Pio Prints: Set the World on Fire

I received a workout tank top from Pio Prints in exchange for an honest review of their product. The opinions shared in this post are my own.

As a mommy, I wear a lot of hats. Chef, accountant, secretary, chauffeur and many more. Wearing all these hats can be difficult but is necessary. I am a mommy and taking care of my family is the biggest blessing the Lord has given me. It is easy to get lost in the responsibilities that come with raising a family. Since we are responsible for so much, it is important that we care for ourselves: mind, body and soul. How can we help raise the future if we are not mindful of the present?

Scripture says:

"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies."
1 Corinthians 6:19-20

"For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come."
1 Timothy 4:8

Working out is a great way to treat yourself right. It keeps your body working properly, helps eliminate stress and you can experience some of those amazing "feel good" endorphins that are released when you work out. I think the BEST part of working out is the clothing! I love wearing clothes that are comfortable and allow me to move. There are many jokes about people who rock their workout clothes all day long but if you have found something that is comfortable and doesn't get in your way while you are setting the world on fire, I say wear it for as long as you like.

Pio Prints clothing materials are extremely soft and do not "cling" to you while you are moving. The material allows air to circulate and fits nicely. I love that I can wear this to run, lift weights or even to my son's football or soccer games so I can keep up with the team on the field and take pictures. It is versatile and high quality. The "Set the World on Fire" tank has already become my most favorite workout shirt. My husband has been warned because I will definitely be placing an order for some more of these tanks soon!

Inspiration comes in many different forms and these shirts are not only motivational to those who are working out but they also help to spread our beautiful Catholic faith. These could make the perfect gift to share with a First Communicant or someone newly Confirmed. How about just getting one for yourself so you can rock one of your favorite saint's quotes? Pio Prints offers different styles, sizes and a large assortment of quotes to chose. Whatever your reason, you should try this wonderful clothing out at least once. 

If you decide to try out this amazing clothing line, I would love to hear about how much you love it too! Share your #PioPrintSelfie with me. Tag @PinotNoirPrayers and @PioPrints on Instagram! It's only fair that I share my #PioPrintSelfie with you too...so here's mine!

God Bless!

{JEI}: Sports and Exercise

Welcome to the weekly link-up recently turned Blog-Hop Just Enough Info: JEI for short. This lovely Blog-Hop is hosted by The Zelie Group and we would love for you to join us! This week we are discussing Sports and Exercise! These are my kind of topics that are close to my heart and dominate mine and my children's schedules. Let's get started with this week's questions:

1. What sports do your kids play?

A better question would be, what sports don't my kids play?! I have some EXTREMELY active children and I absolutely LOVE IT! We just finished football for Little Man (this was his 5th season!) and soccer for Goalie just two weeks ago and the boys are a little sad they don't get to hangout with their teammates as much but they are excited about the sports seasons to come! I believe there will be a basketball season starting up through the boys' school soon.

In addition to these two sports. Little Man has played basketball, t-ball, soccer and is actually running in two different running groups: The 100 Mile Club and Boys on the Run. Goalie has played many seasons of soccer and has been involved in karate and is also participating in the 100 Mile Club. They are both new members of the Boy Scouts too! To say I am proud would be an understatement! I am so glad that I am raising children that are active in sports to encourage team work, hard work and dedication. I believe these are important characteristics they will need to be successful and world-changing adults. I won't bombard you with tons of pictures of all the past and present activities because this post would take you forever to get through! 

2. What do you do for exercise? 

I was born with Spina Bifida, which is a neural tube defect that affects my spine. Essentially I have a hole in my spine. I have been blessed beyond measure that I was spared being in a wheelchair and that I deal with slight to moderate pain on a daily basis versus what happens to most born with this disease. I had surgery as a baby while living over seas and the doctors told my parents I would probably need braces or something to help support myself as I walked. Neither the doctors or my parents can explain how I learned to walk without assistance but I did and I have done everything possible to enjoy my life because I am reminded on a daily basis how blessed I am to have this opportunity. Any day I could wake up and need a wheelchair or be told I can't be active anymore so everyday is special to me.

Obviously being aware that I am lucky to be able to walk, health and fitness have always been important to me. I have always been a runner and a basketball player. I have to admit I haven't touched a basketball in many years but it will always have a particularly special place in my heart. As a mommy, I still run and I weight lift to exercise but since moving to Colorado I have also enjoyed going on many different hikes! I have participated in Mud Runs, Tough Mudders, Color Runs and several other races. I really need to find a good one to do now... I haven't raced since relocating. In addition to running I weight train. I like to lift with my husband but with my return to the work force that barely happens anymore.

