Breastfeeding vs. Formula, Homemade Baby Food vs. Store Bought, Cloth Diapers vs. Disposable, How Baby Should Lay, How Baby Should Play, Vaccines vs. No Vaccines, Daycare vs. Stay at Home Mom…. The Warnings go on and on. Every parent, doctor and baby expert has a zillion warnings to dump on the new mom. There is one warning however, that most leave out. In my opinion one of the most important warnings a new mom could hear…

The moment a woman finds out she is going to be a mother, the vision she holds for her life changes forever. Suddenly things she cared so much about don’t matter any more and things she thought she would never do suddenly become daily routine. Every single one of our priorities shifts to offer the very best for our baby. As mothers, we are highly praised for this selfless mentality and it becomes ingrained into our being. I love giving my children all that I can and seeing them happy and successful.  While it is one of the best parts of being a mom, no one warned me that it could also hurt me and my children.

I devoted every second of my time focusing on my children and my family and trying make the perfect life. We did activities and outings. We ate the right foods and took care of ourselves. We focused on learning and schoolwork. I always read books and articles on the latest studies for children and the latest studies about being a better parent.

I felt that I was working so hard to keep my family growing and living the best life possible, but for some reason, we weren’t living the life I knew we deserved. This was so frustrating to me and I would break down in tears because I couldn’t understand why my family wasn’t as happy as they could be, or why I wasn’t that happy either.

I was given compliments from others all the time about my mothering skills…”You have such terrific kids!” “They are so polite and well mannered.” “You are such an involved parent!” “How do you do it all?” …These nice things would come out of other peoples mouths but when they reached my ears all I could think  was,”Thanks, but I’m obviously not doing enough because we should be happier!”

Sadly, most Mommas feel this way. They feel as if they are working their sexy booties off for their families without seeing the fruits they know their family deserves.

I don’t want this to happen to you!!

What I was missing was the one key thing every momma needs to know, and no one warns her about! The key is…

Stop Working and Start Loving!!
Stop trying so hard to do everything perfect and simply be there to love your family!

This might seem funny right now because when you first hold your little bundle of joy, all you can think about is enjoying each moment and pouring your love all over them. As life moves forward however, hardships happen, stresses get in the way, our babies face obstacles as they grow, and we get into a mode where doting love and admiration doesn’t fit the bill anymore. We have so many complex things to think about when it comes to taking care of our children and family.

As wonderful Sexy Mommas we do our best to be everything and provide everything for our family. So much so that we’re getting in the way of being what our family really needs.  We give and give and give and try and try until we can’t see straight anymore. Part of this I believe is because we are Strong, Sexy, and Resilliant Women. The other part I believe comes from the fact that our culture has made us believe that if a mother does anything that is not completely self-less and in favor of her children, then she’s a bad mom.

The truth however, is that when all we do is give and give, we wind up with two BIG Problems:

1. We’re trying too hard! Anytime we try too hard at something, it always back fires. It back fires because we are getting in the way of the process. Instead of letting things happen, we are trying to control and manipulate the results. Yes, we want our children to be perfect, smart and beautiful little human beings! Of course! But sometimes this desire gets in the way of us seeing that our child is perfect, smart and beautiful right now! Or that this moment that we are sharing with them is perfect, right now! Or that who we are and what we can give right now is perfect, just as it is!

So stop trying so hard! Focus on being what your family needs only in that moment and stop worrying about everything else. If you are present, and you allow your children to be present, everything else will fall into place.

2.We don’t have anything left! Is there anything that you wouldn’t share with your child? Mommas share their bodies to house growing organisms, they share their comfy beds for restless dreamers, they share countless drinks and snacks with watering mouths, and many, many other things. With all of this giving going on, it’s no wonder that us Sexy Mommas develop a mentality that everything that is ours, really isn’t ours at all. We start to think that it all belongs to our kids!

THIS IS SO BAD!!!

I’m all about sharing with my children but if Momma doesn’t have anything for herself, she’s going to run out of magic eventually! There’s no worse feeling than not being able to give our best when our kids need us. If we are constantly giving and giving without taking personal time to re-energize, we’ll be one dead battery!

