Fun Friday: Back to School Prep + The Most Amazing Back to School Printable Pack #freebiefriday

2015- 2016  Back to School Printables

Seems almost impossible that we are already prepping for Back to School.   I feel like we just winded down at the end of the School Year.  But, as much as I think it flew by, I am always glad to see it come back around.  We packed a lot of fun into the summer, but not a lot of work.  And, I guess that is ok, right?  Well, at least that is what I am telling myself, they won’t be little forever.

Here in Georgia school starts back on August 10th.  Thankfully, we managed to get a jump start on our shopping early in the month.  So, I am hoping that we won’t have to be out there in the craziness that is the Back to School Rush at all.  Fingers and Toes Crossed.

Are you ready for the kids to go Back to School?  For me the key to being prepared is always A LIST.  Check out this Back to School Back to School Checklist found over on ThreeLoudKids.com.

After you have nailed the basics when it comes to school shopping.  I feel like the next thing,  is to make your things your own, and to make them cute.   If you are all about personalizing your things like me, and my little ones you will love this Free Back to School  Printable Pack that I created with you in mind.

(2) Back to School Binder Cover Sheets

(1)  Back to School Binder Spine

(1)  Back to School 2015-2016 iPhone/iPad Wallpaper

Free Back to School Binder Cover #freebiefriday

Download Here

Free Back to School  Property Of Binder Cover #freebiefriday

Download Here

Free Back to School Binder Spine #freebiefriday

Download Here

 2015-2016 iPhone/iPad Back to School Wallpaper Back to School iPhone/iPad Wallpaper #freebiefriday

Back to School iPhone/iPad Wallpaper #freebiefriday

Right Click  – Save Image As  – Select Picture As Your Background or For Your Lock Screen.

I hope that these Printables, make going back to school a little more special for you and yours.  Here’s to an Awesome School Year!!

STAGE PRESENTS – MASTERING BALANCE – AKUA BOAKYE

Mastering Balance by focusing on Faith Family and Fitness -- A Creative Interview- www.stage-presents.com

Akua, and I are members of the Group Passionistas [a group for female entrepreneurs] on Facebook.  After reading many of her posts, I was amazed at all that she packs into one day.  She has a thriving business, a full time career, a family (she’s very involved with), and lots of friends.  And, she finds time for all of it.  This interview was prompted mostly by curiosity.  But, I also wondered what nuggets she could pass on to those of us who are trying to master finding balance in our every day lives.  I truly enjoyed getting to know her better and getting her realistic, “tell it like it is” point of view.  She doesn’t deny that it is work that demands commitment, but demonstrates that it CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED.

How long have you been committed to healthy eating and working out?

I’ve been working out and eating healthy consistently  for the past 10 years.  Please note that for me eating healthy is all about balance.  I’ll say, I eat healthy about 80% of the time, but I also allow some “cheats” 20% of the time. I enjoy going out to eat with my family and friends.  I have found that  this way allows me to remain consistent  and not feel deprived.

What does your routine look like and do you change it up depending on the season or your moods?

My exercise routine changes according to my goals at the time. No 2 days of working out is ever the same. I set mini goals either weekly or monthly for myself. (i.e: hold planks for more minutes, do x amount of pull ups, run a certain amount of miles, etc. )My daily workout can range from full body circuit training, treadmill interval runs with inclines, heavy lifting, Insanity (my fav…Shaun T is my MAN) bleacher circuits, boxing,  and a host of others.  For me it is  all about constantly challenging your routine and shocking your body. A challenged body will be a changed body.!

How do you balance a full time job, your family and make time for yourself and your Boot Camp?

The balance  for me took some time. I started  this journey over 10 years ago as a single woman with very few responsibilities aside from my teaching career .  In the process, I’ve gotten married, become a mother and owner of 2 businesses (BodybyAkua Fitness LLC  and Treat You Right Foods LLC ).  My balance comes from knowing that each of these aspects of my life are equally important.   What I know for sure is that we MAKE  time for what we really want . My family and faith are extremely important to me, but I am also aware that to sustain my family, I must work hard to provide. I MAKE time for my fitness lifestyle because without  my health and a clear mind, I cannot be a good wife, mother, friend, and an entrepreneur. These elements are interconnected. I cannot succeed in one without the other.  My Fitness is seriously the magic potion that powers me through the rest of my busy life.

What advice would you give to anyone who wants to make positive change for a healthier lifestyle?