3. In the Mom Olympics, what would your event be?

Now if I were in the Mom Olympics and we were being judged upon mommy skills, I would probably be involved in one that entails multi-tasking. I have to admit that I am amazing at multi-tasking. As I finish typing this post, I am currently juggling preparing dinner, Goalie in the shower, Little Man reading out loud (reading homework) and starting the dishes and laundry. I know that might sound a little crazy but I have had no choice in learning this magnificent skill. My kids are never able to complete things at the same time and between therapies, school events, sports and church events I have been forced to learn how to juggle a million things at once. I am also a server, so I get lots of practice at work too!

Thank you for joining me for another week of Just Enough Info!

You have all week to answer this week's questions about Sports and Exercise:

1. What sports do your kids play?
2. What do you do for exercise?
3. In the Mom Olympics, what would your event be?

Next week we will be discussing the Year of Mercy because The Year of Mercy wraps up on November 20th:

1. What did (or can in these last few weeks!) yWhat are you thankful for?our family do to mark the year?

2. What Work of Mercy is easiest or most challenging for you?

3. Do you have a story of mercy in your own life to share?  Or do you have a favorite saint/quote/resource to pass along?

The Zelie Group has some fun questions coming up in the next few weeks so make sure to follow us on Facebook and we would love to hear what you are interested in! What are you looking to learn about? Do you have questions about the Faith? Questions about the Liturgical Year? We want to help and learn and grow with you and your families!

Also stop by the new Page I created on my blog for new information concerning The Zelie Group. It is a work in progress but it has a good start!

Transform Your Life Thursday Challenge

Normally on Thursdays I participate in an amazing linkup called {pretty, happy, funny, real}. I learned today that the linkup may be discontinued, which makes me a little sad but I understand the importance of having a balance within your life and I am sure that hosting linkups on a weekly basis can take up a lot of time. I loved having a day to sit and contemplate the blessings I received everyday through my friends, family and experiences. The realization that there may not be anymore {pretty, happy, funny, real} made me rethink what I wanted to share today. 

I am a planner. I like to have my workouts, meals, prayer time and anything else important written down so I am accountable and don't make the mistake of overbooking my day. I honestly believe that you have to plan to succeed, otherwise you are planning to fail. Let's make us all accountable for our goals. I am challenging myself and anyone else who would like to join me in a Transform Your Life Thursday Challenge. I might even turn this into a linkup if I have enough interest. I am working on some printable now. For now let's discuss the rules so that this can be used as a tool for you to reach the life you want.

Rules for Transform Your Life Thursday:

1. Set Short Term Goals

Pick one area of your life you would like to transform. I suggest picking one because you do not want to overwhelm yourself and as time progresses you can make other goals. Here are a few suggestions:

Faith: Weekly/Daily Mass, Prayer Journal, Daily Prayers, Etc.

Family: Daily Dinner, Weekly Outings, Game Nights, Etc. 

Fitness: Meals, Completing Workouts, Measurements, Before/After Pictures Etc.

Financial: Savings Plan, Credit Card/ Bill Repayment, Vacation Fund Etc.

**You don't have to share these unless you want to; Goals are important but can be very personal.**

2. Create A Plan

What are you changing in your everyday life to make progress?

How are you going to bridge the gap between meeting goals?

How will you keep yourself accountable?

What do you need to succeed?

Do you need help?

3. Follow Through Each Week

Stick to your Faith, Family, Fitness, Financial Plans.

Do not be discouraged if you have a bad day or don't reach your goals right away. 

Everyday is a new day and a fresh start! If you keep trying, you will reach your goals.

If part of your process isn't working, try something else until you find what works for you.

4. Start Your Plan This Upcoming Monday

Planning for the future gives you time to gather what you need to be successful: prayer journal, planner, healthy recipes, a piggy bank or whatever you need to succeed and you have the entire weekend to be productive and get ready!

Write everything down in your planner, journal or in a place that you can reference often.

It has been proven that if you keep your goals within eyesight, it will help you overcome obstacles that can slow your progress. 

5. Celebrate Your Success

You deserve a reward when you reach a goal! Find something to reward yourself with at the end of your challenge and be accountable; if you don't stay consistent, wait on rewarding yourself.

My goal for this Transform Your Life Thursday Challenge is to be consistent with my workouts. 

I will go to the gym at least 4 times this upcoming week.

I will weight lift each visit to the gym.

I will run at least 2 miles each workout and must be added to Nike Plus.

I will take pictures at the end of each workout to hold myself accountable.

