Nine More Months

OC Fair New Years Eve Block Party!

2011-12-19T15:30:00.000-08:00

Giveaway and Comments are now closed. Congrats to the winner, Alex L!!!

I've always wanted to go to the OC Fair New Years Eve Block Party, but I never plan far enough ahead, as usual. So this year when I got an email invite, I was sure not to pass it up. I know lots of people who go, and if this is your first year going, here's what you can expect.

Music.

Four stages encompassing four decades of music. From The Who Revue on the 60s stage to Green ToDay on the 90s stage, there is sure to be something to please everyone. If you want something a little more interactive, head over to Baja Blues for Dueling Pianos!

Food.

In addition to the delicious food at Baja Blues Restaurant, how about nineteen different food trucks? I've tried a few on the list, and there are a few there I can't wait to check out for the first time.

Fun!

There are a rides, carnival games, and a party zone. And if you're feeling a bit risky, you can try your luck at the casino zone!

Food, friends, music. I can't think of a better way to ring in the new year. And best of all, I won't have a big mess to clean up afterwards!

Wanna go?

Just comment below for a chance to win two tickets of your own! I'll pick a winner and mail the tickets out on 12/26!

Disclaimer: I was provided a parking pass and media passes to the event in exchange for posting a giveaway. Photos were taken from the OC Fair website, all credit belongs to them.

Black Friday at Laguna Hills Mall

2011-11-26T15:01:00.000-08:00

Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year. Shoppers spend hours, sometimes even days, in lines waiting for the best deals to cross of their Christmas shopping lists. I personally don't have the energy to stay up all night or wake up at 4am to go shopping, so you won't find me camped out anywhere.

I'm more of a wake-up-at-7-and-casually-shop kind of girl. Most early-bird deals go on until early afternoon, and some sales even extend throughout the weekend. So instead of joining the mad rush of shoppers, I made it a family affair. Although, that does make it a little more difficult to buy presents for them.

We headed to our favorite mall, Laguna Hills Mall to kick off our Holiday Shopping. There were so many deals and sales going on, it was hard to find where to start. Unfortunately I had to concentrate on shopping for everyone else, not myself. It wasn't too crowded, so we were able to hit quite a few stores.

After a good amount of shopping, a break for lunch, and more shopping, we headed home. All and all it was a pretty good day. I was able to cross a few people off of the gift list and I didn't spend any money on myself.

There are still lots of great deals going on through the weekend. Stop by if you have the time!

Disclaimer: I am the Blogger Correspondent for Laguna Hills Mall. I am not a paid blogger, but I do occasionally receive gifts and perks. All opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.

Simon Kidgets Club - Fun For Kids!

2011-11-18T10:45:00.000-08:00

Have you heard of the Simon Kidgets Club at Simon Malls? The Simon Kidgets Club is a just-for-kids membership club where your child can enjoy free events throughout the year, goodies, VIP treatment at mall functions, special offers and more.

We headed to Laguna Hills Mall for some Kidgets fun. My boys are not as interested in the money-saving deals that come with the cards. They much prefer the goodies and treats. The first thing we do when we get to the mall is head over to Guest Services to spin the Kidgets wheel for a prize.

Then we take our awesome prizes and play on the interactive screen.

With your membership there are lots of fun perks. Many of the restaurants in the mall offer free kid's meals when you show your card, and some of the shops will offer a discount off your purchase, or a freebie for kids. Plus, each child gets a Kidgets shirt and goodie bag when they sign up, and a birthday gift on their birthday.

Here they are checking out their bags.

What I'm really excited about is the Santa photo deal at Laguna Hills Mall for Kidgets members only. My kids LOVE seeing Santa at the mall. We let them see him almost every time we go to the mall as long as the line isn't too long. I've never purchased photos though because they've always been a bit out of my price range. If you stop by Guest Services, you can pick up a coupon which gets you your choice of 3 mini packages, and a photo CD for $34.99. We'll definitely be taking advantage of that deal. Hopefully we can get a good Christmas card picture out of it!

Disclaimer: I am the Blogger Correspondent for Laguna Hills Mall. I am not a paid blogger, but I do occasionally receive gifts and perks. All opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.

Mamavation Monday 11/7/2011

2011-11-07T08:38:00.000-08:00

I have this tendency to disappear when I'm not doing well. I mean, personally I am okay, there is nothing to worry about there. I have always been able to handle whatever emotional garbage or stress is thrown at me. But my health? Well it's not doing so great. I started the 2 Week Challenge on twitter, knowing that I really needed a boost. I finished two whole days, got stuck at work for a few long days and then quit.

As I write this post I am battling a nasty cold. As the weather here just recently got unseasonably cold, everyone in my house got sick including me.

As my pants started to get tighter and tighter over the past few weeks, it was just one of many clues that I needed to get my crap together. When you don't feel comfortable in your clothes you lose confidence and instead of motivating me it's kind of made me feel even crappier. I stopped weighing myself, somehow thinking that I could ignore it. It only made things worse. So here's where I am now.

I'm getting dangerously close to numbers I never wanted to see again, so now is the time I need to get control back.

The first step I took was yesterday, when I went through my old emails and looked up my meal plans from when I was a Mamavation mom. I planned out some meals for the week, including make-ahead and crock pot meals for the times I work late. There can't be any more take-out or pizza nights in my house for a while.

I also need to plan ahead for work outs. I know my work schedule far enough ahead of time that I should be able to fit in some kind of workout each day. And then there's my water intake. For some reason I just haven't been drinking water. I don't know why! I need to make sure I have water on me at all times and that I am actually drinking it too.

Once I have these small steps down I will build up from there. Hopefully I can get out of this slump sooner than later before the holidays hit hard.

Having Fun With Play-Doh Play-Dates

2011-10-04T22:22:00.000-07:00

Even with all the technology around them, the battery-powered toys and things that light up, there is one thing that kids always love playing with, Play-Doh. I remember vividly when I was little, my mom would not allow it in our house because it was too messy, or I was too messy, one or the other. I loved going over to my neighbor's house because her mom let her play with it, and didn't care if we were messy. I am definitely not like my mom, in that I don't mind the messes, and I love having our friends over for crafts and snacks as often as possible.

Play-doh recently launched a really cool site called Play-Doh Play-Dates. It's chock full of great ideas for Play-Doh projects, as well as crafts and snacks too. Everything has step-by-step instructions, making it super easy, even for younger kids.

For the month of October the theme is Haunted House, so of course we had to try out some of the fun projects. We started off simple and tackled a ghost. Next we moved on to the spiderweb. We even had fun decorating our Play-Doh cans with monsters! We set our monsters up in a scary Haunted House printable Then we topped off our play time with some Jack-o-lantern Oranges for a healthy and festive snack.

Be sure to try out some of Fresh Ideas" at your next play date. Next month's theme is "Art Class" and we can't wait!

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by SocialMoms, and I was awarded points for participating. All opinions are my own and are not influenced in any way.

Mamavation Monday 10/03/2011

2011-10-03T08:56:00.000-07:00

I think one of my biggest downfalls in life is that I'm not the kind of person who likes to admit when I need help. These past few weeks I've been completely immersed in working and keeping some sort of order in my home, and just pushed myself to the back burner. And it's showing. As my weight has slowly started to creep back up I have gotten a little disappointed with myself.

So here I am, admitting I need that help. I can't keep ignoring my jeans as they get a little tighter. I can't keep driving by the gym and saying "I'll go tomorrow." I can't keep putting it off anymore.

I'm too embarrassed to even weigh myself, so I'm leaving it at that. I've got a lot of work to do, but hopefully I won't be alone.

Jake and The Never Land Pirates: Yo Ho, Matey's Away!

2011-09-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

There are only a handful of shows that really captivate my children, and Jake And The Neverland Pirates is one of them. And by captivate, I mean they sit through the entire episode, follow along, and react to what's happening. When I'm not at work, I love to sit with them and watch along side them, listening and watching them play right along with the show.

They love it because it's fun for them, and there is always some kind of exciting adventure happening. I love it because it teaches them teamwork and problem-solving skills, among other things. Here's a clip from on of the episodes featured on the DVD release; Escape From Belch Mountain.

We celebrated the release of Jake and The Never Land Pirates: Yo Ho, Matey's Away as well as Talk Like A Pirate Day with a fun pirate party. We dressed up in our best pirate garb, ate some grub, played games, and of course watched the DVD!

And of course it wouldn't be a proper blog post without me misplacing me camera, but I will update with the adorable pirate pictures as soon as I find it.

Jake and The Never Land Pirates: Yo Ho, Matey's Away! is on DVD today! It retails for the SRP of $19.99 in the U.S. and $24.99 in Canada, and also comes packaged with a bonus 7-track CD sampler and a pirate eye patch. My kids have been listening to their CD non-stop since we got it!

Nickelodeon Monkey Quest - Review and Giveaway!

2011-09-15T20:57:00.000-07:00

Recently my husband told me he was bringing Mason, our five-and-a-half year old, a surprise home from work. I was racking my brain all morning and afternoon, and when he came home from work in he walked with a computer tower and monitor. His work got a bunch of new computers, so the old ones were up for grabs. With the hard drive wiped clean and a new version of Windows installed, we were in business!

At first I thought, "Why does our five year old need a computer?" But after thinking about the time he spends playing educational games on our computers and iPhones I realized this was awesome. He has his own, which means I'm free to use mine whenever I want!

He started off by playing online games, but started to get bored of them after a while. They stop being challenging if you memorize all the answers, after all. Then we were given the opportunity to try a new game.

Monkey Quest is basically a MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) for kids. It's targeted at kids ages 8 to 12, but my computer-savvy almost-six-year-old had no problem playing! Like most online games, it's free to play, but you can upgrade to a paid account for more exciting features. Once you sign up, you pick a tribe to join and then it's non-stop adventures in the land of Ook.

A spectacular world where monkeys swing from vines, bounce on drums (and the occasional unsuspecting octopus or panda!), and uncover treasures beyond imagination. Populated with a dynamic cast of characters, the promise of wild adventure exists at every turn.

Under the visionary leadership of the Monkey King, the residents of Ook have explored and settled every corner of the land. The monkeys have formed five tribes, each originating from one of the Monkey King’s five unique companions. While all five tribes are very different from one another, they all show signs of the Monkey King’s influence.

An exciting and wild land, Ook and its inhabitants must always be on their guard. The increasing presence of Shadow Monsters, even after the supposed defeat of the Shadow Demon, Ka, threatens the monkey tribes with the possibility of attack at any moment.

There's so much to do for free, but if you would like to upgrade your child's experience there are a few options. Paid memberships are $9.95 for one month, $24.95 for 3 months, or $79.95 for a year.

Giveaway Time!
I have a Monkey Quest prize pack to give away to one lucky reader! It includes a Monkey Quest tote bag, t-shirt and hat along with an insider’s guide to best navigate the land of Ook!

How to enter:
Leave a comment telling me what your child's favorite thing to do online is! Easy!

For extra entries (leave a comment for each one):
-follow me on Twitter, tweet about the giveaway, using this link: http://bit.ly/n1owjv and putting @ninemoremonths in there.
-"Like" Nine More Months on Facebook.
-Leave a comment on my facebook page saying hi.

You can tweet multiple times a day for extra extra entries! Good luck!

Small print: Giveaway ends September 29th, 2011 at 9:00pm PST. Open to US only. Winner MUST reply within 24 hours with their shipping information or another winner will be chosen. Winner will be contacted directly.

Back to School Shopping at Laguna Hills Mall.

2011-09-14T16:53:00.000-07:00

Mason, my five year old, has successfully made it through his first week of school! I can't believe I am the mom of a Kindergartner. There are a lot of firsts that go along with going to school, and one of them is, of course, shopping. I'm not always super excited to drag two boys along with me to the mall for a shopping spree, but this time it was fun for almost all of us. I like Laguna Hills Mall because of all of the malls in my area, I personally feel like it's the most kid friendly. There are plenty of shops for children, and tons of ride-on toys and other fun stuff. Even all of the restaurants are perfect for families.

Before hitting the shops, we stopped off at Guest Services. If you're a member of the Simon Kidgets' Club, you get to spin the wheel for a prize.

Behind Guest Services there's this screen on the floor that reacts when kids run and jump all over it. There's almost always a big group of kids stomping all over it. Mine could sit there all day and do it if I let them.

Next we headed over to the candy store for a ~~bribe~~ treat. And of course I had to get a few chocolate-covered gummi bears for myself too.

After that, my camera died. Upon further investigation when I got home I found a little under a million random and out-of-focus pictures that I assume Mason took. Anyway, regardless of the fact that we no longer had a working camera, we went on with our shopping.

After we spent lots of money at The Children's Place, we headed over to Rubios for lunch. Fish tacos! I love the location of the Rubios because there is always plenty of seating. After lunch, we headed home for nap time. I had a grumpy 2 and half year old who was angry because we weren't buying him any clothes.

Mason loved his new clothes and backpack, and was so excited to go to school. It's always more special when they get to pick out their own stuff.

We had lots of fun at Laguna Hills Mall and we will be heading back soon because I want to check out the used book store we saw!

Disclaimer: I received a $100 Simon Gift Card from the Laguna Hills Mall for review purposes. This posts does not necessarily represent Simon Property Group's positions or strategies, and any opinions are mine and not influenced in any way.

Mamavation Monday 9/12/2011

2011-09-13T11:23:00.001-07:00

Technically, it's Tuesday again, even though I did start writing this yesterday. Mondays have been so hard on me lately. Two days is not a long enough weekend for me. I need at least four days to get everything done that needs to be done.

Speaking of not getting things done, I didn't weigh myself this week. It's not that I had a bad week, but it is that time of the month and I just prefer not to weigh or measure myself when I am feeling my worst.

I've been meal planning again, and that's been helping a lot. Even meal planning for the kids because my oldest has been gaining a lot of weight, and the doctor asked us to get it under control. Thanks to all the planning I had to do during the campaigns, it comes pretty naturally. But I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle when other people don't stick to it. The babysitter is great about following, but my husband and my in-laws' aren't quite there yet.

I'm still struggling with water intake. I don't know why. Yesterday I brought two of my 25oz water bottles instead of one, so that it would be super easy for me to hit 100oz. I only hit about 60. I'm going to do it again today and hope for better results.

I guess that's about it. I have to work tonight and I have a bajillion things to do before I go in, of course. Have a great week!

Mamavation...Tuesday 09/06/2011

2011-09-06T17:52:00.001-07:00

Okay, I'm getting a little closer. Maybe by next week I'll post on Monday!

Down .2 pounds this week!

It's been slow going this week. I'm trying hard to get back into a routine, but once you've been out of one for a long time you don't just click right back into it. You are basically starting over from ground zero. My stamina hasn't decreased by too much, so that's good. But my eating and drinking habits need to be fixed. I am an emotional eater and a stress eater, and just like any addiction, it never goes away.

This week I'm still working on the same things as last week. I only had Starbucks twice last week, as opposed to 4 to 5 times, so that is a small victory for me! I've been increasing my water intake, but I still have a ways to go on that. Lots of healthy snacks for work, and trying not to eat just to eat.

Hopefully we will see some better results next week. Have a good one!

Mamavation...Wednesday. Where have I been?

2011-08-31T22:55:00.000-07:00

Where have you been? That seems to be the question I've been getting a lot. It probably seems like I've fallen off the face of the earth, and I kind of feel like I have. Since getting promoted I have been living, breathing, eating, and sleeping my job. We're running on bare bones as far as employees go, so everyone is working way more normal, especially management.

So anyway, that's where I've been. It's been rough on my family life, and I have definitely not been taking care of myself the way that I should be. The proof is in the pudding. (I don't know why my computer cut off half the picture and the posted it sideways but I am too tired to fix it. Sorry.)

I've gained 3.6 pounds in the past 4 weeks. That's the opposite direction I want the scale to be going.

I'm really hoping things will settle down soon and I'll be able to get into more of a routine. In the mean time, I have a few goals for myself.

-Drink my water! Today I had maybe 40oz of water. That is just embarassing. I'm going to be bringing one or two of my reusable bottles with me EVERYWHERE and make sure I refill them as much as possible. I need to get back up to 100oz.
-Chill out on the Starbucks. I love my caffeine, but even a Skinny Caramel Macchiato has more calories than I really need to be drinking. I've always been one to NOT drink my calories. Time to get back to that. If I really need a boost, an iced coffee works just as well.
-No more take out. Plan ahead, involve the hubby, and this will save us money as well.
-Portion control. I tend to snack a lot at work. Most of the time it's healthy, but even grapes need to be portion controlled.
-Exercise whenever/wherever I can. I'm headed to the gym tomorrow after my work meeting and before my closing shift. If I can't make it to the gym some days I need to work out at home. I have the tools.

So that's my action plan for the next few weeks. I'm hoping I'll see the scale start moving in the right direction soon. In the mean time, I would love it if you guys called me out on twitter as much as possible. All those "Where are you" "I miss you" "Why aren't you posting" tweets really do help me.

Hope everyone has a great week!

The Help - In Theaters Today!

2011-08-10T12:01:00.000-07:00

"Change begins with a whisper."

That's the tag line for "The Help." Set in Jackson, Mississippi, during the 1960s, “The Help” chronicles the relationship between three different and extraordinary women who build an unlikely friendship around a secret writing project that breaks societal rules and puts them all at risk.

I had the pleasure of attending an advance screening this past Saturday while in San Diego for the 2011 BlogHer conference. I was pre-warned that it would be a tear-jerker, and there were even tissues all over the place. I didn't think to grab any, because even though I almost always tear up at movies, it's never to the point of needing a wad of tissues.

Was I ever wrong.

My friends laughed at me as I started to tear up at the first preview. And then again in the very first scene. I could already feel the emotions coming through. Something about Cecily Tyson's voice.

I don't want to give anything away, but I will say that by the end of the movie, I had already gone through several tissues, and was in desperate need of some new ones. I laughed, I cried (a lot), and was moved beyond words. What makes this movie so heartwarming and special is that it's not that far from real events. The characters in the movie could very well be real people, and they are all relatable in some way.

"The Help" is in theaters, now! Grab your mom, your best friend, your teenage daughter, or even your husband if he's willing, and go see this movie.

I also have a fun giveaway to celebrate!

One lucky winner will get a "The Help" t-shirt, fan, nail file/mirror, and pocket jotter with pen.

To enter just leave a comment saying who you want to go see this movie with!

For extra entries (leave a comment for each one), follow me on Twitter, tweet about the giveaway, using this link: http://bit.ly/qPEgGE and putting @ninemoremonths in there, "like" Nine More Months on Facebook, leave a comment on my facebook page saying hi.

You can tweet multiple times a day for extra extra entries! Good luck!

Small print: Giveaway ends August 24th, 2011 at 9:00pm PST. Open to US and Canada only. Winner MUST reply within 24 hours with their shipping information or another winner will be chosen.

Disclaimer: I was invited to a free screening for this movie and provided refreshments in exchange for my honest opinion. No other form of compensation was received.

Conan The Adventurer: On DVD 7/26/2011!

2011-08-01T21:52:00.000-07:00

Do these clips look familiar? Well, if you were a child of the 80's or you had a child in the 80's, they might be. I jumped at the chance to review my very own copy of Season One of Conan The Adventurer!

Growing up, I was always up bright and early for Saturday morning cartoons, and I loved all the shows, even the "boy shows." I get excited when these shows are released on DVD or played on TV again because I really enjoy sharing them with my kids.

When our DVD came in the mail the boys were so excited. And how can blame them? A huge monster, a pile of bones and a glowing sword? I mean, that's exciting to any boy.

By Crom! Let the acolytes of Conan rejoice as the fiercest Barbarian to ever roam the Earth arrives in this complete Season One DVD release! Join in the fray as Conan and his fellow adventurers — Jezmine, Snagg, Needle, Greywolf and Zula — quest to rescue Conan’s family from an evil spell cast by the Serpent Man wizard Wrath-Amon. Armed with a powerful sword forged from Star Metal and faith in his god Crom, Conan will not stop until his family is safe and the evil wizard is reimprisoned in the mystical Abyss!

When they actually started to watch the show and they were just enthralled. My brother-in-law was over and he was even more excited than they were. He watched that show religiously growing up, and asked if he could borrow it to show his best friend. You better believe my husband was excited about it too. It's definitely a good pick for the whole entire family.

If you're interested in picking up a copy of Conan The Adventurer it's available in stores now!

Disclaimer: I was sent a copy of the DVD to review. No other compensation was received. All opinions are mine and not otherwise influenced.

Mamavation Monday 8/1/2011

2011-08-01T15:54:00.000-07:00

Down 1.6 pounds!

So the past few weeks have felt like a roller coaster. What I really need in my life is some consistency. My weight has been fluctuating by a pound or so in either direction, and frankly it's frustrating. On the other hand, I know I only have myself to blame, and if I want to see results I need to put aside the time to take care of myself.

I joined a gym with two of my friends a little over a week ago. We have been trying to go whenever at least two of us can fit it in. It's definitely a good idea to have more than one person to work out with, because if someone can't make it one day, there is still someone else who might be able to. And of course I could go by myself, but sometimes I'd just rather work out at home if I'm going to do it alone.

I also bought Zumba for wii, but haven't set that up yet. I need to, though. I also need to go grocery shopping big time. Time to fill up on healthy foods again!

Life has just been crazy busy lately, and with a promotion looking at me I can't imagine it will calm down any time soon. All I can do is set myself up to succeed as best as I can.

Today's question sponsored by Flatout Bread. I love this stuff so much, I just had to participate.

