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Melinda Strauss

Melinda
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therealmelindastrauss

❤️Teaching you how to LIVE with intention
🙏🏻Transforming your health➕business with Optavia
🐶Sharing INSPO on my morning dog walks
🍪Tahini Cookies👇🏻

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Happy National Blueberry Pancake Day 🥞🥞🥞 Thanks to @naomi_tgis for always reminding us about these national holidays 😂
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I told you all that I would be sharing more of my gluten free recipes (I have sooooo many on my blog) after all the love for my tahini chocolate chip cookie sticks ❤️ I’m excited to start with these insanely delicious Flaxseed Coconut Blueberry Pancakes on kitchen-tested.com. You can find the recipe by going to the blog and typing “flaxseed” into the search bar. Super simple! .
These blueberry pancakes, just like the tahini cookies, look a little scary at first. There is absolutely no flour (the flax acts as a binder) 😱 It’s awesome!! Just trust me and make them!
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#nationalblueberrypancakeday #pancakestack #grainfree #glutenfreepancakes #glutenfreerecipes #breakfastofchampions #blueberrypancakes #flaxseedpancakes #flaxseed #healthyeating #healthybreakfast #bananapancakes #foodblogfeed #f52grams @thefeedfeed.glutenfree #thefeedfeed

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3 out of 4 of my grandparents were born in America. The 4th, my Savtah Adina z”l, was born in Palestine (before Israel became a nation) in 1924 and she moved to America with her family in 1933 bc it was no longer safe. I have not lost any immediate family in the Holocaust and for that I am grateful. But I have lost because I am a Jew and we are ALL connected.
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As I read the posts that you’re all sharing of the family you lost and the family that survived, I am reminded more than ever that you all need to continue telling your stories! Share them on social media, share them at the shabbos table, share them with your coworkers! Share because we can NEVER forget what the world allowed to happen! 6 million Jews murdered for only one reason. Because they were Jewish.
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Anti-semitism is on the rise and it’s scary to think that there are still people out there who would kill me just bc I am Jewish. Doesn’t matter if I’m orthodox, conservative, affiliated, or simply Jewish by blood, if I cover my hair or wear bikinis, if I keep kosher or eat pork, if my hair is brown and curly or straight and blonde, to those who hate us, a Jew is a Jew.
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Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day and we must not forget the tragedy, the genocide, the murder, the death of 6 million Jews 🙏🏻 As Elie Wiesel said “to forget a Holocaust is to kill twice.”
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#neverforget #holocaustremembranceday #antisemitism #proudjew #neveragain #history #6million #weremember #holocaustremembrance #aushwitz #humanrights #learnfromhistory #eliewiesel #alwaysremember #hatehasnohomehere

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Turns out when your kids are old enough, it actually does turn from a trip into a vacation 🙌🏻
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We’ve been traveling with the kids since they were very little and I remember the days of lugging strollers, diaper bags, extra changes of clothes, toys and snacks. The kids would fight in the back seat whether the drive was 10 minutes of 45 minutes. Someone would always get sick. Everyone complained. But we did it anyways because we LOVE to show our kids that life exists outside of their usual bubble! Ps. We also love to go away without our kids and if you haven’t tried that yet, IT IS TIME!
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But this trip to Hawaii was different. Yes, there were mood swings (shout out to Nora for that one) but we truly enjoyed this vacation. We relaxed by the beach and the pool, the kids were willing to try fun things like scuba diving and kayaking, and they didn’t even complain about the food! I can honestly say I don’t think I yelled more than a twice in a whole week and that’s pretty impressive 😜
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So my message to all of you with little kids is this:
1. Go away on vacations without your kids, pleeeeeaase 🙏🏻 You need it, even if you’ll miss them. Fill your own cup!
2. If you can take your kids on trips when they’re little, it’s worth it, even though it can be crazy stressful
3. It will get easier and it will become a vacation...I can’t tell you when it will happen for you but it WILL!
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Are you taking trips or vacations now?
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#vacationmode #vacationvibes #backtoschool #winterbreak #triptoremember #hawaiistagram #hawaiisbestphotos #mauilife #mauivacation #aloha #shaka #takeavacation #paradise #stokedallday #traveltheworld #familytime #familyvacation #vacaymode #backtoreallife

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So proud of myself today! I watched Justin and Zach go scuba diving in the ocean and I didn’t freak out too much 😂
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Funny thing is that I’m actually a certified diver. Both Justin and I got certified with @paditv when we were teenagers so you would think I would be totally comfortable with Zach following in our footsteps. Don’t get me wrong...I’m SO PROUD! But that moment he went into the ocean with all that gear scared the crap out of me! I trusted Justin and I trusted the instructor but in my mind, anything could go wrong!
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Watching Zach push through fears and try something new made me realize that my mommy-fears take a back seat to his growth. I can’t control every moment of my child’s life and it’s important to give him space to do scary things, make mistakes, and be himself.
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Share one of your proud parenting moments with me 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻
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#proudmom #proudparentmoment #scubadiving #scubalove #hawaiistagram #hawaiisbestphotos #mauilife #mauibeach #pushthroughfear #kickfearintheface #soproud #momlife #winterbreak #vacationmode #vacationvibes #vacationgoals #parentingishard #makemistakes #doscarythings #growthmindset

