Author Archives: ohdaisybi

Dieting? Eat Turkey. Gobble Gobble!

Blog post written by: OhDaisyBi

It can be hard to keep fit and stick to your healthy lifestyle during the holiday season. You start a diet or exercise plan and tell yourself that you will only take one day off and then go back to being healthy. The only problem is that you don’t go back.

We’ve all been there.

The Holiday Season kick starts with Halloween, followed shortly by Thanksgiving, then Hanukkah and Christmas, and finally the New Year. The festivities never seem to end! And we aren’t considering delicious seasonal favorites like the pumpkin spice latte! The calories can add up fast.

Although the holidays fill us with lots of joy, they can be tight on our jeans’ waistbands. Here are a few “tricks” that will allow you to enjoy the festive meals and stick to your healthy lifestyle.

1. Wear a Corset.

One downside to our perception of the holiday feast is to eat to our fill, and then some. To stop yourself from overeating, wear a corset. The idea of a corset may seem archaic, something that came out of the Victorian days, but it has its uses.

The corset restricts the amount the stomach stretches and limits overeating. You can also wear it all year round. Other benefits include:

  • Eating slowly,
  • Eating frequently throughout the day,
  • Eating small quantities of all your favorite foods,
  • AND you don’t feel hungry!

What can be better than that?

I bought my first corset after my second pregnancy (I used a postpartum waist wrap after my first pregnancy). When selecting a corset, remember to be conservative with the sizes. I purchased two sizes, a large and a medium. The large helped me slim down to sizes 10 to 12, and the medium helped me get to size 6 to 8. I’m currently a size 6. If you want to know more about how I lost weight after my pregnancies (or losing weight in general), leave me a note in the comments below!

I personally recommend the Yianna Women’s Corset. This corset is a steal at $20.88 on Amazon. It is comfortable and hid well under my clothes. I’m also intrigued to try the Spanx Waist Cincher. This corset is sold at Target for $28.00.

So, put the corset on in the morning and wear it all day long while you munch away! You’ll stay within your calorie count, and you get to eat everything too. This is one time where you can have your cake and eat it too!

2. Eat Healthy

Keep in mind that the corset will not do all the work. You have to be mindful of what you eat too. So, stick to healthy carbohydrates:

  • Eat whole grain bread. Consider trying to cut down the amount of bread you eat altogether.
  • Eat more vegetables.
  • Eat turkey with light gravy.
  • Drink more water.
  • Include a larger quantity of fruit on your dessert plate with a small slice of pie on the side (Yum!)

Let the feast begin!

About the Author

OhDaisyBi is the newest edition to the Belles & Books blog. Lawyer by day, Mother of two by night, she will be posting about all things kid. She’s also passionate about answering the internet’s burning questions on the “Women Can Do It All” lifestyle– time management, budgeting and finance, and boss-woman things. In her “free” time she’s usually attempting Pinterest cooking ideas and working out. Join her on here every month for a new post!

Halloween: Last Minute Costumes for Babies

Blog post written by: OhDaisyBi

Halloween is around the corner and it’s time to find a costume.  For those of us with babies or toddlers, it can be hard to find the time to buy a costume. Making a costume at home can be a memorable experience, and it can save you a pretty penny too.  Babies are hardest to dress up because they are fidgety and don’t keep their costume on. Here are 6 homemade costumes ideas for your child:

1. The French Man

french man

What you need:

  • striped shirt (color of your choice),
  • black pants
  • a beret,
  • eyeliner,
  • handkerchief,
  • baguette

Tie the handkerchief around his neck and draw a small mustache with the eyeliner.  Voila! Baby Monsieur is ready to trick or treat!

2. A Fairy Princess

Fairy Princess

What you need:

  • A cute dress or tutu,
  • a shirt if you opt for the tutu,
  • glitter,
  • flower headband,
  • straw,
  • construction paper,
  • glue or glue gun,
  • cardboard box,
  • elastic band

To make a wand, first cut two stars out of construction paper and decorate it with glitter.  Then glue the stars onto the straw.  If you don’t have a flower headband already, take some flowers and glue them onto an old headband you already have.  Let the wand and headband dry.

To make the wings, take the cardboard box and cut out the wings.  Glue the construction paper onto the cardboard box and decorate it with glitter.  Take two pieces of elastic band and glue it to your wings.  Let them sit and dry.  If you don’t want to make the wings, you can also buy them.

Just like magic your fairy princess is ready!

3. Kitten or Puppy

Face Paint

What you need:

  • a headband
  • construction paper or felt, and
  • black eye liner,
  • black shirt,
  • black pants or tights

To make your cute little puppy or kitten, glue some construction paper (for upright ears) or felt (for floppy ears) onto a headband.   Use extra construction paper to make spots or distinctive strips on the clothes.  You can put white clothes and black spots for an adorable dalmatian, or all black clothes for a curious kitty cat.  Make the whiskers, freckles, and button nose with black eyeliner.

4. Bunch of Grapes (Toddler Only)

Bunch of Grapes

What you need:

  • green pants or tights,
  • purple shirt (or onesie for a baby),
  • 5 inch purple balloons,
  • string.

To make your yummy grapes, blow up all the balloons and tie them to a string.  Place the balloons 2-3 inches apart.  Wrap the string around your child’s tummy and shoulders. Pop the balloons around the bum so they can sit, and avoid wrapping around the neck.  Your scrumptious bunch of grapes are ready!

5. Clark Kent

clark kent

What you need:

  • A white button down shirts,
  • pants,
  • superman t-shirt,
  • fake glasses.

This one is easy! Put the white shirt on top of the superman shirt, and unbutton the top few buttons to reveal the “S.”  Its a bird, its a plane, its SUPER BABY!

6. Little Bo Peep. 

Little Bo Peep

What you need:

  • Full sleeve black shirt,
  • black pants or tights,
  • glue gun,
  • lots of cotton balls,
  • black eye liner.

Glue the cotton balls all over the shirt.  Draw the button nose and whiskers with black eyeliner.  Put it all together and you have your Little Bo Peep!

Photo sources: Pinterest

About the Author

OhDaisyBi is the newest edition to the Belles & Books blog. Lawyer by day, Mother of two by night, she will be posting about all things kid. She’s also passionate about answering the internet’s burning questions on the “Women Can Do It All” lifestyle– time management, budgeting and finance, and boss-woman things. In her “free” time she’s usually attempting Pinterest cooking ideas and working out. Join her on here every month for a new post!