So take time for yourself! Rest, replenish and refill your soul. You can’t guide your family anywhere on an empty tank, or without the proper maintenance.  Fill your tank with everything you need and fine-tune your vehicle for a long and happy journey. Your children(and significant other) will thank you for it!

The bottom line is, don’t lose yourself in your new found joy! There is nothing more amazing than being a mother. It will bring you more joy than you have ever know. Enjoy it, relish it, just don’t get lost in it! Being a momma is only ONE part of your life(granted a huge part). To be the best momma you can possibly be, you have to be a strong woman who takes care of herself and flourishes in all aspects of her life.

You will be setting the most important example ever for your children, the only way to be successful is to always take care of number one!

Sexy Momma Love and Hugs,

Snow White was always one of my favorite fairy tales. Of course I didn’t care for the Evil Queen, but honestly, who wouldn’t want a magic mirror that tells you, you are the most beautiful woman in all the land? My guess is that I’d get a little upset too if my mirror suddenly started changing it’s tune…

What if you had a magic mirror? Can you imagine your confidence and self esteem level if your mirror told you that you were the most beautiful maiden in all the land? Every single morning! Sounds ah-mazing! As we learn from the Evil Queen, however, it does not mater who or what tells you that you’re beautiful. Or even how often they tell you. You are still going to feel unsure, insecure, and continue to ask the mirror for reassurance every single day. That is, until you decide for yourself that you are undoubtedly the most beautiful woman in all the land.

The little princess in the picture above is my 3(almost 4) year old. She just loves to dress up, do her hair, and do her make-up in the mirror. I love watching her and listening to her as she sings and tells me how beautiful she looks. When I watch her I see how openly and with a ‘pure-heart’ that she sees herself. There is no bias and no judgement in her gaze.

When Little Miss Adelina looks in the mirror all she sees is herself in her true form. She sees all that she is, and she loves everything that she sees! Isn’t it that way with all young children? What you see is what you get. Plain and simple, because they don’t know any other way!

That is, not until they are told by others in the world that they could be better if they would ‘tweak’ this or ‘tweak’ that about them self. I grew up ‘tweaking’ so many things about myself that one day I was all ‘tweaked-out’. I was all grown up and realized that I had no idea who in the world I was anymore.

For such a long time I felt so strongly that I had to mold and change myself to become what others wanted me to be. I compromised myself time and time again. I held myself back from growing into my true unique self. I had decided that I didn’t like what I saw in the mirror, because I thought that everyone else didn’t like it either.

Until one day someone said something that struck a chord so deep inside me. They said,”I will love you until you can love yourself.” Wow…For one, I didn’t know it was such a problem that I didn’t love myself. I thought loving yourself was reserved for conceited people. For two, I began to realize how dependent I was on the love that I received form everyone around me. Their love was my ‘Mirror on the Wall’. I needed them to tell me over and over again that I was lovable, just to feel O.K. with myself.

But not the beautiful little girl on this page who is sitting in front of her mirror. How wise she is, her little 3 year-old self. THAT is what well all need. We need to strip away all of the thoughts and images that have been programmed into us, telling us who we are supposed to be or how we are supposed to look. None of those garbage thoughts are real!!! They are stuck in our heads only because we learned that they should be there. So now learn this, no way should those thoughts be in your head!! Kick them out! Right now!

We all have to go back to the little girl we used to be, gazing into the mirror and loving every single bit of everything we see…

You are here. You are beautiful. You are YOU.

YOU are Perfect.

I am here telling you that I will love you until you can love yourself. Because YOU deserve love.

With Warm Hugs and Sexy Blessings,

Truth is a hot topic of conversation in all areas of our culture. We have an entire branch of government dedicated to truth seeking, as well as countless movies and TV programs revolving around the judicial process. We have philosophers and great thinkers who have dedicated themselves to uncovering the truths of the universe. We also have plenty of ‘catch phrases’ about truth…”The truth will set you free…” and “You can’t handle the truth!” The bottom line is, everyone wants truth in their life. Without it they feel misguided and deceived.

So all of this emphasis is placed on truth, finding the truth, and knowing the truth. Yet the greatest truth that anyone could ever know, is something that almost everyone ignores. It’s something that we’ve all heard before, something so simple that  it seems to be lost in it’s simplicity. Without a doubt it’s power is underestimated.

