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Meg’s Moxie 10K Fan Giveaway – 10 Winners!

I have teamed up with Meg’s Moxie and a group of awesome bloggers and businesses to bring you this 10k giveaway!

Meg’s Moxie has reached 10,000 Facebook Fans and today is Meg’s birthday, so we’re starting it off with a bang! {Plus, I just hit my own 10,000 fan mark a week ago, so it’s a fun time for me to celebrate with her!} For this great 10k, we have 10 prizes going out to 10 winners and this giveaway is running for 10 days. The giveaway starts on 4/2 at 9pm EST and will end on 4/13 at 12:01am EST!

Check out the 10 fantastic prizes below!

There are tons of great prizes – meaning lots of chances to win! Love it, right?

  • 1st Prize: $50 PayPal Cash!
  • 2nd Prize: $50 PayPal Cash!
  • 3rd Prize: $35 Value Beauty Package!
  • 4th Prize: $25 It Works Gift Certificate by Wrap Wisconsin Skinny!
  • 5th Prize: $15 Starbucks Gift Card and a $10 Amazon Gift Card!
  • 6th Prize: $10 PayPal Cash and a $25 Restaurant.com Gift Card!
  • 7th Prize: $10 PayPal Cash and a $25 Restaurant.com Gift Card!
  • 8th Prize: $10 Amazon Gift Card and a 12 Month Subscription to Martha Stewart Living!
  • 9th Prize: $10 Amazon Gift Code!
  • 10th Prize: $25 Worth of Coupons!

The only mandatory entry for this giveaway is to read and agree to the terms & conditions (which explains any additional information required for the optional methods). It is up to you how many optional entries you submit, but remember, the more you submit, the better your odds are of winning! Also, if you are having issues loading the giveaway, try using Google Chrome or FireFox browsers as Internet Explorer may not work as well. {Feelin’ lucky? Take a minute and enter to win all the other awesome prizes that I’m giving away this month too – All listed in the sidebar!}

Use the easy peasy Rafflecopter form below to get your entries in and good luck to all! 

[Read more…]

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Posted by on April 2, 2012 Filed Under: Giveaways | No Comments

Nutrisystem Weight Loss Adventure – Week 5 Results

Weight Loss results after 5 weeks with Nutrisystem

Week 5 on Nutrisystem – Results are Rockin’!

Over the course of the first month on the Nutrisystem program, I was really proud to meet my goal of losing at least a pound a week. So this month, I wanted to try to double that – And so far, so good!!! I was SUPER excited to step on the scale on Sunday for my weekly weigh-in, and see that I had lost almost 2.5 pounds over the week. I seriously can’t believe it – I have tried for over a year to get this baby weight off, and couldn’t get that scale to budget one bit. This is rockin’ – and I couldn’t be happier!

Why I love Nutrisystem…

The Nutrisystem plan includes a ton of variety in the foods that you get to choose from each day, and you even get to add in your own snacks – which means that it’s a perfect fit for anyone who needs help losing weight. Here are a few of the reasons why it works so perfectly for me –

  1. I’m a busy mom. I don’t have time to carefully measure portions and count up all of the calories in the ingredients that I cook with. Some days I barely have time TO eat, let alone add in a bunch of extra steps. With Nutrisystem, it’s so simple to eat right – I just grab something marked lunch, add in a salad or string cheese, and I can eat and enjoy, knowing that my meals are balanced and healthy.
  2. The foods are great. I really expected that the foods wouldn’t be very good. So many “diet” foods have that yucky artificial type of taste, or worse – have no taste at all! But on Nutrisystem, I get to enjoy awesome dinners like Citrus Barbeque Glazed Pork, healthy Chicken Enchiladas, or the deliciously spicy Adobo Rubbed Pork. So good!
  3. There are tons of shelf-stable options. This is really great for me – I can throw a meal bar in my purse to eat if I know I’ll be out running errands, or bring along a chocolate muffin for morning playdates. Next week I’m headed on a business trip to Fort Worth, Texas, and will be able to pack a few of these options in my bag, to help me stay on track while away from home.

