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My Pregnancy Journey So Far

Published on February 18, 2019February 18, 2019 by meganaperezLeave a comment

So as of today (2.17.19) I’m 17 weeks pregnant. Which doesn’t seem that far along but it’s definitely far along enough for me to notice changes in my body. Which, honestly, has been the hard part for me. Prior to becoming pregnant, I had already gained close to 30 pounds in about 3.5 years. I was previously on birth control, which was the main reason I gained so much weight. It was so hard for me to lose weight while on birth control that I actually stopped trying. I finally made the decision to get off birth control because my husband and I were ready to start our family. I figured that as long as I’m watching what I’m eating (I normally eat very healthy anyways) that I can focus on really losing weight after the baby.

With all of that being said, fast forward to today, and I am currently growing a tiny human being and am gaining more weight. As I’ve been seeing my body change, I’ve had to consistently encourage myself and tell myself that it’s okay. This is the first time I’m going through this so I don’t know what to expect with the body changes. I mean my stomach is getting bigger and harder, my boobs have gotten bigger and I’m not really sure I like that, and I think I’m retaining water. I know that more changes are coming and soon I’m sure. Which is okay. I think the more I talk about it the more I can accept everything that is happening. Don’t get me wrong, I’m beyond excited to be pregnant with our first child. This is something I’ve been wanting for the last year. It’s just so weird to see my body changing this way.

Every day I look at myself, I’m reminded of what a miracle life is. It’s so crazy to think about how God created the female body with the ability to create life like this. It’s such an amazing experience. As crazy as it can be, it’s so worth it.

My first trimester was not easy. Granted it may not have been as bad as what other women experience but it was still hard for me. I was consistently nauseas and not able to throw up. Which I would have rather done just to get rid of that feeling. I was so exhausted all I could do when I got home from work was lay on the couch for a few hours then go to bed. All I could eat was scrambled eggs and toast. So much so that after 2.5 weeks of that, I literally couldn’t stand even looking at eggs. That lasted for about 3 weeks. I started to feel really about the fact that I could barely eat. I started to feel guilty, like I wasn’t taking care of myself or my baby well enough. When I went to the doctor and explained what was going on, she basically said, “Right now, you’re just eating to survive. Eat what you can. This will pass.” Once I heard her say that, it was light a weight was lifted off my shoulders.

Now that I’m in my second trimester, my appetite is back fully and my energy is somewhat back. I’ve concluded that I will probably be tired for the next 18 years now so I’ve come to terms with it already.

For those women who may have just found out they’re pregnant, don’t be scared. You got this. Our bodies were made for this. We’re strong and we can do this together!

What is your favorite part of pregnancy so far? Let me know in the comments below!

(Shirt pictured above from Confident Motherhood. Shop here!)

Simple Life

Published on July 25, 2018February 9, 2019 by meganaperezLeave a comment

Hey Loves! It’s been so long since I’ve written a post. So much has happened in these past few months that has pulled my focus away from my blog. But now that I’m settled into my new place and new job, I’m finding more time to devote to writing and other ventures.

If you haven’t noticed, I changed my blog name to “Simple Life by Megan Perez.” Why? Because I’m finding that as I’m getting older I’m changing. I find that I’m not all about having the most expensive things or tons of materialistic items. I’m more about having the #simplelife now especially since I’m expecting my first child. Life isn’t about the “things” it’s about the experiences and growing through them. Now don’t get me wrong, I still care about fashion and beauty and what not, so don’t worry I will still have those posts here! But my goal with this is to try and help you all live the #simplelife too and to inspire your own personal growth in different areas of your life. I’m a firm believer that you can never stop growing and honestly you shouldn’t want to stop growing!

I’m working on content right now to share with you on different tips and tricks to help you live out that #simplelife! Don’t forget, you can always leave comments below on anything you’d like me to cover!

Have a great day loves!

xoxo,

Word: Consistency

Published on January 10, 2018March 8, 2018 by meganaperezLeave a comment

So, for the past two years I’ve decided that I need to have a word for the year. Why? I feel like it keeps me focused through the year. I find it gives me drive and motivation.

In 2016 my word was Faith. That year we had felt a call from God to move to Pennsylvania for my husband to go back to school full-time. So, we jumped into this new life really not knowing what we were doing and how we were going to make it. He wasn’t working much more than part time, if that, and I took a pay cut at a new job. We had the same debt and bills to pay off and I was concerned. I took the year to really put my concerns in front of God and keep my faith in Him that he will take care of everything. And throughout the entire year, my husband and I just kept seeing our faith being tested and seeing how faithful God was. Through our relationship, in our finances, through our everyday lives. It was incredible.