My advice  to anyone who wants to make a healthier  lifestyle a part of their routine will be to first figure out why you want to get healthy and fit to begin with.  If your  reason for a healthier lifestyle is temporary,  then your results  will also be temporary.  So for example, if you only want to exercise and get healthy because you are in a wedding, going on a vacation or trying to impress someone at a class reunion, then you are most likely not going to continue once those events come and go.  Being healthy and fit should not be temporary, but rather a part of your regular routine. When you change your mind set  and look at healthy living as a daily necessity, you are most likely to stick with it.   Also, when starting out, start with smaller  changes in order to not feel overwhelmed.  (Cut out one sugary drink daily, eat one less fast food this week, go for a nice easy walk after dinner, park the car a little further  and walk, take the stairs, cook one healthy  meal at home). These changes, while small will eventually become habits and help with your success.

Can you share a favorite quick and easy recipe that our readers can prepare for their families?

I pride myself in being the “queen of quick meals”. With such a hectic schedule, being able to make a quick, yet healthy meal is the way to go. The trick is to have already prepared or quick steamed foods on hand.  Example.: Roasted chicken, egg whites, steam ready brown rice,  veggies,  spices, coconut or olive oil sprays )

My favorite quick meal to prep for my family  is my Healthy chicken Fried Rice with veggies. This meal is loaded with all nutrients needed to sustain a healthy body. (Good carbs, Protein, healthy fats, fiber etc.)

(Steam the rice and veggies in advance)
Heat pan with Spray  of coconut or olive oil .
Add egg whites to pan and cook scramble style, add steamed veggies of choice, mix together  and add your favorite  spices, I also add 2 tbsp of ginger dressing, add 1 tbsp of oil as well as shredded  chicken and steamed brown rice.
Mix all well and cook together for about 3 to 5 minutes.  DONE
During the cold winter months  I use my Crockpot to make steel cut oatmeal overnight, so by morning, it’s ready to go.  just add some fruits or peanut butter.

 What is your favorite exercise and the one you hate but love the results?

Currently, my favorite exercise is any variation of  squats.  Squats are awesome  because since they incorporate  such big muscles, it burn tons of calories and a proper squat can also work the core and other parts of the body besides the lower. Plus, it shapes the Glutes nicely.  I seem to always find a way to add in some squats daily.   I have developed a love /hate relationship with the burpees lately. Burpees are EXCELLENT for total body conditioning. There are so many variations!  It works almost every single muscle in the body. I love them because I know they are effective  but I hate them because they easily wear me out.

Any words of wisdom that you would like to add.

I would like to add that fitness/healthy living is a personal choice. YOUR BODY. YOUR DRIVE. YOUR RESULTS. Please know that you are and should always remain your own competition. Strive to be better each day than the day before.  Set small goals for yourself and find ways to accomplish those goal. It is ok to admire  and be motivated  by others,  but,  please do not compare yourself to others in this journey.  Each individual has their own story and history. Celebrate YOUR accomplishments be it small or big.

With the craze  of social media and “fitness models” on the internet,  people tend to want to look like these models and look for quick fixes to get there.. Well the truth is there is NO PILL,  NO TEA,  NO WRAP,  NO CREAM OR WAIST TRAINER that can take the place of eating healthy  and moving the body. The only way to a fitter body is to put in some hard a** work and a balanced clean diet. .

You can find Akua all over the web:

Website

Instagram

Facebook

 YouTube

Emails: akua@bodybyakuafitness.com

                akuaboakye79@gmail.com

Mastering Balance - Akua Boakye - A Creative Interview - www.stage-presents.com

Fun Friday: What’s In Your Glass?

Whats In Your Glass It’s National Tequila Day and it’s Friday.  Those two things sound like fun to me.  There are so many yummy cocktail recipes with tequila as the staple ingredient.  And, believe it or not tequila is no longer just for drinks. After doing some research I literally found 200+ Tequila Recipes.  These three made the top of my list.

Windy Kitchen’s Slow Cooker Tequila Lime Chili

Martha Stewart’s Tequila-Soaked Watermelon Wedges

All Recipe’s Tequila Sunrise

Tequila Recipes

Photo Source: 1 2 3

This week’s Freebie Friday: A Printable Drink Card

Freebie Friday - Printable Drink Card

What is your favorite Tequila Cocktail or Recipe?

Creating A Space You Love

Creating A Space You Love - www.stage-presents.com

Are you anything like me?  Do you spend hours pouring over the pages of Home Decor Magazines looking for ideas to make your house a home?  One of the very first magazine subscriptions that I purchased was Real Simple.   I received that magazine for years, before I moved  into a home of my own.  I loved to see how people created spaces that reflected their personalities but that were still livable and inviting.  Once I had a family of my very own, it was very important to me that the home we live in was both comfortable and staged.  To that end, I feel like our home is always a work in progress.

