New Holiday family photos.

New Holiday family photos! Coming from the beaches of Southern California, Happy Holidays from The Cancilla Family! 

We hope you all have a great Christmas and New Years, travel safe! 

Thanks for Reading, 

Tara 

A Child totally lives here.

Some days I look around my home and realize that a child totally lives here lol. 

There are animal magnets on the fridge, and side of the stove, a high chair next to the dining table, sippy cups on the table, gold fish everywhere, toys spread from one room the next, juice in the fridge and little girl clothes mixed in with our clothes. I absolutely love the look of a family home and wouldn't trade it for anything. 

Some days it can get out of control and I pray that no body stops by. But, that is what naps are for, yes I know that as soon as she wakes up it will go back to a lived in place but that is okay. 

I love having a clean home but with a child, I can't stress about it while she is awake. I read a super cute quote that I totally need for my home. It read "cleaning up while children are playing, is like shoving the snow while it is snowing." That about sums it up right there :) 

Thanks for Reading, 

Tara 

Take the pledge.

I am taking the pledge to stay relaxed this holiday season, are you? Nothing makes the holiday season worse than people in a bad mood because they are so stressed out. I seen a little bit of that in me already and I said "Not happening!" 

The holiday season is about joy, spending time with family and friends. Let's make that effort to take a moment, breathe and know that everything will turn out okay. 

A little stress can be good, but once it makes you moody, you need to take a break. 

So, who's with me!?! 

Thanks for Reading, 

Tara 

Social Media Tips that work!

Social Media tips that Work! 

1. Listen, Then Talk 

Posting on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or any other Social Media platform, we are not posting for US, we are posting for our audience. 

Before posting, go to your content already and look at the comments that were left, or look and see what post got the most hits and then post something that is along those same lines. 

When using Social Media a lot of people do it wrong, they talk and then listen. They will post just whatever they feel they like, when if they were to just take a couple of minutes to listen before they post they would get better results. 

2. Respond (to Everyone!)

Are you ever on a page of someone else's company and see that they have comments on their post, but most the time the company is not commenting back to the customers. 

I've seen this way too many times, if we want our customers opinions we need to make sure they know that we heard them. Even if it's a negative comment, we should never delete it unless it's obscene. 

We need to show our customers and potential customers that we listen and we respond. If something wen't wrong with a customer, service or product and someone says something about that on our page, we need to address publicly. Along with send a personal message so they know we really did hear them, customers are the life line of our company, they need to know they are heard. 

When you respond, do it in your brand voice, whatever that is: serious, funny, full of puns, scientific, whatever. As long as it's true to the brand.

3. Tell, Don't Sell

Nobody likes to be Sold, nobody. If all you are doing on your page is trying to sell, sell, sell, your popularity is going to drop dramatically. Try it and see, I did. 

I noticed that when I was posting about my personal life and my experiences I started getting a huge amount of followers but the moment that I posted something that was more on the sell side, it was like crickets on my page. 

Customers don't buy from you for your product or service, they buy from you because of YOU! Tell them your story. If you do it right, you will notice a HUGE difference! The only better thing you can do by telling your story, is to get others (especially customers) to tell your story. 

4. Just Be You

Nobody likes a fake, especially on Social Media. So just be you! 

It was mentioned before, but customers do not buy from you because of your company, they buy from your company because of YOU!  

Don't be worried about showing the real you, those that don't like the real you, weren't real customers anyways. You want good solid customers that will buy from you again and again, and solid customers will come from liking the real you. 

5. Advertise (Better)

Social Media is an AMAZING way to advertise your business. You just need to do it the right way. 

There are over a billion people on Facebook, but we don't want to just be advertising to people that don't want or need our services or product. We want to target the right kind of people. 

With Facebook ads you can do that, you can have the setting set to the targeted group of people you want to see your ad. We want to be able to reach the right 1,000, the right 100, the right 10, or even the right one. 

Take advantage of advertising better on Social Media. 