In 2017 my word my Trust. I felt as if my trust needed to be strengthened. Now, I do believe that faith and trust go hand in hand but for this past year I felt like I needed to grow in my trust with God and my husband and other relationships in my life. And believe me when I tell you that my trust was tested, in all the above areas. It was a difficult year but it ended on a great note. I can definitely say that I have complete trust in God, my husband and my family/friends. It was a great growing experience for me.

For 2018, I decided that I needed to pick a word that would give me motivation. For some reason, this year I felt like I needed an extra push. I really started this year with the feeling that God was going to do great things. But I realized that if God was going to great things, then I needed to be consistent in my part. What does that mean? If I want God to bless my relationship with Him, then I have to be consistent with my daily devotionals and prayer time with Him. If I want God to bless my health, then I need to be consistent in my working out and healthy eating, etc.. So, this year I decided that my word needed to be Consistency.

That word is just as much motivating as it is challenging and terrifying for me. When I look back on my life there are so many areas in which I notice my consistency level just tanks! I start an 8 week work out program and don’t get past week two. Ever! I start a diet and last about 3-4 weeks. I want better skin but I go to bed with my makeup on because I’m too lazy to take the extra ten minutes to just take it off. Little things like that that have added up to be this life of inconsistent behavior. And to be honest, I’ve had enough! I’m over it. I’m over being inconsistent and I’m over not following through with simple things. If I want to see change and growth, I need to do my part and be consistent in doing it. Will it be an easy journey for me? Oh hell no. But you know what, at least I have to try.

I have set myself up this year with different avenues in which I think can really help me stay accountable to this goal. I set up a large calendar on my wall in my office and everyday I’m writing what I accomplished that day. If I get everything done that was on my to-do list, I give myself a gold star. Is that cheesy? Heck yes, it is! But you know, it feels really good to give myself that star knowing that I fully earned it. And I can’t wait until the end of the month to see a whole month full of stars! I also have my daily planner. I’m checking it every morning and every evening when I come home work. Setting my day up knowing the items that I need to get done and ending the day making sure I’m getting those items done. Being diligent and consistent is the only way I can grow. And it’s the only way that you can grow too. I don’t know what your goals are this year but if this is something you can relate to, let’s do this goal together! Teamwork makes the dream work baby!

So this year, you are going to see a lot more posts on my blog. I’m going to be more consistent in getting my content together. You are going to see more from my business, as an Independent Stylist with Stella & Dot while I incorporate my love of fashion. I have some great things in store and I can’t wait to share them all with you!

Do me a favor and leave a comment! Let me know what you thought about the blog post and what your New Years Resolutions or goals are for this year. If you aren’t already, make sure you are following my Instagram account (@StylebyMeganAlexis) to keep up with my posts on jewels and fashion!

Love you guys!

Xoxo

New Year’s Resolutions!

Published on January 3, 2018February 9, 2019 by meganaperezLeave a comment

Okay so most of the time New Year’s Resolutions are so personal that not many people share them. But I decided to share mine with you so that I can make sure I’m accountable! Most of the time when people make these resolutions they don’t create actual steps that they can take to make those goals come to fruition. So, what I did was write my goals down. I wasn’t very specific in the actual goal just yet. I just wrote the main goal down. Once I did that, I went back and started writing down steps on how I’m going to accomplish those goals. Of course, my goals are based around my business, blog, faith and health, but you can just use these as examples to create your own resolutions for your personal life. Check it out below:

Lose 30 pounds by May
1. Work out at least 30 minutes a day 5 days a week. Allowed one skip day if needed, but the skip day can only be taken on a Wednesday.
2. Cut bread and other carbs during the week.
Take more “me” time during the week.
1. Take at least 20 minutes a day and do something for yourself. Whether that be soaking your feet and painting your toe nails, doing a face mask and relaxing, coloring, or even song writing. Do something to help you relax and clear your mind every day.
Blog more
1. Take time every week to work on blog posts. It could be a few minutes every day or an hour every week. Take some time to write, take pics and post. Only way to grow is to be consistent! Post every Tuesday!
Sell more (Stella & Dot)
1. Reach out to at least one person every week for potential orders or hostesses.
Save more
1. No clothes or shoe shopping until after graduation in May.
2. No more unnecessary spending.
3. Start searching for coupons for groceries.
4. Limit the amount of times we go out to eat to only the weekends we are traveling.
Pray more
1. Be intentional about my prayer time. Start every morning with prayer and devotionals and end the day with prayer.

What I did start doing as well is writing everything I accomplished on a wall calendar. It honestly feels so great to be able to write down my daily accomplishments. If you have never tried that, you really need to. It feels amazing!!!