Without the funds to just walk into Haverty’s and have their stylist design rooms for us, we literally have taken our time and piece by piece have watched our vision come together.  I am always on the hunt for something that looks like this, at that price.  Treasure hunting on a budget, I guess. Some mornings I walk down the stairs and I’m tickled pink at just how things are working out. Some mornings, I wish I could scrap the whole thing and start over.  But, it has definitely become a passion project for me.  Friends and Family that pop by are always telling us how they love the way we decorate our home, and inquire as to where we got this piece or that piece.  And, I have to laugh because I know how many hidden treasures we have stashed in closets that we thought were the way to go and then turned out they weren’t.  I think we could probably style a small apartment with some of the things we have stored away.

I was blessed to find a hubby who seems to love this kind of thing as much as I do, or maybe he is just humoring his high brow wife.  (I hope that isn’t the case.)  But, I dare say that he has come home with just as many finds as me, if not more.  We don’t always see each others visions, but we agree that we both have to love it, for it to find a permanent place in our home.

Apparently, even the Pro’s take this approach when designing their own homes or homes for their clients. Check out this post by three of my favorite blogs Life on Virginia Street Effortless Style and The Blissful Bee titled From the Magazine to the Pages of Your Home.

Looking for More Inspiration that literally springs from the pages of a Magazine?  Elements of Style shows us how she pulled inspiration from House Beautiful to come up with A Boathouse of One’s Own.

Lastly, Destiny from Just Destiny Mag, lays down the law on how she Creates a Meaningful Home in this awesome blog featured on Jenna Burger’s Blog.

It’s definitely easy to get overwhelmed with the process, as with anything else but the rules for us are pretty simple, fill your home with things that you love and things that make you happy.

Stage Presents: Creating A Space You Love

For a Glimpse Into Our World, Check Out Our Fall Home Tour here or Our Spring Mini Home Tour here.

Fun Friday – A Favorite Poem + Freebie Friday (Printable)

It’s been a busy week for us here.  So this week’s Fun Friday Post is Gonna be Quick and Easy.  I wanted to share one of my Favorite Poems by Veronica A. Shoffstall (plus) this week’s #FreebieFriday.
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Photo Source:

Free Friday Baby Elephant Printable Baby Elephant Nursery Print

Download Print and Frame and Voila!!

What is your favorite poem?  Consider sharing your favorites with us.

The Big List of Must Haves For A Day At The Beach

The Big List of Things You Need For A Day At The Beach - stage-presents.com You Are Headed to the Beach.  Chances are, depending on where you live, the beach is no where close to home.  That means you need to be prepared, especially if you are traveling with little ones. It’s been a while since we have been on the beach, so we wanted to be prepared.  And, we managed not to forget ANYTHING.  Is the beach on your agenda for Summer 2015? If it is check out this Big List of Must Haves.

Accessories:

Beach Towels

Beach Bag

Big Floppy Hats

Sunnies

Flip Flops

Cover Ups

Extra Large Spray Bottles (to fill with water to wash off your feet before you get back in the car)

Floaties

Camera/Cell

Back Up Batteries

Speakers

Beach Pail and Shovel

Food and Beverages:

Cooler

Water Bottles

Juice

Fruit

Beach Friendly Food (anything that will do well on ice)

Snack Food (Dry)

Don’t Forget to Bring some Cash for Beach Vendors/Rentals

Relaxation:

Beach Chairs

Beach Blanket

Beach Umbrella

Preparation:

Sun Block Lotion

Aloe Vera Gel

Wipes

Lip Gloss with SPF

First Aid Kit

Extra Set of Clothing

Prepare for A Day At the Beach with Beach Must Haves- stage-presents.com You just finished reading The Big List of Must Haves For A Day At The Beach.  Can you think of anything else to add to our list?  Leave your Must Haves in the Comment Section.

Fun Friday: 12 Artist/Groups/Bands I would like to see in Concert

12 Artist Groups Bands I would like to see in Concert

 

My friends and I often reminisce about how good music used to be.  Clearly times and styles have changed over the years, but we still miss the sounds of the past.  Just yesterday, a girlfriend and I were talking about some of the artists that we missed.  This got me thinking about who I would love the opportunity to see in concert, even now.  So I enlisted my hubby’s help and this is a sprinkling of what we came up with.  There were so many to choose from.

1.    Jay-Z

2.   Dave Hollister

3.   Black Eyed Peas

4.   New Edition

5.   Bon Jovi

6.   Janelle Monae & Jidenna

7.   Jamie Foxx

8.   Wu-Tang

9.   Kanye West

10.  Outkast

11.   Lauryn Hill

12.  The Roots

BONUS:  Gone But Not Forgotten: 2Pac

Who would you love to see in concert?  Did we miss someone worth mentioning?  I would love to read your comments below.

As a Bonus here is this week’s Freebie Friday. – A Grateful Print Just for You.

#FreebieFriday

Grateful Freebie Friday Printable

Grateful Printable

Download Print and Frame and Voila!!