6. Give Stuff Away

Who doesn't love Free stuff? Well, our customers love free stuff, and we are in business for our customers right? 

Give away articles, webinars, e-books, whatever you can. Make sure the content is good and of good value, your customers will thank you again and again for it. 

7. Be Grateful

In your social media posts, regularly thank your customers, and partners.

People, especially customers love to hear that they are valued. What better way to do that then to thank them publicly for it? 

Same for our partners, when we thank them, tag them in the post so that others can see who they are associated with. It will add value not only to your brand but to those you are in business with. 

Thank you for Reading, 

Tara

Come "Like" us on Facebook!

Hey, we finally got around to creating our Facebook Page. Come show your love by liking our page and letting us know what you would like to see on our post. 

Thank you in advance! 

Stay tuned for our next post about Branding and how you can create awareness for yourself, blog, business, etc. I will be sharing my tips and tricks that I have been doing, that WORK! 

Thanks for Reading,

Tara

Talk to yourself.

New Goal

New Goal 

Instead of waiting a couple of months to start a new years resolution I decided to set one RIGHT NOW! Okay not right this second but I made it a couple of days ago. 

I just recently hit my goal to walk 100 miles in 7 months. It was a goal to help me get out and walk with Kaili'a, enjoy beautiful sunny California and get back into shape after having the baby. 

I will admit that the 100 miles wasn't the biggest push in the world. At the time it sure did seem like a very big goal, until I made my new one. 

We are moving in about 7-8 months and so I thought, what a perfect time to set a new goal. This new goal is pretty big and it's definitely going to push me to get out and walk/jog every single day. I did the math and asked my husband if I was insane or if I should bring it down a notch. My husband said, no go for it! 

So my new goal is to walk 420 MILES by May 18th 2014!! We are moving between April and June so I just picked a date that was in the middle and will shoot for that. I think that this will push me to stay healthy throughout the end of the year holidays and get in better shape for the new year! 

I am pretty excited about it and pretty nervous about it :) 

Wish me and Kaili'a luck and stay tuned for updates! 

I want to hear how you and your family plan on staying healthy and fit throughout the end of the year holidays! 

Thanks for Reading, 

Tara

The app I use for my goal setting and tracking is RunKeeper along with my UP band from Jawbone. 

Playing at the Beach.

Playing at the Beach 

Today my good friend Candace and I wanted to go for a walk to get some exercise in and to get the kids out of the house. Luckily out here in Sunny Southern California we have amazing weather right now. 

My husband works from his home office on Fridays and he decided he wanted to go to the beach and work from there. So Candace and I decided to join him, while he worked from the beach we walked the boardwalk. 

One thing with walking outside with kids, they can start to get frustrated with sitting in the stroller for so long. They want to get out and play, so we found this playground in Oceanside ON THE BEACH! Can you stay perfect location? We were able to get our walking in, the kids got to play at the end and we got to enjoy this wonderful weather! 

It's so much fun when everyone is happy. This has helped us be able to live an active lifestyle along with our kids being active as well. Get creative and see what you and your kids can do to be healthy! 

Thanks for Reading, 

Tara 

What to feed your Toddler.

What to feed your Toddler. 

Now that Kaili'a is a Toddler I've hit a wall with what to feed her. I don't want her to only be drinking milk and eating gold fish because of my lack of creativity. 

Being a new mom/dad can be a little scary sometimes just because we've never done this before so everything is new. I was happy that I was able to find some ideas on Pinterest to help spark my own creativity on what to do. 

Important Tips

• Make sure everything you give your baby for the first time is closely monitored. Chew a small piece in your mouth first and pay attention to how hard it is to chew. If it takes you a second to break it down, it's probably best you wait until your child is older. 
• Stay calm if your baby coughs or chokes a little, it will happen. Baby's / Kids feed off your energy, so try and keep yourself calm and don't freak out because they will if you do. If they are coughing or choking on a food frequently, stop giving it to them and re-introduce at a later date. 
• Cut food into small pieces so they can chew it easily. Cut beans in half and make sure meats are soft and moist. Don't make pieces bigger just because your child is having a hard time picking it up, it's okay if you help them.  
• Try introducing healthier options to your child, like whole wheat bread, brown rice and whole wheat pasta. If they have this first they will be better off creating healthier habits as they grow.  

