Thrive

So about 2 months ago I tried Thrive by Le-Vel....and my life changed.  No exaggeration...it changed!

A co-worker, and fellow teacher of mine sells Thrive.  I looked into it once or twice, and saw her posts about it, but I was honestly turned off by the price.  Plus the fact that I have tons of "products" around the house that I started, but never finished because they did work, or I couldn't stick to the system.

Around Christmas time Colton stopped being a rockstar sleeper.  (Looking back I think it was a combination of nightmares, teeth, and just getting older and more aware)  Nevertheless, Chris and I stopped getting a good nights sleep.  It got so bad that we both began to feel physically sick.

We have since solved all Colton's sleep issues, and hes back to being an awesome sleeper.  But while in my sleep deprived state, my co-worker wrote a post on Facebook about how much energy she had even though she got up at 3am, and how she didn't need a nap, and even did some cleaning.

I walked into her room the next day and said "okay, I'm ready, tell me more".  She told me all about Thrive, and offered me a trial.  I actually held onto the trial for a few days before even opening it.  I just didn't think it was going to work....I mean, how could it?

I finally decided that a Monday would be a good time to try the "next best thing".  I got all set up the night before...put my capsules next to me bed with some water, set out my DFT patch, and made sure my Blender Bottle was clean and ready.

I still had coffee on day 1 and 2...I was stubborn, and I LOVED coffee.  But even with the coffee, I felt the difference on day ONE.  I had WAY more energy in the morning than I usually do.  And it wasn't just energy, I was awake.  Emotionally, physically, mentally awake.  

By the end of the day I still felt good, like really good.  I went home and got in a great workout.  Then I played with Colton, and even let him stay up late because we were having so much fun!

Once I gave up the coffee, I felt even better...cleaner if that makes sense.

Thrive has a fantastic customer referral program.  When Steph (my Thriving co-worker, and now BEST FRIEND!) gave me my trial she told me that I could Thrive for free if I referred two people and they bought a month.....I found my two people before my trial was even over.

My body did go through a detox period....I felt a little sluggish occasionally, went to the bathroom a little more, was really thirsty.  But even with the detox, this was the best I had felt in a long long time.  I wanted to be a part of this company, I wanted to do more than find my two people for free product.

- By day 3 I was a promoter.

- By day 14 I reached over $4,000 in sales and hit all 4 possible bonuses bringing in a very nice chunk of cash and credits for product.

My second week into Thrive I started sleeping better, more soundly and restfully.  I actually don't need as much sleep as I used to.  I often wake up BEFORE my alarm every morning.  I have a sense of calm that I didn't before.  And I'm less snarky.  I didn't even realize I was such a negative person, until I wasn't.  I'm just happier....and you cant put a price on that.

I still have days where I have less energy than others.  But usually that's on days where I don't do much.  Sometimes I need my Thrive energy to last a little longer (like until Colton is fast asleep), then I'll drink their "Activate", it re-activates your Thrive for the long days.  I also add "Boost" to my morning shake for added greens.  

Last week I won a raffel I was entered because I hit the 4k level.  I won 2 Michael Kors purses!  Not only is this company fantastic, but my personal team is absolutely FANTASTIC!!!

I have seriously never felt better than I have these last few weeks.  The is the best thing I've ever done for my body, my mind, and my family.  There are so many different ways that Thrive is having a positive impact on peoples lives.  So many people have messaged me saying how wonderful they feel....their headaches are gone, they can clean the house AND play with their children, their back doesn't hurt anymore, the bloating is gone.  And so much more.

If you want to know more, check out my site:

raereid.le-vel.com/experience

You can also email me if you have any questions:

rae6883@gmail.com

UPDATE: It has been over 6 months and I am still Thriving.  I feel even better now than I did at the beginning!  I've also hit the 12K rank in the company earning me a CAR BONUS!!!!!  What What!  The is the absolute best decision I've ever made, for myself, my health, and my family.  :)

Merry Christmas 2016

Just hear those sleigh bells jingle-ing
Ring ting tingle-ing too
Come on, it's lovely weather
For a sleigh ride together with you

Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday.  The music, sights, smells, and FOOD :)

I hate the cold, so Christmas makes the winter season bearable LOL

I love spending time with my family and friends, making cookies, enjoying delicious food and drinks.  But what's even more amazing this Christmas is being able to enjoy it with a two year-old.   Don't get me wrong, Colton enjoyed last Christmas, and it was wonderful to see it all through his eyes.  But he was way more into everything this year.  Our family adopted an elf, who Colton named Pumpkin, Colton sat on Santa's lap for the first time, helped me decorate the tree, and learned to sing "Jingle Bells".  