There are so many great features about this program – it is seriously so easy to follow.

Busy moms need flexibility, and Nutrisystem provides that

It’s so easy to make Nutrisystem a part of your daily routines – there are tons of delicious food choices, you get to add in great fruits, veggies, and healthy snacks, and everything is in perfect portion sizes, making it easy as can be to stay on track. Add in the totally helpful online tools and amazing support community – and you have everything you need to start losing weight too!

Read more about my Nutrisystem Weight Loss journey, and follow my Weight Loss board on Pinterest too!

WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT AND GET HEALTHY ON NUTRISYSTEM?

Join today by calling 1-888-853-4689 or by visiting Nutrisystem.com. It’s simple to get started, the foods are actually really good, with loads of variety. Heck – you even get to have chocolate cake or ice cream each night for dessert, how great is that? Get started today – it’s the best choice you’ll make this year!

{Disclaimer: I’m receiving a complimentary membership and access to all Nutrisystem products and services, to review here for you. All photos, opinions, and results here are 100% my own personal experience – and may vary for others.}

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Posted by on April 2, 2012 Filed Under: Nutrisystem | No Comments

New Campaign Supports Busy Moms & Healthy Families


Source: aubutfamily.com via Sunshine and on Pinterest

So true, right?

If you’ve read this site for very long, you know a few things about me – That since the day I found out that I was pregnant with Abby, I started on a journey to making my life cleaner & greener. That no matter how hard I tried, I was not able to lose the baby weight {or do I call it toddler weight now?} on my own – until I found the Nutrisystem plan. That a healthy lifestyle has become so much more important to me now that I’m the role model for another little person, who for whatever crazy reason, thinks that I’m the person to look up to. So, while I am FAR from perfect, I am proud of the fact that I am consistently making small changes that move me towards a better life. Like this quote says – No matter how slow I go, I’m doing better than all of those people who don’t even start. And to me, that’s what’s important – the journey!

 

“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.”  – Jim Rohn

If you’re like me, and doing your best to move towards a better, healthier, more exuberant way of living – You will probably be as excited as I am to hear about a really cool new campaign to help motivate families towards healthier lifestyles called Together Counts. I’ll let them tell you a little more about themselves –

“Together Counts is a nationwide program inspiring active and healthy living. The principle behind our program is Energy Balance, which means balancing the calories we consume with the calories we burn – {which is the smartest way you can live!} – It’s a first-of-its kind coalition that brings together more than 195 retailers, food and beverage manufacturers, restaurants, sporting goods and insurance companies, trade associations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and professional sports organizations.”

What I really love about this campaign is the focus on moderation. We all know that our lifestyles have room for improvement. {Ok, so there’s probably a 1% of you out there drinking a celery smoothie while doing Yoga with your toddler and not relating. But this is for the rest of you, lol} We are also all super busy Super Moms who are doing out best to juggle those crazy demands of life/kids/spouse/work/home – and that causes us to sometimes feed out kids chicken nuggets or mac and cheese from a box. That doesn’t make us bad moms, and advice that causes us to feel that way usually just gets ignored – for good reason. But no, this campaign is all about finding realistic ways to make positive changes to balance your family’s life. You will LOVE the tips, ideas, and resources you’ll find!

If you’re ready to get your family movin’ together, and eatin’ healthy more often, then join the party online!

There are tons of super fun ways that you can get involved in this great campaign, and they can provide you with loads of resources, tips, support – and even fun prizes! – to help you and your family get on a path to better living!

  1. Together Counts is holding a fun sweepstakes on their Facebook page   to celebrate their first anniversary. Prizes include gift cards, George Foreman Grills and a membership to Anytime Fitness. Super cool stuff for summertime!
  2. You can also follow Together Counts on Twitter for fun daily updates and tips, and find some AWESOME ideas on their Pinterest boards, like this super simple fruit palm tree that totally encourages kids in a fun way to try new foods!
  3. Join Together Counts as they celebrate Child Nutrition Month at a Twitter party on 4/3 from 8-9 PM EST. Prizes include $50 same-as-cash gift cards. For more information and to RSVP, visit ResourcefulMommy.com.