So…What is this ‘Greatest Truth’?

Like I said, you’ve heard about it many times. So before I mention it again, I want to ask you to listen with a fresh mind today. Be open to the possibility that maybe, you haven’t understood the whole truth yet.

The Greatest Truth You Will Ever Know is….the Truth About Who You Are. And I don’t mean some general definition. What I mean is un-pealing your layers and revealing your very core. So…Who are you? Sure you are a woman of many roles who has a ‘specific place’ in this world, but those roles and that place were created and shaped through outside thoughts and forces. I’m not asking who you are on the outside, I’m asking who you are on the inside.

You see, your truth comes through living with your inside out! We are all taught early on to put a filter on the thoughts and emotions we reveal to the rest of the world. While this isn’t always a bad thing, we were never taught to balance our filter in the right way. Instead, we grow up and spend all of our time building and shaping our filter to reveal a person that we think the rest of the world will love and accept. Instead of shaping our filter in a way that still shows the rest of the world who we really are….Our Greatest Truth…

The fact is that most of us are scared. We are scared of what the world will think of our true self, but even more, we are scared of what we will think of our true self. We’ve spent our whole life ‘building’ a persona that we are very comfortable with. For most of us, we avoid our truth because, it makes us uncomfortable. What we don’t know can’t hurt us, right? Or, does the unknown hurt us exponentially?

My husband and I had a great conversation on this topic the other night. The thing that stood out the most was our agreement that, the first time anyone really takes a good look at who they are on the inside, it is very difficult. The reason it is so hard, is because when we look at our truth, we are letting go of the ‘image’ that we have built around who we are. We are letting go of all of our comfort barriers and exposing our true self….Something that we learned early on is a dangerous thing to do.

So, how exactly do you discover your greatest truth?

The best thing to do is to Start Asking Questions…

• Why do I do the things I do? (Whether they are good or bad things!)
• Looking back on my life, what are some of my strongest memories?(Whether they are significant events or not) How did these moments influence me? Do I seen any patterns of this influence in my life today?
• What do I like and what do I not like about my mother? Which of these qualities do I hold as well?
• What do I like and what do I not like about my father? Which of these qualities do I hold as well?
• When am I the happiest? When do I feel most like myself? When do I feel most confident?

When ever you are looking for an answer, you always start by asking a question. The more questions you ask, the better answers you are going to get. And believe it or not, who you are is all wrapped up in your parents, your past, and the ideals you believed in as a child. Just start asking questions, you’ll discover things you never imagined.

The process of finding your truth will never be complete. Even the most successful and self aware people in this world know that self discovery is a path that they continue to walk down each day.

As you begin to unveil your true self, you will see greater changes in your life then you have ever seen before. Issues that you have struggled with will now seem futile, issues that you didn’t even know you were struggling with will come to pass, others will look at you in a different light -wondering what transformation has taken place within you, and you will feel more aligned with your life and happier than you have ever been before.

It all starts with realizing that there is a real you underneath the persona you have created. There is a real you that is pure and perfect just as it is. It doesn’t need a filtered in any way. It simply needs to be unveiled to the world. When you stifle the true you, you are stifling your gift to the world(I also like to refer to the ‘true’ you as the ‘Sexy’ you).

There are no coincidences.  You were put here to share your gift, whatever wonderful thing it may be. When you hide your truth, you hide your gift. Let it out!! Let the world see who you really are. They are anxiously awaiting…

Wishing You Love and Sexiness,

Nothing like starting the week off with A Beautiful Day!

Whether it’s sunny or rainy, hot or cold, or whether you are energized or sleepy…Today is a Beautiful Day!

Why you ask? Why is today a Beautiful Day!

To quote Bill Murray in Scrooged.”Because I’m Aliiivvee and so are You!”
(Insert questions about my sanity and pessimisms about cleche value HERE)

But really…you’re alive, right? And you’re breathing, right? And your eye balls are working just fine because you’re clearly reading this right now. Probably sitting in a comfy chair, maybe with a nice beverage. And you’re currently connected with the Entire World through the world wide web.