When I reach my goal, my reward will be a yummy dessert of my choosing!

Next week I will post about my progress and whether I succeeded in reaching my goal. If I was unsuccessful I will repeat my same goal. I will choose another goal next week (only if I am successful) and follow the same process. I would suggest picking a new goal from a different aspect of your life. I know this process will create a healthy routine and help me transform my life one Thursday at a time. I would really love some feedback and see who wants to be a part of Transform Your Life Thursday Challenge. If you want to share your goals or anything please add them in the comments and I will see about a linkup!

God Bless!

This is for the Let's Get Real Party 

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life 

Every Thursday Like Mother Like Daughter ~

I have really come to LOVE this linkup, although today there is no link up I still wanted to share me post. I am one of those mom's that takes pictures of everything! I love having a souvenir to remember all of our family adventures and let's be honest, you never know when something amazing will happen. Having a day set aside that I get to go threw all the pictures I have taken the past week and be thankful for all the blessings, big and small, that I have each and every day.  This week has really been the pinnacle of fun and relaxation and I enjoyed going through all my pictures to share with you. We have an extra exciting week because Feast of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha is today, Saint Bonaventure and Saint Swithin are tomorrow and the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is Saturday! I will be sharing all of those pictures later! You can always get a sneak peak on Instagram too. 

{pretty}

The weather has been amazing this week. Blue skies, bright sun, warm breezes through the trees. I have been making sure my boys have been able to enjoy it with me at the pool and parks. We are still acclimating to the weather here and I am not use to the lack of humidity and the dry heat is very different but I am loving it. As much as I am enjoying the bright, hot sun, I am excited for the cool breezes of autumn to start within the next few months. Hopefully we can get more of our Summer Time Bucket List completed.

{happy)

There are many moments in my life that I am happy with my family but I really have a good time working out with my husband. This past week I started getting back into my workout regimen and today was leg day. My husband is an avid weightlifter and obviously is much stronger than me but we always have a blast together. He makes me giggle because he calls us "swolemates". We get our adult time and are teaching our boys the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. I want my boys to be well rounded. I want them to have a deep and meaningful connection to their faith, always do their best in their studies and know the importance of taking care of their physical bodies with good wellness and nutrition. 

I just joined a new accountability group to share recipes, workouts and fitness information. I am super excited to be apart of a group and it makes me feel much more motivated to complete my workouts and stick to my weekly menus. I share those on Mondays as part of Menu Plan Monday at another fun linkup! You can check out my latest menu here, there will be no link ups the next few weeks but I will still share my menu ideas each week. 

{funny}

Watching my boys run around at a nearby waterpark was the most hilarious thing I saw all week. At first, both boys were upset with me because they wanted to go to our neighborhood pool but I wanted to try something different. When we arrived I was told that "this place will not be as fun as the pool". Five minutes into our visit I received hugs, kisses and apologies because they were having a blast. It was quite amusing because I know as these boys grow older I won't hear about how I was right quite as often.

{real}

I am a lover of books. I have been my entire life. I was introduced to the book I am reading now, Rising Strong: The Reckoning. The Rumble. The Revolution. by Brené Brown, by a good friend I met shortly after moving. There is nothing better than getting to relax poolside and hearing the laughter of my children while I can enjoy a good book. This particular book has really been eye-opening and I highly suggest it to anyone willing to give it a chance. My husband has even shown some interest in the book just because of a few quotes I throw out to him here and there. Here are some quotes that really stood out to me. 

"The most dangerous stories we make up are the narratives that diminish our inherent worthiness. We must reclaim the truth about our lovability, divinity, and creativity."

"Regret is a tough but fair teacher. To live without regret is to believe you have nothing to learn, no amends to make, and no opportunity to be braver with your life."

What do you think? She makes some good points that should make you think and question experiences. I am doing a Mid Year Reading Challenge and I would love for you to join me!

Saint Benedict: A Patron Saint of Siblings?

Yesterday was the feast of Saint Benedict, one of my boys most favorite saint to celebrate. It was a busy busy day to say the least. I finally found the motivation to get back onto my exercise routine. I have really been struggling because I have been having some pretty serious pains in my back (I was born with Spina Bifida and had surgery as a baby but it is that time to get a doctor involved with continued treatment) I had an exhilarating mile run and did some light weight training. I just joined a new accountability group that I am hoping will keep me  on the exercise wagon this time.

