The other day at the gas station I leaned into my purse to grab my debit card and ended up pulling my four year old charges sock... #NannyLife

This incident got me to thinking about all the other nanny related shenanigans that go on daily.

Here are the top 10 "You know you're a nanny when..." moments:

1. Your purse is their trash bag.
2. Children's songs are constantly stuck in your head.
3. You can't go to the bathroom without someone banging on the door screaming.
4. You come home with weird stains on your clothing.
5. Your natural perfume is a mix between baby powder and spit up.
6. There is no normal day.
7. You can change a diaper blindfolded.
8. You are better at socializing with moms than people your own age.
9. You take pride in making a heart shaped PB&J.
10. You constantly talk about your charges as if they were your own kids.

Vegan Cuts is a monthly subscription box, offering snacks and beauty products. Both boxes run at $19.95/month each. The snack box features 7-10 healthy, non-GMO, mostly gluten free snacks. The beauty box includes 4-7 cruelty free, organic beauty products.



The snack box included:

• Miracle Tree Tea
• The Spice Hunter chipotle powder
• Go Veggie! dairy-free parmesan topping
• I Heart Keenwah quinoa cluster snack
• Growing Naturals sweet vanilla pea protein powder
• Oogie's Snacks chipotle lime popcorn *
• Beanitos corn-free BBQ chips *
• ToYoutSnack bar with raw almond, dried apricots, and coconut
• Nugo Nutrition fiber-filled orange cranberry bar
• Daily Green Boost powder
• Dark Dog Organic natural energy drink *

I give the Vegan Cuts snack box a B-. The snacks I tried were great, but unfortunately the risk being run with subscription boxes is that you won't be interested in the products sent one month, but love them all the next.

Summer time is here and the beach days are upon us...if you live on the coast that is...otherwise enjoy this playlist on the lake, river, pool, whatever it is.

• Bad Blood by Taylor Swift feat. Kendrick Lamar
• Want To Want Me by Jason DeRulo
• Whiskey Girl by Toby Keith
• Aw Naw by Chris Young
• Drink In My Hand by Eric Church
• Pretty Girls by Iggy Azalea & Britney Spears
• GDFR by Flo Rida feat. Sage The Gemini
• Worth It by Fifth Harmony
• Chains by Nick Jonas
• Cheerleader by OMI
• Toes by Zac Brown Band
• I Hold On by Dierks Bentley

Post-grad life is a RUDE awakening for so many people. I was one of them. You spend your whole life in school and under the help of your parents, then all of a sudden you are thrown out to be eaten by the wolves. So many things I wish I had learned that my sixteen years in school never taught me. Here are some of them:

1.) How to budget. I had never needed one really. My schooling, housing, and food was all paid for. The only thing I had to budget up until college graduation was how many jugs of Carlo Rossi we could afford on Friday night.

2.) How to repair stuff. When I got a flat tire last year I had no clue what to do, who to call, or how much it would cost.

3.) Job applications. I know that the school offers career centers and even internship classes vaguely touch on how to write a cover letter, but it should be a semester long class.

4.) First Aid. People should not have to pay to learn CPR or how to wrap a bloody finger!

5.) Basic marketing. People only learn marketing if it is their major. I think everyone should know the basic of it. This could be tied into the job application course...people need to know how to market themselves.

6.) Dating. Not everyone gets as lucky as I do, but I could have definitely used a crash course on the whole relationship thing.

7.) Self Defense. This should be taught the first semester of freshman year.

8.) Taxes. I know that they get taken out of my paycheck and that I have to file them. I would love to know more about them.

9.) Cooking.

10.) How to negotiate.

What do you wish you had learned in college?

"After you have suffered a little while, God will restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you." 1 Peter 5:10

2014 was a rough year for me. Going through my journal this morning I reread a prayer I wrote on January 5th that said, "Lord, bring me humbly and patiently before you. Only you can give me the power to be positive and overcome." This morning, nearly 6 months later, someone told me, "Your life looks a whole lot different when you let Jesus Christ show up." I have never felt so confident, strong, and blessed in my life, my relationship with the Lord, and relationships with others. The Lord always answers. Be a blessing.

Job interviews stress me out more than the actual job. The idea of someone having prejudged me based on the words on a piece of paper and then having about 15 minutes to show them that I am more than that piece of paper is a scary thing.

Here are 5 great tips to help ease your nerves for a job interview:

1.) Google yourself. If an employer wants to know the real you, it can happen with the click of a button. Make sure your social media accounts are private. (This does not mean that have zero access to it, but it will keep them from being able to know what you were doing 134 weeks ago.) Be wise with what you post on line.

