hugs, kisses and simply knowing someone loves them and cares about every little aspect of their life. But unfortunately, this is a reality for some and it does really affect your interaction with the people who mean the most to you throughout your life.

Some women go through life never truly knowing how to love.
Then one day they become a mother. They are suddenly overflowing with emotion. For most moms, this emotion is nothing other than an abundance of love and excitement, but for some, their emotion becomes anxiety and insecurity. They start to wonder,

"Am I going to be a good mom?"
"What if I fail?"
"What if I can't be everything my baby needs me to be?"
"What if I can't be the "IDEAL" Mom?"

I have news for you: There's no such thing. There's is no ideal mom. Every single mother on this planet goes through something at some point. "But she just makes it look so easy. She just looks like she's got it all together." Here's a dose of reality. The same mom that you admire, that you think you could never be like, is the same mom who broke into tears last week because she needed a break or she learned of yet another brick she had to add to the rest she already had on her back or she just drew her last straw (you know, the one that broke the camel's back?).

This image that celebrities, especially, try to convey to the media, the perfect mom, the together mom, the chic mom, 24/7, is all a show. Believe me! Think about it. A woman who has nannies, a beauty team, maids and every other help you can think to hire compared to a mom who does it all. It's a 100% guarantee that without the help, they would be just as tired, just as overworked and just as in Mommy-mode (hair up, no make up, scrubs on) as the rest of us!

I feel that one of the most important things us women need to know is that No matter how you were raised. No matter what you had or didn't have growing up. No matter what kind of mentality you were influenced to develop. YOU decide how your household will be run. YOU decide how much love and affection is shown in your family's life. YOU can change the course of the direction        your want your future to develop into. 

Remember...
You do not need money to show how much you love someone.
---We can all learn something from our babies. You give a baby a fancy toy, they'll go after the box it came in.
 
There is no limit to how much love and encouragement you can give to your family.
---You are the Queen of Hearts.
 
There are no excuses on why you can't love or show affection to your loved ones how you want to, no matter how you were raised.   
 ---You should be raising your children, therefore, experience and influence should have no factor on how you love your kids or your significant other or your other important people in your life.

Ultimately, YOU choose the type of mother you want to be. No Excuses.

You want to be a more creative mom? Do it! Pick up a book! Learn something! Put some effort into it!
You want to put more effort into your kids? Do it! Yes, you may get a little less sleep and be a little more tired at the end of the day, but it's worth it.
Wish you could be more affectionate to your loved ones? DO IT! There's nothing stopping your besides you!
Be the type of Mother you want to be so that you can be proud of the Mother you've become. Leave a legacy for your children remember.

I don't know about you, but I want my babies to remember Mommy did everything she could for us with every bit of her heart and she couldn't have given us more effort or love if she tried. 

That's the kind of mom I want to be.

What kind of Mom with you be remembered as?

                    

The Strong Woman

You see the smiles on her exterior

You feel her pure heart through her good intentions

You assume all is right and perfect in her life

You may even envy her

But what you don't see is what she's been through

Her invisible scars

The wiped away tears

The blood and sweat she's cleaned up trying to escape

A strong a woman isn't made from the finer more pleasant things in life

A strong woman is molded by her pain

By her struggle

By her courage 

And by her will to say no more

By her will to fight back

A strong woman knows the highest level of vulnerability

She knows humiliation 

She knows the feeling of defeat

She tells a story through her eyes

Down deep into her soul

She remembers just how the air smelt 

The way the ground felt beneath her

The sound of her deafening heartbreak

All when she tried to lift herself off the ground

A strong woman knows what it's like to get knocked down

And get knocked down again

To have the air taken from your body 

To grasp desperately for help

She tells a story through her eyes.

You see the smiles on her exterior

You feel her pure heart through her good intentions

You assume all is right and perfect in her life

You may even envy her

But what you don't see is what she's been through

What a Strong Woman Knows... 

This is written for any woman who has experienced struggle, heartache, defeat or any circumstance alike. Violence, Bullying, Addiction, Loss of a Loved One. The list goes on and on. This is to let you know there is always a light and you can overcome 

any obstacle. 

                                                            ~LoveMomStyle

Body After Baby

What's one of the most emotional phases of motherhood? 

Seeing your body for the first time after you have your baby.

Now don't get me wrong, there's a huge difference between your stripes (stretch marks) and the deflated squishy balloon you have after all is said and done. Be proud of those stripes! You earned them and there's no other way in this world that you were meant to get them than carrying that perfect little baby! 


All day long I hear from women who are just in tears or mortified by the aftermath results. Trust me when I say, those feelings are valid and it is perfectly normal for you to feel that way. However, remember that this is only tentative. Of course you're going to have excess skin! You just carried a little human and he or she needed some leg room! 

