Winners!

The winner of the My Lip Stuff giveaway is.....

number 39 - TJsMommy

The winner of the Orglamix Mineral Makeup giveaway is...

number 4 - carrielarry

Congrats!!

I'll be emailing you both shortly :-)

Thanks to everyone who entered!!

Winner!

The winner of the Scarlett Craft Moisture Wicking Fitness Headband is lucky number 13! And that is...

~J

Thanks to everyone who entered!

Wordless Wednesday!

And I'm gonna attention whore it up! YEAH BABY!! My new bathing suit! (and some crazy kids I live with):

Beginners Walgreens Trip. Eh.

So I'm totally intrigued by the women (and probably men) I see posting on blogs and message boards about how they get alllllll kinds of stuff at Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, etc and only pay like $1 out of pocket. I've been attempting to figure out how all that stuff works. Walgreens is the closest pharmacy to me (I prefer CVS, but there isn't one all that close-- Boo) so I've mainly been working on learning how to save money there. The Register Rewards seemed a little confusing at first, but it wasn't as difficult as I expected. Anyway, here are the summaries of my first *real* attempts.

1. Rephresh Tampons - $5.99 with $5 RR
Aussie Sprunch Hair Spray - $2.99 with $2 RR
Total: $8.98
RR Earned: $7

2. Honey Nut Cheerios - 2/$5 *plus* $1 off 2 box coupon (so basically 2 for $4)
Milk - on sale for $2.89
Used $2 RR
Total: $4.89
Saved: $5.98

3. Gillette Bodywash - $4.49 (earned $4.50 RR) *plus* B1G1 coupon (so I got 2 body washes and a $4.50 RR so basically both free)
Herbal Essences Conditioner - $2.99 (earned $2 RR) *plus* $1 off coupon (so basically free)
Aussie Opposites Attract Mousse - $2.99
Aussie Aussome Volume Shampoo - $2.99 *plus* used buy 1 shampoo get $2 off styling product coupon. (so I got both Aussie products for $4)
Used $5 RR
Total Spent: $6.54
Total Saved: $15.49
Total RR Earned: $6.50

Now, keep in mind this is my first attempt. I see where exactly I made a few mistakes. The first mistake was not being entirely clear on the RR Policy. The Aussie products were advertised as $2.99 with $2 RR. I thought that meant I would be getting $2 back on each (making the total RR earned in my 3rd transaction $10.50). Apparently that is not the case. Had I known that, I would have purchased the Aussie products in another transaction and gotten at least another $2 RR back. Eh, whatever, now I know. I still think I did decent.

If anyone else sees any errors I made, or anywhere I could have increased my savings in the aforementioned scenarios, please do let me know. Another main thing that is holding me back is the fact that I need to get ink for my printer! I need to print a few other awesome coupons to help me out with this. I also need to get some sort of better organization system for the coupons I have. What does everyone else use?

Anyway, I'm hoping this weekend when I'm visiting my mama I can hit up the CVS near her and get some good deals. CVS seems easier to me, and their prices seem better.

xoxo,

Lindsey

10,000 Swing Challenge

This is my third time doing this challenge! I loved it the first two times (well, to be honest, *most* days I loved it, but there were a few that I did NOT love it at all). I think it's an awesome way to get an extra workout in every day without having to go to all that much trouble. It's also super convenient because I can do it anywhere (inside when it's raining or when the kids are napping, outside when the kids are playing, at my mom's house when the kids are visiting, etc). And it's very very simple, using the most basic of kettlebell exercises!

The 10K Swing Challenge is pretty self-explanatory... 10,000 kettlebell swings in 30 days, which comes out to roughly 333 swings per day. Personally, I like nice, even numbers, so I generally do 350 swings a day, unless I'm feeling feisty and decide to do 400, or occasionally even 450. Doing a few extra a day also allows for a few rest days when finding even 15-20 minutes is near impossible. Doing a few extra and staying ahead of the game is awesome because if you DO have to skip a day, you don't have to double up the following day.

You can do any combination of swings you want. What I generally do is set my handy dandy Gymboss Interval Timer for 1 minute/30 second intervals. I do as many hand to hand swings as I can in 1 minute and then rest for 30 seconds. Then I do as many 2 handed swings as I can in a minute, and rest for another 30 seconds. I stick with that pattern for the first 300 swings. And my final 50 are overhead swings. Using the timer really helps me get my butt in gear and it also really really helps me get the 350 swings over with FAST. It usually only takes about 15 minutes to complete my 350 swings. Simple as that!!

The first time I did the challenge, I used my 20lb bell. The second time I used my 12kg bell. I was really hoping to hold off on starting another 30 day challenge until I got a heavier bell, but alas finances did not allow it *sob* Once I get this challenge done, I am going to treat myself to a 14kg (or maybe even a 16kg!) bell :-)

Anyway, I'm going to keep track of how many swings I get done each day in this blog post. I'll just update it daily. It helps me to be able to see what I've done. So without further ado.....

Day 1: 350 swings
Day 2: 350 swings
Day 3: 350 swings
Day 4: 350 swings
Day 5: 350 swings
Day 6: 300 swings
Day 7: 350 swings
Day 8: 350 swings
Day 9: 350 swings
Day 10: 350 swings
Day 11: 350 swings
Day 12: 350 swings

A Few Good Coupon Sites!

Hi all!! Just wanted to post a few links to some sites I regularly visit to try to save some money... I totally love coupons!! These are the basic couponing sites that I personally use, but if you know of any others, feel free to comment to let me know :-) Thanks!!

I'm a Sugar Doll

I got a new award :-) Alison from Life and Times of ALISON & JUSTIN deemed me worthy of this fabulosity... Here it is:



Isn't it purty?