Proteins

Tofu

Meatballs

Meatloaf

Cheese (slice or shredded from a hand grater)

Tilapia

Chicken 

Turkey

Eggs (scrambled or hard-boiled) 

Black Beans 

Cottage Cheese 

Pulled Pork (plain) 

Pot Roast (plain) 

Yogurt 

Carbs

Bread (toasted or plain)

English Muffin

Bagel

Cereal (Cherrios)

Brown Rice 

Pasta 

Graham Crackers

Crackers

Pancakes

Waffles

French Toast

Tortilla

Oatmeal 

Cream of Wheat

Muffins 

Fruit / Veggies

Peaches 

Watermelon 

Mago

Banana

Avocado

Potato (Regular and Sweet) 

Applesauce 

Pears 

Peas

Apples (diced) 

Carrots (cooked and diced) 

Celery (cooked and diced) 

Broccoli (cooked) 

Cauliflower (cooked) 

Squash

Zucchini 

Strawberries

Blueberries

Blackberries

Raspberries

I'm pretty good with getting Kaili'a to snack on a lot of these foods, now my next step will to get even more creative and actually have her eat 3 meals a day. 

I'm still learning each and everyday on how my child is and what she likes. Some days she is very adventurous and will eat anything I put in front of her. Others she doesn't want anything but Smoothies, Milk and Goldfish. 

I know this helped me and I am hoping that it will help any other first time moms/dads get the hang of feeding a toddler. 

Thanks for Reading, 

Tara 

Motherhood is not a hobby.

Motherhood is not a hobby. 

I found this quote the other day and I just had to share it, because it just hits so close to home. 

Every word of this quote is so true. I truly feel like motherhood is my calling in life. Yes of course I still have other things that I need to do as my own person but I am completely okay with sacrificing whatever it takes for me to be the mother God intended me to be. 

Motherhood is not a hobby, it is a calling. It is not something to do if you can squeeze the time in. It is what God gave you time for. -Elder Neil L Anderson 

I could've of said it any better. I don't even need to elaborate on the subject because it's so straight forward. 

Thanks for Reading, 

Tara 

Fun Play Date.

Fun Play Date. 

We  had such a good day today. The weather was perfect and it was so nice to get outside. Being a stay at home Mom can make you a little crazy if you don't get out and get some fresh air everyday. Candace, Joseph, William myself and Kaili'a all went for a walk, stopped at the park so that the kiddos could get their exercise and all in all Mamas got a 3.24 mile walk in. 

The app I use to track our walks is Runkeeper and that syncs with my UP band by jawbone. I love technology!! 

Thanks for Reading, 

Tara 

Baby Green Smoothie!

Baby Green Smoothie! 

So we have so much baby food left. My daughter doesn't like it when I feed her anymore and she doesn't quite know how to feed herself with a spoon. So instead of wasting all the baby food I decided to make her smoothies to see if she liked it. I mean I love smoothies so why wouldn't Kaili'a right? 

Let me tell you, it was a hit! She loved it! 

Ingredients: 

1 container of peas 

1 container of apple, strawberry and banana 

4 oz filtered water 

Directions: 

Put all in bottle, Sippy cup, shake and drink. 

This is our second smoothie and Kaili'a is loving it. Hope it helps your family! 

Thanks for Reading, 

Tara 

Kaili'as Halloween Costume!

Kaili'as Halloween Costume! 

I am so excited that K is old enough to actually celebrate Halloween. Yes last year she was dressed up but she was only like a month old, so we didn't go anywhere and she slept most the day. 