This is all sounding like good stuff to me!
I must say that I like my comfy chair, beverage and being able to talk to all of you fine folks today.

I want to share the message that has been showing up more and more often in my life:
“If you don’t just get out there and live, then you are loosing your life.”

There are just so many things that fill up our life. Especially for us Sexy Mommas. As if being sexy all the time wasn’t enough work. We’ve got a household to run, kids to manage, family engagements, friends to keep in touch with, business endavors, and if we’re lucky enough…a man to please With all of this filling up our Sexy Momma plate, it’s easy to find ourselves guilty of letting life get away from us.

Think about those beautiful children of yours. From day one you never wanted to miss a single moment in their lives. Not just the really big ones, every moment with them is such an important moment to laugh, learn and grow.

What makes your life any different? Every single moment of your life can be just as special, if you make sure you are appreciating the day and living in the moment.

I know you’ve heard this before…yeah, yeah, yeah…So why haven’t you done anything about it? Why aren’t you deciding to make today a beautiful day instead of just trying to make it to bedtime?

It is time Sexy Mommas!

It’s time to start living Beautiful Days!

Press Play and U2 Is going to inspire you to get out there and live your life!!

It’s Music Monday! Have a Dance Party!!

Lots of Sexy Momma Love,

Danielle

Who is the King of Your Life?

I hope you it’s YOU!

Happy Music Monday! Today’s Inspiring Song is ‘King of Anything’ by Sara Bareilles.

Unfortunately, running our own life one of the most difficult things that women deal with, especially moms. Who really runs your life? Who is the person that dictates what you do, how you feel and who you are?

Of course we all want to say, “Me! I run my life!” However, more often than not we are one of the last people to run our life. We let our family run our life, our kids or our friends run. Even worse….sometimes we let the judgments and ideals of society run our life.

For some reason we are too afraid to step up to the plate and really grab onto life’s reigns. Maybe we are afraid of making a wrong decision and messing up. Maybe we fear ridicule and hearing the dreaded words, “I told you so”.

I have some Serious Advice for You: If you are not messing up or pissing someone off, then you are not living your life.

There is no way that you can be right about everything or always make the best decision, but you have to make your own decision and learn from your own mistakes. There is also no way that everyone will agree with what you do and the decisions that you make, but it’s your life and you have to do what is best for you and your situation.

If you’re doing something because someone wants to you do it or will judge you if you don’t do it a certain way, then you are living your life for someone else.

Ditch anyone who doesn’t support you in living a life that you are the King Of! Women are the worst when it comes to keeping people in their life who are toxic because they would ‘feel bad’ if someone else got their feelings hurt. But guess who gets hurt the most? YOU! You get hurt from these people who are really treating you like crap. Either let them know it’s not ok, or send them packing. They’re holding you back from living your best life!

Some people walk around every day feeling like they’ll never be good enough. Like they’ll never meet the right standards or have the right abilities. Are you one of those people? Well, guess what….you never will be good enough! You’ll never be good enough because you are trying to live up to someone else’s standards. You are allowing someone else to be the ‘king’ of your life.

However, you WILL be good enough once you kick other people off the throne of your life and sit yourself down. You have to sit yourself down on your throne, wiggle your butt into a comfortable position and lean back, because you’re going to be there for quite awhile. And don’t forget your crown!(That’s the funnest part! )

Anytime you are questioning your abilities or your own judgment I want you to think about who you are putting on the throne of your life with those negative thoughts? Who are you letting creep in and tell you that you’re not good enough. Once you can picture them, repeat this line of the song to yourself, “Who Cares if You Disagree? You are Not Me, Who Made You King of Anything?”

What you have to think to yourself every time you are letting someone else take over your throne is, “Who Cares?”. Who cares because the only one that has to live your life is you! So you get to make the decisions.

Enjoy the song and let yourself be inspired. Thank You Sara for singing songs that inspire us to live our best lives!

Now Get Out There and De-Throne the Impostors! Grab Your Crown and Take a Seat!

Lots of Love and ‘Kingly’ Blessings,

Yay! It’s Music Monday!!

I’m starting to LOVE Mondays because I get to share my favorite music with you! There is nothing like a song that moves you and stirs your soul….0r….Your Feet!