This award comes with the following rules:
1. Thank the person who gave you the award.
2. Share ten things about yourself.
3. Pass the award along to 10 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic!
4. Contact the bloggers and let them know you've picked them for the award.

Sooooo here I go!

Thank you Alison, you're such a sweetheart!! I'm glad I was able to inspire you to try kettlebells out, I LOVE when people decide to give the workouts a shot. I can't wait to hear how you like it! But from what I can see, you don't *need* to change a thing about yourself, you're the kind of pretty that makes us average girls feel totally inferior. ;-) That, and you are one half of possibly the most attractive couple I've ever seen!

Now, here's 10 random facts about me (I'm not that interesting in general, so forgive me if these 10 things are a little weak, haha):

1. I've never seen Twilight *gasp* nor do I ever want to. Sue me. I think the premise sounds stupid, but to each his own.

2. Basset hounds are my most favorite animals ever to walk the planet. They are so adorable with their huge sad eyes and their giant floppy ears. I was lucky enough to own one for 10 years and I miss her so much, she was the perfect dog for me. Low maintenance and lovey dovey. *sigh* I always say she is going to reincarnate into another basset hound, so here's hoping *fingers crossed*

3. My biggest pet peeve EVER is when women wear sandals and don't polish their toenails. I'm sorry if this applies to you, but it just makes me cringe. And I definitely practice what I preach because I've never been without super cute toes at any point in the last 10 years... sandal season or not. And another interesting tidbit on that same topic-- I've never had a pedicure in my life. A professional one, that is. I do my own toes once a week and they look fabulous. Strangers always stop me to compliment them. Yup, my mommy used to do nails for a living when I was a kid and I learned everything just from observing. So why pay $25 when I can do it free myself?

4. No matter what time of day it is, or how recently I just ate a meal, I'm still hungry. Seriously. My stomach is a bottomless pit and I don't think I can honestly say I've ever felt truly "full".

5. Which leads me to my favorite holiday: Thanksgiving! Not only is it my birthday, but I get to eat ALL. DAY. LONG. And it is generally accepted as okay to be a huge pig. So nobody judges me for stuffing my face for a whole day straight.

6. I'm a huge huge bookworm. I don't have as much time to read anymore (not since my oldest child got big enough to crawl and yank books out of my hands!), but any chance I get I stick my nose in a book. I've loved to read my whole life. I started out reading Babysitters Club, Sweet Valley Twins/Kids/High. Then as a teen I made it my goal to collect every single VC Andrews book (my favorite is, of course, Flowers in the Attic). Nowadays I love Jackie Collins (mindless and trashy and FUN fiction) and Sophie Kinsella (she is just hilarious, I feel like I could be a character in one of her books because they are as endearingly simple-minded as I can be at times). I don't branch out much from my favorite authors and therefore I have read every book by all of the aforementioned authors a gazillion times each and love them even more every single time.

7. I'm very self conscious about..... wait for it..... the veins in my arms. Something you probably don't hear often, no? But they bug me. I'm proud of all the work I've done on my body, but my veins, more than anything, make me uncomfortable. And it's not like there is anything that can be done about it!

8. Ever since 7th grade I've had people tell me I look like Alanis Morrisette. And every single time, they start out with "you know who you look like?". And I say "uh huh yep Alanis Morrisette THANKS". Clearly I do not take it as a compliment AT ALL. I don't think she's attractive in the slightest :( But if I had a dollar for every time I heard that comparison, I'd be driving a Ferrari right now.

9. My signature is in all lowercase letters. I don't know why. It's probably because uppercase L's are a pain to write in cursive and the lowercase l is easier to scribble.

10. I can't sleep unless I have my 2 favorite pillows in the exact proper positions. There's 6 pillows on my bed, but don't try to switch the pillow cases and fool me, because I can tell my pillow from across the room in the dark without my contacts in. My pillows are my besties and we get along so very well. I don't know where I'd be without them. Probably awake still?

And here are the 10 bloggers I'd like to give this award to (in no particular order):

Aubut Life
Boobies, Babies & A Blog
Chubby Cheeks Thinks...
Flirty Diva Tees
Kindred Spirit Mommy
Love Comma Ashlee
Taming Insanity
A Gal Needs... At Least 2 Blogs
Midget Momma $1200 Budget
Shopper Gal

I'm super tired, so I will hand out these awards in the morning. Nighty night!

xoxo,

Lindsey

Follow Me Back Tuesday

Better late than never, I suppose! It's been a hectic day already, and it's not even noon. My kids are punishing me for leaving them to go to work last night ;-) They are lucky they are so cute! And I am lucky I have the next two days off.

I decided to restart my 10k swing in 30 day challenge... I feel like I've been slacking lately. You can read about the challenge HERE if you're interested.

Anyway, happy Tuesday!!

I Looooove My Dad!

He's only like THE BEST dad ever. I could go on and on and list a gazillion reasons why I think that, but I realize that everyone thinks their dad is the best... So I'll just say that my personal opinion is that MY daddy is the best daddy. And everyone else can continue to think what they want :-)

Happy Father's Day Papa Bear :)

Getting To Know Me :-)

You know the drill. Link up at MannLand5's Blog, grab the questions, and answer away! Easy enough, right?

Here's the questions:

1. While at the beach, pool, etc..Do you cover up your assets or show them off?
I show it all off!!! I have worked hard enough to look like this, so HELL YEAH I'm gonna force everyone to look, whether they like it or not :-P

2. Road trips or Plane trips?
Eh, I hate driving or riding in the car for long distances. BUT I also hate planes. They freak me out. I've been on them a few times, but its just a nonstop anxiety attack for me. And actually, last night I had a dream I was on a plane and for some reason when we were taking off, my right ear started gushing blood. I don't know what's up with that craziness, but it can't be a good sign.

3. I can't stand it when...?
My son has tantrums. Or when my boyfriend has tantrums. Actually I irritate myself when *I* have tantrums.

