City Grips help make your stroller AND wheelchair handles more comfortable!

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I am always pushing a stroller or wheelchair these days.  One thing I hate is having an uncomfortable grip.  I love that I found a product out there to help keep my hands more comfortable, City Grips.

City Grips are stylish covers designs for stroller handles.  What is nice is many wheelchairs have similar handlebars to strollers, so I can use them on the wheelchairs too!  I actually like them even more using them on my daughters wheelchairs. 

(curved City Grips on my daughters stroller.)

Protect your hands, keeping them soft & comfy.

City Grips are a stylish way to protect your hands in many ways. They are made of a soft padded material that wraps around or slips onto your stroller or wheelchairs handlebar grips. They make the handlebar more padded and have a better grip. My daughters wheelchair handlebars are made of something to help you keep a good grip, but they are hard and cold. I used the City Grips covers while we were out at the zoo on a colder day. My hands stayed warmer and did not get sore, even while holding on down a fairly steep hill. I have also used the City Grips on my younger daughters stroller on a really warm day. My hands felt less sweaty which also made for a more comfortable grip.

(daughter's wheelchair with straight City Grips)

Safeguard your stroller's handlebars from dirt buildup and wear & tear.

I know I have worn out strollers many times by my hands slipping while pushing, and eventually wearing out the strollers handlebars. The foam type material that they are covered with tends to rip and wear out after many uses. Cover a new stroller's handlebars and help protect the original handlebars grips. They are so affordable, on $12.95 a pair that it could really save you a lot of money down the road. While I think the City Grips would last a long time. It would be much more cost efficient to replace a pair of these than the actual stroller. This would help keep your stroller looking newer and in better shape for the next baby or to resell. They also would be nice to use on a second hand stroller to make it feel newer.

(how we use the City Grips on our umbrella stroller)

Prevent passing germs to your child.

What is so nice about City Grips is that they are so easy to put on and take off.  They are machine washable, so you can easily take off a dirty pair, throw them in the wash, dry and place back on.  This is a pretty nice feature for those times either your stroller is banging around in the back of your vehicle hitting whatever is near it or those times when you end up carrying around germs from what ever you are touching.  Imagine everything on your stroller handlebars right now.....ewe! 

(daughters single handlebar from quickie wheelchair)

Choose from many stylish, easy-to-attach and machine-washable patterns and stroll with the trendiest new accessory.

City Grips come in two different styles to fit many different types of handlebars.  They are easy to attach with their strong Velcro closure.  You can choose between the straight style or the curved style.  I tried both styles.  The curved fit well on my daughter's Inglesina stroller as well as my older daughters wheelchair.  I can also use the straight style on the same wheelchair, as well as on her other wheelchair. 

Personalize your stroller, making it easy to spot.

They have some stylish patterns to choose from.  So you can add a  little style to your stroller to make it more recognizable or just for some fun fashion!  To purchase or for more information please visit http://www.citygrips.com/

Disclosure:  I received City Grips for free to review.  These are my personal opinions.

Looking for a fun way to teach your children lessons from the Bible? Check out the Xander Nash Bible Adventure Books.

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It is pretty hard to keep your children interested in learning stories from the Bible.  Many times they are too young of stories or get too adult.  Sure you can find tons of "my first Bible" type books, and picture books, but how about entertaining stories for 6-10 year olds?  I think the Xander Nash Bible Adventure books are great for this age.

Creation By Design brings you Xander Nash, a young adventurous boy and his dog Mitts.  Xander Nash puts on his brown fedora and trusty explorer belt and takes us all on an adventure.  He may start out by taking his dog Mitts for a walk, being caught up in a storm, and going on an adventure of "The Beginning Of It All".  A fun way for readers to learn about how God created the world. 

The stories are chapter books that you could either read to your pre/early readers or have your children read themselves.  They are very entertaining with lots of excitement, adventure and humor....but still educational.  They are a sure way to keep your child interested while teaching them.  Even my developementally disabled daughter enjoyed these.  She kept laughing at the mishaps that Xander and Mitts go through. 

With Easter right around the corner I think these would make a great addition to your child's Easter basket this year.   A good way to offer something religious, yet entertaining. 

For more information visit www.creationbydesign.com.

New Chuggington DVD - Brewster's Little Helper (giveaway)

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Brewster’s Little Helper” will have preschoolers honking their horns alongside their favorite trainees, Wilson, Brewster and Koko, through six energetic episodes. In the title episode, Zephie is determined to prove that she can pull her weight. After overhearing Brewster’s tasks for the day, she tries to take care of them all, but winds up chugging headlong into trouble. When Zephie is unable to complete the chores correctly, she realizes she still has some growing up to do. And, with a little help from Brewster, everything gets back on track. Each of the additional episodes – Koko Takes Charge, Brewster Knows Best, Zephie’s Zoomaround, Nurse Wilson and Wilson And The Paint Wagon – are filled with loads of fun and coupled with positive lessons for preschoolers such as patience, teamwork, responsibility, friendship, creative thinking and more.

If you are like me you are looking for some fun ideas for filling your little one's Easter basket.  Brewster's Little Helper would make a great treat that will last much longer than the sweet treats!  I think this would be a great one paired up with some crafty items, like chalk or paints.  We enjoyed the episode where Brewster was painting and being creative.

Last year my son's Easter basket wasn't even a basket.  I did a train station zipbin and paired it with a bunch of train items, like his favorite diecast Zephe.  He had to make sure to get them all out, especially Zephe for the title episode, Brewster's Little Helper. This was probably his favorite.

While the DVD is 60 minutes, having six short episodes helps keep the little ones interested.  I think it is a great video for the preschool age kids.  I know my son is getting a bit old for them, but he loves trains.  So go "honk your horns" and pick up this cute DVD for your little Trainees!

