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Baby Boot Camp is a fitness, nutrition, and social resource designed for mothers. Baby Boot Camp Baby Boot Camp franchises can be found across the United States including  three Portland-area franchises Portland-area franchises covering several area locations. I was provided classes with purpose to review my experience.  All opinions are my own. You can get your own first class free by scheduling your first class!

Baby Bootcamp in Beaverton Oregon | A Well Crafted Party

Each mother is as unique as the kids she raises. As unique as they are, there is one thing that many—most even— have in common, they often put their kids before them in all things. For example, my sons both have been to the dentist every six months since their teeth all came in. Me? I haven’t been to the dentist in 10 YEARS. (No flack…scheduling appointment now.)

After some pretty rough bouts of postpartum depression I have truly been working—with the help of my partner in parenting—to spend some time focusing on ME a bit more than I have done in the past. I work a lot, and I love my work, and that is where the majority of my “me-time” is devoted. What I haven’t made time for is exercise. I have a gym membership at my work, but after working 8 hours a day and being gone with the commute, I just want to be home and spend some time with my kids before bed time and time for me to open up my computer to work some more.

Signing up for Baby Bootcamp was an opportunity for me to spend an hour on some serious self-care while still entertaining and engaging with my kiddo. I liked that he and the other babies were able to watch from the strollers and laugh at the mommies doing silly moves. It was much better than the guilt I’ve felt so many times when I get home late because I took an hour to go to the gym after work.

 

Baby Bootcamp in Beaverton Oregon | A Well Crafted Party

My Baby Boot Camp Experience

I’ve got to admit… I was NERVOUS about saying ‘yes’ to this experience. My fitness level is less than ideal at this moment in my life. I was not looking forward to being in a class with women who were at a fitness level much higher than my own. Honestly, if there were a ‘slow and fat getting back at it’ class out there then I’d sign up much more willingly than I did with this class. That said… I am SO glad I did say yes in the end. Not only was everyone super friendly and welcoming, the instructor gave options for different fitness levels. She also gave options for people who had wrist issues which was AMAZING because of past carpal tunnel issues my wrists really can’t handle my entire weight at this moment in time. I was thrilled to have options that still allowed me to get in a full workout without risking injury.

Someday I’ll be able to do the below… but, until then, I sure was glad to have a less stressful move!

Baby Bootcamp in Beaverton Oregon | A Well Crafted Party

What to expect from Baby Bootcamp

Baby Bootcamp here in Beaverton moves venues throughout the season so that they can really take advantage of the good weather in Beaverton when the summer comes around. I went during the early Spring and was able to do my workout both indoors and out. Here are a few things to expect if you join Baby Bootcamp:

  • You’ll meet other moms with fitness goals. I am always super hesitant meeting new people, but these moms were super nice and all focused on achieving their own goals more than they seemed worried about what the next lady was doing. I didn’t feel uncomfortable doing the modified moves because there were other women that used modified moves as needed.
  • You’ll want to bring your jogging stroller. The kiddos stayed in the strollers the entire time that I went. At times we worked out with the strollers and at other times the kiddos hung out chatting with each other and watching the moms workout. I’m sure another type of stroller would also work, but the jogging stroller was sure handy.
  • Most all of the exercises are using your own body power and not any fitness tools. Nearly the entire workout was a set of moves that could be done without any additional equipment which was awesome because I was in turn able to bring those moves home! We did use a yoga mat to help cushion the floor when we did moves that were on the ground. We also used resistance bands for a few moves.
  • You will feel it. I felt GREAT after the first class. I was so excited that I made it through and I had so much energy afterwards. However, the next day, I was sore. It was the first time in a long time that I had done a full workout and my body knew it. I think I started feeling normal again about two days before the second class began!
  • Classes to fit your needs. There were a few different class types available including Stroller Fit (which I did) and Restore the Core. There was even a 5K training course available.
  • Enrollment Fee & Affordable Plan Pricing. You can get your first class free. After that there is an enrollment fee of $59 that pays for all the equipment you will need. There are several different plans at affordable prices for the classes.

