Weight Loss Wednesday--Just a Little Bit

     I know I have not been posting about my weight-loss these past couple of weeks. I haven't forgotten. I just hadn't gotten around to taking a picture of my scale *cringe* and actually writing the post.
     Anyway, in the first week I started off good, but ended up back where I started, since we went away for a couple days for our anniversary (and there's another reason I didn't post, at least that week!).
     I honestly cannot remember what happened at the end of that second week. I think I just got behind and it was so late before I could sit down I ended up putting it off.
     This past week has been ok. You can see my latest weight in the pic above. As you can see, I've lost a couple of pounds. Not really enough to make a visible change, but still good. It hasn't been easy, and changing habits is hard! I've been getting up early a few days a week so I can walk for an hour while my husband watches the kids. I've also been drinking white tea and taking coconut oil. I think the coconut oil helps curb my appetite.
     All in all, I thin a couple of pounds is pretty good considering I haven't been "counting calories" or cutting completely certain things I like to eat. It is still hard to moderate! I am hoping slow and steady is the key here!

Potty Cover Review and Giveaway

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Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine

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My Teethe Me Box

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Tropical Traditions Review and Giveaway!

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Food Waste Friday--Just Trucking Along

     Well, I don't seem to be showing much improvement. But I won't give up. Here is this week's damage: 

     1. A baggie of frozen ground beef. Been in there since last year, so yeah--not eating that. 

     2. A baggie of ham chunks--almost as old as the beef. 

     3. One tomato that didn't quite make it into salad. 

     4. A few mushrooms

     5. About 5 potatoes that were getting soft and sprouting. I haven't been eating as many potatoes lately, so I guess that's a good thing. 

     6. And I don't know if I should count this, but I also threw out a couple of old bottles of herbs/spices from the cabinet--I'm talking like 3-4 years old!
     I have a few other things that are on the verge, but I'm going to try to see what I can use. How is everyone else doing with their Food Waste Friday? 

StyleUnited

 
     Have you heard of StyleUnited yet? StyleUnited is a new beauty and fashion website by P&G. I was invited to try out this new program as a member of SheSpeaks and I will also receive a free beauty kit from P&G for participating in this promotion.

     So, I've been playing around with this new website and though I'm no fashionista, I think it's sort of fun. Though my beauty routine is virtually non-existent, I still like to find ways I could improve myself and find the looks that might be most suited to my body type. 

     On StyleUnited, you can take the Style360 evaluation, which tries to diagnose your style in four areas--fashion, hair, make-up and skin. StyleUnited will then recommend products for your type of hair, skin, etc--a clever marketing ploy, to be sure! After all, P&G is one of the leading producers of health and beauty products. But I think it could still be a useful tool. And P&G does have a lot of great products. 
     The site also boasts articles and how-to videos.  So this seems to be a promising site to anyone trying to improve their beauty routine. I know I need to! 
     You can join here and check it out for yourself. And there is also a contest going on in which you can win a $500 gift card to Macy's or Nordstrom. So make sure you check that out too!

Wordless Wednesday

Kay Kay's first coon-skin hat!

Product review: Wholesale Halloween Costumes

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Food Waste Friday: Typical

     Well, I finally took a picture this time. Of course, we were out of town Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. So some of this is what went bad due to our absence and some is stuff that has probably needed to be tossed for some time. 

     1. Part of an eggplant spread I made. I didn't care for it too much, so I didn't eat it as soon as I should. 

     2. A tablespoon or two of hummus. This was what was left over from what I made last week. 

     3. A frozen tomato. My hubby must have put it in the freezer some time back and I finally tossed it, deciding I was never realistically going to use it. 

     4. Half a frost-bitten waffle. I had tried to make frozen waffles sometime in the past and this was the last of it. There was ice growing all over it, so I didn't think anyone would want it. 