About “Chuggington^™”

“Chuggington” is a CGI-animated series as well as a fully-immersive interactive website. The series follows the adventures of Wilson, Brewster and Koko, trainee engines, each with their own unique personality and learning style. The series is set in a world much like our own with cities, villages and diverse cultures and geography. Entertainment and enjoyment are at the heart of “Chuggington,” but embedded within each story are important educational and developmental messages centered on learning and social-emotional development. The property was conceived to seamlessly integrate television, books and interactive. Further information is available at www.chuggington.com.

Special Exposure Wednesday

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Wish I could fall asleep at the doctors appointments too!

This was while waiting to get her botox yesterday...She ended up having three appointments, the Botox being the last of them.  She kept falling asleep.  We got to see nuero yesterday seeing she has been having seizures at least once a week for the past two months.  Typically Kennedy will have a few months of no seizures at all (unless sick) and then will have a long spell of them typically needing new meds to get her through the phase.  These last couple of months have been very atypical for her.  I haven't been sure how to feel about these.  The rescue meds seem to stop them for about a week, but then they start up again.  This is so much better than them continuing for weeks like normal.  On the other hand normally when her seizures do stop we will not see much for a few months.  So seeing she is on 5 seizure meds the doctor is admitting her next week and is going to clean out her meds.  He said obviously her meds like they are are not working.  They are interacting with each other too much and some levels are really high and others we cant seem to get high enough.  So time to eliminate some and find a better concoction. 

Crayola "Inside the Crayon Box" Review and Giveaway

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A couple weeks ago I enjoyed tuning into the first of Crayola's "Inside the Crayon Box" live facebook sessions.  These sessions that will feature celebrities and parenting experts talk about things to inspire creativity in our children. The first featured Singer, Author, and Mom Lisa Loeb.  It was really great hearing all of her ideas on being creative with her daughter. 

My most favorite idea she shared with us was to photograph your child's artwork and then frame it...or frame the many pieces of artwork together.  I thought this was a great idea to keep your favorites without it taking up the whole house! 

While these sessions are sponsored by Crayola, you may not have the supplies at home.  If you children are like my son, he uses them up fast.  Another fun creative idea Lisa Loeb had was using makeup as an art supply.  She shared how she let her daughter get creative and use the makeup in different ways.  I thought this was a great idea.

If you just are not sure what to do you can always pull up google search and type in the supplies you have handy and see what comes up.  You never know you may find something fun to do!

Don't worry if you missed the first "Inside the Crayon Box" session.  You can check out the recorded video by clicking here.

We have been having a lot of fun with some great Crayola products.  These products would make great gifts to add in the kids Easter basket this year or to stock up on for nice days out, or rainy days in!  You can win the same kit I received!

Your Crayola “Inside the Crayon Box” prize pack will contain:
• My First Crayola Washable Crayons, Markers & Stampers: just the right size and shape for little hands, toddlers can create bright and colorful designs with no caps to lose or no messy ink pads

I haven't used these much yet, as my little one is just starting out with this stuff.  I do think these will be great as she is sitting up better and doing more hands on activities.  They are a great size and seem easy to use, as well as they are cute just sitting out. 

• Crayola Mess Free Color Wonder Tiny Tube: with over 10 ft of coloring, perforated activity pages, a carry-along handle and the ability to store markers inside, kids can color at home or on the road; markers magically appear only on the special Color Wonder paper, not on skin

This is pretty cool!  Great size for travelling.  I have always loved the no mess Color Wonder products especially in the car.   Besides having everything right there handy in one spot, my favorite thing about this product is the each coloring page comes with a sticky back ready for hanging.  I can see my car window and back of the seat ready to be plastered with these pages on our next road trip.

• Crayola Crystal Effect Window Markers: turn an ordinary window or mirror into a colorful crystal canvas and create amazing effects on an unexpected surface that can be wiped clean with a damp cloth

These are awesome!  I wanted to get a picture, but seeing they are window markers I got a lot of the background which made it hard to see the colored pictures on my windows.  They do work great in a sunny or warm window.  In a cooler or a darker window they take longer to get the crystallizing effect to work.  When they work though they are very cool.  It is really fun to watch a larger piece of art during the crystallizing process....you can see it in action. 

• Crayola Washable Kaleidoscope Chalk: experience sidewalk art in amazing new ways, by drawing designs, putting on the 3D Kaleidoscope glasses and watching as creations pop up off the ground

Every kid loves chalk right?  Even I like coloring in the driveway with the chalk.  This set comes with large 3D type chalk, as well as the glasses.  The glasses do help make the drawings look more 3D, but it is more the color combinations that help with that.  The glasses are fun to use as the kaleidoscope.  You can check out your drawing or other things.  Checking out the trees and other kids were pretty neat with the kaleidoscope glasses.

• Crayola Dry-Erase Bright Crayons: a dry-erase drawing and writing tool for kids that’s washable, smudge-proof, odorless, and will never dry out
• Crayola Dual-Sided Dry Erase Board: a two-sided board that makes it fun and colorful to share eye-popping messages or track soccer schedules

My son has been using these a lot.  I love that he can erase his drawings when he is done versus using up all my paper!  The dry erase crayons work well and are a breeze to clean up with the handy cloth that comes with them.  The dry erase board is pretty neat seeing it has both a white and dark side.  The bright colors look neat on the dark side.  I actually have switched to using the dry erase crayons on my own dry erase board.  When you write they don't smudge off like dry erase markers do.  I like that I can write on my calendar and the appointment stays there when my little ones grab at the board. 

To enter to win these fun prizes:
Watch some of the recorded video session with Lisa Loeb and leave a comment telling me your favorite idea or something you learned. (mandatory)

Extra entries:
Follow Crayola on facebook.
Follow Finding our way home on facebook.
Share this giveaway on facebook, twitter or google plus by clicking the buttons at the top of this post.
Follow Crayola on twitter
Follow me on twitter.
Follow me on pinterest
Follow me on google plus.
(all my links are in the sidebar)
Please leave your entries in the comments of this post.  Please leave a separate comment for each entry as well as a valid email.  This giveaway is open to US only.  The giveaway will end on April 9 and the winner will be chosen by random.org


Disclosure:  The information and prize packs are provided to me by Crayola through MyBlogSpark

Baby Anti Monkey Butt Diaper Rash Powder and Cream works great on my little monkey! (#giveaway)

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I have been a big fan of Anti Monkey Butt Powder for a long time for my family.  Now having a little one I am very excited that they also are carrying a line for babies!  Our diaper changing routine just hasn't been the same now that we have been using Baby Anti Monkey Butt^® Diaper Rash Powder and Cream!