4. Have you ever gone topless at the beach?
Nah.

5. How many blog carnivals do you do a week?
Uhh I'm not even sure. I'll say...... 7? Totally slacked this week tho.

6. My favorite thing about the weekend is...?
Having Sunday mornings to myself to workout ALONE and WITHOUT KIDS CLIMBING ALL OVER ME.

7. Pancakes or waffles?
Both.

8. Water Park or Amusement Park?
Water Park. I'm such a sissy in my old age, I'm not sure I'd even get on any good rides at an amusement park anymore.

Winner!

The winner of The Ultimate Body Sculpt & Conditioning with Kettlebells DVD is...

Lucky number 123!! Congrats LAURA1877 :) I will be emailing you shortly.

Thanks to everyone who entered!! And an extra special thank you to Lauren Brooks for allowing me to host this giveaway! Be sure to check back soon for another giveaway for one of these fabulous DVDs!

Ending Tonight!

Ugh I've a bad blogger this week. Actually, I've basically been a total NON-blogger this week... I've been SO BUSY and haven't even barely had time to turn on my computer, let alone do much with my blog :( I got a job (YAY) and I'm trying to get used to working again... after all, it's been almost 4 years since I last had a *paying* job. This coming week should be easier on me I think, so I'm hoping to pick up where I left off before...

Anyway, just wanted to remind everyone that the giveaway for The Ultimate Body Sculpt & Conditioning with Kettlebells DVD ends tonight at 9pm!! So that's a little over 4 hours from now... I'm super excited to find out who the winner is going to be! Get your last minute entries in - remember, you can tweet my giveaway for an extra entry every day :)

I also have a few more giveaways going on, some with LOW ENTRIES - so check 'em out!!

Scarlett Craft Moisture Wicking Fitness Headbands (ends 6/28)

My Lip Stuff (ends 6/30)

Orglamix Mineral Makeup (ends 7/1)

xoxoxo,

Lindsey

My Lip Stuff Review & Giveaway!

My name is Lindsey, and I'm a lip balm junkie... it's just something I can't live without. I need it to survive, day to day. I tell myself that there are far worse things one can be addicted to and that makes it okay. After all, I'm not hurting anybody (besides my wallet at times *blushing*)... Therefore, I am proud to say that I fully embrace my lip balm addiction, and will absolutely not be taking any steps to overcome this habit. Which is a GREAT decision because ever since I tried My Lip Stuff Natural lip balms, it is totally apparent that I will not be breaking free from this lip balm obsession anytime soon.

I've said it before, and I'll say it one more time here: I do not like using products that have ingredients I cannot pronounce. I like to know what exactly is going into this stuff I'm putting on my face and mouth. And I certainly refuse to use anything that has been tested on animals in any way, shape or form! Luckily for me (and every other environmentally conscious human), it is completely possible to use fun products and be cute without harming the Earth. And My Lip Stuff is a terrific example of that. They offer a wide variety of lip balms, as well as other bath and body products, that are all skin, animal and earth friendly!



I discovered My Lip Stuff whilst on a search for eco-friendly beauty products and it was obvious from the moment I glanced at the website that I had hit the jackpot! I was thrilled when Brea, the mastermind behind My Lip Stuff, agreed to let me try out some of her amazingly yummy all natural lip balms!! I was also extremely grateful that Brea was going to choose the flavors for me to try, because after looking thru the list of 500+ flavors available, I couldn't narrow it down! I wanted them all! I received Blackberry, Grasshopper Pie, and Lemon Meringue. And her choices did NOT disappoint. No matter what you're craving, My Lip Stuff has it. From booze balms (Mojito, Screwdriver, and so on), to sweet treat balms (mmm Caramel Sundae, Fried Icecream, Devils Food Cake...I'm getting hungry!), and even to things you wouldn't even imagine could BE a balm (Cheese Pizza, Mud Bog, I could go on and on.) Honestly, after feeling how soft and buttery the balms felt on my lips, I think I'd have loved ANY flavor.

My biggest annoyance when it comes to using lip balms is how some brands are too hard and you have to really jam the tube down on your lips to get any kind of application. My Lip Stuff is the total opposite of that. It is so buttery and smooth feeling, it glides right on, leaving your lips soft and pretty! And it does NOT feel sticky. I have very long hair that I typically wear down, and there is nothing more icky than when my hair gets stuck on my lips because of thick, goopy lip balms. My Lip Stuff somehow perfected the art of looking glossy, but not feeling thick and rubbery on your lips. A feat not easily mastered, I'm sure.

My Lip Stuff also offers a variety of other bath and body products such as Body Butters, Bath Salts, Linen Sprays, and so much more! And of course all these products are environmentally friendly and never ever tested on animals. (Did I mention My Lip Stuff is supported by PETA?). So My Lip Stuff is proof that you can be girly, pretty, and eco-friendly at the same time.

Something else really creative and cool about My Lip Stuff: The labels on the lip balms can be personalized or customized for the perfect gift and/or promotional tool. Birthdays, holidays, wedding favors, party favors, baby showers, bridal showers, bachelorette parties, gifts, easter baskets, halloween treats, stocking stuffers, advertising & promotional items for your business, & oh so much more! Click here for more info and for some awesome examples of the customized labels.

So thank you to Brea for feeding my lip balm addiction. I'm totally hooked on My Lip Stuff now. I even ordered a few more, you know, just in case. A girl can never have too many lip balms.

**BUY IT**
Head over to My Lip Stuff to check out the huuuuuge selection of skin, earth, and animal friendly beauty products!