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Sing it with me: Underneath the banyan tree 🎶 Yup, it’s a song...I googled it 😂
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This incredible banyan tree in Maui blows me away every time I see it! It is HUGE and actually the largest banyan tree in the US! As we waited to board our whale watching tour this morning in Lahaina, I took the kids into the banyan tree park (I don’t know the actual name for it) to relax in the shade of this special tree. Mostly because Nora was super cranky standing in the sun and thank goodness for that because it brought us right under this incredible tree that is rooted into 16 trunks! It seems like a whole bunch of different trees but it’s actually just ONE and it’s almost 140 years old!
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Honestly, it makes me happy to see my kids in awe of Hashem’s wonders. We are so disconnected to reality sometimes bc of the internet and bc everything we need is at our finger tips. And this isn’t just for the kids. This goes for all of us! Maybe I sound old saying it but the internet has changed us all and it’s good to look up from time to time 😘
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Seeing mommy whales teaching their babies to breach, standing under the banyan tree, picking starfruit right out of the trees...all from Hashem and moments we will never forget. If you can, find those moments. And it doesn’t have to be Hawaii (although that would be awesome)! But seek them out. Find those waterfalls. Visit the Grand Canyon. Check out Yellowstone National Park. Swim in the Dead Sea. With life being so fast paced, it’s nice to remind ourselves that everything comes from Hashem and I am grateful for that reminder today 🙏🏻
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#naturesbeauty #natureswonders #thankyouhashem #banyantree #hawaiistagram #hawaiisbestphotos #mauilife #mauivacation #vacaymode #lahainatown #winterbreak #familytime #treehugger #naturesmiracle #miracleshappeneveryday #traveltheworld #travelgram #hawaiitravel

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I am in LOVE with @mauikosherfarm 🐐 Seriously, the owners Mendel and Chani are so special. They care so much about their home, their farm, their animals, their food.
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Oh man, lunch was so good! Served on a rustic table (of course) with homemade bread and dips, scrambled quail eggs, banana chips made on the farm with the “free range” apple bananas (that means the banana trees naturally pollinate and grow), fresh cracked macadamia nuts, and we tasted unpasteurized goat yogurt (def not my thing 😂).
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You can watch my experience at the farm on my IG stories and in my new Maui highlight 🌴 I hope you all get a chance to visit one day! And swipe to see my VERY real reaction as all the goats were running towards me 🙈
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By the way, the amount of you that messaged me to say hi to Mendel and Chani really just shows how amazing they are ❤️ You can say hi here and they will definitely see it!
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#mauilife #mauifarmtour #kosherfarm #hawaiistagram #hawaiisbestphotos #farmlife #farmtotable #freerange #freerangechickens #goatsofinstagram #organicfarming #vacationmode #vacationgoals #paradise #winterbreak #kosherfoodies #livingmybestlife

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Sippin on Nora’s virgin strawberry daiquiri 🍍or doing it for the gram...
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Truth is, it’s not easy separating from my phone and alllll the potential photo oops! I want to take a million pics of my kids, all the drinks in my hand with the palm trees behind me, selfies with Justin, my feet in the sand, and I want to take so many pics of me all around Maui for my IG feed. But also, I want to relax with my fam and be in the moment. And honestly, I don’t think it’s wrong to do both.
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My strategy is to take a bunch of pics right away so I get all the shots, and then put down the phone and live it up. I know it’s not a perfect system but my awareness of the phone in my hand is helping me put it down more often. And here’s the biggest truth...you ready for this??? Using a phone on vacation is OKAY 😘 Yup! You get to decide how much phone time you want. You get to decide how you want to parent, what kind of vacation you’re on, how much screen time you give yourself and your kids. YOU. Not the other moms who may be judging you or that stranger on the internet giving out advice. YOU decide what’s right for you and your family do you get to enjoy the moments in the way that is best for you ❤️
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#vacationmode #vacationvibes #strawberrydaiquiri #doitforthegram #hawaiistagram #hawaiibestphotos #mauilife #winterbreak #travelphotography #traveltheworld #pineapple #paradise #hakunamatata #winterinmaui

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We made it to paradise! Welcome to my favorite place on earth 🌴 We’ve been lei-ed, we unpacked, we went grocery shopping, and we put our feet in the sand. All in all, I would say day 1 in Hawaii has been a perfect day ☀️
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So excited that I get to spend a week in Maui with my family. I know it’s not something everyone can do and I am grateful for every moment 🙏🏻
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Do you have any vacations on your bucket list or your dream board??? Ps. an African safari is on my dream board 🐘
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#hawaiisbestphotos #hawaiistagram #mauilife #winterbreak #vacationmode #paradise #bucketlistadventures #dreamboard #vacationtime #familytime #grateful #gratefullheart #livewithkavana #hawaiivacation

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