What’s unique about the Baby Anti Monkey Butt Diaper line, besides the name? It’s the calamine! The diaper rash cream’s unique formula boasts the power of calamine and zinc oxide to help prevent and heal delicate skin that’s irritated. It’s baby monkey butt’s worst enemy; sealing out wetness, while preventing the soreness, itchiness and redness that commonly causes discomfort and irritation in diaper wearers.

This combination has been great for my little monkey.  I actually have only had to use the Baby Anti Monkey Butt Diaper Rash Cream just once.  That was all it took!  My monkey has sensitive skin, and many of the new foods she has been eating have lead to some diaper rash.  I had been using other diaper rash creams over and over.  I used the Anti Monkey Butt Diaper Rash Cream at the first sign of irritation.  By the next diaper change there was no diaper rash!  Since then I have been using the Baby Anti Monkey Butt Diaper Rash Powder randomly on one or two diaper changes a day.  I think that by using this powder it has helped prevent diaper rashes.  I have been using it for a couple weeks now and have not had one diaper rash since, even though I know her skin has reacted to some things seeing her belly has broken out with eczema a couple times recently.  Her butt on the other hand has been as clear as can be!

Baby Anti Monkey Butt Powder and Baby Anti Monkey Butt Diaper Rash Cream are now on sale at Buy Buy Baby in addition to Walgreens, Walmart, and Babies R Us! The Baby Anti Monkey Butt Diaper Rash Powder sells for a suggested retail price of $5.99 and the cream for $6.45.  

Create a unique toy for someone special at Happy Toy Machine (giveaway)

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My little one needed a lovie.  I wanted something unique to remind me of her cute little baby quirks.  Thanks to Happy Toy Machine I was able to custom create something to make us both happy!

It was so much fun designing a toy.  I am sure many many kids would love to design their own toys.  It was so easy to just play around with Happy Toy Machine's Plush Builder.  I personally must have been on there for a couple hours designing a plush toy for my little one.  I wasn't on there for so long because it was difficult.  I was on there for so long because it was fun! 

They offer nine different types of plush to start out with:  Bear, Puppy, Cat, Bunny, Cow, Robot, Monster, Alien or be surprised and see what they come up with.  Now these categories are just suggestions.  You can actually change them around in so many ways to make them come out like so many different things.  You can even check out the toys that others have made and either create that one, or change it some to make your own like it.  I seen so many cute ones people have made.  Some started out with one from the categories, but I seen ones that looked like monkeys, a mouse, and a moose, plus many other fun designs.

We have a thing in our family that all our kiddos have a bug type nickname.  When I was pregnant with our youngest I called her Lauren Ladybug.  Now she is a year old and has her own fun personality.  Ladybug just didn't fit her.  She would bounce around on the floor and looked like a fish out of water.  So we started calling her guppy.  So when I was creating a plush just for her I wanted it to somewhat look like both.  I thought I came up with something cute.  What do you think?

Wings and antennas like a little lady bug, and a cute little tale to make me think of a fish.  What a cute unique plush just for her.  I was even able to personalize it with her name on it.  Personalization is all included in the price too....no extra charges like many places for that!

Right now you can change the plush's body, extremities, and head shape in many different ways.  You can also custom design the facial features and even add some different art work on the body (like the heart on Lauren's).  All of these customizations can have many different colors too.  This is where all the fun comes in.  You can switch the features around, add, delete, resize them, change the colors....and just have fun with it. 

Have a rainy day?  Let your kids play around and create their own.  They can save their designs and even share them with friends.  Then maybe at a better time you could surprise them and have their design created.  They can play around on the computer as much as they like without having to purchase the plush. 

They did have a few customization options that said "this feature coming soon".  I would have loved to use these options, but am looking forward to them.  Then you will be able to customize the hair and clothes or even add a picture to the plush.  A couple other options I would love to see would be to create some vehicles.  I would love to see the ability to create a car, train or plane plush.  I think my son would have so much fun creating these.  So that would be my suggestion for some additions in the future.  Otherwise I think they are great!

Kaite Boyd's Fit Tips

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Katie Boyd, star of Style network’s hit show, Wicked Fit, which takes place in her gym, The Miss Fit Club www.KatieBoydsMissFitClub.com , is taking women to a new level of fitness and feeling good with exercise and strategic nutrition tips and so they can reach their goal of becoming fit and healthy in 2012 .

Boyd, a personal fitness trainer and certified nutritionist, says, “You can go out and have a life and still be fit for Spring. It’s about getting your thinking in shape for success and know choosing in favor of being healthy and happy with yourself.”

Katie’s 4 Tips for Getting Fit This Spring:

Spring Fever is right around the corner! You know that feeling where it gets a little warmer, the sun starts shining brighter and while outside you close your eyes, take a deep breath and welcome it! Crocuses are popping up from the soil, the snow is melting away and so should your fat deposits that have been accumulating and storing as if you were a hibernating grizzly bear during an extra long winter slumber.

That being said there are a couple universal rules that all walks of life can do to help tone up, shed body fat Here are my four no fail sure fire tips for Springing into Fitness

1. The biggest lesson I have ever learned in my life: Your best bet to shock your body into change is to do an 8 week stint of High Intensity Interval Training. HIIT training consists of upper and lower body movements at the same time with Isometric or holding contractions in static electricity in the muscle fiber and Plyometric exercises which are explosive movements in between every two exercise combos. For example: Bicep Hammer Curl with Plie Squats then Alternating Side to Side Lunges with Upright Rows then a Plyometric Jump Squat. A workout like this should be done 4-6 days a week depending on how much body fat you are looking/needing to lose. 45 minutes tops! Workouts that are hyperexplosive get the job done.