I googled myself and luckily take pride in what appears: LinkedIn, The Echo, Kick Back With Cate, Dean's List at Regis University and California Lutheran University, and information regarding a Missions trip I took to Joplin, Missouri a few years ago.

If your search results aren't as eye worthy for a job interview, find a way to push these links to the bottom. It IS possible!

2.) Do your research. Look at the company's website, read their recent articles and blog posts, and know their mission inside and out. Incorporate their mission statement into an interview response. Also research your position in your company and in other companies. GlassDoor is a great resource for this. You can even find sample interview questions for the specific job. (I once went to an interview where the questions were word for word from the practice interview questions on GlassDoor!)

3.) Respond to interview questions with the SAR method. Situation. Action. Response. For example, the interviewer asks: "How do you handle stressful situations?" Respond with, "I take a deep breath, step back, and analyze the situation. For example, (situation) recently I had a customer getting upset with me regarding a return. I (action) took a deep breath to calm myself and explained our return policy to the customer. Afterwards (response) the customer and I came to agreement about the situation. If I had not taken a breath and analyzed the situation, I could have gotten frustrated with the customer."

4.) Arrive with questions for the interviewer. At the end of the interview, the interviewer usually asks if you have any questions for them. Having a couple shows a vested interest in the position and a desire to learn. A few great questions to ask are, "What is a typical day like in this position?" "What is your favorite part of working here?" "Is there room to grow in the company in the next 3-5 years?"

5.) Send a thank you note within 24 hours. This shows your respect and timeliness, as well as keeping their vision of your positive. It puts you on the top of the response pile when they plan a second interview or determine who is getting the job offer.

What are your job interview tips?

May is National Melanoma and Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month. On top of that, today is National Don't Fry Day.

Please protect your skin while spending time outdoors. I don't care if you think you look stupid wearing a hat covered in white lotion under an umbrella at the beach. You're going to look more stupid covered in stitches and scars after having biopsy after biopsy. If you want a glowing tan, get a spray tan.

This weekend kicks off summer and will be one many people spend outside at the beach, the pool, and in the backyard barbecuing. Work Tuesday morning will be a lot less fun if you are sunburnt or melanoma is slowly brewing.

According to the American Cancer Society, one American dies every hour from skin cancer. This year there will be 73, 780 new cases of malignant melanoma and over 2 million new cases of basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers.

Think you're invincible? "But that will NEVER happen to me! I just need a tan for this party Friday night that the guy I like will be at!" I thought so too. Until I got a call from my dermatologist a couple years ago that one of those many moles I had removed the week prior was Melanoma 1A and more would have to be deeper removed.

I am extremely pale...it's like I'm Irish or something. People always have had a comment about how white I am. I never cared about it, but the comments of so many people made me feel like it was something I was supposed to be insecure about. The second I turned 18 I started going to tanning beds almost everyday. (In California, you have to be 18 or have parents consent to enter a tanning bed.) In the summer I would put baby oil on my body after reading on Google that it would make me tan faster. (It just made me turn red faster.) After about a year, the frequent tanning died down, but I would still go through phases of tanning the weeks leading up to various events up until I realized the damage I was doing by having my shoulder cut into and stitched up. Looking at that scar is a constant reminder of the foolish mistake I made and a daily reminder to lather up with SPF.

Skin cancer is easily avoidable. When outdoors, cover your body, spend time in the shade, and wear sunscreen. Be sure to apply every couple hours or after being in the water.

While applying sunscreen, check yourself for abnormal moles. Not sure what to look for? Follow the ABCDE method: Asymmetry, Border irregularity, Color, Diameter, and Evolution. If you see something out of the ordinary, schedule an appointment with a dermatologist. Early detection can save your life.

There is no question that Sports Illustrated model, Gigi Hadid, has had the best style of 2015. The 20 year old daughter to Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Yolanda Foster, Hadid has braced the cover of Vogue, modeled for Tom Ford, and become the new face of Maybelline, all before legally being able to drink.

Living in the Santa Clarita Valley I have realized the amount of talent that is in this town. Between bakeries, consultants, nutritionists, and boutiques, the creativity is booming in this community.

One of these successful companies is Bella Lili Bowtique, which specializes in accessories for children including tutus, hair bows, headbands, and more.



Creator Yesenia Antimo started making bows for her daughter Lili when she was just 18 months old. When others saw them, they insisted on buying them from her. With this success, Yesenia decided to start her own company. She hesitated to open an Etsy store because of the popularity of bows and tutus on there, but she does her best to make Bella Lili Bowtique stand apart from the rest.

Everything she makes she taught herself how to do. She takes local orders and also sells her products at craft fairs in Torrance.

