Twisted Orchid Handbag Giveaway

Little Yaya's is having another amazing giveaway!! This one is for a handbag valued at up to $75 from Twisted Orchid, a fabulous site that has the CUTEST bags... Personally, I'd go for the Vulvan Black Large Handbag from Twisted Orchid's Mad By Design collection (pictured above). Check it out!

Wordless Wednesday

Outdoor Adventures of Cameron & Aubrie.

I'm really really hot.

recognition is always great... and compliments on physical appearances are even better! *tehe* look, i am here to tell you that it is totally okay with me to be completely superficial ;-) so with that being said, let me just go ahead and rub in the fact that I WON THE HOT BLOG AWARD!!



thank you Jana from Boobies, Babies & A Blog for giving me this kickass award!! I feel pretty today, all thanks to you!! i'm glad i discovered your awesome blog thru another awesome bloggy friend of mine... and telling me i have a hot body is definitely the sincerest form of flattery to me, a mom of 2 kids under 3. i think everyone knows how hard i work for it, so it seriously means a lot to have someone i personally respect and admire tell me they admire *me*.

so i'd like to go ahead and pass this award along to a few more blogs/bloggers that i think are HAWT.

*Lauren's Blog it is no secret whatsoever that Lauren Brooks is my hero. I love her blog because she has a little bit of everything... healthy eating tips, announcements regarding her amazing dvd's/products, little tidbits about her 2 little girls, etc. but mostly i love her blog because she featured me in an awesome blog post this past April. I can seriously put that up there with the most proud moments of my life.

*Love Comma Ashlee yes, I know you already received this award but i'm gonna give you another. i have "known" you for a few years now and i have always thought you were a hottie. and as the pics you posted the other day demonstrate, having another little man definitely didn't take away one iota of that hotness :-)

*Della's Blog you are one of my heroes. this chick totally rocked the ultimate body sculpt and conditioning with kettlebells volume 2 DVD alongside my idol Lauren Brooks. I'm so jealous of this woman, she looks great, is super sweet, totally inspires me, and kicks my butt every day thru the television.

*My 365 to a Size 5 this chick is AMAZING with her devotion to achieving a goal that so many of us struggle with. i applaud her for never giving up. she is another inspiration to me. i totally admire anyone who sets a goal (any goal) and WORKS for it!!

Okay, I am supposed to nominate 5 people for this award, but sadly i haven't been part of the blogosphere long enough to really *know* 5 people :'-( if i left you out, i apologize. you're all hot to me because you're even reading this in the first place!!!

i was also given 2 awards from my friend ashlee over at Love Comma Ashlee. They are the One Lovely Blogger Award and the Trendy Blog Award.





admittedly, my blog is not as exciting and fun filled as most blogs out there, but i sincerely appreciate Ashlee giving me these awards! makes me wanna work harder on this blog because i know i'm capable of more than i've demonstrated so far. i have a few of these awards i'd like to pass on, but of course i'm getting called from my computer right now (as usual!!). so don't worry, i'll be handing a few awards out tomorrow fo' sho'.

XOXOXOXOXO

Awesome Giveaway!!

I don't typically blog about giveaways... but maybe i will start! this one is something i'm super super excited about!

The lovely, witty and adorable Jana over at Boobies, Babies, & A Blog is hosting a giveaway for Bikini Kitchen Booty Butter! i'll be honest and say that i have never heard of this... but the name definitely caught my attention. reading thru her review, i quickly discovered that this product is WHAT I NEED. (notice i didn't say *want*... yes i NEED it!!). ever since i was 15 i've been all about being tan. i just feel like i look better, and as a result, feel better when i am tan. i worked at a couple tanning salons over the years as second jobs (back when i still had a first job, lol). and to be totally frank, i never cared if i made money there (the minimum wage definitely wasn't paying my rent!!) i basically just worked there to tan for free!! so getting paid to clean a few beds, talk to a few customers, etc was no big thing when i was saving money on what i'd be spending tanning, plus i made a few extra bucks. but i digress.... point is: I LOVE TO BE TAN.