Now that you have some awesome tools to help you, you’re ready to make this summer a season of fun, fitness, and fantastic fresh foods. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this too – What are the biggest obstacles to your family in being healthy? What are your biggest successes? Do you have tips to share? I love hearing from you guys!

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Posted by on April 1, 2012 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution | No Comments

How to DIY your way to luxury outdoor living

We moved to a new home a little over a year ago, and it is such an amazing change for me – We went from a house that was super cute, but was right on a major city street in a not-so-great neighborhood, to a new home outside of the city with a HUGE 4-bay shop, wrap-around cement patio, and in-ground pool. Our first summer here last year was all about doing some basic clean up of the property – and a HUGE project getting the pool cleaned up and taken care of – But this year we’re ready to do some fun improvements! We loooove to entertain, and with the 100+ degree temps all summer here in Central Washington, our pool becomes the gathering spot for all of our friends and fam, which I love. So, I’ve picked out some totally uh-MAY-zing pics to guide me in transforming our space… They are all totally out of reach for me on my super limited budget, but they can inspire some more budget-friendly outdoor living DIY projects…

“One must maintain a little bittle of summer, even in the middle of winter.” – Henry David Thoreau

How awesome is this? From the built-in kitchen set up to the under-water bar stool seating, this is just incredible, right? We obviously are not rock stars or Mega Millions winners – yet – so this is out of reach. But, there are some cool aspects of this that we can use. One big goal of mine is to build an outdoor kitchen – and I’ve seen some awesome budget-friendly ideas like this amazingly cheap outdoor kitchen DIY using old cement blocks, or this outdoor kitchen project built around your existing BBQ. And while I can’t afford underwater seating – I can get us a few new fun fabric-covered pool chairs, so that we can carry our drinks while we float. Love those. {Plus, I use Swagbucks, and earn tons of free Amazon gift cards, so I can get at little cost.}

poolside seating ideas

“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” – Henry James

Doesn’t this make you long for a sunny afternoon and a good book? So perfectly lovely. But alas, my budget does not include funds for a beautiful white cabana. But, I am planning to make some pretty cushioned seating on our patio, like this fabric-covered concrete block bench. We have a ton of old block laying around, so this would be super inexpensive to build. It won’t be as luxurious as this, but it will still be a nice place to read and relax.

fountains in swimming pool

“Summer will end soon enough, and childhood as well.” – George R.R. Martin

Something about fountains feels so childlike and magical to me. I was always so intrigued by any type of waterfall or fountain when I was a little girl. This is so beautiful, the way it falls into the pool. Love it. And I found a bunch of totally do-able outdoor fountain ideas that we can make on the cheap from TipNut.com! There are so many fun ideas on there.

garden path DIY

“It’s a smile, it’s a kiss, it’s a sip of wine … it’s summertime!” – Kenny Chesney

Since summer is all about outdoor entertaining for us, I want to have ways to connect all of our different outdoor spaces. There is a walkway from the pool area to the shop – and the guys spend a lot of time in there. We’re building a play area for the kids behind the shop, near the field – with a swing set, sandbox, and picnic area. Then we’ve got a path that winds around to the front of the house too. I love this ideas of using big stones to make a fun pathway, and this would be a lot cheaper than paving or making full brick paths. I love that it’s so simple and whimsical.

What do you think?

You can see more of my Outdoor Living ideas on Pinterest, check out my current favorite book, Backyard Idea Book: Outdoor Kitchens, Sheds & Storage, Fireplaces, Play Spaces & Pools – and be sure to follow along during the month of May, as I share tons of tips, ideas, products, and all the progress we’re making on turning our outdoor space into a super fun place. With tight budgets we’re not able to take a real vacation – so instead, I’ll show you some great frugal ways to make your own property a perfect place to spend your summer afternoons. Do you have any great ideas or tips to share? Leave me some comments!