**THE GIVEAWAY**
Brea is so generous that she is going to give one of my readers a 6 pack of her yummy lip balm in various flavors! Be sure to leave your e-mail address in your comments so that I will be able to contact you if you win :-)

MANDATORY ENTRY - Go to the My Lip Stuff store and let me know one (or more!) of the flavor(s) you want to try the most! This entry MUST be done first for any of the additional entries to count.

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES- (Please leave a separate comment for EACH entry. If it says +2, please enter two separate comments!)

* Follow my blog.
* Subscribe to my blog via e-mail (must be confirmed)
* Like Me on Facebook. (+2)
* Like My Lip Stuff on Facebook and write on their wall telling them Total Lindsanity sent you! (+2)
* Join My Lip Stuff on Facebook (this is a different page!) (+2)
* Follow My Lip Stuff on Twitter (+2)
* Follow me on Twitter. (+2)
* Friend My Lip Stuff on MySpace.
* Tweet this giveaway. (You may do this 3x per day!)
* Make a purchase from My Lip Stuff (+8)
* Grab my pretty little button, post it to your blog & let me know where to find it. (+3)
* Blog about this giveaway & link me to it. (+5)

Contest open to US residents, 18 years old and older. Contest ends 6/30/10 at 9 p.m. EST. Winner will be chosen using random.org. Be sure to leave your email address in your comment unless it's visible on your Blogger profile. (If I can't contact you, a new winner will be drawn.) Winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email. If winner does not claim their prize in the 48 hour period, a new winner will be chosen at random.

*I was not financially compensated for this giveaway. I was given a sample of the above product for review. The opinions & views expressed are that of my own and were not impacted by having received merchandise.

Scarlett Craft Moisture Wicking Fitness Headband - Review & Giveaway!

I'm a workout freak, we all know this. I mean, do you read my blog?!? And just because I typically workout alone doesn't necessarily mean I don't try to look cute while doing it! Whether I'm working out solo, or in a group, I always have to look girly :-) So when I caught a glimpse of these adorable moisture wicking headbands from Scarlett Craft, I fell in love.



These headbands are so simple and yet so totally necessary. I tend to sweat A LOT when I workout, and is just icky to have sweat running in your eyes. Not very "lady-like" at all! These headbands keep your face dry! Also, if you use any sort of products in your hair, this headband is a total godsend for protecting your skin from the awful damage sweat can cause. This headband totally keeps all moisture out of your face. It is also a very light tech fabric and won't make you any hotter than you already are when you're doing a hardcore workout!

Scarlett Craft has a huge selection of colors, patterns and phrases to choose from. The headband I received was the Burgundy "Dare To Become" Fitness Headband... I rocked it for my entire 45 minute kettlebell workout yesterday afternoon and I'm happy to report that it stayed on, stayed dry, and my face stayed sweat-free! It's amazing how something so simple can improve your workout on so many levels. I normally have to keep a towel closeby to wipe my face off, but i hate dirtying decent towels for that purpose. Plus, it's aggravating when I'm getting into my groove during my workouts and I have to constantly pause to clear off my face... When I wore this headband, I could just push thru and not have to worry about my eyeballs burning from the sweat dripping into them! Here's me after my workout!



Cute, right? And so functional! And I of course have to mention that these headbands are VERY affordable :-)

**BUY IT**
Visit Scarlett Craft on Etsy to choose from a variety of different colors/styles!

**THE GIVEAWAY**
One of my readers will win a moisture wicking headband identical to the one I'm rocking!

**MANDATORY ENTRY**
The only mandatory entry is that you are a follower of my blog! Simple. :-)

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES- (Please leave a separate comment for EACH entry. If it says +2, please enter two separate comments!)

* Like Me on Facebook. (+2)
* Follow Scarlett Craft on Twitter. (+2)
* Follow Me on Twitter (+2)
* Grab my pretty little button, post it to your blog & link me to it. (+3)
* Blog about this giveaway & link me to it. (+5)
* Sign up for my e-mail newsletter.
* Tweet this giveaway. (You may do this 3x per day!)
* Make a purchase from Scarlett Craft (+10)

Contest open to US & Canada residents, 18 years old and older. Contest ends 6/28/10 at 9 p.m. EST. Winner will be chosen using random.org. Be sure to leave your email address in your comment unless it's visible on your Blogger profile. (If I can't contact you, a new winner will be drawn.) Winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email. If winner does not claim their prize in the 48 hour period, a new winner will be chosen at random.

*I was not financially compensated for this giveaway. I was given a sample of the above product for review. The opinions & views expressed are that of my own and were not impacted by having received merchandise.

I was productive...

this weekend was pretty much awesome!! i did a lot of stuff that most people probably think is boring, lame, superficial, etc. but i don't care, it was fun for me. so let's revisit the awesomeness of my weekend, shall we?

*friday night i got to see my daddy! he lives in cape cod and only gets down this way about once a month. he brought my most favoritest relative along with him, my uncle joey! it was super fun. we got to chill on my sister's brand new HUGE deck that was just finished the day before. and i pigged out on pizza (everyone needs to have a cheat meal/day sometimes!). shockingly, cameron actually ate too (usually he never eats EVER... he must not be my kid). aubrie and my niece katelynn are bff's now, they were playing together so nicely! aubrie even kept kissing her :) on the lips no less! here's a few pics of them playing (aubrie is in the white, katelynn in the purple):







*saturday i got up super early to hit up the $2 tank top sale at old navy. I got there at 8:30 (they opened at 7) and there was hardly anything in an XS :( i still got me a few tanks, but they weren't in any fun colors... just black, white and brown. but whatever, they were $2 and look super cute.