recently, after about a year hiatus from tanning, i decided to sign up at the local salon and start tanning again. but $80 in "sunpoints" and $50 in lotion later... i come to find out that for some unknown reason, out of nowhere, i break out in hives from the tanning bed now. it was super fun, lol. i tried everything to make tanning work. i thought maybe the bed or the bed cleaner was what was making me break out, so i started doing stand-ups. that didn't work. i switched lotion, that didn't work. the hives would last about 12 hours or so and fade, but they itched like crazy and kept me up at night. blah. finally, on my 3rd try, after sitting topless at home on a saturday night with frozen peas on my chest to reduce to swelling, i decided i am done with tanning beds. i'm still not sure exactly what went wrong there... but i'm not trying to test it and end up with the hives again!! coming to terms with not being able to tan anymore was seriously kinda rough on me. because i have used tanning as a short little escape from my crazy homelife for about 10 years or more. so having to give that up felt very weird and made me a little sad.

i decided to use all my leftover sunpoints for spray tans and that's what i've been doing since. it works out fine for me, i get good, natural looking results, and it lasts a decent amount of time. but it would be easier for me if i could just go outside and tan. that wouldn't require driving anywhere, i could play outside with my kids, there's just so many pros to being able to just go outside and get a tan....




so when i read thru J's Bikini Kitchen Booty Butter review, i was stoked! i can put this lotion on, go outside, and get an awesome tan. simple. and fast!! plus you can wear it over top of an SPF lotion, which is great! i do love tanning, but i do not think i will love looking super old when i'm like 35, lol (this thought helped me when i first decided to quit tanning lol). so the fact that you can layer it with a sunblock is definitely a huge huge positive. and the 3rd (possibly most important Pro) is the fact that it is also a bug repellant!!! we get awful mosquitos in this area, and lucky lucky me ALWAYS swells up when i get bit :( i hate bug repellants because they stink, they are sticky, i don't necessarily like the idea of putting nasty poisonous chemicals on my body, and more often than not the stuff doesn't work to repell any bugs anyway!! and speaking of nasty poisonous chemicals, did i happen to mention that this stuff is made out of natural ingredients? because it is!! and i don't think i need to even mention the fact that 1 tube of lotion vs. buying tanning sessions in a salon doesn't even come close to comparing in price!!

so, i went ahead and entered in her giveaway... but knowing how popular the BB&A Blog giveaways are, i also went ahead and already ordered my own booty butter. and now i'm just waiting on the mailman to bring it to me! seriously i feel like i discovered a hidden treasure here.

you can enter this giveaway, as well as many other amazing giveaways on her blog, right HERE.

So I Lied.

i had wanted to post something super cool and totally interesting but.......yeah. i've had no inspiration at all the past few days, and very very little motivation. i've been in a *mood* lately and i can't describe it. kind of depressed, kind of grumpy, kind of fed up with things in general. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. i had a few special requests for me to tell the story of when my psychotic ex hacked my hair off, and i definitely have intentions of doing so at some point. but when i thought about where to start that story, i realized that sooooo much background info is required to properly narrate it. and i'm not sure i'd feel totally comfortable discussing certain things. so i'm gonna wait on that one for now. just until i get a better idea of how i want to tell it, where i want to start, and where i want to end. 5 years is a long time to sum up in a blog post! and there still isn't really an "end" to the story yet. i mean yeah my hair grew back lol but a lot of things going on in my life (like, hello cameron!! and hi aubrie!) are still part of the story, i think. but it will definitely be posted at some point...

i can't quite put my finger on what exactly is putting me in this mood. probably a little of everything... things with ethan, steven, the kids, my family, etc. i am just pulled in so many different directions. the only outlet i have for the frustration is my workouts. thank god for those. it keeps me sane. or as close to sane as i think i can be. i'm hoping that after this holiday weekend is over, things will go back to "normal" (bear in mind that normal is DEFINITELY a relative term here... since there's no such thing as normal, especially for me!) and i'll feel more like myself again.