2.Eat six small meals a day! Never say the word DIET... Food is nourishment and fuel for an active lifestyle and if you follow the 80/20 rule meaning 80% of the time eat what I am going to show you and then 20 % eat some nachos or have a cocktail...do not beat yourself up over it. Eating every three hours makes sure your body is always working to metabolize. Thus burning calories. I like to use the analogy of making a fire. If you are making a fire you feed the fire kindling and some news paper or brush and that usually ensures a bright burning fire that you can add larger items to like the occasional log. It is the same with your body. Most people starve themselves until dinner time and drink coffee to keep themselves going until the eat a dinner the size of Manhattan, then go to bed with all that junk just waiting to be stored as body fat. How is that ever going to work for you? Exactly...it never will! Adapting the twigs and newspaper idea for your body as you would starting a fire is the way to go. Always have some kind of a protein at every meal. It doesn't always have to be food you chew...it can be a shake. You can also get protein from legumes like hummus or nut protein like raw almonds or all natural peanut butter as well. Tapering your starchy carbs off as the day comes to an end is also going to really help you shed that body fat because your body does not need carbs at night for energy. Just protein for repairing muscles and fibrous carbs like green veggies.

Sample Meal Plan

Meal One at 7 am~ Greek Fritata with an Ezekiel Bread English Muffin with coffee with 2 Truvia and a splash of So Delicous Coconut Creamer (comes in three flavors, Hazlenut, French Vanilla and Regular)

Meal Two at 10 am~ 1 cup of berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, black berries, one or combo of all) with Muscle Milk Lite Vanilla Latte It is tasty, has mono and poly saturated fat which studies have shown help burn fat and is lactose free for those who have milk issues.

Meal Three at 12/1pm~ 1/2 of a cup (cooked) of Tricolor Quinoa, 1 cup of greens (broccoli, asparagus, or my favorite recipe right now, green beans, I love haricovert ...the baby string beans with pine nuts and dill with some type of protein whether it is chicken, steak or fish, or if you are a vegetarian Veggie Patch Makes wonderful meatless meatballs and veggie burgers.

Meal Four at 4pm~ 2 tablespoons of Tribe Hummus, they have a plethora of amazing flavors from Mediterranean style to Cilantro Chimmichurri with 1 cup of green veggies. My fave mix is broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, cucumbers, celery. No carrots and no tomatoes...too sugary for that time of day.

Meal Five at 6/7pm~baked haddock or cod fish around 4-6 oz with 2 cups of KB's green beans. No starches at night...no pasta, bread rice potatoes of any kind and certainly not fruit.

Meal Six at 9 pm~some kind of Protein. I love Muscle Milk Lite Cookies N Cream Ice Cream.

3.Cardio: HIIT on the treadmill.

Warm up for 5 minutes on the treadmill at 3.0 MPH at a 0 Incline. Then 3.5 MPH at a 15 Incline...hold on for dear life it's going to get really real right now! Do this for 2 minutes. Recover at 3.0 MPH at a 0 Incline for 1 minute Then walk side to side first starting on your less dominant side step together step together at 1.8 MPH at a 5 Incline. 1 minute on each side. Then recover at 3.0 MPH at a 0 Incline. Sprint at 6.0 MPH at a 5 Incline for 2 minutes then recover at 3.0MPH at 0 Incline...that is always going to be your recovery zone. Then to finish the round you will walk backwards at 2.0 MPH at a 7 Incline for 2 minutes. You will repeat this for either a half an hour 45 minutes or an entire hour depending on what your goals are for body fat burn. You are getting a full blown all around leg workout without the boredom of just blankly staring into space.

4. To find the recipes for food, products and juice www.KBMFC.com .

#Mamavation Mom - Nice Long Walk

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BLOGGING CARNIVAL: This week’s blogging carnival is sponsored by Mamavation.

One blogging carnival participant will receive $25 VISA gift card. To be eligible answer the following blogging carnival question in your weekly Mamavation blog post and link back to Mamavation site.  Link up your post by clicking here

How do you keep yourself active, when you really don’t feel like working out ?

The weather has been great here.  So far we have skipped spring and it feels like summer.  I am a night time exerciser.  I tend to do other things during the day, and like to work out at night when others are around to take care of clingy babies, or needy kids.  The hard thing is that when it gets nice out like now, I just do not want to take the time and exercise, even at night.  I like to go out and either relax outside or play with the kids. 

One thing that does keep me active now is going for long walks.  This way I can enjoy the nice weather, yet I am actually still getting in a workout.  Sometimes I will get these in earlier in the day, otherwise I like to go either before or after dinner. 

Some other things are doing housework or yardwork.  You can really work up a sweat with both of these depending on what you are doing.  Yesterday I went around and picked up all the broken branches from the yard, and raked up some pinecones.  Also this year I am sure to work up a good sweat this week.  This is the first year that we are starting a garden.  So we need to get the top layer off ....which is going to be some hard work....before tilling and fertilizing the area. 

I actually thought we were going to start that first thing this morning...but my hubby isn't so motivated.  So to get some activity in right now I will be going out in a bit and finishing up some raking, and then some more housework. 

How about you? 

MAMAVATION TV: Join us Monday night at 7pm PST/10pm EST on Mingle Media TV.

This post is sponsored by Mamavation – a community dedicated to obesity prevention & weight loss for women and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway.

"Blaze of Glory" by M. Garzon (review)

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Blaze of Glory is dramatic romance story, which I think many teens and young adult females will love.  I personally enjoyed the story, but felt a little guilty about liking it so much.  The lead character Tea goes through some pretty dramatic, emotional experiences while only being 17. Through out the story she goes through mixed feelings about her stepfather's nephew who is older.  Why I feel so guilty is that being a stepmother to 17 year old girls I felt like I shouldn't condone a 17 year old having a relationship with a 22 year old.  It just felt wrong.....but that is part of the drama of the story, which also made it intriguing to read. 