This week’s song is the beautiful Kellie Pickler’s “Don’t You Know You’re Beautiful”. This song has an obvious message for mommas. Not only can we relate because we once were the young woman Kellie is singing about, but more than anything we want pass this message on to our children. We always want them to know just how beautiful they are.

I have a question for you though…… Do You know that You are beautiful? We spend so much time making sure our children know how special they are, we forget how special we are. Right now you’re probably thinking, “Sure. That’s nice. But, not only do I not have time to stop and remember how special I am, I really am not that special. I take care of my kids and keep things running for my family day to day. That’s about it.”

So, let me ask you another question: If you fast forwarded to 20 years from now, what would your ’20 years older’ self say to who you are today? Do you think you’d tell yourself, “Yeah, you’re not that special” or do you think it would be something like “You Rock Girl! Day in and day out you make it happen. Don’t sell yourself short. Stay strong and make your life what you want it to be!”

Isn’t that what you would tell your children? To stay true to themselves and create something amazing with their lives? So…What makes you any different than your children? Just because you have children and just because you’re life is full of people pulling you here and there, counting on your support and guidance, does NOT mean that you have to stop living your own life.

Do You know who wants to see you succeed at life more than anyone else? Your Children! They believe in mommy more than anyone in the world. You are their Super Hero! And your win is their win!

Even more importantly, your children need to see you love yourself and win big in your own life. We’re moms, we know our children are sponges and that the apple doesn’t fall to far from the tree. So if they don’t see that You know you’re beautiful, They won’t know that they’re beautiful either.

Every time you start to forget just how beautiful you are, ask yourself, “What would I say to myself 20 years from now?” Because  in your heart, you know. You know that you’re beautiful and that you have so much to give to the world. We just feel like it would be arrogant or self centered if we acknowledged it. But Damn It! You are beautiful and you should scream that out every single day!

I hope you enjoyed this week’s song! Make sure to share this with all the Mommas you that should be reminded just how beautiful they are!

Lots and Lots of Love!

Happy Music Monday!

Today’s song is from a few years back, but it’s a great one! I have to say, I LOVE Martina McBride. There are only a few other singers out there that even come close to embodying ‘Girl Power’ the was Martina does. As a woman, it would be impossible to listen to Martina’s music and not feel the love, passion and power that pours out of it. In her song, ‘This One’s For The Girls’, she touches on the challenging stages every woman goes through in her life.

One of my favorite lines in the song is, “Every laugh line on your face….made you who you are today.” This line impacts me deeply, especially being a mother. One of the biggest struggles every mother faces is the way her body changes after having children. The stretch marks, scars, extra cushion and wider hips. We look at this marks and changes as diminishing and embarrassing.

We don’t see these marks for what they are…pieces of our soul and physical representations of what we have accomplished and endured throughout our life. Those stretch marks, saggy boobs and wider hips are just a testament to what we are made of…. They show that we have the strength, courage and stamina to bring new beings into this world and nurture them with all that we are. Every single ‘mark’ made you exactly who you are today.

The other line I love is, “Yeah we’re all the same inside, from one to ninety nine”. This is one of the biggest pieces of the puzzle that so many women either completely miss, or take a while to discover. We all are the same inside. No question about it! So why do young girls -and even older women- get caught up in caddy girl vs. girl fights?

We have the capacity to form amazingly close bonds with other women, or the capacity to rip other women to shreds. When we loose sight of the fact that every girl on the planet endures the same frustrations and struggles, that’s when we turn against one another. Being a Momma of two girls, I never want them to loose sight! We are so powerful when we come together!

As you watch the video, really let the words and the energy permeate your core. I promise you won’t be the same afterward….

Let us know what your favorite line of Martina’s song is and how it touched you!

This One’s For The Girls!! Remember to cherish all of the women in your life. INCLUDING YOU!!

Love & Hugs,

So, you may have noticed that things here at DanielleZack.com pretty much came to a stand still for a few months(I missed you too!!!). During that time I have been re-working a new image and focus for the site. I have long talked about success in life and business. That will not be changing, we are all about success here  .