     5. Part of a cucumber. This part didn't make it into salad last week and was getting mushy in the middle. 

     6. A small handful of strawberries. No real story here. 

     7. 3-4 wilted green onions. 

     8. A loaf and a half of experimental wheat and flax bread. When you're testing out a new bread, just make one the first time around!

Dr. Woods Baby Mild Castile Soap

     This review was not done by me, but I am sharing on behalf of Mommy Moments with Abby. This is just one of the many amazing mommy and baby products you can win in the B's of Baby giveaway, so I thought you might like like to read it. And after you've read this, don't forget to go check out the giveaway and maybe also swing by Abby's blog! 

***

I am always worried about one of my kids having an allergic reaction or something from a detergent or soap that is too harsh on their skin.  My family has a history of allergies so my fear is a little more than average.  Then, you go to the store and see a wall of soaps, oh boy, how do I wade through this isle?

Not Much Better: Food Waste Friday

     Well, I didn't do a whole lot better this week on not throwing stuff out. Here is what got thrown out this week. 

     1. Part of a salad. I was already working on it a day or 2 past the expiration date. 

     2. Two mushy tomatoes. 

     3. Some frost-bitten split pea soup. 

     4. Some frost-bitten piece of beef. 

     5. part of a loaf of old bread. 

     6. Part of a package sandwich roast beef a few weeks old. 

     7. Most of a smoothie I made. I really couldn't stomach it, so I threw it out. :-/

     That's all I can of for now. It seems like there was something else. I guess I really should try to write them down as I throw them out. Anyway, how are you doing on cutting back your food waste?

    

Product Review: Potty Time DVD

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Miss Heart of the USA Pageant

The Miss Heart of the USA Pageant strives to provide ladies of all ages with the opportunity to have fun, establish lasting friendships, build confidence, and self esteem; all while encouraging them to get involved with organizations in their community, that benefit those in need. Miss Heart of the USA Queens are involved at the local level with many organizations like the humane society, the March of Dimes, Children's Hospitals, etc. The pageant began as a food drive for a local Rescue Mission and blossomed into a National Pageant Program that has distributed over 750,000 non perishable food items to non profit organizations, collected toys for Toys for Tots and even assisted a Women's Hope Center by collecting much needed baby items to be distributed to mothers in need. So what makes this pageant so different? When Ciera Nitkowski began this program she wanted to teach the contestants and future queens the importance of giving back to their community. She wanted to do something that at the end of the day, the girls could look around a room and see the impact they had made. The very first pageant collected over 3,500 non perishable food items.

In 2010 their program sponsored the Miss Pink Pageant and raised over $3,000 for the American Cancer Society's Making Strides event. In Christmas of 2011 a pageant was held for Sand Hills Santa and over 850 toys were collected to be distributed to hospitalized children all over North Florida. The Miss Heart of the USA Pageant currently holds State Pageants in Alabama Florida Georgia Mississippi Louisiana South Carolina Texas Illinois Massachusetts The Miss Heart of the USA National Pageant will be held on November 17th, 2012 at the International Palms Resort in Orlando, Florida. Each year, Miss Heart of the USA awards a $5,000 Scholarship at Nationals. Winner from each state pageant will advance to Nationals with their entry fee paid where they will represent their state. If you live in a state that does not currently have a state pageant, you can register at large to represent your state. You will receive a rhinestone crown, monogrammed sash, rhinestone sash pin and referral cards and can immediately begin representing your state as a Miss Heart of the USA Queen. We have a division for all ages! Baby Miss (Ages 0-23 months) Tiny Miss (Ages 2-4 years) Little Miss (Ages 5-7) Petite Miss (Ages 8-10) Junior Miss (Ages 11-13) Teen Miss (Ages 14-16) Miss (Ages 17-23) Ms (ages 24 and up) For more information visit www.missheartoftheusa.com or become a fan on Facebook.

