I'll SNAP! to that

Last weekend I felt really lucky to be able to go to SNAP! a bloggers conference for very very very creative people.  I felt so lucky to go with my three famous friends/ coworkers.  It was nice to take a break for a couple days from being a mother, wife, housekeeper, dog caretaker, errand runner, and task list obsessed person that I am.   

When I was helping out with Build Your Blog Conference, I was doing the behind the scenes and didn't get to go to any of the classes or get to sit down and take it all in.  I was running around like a cray cray lady taking pictures, making sure everyone and everything was running smoothly.  

It was nice to be able to enjoy the moment and take in all of the creativity and inspiration.  I didn't know what to expect at the conference.  Know I feel like I can give some advice from a first timer to a newbie.  I made a list of things to make sure you bring:

Camille told me to be ready for a lot of parties, late nights and no sleep, way elaborate and creative business cards, meeting a lot of new people, and having a lot of fun.  I can do that!  Now I feel like what to expect 

It was definitely all of that but not only did I gain a lot of knowledge about Google+, how to take better pictures on your camera, why to collaborate with brands, how to brand myself, the endless possibilities of Instagram, how to throw a party that WOWS!, how to reupholster, make a sewing pattern and craft.  But what I gained was more confidence that I need to pursue my dreams, wishes, and ambitions.  It gave me the push to take my life and the things I want to do to the next level.  I need to make time for the things in my life that are important to me, instead of always trying to do everything and feeling like I do everything mediocre. 

One great and fabulous thing happened to me. I freakin won a reupholstered chair from Brooke from All Things Thrifty!  Her and her husband taught the upholstery class.  They work so efficiently together!  You can tell they have a great marriage.  I was almost in tears because I never win anything!  I took an awkward family photo with them in the picture.  The chair is currently residing in my craft room aka "laundry room".   

I met a lot of great people, but here are some of my favorites I had the pleasure of having a great conversation with:

Kristen from Jessica Sprague 

Lindi from Love-the-day

Michelle from Maddy Cakes Muse

Heidi from Honey Bear Lane

Diana Smith from Livy Love Designs

Becki from Whippy Cake

Diana from Livy Love Design

A sister sandwich from Nat and Holly from My Sisters' Suitcase

LeanMoms Membership Giveaway

One of my New Years Resolutions this year is to get back into shape and lose the 35 pounds I gained from being pregnant.  Through the ups and downs of nursing and having a newborn, one day I looked at myself in the mirror and cried because I didn't recognize my body at all.  Whoever told me I would loose a bunch of weight when nursing was lying and very mean.  My problem was a combination of sitting most of the day (nursing, nursing, sleeping, and nursing) and not so healthy eating because I was so busy!  Being at home all day can be tough, especially when there is a big plate of cookies or a dessert of any kind. It wasn't uncommon to eat an entire batch of cookie dough or eat a half pan of brownies.  I knew this combination of eating crapy and not moving was preventing me from getting back into shape. I needed help and needed to make some changes, but I didn't know where to start.

This was me right when I found out I was pregnant

 

This was me during pregnancy




Me after having Amelia

That's when I decided to make a change and started using this program called LeanMoms and it has changed my life!  Leanmoms.com is an online strength training and body sculpting program created specifically for busy women and mothers, like myself.  Each level is a comprehensive 12-week program designed to help you learn proper strength training and nutrition for a female body to yield great results.  Lacy, the CEO and and founder of LeanMoms breaks everything down from the workouts to the meal plan.  I've been really impressed because the workouts are challenging but totally doable and the meal plan is easy to follow because Lacey tell you what to eat, how much, and when to eat it.  So there's no guess work.   I've been using it for two weeks now and I've lost four pounds and three inches off my body!

 There are times when I want to eat an entire loaf of bread or consume that pan of brownies, but by having a support group (the LeanMoms private Facebook page) has really helped me to get encouragement, advice, and to know there are other women out there doing the same thing I'm doing. I've gained so much from using LeanMoms.  One is a better sense at to why I eat the way I do. I've learned I eat a lot of snacks and treats because I like to "treat" myself and because I get bored.  Before using LeanMoms when I would go to the gym, I had no idea what the heck I was doing, what machines I should use, and never had a plan for my workout.  I would get bored at the gym real quick.  I never thought I would actually enjoy going to the gym, but I do now!  Since starting LeanMoms I have a lot more energy, I feel healthy and strong, I'm learning how to eat clean, and feel more confident in my new mom body.  This is not a fad diet or quick fix, but will give you the tools to make long-lasting healthy lifestyle changes.  