*then i went and laid out in my backyard in my new bikini!! this might be the first time in my life i've had tan lines. i've only ever tanned indoors. but i really enjoyed laying out! i even read my self-help book that i won in a giveaway ("the undervalued self") and i'm really liking it. i usually don't get into books that focus on psychology and whatnot, but this one is pretty cool. although it takes me F-O-R-E-V-E-R to read one page because every single word makes you think. i decided to set a goal of reading one chapter every 2 days.

but whatever, here's my new bikini:



*next, steven and i took the kids to the goodwill (my favorite store ever!) and got the kids some fun stuff. here's a pic of my princess cameron (FYI, steven did NOT let me buy it for him...he's no fun!):



*and as for my workout, i didn't feel like messing with the dvd player because cam was "playing" xbox (and by playing i mean pushing buttons and screeching) so i set up my interval timer and just did my own thing for 20 minutes :-)

*Sunday was pretty chill. i got up early, got a DD cinnamon iced latte lite (the guy only charged for half price for it... little things like that thrill me) and then went and kicked my butt with my kettlebells. i set up a mirror in my "gym" so i could focus on my form and it totally helped. i could see where i needed to adjust certain things to get the most out of each exercise.

*and then the best part!! I GOT A JOB!! the job i went for last week called and i start work tomorrow! yay me!

okay, this was a boring nonsense post, but i wanted to share those cute pics lol so excuse the fluff and filler.

xoxo,

Lindsey

p.s. also just received a few thumbs up about some future review/giveaways! so keep checking back :)

Friday Blog Hops!

It's (almost) Friday!







Hello to all new, old, and potential followers! Glad you decided to stop by! Be sure to check out the giveaways I have going on right now :)

The Ultimate Body Sculpt & Conditioning With Kettlebells DVD (ends 6/19)
Orglamix Mineral Makeup (ends 7/1)

And a few more giveaways are on the way in the near future!!

Check out my little Introductory Post if you wanna know about Moi :)

XOXO,

Lindsey

Orglamix Mineral Makeup Review & Giveaway!

I'm a total girly girl through and through! And definitely not afraid to admit it. The only area I could say that could stand to be a tad more girly? My makeup collection, hands down. So when Cheri from Orglamix Pure Mineral Makeup agreed to let me review some of her amazing organic products, there was no way I was going to turn down that opportunity.

Orglamix immediately appealed to me for the simple fact that it is all-natural and organic. This makeup is made with absolutely NO synthetic ingredients... which is fantastic because what woman truly wants to put things she can hardly even pronounce on the delicate skin of her face?? Not this one!! Not only that, but Orglamix is PETA approved, which is always a plus to an animal lover like me!

After perusing the extensive collection of the Pure Organic Mineral Eye Color (over 125 shades, definitely something for everyone) I could not wait to see which colors Cheri was going to surprise me with! When the package arrived, I was definitely not disappointed!

I received the Skyline Pure Organic Mineral Eye Color:




The Sage Pure Organic Mineral Eye Color:



And the Cloud Pure Organic Mineral Eye Color:



A problem I typically have with using eyeshadow is crease lines -- hate them! My eyes look nice and pretty for about the first 20 minutes I'm wearing eye makeup, but any bit of heat, humidity, etc leave those unsightly lines at the creases of my eyelids. With Orglamix, those creases are NOT an issue. These eye colors are not only crease proof, but they are also smudge proof and water resistant! I tested this out by going outside in the 85 degree heat (and god--and the weatherman--only knows what the humidity was today...yeesh it was HOT!) for about an hour with my kids while we all splashed around in their little wading pool. When I got back into my comfortably air conditioned house I was thrilled to see that YES indeed this eye color is crease proof, waterproof and obviously very long lasting! I also loved the shimmery quality of the eye colors I received. I can't wait to try out some other Orglamix products (I'm browsing the Pure Organic Mineral Foundations as we speak!!).

One of the best things about these eye colors is that they can be worn solo or layered together! So the color possibilities are endless. All the colors you can create from different combinations of the 125+ shades offered at Orglamix is math I can't even do! No matter what look you are going for, there is definitely a way to achieve it using these fabulous eye colors. Orglamix is available in every shadow of the rainbow from classic neutrals to the hottest hues, anything your little heart desires.

The prices are just as amazing as the products themselves! However, I know how some women may hesitate to buy makeup online without testing the colors out first. Don't worry, you can buy with confidence from Orglamix because they offer a 100% Money Back Guarantee if for any reason you choose the wrong shade.

**BUY IT**
Visit the Orglamix Shop on Etsy to purchase all kinds of gorgeous and organic makeup items!

**THE GIVEAWAY**
Cheri from Orglamix was generous enough to allow one lucky reader to select any three colors from the following formulas: Pure Organic Mineral Eye, Blush, Glow, Foundation or Color Corrector.

**WIN IT**
Visit Orglamix and tell me one item you would choose if you were to win! (This entry is MANDATORY and must be done first!). You must also be a follower of my blog. :-)

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES- (Please leave a separate comment for EACH entry. If it says +2, please enter two separate comments!)

* Like Orglamix on Facebook. (+2)
* Like Me on Facebook. (+2)
* Follow Orglamix on Twitter. (+2)
* Follow Me on Twitter (+2)
* Grab my pretty little button, post it to your blog & link me to it. (+3)
* Blog about this giveaway & link me to it. (+5)
* Sign up for my e-mail newsletter.
* Tweet this giveaway. (You may do this ONCE per day!)
* Make a purchase from Orglamix (+8)

Contest open to US residents, 18 years old and older. Contest ends 7/1/10 at 9 p.m. EST. Winner will be chosen using random.org. Be sure to leave your email address in your comment unless it's visible on your Blogger profile. (If I can't contact you, a new winner will be drawn.) Winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email. If winner does not claim their prize in the 48 hour period, a new winner will be chosen at random.

*I was not financially compensated for this giveaway. I was given a sample of the above product for review. The opinions & views expressed are that of my own and were not impacted by having received merchandise.

I Won a Bloggy!