I liked how Garzon had really put the characters together well.  You could really get the feelings that all the characters were experiencing in the story.  I was really drawn to the story and all it's heartache and love.  I liked the differences of the characters, and feel that many readers could relate to at least one of the characters at some point. Tea,her twin brother and friends experience many things a lot of teens go through these days.  Dealing with loss, family life, stepparents, relationships and love will draw the teens to the story and keep them hooked till the end.

One of my stepdaughters read some of this story.  She seemed to enjoy it also, having to keep telling us what was going on.  Luckily I had finished it before she did.  She didn't like it when I let it slip out how it sort of ended.  I am pretty sure she wants to finish, and read the ending herself.

Garzon has mentioned that the story has been optioned as a possible TV series.  I could really see this being something that the teens as well as adults would like.  I could picture my twin stepdaughters setting the reminder to watch this if it makes it to TV.  The story makes me think it would fit in well in a lineup with shows like Pretty Little Liars and The Secret Life of the American Teenager.

I also think that horse lovers would love this story.  There is a lot of excitement and drama around showing, training, riding, and loving horses.  While I do not know a lot about horses, it seems Garzon did a great job setting the scene with the different horses.  She had a lot of characterization about jumpers and polo playing.  The first thing I thought while reading this story is that my horse riding sister would like this story.

Overall I think it is a well put together story that will tug at your heart.  My only issue with it is being a parent I have mixed feelings about letting teens read about sexual situations, especially in situations that include minors.  While I know many of them are around these situations, it makes me feel like I condone the situations by letting them read this.  So with that said, I think the story is good, but if you do not want your teens to read about teenagers sexual lives, than you may want to hold off on this story until they are older. 

You can find more information, other's reviews, read an excerpt, and can purchase Blaze of Glory on Amazon. 

The ebook version is currently on sale until March 31 by visiting http://www.mgarzon.ca/buy.html

< I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. These are my personal opinions.

#Mamavation Monday - Time to rethink a classic

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BLOGGING CARNIVAL: This week’s blogging carnival is sponsored by Mamavation.

One blogging carnival participant will receive $25 VISA gift card. To be eligible answer the following blogging carnival question in your weekly Mamavation blog post and link back to Mamavation site by clicking here.

What food did you think was good, but discovered that it’s not?

I love soups...and I know that many have too much sodium so I try not to do too many canned soups.  I have always liked a simple easy meal of grilled cheese and tomato soup.   Here I am today, reading labels....not just the calories and fat, but the actual ingredients.  Of course the simple Campbell's tomato soup I have been enjoying for years has high fructose corn syrup.  Why is there sugar and high fructose corn syrup in so many things.  Another favorite is spaghetti sauce.  I have actually been trying to make more homemade spaghetti sauce because of the added sugars....So now the next time I am having some tomato soup I am going to try to make a homemade one too.  Not sure how this will be, as I am so accustomed to the sweeter Campbell's tomato soup...but gotta give it a try.  I have switched to the whole grain breads too...so another would be to get rid of the american cheese too and try something better.

 For more information on nutrition you can join Mamavation for a chat tonight:
MAMAVATION TV: Join us Monday night at 7pm PST/10pm EST on Mingle Media TV.

This post is sponsored by Mamavation – a community dedicated to obesity prevention & weight loss for women and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway.

I want something yummy....wish I had some more 6 grain medley parmesan and herb flavored Sunchips

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I got to try out the New 6 Grain Medley Parmesan and Herb flavored SunChips recently and they were a hit.  They were enjoyed by not only myself but my one year old to my 17 year old!  I love so many of Sunchips flavors and this is a great new one. 

They made a perfect way to get in whole grains when I had an italian dinner (without the pasta).  I wanted some carbs, but had spaghetti squash w/ sauce instead of spaghetti.  The flavors were a great compliment with the meal.  I could really see having these with an italian type sandwich....or with any type really. 

They also have another 6 grain medley, creamy roasted garlic flavored, that sound great too.  Looks like you can find these at many grocery and Target stores.  I also noticed facebook fans mentioning that they found them at Subway......bet they would be great with a meatball sub, or any of their Italian collection.

Disclosure:  I received free samples to review.  These are my personal opinions.

21 Day Weight Loss Challenge- March journal day 8 #21mbc

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Today I spent a lot of the day at the hospital with my youngest.  She had an MRI today seeing she has motor delays, and the possibility of having a mitochondrial disease like my oldest.  I had to leave at 8:30am and did well planning something to eat while I was gone.  I unfortunately left that food in her bag, which was in the MRI room, which was locked once I went out.  I went to the deli, and they had decent choices.  I ended up having a half a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread, and half of a huge pickle.....I did however grab a pepsi.  I have been having headaches this week and thought the caffeine would help.  It may have, as I did not have a headache today at all!

I didn't have time to get dinner going before I left this morning.  My husband decided to make BLTs...which I dont care for.  I decided to make a serving of cream of wheat....but it totally was not enough for me.  I wanted to get my veggies in too, and my hubby gave me a piece of bacon.  So I made some eggs with my favorite mixings: mushrooms, peppers, onions and spinach...and I crumbled that one piece of bacon in with it.  MMMM!

I did lay down for a bit after as I was tired.  The drives to the hospital make me tired.  I got up and got moving.  I did the strength training workout that Dustin Maher provided as part of this challenge.  Now I am all sweaty and ready for a shower.  Also trying to think of a good snack to get my other veggie servings in tonight. 

Today's journal:
7am: miniwheats w/ 1% milk, 1/2 glass OJ, 8oz water
11am:  1/2 turkey on whole wheat, slice tomato and lettuce, 1/2 giant pickle, 1 can pepsi
1:30pm:  apple, string cheese, 20oz water
4:30pm:  cream of wheat w/ 1 tsp brown sugar, 1 egg/1white scrambled with mushrooms, red bell peppers, onions, spinach.  20oz water
7pm:  warm up and strength training using 8 & 15lb weights.  20oz water

What to have for a snack?  I think I will google what veggies I have and see what comes up.