Another tip that I do is I get a new planner every January. I don’t like the calendars that start in August it just completely throws me off. I always get my planners from Target just because they have the cutest ones. But all you need is a planner that you can schedule your week and month.

Also, PRINT OUT OR WRITE OUT YOUR RESOLUTIONS!! I cannot stress this enough. If the only place you write them down is your phone or computer, you will never keep to them. Write them down and hang them on your bathroom mirror or the kitchen wall. Somewhere where you can look at them every day. If you can’t look at them every day than you are going to forget them. Trust me, it happens to me all the time!

Here is a link to Target to check out all the different kinds of planners they have. Click here to shop them.

Let’s make this year a great one! Let me know what your favorite tip was and share some of your resolutions below!! xoxo

Time for a weekend getaway!

Published on October 25, 2017October 25, 2017 by meganaperezLeave a comment

So this past weekend my husband and I decided to fly down to Orlando to celebrate my cousin’s Sweet 16. It was so nice to just get away for a weekend. Get out of our normal routine and enjoy ourselves. I purposefully got ahead in both of my grad classes so that I didn’t have to worry about doing homework so it was just a great time.This trip my husband and I decided to only pack a carry on, which of course is very difficult for someone who loves clothes as much as me! But I decided, I wanted to try out our Stella & Dot Getaway bag and see just how much stuff I can fit in!

Of course, I needed to extend the bag to make sure that I fit everything in it! But I was successfully able to fit the following in my bag:

1. Make up bag/brushes
2. Blow Dryer
3. Flat Iron
4. Curling Iron
5. Toiletries
6. Pair of heels
7. Pair of sandels
8. Pair of mules
9. Jumpsuit
10. 2 dresses
11. 4 tops
12. My husbands hats (2 of them that he somehow snuck in my bag without me knowing)

I almost have a feeling I might be missing something but I’ll leave the list at that. Oh! My jewelry! I also packed my Stella & Dot jewels for the party. All in all, I loved traveling with this bag! And trust me, I’m a very honest person so I wouldn’t just say that I love something if I truly didn’t love it. I did keep checking the corners to make sure the seams were popping because I was afraid that I packed it too tight, but nothing happened! Everything stayed perfect! I would definitely recommend traveling with this bag.. If you haven’t purchased one, click this link and get your own! We some super cute prints to choose from too!

Let me know what you think! Xoxo

My Fall favorites!!

Published on July 26, 2017July 26, 2017 by meganaperezLeave a comment

Here are some my Fall Favorites right now!!! The first five items I’m going over are all from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale and the last three are from the new Fall line at Stella & Dot!

First up are those super cute caramel suede mules from Kristin Cavallari. These are super comfortable and fit so great on my feet. I did find out that they fit perfectly to the length of my foot. I contemplated going up a size but I chose not too because the rest of the shoe fits perfectly around my foot. I purchased a size 8 and normally wear a size 8 shoe.

Second is that gorgeous bell sleeve top. That color is amazing. I cannot get enough of it. The bow details on the side are everything. I normally wear a size large and I ordered a size large. This top fits so perfectly on me. I have a wider back so I usually find it hard to purchase tops but this one fits perfect. I’m so in love with it and can’t wait to start wearing it!

Third is this Billabong sweatshirt. I also purchased a large and it fits great. This sweater is extremely comfortable and cozy and will be perfect once the weather starts to cool off. It does have a baggy fit to it but the size I purchased still allowed for that baggy feel. I purchased a large, and it fits pretty much how the picture up top looks.

Fourth is this Adidas sleeveless tank. This is the first athletic type shirt that I have purchased and just love it. I’ve seen many of my friends with these athletic shirts and I’ve been on the look out for one that I could wear. I order a large in this top because I wasn’t sure how it would fit. I figured it was a little bigger than normal, it would be fine, because I don’t really like tight fitting clothing anyways. I will say that I am 5 foot 3 inches tall and this top goes down until about a hands length from my knee. So I could throw on some leggings with this top or just wear skinny jeans and tuck in the front a bit for a more slouchy look.

Fifth are these Steve Madden thigh high boots. Now I’m a little sad about this purchase because I decided to return them. I am completely in love with these boots and the style. I’ve been wanting a thigh high pair of boots but I found that these were not the ones for me. I found that the shape of my legs didn’t complement the style of the shoe. Because they are a thigh high boot and my thighs are on the thicker side, they were actually not comfortable for me to wear. If you don’t have thick thighs, then these are definitely the boots for you! They are super cute and I’m bummed I can’t keep them but I gotta go with what is comfy!