Weight Loss Wednesday

     Okay. Lately I've been attempting to eat a little better and lose some weight. Around the same time, another blog was asking for participants to a four week weight-loss challenge. I thought I had signed up for it, but I must have missed something, since my name isn't on the list. 

     Anyway, I decided I wasn't going to let that stop me. I'm going to do it anyway. I thought maybe like "Food Waste Fridays" where publicly admitting the amount of food we throw out encourages better planning, maybe I should do the same thing for weight-loss. 

     If I publicly track my weight loss progress (or lack thereof), maybe I will get the motivation I need to stick to it. If anyone else would like to join me, I would love your encouragement! Please feel free to leave comment with any tips you might have for keeping on track, or track your own progress each week. And yes, the above picture is actually my weight. And I am 5'5." 

     Anyone else care to share?

Product Review: Quaker Oatmeal Squares

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Father's Day Grill Event: A Preview of Good Things to Come

It's time to give back to DAD! Sponsored by:

Route 249 Mom Does Reviews Jackie's Reviews, Mom Blog Society

It is open to both US & Canada

The giveaway will run May 15th, 12:01 until May 31st 12:01

1 winner will receive their choice of the gas grill or Paypal Cash Value 129.00

$100 Gift Certificate to Omaha Steaks

DAD Branding Iron

Wood Chip Box and an Injector Kit

&

7-Piece BBQ Set with Apron

$100 Omaha Steaks Gift Card Sponsored by Mom To Bed By 8

Branding Iron and Wood Chip Box and an Injector Kit Sponsored by Dixie Lands Deals

7-Piece BBQ Set with Apron Sponsored by I Love My Coupon Fans & Coupon Queen That's Saving The Green

This Fiesta gas grill is spacious enough to meet your grilling needs. It is suitable for preparing a meal for up to four people. With this grill, you will enjoy cooking your favorite meals outdoors.

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Walk of Shame: Food Waste Friday

 

     So I've decided to join in on the Frugal Girl's food waste Friday in hopes that public accountability will make me waste less food.It's not like I plan to waste food. But who really does that? Anyone who wants to join is welcome! Please let me know I'm not alone! Even if you don't have a blog, you can join in by leaving a comment. And if you have any suggestions on how to be less wasteful, please share. :-)

     Okay, now for what I've had to throw out this week. Sorry, I don't have any pics. Maybe next week. But hopefully not, because I'm not going to waste anything next week, right?... 

     1. Half a box of Sam's club croissants. I overestimated how many croissants would be required for one tub of chicken salad. Generally, one box of 20 croissants fits one 32 oz tub of chicken salad. I used what I could of the second box until they got stale. 

  2. A pint of cut up strawberries. :-/ All ready to eat and everything. I just didn't get them eaten in time. 

     3. One boneless chicken breast. I usually freeze my chicken breasts in pairs, so if I don't plan ahead for the following day, the second thawed breast goes bad before I get around to using it. One breast usually is enough for me, my husband and my 2 year old. 

     4. A liter pitcher of cold brewed white tea. That made me kind of sad, because that was my free sample from Plum District and I liked it. Guess I'll have to order some now! 
     5. Some leftover chips from Mexican take-out. I must admit this one doesn't bother me as much as the others. Is that bad? We got what we wanted for 2 different meals and didn't really want anymore. 

     6. Three of four onions. I'd bought a 3 lb bag, didn't use them all, and they were sprouting and rotting. This time I only bought one large onion. 
     7. Half a bag of lettuce. No excuse. It was a busy week last week and I didn't get around to making a lot of salads. 
     8. 1/3 of a cucumber. Same as number 7. 
     Well, that's all I can think of for now. I'm sure I missed something. Hopefully I will do better next week!

Wordless Wednesday: McDonald's Drive-thru

My Lovely "to go" fudge Sundae--the guy "couldn't find" the right cups

Our hamburgers, just out of the wrapper--after waiting about 20 minutes in the drive-thru, mind you!

     Anybody else have some fun McDonald's experiences to share?