Continuing life after baby is born is taken one step at a time. We as mommies really do get hit with a double whammy. Why? Because not only do we have to deal with the emotions associated with the post-pregnancy body, but some of us have to deal with postpartum depression. It makes absolutely no sense! You couldn't be more happy, but you're still crying for the silliest reasons! #CrazyPerson LOL 

Classic cases: Your baby smiles at you and you start balling!!! LOL 
                     You take out an outfit to dress them and hold up the little pants.... Start balling!
                     Your baby blows a spit bubble... You know it, lol, you're balling again!

Although we know it's our hormones all being out of whack, it still makes no good sense! The best times are when you start balling in from of someone else and they ask you what's wrong. 
You: "I don't know!"
They say, "Then why are you crying?
Now you're laughing and crying.
"I don't know!" LOL

Ay yi yi, lol, the things we go through as women. Postpartum can really do a number on how you feel about your appearance, but realize again this too is tentative. 

Another really emotional aspect of your post pregnancy body is wondering about your sex life. 1: Now that there's a baby in house and 2: How you're going to feel about your appearance, let's just tell it like it is, when you're naked. Though I know it can be difficult you really have to try to find a happy medium. Once you accept the fact that, "Okay, I may have postpartum and I just had my baby, of course I'm going to look like this." Acceptance is the first step. Well call this : PPA, Post Pregnancy Association. :)  Your objective at this point is to make a goal and when you're ready, move toward it. You have 6 weeks or longer if you've had a c-section to wait until you can do anything with your body. So settle your little bunz down and relax for those few weeks! Once you get clearance from your OB, then it's time to put your goal into action.  

One of the big things I advise you not to do is go online and look at women's bodies who have not had kids and who are ripped up. Of course they're in shape! They have no reason not to be and I'm sure they train every single day and have a clean diet! Sure, you can have someone you strive to look like, but keep realistic expectations in the beginning. Comparing your body initially to someone who has never carried a child can't do much more than discourage you. Admiration is one thing, but obsession and envy are another. Throughout my career in fitness training, I will tell you that the #1 reason for women and men who quit their workouts is they have set their expectations too high initially and they're not seeing the results as quickly as they'd like to so they quit. 

Quiting is never the solution. The same workout doesn't work for everyone. That's why you have to explore a little and see what works for you. As women, we tend to compare ourselves to each other. Why we do this? I have no clue. We do it even when we don't mean to. Competition, I swear, is the greater evil. Don't allow yourself to be consumed by it. Get in shape and get happy for you, not for anyone else. Now I do feel that for the record, this blog entry is a generalization. Of course, there are some women who bounce back quickly and some effortlessly, but for the vast majority of us, this entry pertains to most of us appropriately. :)

Getting in shape should be a positive experience. I didn't say it wouldn't be a painful experience, no pain no gain, but it hurts to be beautiful! All jokes aside, workout out isn't only good for your physique, but it just makes you feel better overall. It's healthy to get some exercise on a regular basis both physically and emotionally. I, personally, tend to be a hermit at times and I will be the first to tell you that when I put exercise in my daily routine, the rest of my day just seems to mesh a little better and I seem to be able to handle more. 

With all that said, Love MomStyle is here to encourage, inspire and motivate you! Make sure to check back frequently for new fitness tips and videos! We're here for you! Let's do this together because you deserve to get back to you and feel beautiful!

 







                         

           <3 Love MomStyle 

Love MomStyle 12 Minute Cardio Challenge

Welcome Ladies, to your summer transformation! We're really excited to have such a large group participating this series. This series was filmed just 6 weeks after my delivery with my second child so you could see my soft & squishy physique. A lot of "fitness trainers or fitness models" don't show what they looked like when they started  ( if they needed to start at all). Only what they look like once they're finished. Here you get up close and personal with a real mommy post-pregnancy. 

We are offering this series Free!! All we ask us you email us at LoveMomStyleLounge@Gmail.com with the following information: 

Name 

Number of Pregnancies if any

Current Weight

DesiredWeight loss 

Current Measurements: 

Chest- Directly below your breasts

Waist- Smallest part of your waist above your hips. 

Hips- Widest part of your hips (Hip Bone)

Thigh- Measure around your thigh. 

Before Photo: Side/Front If you are comfortable sending your photos to us, great! However, it isn't mandatory, but at least take them for your records to show your starting point. 

How this series works: 

This series lasts for 4 weeks. For your best results and if you can handle it, I recommend performing this 12 Minute Workout 6-7 days a week and eventually twice per day. Otherwise, push yourself to train at least once a day for 4-5 days a week.  

Your objective is to get through the entire 12 minute workout without any breaks. Every exercise lasts for 1 minute. Keep in control of your body throughout every exercise. No noodle arms or legs. Keep good posture. 

