Hi Friends! I’m Natalie Mason. I live in Charleston, SC and I am mom to Sterling 12 , Frances Moon 8 and our mini golden doodle Dolly.

LEARN MORE

RECIPES

Browse my easy, family-friendly recipes and get some dinner inspiration!

FASHION

Check out my outfit ideas and family finds for inspiration.

BEAUTY

My best beauty tips and tricks for glowing skin and shiny hair.

SHOP LTK

Visiting Charleston?

check out my faves!

Q&A

Mar 15, 2018

Recently I have really enjoyed when other bloggers answer questions on their blogs.  I think we all like to know a little bit more about our blogger friends.  I asked for you guys to send me questions on instagram and I got lots of them!  I may try and do a q&a post every month or two if this is something you guys like reading, just let me know!

By far the most frequently asked question was how did Ben and I meet?  

We met through mutual friends.  We texted for a bit at first and then met for our first date last May.  Charleston is such a small city,  as we got to know each other better it was crazy how many acquaintances we had in common.  This  picture was from last Summer:)

 

Things you would tell your 20 year old self?
Honestly,  enjoy this time in your life.  I remember being in such a rush to graduate college, get married and have kids.  Enjoy your 20’s there are responsibilities but nothing like after you get married and have kids.  Also follow your dreams don’t settle for a job you don’t love.  I tried to talk myself into real estate right college and I hated it.  I did it for one year and then realized It just wasn’t for me.  I then became an architectural rep and eventually started my blog both jobs that fulfilled me and inspired me.  Also, and this is something I learned recently it is so important to love yourself before you can have any successful relationship.  Focus on yourself take time to get to know yourself and  figure out the things that inspire you, make you happy, and fulfill your soul.  If you are happy with yourself everything else will follow.

Are the clothes I show sponsored? 

For the most part no.  As a blogger one of the main parts of our job is kind of being like a personal shopper and that means shopping.  I buy the majority of what I feature, although if an item sells out online I usually return it before I even feature it.  Lately you guys have expressed an interest in more dressing room try ons and for those I usually just try on and don’t buy the clothes.  I am pretty picky about what I feature and try to only show items I actually own or items I would like to own and wear.  I turn down many companies that contact me because I feel like it is not my style.  I try and stay true to myself. I do occasionally work with local stores who gift me items sometimes.   I often get beauty products for free too.  I do get collaborations with brands like Nordstrom which means I get paid a flat fee to write about a certain topic but even then I still buy and choose the clothes and items I feature on those posts.

Is it easier dying my hair all over as opposed to highlights? and is it more damaging to my hair? 

You guys know I love my hair blonde.  My hairdresser and I joke that I am blondeorexic meaning my hair is never blonde enough.  I will sometimes look in the mirror and think it looks dark- I have hair issues.  Several months ago I went totally platinum (dyed my whole head as opposed to highlights)  and while I liked it a first I recently decided I needed more dimension.  My roots showed quicker and looked way darker because my hair was so blonde, my hair seemed almost white.  I actually just went back yesterday and we did highlights all over, broke the base, and did a gloss treatment.  As much as I loved the platinum it was drying my hair out and I felt like it also washed me out.  I also chopped a good bit off- here is my new hair do.

Have I thought about moving back to Charlotte?  

Of course I have thought about this often, I miss my parents and brother and sister so much.  However I love my life in Charleston.  I have such an awesome group of friends here and I love living near the water.   I also think it is best for the kids to be near both parents,  so we plan to stay here in Charleston.

Do I have a schedule for my blog content?  

Yes I try and plan out at least a week ahead.  By now you guys know that I have set days I run certain posts.  Mondays – Scenes From our Weekend, Tuesdays- Obesessions, Wednesday- RecipeS, Thursday and Friday are my wild card days.  I see what moves me for those days.  I always love suggestions from you guys too!

Favorite Podcasts?

I love The Skinny Confidential.  It is my current favorite.  There are so many great ones about blogging, diet and beauty secrets.  I loved the one with Dr Dennis Gross and Tanya Zucker from the X Factor Diet.  The one with the Fat Jewish was also hilarious!  I also just listened to the new Goop podcast where Gwyneth Paltrow interviews Oprah and it was so good, a must listen to!

Faster Way to Fat Loss Update?