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Posted by on April 1, 2012 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution | 16 Comments

Simple Tool Shows Where Your Time is Really Going

my life as a blogger

“If you want work well done, select a busy man – the other kind has no time.” – Elbert Hubbard

I absolutely adore this quote. How many times have you complained – “I just don’t have enough time in a day to get it all done!” We all have a different “it”, but as super-busy Super Moms, it’s usually a combination of housework, childcare, and work we do for an income. I always feel like I just have too much to do, and it’s impossible to keep up…  Between taking care of the kiddos, keeping up with a very busy house and all of it’s messes, and trying to work from home – with an adorable but very busy toddler as my assistant all day – I never, ever, accomplish everything that I have on my to-do list.

But the thing is – we all have the same 24 hours worth of time each day. Every. Single. One. Of. Us.

So, why are some people able to accomplish so much more in the same amount of hours each day? It’s all about time management – And you can’t be in control of managing your time if you don’t even really know how it’s being spent each day. Just like making a budget for your household spending – You have to take a hard look at where you’re spending your time, and see if it matches your priorities. If not – grab a hold of your life, and make some changes!

“Time is neither friend nor enemy it’s just a measurement.” – Mike Dolan

To learn where YOUR time is going each day – take a minute to check out this amazingly simple time-management tool to get a visual snapshot of your day. You just fill in the blanks with what you do during a typical day, and how much time you spend on it. Then it pops it all together and creates a cool chart like the visual above – Yes, this is a typical day in the life of me, Bloggy McBlogster. As you can see, I spend most of my time working online, managing my social media accounts, playing/caring for/chasing down Abby, and cleaning or picking up after these messy savages that I call a family. {If you guys are reading – Love you! Mwah!} The small amount of other time is spent cooking/eating, watching TV twice a week {Fringe, and Once Upon A Time – only shows I ever watch} – and yes, 2% of our time really is spent dancing. We love an impromptu dance party in the kitchen in the evenings – that’s good livin’.

What Makes You Tick – Create your own customized time management graphic today and learn where you spend your time!

When you’re done, leave me a comment and let me know what you thought of this… Were you surprised by where your time was going? Or was it pretty much what you expected? Where do you think you need to make changes? You guys know that I struggle at times with time management – {here’s a super-funny cartoon that perfectly describes my time-management struggle, lol} – So I’m working on a series, filled with great tips, tools, apps, and resources to help this area of my life, since I think it’s something we’re all looking for tips with. I’d love to hear what YOU guys think about this topic too….

Love it? Share it!

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Posted by on March 31, 2012 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution | 11 Comments

Mirror Mirror Movie Release Event – Win a $200 Spa Gift Card

 
Mirror Mirror Movie

Giveaway Event to Celebrate the Release of Mirror Mirror!

I am so excited to see this movie. I love fairy tales. Seriously, I do. It’s a good thing that I finally had a little girl, giving me a reason to get excited over that kind of stuff again. {Anyone else watching Once Upon A Time? Love that show!} To celebrate the release of such a fun family movie, I’ve partnered with a new blogging buddy of mine – The It Mom –  to offer you a totally awesome prize – A $200 Bliss Spa Gift Certificate, just for you. Love it, right? Read a little more about The It Mom, and watch a trailer for this super fun flick!

Mirror, Mirror on the wall — who is the ‘It’ Mom of them all?

You! You can balance it all and STILL have the confidence to look in that mirror and say, “I AM ‘It’!” With the much anticipated release of the new film Mirror Mirror, in cinemas on March 30th, Mirror Mirror reached out to TheItMom.com to help you look MORE fabulous with your swagger with this blissful giveaway!