What are the next big goals you want to tackle?

I have quite a few goals I would like to knock out before the end of this year. Here are the three biggest.

-Go down two more dress sizes. I am currently hovering in and around a size 12, but I could die happy if I saw the number 8 on my pants or dress. I know this is a bit superficial, but I've never been a size 8. Never. And I know I can do it.

-Hike Saddleback Mountain. Saddleback Mountain is a mountain not far from my house. It's not an easy hike at all. It's 16 miles roundtrip with an elevation gain of about 4,000 feet. This is an all day commitment, and I'm thinking it will be another 4 months or so before I attempt it.

-Arm definition. I'm tired of my flabby arms! Before the end of the year I'd like to see some significant definition in my arms. I've definitely already made some progress, but there's still a ways to go.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week and I will see you at Mamavation TV tonight.

Disclaimer: By answering the question I am entered to win a prize package from the sponsor.

Back to School, Back to Style

2011-07-27T17:03:00.000-07:00

I remember back to school shopping with my mom. For me it was exciting, getting new clothes and getting to choose them too. For my mom I don't think it was as pleasurable. I didn't always choose the most affordable clothes, and many of them were probably not a style that she wanted for me. I whined and complained in the dressing rooms when she made me try on things I didn't like, and even more so when she wouldn't let me try on the things I did. Often, school shopping was more than a day-long adventure. It would be a while before we agreed on a suitable wardrobe.

Fast forward a decade or so and now I am school shopping for my own child. He's only five years old, so he's a little more accommodating when it comes to choosing his look, but he definitely has his opinions. Thankfully, we usually agree on most items. I know what he likes, he knows what he likes, no big arguments there. Although I have been met with resistance on a few occasions. Slacks and a dress shirt? No thanks, mom.

I think his style certainly represents his personality. He likes colors, fun designs, and especially loves shirts that are funny. Often when we're out and about he'll get compliments on his shirts. And of course he is proud that he picked them out himself! He is such a funny outgoing child, I'm totally not surprised to see it reflected in his choice of clothing.

Of course he has his favorite stores. What stylish kid doesn't? Coincidentally some of his favorites are some of my favorites, too! Target, "Old Lady" (Old Navy), JC Penney, and H&M are a few of our go-to stores. Not only can Mason express his individuality in these stores, but so can the rest of the family. Even my husband can find something he loves, and he's the pickiest with clothes. I definitely think it's nice to be able to get every one covered without having to trek to 10 different stores.

We have already started our Back to School wardrobe shopping, but haven't completely finished. I can't wait to see him bounding off to his Kindergarten class in his brightly colored plaid shorts and goofy shirt, backpack bouncing up and down, a big smile across his face. And well, I'd let him wear pretty much whatever he wanted just to see that smile.

Disclaimer: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and jcpenney blogging program, for a gift card worth $50. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

How to Get Your Kids to Eat Their Veggies

2011-07-27T16:27:00.000-07:00

Every kid is different. Some will eat anything you put in front of them, others will eat barely anything. As a parent it can be frustrating to have a "picky eater," but I truly believe that with a little creativity you can get even the most finicky child to eat all kinds of healthy foods. Here are my top ten tried and true tips!

1. Get your children involved in shopping. Nothing makes a kid more excited than doing something themselves. Here's a fun idea, when shopping, give each child the opportunity to pick out a vegetable that they haven't tried yet, or one that is not often used in your house. They will be proud of their choice and eager to eat it.

2. Have your child help with the cooking. It kind of goes along with number one. No matter what age your child is, they can help in some way with the preparation of a meal. Younger children can help with picking out recipes and mixing ingredients, and seasoning. Older children can help with the prep work, and some can even make a dish all by themselves with just a little supervision and guidance. Either way, they will feel a sense of accomplishment and of course they love eating the finished product!

3. Keep trying. So your kid doesn't like steamed Brussels sprouts? They might love them roasted. Raw carrots don't appeal to them? I bet they'll like them candied. Zucchini isn't popular? Throw it on the grill! Try different recipes until you find one that works.

4. Dip it! A little dip never hurt anyone. In fact, a little healthy dip made with Fat Free Greek Yogurt and ranch seasoning makes veggies taste even better. Put it in a cute container and you may be surprised what your child will eat. My 5 year old is a huge fan of raw cauliflower!

5. Grow your own. What's better than picking and then eating your own freshly grown vegetables? My kids are known to eat cherry tomatoes right off the plant. Best of all, I know for a fact that they're pesticide-free.

6. Hide them. I don't think this is the best suggestion, but I don't think it's the worst idea to sneak a few extra veggies into a meal if I can. A little pureed squash in the cream sauce, a little shredded zucchini in the chili, it definitely isn't the worst thing you could hide from your kids.

7. If it's not broke, don't fix it! If your kids loves to crunch on raw baby carrots every day for a snack, let him! Don't take them away in an attempt to get him to try something new. Instead, just add something new alongside the favorite.

8. Ditch the cans. Yeah, canned veggies are good in a pinch, but they lack most of the flavor and texture and nutrients. Frozen is a better choice when you're in a hurry, but fresh is always best, and always the most well received from my family.

9. Get creative with your seasonings. Salt and pepper are yummy, but there are so many other choices. Head to the spice isle and pick out the craziest spice mix you can find and try it next time! You might be surprised at who eats it.

10. When all else fails, add some cheese. Melted, shredded, even Parmesan cheese are all yummy ways to jazz up those veggies and make them really appealing to the kids.

If you have any other suggestions, please feel free to add on!

Disclaimer: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Peas and Thank You blogging program for a gift card worth $30. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Winnie the Pooh in theaters this Friday!

2011-07-13T22:59:00.000-07:00

Last night Mason, my five year old, and I were guests at an advance screening of Winnie the Pooh. It's been a long time since we've had a Mommy-son date, and an even longer time since he's been to the movie theater, so we jumped at the chance.

I've always loved the Winnie the Pooh books, and read them to my kids as well. Both of my children are most familiar with Pooh based on the ride at Disneyland, and of course meeting the characters in real life. They also have a couple of Pooh DVDs.

I actually hadn't seen any of the trailers prior to seeing the movie, so everything was a complete surprise to me! All in all, though I absolutely love it. It was like having your parent read a Winnie the Pooh story to you, but with the pages coming to life. There were so many funny moments for both kids and adults. Here's a cute little clip so you can see for yourself.

The movie wasn't too long, so even the younger kids were able to sit through it pretty well. I might have to go see it again with the 2 year old after it opens. So bring the whole family to the theater this weekend for some quality time with everyone's favorite stuffed bear.

Mamavation Monday 07/11/2011 - Back To Business

2011-07-11T11:01:00.000-07:00

6.6 pounds. That's how much weight I've gained since finishing up my second Mamavation campaign in May. The sad part is, this weight gain happened in the past couple of weeks mostly. After fitcation, and even after my 2 week vacation in Florida I was still doing okay. But it wasn't until I got home that the pounds started coming back fast. Maybe I was a little lazy. Maybe I had a few too many nights out with the girls trying to catch up with everyone. Whatever it was doesn't really matter. What matters is that it stops now before it gets any more out of hand.

Luckily for me, today is the very first day of the Gruntstyle Challenge. I'm going to do this challenge with a vengeance. Hopefully I'll be able to say "bye bye" to those 6.6 unwelcome pounds at the end of the two weeks. Or at least somewhere close to that.

Besides the Gruntstyle Challenge that is going to kick my butt hard, I will also be getting back into eating right. My fridge is full of veggies and I'm actually going to use them. I plan on actually tracking my food, and sticking as close to my eating plan as I can.

I also need to really buckle down and drink my water. I hate to admit it, but I have been drinking soda again. I'm a little embarrassed, but it's not going to get any better if I hide it. I had soda yesterday, even. No more, though. I am stocked with all kinds of yummy (unsweetened) teas to keep those cravings away. I need to stop relying on caffeine for my energy, and let diet and exercise do their job.

Tonight the two Mamavation Moms will be announced, and I will be a mentor. I can't mentor someone on healthy living if I'm not even doing it myself, now can I?

Good luck to all of the finalists and I will see you at the twitter party tonight!

Mamavation Monday 7/4/2011

2011-07-04T15:08:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a few weeks since I made a post. It feels like just yesterday I was finishing up my last week as a Mamavation Mom, and now there's a whole new group of mom's hoping to have their name announced as a winner.

To all of you ladies who applied this round, I want to congratulate you. Even if you weren't chosen as a finalist, you've still made a huge leap towards a healthier you. You've shown that you're ready to commit, and the rest of us are here to hold you to that commitment, whether you're a Mamavation Mom or a Move it and Lose it participant. I'm incredibly excited and honored to be here to offer my advice and cheer you guys on through this process.

Now on to myself. It's been a rough couple of weeks for me. I was visiting family in Florida with the kids. My husband couldn't join me, so for those two weeks I was a single mom. And it was hard. Thankfully I was staying at my parents' house, so I had help now and then. I brought my workout clothes and resistance band with me, but I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't use them. I did spend a lot of time outdoors, though. Walking, hiking, and swimming. I also didn't really eat out very much. I can actually count on one hand how many times we ate out. So even though I didn't eat as healthy as I possibly could have, they were still meals made at home which I think is a better choice.

Now that I'm back I'm trying to get back into the swing of things, but I have been feeling a little under the weather. I think part of it is because I've been going nonstop since I got home and I still haven't had time to recover. Hopefully after this crazy holiday weekend is over and things start calming down I'll finally get some rest.

So my goal for this week is just to concentrate on me, and get my energy back. Simple and easy.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and a great week! Good luck to the finalists as well! I'm so proud of you!

Mamavation Monday - 6/6/2011

2011-06-06T16:08:00.000-07:00

I'm writing this post from 38,000 feet in the air. It's not often I have 2 and a half hours of uninterrupted peacefulness. No kids to worry about, no chores to do, no errands to run. I don't even have wi-fi on the flight so I can't waste my time playing games, watching nonsensical YouTube videos, or constantly checking and updating my Facebook and Twitter. I didn't even bring a book with me, so all I can do is write write write. And this is a wonderful thing because I have been steadily falling behind in my blogging and writing.

I mention during campaign 8 that I struggle with time management. I tried to work on it, but haven't really made any real progress. I still end up "messing up" from time to time. I'll miss a workout here or there because some days I'll put it off until the end of the day, and then the next thing I know it's 11:30 and I still haven't worked out. I'll occasionally have to get fast food or take out for a meal because I didn't make the time to cook a meal, or thaw something out for dinner. Planning. I suck at it.

Side note: I know there are people who come into your house and organize your stuff, but does anyone help with organizing time? Or maybe someone can just organize my brain. It's pretty messy in there. I won't lie, I need a house organizer too.

I have been slacking on a few things. Namely my water intake, my food tracking and my effort in my activity. Three things that have basically been my building blocks for the last 5 months. There's no room for slacking. Definitely no room in my pants because I gave away all my size 16's (and up) in order to force myself to never gain again. (Unless of course I'm gaining another baby, because then I'm okay with it.)

I have also been slacking on keeping in touch. I'm pretty good at disappearing when I want to, and when I do that, it really doesn't help anyone. I want to be a good mentor to the next round of Mamavation Moms, and it doesn't start when the moms are announced. It starts now. I want to support the applicants through the physically-tough hazing, the emotionally-tough voting process, the anxiousness of waiting, and everything in between. I've been through it twice. Three times if you count the campaign I applied to but didn't make it to finalist.

So my goals for this week: (Yep, I'm back to baby steps.)
-Track my eating on MyFitnessPal every day.
-Drink at least 80oz of water, 100oz if possible.
-Exercise at least 3 times a week. Not including the 10K training I started, which has me running every other day.
-Be more open and available on Twitter, Facebook, email, etc.
-Keep myself accountable by tweeting my goals and posting when I acheive them.
-Write a to-do list every day to try and help me better manage my time.

To all of the Mamavation applicants, PLEASE do not hesitate to email me, tweet me, DM me, add/message me on Facebook, send me a telegram, WHATEVER. I am here for you and this is an open invitation, so use it! If you have questions about the campaign process, exercises, foods, whatever, I can help you find an answer. If you want to get a hold of me fast, text me. I will almost always answer you immediately. If you need my number, DM me. I have unlimited text, so don't worry about running up a huge phone bill.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week. I am slowly recovering from the amazing Austin trip. For those of you that couldn't make it, I'm as bummed as you guys are! And pictures are coming soon!

I forgot to take a picture of the scale, but I am up 4 pounds from my final mamavation weigh in. I'm not really going to sweat it, but I am certainly going to sweat it off. :)

What's your Pasta Personality?

2011-05-18T11:09:00.000-07:00

Carraba's and Social Moms want to know what your Pasta Personality is! I took the quiz on the Carraba's Facebook Page and my Pasta Personality is Penne Franco.

You’re truly one of a kind, like Carrabba’s Penne Franco. You like to keep things fresh and exciting. So next time you want to try something new, choose our unique Penne Franco: penne with mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and ricotta salata.

I would say that's a pretty accurate description of me, and it sounds like a fantastic dish. I will definitely be trying it on my next visit.

Coming from an Italian family, pasta is something I feel like I know a lot about. It can be a very fancy special dish for when we have dinner guests over, or it can be a simple and fairly cheap go-to dinner dish.

My go-to pasta dinner dish is definitely on the simple side. Better yet, it's healthy, kids love it, and it's cheap because I don't even add meat. You could always add some browned ground turkey, chicken, sausage or beef, but sometimes I like to skip the meat.

Ingredients:
-2 small zucchini, shredded
-2 medium/large carrots, shredded
-1 medium yellow onion, diced
-1 package of sliced mushrooms (optional)
-4 cloves garlic, pressed or chopped
-1 14.5oz can petite diced tomatoes
-1 8oz can tomato sauce
-1 6oz can tomato paste
-1T Italian Seasoning
-2T Agave nectar or sugar
-salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Saute the carrots, zucchini, onion and mushroom in a small amount of Olive Oil until softened. Add garlic and saute for 2 more minutes. Add all the tomato products and seasonings. Cover and let simmer on low for at least 30 minutes. Serve over your favorite pasta. We like it on Angel Hair the best, with a sprinkle of Parmesan on top. Yummy!

This recipe is my go-to because of how simple it is, and how much my kids love it. I struggle to get my youngest to eat a variety of vegetables, but when I make this recipe I know I won't have to worry about him. And even though I made it with kids in mind, it still has a great taste and textures that grown ups love too. And I almost always have the ingredients on hand, so it's a life-saver when it's 5:00pm and I have nothing ready for dinner.

All this talk about pasta is making me hungry! IF you're in the mood for pasta too, head over to Carraba's Facebook Page and take the quiz as well. Feel free to let me know results if you'd like to!

And if you're really hungry, head over to your nearest Carrabba's for one of their limited time offers available now through July 2011.

Featured Signature Pasta Meal:
Pasto Rambo – Named for the chef who created it, it’s made with shrimp tossed with imported Italian linguine, spinach, mushrooms, and tomatoes sautéed in our basil lemon butter sauce. Lobster is available instead of shrimp for an additional cost.

Other Limited Time Offers:
Parmesan-crusted Chicken – Topped with fresh arugula and grape tomatoes tossed in a hand-prepared lemon vinaigrette, served with choice of side. Substitution of wood-grilled chicken also available. Pairs well with Estancia Pinot Grigio.

Prosciutto-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin – Three pork tenderloin medallions wrapped with prosciutto, wood-grilled and topped with an apple and fig infused port wine sauce, served with the vegetable of the day. Pairs well with Coppola Pinot Noir.

Limoncello Bread Pudding – Back by popular demand! Brioche bread pudding made with fresh Madagascar vanilla beans and a rich custard, served hot out of the oven. Topped with Blue Bell vanilla ice cream and drizzled with Carrabba’s homemade Caravella Limoncello liqueur sauce.

Now Introducing:
Peach Sangria – Carrabba’s new light and fruity Peach Sangria blends Copper Ridge White Zinfandel, Absolut Apeach vodka and Patrón Citrónge with a splash of citrus. Topped with a fresh lemon wedge and strawberry, it’s a taste of the Amalfi Coast in spring

I hope this inspires you to get a little creative with your next pasta meal! For more information or to find a Carrabba's location near you, visit www.carrabbas.com.

Disclosure:I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Carrabba’s blogging program, for a gift card worth $50. For more information on how you can participate, .

Mamavation Monday 4/11/11: Nutrition

2011-04-11T10:34:00.000-07:00

The following post is in response to this week's Mamavation Blogging Carnival question. If you'd like to read my weight loss update you can click here for that.

How would you like to alter your family’s nutrition and eating habits? Do you have a plan to do this?

I would definitely like to make a few alterations to my family's nutrition and eating habits. It's about 50/50 in my family when it comes to experimenting with new and healthy foods. My 5 year old and I will gladly and excitedly try any new food at least once. And we usually like them. My 2 year old and my husband are a little more stubborn. I can at least get my husband to TRY things, with a little coaxing. Okay, a lot of coaxing. My 2 year old is the hardest to deal with. Often times he will barely even eat his dinner, which can be frustrating. I always put veggies on his plate for each meal. Whether he eats them or not is another story.

I try to make it really easy for my family to make healthy eating choices. My pantry is not stocked with empty calories and sugary products. Actually, there aren't many snacks in my pantry at all because most of our snack food is fruits, veggies and yogurts. I do, however, always have a variety of fried fruits and nuts, pretzels, baked tortilla chips, and Orville Redenbacher's Gourmet Popping Corn. Even my 2 year old can't resist a freshly popped bag of Smart Pop.

But back to my point. It definitely is not easy to get my entire family on board with my healthy eating plans. Some of them are stuck in their ways after 30 years of meat and potatoes, and others are just asserting their new found independence. All I can do is present them with as many healthy and yummy options as possible and hope they find some that they like.

And sometimes I sneak extra veggies into their spaghetti sauce.

Disclaimer: I wrote this blog post while participating in the Mamavation Blogging Carnival for a chance to win an Orville Redenbacher’s Very Important Blogger Gift Basket.

How I keep my family happy.

2011-03-30T17:05:00.000-07:00

Keeping two small boys and a husband happy might sound like an easy task, but truly it is not. Especially when they all have different tastes and interests. I do my best to keep the peace and make sure my whole family is smiling, no matter what the situation. Here are a few of my tricks.

My first rule of thumb is to always keep to a schedule. My five year old is constantly asking me what day and what time and when we're going to do whatever. I show him on the calendar, we mark it down and if I stray from it, he'll make sure to let me know. My youngest will be especially grumpy if his usual schedule is not met, sleeping, eating and playing are probably the three most important parts of his days. Even my husband can get a little upset if we're running behind schedule on our way to something. My best bet to getting anything done without complaints is to just make my schedule and stick to it.

Another thing that seems hard to come by in our house is sharing. I'm almost constantly breaking up fights over toys, tv shows/movies, or some times just something random the kids have their hands on. In these cases I end up refereeing them while they take turns. "You can have the toy for 5 minutes and then your brother gets it for five minutes." I use the kitchen timer to keep track. Or, "We'll watch your show today, and then tomorrow it's your brother's turn to pick a show." I sometimes even need to use this method with my husband. If one of us gets more free time than the other it's just not fair, so we take turns with the bedtime and other
things so that we get a fair amount of downtime. It truly keeps us both happier.

We all tend to get cabin fever if we spend too much time inside the house, so I try to make sure to plan activities outside the home that are fun for all four of us. We rarely even look at our couch on the weekends because we're outside or on an adventure.

Often times I feel like I'm the official at a sports game, trying to keep the peace between opposite teams. But for all the work, it's worth it when I see those smiling faces having fun together.

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Farm Rich blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

This is a sponsored blog post. By posting I have a chance to win a $25 gift card. All opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.

The Tillamook Loaf Love Tour at Aquarium of the Pacific!

2011-03-16T14:08:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun visiting the Tillamook Loaf Love Tour a couple of weekends ago when it kicked off it's California leg at the Aquarium of the Pacific.

The first 100 people who showed up in their best and brightest Tillamook orange were given free admission to the aquarium. We saw several families show up decked out in orange clothes.

Anybody that showed up could sample three different flavors of cheese! The boys and my husband all favored the Monterrey Jack. I loved their award winning Medium Cheddar. This was our first time trying Tillamook cheeses.

Here is Mason showing off his button! It has a picture of one of the Loaf Love vans.

Here they are in all their glory! Many people stopped to take pictures with them, including us. They are even cuter in real life! Jackson was really trying hard to climb in.

We were really feeling the Orange Fever. Even the tunes were being played on an orange iPod! I had to take a picture.

We had a lot of fun and I took so many pictures, that I'm going to have to share them on another post. Thank you Tillamook for telling us about this fun event and for introducing us to your amazing cheeses. You just made four new fans.

Stay tuned for part 2 of our day!

Disclaimer: This post was not solicited or sponsored by the company. We were invited to the event and were not required to post about it. We did receive free admission for participating in the event, but that does not influence my blog posts in any way. Just sharing the fun we had!

The Glasses Repair-Man

2011-03-12T11:40:00.000-08:00

Take a good hard look at those eyeglasses in the picture. They look pretty normal, right? Well, if you knew my husband you would know that he does not have the best track record with his glasses. Now, I don't think he's ever lost a pair, but he sure does know how to break them. It's one of the reasons I tend to steer away from buying designer glasses for him.