I love awards! Probably because I never won any when I was younger (nobody gave out awards for making your parents crazy.... bummer). I so appreciate any type of positive recognition in any area. And it's extra flattering that such awesome ladies are the ones giving me awards, because I can only hope to someday be as awesome as they are in the blogging department!

THE RULES:
~ Acknowledge and link to the blogger who presented you with the award.
~ Give the award at least 3 of your favorite mom bloggers, or 5 if you really can’t narrow it down!

Thank you to Erica from bassgiraffe's Thoughts for giving me this lovely award! She is such a sweetheart and was super helpful to me when Google decided to take my blog away earlier this week... She even restarted a giveaway because she knew that my entries (as well as a few others) were deleted along with the blogs. Talk about fairness!! She is awesome because she loves giraffe's as much as (actually probably way more than) I do. And she always has some cool giveaways going on... If you're not already following her, you should start now. Because I'm telling you she is great (she gave me this award didn't she?!? Yep.... she's totally awesome!).

Now I'd like to pass this award onto a few other fabulous bloggers:

*bassgiraffe's Thoughts: Yep, I'm handing this back to you. You're a sweetheart and you like me, you really like me!! Therefore, I love you!

*Chubby Cheeks Thinks...: Kim was another of the unfortunate bloggers affected by the awful "Blog Deletion 2010". I think I felt worse for her than I did for myself because her blog is wayyy more fancy than mine, has way more followers than mine, and has way more stuff going on in general. So I think her "loss" was worse than mine, hands down. But I was glad to have someone who knew what I was going thru that I could interact with. She made me feel a lot better about what had happened. Plus her blog is just super cute and she always has awesome giveaways. I also think she is my lucky charm, because I have a gift for winning when it comes to her giveaways! ;-)

*Little Yaya's: Cindi is just amazingly sweet & adorable. I'm not even sure what to say beyond that. To me, she seems like one of those popular girls from high school that you expect to be SO snobby (because they're so cute & so good at everything they do), but then they actually turn out to be the nicest girl in school. It's just refreshing to have someone so pretty be so nice. That is a hard combination to find, trust me.

So there you go! I received an award, and handed 3 out. I'm sorry to anyone I overlooked. It's hard to think in a house as loud as mine, sometimes :-)

Thursday Friends & Giveaway Cafe!

Introducing a fun new blog hop to find new friends & awesome giveaways!

Head on over to Tammy's Two Cents or Menopausal New Mom to link up...

Also, check out my giveaway for The Ultimate Body Sculpt & Conditioning with Kettlebells DVD (ends 6/19). I also have some awesome new giveaways coming your way VERY soon :-)

Dearest Love Comma Ashlee, Thank You, Love Comma Cameron

Last week I was super excited when I found out that I won my friend Ashlee's (from Love Comma Ashlee) very first giveaway!! And even more excited that the giveaway was for something that both of my kids could enjoy... A Sleepy Bear from Sleepy Wrap! The cute little guy (girl?) arrived today, just in time to cheer Cameron up when he was sick. Thanks Ashlee, Sleepy Wrap & the UPS man!! Here's a few pics of him playing with the Sleepy Bear (FYI, he calls the big bear "Mama Bear" OR "Lindsey" hahaha and the little bear is simply "Baby Bear").

Poor little sicky relaxing with his new buddies:



Lining them up so nicely (his sheepie is trying to blend in with the bears):



HUGS!!!:



And kisses (possibly performing CPR? who knows....):



And having a little chat with his pals (and notice his boo boo from a freak frisbee incident earlier this week, hehe):



Thanks again, Ashlee. Now Cameron and Aiden can be Sleepy Bear Buddies!!

So Proud of Cameron!

I have to keep this short because I have a job interview today (YAY!) but I am so excited to share this news!! I just got done a meeting with the school system that provides Cameron's speech therapy, and they said he is doing so well that after he turns 3 next month, they are going to close his case out! They are saying he was evaluated at a 24 month level, but they think he is actually higher than that. And his intelligibility was rated at 80%.

Short summary of what we went through as far as speech... When Cameron was 18 months, he was not saying a word. Nothing. Not only that, but he was getting so frustrated with his inability to verbalize his feelings/thoughts/wants/needs/etc, that he was banging his head on the floor, the wall, the door, everywhere. He had a permanent welt on his forehead foreverrrrr. The tantrums were out of control. His pediatrician referred him to the Infants & Toddlers Program thru the public school system. He was evaluated and they assigned him a special educator to come to the house once a week for an hour. I was never really fond of that whole idea, I felt as though he just needed speech services and nothing else. Because he was at his actual age level in every other area besides speech. So I let the special education continue for the time being because at the very least it seemed as though he enjoyed the teacher's company. Finally though, I got frustrated with his lack of progress and basically told his case manager that I wanted him in speech ASAP. At this point he was about 20 months old. The case manager told me that he was at a 9 month level with regards to his speech and that she didn't want to refer him to speech services because "you don't teach a 9 month old to talk, do you?". Ummm no you don't, but he was not ACTUALLY 9 months old, he was almost 2 YEARS OLD. So I called her supervisor and straight up said I refuse to work with this lady. And I want speech services started NOW. I think I scared her because I was so upset lol and she arranged for speech to begin soon afterwards.

Cameron started working with his teacher, Kerri, when he was about 2. Not long after that, he started saying colors (insisting red was yellow haha). Then he moved onto numbers. He LOVES numbers. He can count to 50. If he sees a number anywhere, he shouts it out. He can write numbers. He is also now doing the same with letters... He can identify every letter of the alphabet. He knows action words, he knows animals, animal sounds, he makes requests ("can i have a......") and he tells me when he's hurt ("hurt self"). I'm so proud. It seems like once he started with Kerri he just started talking on and on and never stopped. And he no longer bangs his head out of frustration. Now he sticks to plain ol' regular little boy skinned knees and bruised elbows :-)

I'm kind of sad tho. I love his teacher, she is so sweet. And Cameron loves her too. But now I guess I need to accept the fact that he is a talker and doesn't need her anymore.