Luckily my sister had this costume that her son wore like 3 years ago and sent to us to see if it fit Kaili'a. When we first pulled it out of the box my husband and I said, "no way that will fit her." Obviously we were wrong. 

But anyways this year we will be going trunk or treating. I love holidays so I am pretty excited :)  

This costume fits Kaili'a to a T. We always call her our little monkey. 

Thanks for Reading, 

Tara

Amazing Video.

Amazing Video. 

Found this video through an article of Facebook and I just had to share because this is truly amazing. They are actually out on Utah Lake videoing this guy playing the piano. 

If you wanted to read the video and see the behind the scenes of how they made it work click here. Or they also have another video where two guys are playing the piano and cello on the great wall of china. 

It's amazing what you can accomplish when your dream is big enough.

Thanks for Reading, 

Tara

Always Believe.

Always Believe That Something Wonderful Is About To Happen! 

I will admit this is definitely something I have to work on every single day. My personality is the type that can quickly turn to the worst possible outcome to anything. This quote is so perfect for me to think about 100% of the time. 

This is a quote that I want to put up on my wall in our home because something wonderful always happens more often then not. 

Thanks for Reading, 

Tara

Homemade Tortillas!!

Homemade Tortillas!! 

Okay, so my husband had the car and wasn't going to be home for awhile and I was craving some kind of wrap but we were out of tortillas. I was super bummed because I really wanted a wrap and then remembered my friend asking me the other day if I have ever tried making my own tortillas. I had never thought about making them until NOW! 

I jumped on the most reliable site for recipes I could think of, PINTEREST, and found a great recipe by I Wash, You Dry and it was super simple. I had everything that it called for and so I said what the heck and tried it. Oh My Goodness, it actually worked and they tasted amazing. 

So that night I decided to make chicken tacos with my homemade tortillas and see how my hubby liked them. It was a SUCCESS!  He loved them, said he was impressed and also admitted he had never made tortillas before. I was so excited that I am making more today! 

Hope you guys try it out! And let me know they turn out for you and your family. 

Ingredients: 

• 4 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt 
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3 tbsp shortening
• 1 1/2 cups warm water 

Instructions: 

1. Sift together flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. Use your hands to incorporate the shortening until the mixture becomes crumbly. Pour in the warm water and mix with your hands till a slightly sticky dough ball forms.
2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes or until dough becomes smooth and elastic. Wrap in plastic wrap, or cover with a towel, and let rest on the counter for 30 minutes. 
3. Once rested, divide up into about 16 equal parts, roll out with a rolling pin ( or in my case a baby bottle ) to about 1/4 inch thick. You want them pretty thin. Then heat up a skillet and place, let heat until golden brown marks start to appear and then flip to other side. 
4. Make sure youeither eat them right away or keep them sealed so they don't dry out. Re-heat in the microwave if you will be using them later. 

*If you roll your dough out to thick, don't worry you will just have flat bread instead of a tortilla :) 

Thanks for Reading, 

Tara

My sweet daughter and lovely husband.

My sweet daughter and lovely husband. 

My husband was getting ready to go take over the world when baby girl didn't wanna let him go. She is such a daddy's girl it's adorable. Joseph might be a busy man making sure his family is taken care of, no matter what he has to do, but whenever he has the chance to spend time with Kaili'a he takes advantage  of every second. 

I am such a lucky woman to have found a man that does whatever it takes to make sure his family is taken care of. He is the most amazing husband and father, I couldn't have picked a better man for the position :) 

My two favorite people in the entire world! 

These two are my entire world. I love where my life is right now, it's exactly where I want it to be. Of course there are ups and downs but the ups out way the downs. 

Joseph is the man of my dreams and then some. I am so grateful for him in my life and strive everyday to show him how much I appreciate what he does for our family. He would sacrifice anything for us.

I couldn't ask for anything else in my life, anything more that comes our way is just an added bonus! 

Thanks for Reading, 

Tara  

Every time I thought I was being Rejected.