The most recent time, and kind of a funny story, was on Christmas Day. His big gift from me was a new bicycle, and he excitedly took it for a spin around the neighborhood. After a few minutes I went outside to wait for him and see how he liked it. He rolled back up to the house with his glasses all askew. During his test ride, he rode right up to a branch that smacked them right off of his face! A little piece came off of the side of the glasses when he hit the branch, making the arm go out too far and they wouldn't stay on his face anymore.

He needs those suckers to drive, but it being Christmas Day we couldn't just go out and buy glasses at the eyeglasses store. He had to get a little creative if he wanted them to stay put. Look at them again from another angle...

That's glue! He asked me for my hot glue gun and proceeded to glue a little strip to one side of the hinge so that the glasses would open further than they needed to. I have to admit, it's a pretty great quick fix, and not nearly as noticeable as some tape or something. (Yes he has fixed a pair of glasses with tape before.) It certainly does the job until we can buy eyeglasses online.

This post was sponsored by GlassesUSA.com and you can save 10% on your next order of discount glasses online with the code: Mommy10. You can even get sunglasses! I go through those like crazy, but that's another story.

Disclaimer: The opinions and story in this post are solely mine and not influenced in any way. I was compensated for including links to the sponsor, but was not told what to write.

Mars Needs Moms hits theaters tomorrow! (Giveaway!)

2011-03-10T17:02:00.000-08:00

Take out the trash, eat your broccoli—who needs moms, anyway? Nine-year-old Milo (Seth Green) finds out just how much he needs his mom (Joan Cusack) when she’s nabbed by Martians who plan to steal her mom-ness for their own young. Produced by the team behind “Disney’s A Christmas Carol” and “The Polar Express,” “Mars Needs Moms” showcases Milo’s quest to save his mom—a wild adventure in Disney Digital 3D™ and IMAX® 3D that involves stowing away on a spaceship, navigating an elaborate, multi-level planet and taking on the alien nation and their leader (Mindy Sterling). With the help of a tech-savvy, underground earthman named Gribble (Dan Fogler) and a rebel Martian girl called Ki (Elisabeth Harnois), Milo just might find his way back to his mom—in more ways than one.

I can't believe that Seth Green is the voice of Milo! I love him and I think that's pretty cool. Just from watching the trailer I think that the mom played by Joan Cusack is really funny. I'm really excited to see this movie, and I know my 5 year old will love it too!

Even better, I have a giveaway to go with the movie!

One winner will get the following:
- Mars Needs Moms T-Shirt (Adult Size)
- Mars Needs Moms T-Shirt (Youth Size)
- Mars Needs Moms Temporary Tattoos (3-pack)

How to enter:
Just comment and tell me if you're planning to see the movie and who you're going with!

Want extra entries? (Leave a separate comment for each one!)
-Be a fan of Nine More Months on Facebook. (1 entry.)
-Become a fan of Mars Needs Moms on Facebook. (1 entry.)
-Follow me on Twitter, AND tweet this giveaway. "Hey @ninemoremonths I want to #win a Mars Needs Moms prize pack! http://bit.ly/e9AUvW #giveaways" Comment with a link to your tweet. (You can do this up to 20 times total for one entry each, but please don't spam me all at once.)
-Be a follower or subscriber to my blog. (1 entry each.)
-Grab my button and tell me where it is. (1 entry.)
-Make a blog post linking to this giveaway and leave a comment with the link to it. (5 entries.)

Giveaway ends Friday March 18th, 2011 @9PM PST. US and Canada entries only. Winners will be picked via Random.org and announced the following day. Please respond within 48 hours, or a new winner will be chosen. Good luck!

Disclaimer: I was not compensated in any way for this giveaway. Just spreading the word and sharing a fun giveaway.

What makes me feel lucky.

2011-03-09T17:57:00.000-08:00

It's kind of funny that I'm writing about luck again. I really do feel like an incredibly lucky person. I'm reminded every day when I look at my kids, but it's more than too. I've had more "close calls" than I would like in my short life so far, but I've always come out undamaged. (Knocking on wood!)

Just the other night my husband and I went down to the Gaslamp district in San Diego for a friend's birthday celebration. If you don't know what that is, it's a super trendy spot filled with bars and restaurants and other fun places. On a Saturday night you either pay for parking, or get super lucky and find a free spot on the street. We were hoping for free, because we didn't have a lot of extra money to spend on our night out. After driving around on the street we decided we weren't going to have any luck. We pulled into a $10 lot and my husband went to the machine to buy a ticket. Well not only was there already a paid-for ticket left in the machine, but there was no one around to claim it. It had been paid for at 8:07, over an hour before we got there! We went ahead and took it, thanking our lucky stars.

We thought we had used up our luck earlier that morning! Driving around, we saw a funny sign and I wanted to take a picture of it. Hubby pulled over in a neighborhood and I hopped out to snap a quick photo. He drove closer to meet me and I got back into the car when I was done. For some reason he decided to go back towards the neighborhood and he saw something shiny in the middle of the street. He looked down and it was my iPhone. Untouched, even though I had seen several cars pull in and out of that neighborhood. We didn't even have to get out of the car because someone was crossing the street at that moment and handed it to us. We joked that if it was my husband's phone it would have just been smashed because that's the kind of luck he usually has.

These are just two of the most recent examples of why I feel so lucky. I definitely feel like there's someone out there, watching out for me because I've made it out of so many sticky situations. When I was younger I actually walked away from a car accident that was so horrible that people who saw the scene thought we would have died. I thank my lucky stars (and God) for still being alive.

With this post I'm also helping spread the word about redbox's Lucky to Have Friends Like You promotion.
The only thing better than $1 a night movies – free movies! Lucky you, redbox is giving everyone the chance to score free movie credits now through St. Patrick’s Day during the redbox Lucky to Have Friends Like You promotion. Each fan receives a unique web address. Every time someone rents from your address through March 17, you get a free movie credit. Rental credits are valid for ten (10) days after they’ve been deposited into your account. Spread the word, and lucky you could be rolling in free movies this March.

Disclaimer: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and redbox blogging program, for a $25 Walmart gift card from redbox. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

My Top 10 Tips for Getting Away with Great Family Travel Deals

2011-03-09T17:21:00.000-08:00

My family absolutely loves traveling. We aim for a nice family vacation each year, but it's not always the most extravagant one. The purpose of traveling for us is to expose our kids to new places, different cultures, or cool experiences. We want to create memories that will last a lifetime, whether it's across the country, in another state, or even just a couple of hours from home. Here are my top ten tips for getting away with great family travel deals.

1. Save ahead. For most vacations I'll start a savings fund even before I know where we're going! This serves two purposes. First, I'm able to put small amounts away at a time that will add up to a lot once it gets closer to vacation time. The second is that if I find a super great travel deal I don't have to upset my regular monthly budget to snatch it up.

2. Be spontaneous. Sometimes the best travel deals are the last-minute kind. If you're able to get up and go with only a week or two's notice you could score a super cheap hotel or airline deal.

3. Get outside. A week at a campground can cost you less than one night in a hotel! Pack up the tents, or even the RV for a fun family adventure. Even better, if you stay in a State or National park there's often guided tours or other fun events you can participate in for free.

4. Coupon sites.. Check out sites like Groupon and Living Social. Subscribe to their email alerts. There are often travel deals for hotels or other fun local events. You can subscribe to the list for whichever city you plan on visiting and get great deals on activities to do while you're there. You may even find out about fun things to do that you wouldn't have found otherwise.

5. Pack a cooler. When my family does a road trip, we bring the BIG cooler along for the ride. It's packed to the brim with fruits and veggies, cheese, lunch meats, milk for cereal and other healthy snacks. We can have our meals picnic-style on the road and can use the money we save on food towards fun activities. We also feel better because we're not relying on fast foods while we're on the go.

6. Do your research. This is a big one! Whether you're flying or driving it's important to find out as much as possible about where you're going. Join a travel message board and start asking questions. You can find out a lot more from people who live there or have been there than you can from just searching the internet for information.

7. Use your points. Cash in any points you have from credit cards or rewards sites. I was able to get a good amount of gas cards with mine. If you're not driving you can get gift cards to restaurants, movie tickets, and sometimes even theme park tickets.

8. Stay with family/friends. Does someone close to you live in a place you'd like to visit? I sometimes stay with friends or family to save money. If you don't want to take advantage, offer to help out around the house, or help with groceries or even take them out one night. It will still be much cheaper than staying in a hotel.

9. Never eat without a coupon. A lot of restaurants have email clubs you can sign up for to get coupons. You can also try restaurant.com or even just find a great kids eat free deal. Even on vacation we never pay full price for a family meal!

10. Skip the souveniers. Do you really need a hat shaped like the statue of liberty? No, you don't. Take lots of pictures, and make a scrap book. Instead of buying things to bring back for friends or family, send them a postcard while you're gone.

These are just a few of the ways we save money when traveling. I'd love to hear some more!

Dislaimer: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Alamo blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Kefir Giveaway Winners

2011-03-05T07:47:00.000-08:00

Here are the 5 winners of the Lifeway Kefir giveaway. I picked the winners one by one using Random.org.

#41 - Maria Delgado.

#13 - Katie.

#19 - Shelley.

#35 - Lena.

#51 - purplelover04.

To claim your prize please email me or DM me on twitter with your address!

What's Luck Got To Do With It?

2011-03-01T13:31:00.000-08:00

It's funny, I think I have a pretty odd relationship with luck. Before my husband, I was definitely one of those people who were considered to have "all the luck." I always managed to come out on top, even in a few of the scarier situations. I definitely felt like someone or something was watching out for me big time.

And then I met my husband. Boy, he has got to be one of the unluckiest people I have ever met in my life! He's right out of a sitcom. We joke that he must have been a horrible person in a past life, because karma seems to have it out for him. My favorite though is his saying. Similar to Murphy's law, but for my husband it's "Whatever can go wrong does go wrong, and whatever can't will still manage to go wrong somehow."

So what do you get when you mix together a very lucky girl with a tragically unlucky guy? You get some funny stories! And trust me, it's best to have a sense of humor about these things.

Take, for example, a trip to visit my family in Florida when my oldest was about 6 months old. My husband went down to the dock in my parents' neighborhood to do some fishing with my younger brother and sister. All was well, but my husband wasn't having too much luck catching anything good. After I while, I walked down to meet them with the baby in the stroller. I wanted to do a little fishing as well, so my husband handed the pole over so I could try for a bit.

On my very first try, I swung the pole backwards, and as I began to cast I felt some resistance. Thinking I hooked someone or something, I stopped midway through. As I look above my head, I see my husband's digital camera flying through the air, attached snugly to my hook. I tried to stop it, but it still managed to get a nice little dunk in the saltwater before I could get control. Saltwater is vicious, and that camera was immediately trashed.

Sounds pretty unlucky, right? (Sorry about your camera, honey.) Well, the upside is that we were able to save the memory card which had all of our pictures on it from the vacation up to that point. We managed to get a cheap camera the next day, on a good sale, too!

That is just one example of many stories I have regarding the odd luck we seem to have together. It's really like something out of a comedy. I've even had people tell me that we need to have a TV show about us. You just can't write this stuff, people.

I wonder though, was it my good luck that brought my husband and I together, or did that tragically unlucky guy just get a break for once?

Disclaimer: I wrote this blog post while participating in the Bookieboo and "Earthies Wants You to Feel Lucky" blogging program, making me eligible to win a pair of Earthies shoes and American Express Gift Cards. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Calling all OC/LA locals! Show some loaf love!

2011-03-01T11:02:00.000-08:00

Do you like Sharks, Whales, Sea Lions and other ocean creatures? Do you like cheese? What the heck do those two things have to do with each other? Well, let me tell you!

Tillamook cheese is teaming up with Aquarium of the Pacific to launch the Southern California leg of their Loaf Love Tour.

Tillamook's "Loaf Love Tour" is the second annual cross-country tour dedicated to “bringing tasty cheese to the people.” The tour is coming back to Southern California, and making stops all over Los Angeles and Orange County. To kick-off the 9-day tour, the Loaf Love Tour will be offering free admission to Aquarium of the Pacific for the first 100 people who show up in their best and brightest Tillamook Cheese orange. As if that wasn't enough, tour-goers will also receive free samples, coupons buttons and more. If you can't make it to the kick off tour, you will still be able to catch the crew at a grocery store near you for the same fun!

Just look for the adorable "Loafster," a convertible VW bus refurbished to represent a Baby Loaf of Tillamook Cheese. The Loafster will join a pair of 1966 Standard VW Microbuses, also modified to represent Baby Loafs. For more information and event updates, tune into Tillamook Cheese on Facebook or follow @TillamookCheese on Twitter

Not in Southern California? No worries! Keep an eye on the Loaf Love Tour to see when it's coming to a city near you!

Disclaimer: Just spreading the word about a fun event! I will be attending the kick off of the tour and will be provided with access to the aquarium on the day of, but no further compensation will be received. All opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.

WW: Rainy Weekend

2011-02-22T21:06:00.000-08:00

One good thing about bad weather, it brings smiles in the form of these.

For more Wednesday fun visit:

- Wordful Wednesday at Parenting by Dummies

- Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes For Mom, and wordlesswednesday.com

-Wordish Wednesday at Supermom

Ready for some warm weather!

2011-02-21T17:35:00.000-08:00

Today was a beautiful day in Southern California. A perfect day for running around outside, playing games and swinging on the swing set. The winter chill is starting to fade and I can't wait for warmer weather. My family and I met up with some friends for a picnic and some nice outside time.

Sure doesn't look like a rainy weekend, does it?

We went to a really cool playground. that we've never been to before at a place called Los Rios Park.

Really cool little bridge!

There were lots of slides to go down.

Yeah, I know he needs a hair cut really bad.

There were big rocks to climb on.

With help from Daddy, of course.

We even got to get up close and personal with some train tracks.

Coolest train station I've ever been to.

I love days like today. How do you like to spend your outside time?

This post is sponsored by CSN Stores who would love to give one of my readers a $25 gift code to use on your choice of one of their many sites.

I checked out Swingsets and More for myself and they have a lot of cool stuff at great prices. Not just swingsets! I have my eye on this Little Tikes TotSports Basketball Set on sale for $21.25, nearly half of the retail price. My boys would love to have one in the backyard.

Check back soon for a great review and giveaway from CSN Stores!

Any opinions in this post are mine and our not influenced in any way by the sponsor. I was not paid for this post, but will be provided a review product and a giveaway.

Lifeway Kefir Review and Giveaway

2011-02-17T09:32:00.000-08:00

*THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED*

If you're friends with me on Twitter, you may have seen some tweets about Kefir. Before starting Mamavation I drank it every morning as part of my breakfast. A typical breakfast for me with Kefir looks like this:

(L to R) 1 slice of sprouted wheat toast with 1 teaspoon of butter, 1 small banana, an 8-ounce glass of Low Fat Raspberry Kefir.

So I bet you're wondering, what the heck is Kefir? (All information was taken from the Lifeway Site.)

Historically, Kefir dates back to ancient times. It was originally produced when nomadic shepherds carried fresh milk in leather pouches. Along the way, they realized that it fermented into a delicious bubbly beverage. It is thought that the name Kefir originated from the Turkish word “Keif” which means “good feeling”, for the sense of well-being experienced after drinking it.

The Lifeway Company has been around since 1986, Russian immigrant Michael Smolyansky began manufacturing kefir in his basement to bring the taste of his native country to the U.S. He passed away in 2002, but his daughter and son remain in charge of the company, keeping it a family business. Today, Lifeway is the country’s leading manufacturer of kefir, with multiple flavors and varieties that include lowfat, whole milk and organic versions as well as a children’s line, and a provider of other probiotic natural and organic dairy products for health-conscious consumers.

What makes Kefir so great? Well, I orignally stumbled on this product just in the grocery store. I was put on some heavy antibiotics, and I was looking for a yogurt with a lot of probiotics and live cultures, so that all of the good bacteria in my body wouldn't be killed off. (We all know what happens after a long round of antibiotics...) When I glanced up at the top shelf I noticed a label boasting 10 live and active cultures plus "The Lifeway ProBoost." I decided to give a try.

I am not exaggerating, but I was an instant fan. Not only did I make it through a round of antibiotics without any "repercussions," but I also notice myself feeling better and having more energy. From then on I made sure to have a glass every morning as part of my breakfast. I've been recommending this product to all of my friends and family and have made even more raving fans.

If yogurt-y drinks aren't your style, there are plenty of great recipes that use Kefir as well!

How about some Basil Lifeway Kefir Dip?

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound of fresh basil, blanched
• 1 pint of Plain LowFat Lifeway Kefir
• 2 tbsp of fresh lemon juice
• Sea salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Blend ingredients thoroughly and refrigerate. Serve with sliced veggies, baked pita chips, multi-grain crackers, etc.

I used my free product to try out this recipe, and it was delcious! Similar to tzatziki sauce with a basil twist. I think it would be great with dill or mint instead of basil as well.

Buy it!
To find Kefir products in your area, check out the Store Locator.

Win it!
Five winners will get a VIP Pass valid for one FREE product in any flavor!

How to Enter:
Visit the Lifeway Site and then come back here and comment with something you learned that wasn't mentioned in my review.

Want extra entries? (Leave a separate comment for each one!)
-Be a fan of Nine More Months on Facebook. (1 entry.)
-Become a fan of Lifeway Kefir on Facebook. (1 entry.)
-Follow Lifeway Kefir on Twitter. (1 entry.)
-Follow me on Twitter, AND tweet this giveaway. "Hey @ninemoremonths I want to #win a a VIP Pass from @lifeway_kefir http://bit.ly/fWJKC5 #mamavation #giveaways" Comment with a link to your tweet. (You can do this once a day for 1 entry each.)
-Be a follower or subscriber to my blog. (1 entry each.)
-Grab my button and tell me where it is. (1 entry.)
-Make a blog post linking to this giveaway and leave a comment with the link to it. (5 entries.)
-Enter another one of my giveaways. (1 entry each.)

Giveaway ends Friday March 4th, 2011 @9PM PST. US entries only. Winners will be picked via Random.org and announced the following day. Please respond within 48 hours, or a new winner will be chosen. Good luck!

Disclaimer: I received a free VIP pass to try a product of my choice for review purposes. I did not receive any other form of compensation for this post. All opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.

How I Plan on Sharing Happiness

2011-02-16T14:24:00.001-08:00

Today is the perfect day for a post about happiness. It's cold and rainy and gloomy outside, and I know lots of people who could use a little sunshine! I have two little boys who get cabin fever easily, so I certainly have to be creative. Here are a few of the little ways I like to share happiness with those around me.

Dancing. Nothing gets us giggling harder than a dance party. It sounds so corny, but it works wonders. When they're bored or even fighting over toys I know it's time for a little distraction. They pick a favorite song, I turn the music way up and we boogie. I love seeing their faces light up and how crazy they get with their moves.

Be a good friend. When I'm having a bad day, sometimes a special little treat is just the thing I need to perk up. Knowing this I like to share that with other people. When one of my friends needs a pick-me-up, I invite her out for a little frozen yogurt and a chat. It's a great way to let a friend vent, and also know that someone is there for her. I know that makes her happy.

Say it with a smile. I'm out and about all of the time running errands. I come across many people who are going about their business as well. Some people are friendly, and others aren't. But when I interact with any of them, I am always cheerful and smiling, no matter how I'm feeling. They say smiling is contagious, and I really believe it's true. I try to "infect" as many people as I can. :)

Remember the little things. This one might sound silly, but I like to remember little details in people's lives. Obviously birthdays and anniversaries, but also little achievements they may have accomplished. Why? Because when you bring something like that up later down the road it really makes someone feel good!

Treats! Once in a while I like to do a little something special for my husband and my boys. Whether it be picking my oldest up from school with a slush from Sonic for him, or going out for ice cream cones after dinner. Or even a surprise visit to the playground while we're out running errands. Little things that they don't get to have or do everyday really make them happy.

I pride myself on being a good friend, a good wife and a good mom. My friends and family are important to me and I just want them all to be happy.

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Hershey's blogging program, for a gift card worth $25 and some product. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Mamavation Monday 01/31/2011

2011-01-30T13:36:00.000-08:00

One of the reasons I wanted to be a Mamavation Mom was to not only help myself, but also to help friends and loved ones better their lives as well. I have the utmost respect and admiration for Leah and what she's accomplished. Not only is she an amazing role model for many women, but she also chooses to take her success and use it to help people. People like me, who don't always have the motivation or resources to make such huge life changes. I hope to be able to pay that forward when my reign as Mamavation Mom is over.

One of my friends on Twitter, after seeing the Mamavation hash tag many times, decided to ask what it was all about. I gave her some info, sent her to the web page and let her see for herself. When she decided to start making steps to better herself and participate in the community, I was thrilled. It's a great feeling to know you've inspired someone to make changes in their life. (At least I hope I inspired her!) While ultimately she is the one responsible for her journey, I still feel obligated to help and motivate her along the way. And I am happy to do it!

The reason that Mamavation is so successful is because of the immense amount of support that is offered. Not only do you have the support of Leah, the coaches, the sponsors and the mentors, but there are also the countless women involved in the Sistahood as well. Unlike other weight loss programs where you may check in once weekly, Mamavation is a 24/7 gig. If I'm struggling, I can pick up my phone and tweet out a message, or even call or text one of my fellow Mamavation ladies.

Support is key, and I've never found a better support system than Mamavation. Thank you to Leah for creating such an amazing community for women to feel comfortable, supported and empowered. Thank you to the sponsors who believe in her vision and help make it happen, and thank you to the coaches who donate their time and expertise as well. For those of you who are reading this and are not involved in Mamavation, and maybe a little annoyed by all of my tweets, I hope this will give you a little insight on the program and why it means so much to me.