Useful tools:

STOPWATCH (Most phones have one)

EXERCISE BALL

Your Diet: 

I am a food lover! Therefore, I don't believe in starving yourself. The key to a healthy diet is a balanced diet, utilizing all of the food groups. Most foods can be eaten in appropriate portions. Stay away from the obvious unhealthy foods, sweets, sugars, soda, sugar based drinks, fast food and fried. 

Keeping hydrated is really important throughout your transformation. You should be consuming at least five 8oz glasses of water every single day at minimum. 

If you're a lover of caramel frappachino's with extra caramel and whip, well, say "au revoir" for the next few weeks. Save it for your 4th week reward! 

Prepare your food grilled, baked and boiled for the healthiest results. 

Drive and persistence will get you through this challenge. Don't be discouraged if you are unable to finish initially. It's a process and you will get there! On the other hand, if you are getting through the routine easily, contact us for modifications. LoveMomStyleLounge@gmail.com 

IT'S GO TIME!!! 

Here's the first step towards your new body!!! 

http://youtu.be/odBMg453Vdg

Feel free to join us on our mobile app! Search: Love MomStyle 

Available on Apple and Google Play App Stores!!

I am now a Statistic. My Domestic Vioence Survival.

1 out of every 4 women will be a victim of Domestic Violence.

I am that 1 out of 4 women. In 2006 I was made a part of a statistic.

I really can't speak for other women who have been victimized by domestic violence, but I did learn that your can never say never. Your future is truly unpredictable.

I grew up being a fighter. Didn't really have a problem sticking up for myself. I grew up with a big brother and played with the boys. My father taught me to be tough. He raised me to be the best in man's world and a competitor in a woman's world. If you would have asked me if I'd ever thought I'd be a victim of domestic violence, I would have laughed at possibility. Little did I know a man I met in 2003, who became my husband in 2004, would be the person who would effect the rest of my life, and needless to say, in the worst way ever. He literally created my living nightmare.

From the conversations I've had with other women, I frequently find that their attackers had no prior indications of violence. They just one day clicked. In their defense, I will say most often if you've never experienced domestic violence you wouldn't know what signs to look for.


 




For starters, I was pressured into getting married way too young. I knew I cared for him at the time, but had I not been pressured by his family I certainly wouldn't have subjected myself to marriage at the age of 19. You hardly know yourself at 19 much less know anything about marriage. Now don't think for a minute that I don't believe in love at a young age. I know a number of couples with that "old love". You know the ones that had love at first sight and have been madly in love since they were 14. :)

Let's just say this was nothing like that. I married a boy who made me laugh. He was amazing at math. Silly, but off of that I thought he was intelligent. That's it. There was really nothing more to him. Boy, could I have made a worse interpretation? We met in October of 2003. Little did I know he had just been released from a hospital for attempting to commit suicide because his ex-girlfriend was too busy to talk to him. That very same month!!! All because she wouldn't pay attention to him. Of course, I didn't find out that happened until much much later. During the time we were involved, I noticed he had scars all over his upper chest and arms, but it was one of those uncomfortable things you'd rather not ask about, ya know? Awkward. This is officially red flag #1.
So while we're seeing each other off and on, in January of 2004 he gets arrested for what he tells me was nothing more than an argument with an ex-girlfriend whom he claims was upset because he told her he couldn't see her anymore because he was involved with me. Claiming she was a "jealous ex-girlfriend". Why wouldn't I believe it? Well, at that time I had no reason not to. Not to mention his family was very convincing. So, being supportive, I go visit him at the jail from time to time throughout those few weeks. Longer than usual stay in jail? Yeah, this was definitely red flag #2.

In March of 2004, two weeks after we are married he tells me he has "a little court date". For the record: Why did I marry him after all that? I can only claim temporary insanity. So, back to my story. I come to find out that the reason for this hearing is for the case with the ex-girlfriend. A couple days before the hearing his family asks me if I'll call his ex-ex-girlfriend to see if she's change her story and testify he didn't do what he did to her. I didn't know what the story was behind that, but in a nut shell, him and his family explained it as nothing more than a good guy with bad luck. They even asked me if I was another who was just going to call the police on him again. YUP, you guessed it. Red flag #3. So I call the girl, ironically enough, she was someone I knew. A roommate of a friend from college. She was appalled that I even called to ask what he and his family requested of her. She told me to stay away from him and he was extremely dangerous. Red flag #4. By now you can assume they had an excuse for her statement also. "Jealous ex-girlfriend", etc etc etc. Did that change my mind about him? Can we say idiot? Can we say naive?
On the day of the hearing he asks me to tell the    judge I'm pregnant so she'll take that into consideration on his consequence. I was left uninformed and absolutely clueless to the charges he was facing and the reality of the matter of the hearing. His ex-girlfriend testified he has stole her car keys and when she attempted to get them back he slammed her head against the refrigerator. Red flag #5. Then I learned he had pending charges from the case prior to this which he said were dismissed. The judge announces, "You are sentenced to 2 years in prison". JUST TWO WEEKS AFTER WE WERE MARRIED. Red flag #6
I guess I stayed with him because I felt sorry for him. Why? Who knows. The idiotic things you do when you're young. I can shamefully take the crown.