Bella Lili Bowtique has given Yesenia an opportunity to do something she is passionate about, while staying home with her children.

"The best part of my job is seeing little girls faces when they receive some of my items," said Yesenia.



For those interested in checking out more of Bella Lili Bowtique, check them out on Facebook, Instagram, and Etsy.

I lead such an exciting life that last Friday I decided to spend the night organizing my bathroom. I could not believe the amount of junk I had stored under my sink. To my defense a lot of it is stuff that has been sent from various companies that I have tried a couple times then thrown back under the sink because I am stuck in my skincare routine. I decided I had to get rid of all the junk. Sell it, give it away, donate it, trash it, I didn't care...90% of it had to go.

Following my clutter clear out here are a few bathroom organization tips I want to share.

Go through your makeup. The nail polish you have had since 7th grade actually does go bad. Someone recently told me they have had the same lip liner pencil for the past 15 years....ew. The shelf of life of makeup:

• Mascara - 3 months, also change after being sick
• Foundation - 6 to 12 months
• Concealer - 1 year for liquid, 2 years for powder
• Face powder - 2 years, but if it gets wet toss it
• Blush - 2 years, but if it gets wet toss it
• Eye shadow - 3 months (this shocked me...I have been using a couple Urban Decay palettes for years!)
• Eye liner - 3 months, but change after being sick
• Lip stick - 1 year, but change after being sick
• Nail polish - whenever it gets dry and/or clumpy

A couple weeks ago I had two things to return in the same afternoon - a swimsuit to Old Navy and a top to Walmart. The swimsuit was for a specific event that I did not end up wearing it to. I went two weeks without wearing the top and decided I should return it since I clearly was not that into it. Returning to Old Navy was near impossible. Returning to Walmart was the easiest thing I have ever done. This experience got me thinking about the return policies of various stores and how I would probably not shop at Old Navy because of their terrible policy.

Here are some of the best store return policies I have heard of:

• Costco -- No time limit on returns, besides a 90 day return policy for electronics.
• Kohl's -- With a receipt you have 1 year to return items. If longer than a year or no receipt on hand, store credit will be given.
• R.E.I -- Will accept all returns within one year. Because majority of their items are outdoor equipment, they believe you do not know if you like it until you use it.
• Nordstrom -- No tag? No problem! Nordstrom will allow you to return pretty much anything as long as it is still sold at their store. Such a lenient policy is assumed to cause animosity between customers and employees. 

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Lately I haven't been wearing any makeup at all. When I do, 90% of the time I am keeping it very simple. Here's my current makeup routine, which takes three minutes tops!



Odacite Beautiful Day Moisturizer with MSM and DMAE
blended with Odacite Pure Elements AC + R
Bare Minerals Blemish Therapy
Clinique Acne Solutions Foundation
Clinique Chubby Stick Amp'd Up Apple
Maybelline Volum' Express The Falsies Mascara

What are your favorite beauty products when you are keeping your makeup simple?

Our society has feminism so wrong. When most people hear feminism they think, "I am woman, hear me roar!" However, feminism simply means, "the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities."1 Based on that definition, we should all be feminists.

In February's issue of Redbook, Big Bang Theory star, Kaley Cuoco, declared that she is not a feminist because she likes cooking, being a housewife, and serving her husband.

Uhhh...what!?!

Just because I want to stay at home when I have kids to home school and have my hand in raising them does not make me any less of an equal to a woman who runs a multi million dollar company.

What matters is that we both have the equal opportunity to be who we are and do what we want to do.

Feminism is fighting for women to be able to vote, achieve an education, and fight for our country's freedom. Feminism is encouraging mutual respect. Feminism is treating everyone the way they deserve to be treated.

Feminism is not a dirty word. Feminism is not a plot against men.

In a 2013 poll, 16% of men and 23% of women identified themselves as feminists. However, 82% of Americans said they thought men and women should have equal rights.2 

As we fight for equality, we must remind people what exactly it means to be a feminist. And that us who want equal opportunity are also allowed to enjoy cooking, cleaning, and serving others.

1 This definition is found in Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
2 This poll was done by The Huffington Post in 2013.

My most recent read is "I'll Have What She's Having: My Adventures in Celebrity Dieting" by Rebecca Harrington. It was honest, hilarious, and slightly disturbing.

This easy read is a real life account of Harrington testing out various celebrity diets. Between ten diet cokes a day like Karl Lagerfield, drinking buttermilk with yeast like Greta Garbo, and caviar like Jackie Kennedy, Harrington proves the crazy restraints people will go for a society worthy body.