Have a great week everyone!

Mamavation Monday 1/24/10

2011-01-23T10:29:00.000-08:00

My first week as a Mamavation Mom is coming to an end. The first few days were kind of a whirl wind. I was able to meet with our Dietitian, Alysa Bajenaru, RD over skype and she gave me some great information regarding my meal plan and ways to keep from feeling really hungry between meals and snacks. Since starting and following my meal plan it was easy for me to see that my biggest struggle diet-wise was snacking too much during the day. I realized that between about 1:00pm and 6:00pm I would head to the fridge or pantry 3 or 4 times a day. Even if it was a healthy snack like greek yogurt, string cheese, or fruit, it was more about the quantity.

I also want to talk about my first Kickboxing class with Leah and my fellow L.A. Mom, Kate yesterday. I'm not the kind of person who enjoys exercising. In fact, I really didn't like it at all before starting this campaign. I had ever only been to one fitness class, and it was a pilates class that I went to with a friend. I had intentions to do the class a couple of times a week, but I didn't go without my friend, and because our schedules didn't really match up I didn't go at all.

When something is too tough, it's not uncommon for me to just quit. I've tried exercise videos in the past, without much success. Imagine being alone in your living room, you're moving along to a video and you get lost. You can't figure out what the heck they're doing. You give up, you turn the video off and sit down to watch TV. You're not hurting anyone, right? But you are hurting someone. You're hurting yourself.

So I'm getting a little off track. Yesterday Leah had Kate and I drive up to her gym and take her favorite kick boxing class with her. It was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. There was more than one point that I just wanted to give up and lay down on the floor. Had I been alone in my living room, it would have been very easy to just quit. But then I would just be hurting myself again. I nearly passed out, I almost threw up and I even cried during the workout. My legs were burning, and at one point they were shaking so hard that I truly thought they were going to give out on me. But they didn't!

I finished an hour long class of intense cardio and i survived it. But most of all, I pushed myself further than I ever have before. It set the bar for my future workouts. If you're running along with your EA Sports Active and you feel like your legs are burning and shaking and about to give up on you, keep running! You might hate it for a very short moment, but when you finish, you will have gotten so much more out of it than just a few extra calories burned.

I also want to congratulate our first Sista of the Week this year, @elenka29. She is consistently on Twitter each morning reminding and motivating the other moms to eat a healthy breakfast with her #breakfastclub tweets. She continues to have a positive attitude and great motivation despite not being chosen as a Mamavation Mom. She is an amazing inspiration, and if you're not already a friend of hers, I suggest becoming one! Congrats, Lena!

This week's Mamavation sponsor and question comes from Kellogg's Fiber Plus. They're question is:

How are you getting more fiber in your diet this New Year?
I'm not sucking up or anything, but I often eat the Fiber Plus Cinnamon Oat Crunch Cereal for breakfast. One and a half cups of the cereal with one cup of almond milk and a small banana has about 22 grams of fiber! The recommended daily amount of fiber is 25 grams, so that breakfast gets me pretty darn close! For the rest of the day I try to sneak in a few more foods that are fiber rich, an apple for a snack (3-4 grams), a half a cup of black beans on my salad (over 9 grams!), or a cup of fresh steamed broccoli with dinner (8 grams). That gives me well over the recommended amount, and none of it tastes like cardboard.

Thank you again to the Mamavation coaching team, Alysa Bajenaru, RD, Tracy Mallett, and Pete Cohen and thank you to our wonderful sponsors Earth Footwear, EA Sports Active, Chefs Requested, and last but definitely not least, Sears Fitness!

Disclaimer: I’m writing this post as an entry to a blogging carnival sponsored by Fiber Plus. I will be receiving free product in return, and a chance to win a gift card as well.

Mamavation Monday 1/17/10

2011-01-17T00:03:00.000-08:00

It has been such a busy week! Last week I found out that I will be one of two moms participating in the Los Angeles Mamavation campaign. I am so incredibly excited to be working so closely with Leah and to be able to document my journey. Not only will I be able to inspire and motivate other moms, but I will also have something to hold onto and look back on to hopefully motivate myself further down the road.

I struggled this week due to the stress of planning a two year old's birthday party. Let me just throw this out there. I'm a horrible planner. I'm the queen of doing things at the very last minute. Between 5pm on Friday and 4pm on Saturday I managed to throw an entire party together. I don't think Party City was pleased with my last minute balloon order Saturday afternoon, but they came through for me!

I am also up in weight this week. I don't think it's from the party, because I was too busy running around like a decapitated chicken to shove all the food in my face. Instead, I'm blaming it on my monthly visitor. Because seriously, if you can't blame things on your period, then what good is it for?

I talked to my boss at work tonight and told her about what I would be doing next week, and I wanted to let her know that I would be less available for while. (It's off season right now so not a big deal.) She was so excited that she told me she was going to lose 2.5 pounds a week with me for 6 weeks (She's already in pretty good shape!) and she wants me to come in to the store every week and share my loss! (I only live right down the street, thankfully.) How cool is that? It's really great to have a supportive boss.

Tomorrow is going to be a big day! It's Martin Luther King Day, which is totally awesome. Hubby and Mason have the day off work and school and we're heading up to Los Angeles in the morning. Our plan is to spend the morning in Griffith Park, and then in the afternoon I'm heading up even further to have a meeting with Leah! Woo hoo! After that it's straight home for the Twitter party to find out who my other two Mamavation partners in crime are going to be! And after that I get to chat with the wonderful Alysa (@inspiredRD) about my nutrition plan.

I'm full of nervousness and excitedness and tiredness and all kinds of other things. Thank you thank you thank you to everyone for all of your continued support! I could not have gotten this far without you and I definitely will not be able to survive this campaign without you all as well. Good luck to all of the finalists!

Finalists: remember tomorrow night that whether you win or lose, you have already made a huge commitment to yourself and have taken a big step in the right direction. You can and will succeed as a Mamavation Mom or not. I will be here to support you guys and cheer you on and I am going to be making myself as available as possible for questions, concerns, or if you just want to vent. I wish you all the best of luck and I will see you tomorrow at the Twitter party!

Mamavation Monday 01/10/2011

2011-01-10T09:55:00.000-08:00

Last night/this morning the Mamavation Mom finalists were announced. Leah decided to surprise everyone once again and gave us a total of 12 moms to choose from and vote for. With 21 applicants this time around, I know it must have been hard to narrow it down. Unfortunately I am not one of the finalists this time around. Last campaign I cried when I didn't see my name on the list. This time around I had no hard feelings at all. I am also an applicant for the LA Mom campaign, and the winner has yet to be announced. If I am not chosen, I have the Move it and Lose it Challenge again. I took third place last campaign, and I will work even harder if I am in the challenge again.

My week went well. Now that the Holidays are finally over, most people are finding it easier to get back into a routine. Here we have a bunch of birthdays to get through in the next couple of weeks, so it's still a little crazy. Saturday was the 3rd birthday of a close friend's daughter, and next Saturday we're celebrating Jackson's 2nd birthday (which was 12/29) and my brother-in-law's birthday (1/16) with a big party at our house. I'm working on collection some good party recipes that are also healthy, so if you have any, let me know!

I lost weight this week again! Last week I didn't post my actual weight, but it was 199. This week I worked really hard on making sure I was drinking water, moving, and eating healthier foods. I cheated on the weekend, but it didn't completely thwart my efforts, because I weighed in at 197.5. I lost 1.5 pounds again!

I plan on doing the same thing over the next week, except for maybe amping up my exercise efforts a little more. I have to start training for the 5K mud run in April! Lots of water, eating breakfast, and healthy meals. Those are the things I'm concentrating on in an effort to drill those good habits into my brain.

I hope everyone has a great week, and I'll see you at Mamavation TV!

Juno Jr. - The Day The Music Stopped DVD Review

2011-01-07T14:47:00.000-08:00

I try not to let my kids watch a ton of TV, but sometimes putting on their favorite show or movie is a guaranteed way to get some housework done. Especially when you have two little boys who's favorite activity is to mess up the house as I'm cleaning. So if I really want to get something done, I have to make sure whatever they're watching is actually holding their attention.

My kids love music, so if something involves singing or dancing, it's got their attention. From songs in the car, to silly toys that encourage kids to get up and dance with them, to video games that teach kids fun dance moves. They especially love shows and movies that promote music and dancing as well. When I heard about Juno Jr. I knew it would be a hit with my boys.

I received a copy of their newest DVD, The Day The Music Stopped. It follows Juno and her baby brother Rai Rai as they try to bring music back to the magical town of Harmonia Springs after Bunny accidentally presses the big red button on Murphy's Shush Machine. They then go on an adventure to find melodies, harmonies, and rhythms. The DVD also features an beautiful original score that grown ups will enjoy as well. Both of my boys were captivated by the music, and excited to help Juno and her friends find the music and sing and dance along with them.

Buy It:
You can get a coupon that's good for 50% off of a Juno store credit of $40. That deal ends today though, so you'll have to hurry.

Disclaimer: I was provided a free DVD and tote bag to facilitate my review. The link to the coupon is an affiliate link and by using it, I do get credit for purchases. I did not receive any other form of compensation. All opinions are strictly my own and are in no way influenced by outside sources.

Mamavation Monday 01/03/2011

2011-01-03T13:41:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday and New Year. I thought that maybe I had a little too much fun celebrating the New Year, so I was a bit nervous to step on the scale this morning. I prepared myself to write a big long "Things I did wrong this week" post. When I weighed myself, I was surprised to see a 1.5 pound loss!

Um, don't ask me how I did it, because I honestly don't know. I think I just got really lucky. One thing that I think may have helped me though was breakfast. I've been trying to get into the habit of not only eating breakfast, but eating one that is rich in fiber and protein and low in calories. I have found a few delicious combinations that are working for me! I highly recommend going to the dairy section of your local grocer and finding yourself something called Kefir. It's near the yogurt, and is seriously wonderful for breakfast alongside some oatmeal or high-fiber toast. My favorite flavor of Kefir packs a whopping 14g of protein with only 140 calories.

If you haven't seen it yet, here is my Mamavation Application Post and Video. It's a little more personal than I was comfortable with, but I sucked it up and posted it anyway, so I would love some feedback.

I also committed to running a 5K! A fellow local blogger friend of mine and I are starting up a team, and everyone is welcome to join, so if you're in the Orange County area, please feel free to join us. It will be a lot of fun, and the cost is only $39 per runner, so it won't even break the bank.

This week we have to answer a question.

What are ways you can work out without having to leave the house?
Well, there are quite a few ways I try to work out in the house! Since getting the Wii Fit this Christmas, I have a very fun and easy way to exercise. I also have my EAS Active More Workouts game for the Wii, which I like because you can customize your own personal routine. My husband and I have been slowly collecting workout gear such as weights, exercise balls, and resistance bands. We can use them alongside videos, or even just do some quick workouts on our own with them.

This week's sponsor is Game Stop and they have games for every console to help you get your workout in without stepping outside.

Good luck to all the Mamavation Mom applicants, as well as everyone else entering into a new chapter of healthy living. I support you all and I'm proud of you for already accomplishing so much!

Join us at the Mud Run 2011!

2011-01-03T10:10:00.000-08:00

A few months ago a blogger friend of mine, Jen from 3before30.com mentioned wanting to do the Mud Run in April of 2011. I had just gotten serious with my fitness goals and had already been looking for a 5K to start preparing for.

The idea of have to run through mud and obstacles may put some people off, but it sounded like a lot of fun to me. I imagine it must be more challenging than a typical 5K, but I'm up for the challenge. Now I've committed to a friend, and made that commitment public by sharing it on my blog. There's no backing out now!

We will be starting an open-sized team, so if you want to join us, please let one of us know! It will be a lot of fun, and it'll give you a great excuse to get off your butt and start getting in shape so you don't embarrass yourself too much. It will also be a wonderful way to get to know some of your fellow bloggers on a more personal level. Hope to see you there!

You can check out Jen's post on her brand new domain, 3before30.com

Mamavation Monday 12/27/10 Putting it all out there.

2010-12-27T15:43:00.001-08:00

Man, it's been a long week! I thought it did really well as far as eating went. I didn't cook much, because we ate dinner at other people's houses. I tried to eat in moderation, and control whatever I could. Unfortunately I did not lose weight this week, but I did not gain, so that's not so bad.

I am applying to be a Mamavation Mom. I'm going to give it another try! I kind of put it all out there in this video. In fact, I was hesitant to post it at all. I almost just deleted it and started again for the fiftieth time. But I left it, because I want to be honest with who I am, and that also includes who I was before.

This will be my last time applying for a while though, because my husband and I have decided that it's almost time to start trying for baby number three. I really want to be a Mamavation Mom to kind of boost myself into a healthier me before I go and get pregnant. It would be amazing to be in a better place, health-wise, and hopefully have strong habits that could carry into my pregnancy.

Here's the video, with Mason making a couple of cameos. Welcome to what my life is like every day with two crazy boys!

If you want to show your support for me, I'd love to see you tweet the following:
Hey @bookieboo! I want @ninemoremonths to be the next #Mamavation Mom. She has my support! http://bit.ly/zqUxa

I have a similar attitude going into this campaign that I did with the last one. If I make it, it will be amazing and I will give 110% to the program and to my sistas. If not, I will bring it in the Move it and Lose it Challenge and I will weigh less at the end of the campaign, regardless of what happens.

Thank you to all of you who have already shown your support, I love you all!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T23:39:00.000-08:00

This is a year of firsts for us. This is the first year we've had Christmas in a house, rather than an apartment. That means this was the first year we put lights outside and put up a real tree. This was also the first time we sent out cards as a family. My good friend Jenn came over and took our picture, and then photoshopped it into a beautiful card!

She is so talented, I love our card.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!

Mamavation Monday 12/20/10

2010-12-20T11:55:00.000-08:00

Wow, is it already Monday again? It feels like the weeks are just flying by for me. Sometimes that can be good, but we're only 4 shopping days away from Christmas and I'm seriously lacking in the present department. A little over a week until my youngest turns two and I have no party plans made at all. Oh boy!

So yeah, last week was a bit of a blur. I spent the week mostly trying to organize the mounds of clutter in my house and working. Wednesday was our Softball tournament. They split it into two divisions, and we were in the lower one of course, being a 2-8 team. We played our old team and won, and then we played the winner of the second game and won too. We won the championship! I played a position called Rover, which is basically someone who is all over the outfield. I did that both games, and there was a lot of jogging back and forth and side to side. Let's just say my legs did not like me very much for a few days after that.

Thursday through Sunday I worked a lot. I've picked up some hours to try and get extra Christmas money. Even though my check will come after the Holidays, it will probably make up for whatever we overspend before that. I work all the way through Christmas Eve. Busy busy busy. The great news about it is that I'm on my feet a whole lot for work, instead of sitting at home snacking. I try to bring the healthiest snacks possible and drink lots of water.

It seems to be working because I lost two pounds this week! Only two more to go and I'll be rid of those 4 that I gained during my hiatus and be back to my weight that I ended the Move it and Lose it challenge with.

This weeks goals are the same as last. Keep it very basic and continue trying to build good habits while getting rid of bad ones. Get whatever exercise I can. I'll have to do some improvising since we're in the middle of a huge rain storm.

Congrats to our Sista of the Week @ChristiDarty! You're doing an amazing job!

Shout out to @KarlaBond for the wonderful Secret Santa gift. I got an Amazon.com gift card! You better believe it didn't take me very long to spend it. How did you know I love to shop?! :)

Have a lovely time at Mamavation TV tonight ladies, unfortunately I'm working at 7:00pm, so I'll have to miss it. Have a wonderful week and a mostly stress-free holiday!

Mamavation Monday 12/13/10

2010-12-13T14:17:00.000-08:00

Hey Ladies,

I apologize for not posting last week. My life has been non-stop crazy for the past month and a half and last Monday it started to calm down, so I took advantage of it and just relaxed. Here's a little back story. At the end of October I decided to be nice and help a couple of friends out who had fallen on hard times. So from then until last Sunday they were staying in our house, along with 2 little dogs and a cat. I don't have the biggest house, so it was crowded and a little chaotic.

I don't really need to go into the details, but it was stressful, and I didn't handle that part very well. Because I was so absent from my biggest support system (you guys!) I kind of went back to some old habits. So, in the past two weeks I've gained 4 pounds. Ugh!

Now that things are calming down, it's time for me to get back on track. I got a bike, I need to use it! I have food in my fridge and freezer, I need to cook it! I need to stop eating things that "convenient" because they are not healthy. I need to use twitter, because otherwise, who is keeping me accountable? Obviously not me.

Goals for this week:
I'm starting all over, which means I'm monitoring everything.
-100 oz of water.
-25g of Fiber.
-Watch my calories.
-Get veggies in every meal.
-Lay off the processed junk!
-Exercise whenever possible, even if it means running up and down the stairs 20 times during nap time.

Hopefully it won't be long before all of those things become a habit again. Until then, I just have to work hard and think about everything I do. Soon, those healthy choices will just be second nature.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week, I'm off to Los Angeles again to run some errands and drop a friend off at the airport so I won't be at the Twitter party. I will try to check in from my phone when I'm not driving. Good luck!

A Special Christmas Episode of Community Tonight!

2010-12-09T16:10:00.000-08:00

My husband and I don't watch too many shows anymore, but we do watch the Thursday night lineup on NBC every week. Those are some of our favorite shows. The very first show in the lineup is always Community. If you're already a fan, then you've probably seen clips of tonight's special episode.

"Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas" takes the cast on a magical journey to uncover the meaning of Christmas. What makes it even more magical is that the entire episode is done in stop motion. The classic Community style humor is mixed with an animation style reminiscent of Christmas favorites like Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer.

If you've never seen Community before, you might become a fan after watching this great episode. Abed is one of my favorite characters on the show, and this episode truly captures him perfectly. If you're already a big fan of the show, you're in for a treat!

This special episode airs tonight at 8:00pm! If you miss it, you can always watch full episodes on NBC.com at the Community page.

Disclaimer: By being a part of the One2One network, I was provided a press link to preview the episode. I was not compensated in any way for this post. By sharing my opinion I am entered to win a gift card.

Mamavation Monday 11/29/10

2010-11-29T11:43:00.000-08:00

How was everyone's Thanksgiving? We had a very food-happy week, and I tried my best to stay on track. I stuck mostly to my plan, except I didn't manage to get any exercise. The good news is that I finally got my birthday presents from my in-laws, a new mountain bike! I will be getting good use out of that baby. :)

It's the end of the Move it & Lose it Challenge! I'm both excited and kind of nervous. I am a little tiny bit competitive, but I didn't bring my all this time. I do feel like I was really consistent though, losing a pound a week nearly every week.

Before:

Measurements:
Bust: 44 3/4"
Arms: L: 15" R: 15 1/4"
Waist: 41"
Hips: 46"
Thighs: L: 25 1/2" R: 25 1/4"

After:

(I lost 1lb this week!)

Measurements:
Bust: 43 3/4"
Arms: L: 14 3/4" R: 14 1/2"
Waist: 37 1/2"
Hips: 44"
Thighs: L: 24" R: 24 1/2"

Personally I'm not noticing a difference in the pictures, but I also only lost 5.5lbs over the past 7 weeks. Also, I think that outfit is pretty unflattering. BUT, I am feeling better, people are still complimenting me, and my clothes are fitting better. So, I'm happy with my results so far. I'm far from done, though.

Goals for this week are to concentrate on healthy meals for the family. We didn't eat at home much last week, and I felt really out of control of everything we ate. Even though we were eating home-cooked foods, they weren't cooked by me so I could only estimate what was in them. My other goal is to keep moving. Hopefully I'll be able to try out my new bike a few times. Any kind of exercise would be great.

I have to pick my lovely friend up from the airport tonight, but I will see you all at Mamavation TV for a little bit before I have to go. Have a great week!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T09:39:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone is having a wonderful day filled with family, friends, and time off work. Woo hoo!

I am thankful for my family. My two beautiful little boys who keep me on my toes 24 hours a day, my husband who puts up with all my crazy ideas (most of which end up blowing up in my face), and all of the rest of my gigantic family near and far who are always there for us.

I am thankful for the roof over our head and the food that is always on our table. I'm thankful that my husband and I have both held our jobs through all the craziness in the economy, even if I do have to work 8 hours tomorrow during the heat of Black Friday. (The life of a retail worker.)

I'm thankful for my blog readers who have been putting up with my flakiness for the past, I don't know, couple of months. Especially the few of you that comment on nearly every single posts. It makes me so happy! I am still adjusting to having a crazy schedule with preschool, play dates, working, exercising, housework and running errands. Somewhere in there I have to add blogging. I hear it only gets worse as the kids get older.

I am thankful for my health! I can't tell you how many bugs have come through this house in the past few weeks. Everyone has gotten sick, except for me! Usually once I've nursed everyone back to health I come down with whatever it is, but I've been able to avoid everything so far. Now if only I could avoid injuring myself...

I hope everyone is having a wonderful time, and if you have a moment, feel free to let me know what you're thankful for as well!

Mamavation Monday 11/22/10

2010-11-22T10:39:00.000-08:00

This week has been a wonderful week. My attitude has done a complete 180. Instead of looking at exercise as a chore, it has become something fun. Instead of dreading the scale every Monday morning, I look forward to seeing my results. Even on weeks like this one where I may have indulged a little more to quiet those monthly cravings.

