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January 1, 2014 ·

As 2013 ends…

Self Care

As 2013 ends, Angela and I discussed what each of us would write to kick off the New Year… it was decided that I would write a year in review while she focused on the upcoming year.   I’ve rewritten this article so many times now trying to think about how we collectively would have experienced 2013.  But the truth is I can only write from my own perspective and hope that somehow there is something that holds true to you too.

My friend Tracie labeled 2013 the “Year of Deena”… which when she first said it I rolled my eyes and sighed.  But truth be told in the end she was right.  2013 was all about losing and finding myself once again.

2013 didn’t start out that way… it started out much like the previous year had but then April rolled in.  And in the same week that my family and I would be acknowledging the 1 year anniversary of the passing of our oldest son, Owen..   I lost my job of 13 years.  Which came as both a bruise to my ego and a loss of part of my identity.  When I couldn’t claim that title as part of my persona I felt a sense of failure or let down.  Being a mom, wife, friend, all the other adjectives I could use to describe myself didn’t seem like enough.  And somehow in my soul I knew that was wrong.  And so I decided to let myself sit in that space…

And in doing so I felt myself and my family begin to heal.

Looking back at 2012, I think I was just going through the motions… I was able to avoid as much heartache as possible by keeping myself really busy.  Work, kids sporting events, homework, etc.  Anything to keep me from being to present in my grief.

In 2013 I had to learn to grow and accept my life for what it is… heartbreakingly beautiful.

At first, I wasn’t sure if I would make a good stay at home mom.  I knew I was a good weekend or after work mom.  But full time with a 4 and 10 year old – I doubted myself a lot at first.  I worried that if I was teaching my 4 year old and not a preschool that he would somehow fall behind or not be social enough.  And was I disappointing my 10 year old because I wasn’t working.  Would he be embarrassed that I was just a mom now?

As the year ends what I’ve found is that my kids are doing just fine.  I feel them healing from the loss of their brother in the stories they tell and reveling in our time together.  I see them excelling both in their school work and their social life.   I still struggle a little bit when people ask what I do for a living.  I’ll feel myself wanting to say oh I’m a VP for a charity, instead of just saying I get the privilege of raising these 2 boys.  What can I say, I’m a work in progress.

My health?  Well I’ll be honest I always thought well if I was a stay at home mom I’d be in phenomenal shape.  I’d have plenty of time to work out without the stress of having to commute and work, etc…  I can honestly say I’m in no better shape physically than I was when I was working.  I do however feel that I am healthier than I’ve ever been.

Instead of using exercise as a way to force my body to be something it may never be.  I use it to bring about what I need for that day.  I run on days that I need to release stress or pain.  In releasing pain, it’s the ache I feel in my heart over the loss of Owen.  Running is the only way I’ve found that can make the rest of my body ache as much as my heart.  And in doing so it helps to release the pain.  I also discovered power yoga.  For me, power yoga is like getting a deep tissue massage where at times it hurts just enough for you to recognize the sensation.  Then it releases and with it the tension eases too.  I use yoga to center me and to bring about a feeling of peace or relaxation.  And then there is my guilty pleasure, horseback riding… which brings me a sense of pure exhilaration and joy.  I believe everyone should have one activity that just makes their soul sing while doing it.  For me that is horseback riding.

Spiritually, I found that meditation and charity work has enabled me to find more peace in my life; to recognize how blessed I am with what I have and to be thankful for what I’ve been given.  Charity work reminds me that there are others that need help.  And as cliché as it sounds any charity work done probably helps me heal far more than I am ever helping anyone else.

I’m looking forward to 2014 with a renewed sense of self.  I wish you courage, strength, and knowledge that you are enough exactly as you are right now.

From my family to yours “Happy New Year”  – Deena

holidays 2013 220_sm

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everydayroadtohealthy

Good morning! My morning is fueled by: ☀️sunl Good morning! My morning is fueled by:

☀️sunlight
🌳fresh air
☕️coffee

#everydayroadtohealthy #healthylifestyle #goodmorning #pushing50 #healthandwellness #selfcare
Cheers! It’s my first pumpkin spice latte of the Cheers! It’s my first pumpkin spice latte of the season! 🧡 Here’s how I cut down on calories when ordering:

✴️ order a tall instead of a grande (-80 cal)
✴️ hold the whipped cream (-70 cal)
✴️ swap out regular milk for non-fat milk (-50 cal)
✴️ reduce the pumps of syrup…I’m not a sugar-free syrup girl and I don’t think 1 less pump changes the flavor (-30 cal per pump)

I only indulge once, maybe twice a week, but these customizations keep me on track! My tall pumpkin spice latte comes in at 150 calories vs. 300 calories! 🧡

#everydayroadtohealthy #psl #starbucks #healthyish #butfirstcoffee #lowercalorie
I don’t have time to spend on my makeup in the m I don’t have time to spend on my makeup in the morning so here’s my 5 minute clean makeup routine explained in under a minute! 🤗 Featuring:

•Beautycounter Skin Twin Foundation
•Beautycounter Lid Glow Cream Shadow
•Beautycounter Cheeky Clean Cream Blush
•Thrive Causemetics Infinity Waterproof Eyeliner
•Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara

Beautycounter.com/angelafuentes 

#cleanbeauty #beautycounter #thrivecausemetics #grwm #pushing50 #cleanmakeup #easymakeup
Laundry is a perpetual chore in my house. 🧺 Jus Laundry is a perpetual chore in my house. 🧺 Just when I think I'm finished with all the loads, more dirty clothes appear and it's time to start another load. Unfortunately my swap for today doesn't fix that 😆, but it does fix the need for a non-toxic, natural and affordable fabric softener. I'm no where near being 100% chemical-free in our house, but I've made swaps here and there that make me feel pretty good about the everyday changes I'm making to a healthier lifestyle. ⁠
⁠
Go to the link in our bio @everydayroadtohealthy to read more.⁠
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#everydayroadtohealthy #healthylifestyle #cleanliving #nontoxicliving
Still don’t love my wrinkles ☺️, but when I Still don’t love my wrinkles ☺️, but when I saw this quote, I thought it was fitting to share on so many levels. It’s definitely optimistic and happy like how a lot of his music made us feel! 🏝️😄

#jimmybuffett #everydayroadtohealthy
For the month of September, I will be donating pro For the month of September, I will be donating proceeds from all my Beautycounter sales (plus a match by my company Ashburn Accounting) to MIB Agents, a pediatric osteosarcoma nonprofit, in memory of Deena’s son, Owen, who lost his cancer battle in 2012 at the age of 16. 

From 9/5-9/14, I will host a virtual pop-up on our ✨Clean Beauty by Erth✨ Facebook group page where I will do some concentrated posts about Beautycounter, as well as hold a raffle for free products. If you or someone you know has wanted to try clean skincare or learn more about Beautycounter, please join the page before Sep 5th by going to the link in our profile @everydayroadtohealthy or message me about joining. You can also just order directly from me through my personal link from 9/1/23-9/30/23 and any proceeds I make during the whole month of September will be donated.

Thanks for helping me give to something that means a lot to me!

#everydayroadtohealthy #cleanliving #cleanbeauty #cleanskincare #goldforseptember #childhoodcancer @mib.agents #mibagents #osteosarcoma
Hi 👋 I’m Angela. Welcome to my everyday road Hi 👋 I’m Angela. Welcome to my everyday road to a healthy-ish lifestyle! 😆 

I will be the big 5-0 next year 🎉 and I really want to be in better shape by the time I get there. Most days I *think* about exercising, but I’m constantly sabotaging my own efforts. My biggest problem is I don’t prioritize my exercise time. I tried adding it as a meeting on my calendar, but I know it’s a “flexible” meeting so I’m always cutting into that time, to the point where I tell myself I no longer have the time. 🤷🏻‍♀️ And if I sit down at my desk in the morning and start checking work emails, the probability that I’ll fit in a workout goes down exponentially.

Today I chose not to sit down at my desk right away. Instead, I saw my kid off to school then went straight to the gym. Everything else waited until I got home, and the rest of the day I was able to focus without feeling guilty that I had not worked out. 

Today was just one day. I don’t know if it will stick, but I hope it does. I feel better about this plan than any other I have tried. It feels sustainable. 💪🏼

How about you? How do you make sure you fit in time for your health? How do you motivate yourself?

#everydayroadtohealthy #healthyish #pushing50 #healthylifestyle #workingout #selfmotivation #healthandwellness #healthandfitness
I’m not getting any younger, and neither is my s I’m not getting any younger, and neither is my skin. The dry and spotty mature skin struggle is real. But I am convinced this PM routine that I do every other night, along with my daily AM vitamin C serum,  helped me with my melasma. 

Every other night I use:

✅Counter+ Lotus Glow Cleansing Balm
✅Reflect Effect Overnight Resurfacing Peel (the piece de resistance)
✅All Bright Brightening Facial Oil 

And don’t forget daily C Serum and sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen. 

Beautycounter.com/angelafuentes

#everydayroadtohealthy #cleanbeauty #cleanskincare #beautycounter #raiseupbeauty #matureskin #pushing50 #grwm #skincareroutine
It’s Veggie Bag delivery day from South Mountain It’s Veggie Bag delivery day from South Mountain Creamery! I don’t usually go online to see what’s coming so it’s almost always a surprise. But I love it because once I see what I have, it really helps with planning for the next week.
@smcdairy #southmountaincreamery #veggiebagdeliveryday #homedelivery #smcreamery #everydayroadtohealthy #healthyfood #eatlocal #farmtotable #healthylifestyle #mealplanning
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