Disclosure:  I am participating in the challenge sponsored by Dustin Maher.  He provided free resources such as his Fit Moms For Life ebook, a nutrition guide, and workout download.

Special Exposure Wednesday....hopefully our last snow

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How to do some work and play at the same time.....buried Zach everytime I shovelled.

21 Day Weight Loss Challenge- March Journal day 7

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One week down.  I started strong, but between stress and headaches the last 3 days I haven't been as good.  Today is even crazier.  Everything I have done today I have been sweating.  Maybe my hormones are going crazy.  I would just walk down the steps switch the laundry and would be back up and sweating.  Hopefully not getting sick.

 

Today I just couldnt handle doing a simple workout.  I wanted to do something but my head was just pounding.  I tried putting in Leslie Sansone walk and tone DVD...I only could do 20 minutes of it.  I just felt worn out, sweaty and my head still hurt. 

Today's journal:

• 7:30am 1 egg, 2 egg whites w/ spinach and ham, OJ, 20oz water
• 11am;  ants on a log, potato soup, 20oz water
• 2pm: 1.5 oz pepperjack cheese
• 5pm: meatball sub and WG spaghetti w/ sauce, 20z water
• 7:00 pm:  20 minutes walk and tone 20z water
• 7:30 frozen gogurt

 Hoping the second week will go smoother. 

21 Day Weight Loss Challenge- March journal day 6

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I was a slacker today.  I was busy in the morning with kids and therapy, but then didn't do much in the afternoon.  We had dinner later than typical for us, and then was looking some stuff up for the kids and totally slacked on my workout.....yeah there was no workout today.




 Oh well.  I am sure I burned calories by running my mouth tonight.  Gotta love teenage drama! 

So with that said here is my journal for today:

• 6:30am miniwheats - 20water
• 11:30 WG spaghetti, meatballs and sauce- 20water
• 1:30 string cheese and trail mix- 20water
• 6:30pm potato/ham soup- 20 water
• 8:30pm: 1/2 smoothie...too busy running my mouth to finish it.

Did I mention I really wish my homecooked food didn't taste so good....it is way too hard to resist going up for seconds when it tastes so yummy. 

Thanks Love That Max for the helpful information on financial planning for special needs

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I actually wanted to attend a local seminar two weekends ago where part of it was on financial planning for special needs families.  I however didn't get to attend seeing my daughter was having seizures that weekend.  My husband seems to think it is simple to just write up a will and then everything is set.  I keep trying to tell him we need to be careful about what happens with any money...or if anything is in our special needs children's names. 

I love visiting Ellen's blog, Love That Max.  She has so many topics on special needs and right now is covering topics on financial planning.  I found her current post really helpful and look forward to checking out more.  To read her post you can click on this link:

http://www.lovethatmax.com/2012/03/myths-and-realities-about-financial.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ToTheMax+%28To+The+Max%29

21 Day Weight Loss Challenge - March journal day 5

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I am ticked off, and REALLY want to just feed my feelings!  So I am here instead, but I am having a piece of string cheese because I was actually hungry before really getting ticked off. 

I didn't do a real lot today.  I ended up only doing a short workout, as I started to feel like crap during it.  I did 15 minutes cardio.  I guess it is better than nothing.

Today's journal:
7:30am squash w/ cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar -20oz water
10:30am 1 egg, 2 egg whites scrambled with mushrooms, peppers, spinach- 1/2 WG bagel with honey nut cream cheese - 20oz water
1pm Salad w/ ranch, 1.5oz pepper jack cheese, 1/2 serving wheat thins- 20oz water
5pm beef and broccoli on white rice- 20 oz water
6:30pm 15 min. Wii Golds Gym Cardio Dance- 20oz water
10pm string cheese

The first "Inside the Crayon Box" live chat is Wednesday, March 7 at 9 p.m. EST

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Crayola wants every child to be creatively alive, so they’re inviting parents “Inside the Crayon Box,” for a special live chat with celebrities and trusted parenting experts that will inspire and spark ideas to expand your child’s creative thinking. If you find yourself looking for new ways to inspire your children to express their ideas and build their creativity, you’ll want to join us to learn and share!

The first "Inside the Crayon Box" live chat with celebrity Lisa Loeb will be this Wednesday.  Join Crayola and musician, children’s author and mom, Lisa Loeb for a 45-minute live streaming video chat on the Crayola Facebook page. Lisa, best-known for her number one hit “Stay (I Missed You),” will share as personal stories, practical advice and ways she brings a little creative play into every day for her daughter. We want to hear from you - participants can ask Lisa questions during the event, too!

Topics to be covered during the chat?

• Why Does Creativity Matter? Creativity is not about who’s the best artists or becoming an architect. It’s a way of thinking that encourages kids’ original ideas and develops their confidence.

• Growing Up Creative. Lisa will share stories about growing up in a home where creativity was encouraged.

• Simple Tips. Easy Ideas. Like most moms, Lisa juggles a lot. She’ll share simple, easy ways she sparks her daughter’s creativity as part of their daily routine.

We hope you’ll be able to join Crayola for “Inside the Crayon Box”. To learn more about the tools from Crayola that make it easy for parents to help children develop their creativity visit www.Crayola.com
 ~Find Crayola on: Facebook | Twitter

If you can't make it to the live event you can visit Crayola on YouTube where the live event will be posted. Crayola YouTube Channel

Also, be sure to check out Lisa’s book Lisa Loeb’s Silly Sing-Along: The Disappointing Pancake and Other Zany Songs (Sterling Children’s Books, 2011) available at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com. Sing, laugh, and play with pop Lisa in this fabulous collection of ten of the silliest songs ever. Fun activities, games, and recipes accompany whimsical songs. Take Lisa's Silly Sing-Along with you wherever you go and get the high-spirited good times started. Includes a 10-song CD recorded by Lisa!