Check out the Mirror Mirror Movie Trailer

One of the most beloved stories of all time is coming to life in the motion picture event for the whole family, Mirror Mirror. A fresh and funny retelling of the Snow White legend,Mirror Mirror features breakout star Lily Collins (The Blind Side) as Snow White, a princess in exile, and Oscar®-winner Julia Roberts as the evil Queen who ruthlessly rules her captured kingdom. Seven courageous rebel dwarves join forces with Snow White as she fights to reclaim her birthright and win her Prince in this magical comedy filled with jealousy, romance, and betrayal that will capture the hearts and imaginations of audiences the world over. The film also stars Armie Hammer (The Social Network) as the Prince, and Nathan Lane (The Birdcage) as the hapless and bungling servant to the Queen.

Mirror Mirror offers a new twist to the classic Snow White fairy tale, that is sure to be a family film hit enjoyable for children and adults of all ages alike!

Enter to WIN!!

One lucky reader will win a Bliss Spa gift card worth $200! Good for both spa services, products at any Bliss Spa location, purchases from the Bliss Catalog, and online purchases – this prize will give you the confidence to look in your mirror and say, “I AM The ‘It’ Mom!” And everyone could use a little of that, right?

Ready for your chance to win?

Enter below on the Rafflecopter form! U.S. Residents Only. The giveaway runs from 3/30/2012 until Friday, 4/13/2012 at 12 a.m. EST. The winner will be notified via email and has 24 hours to claim their prize, otherwise, a new winner will be drawn. And – if you’re feelin’ lucky, enter to win all of the other fabulous prizes I’m giving away too, listed together in the sidebar. Have fun, and good luck!

***Be sure to catch Mirror Mirror when it hits theaters on March 30!**

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Posted by on March 29, 2012 Filed Under: Giveaways | 5 Comments

Hip Fashion for the Mini Style Star

trendy designer kids clothes

Keepin it fresh, hip, fun

The kids in my house are all such little rock stars. My brother is a guitar player in a metal band, so my nephews love to play their toy guitars and dance around like crazy to rock music. My little girl developed her love of groovin’ really early on too – she’s 18 months old, and one of her most-used words is “Dance?? Dance!!” when she hears a song on the radio that she likes. {Speaking of dancing, have you entered the big dance party contest yet? Super awesome.} And she is just the funniest little diva already, always stealing my shoes and accessories to dress up. Our house is a wild and crazy place – but it’s always a good time.

celebrity fashions for kids

Little Trendstar – Hip Fashion for the Mini Style Star

When my favorite Celebrity Baby Trend Expert – Rachel Florio, told me about the awesome new fashions at Little Trendstar, I knew that these would be the perfect fit for us! They sent me over the adorably rockin’ Edie short sleeve tee for Abby, and I love it. It’s so funny – When I opened up the package, {which is equally awesome, packaged up in funky red tissue paper with stars, totally cool} – my first thought when I saw this tee was that it reminded me of Gwen Stefani. She has always been one of style-idols. How funny is it that when I’m browsing the other designs on LittleTrendstar.com – I see that Gwen Stefani shops for her little guy’s fashions here too. Love it.

Life is a Stage

How cute is my little rock star in her new tee from Little Trendstar, right? She cracks me up – I had a little background all set up, with some fun props – but she was not having it. She took off running around the kitchen, dancing to the Beastie Boys, goofin’ around. But this picture that I caught on accident is so fun, and makes me smile every time. This was taken a couple weeks ago – She’s now worn this several times, and I’m really pleased to see that it washes up great. Some kids tees tend to fade or shrink, but this perfect. {FYI: This shirt ran perfectly true to size, no need to order up or down.}

LittleTrendstar.com logo

Each t-shirt and onesie is printed with non-toxic, water-based inks that contain no phthalates or PVC!  They are also 100% cotton, Made in the USA and sweatshop free!

Follow them on Facebook and Twitter to stay updated on their latest products and promotions – and shop online at www.LittleTrendstar.com today!

{Disclaimer: The totally awesome Rachel Florio PR connected me with Little Trendstar, and provided me with a complimentary tee to check out and share with you. All opinions are 100% my own, no other compensation was given.}

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Posted by on March 29, 2012 Filed Under: Shopping | 13 Comments
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