What has changed is that now, It’s All About the Mommas!!! I must say, I couldn’t be more excited! I love Mommas! – Aside from the fact that I am one – And there is nothing better than a Sexy and Successful Mom. When we think of the word ‘Mom’, sexy generally is one of the last adjectives that comes to mind. Somewhere along the line we were fed the idea that we can’t embody loving, caring and nurturing while at the same time being Sassy and Sexy.

Ludicrousness!!

Think about it Mommas, how did we even get the title of ‘Mom’ in the first place??? Being a mom starts with being sexy, otherwise how could that bun have gotten in the oven . Not only is it OK for us to be sexy, we NEED to be sexy! We are women. We are beautiful and amazingly powerful beings that, when allowed, can create and give the most unique gifts to the world. In order to embody ourselves and allow ourselves to be women, we must embrace every part of our self. Most importantly…dare I say it…. the sexual part!!!

The secret about women that we don’t want our men to find out, is that we are just as sexual as they are. Surprising? We are ladies! The truth is, when we feel sexy, we feel powerful. The most successful women in our world are those that love and embrace their sexual side. I guarantee, they are also busy in the bedroom .

The mission of DanielleZack.com is to help every Momma Rediscover Sexy and Successful. Our greatest successes in life happen when we love our self, embrace every single part of our self and share our own unique Sexy with the World. So Get Ready Mommas! The Sexy Momma Revolution has begun!

Sending You Oodles of Love,

Danielle

Today is the first of many Music Mondays! I am so excited to be sharing music with you every week because music is one of my biggest inspirations. There is something about the way it feels in your soul and makes you want to move and sing…..there’s no comparison.

So, today’s first ‘food for the soul’ pick is Katy Perry’s popular “Firework”. Everything about this song is moving to the core. No one can hear this song and not feel something inside – especially if they are also watching the video(super powerful!). We have all felt alone or lost. We’ve all felt like there was nothing special left within us.

Especially as Mommas, we tend to get into the monotony of taking care of everyone else all day and forget why we deserve to be loved and cherished. We forget all of the special things we hold inside that make us a “Firework”. Stop hiding you talents and beauty! Lite the fuse and let those fireworks explode!

We use our daily obligations as excuses for not letting our true light shine. The truth is, we’re afraid to let it out. We’ve been ‘Momma’ for so long now, what’s going to happen when we step out into ourselves again? Will the world accept us? Hells Yes!!!! The World is Ready to Embrace You With Open Arms!!! We don’t have enough fireworks. We NEED You! We WANT You! Let those colors burst and show us what you’re made of Woman.

So….Without Further Adieu….Here is today’s selection for Music Monday – Katy Perry’s “Firework”

I LOVE THIS VIDEO!!! GET UP AND SHAKE IT!!

Ignite the Light Mama!!

Love Always,

Have you ever felt ‘Stuck’ before? You felt like there is an invisible barrier that is holding you back from getting to that next level? I have been there plenty of times myself. We all have. Maybe you are there now. Independent Business Owners are very susceptible to feeling this way. Whether they are just starting out and trying to create real success for the first time, or if their business has held out at the same level for awhile.

When you’re stuck in this rut it can be difficult to focus period, let alone focus on how you are going to get out of the rut. It doesn’t have to be that difficult though. There are some Very Easy Action Steps that will get you organized and focused so you can move in the right direction.

Follow the instructions on the video below to get yourself back Up and Kickin’ Again.

That’s It! When you stick to the plan, it’s essentially fool proof. There is no way you can Not reach that next level in 30 Days!

Make Sure You Are Very Real and Honest When Filling Out Your Plan:

1. Where  I Am Now
2. Where I Will Be in 30 Days
3. What I Need to Get Me There
4. How I Will Acquire Everything I Need
5. My Plan of Action

Be REALISTIC!! Goals can be easily reached when we focus on one attainable step at a time. But also, Don’t Go too Easy on Yourself! Continue to push yourself to grow.

Once your 30 Day Plan is established, it’s about keeping yourself accountable to completing your tasks each day. If you can’t keep yourself accountable, then get an accountability partner. IT’S ALL ABOUT ACTION! So whatever you do, Make Sure that you are Moving Forward.

I cannot wait to see You at The Next Level!

Believing in Your Success,