One last thing....be on the lookout for great "Inside the Crayon Box" giveaway right here soon!!!

Check out these awesome new products that you could win:

Early Entries (post before 10pm EST Wed, March 7):

• Leave a message on my facebook page telling me what you would like to learn at Crayola's live chat.
• Share this post on facebook or twitter (you can use the share buttons above)

Click here and leave a comment there with the link to any of these entries.  You may do each of these once.  Please make sure you leave a seperate comment for each.  This giveaway is open to US only.  (Again leave the comments on the other post for the giveaway, but share this post.)

Disclosure:  The information and prize packs have been provided by Crayola through MyBlogSpark.

#Mamavation Monday- My Favorite Workout

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BLOGGING CARNIVAL: This week’s blogging carnival is sponsored by Mamavation.

One blogging carnival participant will receive $25 VISA gift card. To be eligible answer the following blogging carnival question in your weekly Mamavation blog post and link back to Mamavation site by clicking here.

What is your favorite workout to get the heart pumping?

My favorite right now is using the Wii, especially Golds Gym Cardio Workout.  This is a boxing game and if you do the more advanced levels you are really moving all over and working the whole body.  I love using my Wii at home.  I can workout whenever I want and do not have any audience to worry about.  With the Golds Gym game I like that at the end you get a score....and I love when it is telling me I am 21!!! 

Lots of Mamavation Moms are talking about kickboxing....I should go get a video as I am pretty sure I would love this.  These is some of this on EAsports active games but I want more.  I do like the Golds Gym cardio dance....which to me is kind of like a combination of Zumba, kickboxing, step aerobics in one.  This is a great one to work up a sweat too...and you can play along with someone else in this one so it is pretty fun.  My stepdaughter likes to do this one with me. 

I actually have Gold's Gym games on my workout schedule for tonight!

This post is sponsored by Mamavation – a community dedicated to obesity prevention & weight loss for women and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway.

MAMAVATION TV: Join us Monday night at 7pm PST/10pm EST on Mingle Media TV.

21 Day Weight Loss Challenge- March journal day 4

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Well I gotta make it quick tonight.  My evening did not go anywhere near as planned.  I had a ham in the oven but didnt get to eat any of it until after 8pm.  My oldest started having seizures and I hadn't gotten her rescue meds refilled from last weekends seizures.  So off to the ER we went.  They were able to get them to stop, but if they start up tonight or in the morning then we will most likely be off to children's. 

So I did not get my upper body workout in tonight like I planned.  I did get some exercise though seeing I shovelled the driveway.  The first half wasn't much work, but the half close to the road was very heavy and I had to chip away at some stuck to the pavement.  I was sweating. 

Today's journal:
8am Life cereal with 1% milk -20oz water
11:30am spaghetti squash with sauce and one meatball, sunchips, 20oz water
1pm plain green tea
3:30 pm salad with chickpeas, 20 oz water
6pm: muscle milk bar 20 oz water
8:30 pm ham, potato, carrots
9:30pm 20 oz water


Hopefully tomorrow will be smooth...but if not I already have some trail mix packed for some snacks if I have to run. 

21 Day Weight Loss Challenge- March journal day 3 #21mbc

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I am pooped tonight!  I wasn't sure if I was going to make it through my workout.  I planned a 45 minutes EA Sports Active 2 lower/cardio workout.  About 20 minutes into it and I was so ready to quit......but I stuck it out and finished it all, burning over 300 calories and getting lots of lower body strength training in. 

I actually was pretty active today.  I did a lot of cleaning around my house which kept me busy.  I was even able to get 8 hours sleep, even though I was up during the night again.  Luckily my kids slept in a bit so I didnt have to get up until 8am. 

I used some other resources today too, and tomorrow think I am going to bake a banana oatmeal cookie.....but have a couple for breakfast.  They sound great and have no sugar in them. 

Today's journal:

• 8:30am: 2 fried eggs, 2 bacon, 1/2 WG bagel- 20 oz water
• 11;30am left over chicken noodle soup (WG egg noodles and lots of veggies)- 20z water
• 12:30 20oz water
• 2:30pm:  1/2 cup nuts/seeds/dried fruit
• 5pm:  spaghetti squash w/ spaghetti sauce (mushrooms, peppers, onions) 2 meatballs, toss salad w/ 1tbsp italian dressing- 20oz water
• 7:30pm: 45 minutes Active lower strength training, step aerobics and cardio workout. 20oz water
• 8:30pm frozen pure gogurt/2oz milk/flax/strawberries (tasted like icecream), 20oz water
• 9pm:  still hungry so I had a pickled egg.

Disclosure:  I am participating in a challenge sponsored by Dustin Maher www.dustinmaherfitness.com. The Active game I used today I received free as a member of Mamavation/bookieboo, a group focused on healthy nutrition and exercise.  www.mamavation.com The banana oatmeal cookies are a recipe that has been provided to me through leangreenmama .  As you see I use many resources in my healthy weight loss journey.  These are my personal experiences.

21 Day Weight Loss Challenge- March journal day 2 #21mbc

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Better late than never!  I just finished up my workout today.  Seeing I wanted to alternate strength training I did upper body today (lower yesterday and tomorrow).  I did good today packing some snacks to go with me today.  My daughter had an EEG scheduled right at lunch time.  I packed a late morning snack for the drive there and an early afternoon snack for the drive home. 

Today was the third day in a row that one of my kids had me up for while during the night.  I did manage to get 8 hours in today though seeing I came home and took a 2 hour nap to make up for the lost sleep the past few nights. 

Another thing I did today was some walking.  I have always found walking to be a good workout, but a stress reducing one at the same time.  So even though the weather isn't great I can still get both of these in by using one of my Leslie Sansone walking DVDs (which has some upper body strength training in it too using resistance bands).  I realized a couple weeks ago that it didnt matter if I was walking indoors or outdoors, that it still helped me mentally. 

One thing you will notice this week is I am going to really switch the workouts around everyday.  Trying to keep from getting bored and making use of all my resources I have here at home. 