Every time I thought I was being Rejected. 

"Every time I thought I was being Rejected from something good, I was actually being Re-Directed to something better." -Dr. Steve Maraboli

Found this quote while I was looking on Facebook the other day and I couldn't help but share it with you. I don't know how many times this is happened to me, what a great way to look at it. Some times when we are going through a certain period in our lives it can be hard to see the bigger picture. Once we get through it though we always think "If I would've known the outcome of that particular situation, I wouldn't have stressed or worried so bad."

I honestly believe that we are only given trails that we can over come. I am a religious person and believe that God only gives us things that he knows we can get through. When we are going through trials or challenges and we are having faith in a higher power, we need to remember that that higher power has faith in us as well.

Everything happens for a reason, we can't always see that but I think that if we keep this thought in mind next time we are going through anything that we feel isn't what we thought, it will give us hope that something better is on it's way.

Thank you for Reading,

Tara

Delicious Green Smoothie.

Delicious Green Smoothie.

I made a Delicious Green Smoothie yesterday. The reasoning for even wanting to make a green smoothie is that my husband and I are getting ready for a 3 day cleanse in a couple of weeks. I wanted to try a couple of different recipes before we started. 

I have been browsing Pinterest to see what was popular in a green smoothie. I came across a few but decided to just make my own and see how it turned out. As I was making it my husband was getting a scared look in his face. When he heard what was in it he was afraid to taste it. To be honest I was a little nervous to try it as well, but I didn't wanna waste all the food I just used to make it. So I closed my eyes and tried it, WOW it was delicious! 

After Joseph seen how much I liked it he went for it and at first wasn't the biggest fan but couldn't quit drinking it. When we had drank it all we were thirsty for more, which is a very very very good sign. Obviously our bodies were loving the nutrients we were getting and wanted more. 

Ingredients
1 Cucumber
1/2 Frozen Banana
1 Pear
3 Collard Green Leaves
Ice Cubes
1/4 C Pineapple
Water

Blend if you don't mind the chunks or if you want it more smooth, go for a juicer. Either way your body will thank you for the nutrients it is getting.

Watch out for other recipes.

Thank you for Reading,

Tara 

Organizing.

So now that my child is officially a TODDLER now I decided it was a good time to re-organize my kitchen. 

I've had a ton of baby food everywhere, baby cereal, bottles, and baby snacks. It has been kind of a mess to be honest. 

Things have been everywhere! When it's time to go to the park or out and about and I need snacks for my daughter, I find myself a little over whelmed looking for snacks to bring. I'm looking all over my kitchen for stuff because as time goes on and we've gone grocery shopping we get in a hurry to put everything away that things get put where they can fit. 

Anyone with a child (or children) know that being organized only makes our lives EASIER. Finding the time to organize can be a whole different story. But if we can make the time to just do it, the easier it is in the long run. 

Now that Kaili'a can eat more "normal" food I have been wanting to have it all in one spot. Plus just because she can eat cheeseitz doesn't mean she should. But if that's the easiest thing to find then that's probably what she will eat. So what I've done is cleaned out a shelf in one of my cupboards and put everything she likes or can have there. I don't know about anyone else that is the main cook in the household but I know that my husband is lost whenever he's trying to find something in the kitchen. My way of organizing or my system doesn't exactly speak to the way he would organize the kitchen. So for this reason I think it would be nice not only for me but for him as well if everything was in one spot. 

I know things will get moved here and there as it's not going to stay this organized forever but at least it gives us a starting ground. It gives that habit of all of K's food goes on that shelf, even if we have to shove it in there. 

I put her shelf in the most used cupboard in our kitchen. It's where our vitamins, protein powder, and drink mixes are. So it's usually the first place we look when trying to find something to drink or snack on. 

Here it is, K's shelf. Everything on there she can have right out of the box or bag. And she enjoys everything up there as well. Hopefully I can keep it this nice and organized for awhile 😉 

Thanks for Reading, 

Tara