LeanMoms.Com offers three different membership packages to accommodate women at every level.

The Molly 3-Month Membership ($67) includes:

·         Access to LeanMoms Member’s site

·         Full, detailed meal plan and shopping lists.

·         Soft to Sculpted Level 1 Complete Workout

·         Support and healthy advice via e-mail and social media posts from LeanMoms coaches.

·         Set of recorded downloadable calls to aid you in your success.

The Sophie 6-Month Membership ($147) includes:

·         Access to LeanMoms Member’s Site

·         Soft to Sculpted Level 1 Complete Workout Program

·         Meal plan and shopping lists

·         Access to private Facebook group

·         Free access to regular group calls

·         Weightloss Meditation Program 

The Savannah One-Year VIP Membership ($197) includes:

·         Access to LeanMoms Member’s site

·         Soft to Sculpted Level 1 and Level 2 Complete Workout Programs

·         Level 1 and Level 2 Meal Plans

·         Access to Private Facebook group

·         Free access to group calls

·         NEW weekly workout options and recipes

·         Weightloss Meditation Program

·         Exclusive discounts and gyms, spas, and other businesses partnered with LeanMoms

·         10% discount on any LeanMoms merchandise

·         50% discount on any LeanMom live events

I'm doing a giveaway for one Molly 3 month membership.  If it's your New Years Resolution to get back in the shape, LeanMoms has the tools to do so!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Merry Christmas Card

We want to wish all of our friends, family, and loved ones a Merry Christmas.

Here are the top ten things that happened to the Killpacks in 2012.

10. McKay's two year break from school came to an end, when he decided it was time to further his schooling.  He got accepted into the University of Utah's and Electrical Engineering Master's program.  He took Stochastic Processes.  Whatever that means.  He passed and we're both very happy!

9. We finally finished remodeling our kitchen.  We painted our cabinets, installed a tiled backsplash, and new countertops and sink.  Next time we do a kitchen remodel, I will pay someone to do it.  We did a lot of painting, re-painting, fixed drywall, and put in new flooring in our upstairs bathroom.

8. Our roommate Kevin and his girlfriend Shelley got married!  We will miss being his foster parents, but are so happy for this next stage of his life.

7. We went on a couple vacations this year: Oregon Coast, California, and Capitol Reef National Park.

6. Courtney quit her job as the marketing specialist at Tanner Clinic.  She decided staying home and raising Amelia was more important.  Two weeks after signing her resignation papers she was offered a social media/marketing consulting job for the blog Six Sisters' Stuff.  Now she works part time from home and is loving working in the blogosphere.

5. McKay switched jobs at his work.  McKay was one of the lead test engineers at L3 Communications and now is an automated test engineer developer.  He is enjoying his new job. What makes daddy happy makes mommy happy.

4. McKay is currently a Elder's Quorom teacher and Courtney is an advisor in the Mia Maids.

3. Winston's favorite thing to do is play with his Kong frisbee, play catch at the nearby park, cuddle in bed with mommy and daddy, and lick Amelia, gross!

2.  and 1. defienetly belong to our sweet and beautiful Amelia.  She was born on August 16th and has brought so much immeasurable joy to our lives.  We can't imagine our lives without her.  She is just like her daddy; she looks like she is always thinking and observing.  She is a big talker, she got that from her mommy.  She looks like a lot like her daddy, but has her mommy's eyes and nose.  She's a good mix between the two of us.  