My session ended about 2 weeks ago.  If you guys follow me you know I made some exceptions on this plan.   I had dinners out, drank wine and sometimes ate breakfast.   I would say I stuck to it probably 80% of the time and give myself a B- for effort but you know what I still saw results.  My arms, legs and abs have more definition and I lost 5 pounds.   I have done so much research on intermittent fasting and how good it is for you body so I plan to still follow that aspect of the diet a few days a week- meaning you only allow yourself an 8 hour window to consume all your foods.  You basically skip breakfast and stop eating usually by 7 at night so your body’s digestion system can rest.  Ben and I  just watched a documentary about Fasting- the people on this documentary would fast for 21 days.  It was amazing the results they saw in illnesses, blood pressure, and other aliments.  So fasting is a legit thing!  What I loved about FWFL was the planned workouts, you could easily do them at home or the gym.  I still do the arm and leg workouts.   I also learned so much about nutrition and balancing macros.  I wasn’t eating near enough protein before I started this plan.  My coach Lindsey was amazing,  she helped answer all my questions, encourage me, and taught me a lot about the nutrition side of things.  Her next bootcamp starts March 26 and you can sign up HERE to join.   If you really follow this program you will see results there are so many success stories!!   I enjoyed FWFL but I decided not to do another round although I still plan to incorporate a lot of what I learned into my lifestyle.

What is my goal weight?

My goal weight is around 135. I am almost 5’10 so this is a good healthy weight for me.

What do I pack the kids for Lunch?

Neither of my kids love sandwiches so I usually pack things like salami, cheese and ritz crackers.  Other favorites are: pirates booty, veggie straws, yogurt, mandarian oranges, cucumbers and hummus, and string cheese.  Recently I bought a thermos and have been sending cereal some days for Sterling.

How often do I grocery shop and do I budget?

I would say I am at the grocery store 4-5 times a week.  I am weird and actually love grocery shopping.  I don’t typically plan my meals far out.  Usually Monday I decide what I want to cook for the week.  I don’t cook everyday.  I usually cook Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and maybe Sunday.  Other days we eat leftovers or eat out.  I am the worst about budgeting but I am trying to work on that. I do always make it a goal to sit down and eat as a family, so I always eat with the kids.

Do the kids eat what I cook?

Absolutely.  They do not get another meal they get what I cook.  Sometimes I will plate theirs differently from mine but it is the same food.  This was our dinner Monday night- Tuna Melts, Roasted broccoli, and deviled eggs.   I had many questions about the kid’s plates and I bought them at Pottery Barn Kids, but I do not see them online anymore.  I found similar ones HERE and HERE.

New go to place for favorite recipes?

I still love Pinterest. That is my go to for recipe inspiration.  I also subscribe to Food and Wine and Bon Appetit, they both have great recipes.  These cookbooks are a few new favorites too : Half Baked Harvest, Love Real Food,  and Dining In.

How do I plan my date nights and how often do I get sitters? 

I usually plan my date nights when Matt has the kids.  If it falls on a day Matt doesn’t have the kids I get a sitter but I would say I rarely use a sitter these days we have a good schedule set up.  I also usually ask Matt first if I am going to get sitter on the days he doesn’t have the kids and give him the option to have the kids again.

What is my workout routine?

Lately I have only been making it to the gym about 3 days a week.  I usually do cardio and weights one day.  For cardio I do the stairmill on 5-8 speed for 30 minutes or the treadmill and I run walk 2 min intervals.  I then follow that with pull ups, the thigh machines, and abs.  I do pilates one day a week and of the weather is nice I run outside one day a week.

Favorite Date Night Spots in Charleston?

We love sushi and that is usually our go to for date night, Osaka is our favorite.  I also love The Grocery, Indacco, Sorghum and Salt, Bin 152, and Goat Sheep Cow North.

xoxo

 

 

 

 

+ view comments

Leave a Reply

  1. Robin says:

    I love your shorter hair!!

  2. Heather says:

    Love your haircut! Looks great on you!

  3. Kristen says:

    This is so fun! Love learning more about you. I agree your haircut and color look amazing!

  4. Kate says:

    Love this post! Your hair looks amazing. Love the cut!

  5. Lee says:

    Love the haircut and the post!

  6. Allyson says:

    Hi there– I have been doing the 16:8 intermittent fasting for a few months and love it. Do you mind sharing the name of the documentary you watched? TIA!

  7. Christie says:

    Love your hair! The cut looks great!

  8. Megan says:

    Your haircut is so cute! Love these Q&A posts. More please!

RECENT POSTS