This week I also received a lot of compliments regarding my weight. People have been asking me how much weight I've loss, told me I look great and it's been making me feel awesome. When other people start noticing, especially people who you see often, it really gives you an amazing confidence boost. And well, it makes you want to keep going. It's interested how a little success can be a great motivation.

This past Wednesday I also noticed some improvement in my softball skills. My husband and I have been playing co-ed softball for over a year now, and when we started I had never played before in my life. I could barely hit as far as the pitcher, ran pretty slow, and couldn't throw very far at all. Fast forward to now, I can almost hit it out of the infield, I'm running faster so I make it to the base more often, and I can actually throw the ball across the field.

Okay, now here comes some great news.

Weekly Weigh-In:
Last week: 200.5lbs
This week: 199.5lbs
Lost 1lb
Total lost with #mamavation: 12.5lbs

I AM UNDER 200! THIS IS A BIG DEAL FOR ME! YAY!

So Thanksgiving is coming. The game plan for this week will be a lot different than usual. Not only do I have to worry about Thanksgiving dinner, I have to worry about dinner at a friend's house Wednesday evening, the potluck at work on Black Friday, and the annual Day-after-Thanksgiving dinner at my good friend Debra's house. That's a lot of eating. Saturday and Sunday will most likely be filled with leftovers.

Game Plan:

- Water. Bring my stainless steel water bottle with me everywhere, and keep drinking water. When we're out and about I tend to be a little more lax with my water drinking. I have a few bottles, and I'm going to keep them with me and fill them up when they're empty. When we're eating I'll make sure to drink a few glasses of water during my meals.

-Breakfast. I plan to eat a low-calorie high fiber and protein breakfast every day. Something like oatmeal with a little dried fruit and then maybe a hard boiled egg white or a couple of scrambled egg whites for protein.

-Lunch. I'm going to make sure to eat a small lunch, maybe a salad or a wrap. Something easy and light, but enough to keep me satisfied until dinner. It seems a little weird that my game plan for weight loss includes lots of eating, even on Thanksgiving. But I want to avoid what I usually do, which is skip every meal except for the big dinner and then eat until I explode.

-Dinner. Every year I do the same thing. Put a little of everything on my plate, eat it all, and then go back for seconds of my favorites. This year I'm going to try something different. I'm going to fill my plate with veggies first. Green beans, salad, sweet potatoes, etc. After I finish that, I will take a tiny bit of the "other stuff." I plan on taking it easy on the mashed potatoes and stuffing. A couple of bites will make me happy, and I won't regret it later.

-Healthy choices. Potlucks are very dangerous. I signed up to bring a veggie tray so that I can count on at least one healthy item in the mix. I'll probably also bring a salad for myself so that I have an actual meal to eat on my break, instead of snacking on the treats that everyone is bringing.

-Exercise! It's not going to be easy to get exercise this week. Besides being on my feet at work, most of the holiday is spent sitting and chatting with family. I'm going to try to plan some fun activities. Kicking around a soccer ball, playing Wii fit, taking a walk, etc.

So that's my plan. I'm not going to try to track all of my calories, because it will be kind of a pain in the butt trying to figure out everyone's recipes. I'm just going eat more of the foods I know are healthy, and way less of the foods that I know aren't.

Sista of the Week: Congrats to Heather, @notdiyheather for being SOTW for the second time! Heather, you are awesome and wonderful and I always love your support. You rock!

Commit to Fit: If you haven't already heard about Subway's Commit to Fit challenge, you should definitely check it out! My commitment is to be able to do the Mud Run next year, which is a 5K in the mud with lots of obstacles.

Hope everyone has a great week and a wonderful Thanksgiving. Unfortunately I am not going to be at Mamavation TV tonight, which I am really bummed about. I love Billy Blanks Jr. and his awesome wife Sharon. Instead I will be in San Diego, visiting a friend I haven't seen in a long time. Have a great time, guys!

Mamavation Monday 11/15/10

2010-11-15T09:34:00.000-08:00

Oh boy. It's been a rough week.

I really wish I would stop hurting myself. Soon after my foot got better, I injured my toe stepping out of the shower. If that doesn't give you a clue as to exactly how accident prone I am, I don't know what could. As I stepped out, I hit the top of my toe on the edge of the bathtub. It hurt so bad but it didn't bleed or bruise. I made it through the day, but I winced with every step.

The next day my toe was swollen, red and hot to the touch. I'll leave out the more gory details. Around 5pm I headed to Urgent Care. I waited 30 minutes for the Doctor to look at it for 30 seconds and tell me it was infected. Off to the pharmacy I went with a prescription for Antibiotics.

My toe is feeling better, but I don't think I've ever eaten more yogurt in my life. Did I mention how much I hate yogurt by itself? Blech. On the bright side, I bet I've got some really healthy digestion going on right now.

I don't know if it was the medicine, or just me, but I was awfully drowsy the past few days. I even fell asleep on the couch Saturday afternoon after we came home from the movies.

So anyway, I didn't get any exercise this week because I was out of commission for most of it. That means I have a lot of work to do this week.

My goals for myself are basically the same as they've been the past few weeks. I've got the eating thing down. Eating the right foods and the right portions hasn't been a problem for me. I just need to exercise. And that means I need to stop hurting myself!

Weekly Weigh-In:
Last week: 201.5lbs
This week: 200.5lbs
Lost 1lb
Total lost with #mamavation: 11.5lbs

(Sorry for the crappy pic. It's extremely difficult to take a picture of my weight on this scale because the number disappears after 30 seconds so I have to be fast while I'm crouching down and snapping the picture with my phone. There was an intense reflection so I also tried to crop and sharpen the picture to make the number easier to read.)

I'm steadily losing a pound a week, even on weeks where I messed up a lot such as this one. Conclusion: I could be losing a lot more weight if I really amped it up. If I keep going the same way I'm going, I may reach my desired weight by the time I'm 30.

Today after dropping Mason off at preschool I headed over to the in-law's so that I could work out a little while Jackson napped. I burned about 167 calories until he wouldn't lay down anymore. Hopefully I can get a walk around the neighborhood tonight after the kids go to bed as well. If I can get that much exercise for at least four days out of the week I think I will feel a lot better.

Sista of the Week: Big congrats to Scarlett, @MMScarlett for being chosen as SOTW! You go girl!

Hope everyone has a great week, and I'm looking forward to reading your posts!

Mamavation Monday 11/8/10

2010-11-08T08:39:00.001-08:00

First of all I want to apologize, because I wasn't able to make it to Mamavation TV last week. I was called in to work, and I need the hours so I said yes. Secondly, I wasn't able to comment on anyone's blog posts either, and I feel bad. I have been super busy, and while I usually try to blog and comment for at least an hour each day, I barely had time to write up one blog post. I need to learn better time management skills.

Because I've been so busy, I was only able to get in exercise sporadically, and I didn't log my calories, even though I was still very aware of what I ate all week. I made the majority of our meals at home, including a huge pot of chicken soup for all of the sickies in the house. When we were out and about, I tried to make the healthiest choices possible, like a 6-inch loaded veggie delight at Subway. So good!

I think the most exercise I got this week was during Wednesday night softball. My husband and I have been playing coed recreational softball for a little over a year now. This season has been kind of rough, and we were rained out of a few games. To make up for it, we had a double-header this past week. In between our first and second games we decided to get a little more fielding and batting practice, so we were moving around for a good 3 hours straight.

Weekly Weigh-In:
Last week: 202.5lbs
This week: 201.5lbs
Lost 1lb
Total lost with #mamavation: 10.5lbs

I've lost over 10 pounds with my Mamavation sistas! I've really been concentrating on getting under the 200 mark, but 10 pounds is a pretty great milestone itself.

Measurements:
Bust: 43 1/2" (1.25" lost!)
Arms: L: 14 1/2" R: 14 1/4" (.5" and 1" lost, respectively.)
Waist: 39" (2" down!)
Hips: 45 3/4" (1/4" lost)
Thighs: L: 24 1/2" R: 24 1/2" (1" and 3/4" lost, respectively.)

Wow! It really makes a difference when you measure yourself in addition to weighing. I didn't feel like a lost much in the last 4 weeks, but this makes me feel a little better.

This week we will not be at softball, so I need to make sure, no matter what, that I get a good amount of exercise in. Even if it's just a short jog around the neighborhood a couple of times this week, I need to keep moving.

Goals for the week:
-Water and Fiber as usual
-Fit in at least 3 hours of movement total
-Log those calories
-Make as many meals at home as possible

Congrats to Laila, @OnlyLaila for being sista of the week this week. I love reading your tweets, you always crack me up. :)

This week's blogging carnival is sponsored by Earth Footwear. I have been trying to win a pair of these babies for a while now, so I'll be crossing my fingers tonight. Mama needs a new pair of shoes!

Hope everyone has a great week, and I will see you at Mamavation TV tonight! (Unless I get called into work again, but let's hope I don't.)

Bringing Home Baby

2010-11-02T14:29:00.000-07:00

When you're a new mom, you don't often know exactly what to do with your first baby. No matter how many books I read, or how many people gave me advice, there were still plenty of roadblocks and fun little surprises. When my second child was born things went a little more smoothly, but there was still a lot of preparation. Twittermoms and Lysol want to hear your 10 tips for new moms bringing a new baby home. Here are mine.

1. Plan. There is a lot you can do way before your due date that will make things much easier for you later. My first step is to always plan everything out on paper. Goals, theme ideas, products I might like to get, schedules, meal ideas, furniture ideas, etc. Having babies equals Mommy Brain, so having all of your ideas written down will help combat that.

2. Map. You can sketch out what you'd like the nursery to look like, and take all of the measurements. Once you're in the store buying things, you'll have all of the information you need with you. If you have a larger house, I recommend also planning a "baby area" in the common room as well. That way you can designate a spot for all of the toys and accessories (and there will be many) so you won't be overwhelmed later.

3. Prepare. You can prepare meals ahead of time and freeze them. Slowly replace your freezer's contents with your ready to cook meals. Casseroles and baked pasta dishes are the easiest to freeze. You can also prepare meals for the crock pot ahead of time and freeze them in large baggies. You'll be surprised at the amount of stress that you can take off just by having dinner already made.

4. Clean. Wash all of the baby's clothes, clean off new toys and books and sanitize bottles/binkies or anything that will go in their mouth (so...everything). Put it all away and it'll be safe and ready for you when you need it.

5. Find a sitter. If you plan on going back to work, designate a sitter before the baby comes. Once the baby is born your sitter can come over once a week and help out or just observe. As the weeks go on they can gradually come over more often, and when the time comes, going back to work won't be so hard for you or your little one.

6. Deep cleaning. This is the part I made my husband do a lot of, because I wasn't so fond of the smell of cleaning products during any of my pregnancies. Besides the normal places you clean, it's a good idea to clean in the nooks and crannies and all those places you don't get to on a daily basis. Closets, under the couch, Behind the tv, etc. Even though baby may not go there, just getting the dust and germs out will make a difference in your whole house.

7. Pack. Pack a suitcase like as if you were going on vacation. Anything you wouldn't want to be without for a couple of days bring with you. Slippers, extra clothes (don't try to bring your pre-preggo clothes though), toiletries, magazines or books, etc. Most hospitals have hand sanitizer, but I always bring a couple to keep right next to my bed for the visitors.

8. Schedule. Once the baby is born, everyone is going to want to see it. When people ask if they can visit, designate them one hour at a time. With my first pregnancy everyone came at the same time. Of course I was happy to see our friends or family, but it was packed in the hospital room and I was getting hot and uncomfortable. Having just a couple of people at a time is much more comfortable for everyone.

9. Get some sleep. The first few days, my babies slept a lot. Take advantage of every moment they sleep and get some rest for yourself. Don't try to "get things done" during those times, there will be time for that later. You'll need every bit of sleep you can get.

10. Invite your friends over. If you have friends with kids, invite them over for a play date. The first few weeks are rough, and sometimes you just want to talk to a grown up. You'll be free to socialize without all the hassle of trying to take a new baby out into the world.

Bringing home a new baby is often stressful, whether it's your first or fifteenth child. Take all of the advice with a grain of salt and do what's right by you!

I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Lysol® Wee Wisdom blogging program, making me eligible to get a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Mamavation Monday 11/1/10

2010-11-01T10:05:00.000-07:00

It's been a crazy busy week, hence why I am waiting until Monday to post this, when I usually post on Sunday evening. Sunday evening was Halloween though, and I also had to go to work immediately after we finished Trick-or-Treating, so there was no time for anything.

This week's ups:
-Only ate ONE piece of Halloween candy. Someone gave Mason a handful of Almond Joy, and those are my favorite.
-Drank tons of water.
-Walked a lot on Saturday and Sunday doing different Trick-or-Treat events.

This week's downs:
-Hurt my foot playing softball, which kept me pretty sedentary for two days.
-Still didn't start Couch 2 5K.
-Ate entirely too much fast food.
-Wasn't vigilant about tracking calories
-Wasn't able to get ANY Wii in at all.
-Skipped breakfast on Sunday. (Bad girl!)

Nothing entirely too bad, but enough to make me afraid to look at the scale. When I weighed myself yesterday morning, there was a gain. I did my best yesterday to correct some of the bad behavior to hopefully get the scale back down a little. In an effort to not have my house completely full of candy, I took all the candy the kids got doing pre-Halloween Trick-or-Treating and handed it right back out to the neighborhood kids. And we only did one street last night since I had to work, so there isn't too much. I was thinking of even having my 4 year old take some of it to a local dentist for the Halloween Candy Buy Back. I'm not sure how he would feel about it, but I think it's a great cause and would be a great learning experience. Bonus points, it will get more candy out of my house.

Weekly Weigh-In:
Last week: 203lbs
This week: 202.5lbs
Lost 1/2lb
Total lost with #mamavation: 9.5lbs

Happy to see a loss, no matter how small.

This week's goals:
-Don't hurt myself playing softball.
-Get at least 2 days of exercise on the Wii.
-Start doing Couch 2 5K!
-Stay away from Fast Food.
-Make as many meals at home as possible.
-Diligently track calories.

Water and Fiber intake aren't even on there this week because it's kind of become second nature. I aim for 100oz of water a day, and I get an average of about 30g of Fiber each day, mostly from breakfast. I know which foods to eat to get me there, and it seems to be helping out.

SUBWAY is the sponsor this week, and their Commit2Fit campaign is the perfect way to get yourself recommitted and refreshed. Good luck to Jared in the marathon this weekend! We'll be watching and cheering you on.

Congrats to SOTW Lorrie, @cuteangel79!! She was also named commenter of the week, and wins a session with the awesome Pete Cohen. Way to go!

I should be at Mamavation TV tonight, so I'll see ya'll there!

Mamavation Monday 10/25/10

2010-10-24T22:46:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, I hope you had a great weekend! I'm writing this post late Sunday night from my cousin's house in Las Vegas. The kids and I drove out Friday and will be heading home Monday morning.

Since I knew I would be on "vacation" this weekend, I made it a point to be extra good for the beginning of the week to offset any bad habits I might let happen. On the drive out Friday I made sure to pack lots of healthy snacks. Pop Chips, apples, plums, baby carrots, and a few other things. It makes pit stops a lot less tempting.

One of the reasons we came out was to go to a festival we attend each year called, "Bite of Las Vegas." As you can imagine, it involves lots of eating. I did pretty well, though. A lot of my family attends, and we usually buy lots of different foods and take just a bite of each thing.

I am a little upset that I didn't try harder to eat at home more. The kids and I ate out for nearly every meal. It wouldn't have been that hard to stop by the store on our way in on Friday and get some food for the weekend. That is something I will definitely work on doing better for next time we take a trip.

Now for the good stuff.

I Had an awesome workout on Wednesday! I declared on Twitter that I wanted to try something crazy. My crazy idea was to go over to my in-laws' house after dropping Mason of at preschool (They were at work) and put Jackson down for his nap in the spare room. If Jackson would nap there, I could use the wii fit. He fell asleep right away and I got a full hour of activity on the wii and burned a total of 360 calories. I plan on doing this every day Mason is in school, so three times a week!

I kicked butt on my water and fiber intake! Still going strong in the no soda department, and I honestly have never felt better. It's a little tough to be drinking water when everyone is drinking a big icy soda, but I've gotten this far.

Weekly Weigh-In:
Last week: 204lbs
This week: 203lbs
Lost 1lb
Total lost with #mamavation: 9lbs

This weeks goals:
-Keep up the water and fiber
-Eat at home 6 out of 7 days
-Track all of my calories at least 6 days
-Wii Fit during preschool days
-Finally start Couch 2 5K (Rain is gone, yay!)

Shout Outs:

Congrats to GAFlygirl for SOTW! April you are an awesome motivator, you deserve it!

Commenter of the week goes to Kia, @bodhi_bear! I always love your comments. Enjoy your session with Pete!

Hope all my Move it and Lose it Sistas are doing well, and I hope everyone has a wonderful week. See ya at Mamavation TV!

KT Tunstall's New Album: Tiger Suit

2010-10-21T22:06:00.000-07:00

KT Tunstall just came out with a new album. If the name sounds familiar, she's the one behind the Grammy-nominated song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" and one of my favorites, "Suddenly I see." Her new album, Tiger Suit, hit stores on October 5th.

I would describe the album as a bluesy and full of soul with a little twist of country. My favorite song on there would have to be, "Come On, Get In." It reminds me a lot of "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree." It has a similar upbeat style to it that is fun to dance around to.

Not only does KT Tunstall have great music, but she's also a pretty cool chick. You can follow her on Twitter or Facebook to see stuff like...

"CRRRACKIN' first gig at the Junction last night! What a wicked way to kick off the Tiger Suit world tour. We've decided that doing robotics to 'Around The World' by Daft Punk is perfect pre-show band warm up. Whoop whoop!! X"

Or...

"After gig tonight, dad says "Bloody brilliant. There's defintely more bass isn't there?" Aaaaiiiii!! Pops is officially with the programme."

If you'd like to get a little peek at the songs, or purchase the album it's available on Amazon, or anywhere you buy other awesome music.

Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of the album to facilitate my review. My posting this blog entry I am entered to win a $50 gift card. No other form of compensation was received, and any opinions are my own.

Webkinz Jr. House Party!

2010-10-20T11:36:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, I had no idea what Webkinz were, let alone Webkinz Jr., before I had this house party. So what exactly are they?

Webkinz Jr. pets are lovable plush animals that each come with a unique Pet Code. When you enter your code into the Webkinz Jr. site you get a virtual pet that looks just like your real one! You can then play games with your pet, decorate a house for your pet and more.

The pets are the super soft and cuddly, and perfect for little bitty hands. There are lots of different animals to choose from like a pink elephant, a white bunny, a grey kitty, and even a giraffe. The giraffe was a pretty popular choice with our guests, but unfortunately we only had two to give away.

Our party kit came with some really cool stickers and some fun activities. Of course I didn't get a picture of the kids making paper bag puppets. They were cute! I did get pictures of happy moms and kids with their animals.

Big thank you to Ganz and MomSelect for making this fun party possible!

Disclaimer: I received free products for myself and my guests in exchange for hosting a party and blogging about it. I received no other form of compensation.

Mamavation Monday 10/17/10

2010-10-17T15:54:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling awesome this week! I'm excited to find out the two Mamavation Mom winners, and also really stoked about the Move it & Lose it Challenge. I'm gonna tear it up ladies, so watch out! ;)

So this past I had kind of a can-do attitude about everything. The beginning of the week started out a bit slow, but I ate well and did my jumping jacks. By Thursday I was tracking my water, my fiber, my calories, and finding little ways to add workouts to my day. I did a few sessions on the wii fit, and some home exercises as well. It feels so great to finally start moving my butt. As soon as this rain gets the heck out of here I would like to start the Couch to 5K program. (Again...) I made all my goals, including the one about not going to Chick-fil-A! I'm extra proud of myself for consistently getting over 25g of fiber each day without supplements. I'm just trying to eat a very balanced diet, and it seems to be working.

For the Movement Challenge I completed 220 minutes! And all of that was just over the weekend. I think I need to spread that stuff out a little more, but yay anyway.

I've got a lot to talk about this week, so I'm going to jump right into my weight. Excuse my toenails, it's been a while since I've done them. They need a touch up.

Weekly Weigh-In:
Last week: 206lbs
This week: 204lbs
Lost 2lbs
Total lost with #mamavation: 8lbs

Woo! Every little bit closer I get to being out of the 200s makes me that much more happy.

Goals for the week:
-Keep up the water, about 100oz a day.
-Keep up the fiber, about 25g a day.
-4 sets of 50 jumping jacks each day.
-Start Couch to 5K, and do it for more than one day.
-Get on the Wii Fit at least 2 times in the week.
-Track my calories at least 6 out of 7 days.

If I follow these goals I hope to see another 2 pound loss. That would be awesome!

For the Move it & Lose it Challenge there are a few requirements. Two of them happen to be posting my measurements, and full body pics. Let me just say that I am not proud of either of these, and it is not easy for me to do this. But, part of changing my body is accepting it the way it is. Not accepting that I have to be this way forever, but accepting that I am this way now, and I need to do the right things to change it. Plus, I have to have some before pictures so my after pictures will look that much more great!

Measurements:
Bust: 44 3/4"
Arms: L: 15" R: 15 1/4"
Waist: 41"
Hips: 46"
Thighs: L: 25 1/2" R: 25 1/4"

And of course I have some shout outs to do.

Congrats to Marie for her post of the week. Loved all the nature pictures!

Congrats to @MMScarlett for commenter of the week. She wins a 20-minute session with the ever-inspiring Pete Cohen. Woo!