Anyway, I gotta head out the door soon. But just wanted to brag!! YAY GO CAMERON!! Look at this adorable little boy, I love him more than words can describe...

Eating "Clean"... Not As Hard As People Think!!

A lot of people have requested info on what exactly it means to "eat clean"... I'd like to briefly summarize. It is really very, very simple.

Here's a basic overview:

*FOOD GROUPS*

* Vegetables: They are all good and acceptable.
* Fruits: They are all good and acceptable, berries are the best, because the are low calorie and loaded with anti oxidants. And don't forget avocados for their healthy fats.
* Dairy: Low fat Yogurt, Skim Milk or 1%, & some but not a lot of cheese, remember cheese is really high in fat.
* Meat: Lean meats like fish, turkey breast and chicken. Lean cuts of beef, bison and wild game work as well.
* Nuts: Great protein!, but unsalted and raw are the best, roasted are acceptable.
* Grains: Whole grain (notice the use of the world WHOLE and GRAIN when shopping) breads, flat-bread and tortillas (wraps), whole grain noodles. Brown rices.
* Water: do NOT forget water!! drink water as much as possible!!

Remember, you want the purest, most unprocessed foods possible, except for dairy, you for sure want low fat dairy.

You want to stay away from processed and refined foods. Simple sugars are no good so stay out of the junk food aisle.

*TIMING*

You want to be eating 5-6 meals a day spacing them every 2-3 hours. You want to eat the last meal of the day 2 hours before bed.

When eating a meal or a snack you want to be eating a protein with a complex carb. The carb is going to give you energy and the protein will help you feel full until the next meal. For instance and apple and a handful of Almonds is a great snack!

Eating this way is going to help prevent crashing and then binge eating a bunch of chips and soda.

*WORKING OUT*

Eating well is going to be 80% of your success, but you can't skip out on the workouts. Start small, walking or yoga, but eventually you are going to want to start doing some strength training. Your body needs muscle. Plus, muscle burns more calories throughout the day than fat, so the more muscle you have the more fat you will burn each day.

Wordless Wednesday! Starring MOI.

Since the only thing(s) I ever take pics of are my babies & myself, I'm gonna show some pics of us together! BTW, you may notice some similarities in each pic, YES, my left side is what I consider my "good side" :-)

Lily, my first "baby" (RIP):




Baby Cameron:





Baby Aubrie:

Thanks Google.

well i was one of the unfortunate bloggers who completely lost their blog (as well as my entire email account) yesterday. it's finally back. better late than never i suppose. i really thought it was gone for good!!! i'm going to work on backing up all my info just in case this happens again. and also look into switching to wordpress maybe. too bad i have no clue about any of that lol but i figure if i mess around enough i can get it figured out.

anyway, just wanted to remind everyone of my giveaway for "The Ultimate Body Sculpt & Conditioning With Kettlebells" DVD. I also have a bunch of exciting giveaways coming up in the next few weeks, so definitely keep checking back!!

I'm glad to be back, I missed you all!!

xoxo,

Lindsey

Let's Get to Know Me, Shall We?

My first time participating in Getting to Know You Sunday--yippee!! If you wanna play, just answer the following questions and head on over to MannLand5's blog and link up!

1. If a person has a booger in their nose. and you can see it, do you tell them?

Family, close'ish friends, and my kids, sure. If it's a stranger, usually not. Honestly, I don't get close enough to random people to even be able to see into their nose in the first place. Besides, I'm not sure how well I could tactfully tell them to wipe their nose... Tact is certainly not one of my strong points.

2. What are you passionate about?

I am passionate about all things related to my children, and I think all mothers should be. So that answer pretty much goes without saying. Other than that, I am extremely passionate about physical fitness and health in general!

3. How long have you been blogging?

Only about a month or so!

4. What is your favorite "summer" drink?

My favorite drink in every season is water water water! I try to avoid drinking soda or juices at all. I do, however, like to splurge on sugar free iced coffees whenever my wallet allows it :-)

5. What is your favorite type of music?

I love hip hop/rap! Anything fast with a good beat. Slow music depresses me! And most hip hop music is generally funny. My all time favorite artist is Missy Elliott. Her "Under Construction" album is classic.

6. Something I do before I go to bed is......?

Oh boy. I do so much before bed! I wash my face, brush my teeth, take out my contacts, put my jammies on, check on my kids (usually twice!), check my websites and drink my herbal tea. I was just telling my boyfriend not too long ago that I am so jealous of how men just randomly fall asleep without having to go thru a huge production beforehand!

7. My Summer vacation plans are...?

I'd love to go visit my dad in Cape Cod. Or at least meet up with him around here to go sailing. I grew up on his sailboat and it's a sin how long it's been since I've been on it :-(

8. My favorite must have, can't live without, beauty product is?

I'm not real big on makeup in general, so i'm gonna have to say Chapstick! I need it to survive. That's another thing I do before bed, actually. I always always apply chapstick because it irritates me if my lips feel the slightest bit dry when I'm attempting to sleep!

Ultimate Body Sculpt & Conditioning With Kettlebells DVD Review & Giveaway!

My love of kettlebells is certainly no secret. And my admiration of a certain kettlebell instructor isn't either. So the fact that the amazing, world renowned Lauren Brooks agreed to let me host a giveaway for her "Ultimate Body Sculpt & Conditioning With Kettlebells" DVD thrills me to pieces. I LOVE preaching about the benefits of incorporating kettlebells into anyone's exercise regime. I've had SO many people asking me about what type of exercise I did to get my abs back after 2 pregnancies in less than 2 years. And the answer is so simple... I did this exact DVD that one of my lucky readers is going to win!!

