wellness blog

Beauty, General, Miscellaneous, Skincare

my evening routine: skincare + at-home teeth whitening

January 18, 2019January 18, 2019by Samantha MilburnLeave a Comment

Hello my loves! I’ve had a lot of requests for routine-type posts, but truthfully I feel like it took me until the last few months to get a truly good routine going. I remember when I graduated college I thought it would be so easy to have a routine when it was the same schedule every day, no homework to come home to, or whatever the case might have been, but I found that finding my “adult” routine took a lot of trial and error. Also, with all my skincare changes between treating acne, Accutane, and now coming off Accutane, I haven’t been sticking with one particular routine for long, so I waned to make sure I found the skincare + beauty products that I knew I wanted to stick with before sharing. And I’m so excited because I have the opportunity to host another giveaway here on The Southern Sooner – so be sure to keep reading for details!

Continue reading →

adulting, growing up

how I’m getting organized in 2019

January 16, 2019January 16, 2019by Samantha MilburnLeave a Comment

I love the new year because there’s so much determination in the air to get various areas of our lives together in hopes that maybe it’ll stay that way. I love spring cleaning but I try and get organized and purge unnecessary items long before March. Starting off the year a little bit lighter and less burdened by material things just feels good. So for any of you that are looking to do the same, here’s what I’m doing to start 2019 off organized!

Continue reading →

blogging

my favorite apps for instagram as a blogger

January 14, 2019January 14, 2019by Samantha Milburn2 Comments

Instagram is fun + games for the most part, but if you’re a blogger then you know that it goes a lot deeper than simply being a social media platform – it’s a promotional tool that requires strategy. Between algorithms and planning a feed but also appealing to what your followers want to see and keeping it fun but also promoting… it’s a lot to keep track of. So here are a few apps that I have found made my Instagram easier to work with.

Continue reading →

Fitness, Health + Wellness

full body cardio workout

January 7, 2019January 7, 2019by Samantha MilburnLeave a Comment

First of all, I’m going to ask that you please excuse all the mirror selfies in this post lol I moved this post up a couple weeks due to demand so I worked with what I had. BUT. Onto the actual point of this post. Since we’re all motivated and hitting the gym right now, I wanted to give you guys one of my favorite workout routines to try out. I think it can get really easy – especially for us women – to hop on the treadmill every workout and call it good. And while it’s a good starting point to get comfortable with the gym and its atmosphere, strength training is where you’re going to find some of your best results.

Continue reading →

adulting, Fitness, habit trackers

making time for the gym with a busy schedule + january habit tracker

January 5, 2019January 5, 2019by Samantha Milburn1 Comment

It’s always easy to get to the gym in the beginning of the new year when we feel all motivated, but then the reality of life sets back in and our schedules tend to get in the way of our good intentions.

The brutal truth I had to tell myself when I was letting my schedule get in the way of my going to the gym is this: it’s an excuse. It might be true, as young or established professionals we’re definitely kept busy and have other things that take up our time and energy, but if it’s something that’s important to you, you’ll make time. Since I’ve had to learn this firsthand, I wanted to give y’all some tips on how I did it for myself!

Continue reading →

adulting, books, growing up

5 self-development books I’m reading in 2019

January 3, 2019December 30, 2018by Samantha Milburn2 Comments

I used to think I was never much of a reader because I’m always so picky about novels and usually end up getting sleepy halfway through a chapter. That, and being in school, more reading was usually the last thing I wanted to do. But as I’ve grown into my young adult life, I’ve realized that love the inspiration I can pull from self-development books; and I love that they can touch on so many different areas – faith, mentality, even in network marketing. Whatever walk of life you’re going through, odds are, you can find a self-development book about it. Here are some of the books I read in 2018 or am looking forward to reading in 2019!

adulting, growing up, my life

reflection on 2018 + goals for 2019

December 31, 2018December 31, 2018by Samantha MilburnLeave a Comment

I’m having such a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that another year has come and gone. I can’t tell if the time is passing faster because I’m actually having that much fun or if it’s simply because I’m getting older. But I really do love this time of year because I love to reflect on what the Lord has done in the past year – I love reminiscing in the good times, and I appreciate the lessons I learned in the hard times. Similarly, I love getting to look ahead knowing that everything that happened this year has paved the way for what’s going to happen in 2019 and that it’s molded me into who I want – and was designed – to be.

Continue reading →