Baby Bootcamp in Beaverton Oregon | A Well Crafted Party

 

There are several different Baby Bootcamps across the US. The Beaverton class was not even the only one in the Portland area! Many classes were available throughout the week, but as a working mom there was only one class that would fit for my schedule. The Saturday class offered free attendance to significant others as well.

Overall I hope to continue using the skills I learned in the class and plan to attend more Baby Bootcamp classes in the future! If you are on the fence right now about devoting a little time to yourself and your fitness goals then please think about giving yourself a very much deserved Mother’s Day gift of classes with Baby Bootcamp!

Portland-Area Mommas: Join Baby Boot Camp’s Free Mother’s Day Event on Saturday, May 12th at 9 AM at THPRD Athletic Center in Beaverton. Hosted by Baby Boot Camp Beaverton. The first 80 moms in attendance get a SWAG Bag!

 

This Easter I decided to brighten things up with this Modern Geometric Easter party. I was asked back on KATU’s Afternoon Live to share my Easter party tips. It is always such a fun time hanging out with Afternoon Live host Tra’Renee. Check out my spot below:

 

Some screen shots from the show:

 

Mentioned in the show:

 

Easter is around the corner and if you haven’t started thinking about your holiday meal then hopefully these ideas will get you thinking about new fun ways to bring a little bit of a childlike glee into your Easter celebration. You can make these ideas work well for an Easter lunch or an Easter brunch. These brightly colored Easter ideas are sure to be a hit.

modern geometric easter party

Modern Geometric Easter

If you never though geometry would be present in your adult life then you might want to sit down…geometric is IN in a big way. Trends come and go, but a good polygon will never go out of style.

This party featured circles, squares, triangles, pentagons… you get the idea. The different shapes helped give interest to the table. In addition to all the fun shapes we went with a little bit untraditional color scheme for Easter. I like a sweet, pastel Easter table as much as the next person. But, for this party I wanted to inject a bit of color and energy. Using some of the bright yellows from nature to inspire my pallet I featured pinks, teals, and lots of bright yellow.

modern geometric easter free printables | A Well Crafted Party

Geometric Details:

  • Geometric bunny in our invitations and menus. I love the way all the triangles come together to make little facets. (Get your free printables below!)
  • Off-set your simple, round plates on the table so that the circles of the table have a bit more interest.
  • Use a square mat of moss or perhaps a fun patterned square piece of fabric as a placemat.
  • I didn’t want the drink to fall over on the moss so I used my geometric coasters as an added detail and safety measure.
  • Geometric terrarium planters are EVERYWHERE at the moment. Using the planter as a secondary vase allows the centerpiece to be filled with Easter elements such as Easter eggs or Easter candies.

modern geometric easter drink idea | A Well Crafted Party

Easter Decorating Tips:

  • Use Easter eggs in your decor! Seriously, they are so gorgeous and a big part of Easter tradition. If you use real eggs know that there will be some smell that is attached to those. In this vase I used real eggs because I love the hue of them. However, you could totally substitute plastic eggs or painted wooden eggs and use them year after year.
  • Tulips. Enough said… well, let me rephrase that to say, LOTS and LOTS of tulips. Tulips are wonderful and affordable. They are also super easy to work with and look good even when drooping a bit.
  • Use traditional Easter candies throughout your decor. I used bright pink Peeps in this party as well as chocolate bunnies. The chocolate bunnies I found had a red ribbon around the neck so I just slipped that off and replaced it with a ribbon that matched my party color scheme.
  • Use a balloon to make your beverage glass match your color scheme. This works for any color scheme!

bunny fold for Easter party | A Well Crafted Party

Check back soon for my post on how to make these fun bunny fold napkins. Or, check out this great paper napkin bunny fold YouTube video!

Get your free printables below:

I’m pretty much all about the printables when it comes to parties. This party was no exception. I think that these paper invitations and menus really bring together all the fun geometric elements of the party.

Free Printable Geometric Easter Party Inviations and Menus | A Well Crafted Party

Download your Free Printable Modern Easter Brunch Invite

Download your Free Printable Modern Easter Brunch Menu

Download your Free Printable Modern Easter Lunch Invite

Download your Free Printable Modern Easter Lunch Menu