Honestly, kettlebells, and this DVD specifically, are the only form of exercise I do on a regular basis, and the only exercise I've done in my entire 26 years on Earth that I haven't hated. I mean, come on... if someone like me, a girl who hated all sports with a passion and would hook gym class every single day, can get fast and noticeable results, then there is absolutely no reason you can't, too!! Lauren's instructions are clear and simple, even for someone who has never laid eyes on a kettlebell in their life. The DVD includes an exercise demonstration section where Lauren goes through a step by step instruction of every single kettlebell and body weight exercise that you need to know to turn your body into a lean, fat burning machine! Some of the moves you will quickly learn to love are: 2 handed swing, alternating swing, high pull catch & squat, mountain climbers and many more.

This DVD comes with not one, but TWO fat burning workouts. If you're a busy mom like yours truly, then you will most definitely benefit from the 12 Minute Fat Blast workout. Hard to believe, but you can get an amazing, full body workout in 12 short minutes! Anyone can find 12 minutes in their day, no matter who you are. And don't let the short time frame fool you,-- this is a sweat inducing, heart pounding cardio workout that will leave you feeling completely accomplished. The 12 Minute Fat Blast is also an excellent way to ease yourself into using kettlebells, or any type of physical exercise in general since it is Low to Medium Intensity. Once you master the 12 Minute, you can repeat it back to back for double the fun and double the fat burning!

Also included is my personal favorite, the 40 Minute Sculpt and Conditioning Workout. If you can get through this workout just one time, you will be good to go after that. 40 minutes definitely sounds intimidating, I know. But the way this workout is designed, you get plenty of rest time. For every 2 minutes of intense exercise, you get a 1 minute break. This alternates throughout the entire 40 minutes. So no matter how tough it seems at any given moment, you can always keep in the back of your mind that it is ONLY 2 minutes and then you have a full minute to catch your breath, grab some water, and save up for the next round! Not only that, but the timer on the side of the screen shows you exactly how much time you have til your next rest. And if you're like me, your eyes will stay glued to that timer and you'll be so focused on that, that your body just goes into autopilot!

(for more info on kettlebells in general, check my blog post HERE.)

I just can't say enough good things about this DVD or about Lauren Brooks herself. She is just such an amazing and inspirational woman, and my personal role model. Here is an excerpt from her website:

"Lauren Brooks is the owner of On The Edge Fitness and Co-owner of BuggyBellz. She is the creator of the worldwide selling DVD's “The Ultimate Body Sculpt and Conditioning with Kettlebells" Volume 1 and 2. Her 2nd DVD “Baby Bells, is the first and only Kettlebell video, designed specifically for pregnant woman. Lauren is a full-time working mother of 2 beautiful young girls. Her passion for leading a healthy and active life is an inspiration for mothers, parents, and woman everywhere.

Lauren is a Kettlebell Instructor (RKC) Team Leader, Certified Clinical Nutritionist, and has a degree in Kinesiology. She currently holds private and group sessions at her private indoor and outdoor studio, which is located in the beautiful Encinitas area. Lauren has also published many articles through various online magazines such as bodybuilding.com, performance menu, kettlebellinc, and Dragon Door. Lauren has appeared on NBC and is sought out all over the world for her expertise. Those who are not local are still able to benefit from Lauren’s training and nutrition services. Lauren is available for workshops, currently has clients all all over the world, which she offers services such as personalized online training programs, workouts, and nutrition programs.

In her free time Lauren enjoys snowboarding, wakeboarding, healthy cooking, efficient kettlebell workouts, Krav Maga, and spending precious time with her family and friends."

Lauren is a total sweetheart and has offered one of my lucky readers their own copy of "The Ultimate Body Sculpt & Conditioning With Kettlebells" DVD. A $39.99 value!!



**BUY IT**
Visit the On The Edge Fitness Store to purchase this fabulous DVD!

**WIN IT**
Visit http://www.ontheedgefitness.com/ and tell me something you learned about kettlebell workouts, or about Lauren Brooks herself that I did not mention here. (This entry is MANDATORY and must be done first!)

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES- (Please leave a separate comment for EACH entry. If it says +2, please enter two separate comments!)

* Like Lauren Brooks on Facebook. (+2)
* Like Me on Facebook. (+2)
* Follow my blog.
* Follow Lauren's Blog.
* Grab my pretty little button, post it to your blog & link me to it. (+3)
* Blog about this giveaway & link me to it. (+5)
* Follow me on Twitter. (+2)
* Tweet this giveaway. (You may do this ONCE per day!)
* Make a purchase from Lauren's Online Store (+8)

Contest open to US & Canadian residents, 18 years old and older. Contest ends 6/19/10 at 9 p.m. EST. Winner will be chosen using random.org. Be sure to leave your email address in your comment unless it's visible on your Blogger profile. (If I can't contact you, a new winner will be drawn.) Winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email. If winner does not claim their prize in the 48 hour period, a new winner will be chosen at random.

*I was not financially compensated for this giveaway. I was given a sample of the above product for review. The opinions & views expressed are that of my own and were not impacted by having received merchandise.

i'm a material girl.

and i want an ipad!! *stomps foot*

luckily, mom to bed by 8 is having a giveaway for one... so everyone send me happy, good luck thoughts pleaseeeeeeeee.

check it out!

Social Parade Follower Friday Blog Hop.

Yes, I'm aware it's currently Thursday. But I'm an impatient kinda person... and was so wishing today was Friday!! So here we go!



It's a Social Parade early at Smart and Trendy Moms! Go visit her blog to learn more! Come join in and meet some new bloggers!

Please excuse my poor excuse for a blog... I have big changes coming soon on here so hopefully my new (and old) followers will stick around til I get some things done :-)