Sixth is this new Taj Clutch from Stella and Dot!! This clutch is seriously giving me life!! The embroidered detail on this is beyond amazing. I love the design and the colors. These colors are so versatile that they will go with so many different colors that you will wear in Fall. Not only is this an amazing date night bag, you can also rock this with your favorite tee shirt and jeans for a super cool day time look!

Seventh is this gorgeous necklace from Stella and Dot called the Terney Layered Necklace. For the one price you pay, you can wear this necklace in five different ways!! Can you believe that?! FIVE DIFFERENT WAYS!! The detail on this piece is amazing. The mix of colors and texture really take this piece to the next level. Make you click on the image to check out this necklace, this is one you need for fall!!!

Last but definitely not least is the Bora Fringe Necklace. This is one my favorites because of the bronze and rose gold colors on this. You can still wear this with many different colors clothing wise but this necklace definitely takes your outfit to the next level.

Make sure you click on each image to shop each item. I’m telling you, you will not regret this!! These are some amazing pieces that are available now for Fall. It’s definitely the time to start building up your Fall wardrobe!

Which items are your favorite?! Leave a comment in the section below to let me know! Xoxo

Stella & Dot

Published on July 6, 2017July 6, 2017 by meganaperezLeave a comment

Hello everyone!!! I wanted to share some exciting news! I’ve decided to become an Independent Stylist with Stella & Dot! I’m super excited for this journey and want to share my personalized webpage where you guys can shop until you drop! Here are some super cute pieces to share with you guys!! Click on each image to shop some more looks!

xoxo

Also shop at www.StellaDot.com/MeganPerez.

the importance of a vacation!

Published on June 16, 2017 by meganaperezLeave a comment

sometimes life just gets so crazy for me. my husband and i stay extremely busy so when we get the chance to go away for a couple of days, we jump at the chance. a vacation is something i will always recommend to anyone who has a busier then normal lifestyle. even if it’s just for a few days, go away and recharge yourself. when my husband and i decided to go on a cruise, i was beyond ready and excited for this. we only did a 4day/3night cruise, but that was exactly what we needed. time away from the craziness and our phones for a chance to relax and just be together. most of the time, even when we’re together, one or both of us is on our phone so we’re not really together. which is another tip for newly married couples, put the technology down when you’re spending time together. learn to talk to each other about things. joke around together. act silly with each other. just have fun together and learn to be together with no interruptions. even if it’s just for 15 minutes a day, trust me, you’ll see a difference in your relationship.

we thoroughly enjoyed our cruise, which was through royal caribbean to the bahamas. this was our first cruise together as a married couple so it was a fun experience. normally, you need to go through an experience so you can be more prepared for the future. after this trip, i now know what i need to bring on my next cruise just in case. the first excursion we did was a beach day. and let me tell you, that sun down there is no joke. even though i applied sunscreen like 4 times that day, we still got burnt. and not just a small little sun burn but like lobster face burnt. it was terrible and i was so upset. clearly the sunscreen i brought was not strong enough. the only good thing is that we didn’t plan to do a lot of excursions. this vacation was more for lounging around and relaxing. so we brought our books to read and were able to hang out on the pool deck under the covering.

so what i wanted to do is share my experience and let you guys know what i would recommend that you bring with you on your next vacation. i always like to be over prepared and im sure you do too!

sunscreen: so we brought 30 spf with us. not strong enough. i would highly recommend going with 50 spf or higher, especially if you’re going to the caribbean. the sun down there is not the same so don’t act like you know it is. be safe!
aloe vera: i would highly recommend bringing some aloe vera with you especially if you’re going on a cruise. that stuff sells out quickly on the boat and it’s so overpriced anyways. in the case that you do get burned you’re going to be happy you brought this, trust me. if you don’t have aloe available to you, bring preparation-H. it may sound crazy but this stuff legit helps relieve any burns you may get being in the sun. we tried it for my husband and it worked.
small handbag: normally i love to tote around my huge MK wherever im traveling. but i have learned to carry light. bringing only the essentials. and for those times where i need to bring a lot of with me, i will always bring a small cross body with me. whenever you’re traveling, no matter where you go, i would always recommend a cross body with a zipper top. that way you can ensure your belongings are protected.
books: the best things about vacation is that you can spend all day reading your favorite book and relax without feeling judged. this is the place and time to do it! sometimes cruise ships can seem boring if you’re not into drinking or gambling (which im not) so having another form of entertainment for yourself is key.
comfortable shoes: this is something i missed. i wish i would have gone to like sketchers or nike to grab some comfy sandals to wear around the beach. having good shoes is no joke either.

so there you have it! 5 of my top suggestions for traveling, either on a cruise or on land. what are your favorite travel goodies?? leave them in the comments below!

xoxo