Of the 14 diets Harrington tackled in this book, only three seemed somewhat normal to me: Gwyneth Paltrow, Beyonce, and Cameron Diaz.  They all live an extremely holistic, organic lifestyle. The rest of the diets attempted were extreme, bizarre, and unrealistic. For example, Victoria Beckham only eats five palms of food per day. It's no wonder she is rumored to have only a 23 inch waist.

Some celebrity diets I would have liked to see that were not included in the book are Kourtney Kardashian, Jessica Alba, Chris Pratt, and Giselle Bundchen.

The scariest part of reading this book to me was realizing what extremes people go through to achieve what our society sees as an attractive body. The fact that this is even a book shows how much our society cares about our looks. (And yes, I realize I am part of the problem by even giving this book a glance.) I agree it is great to be fit, happy and healthy. However, I think it is much more important to look inside at people's hearts and intentions, and how they pour their blessings out upon others. Let's talk about how Gwyneth Paltrow is the ambassador for the Saks Fifth Avenue Key to the Cure campaign against breast cancer. Let's chalk Pippa Middleton's great glutes up to her 3,000 mile bicycle ride across the nation last year for Race Across America. Let's focus on what makes people beautiful from the inside out, and not what they put in their bodies.

While I got some great laughs and insight while reading Harrington's book, I recommend that those who read it, read for a pure source of entertainment and not with the purpose to gain knowledge on how to achieve a better body.

Today is the 64th National Day of Prayer. The theme for this year is "Lord, Hear Our Cry!" with 1 King 8:28 as the selected verse.

"Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day."

This year's Honorary Chairman, Dr. Jack Graham, has written a special prayer that has been written for all to read today. It is suggested that we all join in reading this prayer at 12PM EST.

There are also seven areas of influence we are encouraged to pray for:

1. Media
2. Family
3. Business
4. Religion
5. Art
6. Government
7. Education

• a purple cross bracelet - to serve as a reminder of Jesus' loving sacrifice
• wash cloth - to wash your sins away
• forgiveness paper - allows struggles to disappear
• mini poster - "Find freedom in forgiveness"
• reminder sticker - "Not perfect, just forgiven"
• scripture card 

I enjoy receiving the Loved and Blessed Box because it provides me with encouraging reminders to remain strong in my faith. It is different than any other box I have received. It is full of meaning, heart, and joy. Place your order quickly to receive your own box of encouragement in June!

Life in a relationship with a football coach is anything but ordinary. Long hours, stressful situations, and the looming thought that at the end of the season he could be up and gone to another city, state, and team.

It's not an easy job for them and it's not an easy job for those who love them. But when you love them, it is more than worth it.

The lifestyle we have adapted to the past couple years is one very few understand and is still difficult to personally figure out. It is one that lacks support for the women involved. Because of this I will be starting a monthly (in off season, biweekly during the season) segment called "OUTSIDE THE HUDDLE." I will talk with other coaches families, provide tips for getting through the trying times, and fun ideas to help support the coach you love during the season.

I had the pleasure recently of speaking with Jill Freeze. Her husband Hugh Freeze is the head coach of Ole Miss. The couple has three young girls. She is my role model for what it means to be a positive light in my coaches life. She is strong in her faith and attributes Coach Freeze's quick success to the Lord.

Three positive tips she gave for loved ones of football coaches--

"We choose each day whether we are going to be a helpmate or a hinderer in his endeavor."

"The more you can be a part of what he does, the easier it is to sacrifice the time and energy he is away from you."

"Pray a lot. Serve where you can. Love as much as you can. Be willing to live by WIT. Whatever It Takes."

I look forward to sharing this part of my life through OUTSIDE THE HUDDLE. I hope it can be a positive outlet for those seeking fellowship in the football community.

Aztec Sequins Embellished Tank Top, Chic Wish, $26.90
Revo Aviator Sunglasses, Charlotte Russe, $6.99
Scallop Dolly Wedges, Pink Ice, $29.99
Braided Boho Bangles, Pink Ice, $12.99
Pin-Up Girls Meets Daisy Duke Shorts, Authentic RaJ, $18.00
Gold Tone Double Row Headband, River Island, $5.00

My word for May is
PERSISTENCE.

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, persistence means, "the quality that allows someone to continue doing something or trying to do something even though it is difficult or opposed by other people."

Persistence is mentioned in various ways 45 times throughout the Bible. It is clear God wants us to continue to press on, and so do I. I often let other people get the best of me. I let people say who I am instead of knowing who God says I am. But I know who I am. I am who God made me to be...perfectly imperfect. And this month I am striving to continue being true to myself, grow in my faith, and chase after my goals.