Journal:
8am: 2 WG pancakes (made w/ sweet potatoes) topped with mixed berries, 20z water
10:30am: pure gogurt and breakfast on the go packet, 20 oz water
1:30pm: sunchips, string cheese, 2 pickles
5pm: 16oz water
6pm: Gorton's baked fish and shrimp, baked fries
7:30pm: 45min workout: Biggest Loser upper, Leslie Sansone walk & tone DVD, 20oz water
9:00pm:  Off to make a smoothie and grab more water! 

Have a good night!  Tomorrow will probably be quiet seeing we are getting a snow storm.

Disclosure:  I am participating in challenge sponsored by Dustin Maher www.dustinmaherfitness.com Biggest Loser DVD I recieved free to review previously, and the Leslie Sansone DVDs I use I either personally bought or won.  These are my personal experiences. 

Disaster Preparedness Tips

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I just wanted to share with you some interesting tips on being prepared from NASA Senior Engineer Dr. Arthur Bradley, who literally wrote the book on the subject — on emergency preparedness, that is. He’s the author of “Handbook to Practical Disaster Preparedness for the Family.” Written with a family-friendly style that’s easy to read and understand, Dr. Bradley delivers must-have information for personal and family safety without scaring anyone.

Published via the CreateSpace self-publishing, print on-demand platform, the 450-page “Handbook” is a guide for families everywhere, and is filled with lots of useful details that everyone can use, from evacuating their home and their general area during a disaster, to purifying water, storing food and protecting themselves and their property.

In preparing the book, Dr. Bradley, a former paratrooper and college professor with a PhD in engineering, consulted “every reference and preparedness plan” available, collected information from various agencies, conducted searches and tests and referenced 260 sources for his book. Important to him was helping families pull together a plan that works for them, including special needs for people with disabilities and the elderly as well as providing details on how to create an effective network (ie, teaming up with neighbors and friends to help one another survive the disaster). He also provides websites for useful information and exercises families can practice to help them prepare for the unexpected emergency.

Nearly four years in the making, Dr. Bradley is committed to updating the “Handbook” yearly so the material is as fresh and useful as possible to readers.  This book is available on Amazon.com via CreateSpace.

Thirteen Basic Disaster Preparedness Tips

 1. Start paying attention. Get a weather radio. Monitor local and national events. Be more aware of your surroundings and things that may affect your family. Stay Alert = Stay Alive!

2. Make a simple list of dangers that you are most likely to face, many of which are dependent on where you live. Next, assess the shortages or hardships that these dangers might cause, such as loss of electricity, water contamination, or inability to travel the roadways. Finally, make a few basic preparations to mitigate the effects of those hardships (perhaps keeping a generator in your garage or installing a water purifier).

3. Stock up on consumables that might end up in short supply: food, water, candles, batteries, generator fuel, ammunition, diapers, etc.

4. Shore up your shelter. Take time to inspect your dwelling to make sure it is in good repair and capable of protecting your family.

5. Plan your possible evacuation. Identify where you will go, at least two ways to get there, and what supplies or valuables you will take with you.

6. Put together a small emergency kit for your automobile.

7. Review your insurance policies and adjust or supplement them to have an adequate safety net in place.

8. Have ready a properly-sized backup heating system (if appropriate to climate).

9. Establish an emergency fund that can be quickly accessed when a financial hardship occurs.

10. Learn first aid, and put together a well-stocked family kit.

11. Maintain a minimum 30-day supply of important medications and medical supplies.

12. Create a network of like-minded individuals committed to working together to survive dangerous events.

13. Consider the special needs of those within your household, including children, the elderly, those with disabilities, and pets.

Source: Arthur T. Bradley,PhD, Author of “Handbook to Practical Disaster Preparedness for the Family” (CreateSpace)

Disclosure:  I received the above information and thought it was useful information.  I have not read the book and have not received any compensation to post this.

21 Day Weight Loss Challenge- March Journal day 1 #21mbc

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I had some goals to workout just as much and eat well on my week off Feb. weight loss challenge.  I however did not stick to them.  I let stress get to me and had a few days where I ate some junk food and drank a couple sodas.  I also only exercised about three of the days. I surprisingly lost a half a pound still even on my week off.  So I am thinking building some muscle doing more strength training is helping me burn calories easier.   I am totally ready for this challenge again.  So I am going to blog once again while I am doing the 21 Day Mommy Bloggers Weight Loss Challenge, sponsored by Dustin Maher. 

Dustin Maher is the author of Fit Moms For Life, and personal trainer.  He has workout programs in Madison WI and sells numerous workout DVDs.  For this challenge the participants were given the ebook(Fit Moms For Life), a nutrition guide, and workout. 

Today I got myself ready, and worked on some goals and a menu for the week.  Tonight I made some homemade chicken noodle soup, and got in a workout.  This month I am going to try to get in more strength training, and seeing you should rest a day between strength training I decided to split them up into doing upper one day and lower the next. 

So for today I pulled out the Biggest Loser DVD and did 10 min cardio, 10 min lower, and 10 min abs.  It was a good workout! 

Journal:

• 8am: miniwheats w/ 1% milk, 20 oz water
• 10:30am: Salad w/ chickpeas, 1tbsp ranch
• 1pm: cheese quesadilla(WG) salsa, 20z water
• 4pm: Chicken Noodle soup (WG egg noodles, chicken, carrots, celery, onion, corn, tomatoes, spinach) 20 oz water
• 7:30pm: Biggest Loser cardio, lower, abs 30mins 20 oz water
• 8:30pm: Luna Bar 20 oz water

I was happy that I lost 8 lbs during February's challenge.  My goal for this months challenge is to lose another 8 pounds!  You can follow myself and other contestants also on twitter using #21mbc or by following the links below.

Disclosure:  I received free resources from Dustin Maher to participate in this challenge.  The Biggest Loser DVD I used today I also recieved for free from MyBlogSpark.  These are my personal experiences.