5 minute post

Oh my gosh, I haven 't posted anything for a month now!  It's getting late and I'm giving myself five minutes to write and be done so I can get to bed!  I've been really busy.  Let me keep you up to date on what's going on. I was planning on doing some projects that included revising my blog and making it more than just a journal. Then a great opportunity was presented to me and my blog has been put on the back burner for now.  I have a friend who has a really famous blog.  A couple weeks ago she texted me offering me a job doing their social media from home because her and her sisters are way too busy keeping up their blog, cookbook deal with Deseret Book, upcoming blog conference and their new website launching in January.  I was totally caught off guard by this and said yes without hesitation. I work part time from home and so far its been such a blessing.  When I quit my job I knew deep down inside of me I wanted to keep up my "career", but wasn't willing to put my child in daycare for it.  This way I can have that small "career," be a mom, and take care of my baby without leaving her side. With Amelia's schedule changing daily there's been a few days where the only work time I could squeeze in was when I was using the restroom.  Gross I know.  Life has been pretty busy with this new and exciting direction in my life.  I hope I can learn how to balance life, work, child, husband and the 1,000 things I want to accomplish, do, and be apart of.  If only women could do it all.  

I cut my hair to sport a new mommy look.  McKay tells me I look like a Russian Spy.

Amelia is getting so big. She will be four months old next week. The photo to the right was when she was a couple weeks old.  I'm a bad mother for trying to put her in the bumbo at that young, what was I thinking? 

I found these glasses while organizing all of my crap from my old job. We had fun with these.

Was invited to join a fabulous group called the Utah Creative Guild and went to their Christmas party. I was able to mingle with some beautiful, smart, and savvy women that night.

  

An old past time of mine.  I get to play this fun game once a month with some old pals.  

A new occupation

Last week I made a big decision I thought was going to be really easy to make.  Over the past three months I've been on maternity leave from my job and all of my life I knew I wanted to be a stay at home mom and raise my children, but when it came down to actually making that decision, I didn't realize how hard it was going to be.  

I've been taught to work hard, get an education, and make something of myself.  I've had a job every since I was 12.  All I knew in my life was working. Work was my sense of accomplishment in life.  I thought I had my mind made up about staying home but was nervous I would long for that sense of accomplishment I felt  at work.

For nine months I have been going back and forth on the idea of going back to work.  Some days I would think, "I've waited five and a half years to have a baby so I could stay home, why am I trying to justify not staying home?"  The next day I would think, "Am I going to feel satisfied enough as a person if I stay home?"

It wasn't until about two months ago I was reading through the dozens of blogs I faithfully read and follow when I came across a blog of an old co-worker of mine named Jenna.  Jenna is a self taught and very successful blog designer and a designer of beautiful things; she's also one of the girls behind this way cute children's blog called Small Fry.  She wrote on her blog that she was closing her shop so she could spend more time with her two little boys.  She went on to say that it was an extremely difficult decision and how life is about making brave decisions and making sacrifices.

What she wrote was exactly what I needed to hear.  I realized that I needed to make a brave choice and sometimes in life you gotta sacrifice for what's best. Seeing a very successful person give up her life work for her two children is remarkable and commendable.  I decided I want to be one of those brave women to put their work life on hold so they can rear and raise their most precious gift, they're children.  Jenna's decision gave me the courage to make that decision I knew deep down inside was the right one. To stay home with my beautiful Amelia, to raise, teach, love, and care for her.  It wasn't easy, but I knew for me it was the right decision.

I've learned a lot about myself in these past three months since Amelia's been born.  I've learned a lot about myself and especially my weaknesses. They've revealed themselves in the ten fold.  Through this little journey of mine I've realized the unknown scared me.  Not knowing how I would adjust to motherhood, staying home, nursing, and not working.

Last week I signed my resignation papers at my work and have felt tremendous peace.  I'm going to miss everyone I worked with, they were my second family.  This has been a very spiritual and self evaluating experience for me.  I've been blessed in so many ways since this decision.  My mind has been working in overdrive on ways I can use my skills and talents for the future.  I'm grateful because I might have not had these ideas of inspiration if I went back to work.  Sometimes working in the corporate world can leave you feeling like you have no sense of creativity or originality.

I've come to the conclusion that I want to pursue my passions in life.  I've been working on some small projects recently and look forward to sharing them with everyone.  Again, thanks to my friends and family  who've supported me 100% in this decision, especially my husband who I love dearly.  Amelia, I look forward to spending every day with you for the next 18 years.