don't get me wrong, i haven't been moping about or crying or anything like that. i actually think i have been pretty upbeat. that's why this is so hard to explain. could have something to do with the headache i've had for the past week straight, blah. i just think something has to change. because everybody deserves to be happy, even someone slightly insane like me.

i hope everyone had a good weekend!! it's really pretty outside :)

Blog Hop Friday :)

i've been a little tied up this week, my mom had surgery and i had my other usual distractions (kids, workouts, boys) but i hope to post a few blogs this weekend. sooooo fingers crossed for a nice relaxing and safe weekend to me AND to you!!

xoxoxo,

lindsey

a little about kettlebells.

so i've had A LOT of people asking me about kettlebells. i'm going to try to sum it all up for you.

a kettlebell is basically a weight that looks like a cannon ball with a handle. here is a pic of one of mine:



they come in a variety of sizes, i've seen them as small as 5lbs and as large as 88lbs. right now i'm using a 12kg (26lb) bell. i also have a 15 and 20lb bell that i use for various exercises. i started with an 8lb just to get the feel for the workout and because i had no upper body strength to begin with. i wanted to start small. using the correct form is key so i definitely recommend starting small until you master each individual exercise so you can maximize you results without hurting yourself.

kettlebells are a complete all-around workout. it is not just "weight lifting". you get strength training and cardio in one. this workout will definitely get your heart rate up while toning your body. it's always good to be able to kill 2 birds with one stone, therefore not having to spend as much time on your workouts when we all have better things to be doing with our waking hours. i'm all about efficiency. especially with 2 kids and a house to care for! kettlebell workouts with lean you out, you will NOT bulk up, despite using the heavier weights. each kettlebell exercise works your core, legs, butt, arms, everything. so you are truly working your whole body. obviously in most exercises you hold the bell by the horns, but your arms are NOT doing all the work.

my personal favorite kettlebell workout is the ultimate body sculpt and conditioning with kettlebells by lauren brooks. lauren is an amazing kettlebell instructor and my personal role model. this dvd is everything you need to learn about kettlebells and get a GREAT workout. the video preview to the dvd is HERE. even if you have never picked up a kettlebell in your life, this dvd will teach you in very simple terms how each exercise works. plus, the way the dvd is set up is great. there is a 40 minute workout, as well as a 12 minute workout. even the busiest person can find 12 free minutes in their day. and as hard as it is to believe, you truly can get a great full body workout in 12 minutes! the 40 minute workout is fantastic too. the way it is set up is the best part (aside from the actual workout itself). you do 2 minutes of exercise, then rest for 1 minute. this goes on throughout the entire 40 minutes. it's great because even when certain parts seem hard, you still know that it will only last 2 minutes and a break is in sight. not only that, but the 2 minutes is counted down on the left side of the screen so you can see exactly how much time you have left until the next break.

i truly 100% stand by this particular dvd. it helped change my life and body. it does NOT take long to get results if you really buckle down and DO IT. i started kettlebells around january of this year and was noticing results within weeks... and i'm seriously not the type of person who has ever been "athletic" or into exercise. i used to hook gym class in high school bc i hated physical activity of any sort. so if i can do it, anyone can. if you decide to order lauren's dvd, let her know i sent you!! and as always you can feel free to ask me any questions, or if you prefer you could email lauren brooks herself. i have gotten great advice from her and she is truly inspirational.

here is me before:



and this is my current pic:



i've lost about 14lbs doing these workouts, and in a very short time frame. there are no quick fixes to weight loss. cleaning up your diet and doing some form of exercise is the way to go. pills and fad diets will not work, especially not in the long term.

i hope i helped everyone to understand kettlebells a little more. i'll close with a link to my favorite article by lauren brooks regarding kettlebell exercises. check it out.

xoxo,

lindsey

p.s. had to throw this pic in here because its so cute!!