In my laziness I have been fighting, I have been putting off going to the grocery store as well so that was a necessity. I decided it would be nice to take the walk to the store together and we purchased the items we needed to make our traditional homemade pizza we make on the Feast of Saint Benedict. I "mom failed" and forgot to buy the olives we normally put to form the cross on our pizzas. Also, in an effort to be a little healthier, we used whole wheat english muffins as the crust (which were a little too small). As you can see the turkey pepperoni we used almost engulfed the entire english muffins and they are not the prettiest pizzas we have ever made. If you like, you can view our previous Feast of Saint Benedict here if you would like to see some prettier Saint Benedict Cross Pizzas.

There is so many places to learn things about Saint Benedict and the Saint Benedict Medal but this website has the most detailed information and prayers that I have ever seen! As my family has progressed in our liturgical year celebrations, I have been trying to educate myself more so that my family will learn more. It is known that Saint Benedict had a twin sister named Saint Scholastica. There are so many stories about the strong love these saintly siblings had for God and each other. One story says that Saint Benedict and his companions had come to visit Saint Scholastica but as the day drew to a close, Saint Benedict wanted to return to his monastery. Saint Scholastica pleaded with her brother repeatedly to stay overnight but he refused. Saint Scholastica bowed her head in prayer and a great storm grew above them. Saint Benedict asked his sister what she had done. She simply said, "I requested something of you and you denied me, so I requested it of God and he has granted my request".

I couldn't imagine having a pair of siblings that get along the way these twins did. My boys definitely love each other but they fight quite often. We decided to take a little swim after our visit to the grocery store and my boys were at it! They were yelling at each other and throwing their swim toys... I was at a loss. We were having such a wonderful day up until arriving at the pool. Thankfully, they decided playing together was better than screaming at each other and going home. Sibling rivalry is something that every family with multiple children face everyday. This made me think.. who is the patron saint of siblings? or sibling rivalries? I did some research and I couldn't find anything but I feel that Saint Benedict and Saint Scholastica would be perfect patron saints for this. If anyone else knows more information, I would love hear it!

These are the happy faces of my boys that I love to see. Our time at the pool did not end on a bad note and that is a true blessing. I hope that everyone else has been able to enjoy some fun in the sun like my family.

Although I had no luck finding the patron saint of siblings or sibling rivalries, Saint Benedict is the patron saint of gallbladders, inflammatory disease and a happy death. I found this prayer to Saint Benedict in a Catholic Prayer Book my father bought for me several years ago.

St. Benedict himself revealed to St. Gertrude:

"whoever reminds me of the extraordinary privilege with which God deigned to glorify my last moments, shall experience my particular assistance in his final combat. I will be a faithful protector against the assaults of the enemy. Fortified by my presence, he will escape the snares of the evil one and safely attain eternal happiness."

Prayer to St. Benedict for a Happy Death

O holy Father, St. Benedict, blessed by God both in grace and in name, who, while standing in prayer, with hands raised to heaven, didst most happily yield thy angelic spirit into the hands of thy Creator, and hast promised zealously to defend against all the snares of the enemy in the last struggle of death, those who shall daily remind thee of thy glorious departure and heavenly joys; protect me, I beseech thee, O glorious Father, this day and every day, by thy holy blessings, that I may never be separated from our dear Lord, from the society of thyself, and of all the blessed. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Saint Benedict, pray for us!

Seven Falls

Colorado is a gorgeous state with amazing scenery. This is a picture diary of the beautiful mountains and waterfalls in Seven Falls, also known as the most beautiful mile in Colorado. The pictures here do not do it justice.

The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God.

Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature.  I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles. 

- Anne Frank   

There is a nice little restaurant in Seven Falls called 1858. My husband and I have plans to go visit this cute little restaurant during a date night sometime in the future. This sign is placed outside and it explains the meaning behind the restaurant's name and the history behind this beautiful area.

Never lose an opportunity to see anything that is beautiful. It is God's handwriting - a wayside sacrament. Welcome it in every fair face, every fair sky, every fair flower.  

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The powers of water are immeasurable. 
In the form of ice, it can chisel rock as effectively as steel. Unloosed in a river, it can slice through
 layers of volcanic ash like a knife through a cake.

 Meandering in a shady stream, 
it can make a home for green growing things.
                                                                                        - Peggy Wayburn

'So it was beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its branches; For its roots extended to many waters. 'The cedars in God's garden could not match it; The cypresses could not compare with its boughs, And the plane trees could not match its branches No tree in God's garden could compare with it in its beauty. 'I made it beautiful with the multitude of its branches, And all the trees of Eden, which were in the garden of God, were jealous of it. 

Ezekiel 31:7-9

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.  The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn. 

-John Muir