Until my next entry... TO BE CONTINUED

The Guts Behind the Company

Good Morning or Good Evening! Depending on where in the world you are!
Today, let’s talk LoveMomStyle.
I created the idea for LoveMomStyle back in 2010 and in January of 2011 we started production. On February 14th, 2011, we found out we were expecting!!! How perfect and what great timing!! 

 

Now for the guts of LMS. Women often ask me what made me decide to start a company like LoveMomStyle. Well, I started it for a number of reasons.

I have a friend whom I had grown up with since childhood. Our moms even grew up together. We were close for many many years and like many cases, you grow apart as you grow older. Different interests. Different groups of friends. While we were in high school she lost her mom to a brain tumor. I couldn’t imagine losing a parent at that age. I can’t even imagine losing a parent now for that matter! Years passed and we both grew up, got married and had babies. After a few years passed, and we got to catch up. We talked about our childhood, her mom passing, and how difficult it was not having a mother or family period, around during her pregnancy and motherhood. I couldn’t even fathom the thought of having no support during such a vital time. No one to call if I have 
questions or concerns. No one to call being a first
time mommy. No one to even share in the excitement of your baby’s first words or first steps or even just the silly things your babies do that bring you so much joy.

For that reason, I felt in my heart that there was a
desperate need for a company like LoveMomStyle.


As I began to talk to more women about their experiences with pregnancy, motherhood and just life in general, I realized there was so much I had to offer and I wanted to help be a support for strangers who would eventually become friends because I had personally experienced so many obstacles and emotional roller coasters myself.

Even if you know of other people experiencing similar obstacles, for some reason learning first hand of their personal experiences really helps to encourage you and helps you find a way to manage the delicate issues you face as a woman, mother and human being, period.

LoveMomStyle touches on just about ever subject, good and bad. I’ve learned even the most intelligent, most diverse individuals still have room to learn and you should never assume someone knows something if you never tell them.

LoveMomStyle has allowed me to build a platform where I can share my experience and lend support. I know personally, I have faced ups and downs with my weight especially after my pregnancies and I feel it was bit harder for me to handle because I am in the public eye. You face your everyday negative people. “There goes that body”. “There goes your career”. Some people love the feed off of the possibility of you being hindered or less than you were before. Although motherhood is like nothing else in this world and I know most women wouldn’t trade it for the world, 
it can certainly do a number on your self-image and esteem. I was determined to get back to grade A shape and I came across a lot of women who wanted the same, but just didn’t have the drive, the energy, the support or the know how. I started inviting friends and friends of friends to train with me. Results on top of results! There’s nothing more empowering than helping someone get back to where they feel fantastic about themselves.
Reality check: 
You have to work on you before you can work on anyone else. I wanted to integrate this phase into LoveMomStyle. The food came naturally. 
Diet is important and relevant to fitness.

 
 

Next, I hate to see a beautiful mom who gets and stays on frump mode. I love love love fashion, make up and hair! I wanted to be able to encourage moms to still take pride in their appearance and while I know you may be tired and it’s so incredibly easy to get comfortable, looking good and keeping yourself pampered works wonders for how you feel internally.

 
 
 Moving on to parenting. I can not stress how much heart break I have on a regular basis when I see parents not being parents at all.Whether it’s because they were never taught, had a negative example or because they resent the fact that they are a parent and they just choose not to be a good one. Again, some people never know what they are lacking if you never show them an example to go by. A lot of people are just too proud, plain and simple. At the end of the day, your children can suffer greatly. Though I’m still learning every single day, I’d like to think my parents did a damn good job raising me and I feel I have some direction I can give both from them and my own experiences to those who seek it. Sometimes it just helps to talk to other parents about similar issues and wha la, you find the solution you’ve been battling to find for what seems like forever!

 
 Lastly, Giveaways. Moms rarely get a break and for those single fathers out there, too, you’re included. I wanted to be able to give back and say thank you to the parents who are there for their kids, who raise their kids and who love their kids enough to want the best for them. Mommy Makeovers, Shopping Sprees, Daddy Days, Spa Days, Free Merchandise, Getaways and so much more. LoveMomStyle gave me a platform to be able to provide those things.

 


     Operating LoveMomStyle gives me something to look forward to everyday single day. Everyday I get to meet someone new! Tomorrow is always promised to bring something new and exciting. You just have to be willing to receive it.<3



<3LoveMomStyle