His favorite presents were his Paw Patrol toys, his bike, his drum set, and his vacuum.  

What can I say, the kid loves to clean.

I hope your holiday was filled with love and laughter.

xoxo

My favorite season

It's fall.....or should I say "IT'S FALL"!!!!!!!!!!!

Fall is by far my favorite season, we've been spending almost every day outside.  

The weather is so perfect...so cool and crisp, everything is so beautiful, the fall food is so delicious...the air even smells better!

I feel like the fall season is so short, and so we all try to soak up every minute of it.  

I swear, it goes from hotter than anything to freezing in the blink of an eye.

Really, fall is like childhood...gone in the blink of an eye.  I'm so glad that I've taken up photography.  I love catching Colton in the quiet moments.  The best pictures are when he's just playing and I'm snapping :)

Rainy Day Activities

We have been enjoying this fall weather so much!  I swear this is my favorite time of year.  I love the cooler weather, the smell in the air, getting to layer up, sleeping with the windows open, all the beautiful new colors, and of course pumpkin flavored EVERYTHING!  Every weekend, and some week day evenings, we can be found hiking, walking, or playing at one of the local playgrounds.  The fall season is so short, I feel like we need to soak up every ounce of it before its gone.

Unfortunately not every day can be beautiful (if you find a place that is....I'm moving).  You are inevitably left with cloudy days, humid and sticky days, and the worst....rainy days.  These days with a toddler can be trying.  Just like mommy and daddy, Colton loves to be outside.  He understands that we can't play outside when its gross or rainy (thank goodness), but trying to find indoor activities to entertain him can be difficult.  He doesn't really like to watch tv or movies (which is a good thing), he's a very active child.  However, active doesn't mean hyper, he is very content sitting quietly with an activity that is mentally engaging....enter "squishy sand".

My mother-in-law, bless her heart, loves to come over on the weekends to play with Colton.  Occasionally she will also bring something for him, and outfit, a toy, some fruit, etc.  A few weeks ago she brought over this Kinetic Sand for him to play with.  I had never heard of it before, but he loves his sand box, and he loves Play-Do, so this sounded like it could be cool.

I am so grateful that she brought this wonderfully weird stuff into our house, its one of his favorite rainy day activities!  Apparently this sand is magnetized, it acts like a mix between Play-Do and regular sand. 

A few of the things I really love about this stuff is that Colton can play with it independently.  If he's playing with the Play-Do, he needs help.  He has trouble with it because it harder to work with, and he likes to cut shapes but the Play-Do has to be flat for them to work.  This sand came with a few molds that are very easy to work with.  It's also a breeze to clean up!  Because its slightly magnetized you just get a little bit and use it to pick up the rest.  The box it came in seconds as a play area and we try to keep the sand in the box.

This stuff can entertain him for almost an hour.  And I'm talking an hour of me sitting on the couch checking Facebook while he plays nicely at his table....score! (no, seriously, I usually play with him....this stuff is pretty cool)

Anyhoo...my MIL said she got the Kinetic Sand at Jo-Ann's, but I imagine they probably also have it on Amazon, and maybe at Toys-R-Us.  Seriously, its great!  My sister-in-law works with children with special needs and she said they use this sand for sensory breaks.  It feels really weird at first, but its neat to play with, and holds the molds incredibly well.

I just thought I'd share, I know we are always looking for new rainy day activities.  

What do you like to do with your children on rainy days?

<3 xoxo

We went to the Zoo

Earlier this week my two sister-in-laws and I took Colton to the zoo.  This was his first trip to the zoo, and I have to say it was amazing!!!  

I don't think he really had any idea what we were doing until we got there.  I tried to explain to him that we were going to the zoo, and what animals we would see, and we even read a zoo book the day before we left.  But that morning at breakfast he told me he was going to "hug and hold" a giraffe.  It makes sense if you think about it...his only experience with "zoo" animals is in books, and toys.  He can't possibly comprehend just how large (or small) some of these animals are until he sees them.

It was great, to see the zoo through the eyes of a child.  I swear, he makes almost every activity more fun.  He just gets so excited about everything, and he's such a good boy! 

His two favorite animals were the flamingos (I think just because the are pink, and they were making a bunch of noise), and the giraffe.  He got to feed a giraffe which was a pretty cool experience.  We also got to see them run and play!  Seriously!  I've never seen anything like it, they were running around and chasing each other like you see horses do.  It was the most majestic and amazing thing to see.

I can not wait to take him back, we had an amazing time.  I feel like I've said this at every age, but really, two is my favorite so far!!!