Thank you thank you thank you for choosing me for Sista of the Week this week. It is an amazing honor, and it was a nice little boost of self-esteem that I definitely put to good use. I love you guys, and really couldn't do any of this without you.

Have a great week ladies!

Give-It-Away Saturday 10/16/2010

2010-10-16T12:26:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted a giveaway linky, but it's back! If you have any giveaways you'd like to list, please do! Just be sure to include an end date, that's all I ask.

It's not mandatory, but if you'd like to support me by grabbing my button, let me know and I will return the favor.

Have a great Saturday!

Daddy Does Diapers: Planet Wise Review and Giveaway

2010-10-16T11:44:00.000-07:00

My first experience with cloth diapering came about three years ago with our oldest son. I work a full-time job and I'm out of the house a majority of the day. The whole cloth diapering experience was a little bit of a blur, but I still retained some of the basic knowledge. That's why when my wife suggested we do cloth diapering when she was pregnant with our youngest, Jackson, I was open to the idea.

Over the summer my wife suggested I participate more in the diapering at home. Putting some of the diapers together and understanding the terminology involved was completely foreign to me. I struggled to make diapers fit right, gather the correct pieces, and figure out how to correctly wash them. I got the hang of it pretty well, although sometimes I put the snap diapers on backwards still.

The hardest part of continuing the cloth diapering was the time spent outside of the home, mostly on weekends. It was hard for me especially when my wife was at work, to handle the diapers when I was out with the kids. Most of the time, I just kept a stash of disposables for that sort of occasion.

We received a Planet Wise Wet/Dry Bag for review. I was sort of familiar with the term Wet Bag, because we had a large one for the diaper laundry. I was expecting another large bag, and wasn't sure how that would improve my experience. However, when it came, I was pleasantly surprised.

I like how small and portable it is, but not too small that it doesn't limit our weekend activities by the amount of diapers it can hold. The bag has a compartment that held about eight diapers as well as wipes and a small bottle of wipe solution for us in the dry section. The larger waterproof compartment easily held the soiled diapers, with no smells in our diaper bag. This is great for me personally, because it enables me to carry the cloth diapers, have a sanitary method of storing the dirty diapers, and is easy to transport. When it's time for a diaper change, I can just grab it out of the diaper bag, and everything I need is inside.

P.S. My wife wanted me to tell you that we (she) chose the Green Meadow fabric, and we really love it.

Buy It!
You can find Planet Wise Wet Bags at a number of retailers all over the world for an average price of $21.00.

Win It!
Planet Wise would like to give one lucky winner their very own Wet/Dry bag in their choice of fabric!

How to Enter:
Comment here, telling me the closest retailer to you, and which fabric you would choose if you won.

Want extra entries? (Leave a separate comment for each one!)
-Be a fan of Nine More Months on Facebook! (1 entry.)
-Follow me on Twitter, AND tweet this giveaway. "Hey @ninemoremonths I want to #win a Planet Wise Wet/Dry Bag in the Daddy Does Diapers #clothdiaper carnival http://bit.ly/d8Hgws #giveaways" Comment with a link to your tweet. (You can do this once a day for 1 entry.)
-Be a follower or subscriber to my blog. (1 entry each.)
-Grab my button and tell me where it is. (1 entry.)
-Grab the Daddy Does Diapers button and tell me where it is. (1 entry.)
-Make a blog post linking to this giveaway and leave a comment with the link to it. (2 entries.)
-Enter another one of my giveaways. (1 entry each.)

Giveaway ends November 1st, 2010 @9PM PST. US and Canada entries only. Winner will be picked via Random.org and announced the following day. Please respond within 48 hours, or a new winner will be chosen. Good luck!

Disclaimer: I received a free product for review purposes. I did not receive any other form of compensation for this post. All opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.

WW: Delicious.

2010-10-13T14:17:00.000-07:00

I took this on Monday while previewing a new Whole Foods store that's opening up in the area. Doesn't it look delicious?

I really wanted to take some home with me, too. Since the store wasn't opened yet, that wasn't going to happen.

For more Wednesday fun visit:

- Wordful Wednesday at Parenting by Dummies

- Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes For Mom, and wordlesswednesday.com

-Wordish Wednesday at Supermom

10 ideas for incorporating fun and play into your child’s daily activities

2010-10-12T12:59:00.001-07:00

On October 10th a new television network, The Hub was launched. The Hub is a TV network for kids and families which hopes to inspire, entertain, and engage kids; while also bringing families together. In celebration of this launch, The Hub and Twittermoms are looking for bloggers to share 10 ideas for incorporating fun and play into your child’s daily activities.

I think it's truly important to make daily activities fun for kids. As kids grow, they are constantly learning. Learning words, shapes and colors, and more difficult things like eating the right foods, reading, writing, and so much more. Personally, I've found that my kids not only learn things faster when they're fun and exciting, but it also seems to stick with them longer. With that said, here are my ideas.

1. Singing. Some people may find us silly, but we sing about everything. From the traditional ABC's to songs about cooking noodles, we like to sing. We're not great at it by any means, but it's a lot of fun. Not only does this add a little fun to our day, but it also encourages them to use their imagination and make up their own words to songs.

2. Make up a story. My 4 year old tends to ask "why" a lot. After a while, I run out of things to say, and I honestly wonder if he even cares about my answers. I decided to redirect his questions in an attempt to allow him to be more creative. Instead of answering his question about why the car in the grocery store parking lot is smashed in the back, I ask him to tell me what he thinks happened. He gets to make up a great story, which I encourage by being super-interested and asking what happened next.

3. Dance!. I try to have a few minutes each day of fun dancing. We put on some songs that we like and go crazy. The kids have a great time with it, but little do they know they're getting the exercise they need to stay healthy.

4. Be silly. Don't be afraid to get silly. When singing the ABC's, mess it up a little. Not only does it show them that it's okay to make a mistake, it also helps them identify the wrong letter and find the right one for the song.

5. Play with your food. Have a picky eater? One thing that has really helped me was making eating a game. One example, have the kids pick a color and then serve something of that color with your meal. More often than not it'll be a colorful veggie, and even if they don't eat it all they will at least give it a try.

6. Get dirty. My kids love to play outside. In the dirt and the mud. They love rocks and bugs and most things that I'm not too fond of. I can really tell how much they enjoy it when I toss out my reservations and get down and dig in the mud with them or help them catch a bug.

7. Read with your kids. Every night before bed we read at least one story. We make up silly voices for the characters and have lots of fun with it. If it's a book we've read a million times, I ask them to tell me what happens next. They love all of the excitement right before they have to go to sleep.

8. Be loud. There is nothing wrong being loud once in a while. Of course we all want our kids to be polite and quiet in public, but it doesn't always happen. Let them scream (from joy) when going down a big slide at the park. Let them yell in the parking garage so they can hear their echo. Later you can attempt to explain why an echo happens. Good luck with that!

9. Have a race. Kids like to take their sweet time. And that is fine. But sometimes you don't have all day. Instead of nagging, just make it into a race. Who can clean up the toys faster? Who can drink their water faster? Who can get in their car seat first? Everything is more fun when it's a competition.

10. Arts and Crafts. Both of my kids, absolutely love anything artsy or crafty. I let them use their creative side to make greeting cards for friends and family, invitations for parties and anything else they want to do. As they get older, I hope to incorporate their love for arts and crafts into their homework projects to make them more fun as well.

It really does make a difference in the response you get from kids when you make things more fun for them. They are more eager to do simple tasks, and happier in the long run. If you have any ideas of your own, please share them in the comments!

Disclaimer: I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and The Hub blogging program, making me eligible to get a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Mamavation Monday 10/11/10

2010-10-11T11:00:00.000-07:00

For the past few weeks I've been on a serious road to creating a better me. I've been getting rid of things that are bad for me. Things like artificial sweeteners, clutter, and of course excess weight. I've even had a couple of negative people leave my life recently. I don't like to complain, but it's been kind of rough for me lately. Not just on the weight loss front, but it seems like everything in my life is just breaking down. Computers, cars, appliances, and anything else that can find a way to malfunction.

I really wanted to be a Mamavation Mom, but unfortunately I wasn't chosen as a finalist. I won't lie, I was upset. I cried. I probably shouldn't have checked the Mamavation site last night while I was at work, but I couldn't wait. I cursed my computer for causing me to have technical difficulties last week, keeping me from being able to tell everyone how much I truly wanted this.

But part of this "better me" I'm working on means turning negative feelings into good ones. Instead of being disappointed or upset, I'm going to concentrate on the positive that has come out of this experience.

-I have awesome friends.
People really came out of the woodwork to support me on Twitter, and for that I am extremely grateful. Weight loss isn't something I usually openly talk about with my friends, so I was thrown aback by all of the feedback I received on my blog from non-Mamavation friends. Thank you guys, really, for your support.

-I can still meet my goals.
Sure, it would be much nicer and much easier if I had those extra resources and expert advice as a Mamavation Mom. But I am resourceful, and always have been. I'm like MacGyver, without the mullet. I've been losing weight on my own, and I'm not going to stop now.

-I'm not alone.
There were a lot of amazing applications this campaign and I know that. I'm obviously not the only one who wasn't chosen. And only two of the six get the title. I want to be supportive to the other ladies who didn't make it either, and hopefully they will return the favor. Because our journey isn't over and we need to keep each other accountable.

So with that said, congrats to all the finalists, and good luck! I will be sure to vote every day.

Aside from that, I had a pretty good week. There's been a lot of purging going on in my house. Like I said, I'm trying to get my life organized, on every level. It's that time of the month, but I did whatever I could to not let that hold me back. I tend to usually overindulge on salty things and chocolate around this time, but for once I didn't. I grabbed some dark chocolate bars from Trader Joe's, and when I had a craving I just took a small piece. I stayed away from fast food mostly, although we did go to Chick-fil-A over the weekend.

Weekly Weigh-In:
Last week: 207.5lbs
This week: 206lbs
Lost 1.5lbs
Total lost with #mamavation: 6lbs

This weeks goals:
-Drink more water.
-Work on a healthy meal plan for the whole family.
-Get some form of exercise!
-Don't go to Chick-fil-A.

Congrats to this week's SOTW Amanda, @beeacutie2 on Twitter. Great job being such a great role model for having a healthy pregnancy!

This week's sponsor is SUBWAY. They are giving away an iPod shuffle tonight on Mamavation TV! Thank you SUBWAY for offering healthy choices in a convenient way. We really appreciate you.

WW: First Day of School

2010-10-05T19:39:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've done one of these.

Mason recently started Preschool. Okay, it was a month ago and I am just now posting these. Of course I had to take lots of pictures. To the point where he didn't want me to take anymore of him! Here are a few of my favorites. (The first is my absolute favorite picture of all!)

(Hiding from the camera.)

For more Wednesday fun visit:

- Wordful Wednesday at Parenting by Dummies

- Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes For Mom, and wordlesswednesday.com

-Wordish Wednesday at Supermom

The New Trailing Tuesdays!

2010-10-05T08:57:00.000-07:00

Trailing Tuesdays are hosted by Familylicious and Nine More Months ! What is Trailing Tuesdays you ask? Well, it's a great way to advertise your blog and find new friends not only for your blog but for your Facebook and Twitter pages as well.
Here are the rules:
1. FOLLOW THE FIRST TWO BLOGGERS (become a follower through google friend connect), as well as on Facebook (add as a friend or become a fan) and/or Twitter (become a follower) on the list.
2. FOLLOW THE FIVE LINKS DIRECTLY ABOVE YOU,After you follow the first three at the top of the list. When you enter your URL make sure it is to your HOMEPAGE. This is not a giveaway linky. Please enter your Giveaway Linkys on my Giveaway Linky Page you can find it above under the Linky Love tab.
3. GRAB THE TRAILING TUESDAYS BUTTON AND THE LINKY CODE AND MAKE A POST ON YOUR BLOG so that your new followers can comment and let you know they are stopping by. Make sure you Follow Back everyone who leaves you a comment. You can find the code for the Trailing Tuesdays button below the button and you can find the code for the linky at the bottom of the post.
Following the first 2 bloggers is mandatory to participate in our awesome Trailing Tuesdays. We ask that you follow at least five bloggers directly above you in addition to the mandatory 2 , but after that you can follow as many others as you like. This way everyone gets someone to follow them and no one is left out. We want this to be beneficial to everyone involved so please be honest and lets have fun not only getting more followers but also finding new blog friends and networking.
As an added bonus there will be extra entries in giveaways on the hosting blog sites for being involved. Please check Familylicious and Nine More Months sites for details.

Changes.

2010-10-03T11:41:00.000-07:00

I think I made a lot of progress this past week. Physically, maybe not so much. But mentally and emotionally for sure.

One of my goals last week was to avoid fast food and take out. Well, on Tuesday I was hot and tired and didn't feel like cooking so we went to Chick-fil-A. I felt bad. I kind of hoped my husband would talk me out of going, but he doesn't really like to argue with me. So we went, and I felt bad almost immediately after we ordered. For two reasons. One, I was annoyed that I dropped $20 on a meal when I could have made something at home for less that $5. And two, because I hadn't even made it one day without missing one of my goals. I ate my charbroiled chicken sandwich, I let myself feel bad for a minute, and then I got over it. Because I still had the rest of the week to go.

And wouldn't you know that I made dinner at home every day after that! My crock pot has never gotten so much action in it's life. I even made sure that I packed a lunch for the kids (Rolled up turkey, string cheese, baby carrots and pretzels, yum!) during the week when we were running errands so I wasn't tempted to buy them Icees and snacks at Target or hit the drive-thru.

Another thing I did last week, after I made my Mamavation post, was quit drinking soda. My soda of choice? Diet Coke. If you knew how much Diet Coke I actually drank, you would see that it is no easy task. It's been almost a week and I've been doing awesome. I've replaced that yucky vice of mine with lots of water, and the occasional unsweetened, or naturally sweetened iced tea. No artificial sweeteners for me anymore. I feel better already. Less tired, even though I'm consuming WAY less caffeine, no headaches at all, and no stomach issues. (Soda was giving me ulcers and I drank it anyway. Talk about destructive.) I thought it was going to be impossible to stop this habit, but so far it's been pretty great. I quit smoking cold turkey years ago and I never looked back. I hope to say the same thing about soda.

I haven't gotten a good work out routine down, but I have been super busy this past week, so I'm sure all of that crazy running around has to count for something. I've been able to wake up a little earlier thanks to my new found energy, so I'm hoping to start getting a morning workout in before the kids wake up.

Last week I weighed in at 208.5, and was so excited to lose! Good news, I lost again this week.

Current Weight: 207.5

One pound down! As I get closer to 200 I am becoming more and more motivated to keep going. I can't wait to be on the other side of that number!

You may have also noticed that I took the plunge a couple days ago and applied to be the next Mamavation Mom. You can read more about it, and see my video here. And of course, if you'd like to support me in this journey, I would love if you tweeted this out for me: (You can do it as often as you want!)

Hey @bookieboo! I want @ninemoremonths to be the next #Mamavation Mom. She has my support! http://bit.ly/zqUxa

I want to take a second to give a big congratulations to @momma_oz for being chosen as Sista of the Week. Shelley, you are so awesome and always so supportive of everyone! You rock!

Lastly, I'm sure you see me tweeting with the #mamavation hash quite a lot. You may see me using a new one as well. SUBWAY is kicking off a new program called Commit to Fit, and it's all about well, committing to a fitter life of course. So if you see me tweeting with #commit2fit you know why! SUBWAY is also sponsoring this week's Mamavation Monday, which means I can possibly win a $25 gift card for mentioning them.

Here's a quick vlog of what I would have said on Mamavation TV tonight:

Mamavation Mom Application for Campaign #6

2010-10-01T12:50:00.000-07:00

I did it. I finally made my application video for campaign #6 of the Mamavation Mom program. This is a big step in the right direction for me!

What is Mamavation?

Mamavation is a healthy living sorority and 7-week bootcamp for two special moms, Mamavation Moms. The Mamavation Moms enter into a “reality TV” type experiment in social media. They are given fitness equipment, a professional nutritional & fitness plan, weekly coaching, and are supported by the Mamavation Sistahood for accountability. After 7 weeks of hard work, they have the tools they need to continue on, but always have a permanent home with the campaign.

The goal of Mamavation is to teach mothers healthy living to combat the threat of obesity inside their own families. If you are afraid your family is at risk for obesity, there is help out there for you and a supportive community you can join that will lift your spirits. Moms are the gatekeepers, catalysts and cornerstones within a family. Changes start with her.

Thank you to our Mamavation sponsors Earth Footwear, SUBWAY, EA SPORTS Active, and Chefs Requested.

Here is information on how to apply to be a Mamavation Mom.

Here is information about the Mamavation Sistahood healthy living sorority.

I forgot to mention something in the video. My current weight is 208.5 pounds. At 5'8", that makes me obese. Right now I'm not far from my heaviest weight ever of 215 pounds. I really do not want to go back there, and I can't wait to start tipping the scale in the other direction.

If you'd like to help support me on my journey, please tweet this phrase:

Hey @bookieboo! I want @ninemoremonths to be the next #Mamavation Mom. She has my support! http://bit.ly/zqUxa

Thank you so much for your love and support. It means the world to me really. I love you guys so much and I know there is no way I could ever do this without such awesome friends. And please let me know if you're applying too so I can give you my support as well!

P.S. Those are not shiny boogers in my nose, by the way. I have a piercing there that you can barely see in pictures and videos. :)

The Softbums Mystery Event!

2010-10-01T12:06:00.001-07:00

Who doesn't love a good mystery? Better yet, who doesn't love a great giveaway?!

The NEW SoftBums OMNI Diaper is here!

The SoftBums OMNI Diaper is the first ever diaper of its kind. It's the ultimate multi-purpose diaper. Pocket, All-in-two, or cover. However you like to diaper, the OMNI does it!

Help celebrate the launch and you can win an iPad!!

PRIZES:

Grand Prize: A Brand New iPad

First Prize: Complete Birth to Potty Package of SoftBums NEW Mystery Diapers!!

Second Prize: Win a gift certificate for $75 to www.softbums.com

Third Prize: Amazon Gift Card worth $50

PLUS: 1 SoftBums Mystery Omni! Diaper given out to winners #5-#20

PLUS: Baby Legs to winners #21-#23

PLUS: the lucky blogger who's blog hosted the iPad winner, gets an Amazon Gift Card too!

Enter at just one blog, or increase your chances by visiting all of them!

Extra entries available for: (Leave a comment for each one to get your entries!)

Going to other SoftBums Mystery Event Blogs, listed at the bottom of this Post
Follow This SoftBums "Love Cloth Diapers" Blog
Follow and tweet this giveaway.
Follow SoftBums on twitter.
"Liking" SoftBums on Facebook.
Tell why you are excited to try the new diaper!
share this Mystery Event as your status on Facebook
leaving a review on www.softbums.com
Subscribe to my blog via email through feedburner.
Follow me through Google Friend Connect or via a reader.
Grab my button and post it on your blog.
Blog about this giveaway.

Leave a comment with a link to your twitter status. You can tweet every day until the giveaway end!

The fine print: This giveaway is open to US Residents! Past winners of any SoftBums giveaways please give others a chance, thanks! Winners will be drawn using random.org. Winner has 48 hours to get back to me after being contacted or a new winner will be drawn. Ends October 18th at 8 pm! 2010

Here is the List of Blogs, comment on all of them to increase your chances to WIN!! Review Bloggers to WIN all Prizes including the iPAD:

Daddy Does Diapers Review and Giveaway Event

2010-09-30T23:12:00.000-07:00

When I first declared my interest in cloth diapering Hubby was not into the idea at all. He didn't know much about it, but he did know that it didn't sound like anything he wanted to do. Reluctantly, he agreed to try them out, but it was kind of understood that I would be doing most of the diapering. We started out when our oldest was a little over 2 years old, and it wasn't long before he was fully potty trained. So, that experience was pretty uneventful.

Fast forward to a year later, and along came a new baby boy. I knew already that I wanted to continue to do cloth diapers, but we were on a pretty tight budget. I managed to put together a stash of all kinds of different diapers that I bought mostly second hand. Because there were so many different styles of diapers, I still did most of the diapering. When I finally found a diaper I really liked, I bought a few and Hubby would occasionally use them.

As Jackson got older, and less dependent on me (meaning, he stopped nursing) I knew I could finally get a little time to myself and have the occasional girls night out, or even a weekend visit somewhere. But that meant Daddy would have to do diaper duty all on his own.

The Daddy Does Diapers event is a way to show other dads, and maybe even moms too, that cloth diapering can be easy! Daddy will be rating the diapers and giving his personal opinion on ease of use, leak protection, and even stylishness.

Best of all, every review he does will be accompanied by a great giveaway! Hope you enjoy the event, and make sure to grab the button for some extra entries into the giveaways.

Beauty and The Beast Sing-Along Event!

2010-09-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

Beauty and the Beast is my absolute favorite Disney movie. Hands down, I don't even have to think about it. I've long outgrown my old VHS copy, and by the time I decided it was time to upgrade, it had gone into the vault. While I'm eagerly awaiting the re-release next Tuesday, something equally as exciting has caught my eye.

Today, September 29th and Saturday, October 2nd, audiences around the country are invited to "be our guest" as Belle and her friends hit the big screen for a special event. Participants will get a chance to sing along to songs like "Be Our Guest," "Beauty and the Beast," and all their other favorites from the movie.

This enchanting event will also feature pop singer Jordin Sparks who will take audiences on a unique adventure with behind-the-scenes looks at the newly restored high definition animated classic and give a sneak peek at her new music video, “Beauty and the Beast.” Guests will also be treated to surprise guest introductions, deleted scenes from the cutting room floor and lost characters, as well as commentary from producer Don Hahn.

What a great way to celebrate the re-release of such a great movie after nearly 20 years! For parents like myself who grew up with this movie, it's so amazing to be able to share it with our children like it was brand new.

For more information, or to find a theater near you go to fathomevents.com!

Disclaimer: I received no form of compensation for this post. Just sharing something exciting!

It's getting better.

2010-09-27T14:04:00.000-07:00

I think I'm finally over the hump. If you've been following my Mamavation Monday posts at all, you would know that I've been having a rough time. It's not because I don't want to lose weight, or that I can't lose weight. It's because I was getting discouraged too easily. The bright side of going through a few bad weeks is that I realized what my triggers are. Stress is a big one, as well as emotional eating, and the tendency to become more sedentary when faced with those triggers.

It. Is. Hot.

I just wanted to get that out there. It's 107 degrees outside today. So hot that my son's preschool teacher told us at drop-off that she was keeping the kids inside all day today. So hot that I'm going to cook dinner tonight and then we're driving to the beach to eat it picnic-style by the water. Thank goodness for the always cold Pacific Ocean. Since we're going to be at the beach, I'll be missing Mamavation TV this week. But, this will be my last week missing it.

Because...

I'm going to apply to be a Mamavation Mom!

I've been throwing around the idea of applying since the program started. I always tell myself "Oh, I'll do it next time." Well, I don't know how many more next times it's going to take me to get my butt in gear, so I'm just going to do it.

If you want to help me out, just tweet this:
Hey @bookieboo! I want @ninemoremonths to be the next #Mamavation Mom. She has my support! http://bit.ly/zqUxa

And let me know if you're applying as well so I can return the favor!

That doesn't mean I'm not going to be working hard in the mean time. I've already been doing better, and it's finally showing on the scale. I no longer hate that thing. I weighed in this morning after a couple of weeks of completely avoiding it.

Last recorded weight: 212
Today's weight: 208.5

3.5 pounds! Woo hoo!

What did I do different? Well, I got off my butt, for one. I've been drinking as much water as possible, and eating at home instead of fast food/take out every other day. Even though my life has been crazy busy, if I just plan ahead, I can avoid having to eat out all of the time. Even if I pick the healthiest choices that a restaurant has (and I don't always do that) it's still not as good for me as eating something freshly prepared in my kitchen. This week, on top of what I've already been doing, I'm going to add some workouts. Most likely inside right now since the heat is unbearable.

Last of all, I want to congratulate @way2gomom for being SOTW this week. Awesome job!

Good luck to everyone else who is applying for Mamavation Mom as well, I know it's going to be some stiff competition!

The Magnificent 12: The Call

2010-09-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

Once in a while a children's book will come along that is, as I like to call them, timeless. Meaning not only is a book great for the intended age group, but also enjoyable as an adult. For example, one of my favorite books as a child was The Phantom Tollbooth, and I still enjoy reading it. Another great example is The Magnificent 12: The Call by Michael Grant.

I don't normally pick up books in the Young Adult category. At least not ones aimed at an audience less than half my age. But it was the praise from critics that actually caught my eye.

“Michael Grant has concocted a hilarious adventure with The Magnificent Twelve. Pretty much every line made me smile or chuckle—it’s laugh-out-loud funny—which is really saying something since it’s about a kid who has to save the world from destruction. It’s a Monty Python-like invasion of middle school that keeps you turning pages just to know what the young hero will say next.”
— D.J. MacHale, Author, PENDRAGON series

“Welcome to Monty Python meets The Lord of the Rings. The future of all civilization rests in the hands of a middle school wimp with more phobias than muscle groups, and saving the world has never been funnier.”
— Gordon Korman, Author of POP, ZOOBREAK, and two books in the 39 CLUES series

From as young as I can remember, my dad and I watched Monty Python together, so of course the comparison had me intrigued. I agreed to review the book, and it only took a few pages to get me hooked. I love that the author didn't try to "dumb down" the book to make it more appropriate for younger readers. As a young reader, I always loved the books that challenged me and caused me to break out the dictionary most of all.

Mack MacAvoy, the hero of The Magnificent 12: The Call, is not your average hero. 12-year-old Mack is a pretty regular kid who is afraid of a lot of things he shouldn't be and not afraid of some things that he should. Then, pretty much out of nowhere, Mack receives some strange and heavy news. He finds out he is one of "The Magnificent 12" and he must give up his mediocre life and travel the world to find the other eleven Magnifica in order to save all of humanity from the wicked Pale Queen and her dangerous daughter, Ereskigal. Mack's not exactly the hero type, and he's not even sure how he would find the others. Will he answer the call?

Check out the trailer!

I really enjoyed reading this book, and plan on passing it on to my younger siblings so they can get a kick out of it as well. I can't wait until the next one comes out next year.

I also got the opportunity to meet with the author, so be sure to stay tuned for the interview as well!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in order to facilitate my review. No other form of compensation was received. All opinions are strictly my own. Basically, I was not paid to say nice things.

Off the wagon.

2010-09-20T14:16:00.000-07:00

It's been quite a few weeks since I wrote a Mamavation Monday post, and to be honest, I'm a little ashamed of myself. An unfortunate chain of events led me to kind of forget about myself for a while. So, not only did I fall off the wagon, I think it ran me over.

My husband and I have been throwing around the idea of P90x. I definitely think it would be an effective way to get in shape, but I worry about throwing myself into something so intense. I would be going from basically a couch potato to an extreme workout program and that scares me. But another part of me things that maybe a dramatic change is what I really need. Trying to gradually change my bad habits into good ones hasn't worked yet. Maybe I should just jump into the deep end and see if I can keep my head above water.

So I'm giving myself this week to weigh the pros and cons and any other ideas I have and we'll go from there.

Big congrats to @PamelaMKramer for getting Sista of Week! Way to go, mama!

And of course, thank you to SUBWAY for sponsoring this week's Mamavation Monday carnival. By mentioning them, I get entered to win a $25 gift card.

I hope everyone else had a great week!

Blogmania Winner

2010-09-18T09:16:00.000-07:00

How crazy and exciting was Blogmania?! In just two days my giveaway received over 400 comments, and I made it to over 1000 followers! I'm sad it's over, but hopefully I'll be able to do it again next year.

It's hard to pick just one winner, so I let Random.org do it for me.

Drum roll please...

And the comment picked was #401! How crazy! I've never had the very last comment picked before. Goes to show you, sometimes last-minute entries win too.

Congratulations to katklaw777, I hope you enjoy your prizes!

Blogmania is here!

2010-09-14T21:01:00.000-07:00

*THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED! THANK YOU ALL WHO ENTERED!*

I can't believe it! It's time for Blogmania already! Welcome to Nine More Months, I am so excited to be a part of such a fun giveaway carnival. For my giveaway, I'm bringing you some great food and cooking items from a couple of wonderful companies.

My first sponsor is Tropical Traditions. Founded by a husband and wife team, Tropical Traditions brings you the best organic coconut products, as well as some other great organic cooking and baking products. They even have skin care, supplements and household products as well! It's a one stop shop for healthier living.

Tropical Traditions is offering my winner a 32oz jar of Organic Virgin Coconut Oil and a 32oz jar of their Organic Coconut Cream Concentrate. (Retail value of $67.50!)

I've used my jar of coconut oil for cooking and baking and it is amazing. I've completely given up vegetable oil in my house. Check out my review here, and stay tuned for my review of the Coconut Cream coming soon!

My other Sponsor is Bake Me a Wish. They have an amazing collection of beautiful cakes ready to send to a friend or loved one for any holiday. Their cakes are made with only the finest, freshest ingredients by an award-winning family run New York bakery that also supplies pastries to some of Manhattan's most elite restaurants. Check out some of these cakes!

Bake Me a Wish is offering a Triple Chocolate Enrobed Brownie Cake to my winner. (A retail value of $39.95!) Doesn't it look amazing?!

The total value for this prize package is $107.45!

How to Enter:
Just visit each sponsor's site and comment with a product you'd like to try. For an extra entry, become a follower of my blog and leave a separate comment.

Sorry to my international friends, this is US only. Have fun, good luck, and happy Blogmania!

Winner Time

2010-09-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

I'm having a few blog issues! For reasons that I can not for the life of me figure out, my right side bar is not showing up correctly. However, that doesn't excuse me from picking some winners. As always, my good friend Random.org helped me pick out these winners.

First we have the Ouchies Bandages Giveaway. Comment #14 was picked, which was April. Congrats April!

Next is the In The Pocket Baby Seat giveaway. I love this product so much and was really excited to share it with someone! Comment #73 was chosen, and that is Amber. Congrats on those last-minute entries!

Then we have the Gripsterz Giveaway. The winning comment was #21, Bethany. Congrats!

Last we have the Aqua Leisure giveaway. The winning comment was #3, Donna. Congrats!

Congratulations to all the winners! I will be emailing you soon so keep an eye out!

10% Goes Back to Schools with Safeway!

2010-09-13T16:23:00.000-07:00

First of all, I want to apologize for taking so long to get this posted. If you have any shopping to do tonight or tomorrow, check out what Safeway is doing for your local schools.

The Safeway family of stores (which includes Dominick’s, Tom Thumb, Randalls, Vons, and Genuardi’s) is making it simple to give back with “2 Ways 2 Earn” cash for your schools with Box Tops for Education and the “10% Goes Back to Schools” program.

Box Tops for Education has already given away over $320 million to help the more than 69 thousand schools participating. And if that wasn’t enough, earning Box Tops is even easier this year with four new brands participating in the program: Progresso Soup, Totino’s Pizza, Betty Crocker Cake Mixes and Gold Medal Flour.

To help your local schools even further just look for the “10% Goes Back to Schools” yellow school bus tags on over 2,000 of your favorite items throughout Safeway from August 11th – September 14th. When you purchase participating products with your Club Card, Safeway will give 10% of the purchase price to the local school of your choice.

Here’s how it works:

* Check your receipt from August 11 – September 14. The total will be updated each time you shop.

* Beginning on September 18, a redemption code will be printed at the bottom of your receipt.

* Visit http://backtoschools.escrip.com/
>backtoschools.escrip.com before October 13 to choose your favorite participating local school, then simply enter your redemption code to make your donation.

To learn more about Box Tops for Education and Safeway’s “10% Goes Back to Schools” program, visit www.2ways2earn.com. And while you’re there, don’t forget to enter the Safeway Bonus Box Tops Sweepstakes for a chance to win 1,000 Bonus Box Tops for the participating school of your choice!

Win it!
Thanks to Safeway and MyBlogSpark for providing one winner with a Safeway Back-To-School Prize Pack which includes a $25 Safeway gift card (also valid at Dominick’s, Tom Thumb, Randalls, Vons, and Genuardi’s) that you can use to purchase your favorite Box Tops items, and a Bonus Box Tops certificate with a value of 50 Bonus Box Tops.

How to Enter:
Just tell me what you do to help support your local schools.

Want extra entries? (Leave a separate comment for each one!)
-Be a fan of Nine More Months on Facebook! (1 entry.)
-"Like" Box Tops for Education on Facebook. (1 entry.)
-Follow me on Twitter, AND tweet this giveaway. "I want to #win a Safeway Back-To-School Prize Pack @ninemoremonths http://bit.ly/dq4qKl #giveaways" Comment with a link to your tweet. (You can do this once a day for 1 entry.)
-Be a follower or subscriber to my blog. (1 entry each.)
-Grab my button and tell me where it is. (1 entry.)
-Make a blog post linking to this giveaway and leave a comment with the link to it. (2 entries.)
-Enter another one of my giveaways. (1 entry each.)

Giveaway ends September 29th, 2010 @9PM PST. US entries only. Winner will be picked via Random.org and announced the following day. Please respond within 48 hours, or a new winner will be chosen. Good luck!

Disclaimer: I received free products for review purposes. I did not receive any other form of compensation for this post. All opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.

Tropical Tradtions is a sponsor for Blogmania 2010!

2010-09-13T14:45:00.000-07:00

I love cooking, and love experimenting in the kitchen. When I came across the Tropical Traditions line of products I immediately thought of all the yummy things I could cook with them.

The founders of Tropical Traditions are husband and wife, Brian and Marianita Shilhavy. They discovered Virgin Coconut Oil when Brian was researching the health benefits of coconut oil. He asked Marianita, who grew up on a coconut plantation, if there was a more natural way to extract the oil from the coconuts, instead of having to buy the refined oils sold in stores. She told him about a method the older generation used. They grated the fresh coconut, extracted the coconut milk, and then let the coconut milk stand in a covered container. After about 24 hours, the oil naturally separates from the water producing a crystal clear oil that retains the full scent and taste of coconuts. They tried this method, and were surprised at how great it taste and how great they felt. I highly suggest reading the rest of their story here. It's very interesting and enlightening.

I received a jar of the Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil. The coconut oil is typically found in a solid state, but can be easily melted into a liquid with just a small amount of heat. I've found it to be truly an all-purpose oil, because I can substitute it for shortening as well. The first recipe I tried after receiving my jar of coconut oil was the Garden Fresh Coconut Oil Stir Fry.

This was a fan-submitted recipe, and it looked so great I had to try it. Although it's called a stir fry, the consistently is more like that of a fried rice dish. But the flavor, oh my gosh. It's hard to describe the flavor that you get from just cooking with the coconut oil. It's not an overly coco-nutty taste, but just a hint of sweet, nutty flavor that really makes the dish.

Stay tuned because on Wednesday Tropical Traditions will be participating on Blogmania here at Nine More Months. You won't want to miss it!

And if you can't wait any longer to try it, there's a great Buy one get one free deal on the site!

Disclaimer: I was provided with a free product to facilitate my review. No other form of compensation was received, and my opinions are my own.

Welcome to Trailing Tuesdays #18!

2010-09-13T14:42:00.000-07:00

Trailing Tuesdays are hosted by Familylicious, Nine More Months, and Sugar Pop Ribbons! What is Trailing Tuesdays you ask? Well, it's a great way to advertise your blog and find new friends not only for your blog but for your Facebook and Twitter pages as well.

Here are the rules:
1. Follow the first three bloggers (become a follower through google friend connect), as well as on Facebook (add as a friend or become a fan) and/or Twitter (become a follower) on the list.

2. After you do the first three at the top of the list, please follow the five links directly above you. When you enter your URL make sure it is to your HOMEPAGE. This is not a giveaway linky if the URL you enter is to a giveaway it will be deleted. Please enter your Giveaway Linkys on my Giveaway Linky Page you can find it above under the Linky Love tab.

3. Grab the Trailing Tuesdays button and make a post so that your new followers can comment and let you know they are stopping by. This will also help to attract more bloggers to this list which means more followers for you to! Make sure you Follow Back everyone who leaves you a comment.

Following the first 3 bloggers is mandatory to participate in our awesome Trailing Tuesdays. We ask that you follow at least five bloggers directly above you in addition to the mandatory 3 , but after that you can follow as many others as you like. This way everyone gets someone to follow them and no one is left out. We want this to be beneficial to everyone involved so please be honest and lets have fun not only getting more followers but also finding new blog friends and networking.

As an added bonus there will be extra entries in giveaways on the hosting blog sites for being involved. Please check Familylicious, Nine More Months , and Sugar Pop Ribbons sites for details.

Nine More Months Extra Entries Details:
To claim your extra entries, just comment on the giveaway of your choice, saying "I participated in Trailing Tuesdays this week." You get five extra entries per week and can use all of them on one giveaway or one each on five giveaways, or however you'd like to split them up.

And for more friends, head over to...

Welcome to Trailing Tuesdays #17!

2010-08-30T23:30:00.000-07:00

My Ideas for Flavorful Low-Sodium Family Meals

2010-08-26T14:32:00.000-07:00

Since I started paying more attention to the foods that my family and I eat, I have become much more aware of the amount of sodium we consume. The American Heart Association recommends 1,000mg of sodium per 1,000 calories consumed, and no more than 3,000mg per day. The average American ingests 4,000mg each day, well over the suggested limit. Recently, the Center for Science in the Public Interest released a report saying that high-salt diets cause 150,000 premature deaths in the U.S. each year. Scary! But fortunately, this is one cause of death that is easily avoidable.

I used to think that adding salt and pepper during every stage of cooking was the best way to prepare deliciously flavorful food. While the food did taste great, every teaspoon of salt added another 1,000mg of salt to the dish. And while a little salt is actually good for your body, it's very easy to go overboard.

Most of the sodium in our diets actually come from processed foods, so the absolute easiest way to cut down on your sodium intake is to remove those types of food from your diet. Eating fresh and cooking at home is not easy for everyone, but I have a few tips to make it easy and healthy.

Foil is your friend. I don't think there is anything easier than cooking up dinner in a foil packet. It's a great way to limit portion sizes, the clean up is a breeze, and you can even get the whole family involved in making their own individual packets. Try this: On a heavy duty piece of foil, spread out a layer of sliced carrots and cauliflower and broccoli florets. Top with a tilapia filet, and drizzle with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Sprinkle with some Salt-free Mrs. Dash Lemon Pepper Seasoning Blend and close tightly. Pop in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or on a hot grill for about 10 minutes per side. Let the packet cool for about 10 minutes before opening and enjoying. You can make a variation of this recipe using all different kinds of meat, veggies and seasonings.

Crock pots are great for busy lives. I love my crock pot. When I am anticipating a busy afternoon, I make sure to put it to good use. If you're a fan of baked chicken but don't want to deal with the oven, try this: In the bottom of a 6qt crock pot, add a layer of small red or white potatoes. Then, place a whole chicken, with the insides removed, breast side up. Do not add any liquid, just a generous sprinkling of Salt-free Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb Seasoning Blend. Cook on low for 8 hours with the lid slightly ajar.

With these tips, you're well on your way to tasty heart-healthy family meals.

Disclaimer: I wrote this blog post while participating in the Mrs. Dash and TwitterMoms blogging program for a chance to get a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Summer Safety Shindig: Aqua-Leisure Review and Giveaway

2010-08-25T22:45:00.000-07:00

Now that it's finally hot here in Southern California, we're doing a lot more swimming. We don't have an in-ground pool at home, but we have access to several community pools and have friends with pools.

I used to absolutely love lounging in the pool. It's so relaxing, especially during the dog days of summer. Then life changed and kids came along. Now, hitting the pool kind of stresses me out. There are two of them and one of me, and it's not easy to hang on to two kids at once.

Aqua Leisure was kind enough to send me a couple of products to try out.

First we tried the Baby and Me Combo.

(Sorry, no way are you going to get a picture of me trying this thing out.)

From the site, here are the features of the Baby and Me Combo:

* Baby seat with attached split ring for mom or dad
* Heavy-duty vinyl
* Colored rings and playballs entertain baby
* For ages 6-18 months

This is hands down my favorite baby float ever. I love the split ring feature because the distribution of weight allows me to be close to Jackson without worrying about tipping him over. He's a little on the older side, so the toys didn't really interest him much, but he is a little nervous in the water so he didn't want to play too much. Thankfully, the Baby and Me Combo lets me be as close as possible to comfort him without actually having him in my arms.

The second product we received was the Adjustable Sunshade Boat

Another beautiful model, still not me.

The Adjustable Sunshade Boat features an easy-to-adjust inflatable sunshade. It has a fun beach design and a handle that either baby or mommy (or daddy) can hold on to.

We used this float as well, but my nervous baby didn't enjoy it as much as the other one. I really love the way the sunshade easily fits into the float with no extra pieces to lose. It provides the perfect amount of shade for baby, so no more hanging out in the only small shady corner of the pool. You're free to go where you please!

Buy It!
Check out the Where to Buy page to find a retailer near you!

Win It!
One winner will get their choice of one of the products that I reviewed.

How to Enter
Become a fan of Aqua Leisure on Facebook, and then comment on their wall with your favorite product from their site. Don't forget to mention that Nine More Months sent you!

Want extra entries? (Leave a separate comment for each one!)
-Grab the *NEW* Summer Safety Shindig button from this post. (1 entry. If you grabbed before the event, 5 entries.)
-Be a fan of Nine More Months on Facebook! (1 entry.)
-Follow me on Twitter, follow My Precious Kid on Twitter, AND tweet this giveaway. "I want to win an Aqua Leisure pool toy in the Summer Safety Shindig @ninemoremonths http://bit.ly/dq4qKl #giveaways #childsafety" Comment with a link to your tweet. (You can do this once a day for 1 entry.)
-Be a follower or subscriber to my blog. (1 entry each.)
-Grab my button and tell me where it is. (1 entry.)
-Make a blog post linking to this giveaway and leave a comment with the link to it. (2 entries.)
-Enter another one of my giveaways. (1 entry each.)

Giveaway ends September 5th, 2010 @9PM PST. US entries only. Winner will be picked via Random.org and announced the following day. Please respond within 48 hours, or a new winner will be chosen. Good luck!

Disclaimer: I received free products for review purposes. I did not receive any other form of compensation for this post. All opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.

Welcome to Trailing Tuesdays #16!

2010-08-24T11:11:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, everything will be back to normal soon hopefully!

Travel Clean with Crayola Color Wonder

2010-08-20T14:48:00.000-07:00

*THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED AND COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED*

As a kid I remember taking road trips with my parents. Back then I had my books to read, or paper and crayons to draw with. I also remember getting scolded many times for leaving said crayons in the car. As moms, we all know that crayons plus a hot car equals a big mess.

Crayola Color Wonder products are the perfect solution for keeping kids busy while traveling. We received the following products to try:

* Crayola Color Wonder Lap Desk provides a large, hard-top surface for kids to create on the go. The sturdy desk has a built-in handle and a soft detachable pillow that can be used as a storage unit for Color Wonder markers and paper. The Lap Desk is equipped with 12 re-stickable pieces of Color Wonder paper to keep kids’ drawings in place and 5 Color Wonder mess-free mini markers in red, orange, yellow, green and blue.

* Crayola Color Wonder Fingerpaints & Paper make the once impossible possible – fingerpainting in the car! The set includes clear, fast-drying gels that feel just like traditional fingerpaint. The set comes with 5 mess-free colors (red, yellow, green, blue and orange) in a hand-shaped storage container, a built-in finger cleaning sponge and 12 extra-wide sheets of Color Wonder paper. When kids are finished painting, they simply snap the fingerprint lids closed and paint stays fresh and ready to use again!

* Crayola Color Wonder Markers and Paper includes 5 Color Wonder markers and a 24-page Color Wonder drawing pad where your kids can create anything they want while you’re on the road!

* Crayola Color Wonder Stow & Go Studio provides a solid, compact drawing surface with stay-put clips that can secure a single piece of paper or an entire Color Wonder activity book. Kids will enjoy creating with mess-free Color Wonder markers that make colors magically appear on special paper and reveal special hidden surprises.

* Crayola Color Wonder Story Stampers includes 5 Color Wonder markers in red, blue, green, purple and orange, a Color Wonder stamp pad, 6 sea creature stamps, and an 18-page coloring pad with undersea background settings. Each setting is unique, so every page will inspire a different fish tale just waiting to be told! Kids’ imaginations will take them beneath the sea as they stamp color sea creatures using the colorless Color Wonder stamp pad to create innovative stories and scenarios then can then color in. It's like high tide for your imagination!

Mason's favorites were the fingerpaints and the stampers. I love that we can bring art wherever we go and never have to worry about making a mess at someone else's house! I took lots of pictures of Mason making beautiful artwork, but unfortunately my lap top is dead at the moment. I will have to post them another time.

Would you like to win your very own Crayola Color Wonder prize pack? Of course you would! To win ALL of the awesome products we got to try, just leave a comment suggesting a great place to go with your Color Wonder products.

Winner will be chosen on September 2nd at 9:00PM PST. USA only.

Disclaimer: MyBlogSpark and Crayola provided me with these amazing products to try and share with my readers. No other form of compensation was given to me.

Welcome to Trailing Tuesdays #15!

2010-08-17T10:44:00.000-07:00

Mamavation Monday: Things I learned this week.

2010-08-16T10:26:00.000-07:00

Last Monday I dropped my husband off at the airport. We left the house at about 3:30 in the morning to make sure he got there in time. Pretty much from the moment we drove away it was just utter chaos. I actually think that day was the worst of all because of how tired we were, but the kids were just bad.

Then Tuesday morning came and I was looking forward to a fun play date and going out for my birthday. Right after I got out of the shower I got a phone call, and not a happy. I received some news that I did not like, and I spent the rest of the morning crying. And I mean, bawling.

So I ended up ditching the play date because I knew I wasn't going to be able to give the kids my full attention at the park. Instead, we went to McDonald's and I drank my weight in Diet Coke while they played in the huge indoor play area. Mom of the year, I know.

My friend from Reno came to my house to surprise me for my birthday. My husband had already set up a babysitter for the kids. I wanted to go out dancing, but unfortunately on a Tuesday night our options were pretty limited. So we had fondue instead. Probably not a great idea as far as food goes, but it was my birthday, and another friend of mine is the manager so he comped us both our food and drinks. Pretty amazing. It was definitely a much-needed break after the horrible morning I had.

The rest of the week was kind of a blur. The kids were not easy for me, especially at night. My sleep sucked. I was so out of it I forgot to feed myself breakfast a couple of times. I tried to keep our meals as healthy as I could, which wasn't hard since I stocked up on fruits and veggies on Monday.

I also cleaned out my pantry and threw away a lot of junk food. Most of it was probably too old and wouldn't have been eaten anyway, but at least I don't have to look at it. Not looking at junk food means I won't think "Hey, chips sound really good right about now, these are stale but I'm going to go buy more." Yes, I really do that sometimes.

I didn't exercise. Not once. Not even a little bit. I also didn't weigh myself. I forgot to do it when I woke up this morning, so I guess I'll wait until tomorrow, although I'm not so sure I'm going to like what I see.

I'm thinking maybe I'm making my goals too hard for myself? Even though they may not sound hard, I'm having a hard time anyway. I don't know.

So this week's plan? It's going to be easy.

-Drink as much water as possible. (At least 10 glasses.) It's gonna be HOT here.

-Eat a veggie with every meal, two with dinner.

-Have a (healthy) snack if I need to.

-Get any kind of exercise I possibly can, parking as far away from the store as I can, dancing with the kids, running around with them at the park, other activities after they go to bed, etc.

-Be happy.

I won't lie, I felt sorry for myself this whole week. Bummed because of Tuesday morning's news, jealous because my husband was having a blast in New York while I was slowly being driven crazy by two kids and a dog. Bitter because I wasn't able to go with him. And let's face it, I don't deal well with negative emotions. Does anyone?

I guess that's about it, and maybe I'll update tomorrow with this week's weight. If I feel like it, that is.

Oh, and I can't forget to say Congrats! Kimberly @christlikemommy is Sista of the week this week. She is awesome and totally deserves it! Thanks Kimberly for being so supportive of me every week!

Give-it-away Saturday! #11

2010-08-14T00:42:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday, which means another giveaway linky. While I'm busy trying to keep myself sane and my house clean until Hubby gets home, I hope you'll list and enter some great giveaways. Don't forget to check out my giveaways in the right side bar, some are ending very soon!

And most of all, make sure to put an end date in your listing! Have a great weekend and good luck. :)

OC Fair and Cascadian Farms Winners!

2010-08-12T15:08:00.000-07:00

A couple more giveaways have ended, which means a couple more winners have been picked!

Congrats to Margie whose comment #20 was picked for the Cascadian Farms giveaway!

And congrats to Michelle from Flying Giggles and Lollipops! Comment #3 was chosen, and she won four tickets to see LeAnn Rimes in the OC Fair giveaway.

As always, winners are picked via Random.org. They have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen.

Summer Safety Shindig: My Precious Kid Gripsterz Review and Giveaway

2010-08-11T13:20:00.000-07:00

When I was on the lookout for child safety products, I came across a great website called My Precious Kid. My Precious Kid is a wonderful resource for those of us looking to make our homes and lives a safer place for children. My Precious kid has hundreds of child safety and baby gear products, but it doesn't stop there. Some of the great resources that owner, Kay Green, provides include a child safety blog, a directory of articles, free child safety information, and more.

When I approached Kay Green about my Summer Safety Shindig, she suggested a product called Gripsterz.

It's definitely not easy to go out with a very independent 19 month old. You know that stage where they don't want to sit in the stroller anymore, but they also don't want to hold your hand. Then, when you try to hold their hand they let their legs go limp making it look like you're dragging them around. Yeah, not exactly a safe way to cross a street or walk through a parking lot.

Somehow I knew Gripsterz would get a lot of use from us.

Check out this cute video:

Some of the features of Gripsterz:
•Gripsterz kit includes one irresistible Grippy monkey ring with attaching clip,
two vine straps (1 ft & 2 ft) with an attaching clip,
an adult handle, a convenient storage bag and a Grippy book for kids.
•The Grippy adventure book enhances the child’s natural attachment tendencies
to their new friend Grippy and encourages enjoyable adventure experiences.
•Interchangeable pieces allow for a variety of adventure needs.
•Easy to use
•Can be clipped to a stroller, belt hoop, shopping cart, luggage, purse, and many other portable devices.
•Great for crossing streets and parking lots, visiting museums, exploring parks, attending festivals, and traveling.

Of course, Jackson loves his "monkey bracelet" but doesn't always want to hold on to it. For this reason, I am so glad that the Gripsterz also includes a velcro strap. I can strap it to his wrist, belt loop or overalls strap and keep him close by without having to worry about him letting go.

I've used other leash-type products, but none of them have worked as well for us as Gripsterz. I believe it's because the versatility of the interchangeable parts. The cute little monkey and his accompanying book don't hurt either.

Buy It!
You can buy the Gripsterz kit at the My Precious Kid site for only $14.99 here.

Win It!
One winner will get a Gripsterz kit of their very own!

How to Enter
Tell me another product from My Precious Kid that you would love to have.

Want extra entries? (Leave a separate comment for each one!)
-Follow the My Precious Kid Blog. (1 entry.)
-Become a fan of My Precious Kid on Facebook. (1 entry.)
-Grab the *NEW* Summer Safety Shindig button from this post. (1 entry. If you grabbed before the event, 5 entries.)
-Be a fan of Nine More Months on Facebook! (1 entry.)
-Follow me on Twitter, follow My Precious Kid on Twitter, AND tweet this giveaway. "I want to win a Gripsterz kit from @MyPreciousKid in the Summer Safety Shindig @ninemoremonths http://bit.ly/ahmOIK #giveaways #childsafety" Comment with a link to your tweet. (You can do this once a day for 1 entry.)
-Be a follower or subscriber to my blog. (1 entry each.)
-Grab my button and tell me where it is. (1 entry.)
-Make a blog post linking to this giveaway and leave a comment with the link to it. (2 entries.)
-Enter another one of my giveaways. (1 entry each.)

Giveaway ends August 26th, 2010 @9PM PST. US entries only. Winner will be picked via Random.org and announced the following day. Please respond within 48 hours, or a new winner will be chosen. Good luck!

Disclaimer: I received a free product for review purposes. I did not receive any other form of compensation for this post. All opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.

Welcome to Trailing Tuesdays #14!

2010-08-09T21:44:00.000-07:00

Mamavation Monday: Psych!

2010-08-09T10:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning I sneaked a peek at the scale. I couldn't help it. I looked down and was so excited to see 210. A two-pound loss! I put my scale away and started planning out my Mamavation Monday post in my head, thinking about all of the things that I felt helped me have a successful week. I was especially proud of myself for losing weight despite the extremely stressful week I'd had, and knowing that it wasn't going to be getting any less stressful.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. We went to a local street fair, and walked around, avoiding the junk food, and just kind of exploring. I stopped at one booth that caught my eye, a local gym called Fitness Elite for Women. They had a wheel you could spin to win a free trial, anywhere from a few days to a whole month. I was hoping for at least a week so I could give it a try. I gave it a big spin and landed on a month! I gave them my info and can't wait to try it out.

We had Chinese take-out for dinner at my in-laws' house last night and I tried to stick to veggies and egg-drop soup. I was full after my first plate, so I didn't even have seconds. I thought I did pretty well in all, and was excited to weigh myself for real this morning.

Oh, and then my monthly friend arrived. Awesome!

I had to wake up at 3:30 this morning to drop Hubby off at the airport. After that I drove home and the kids and I went back to sleep. We didn't wake up until almost 9:00, which is late for us. After getting the kids settled at the table with their breakfast I pulled my scale out and stepped on.

212.

I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but my heart sank when I saw that. I had been so proud of myself yesterday and then today was just a huge bummer. Ugh.

So, once again my weight for the week is 212. No gain, no loss. Third week in a row.

I don't really know what to say. I want to stay motivated, but it's really hard when you get a disappointment like that.

My goals for this week:
-Stay alive until Hubby comes back next week.
-Don't eat a ton of food, especially tomorrow (my birthday.)
-Get whatever exercise I can in, even if it's workout videos after the kids go to bed.
-Stock the fridge with lots of (cut-up) fruits and veggies and hummus and yogurt.
-Stay away from the junk food, no matter how bad the cravings are.

Congrats to Julie Mansfield @jamnsfld76 on being Sista of the week! You deserve it, girly!

And of course a special thanks to @gutimom for sponsoring this weeks' posts by giving away a butt load of Avon products. By writing my post, I'm entered to win!

Give-it-away Saturday! #10

2010-08-07T00:09:00.000-07:00

It's another Saturday, which means another giveaway linky! I hope everyone is having a great weekend, especially all my ladies living it up at BlogHer right now! We'll be packing, but not for me or the kids. My hubby is going to a wedding in New York next weekend, and will be leaving Sunday night. I, on the otherhand, will be at home with the kids. Even on my birthday. :(

Anyway, how about we list some giveaways? Don't forget to enter the giveaways in my right side bar, even if the date is past, if they're still up go ahead and enter! When leaving your links please be sure to add an end date!

Guest Posting, Blog Hopping and More, Oh my.

2010-08-05T14:16:00.001-07:00

Yesterday came and went and I completely forgot to mention my guest post over at Ingenue Mom. I had been anticipating my day for over a week now, and then I just forgot about it. How could I do that?

Well, thanks to Angie, over at Seven Clown Circus, I got lost in a book. Several months ago I won a book in her Favorite Things giveaways. The book is called The Hunger Games, and as soon as I got it I sat it on my shelf and forgot about it. Then a few weeks ago, a friend was telling me all about a book she loved and how she made all of her (high school) students read it last year. "Hey, I have that book!" I told her. I still hadn't read it yet. Well, Tuesday night I picked it up, it was late at night, so I only got through a couple of chapters. But yesterday I took it with me everywhere, and after I put the kids to bed I read it until I couldn't stay awake any longer. I finished it this morning. Thanks Angie for the wonderful book! I will be passing it on to my best friend to read.

So now you see how I could totally forget to mention my exciting first guest post EVER. Right?

If you'd like to read it, I think it's pretty funny actually, head on over to Ingenue Mom's Blog.

It's been a few weeks since I've participated in the Social Parade over at the wonderful blog, Smart and Trendy Moms.

I'm so close to 900 followers, it sure would be awesome to get there tonight! So, hello new visitors, and if you do decide to follow, please comment so I can follow back! And while you're at it, enter some giveaways. We all like winning don't we?

Wanna join the hop? Click here!

Tips for getting your kids ready to go back to school

2010-08-03T17:24:00.000-07:00

It feels like summer just started, but in just a couple of weeks, many of us will be going back to school, or going to school for the very first time! If everything goes according to plan, Mason will be starting pre-kindergarten in September, and he couldn't be more excited. (I'm pretty excited myself!) In celebration of the new school year, Twittermoms and Harper Collins want to know what your tips are for getting kids ready for school. Here's mine.

1. Get lots of sleep. A couple of weeks before school starts, try going to sleep earlier and waking up earlier. Try to plan it gradually so that in a few days time everyone up at the time they would have to wake up for school. That way when school starts, they don't have to suddenly adjust to an early wake-up and they can be fresh and rested and concentrate easily.

2. Talk about school with your kids. Talk to each kid and let them know what they can expect to see and do when they go to school. Let them ask as many questions as they want, and try to answer them as best as you can. Let them know that if they ever have a question or problem at school they can always talk to their teacher.

3. Plan ahead. Pack backpacks, lunches, and pick out school clothes before bed. That way you're not rushing around like a crazy person in the morning trying to get everything ready. This is especially nice if you have multiple children. You can even let the kids help with this, which will in turn get them excited about the next day.

4. Get a healthy breakfast. Make sure to serve a nutritious breakfast to give kids a great start on the day. If you're pressed for time in the morning, look for recipes that you can cook or prepare the night before. Overnight breakfast casseroles are my favorite! Please let me know if you'd like me to share some great breakfast recipes!

5. Read about school! Harper Collins has some great books to help get your kids in the mood for school! If you have a reader, let them read to you, and after wards you can talk about the book or books together. As you can tell, I am a big advocate of talking to your kids about everything. I try to keep them in the loop as much as possible and I hope they'll continue to talk to us openly when they're teens!

Disclaimer: I wrote this blog post while participating in the Twittermoms blogging program to be eligible to get a HarperCollins book set. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Summer Safety Shindig: In The Pocket Baby Seat Review and Giveaway

2010-08-02T22:18:00.000-07:00

I am incredibly excited to bring you this next giveaway. When I first came across In The Pocket Baby I was so impressed with the products. They have designed fully-functioning baby products that fold up small enough to fit in your pocket or purse. I love this idea because babies come with so much stuff and most of it is bulky or heavy or just awkward to carry. When you're already lugging around two kids and half of their belongings, it's nice to find products that will help lighten the load.

We love to travel, and one of my favorite parts of traveling is checking out the little mom and pop restaurants along the way. Not all of these restaurants have high chairs, or sometimes they're old and the straps are all broken. There are times we've ended up with a baby on our laps while trying to eat. Not very fun. And trying to get them to sit in a regular seat, not easy and not very safe.

That's why I was so happy when I found the In The Pocket Baby Seat. Traditional portable high chairs and booster seats are big, and sometimes hard to use. Not to mention all of the nooks and crannies that get food stuck in them. Maybe it's just me, but my kids are messy. I mean, when they eat a meal I should probably wear a bib because food gets on me too. The In The Pocket Baby Seat is not only wipe able, but you can throw it in the washing machine when it gets too dirty.

My biggest concern with the seat is how secure it would be on a chair with an open back, such as my dining room chairs. With it's unique strap and loop system, it was both easy to install, and secure as could be. I strapped Jackson in and tightened the belt and he was going nowhere. Impressive, especially when you have a little escape artist on your hands. As you can see in the above picture, the "belt" covers most of the baby's lower body, keeping them safely snapped to the chair until you take them out. It's recommend to use between 6 months and 2 years of age, and with it's durability, I'm certain it will last us through several babies.

For people families who love to travel, or need space-saving baby products, I whole-heartedly recommend the In The Pocket Baby Seat. No more lap sitting babies in tiny restaurants, and no worries about him climbing out!

Buy It!
You can buy the In The Pocket Baby Seat right on the website. It's about $55.00 USD.

Win It!
One winner will get an In The Pocket Baby Seat in red!

How to Enter
Tell me another baby product you would like to see in an "In The Pocket" style. (Besides the seat, sling or bibs.)

Want extra entries? (Leave a separate comment for each one!)
-Grab the Summer Safety Shindig button from this post. (1 entry. If you grabbed before the event, 5 entries.)
-Be a fan of Nine More Months on Facebook! (1 entry.)
-Follow me on Twitter AND tweet this giveaway. "I want to win an In The Pocket Baby Seat in the Summer Safety Shindig @ninemoremonths http://bit.ly/blIh2x #giveaways #childsafety" Comment with a link to your tweet. (You can do this once a day for 1 entry.)
-Be a follower or subscriber to my blog. (1 entry each.)
-Grab my button and tell me where it is. (1 entry.)
-Make a blog post linking to this giveaway and leave a comment with the link to it. (2 entries.)
-Enter another one of my giveaways. (1 entry each.)

Giveaway ends August 17th, 2010 @9PM PST. US entries only. Winner will be picked via Random.org and announced the following day. Please respond within 48 hours, or a new winner will be chosen. Good luck!

Disclaimer: I received free products for review purposes. I did not receive any other form of compensation for this post. All opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.

Welcome to Trailing Tuesdays #13!

2010-08-02T19:52:00.000-07:00

Mamavation Monday: Death sucks.

2010-08-02T15:25:00.001-07:00

Last week I found out that two of my friends from high school died. At first I was shocked, and honestly didn't really believe it until a couple of days later. After reading the news article and seeing the pictures it just kind of cemented inside of me. Two great guys, taken from us way too early.

Anyway, it's been kind of a crappy week.

One thing I struggle greatly with is separating food and emotion. Let's face it, stuffing your face is not the healthiest way to grieve. It's not like I don't already know this, I guess I just chose to do it anyway.

I didn't weigh myself this week. I'm giving myself a pass, and I'm looking forward to next week's results.

I know I can't always blame my failures in weight-loss on things that happen to and around me. I'm going to have to start blaming myself. But instead of blaming myself, I'm hoping that next week I'll be able to praise myself. For getting up and doing something about it.

Here's to another week!

This week's Mamavation Monday is sponsored by Gruve. By mentioning them in my post I will be entered to win one. Cross your fingers for me!

Some overdue winners...

2010-08-02T11:13:00.000-07:00

I have a few giveaways that ended this weekend, as well as one that ended two weeks ago. Yeah, that one's pretty overdue. On the bright side, some people were able to take advantage of the fact that I left it open, and got some extra entries in. So in the future, if you notice that a giveaway is still up even after the end date, go ahead and enter it! Right before I pick a winner I'll close the comments, but as long as they're open you're welcome to enter. That said, here's some winners! (Chosen, as always, by Random.org.)

The winner of the Touch'd Bath Butter giveaway is comment #37, Benita, who is a GFC follower. Congrats!

For the Window Wedges giveaway, comment #2 was chosen. Congrats to Tiffany D., who grabbed the Summer Safety Shindig button!

Next up is the Tag*a*long giveaway. The winner is comment #12, katidyd, who is a google follower. Congrats!

Last but not least is the Staphaseptic giveaway. Comment #55 was chosen. Congrats to Julie, who is an email subscriber!

Congrats to all the winners!

Give-it-away Saturday! #9

2010-07-30T22:54:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone is having a great weekend. We're busy busy as usual, so I'm getting this posted early for once. Here's a few giveaways to check out:

Bummas wipes over at Florida Frugal Family. Ends 8/13.

$25 Kroger Gift Card over at Mommy's Memorandum. Ends 8/13.

Reviewed by Mom is giving away some Country Bob's Sauce! Yum, I can not get enough of that stuff! Ends 8/9.

When adding your giveaway, all I ask is that you make sure your prize name and end date are in there somewhere. Thank you and good luck!