ClubFHE

When I went to the What Women Want Expo several weeks ago (thank you, Marie, for the free ticket!), I found many things to enjoy. I got a great deal on earrings (6 for $10) and splurged away. I found a booth called Ringmasters selling CTR rings and shape bracelets and a Happy Birthday plate (to be used for the birthday person on their birthday) and other great finds. I was brought into a state of nostalgia when I saw a booth for Usana and was reminded of my childhood when my parents were involved. (My husband and I have our first order in and waiting for shipment, and looking forward to feeling healthier in our lives.)

This post, however, is not about any of the above, but about another great find. The ClubFHE booth. This organization has put the brains and brawn behind FHE, and has simplified my life. They have put together 50 weekly family nights- including lesson, materials, and organization. I am thrilled! The very idea blew me away. I bought the whole package right then and there, and very proudly carried the box home with me. Since we were new to this club, we decided to take things a bit slow, and do our first FHE with the club as an intro the club. Basically, we opened the box as a family on family night. I'm no photographer, but here are a few photos:

The front of the box

The lessons in my box were divided into quarters, for each quarter of the year

(You may also purchase them monthly, and the lessons would be sent in monthly boxes.)

This is everything that is included in the first quarter's box. 

ClubFHE manual, white board, FHE part chart, 12 lessons

(divided into individual bags, with the needed hands on activity and parts)

FHE part chart and white board. The white board comes with sticky strips if you would like to mount it somewhere. The FHE part chart is magnetic and can be kept on the white board or put on the fridge or other magnetic wall. It comes with six blocks (one side is magnetic to stick to the Part Chart) and a labeling marker to write names on the blocks.

As you can see, my little one is already having fun with this. He spent quite a while playing just with the Part Chart and blocks. I am pleased with the organization and detail included in this as a whole, and with each lesson. They have a simple idea, with a hands on activity, and more detail for expansion. We are going to be using this to teach our two year old, but feel we will be able to keep repeating the lessons for several years, because of how fun they are, and how we will be able to add to them as he gets older and has a longer attention span with more understanding. 

Here is the ClubFHE website. For anyone wanting to spend more time as a family, and looking for a way to maximize the time, this is a great "Club" to join.

SlimKicker - a great new fitness site with app

Say hello to SlimKicker! This is a brand new get healthy website with a corresponding iPhone app. Here's the basics about it:

The app makes living healthy, eating healthy, and fitness into an RPG game, where users earn points, 'level up', and earn badges as they accomplish their health goals. Every time something healthy like a fruit is added to their food log, points are earned toward the next level. Every time a workout is completed, points are earned toward the next level. As they achieve more, they'll level up and unlock badges.

The whole idea is to shift people's attitude towards healthy living as fun, and enjoyable.

I checked out the site and the app, and I love it. The website is great- love the colors and interface, and the simple popup explanations upon first login. The challenges are a fantastic idea, I can't wait to dive into that. What a great way to offer motivation and success.

Another bonus? It's completely free. I am one of the many that doesn't pay for any websites or apps because there are so many out there. And the fact that this one doesn't have annoying add all over it makes it twice as great.

No android app yet. I'm keeping my fingers crossed it will be on the market soon.

Here's something I love about this- there are different challenges to achieve, in addition to the overall health goals. Some of the current challenges are No snacks after dinner, 10 wall squats a day, and Move during commercials. They are simple, attainable, and easy to incorporate into any lifestyle. In addition- because that isn't awesome enough already- there is one challenge each week (I think it's each week), that gives away a prize. The current "prize" challenge is Slow Down Challenge, where it encourages users to do 1 thing each day more slowly -eat, work, exercise, commute, or end the day- while informing of the benefits of doing each item more slowly. The prize for this challenge is Cuisinart Slow Cooker.

I will be keeping an ongoing review of this for a while. I plan to really get into the site/app and make some progress with it. But don't worry, I'll be writing as I go along, so as to not miss the entry into the program and small successes.

I'm excited to get started!

Mealtime Makeover - the planning stage

I love to cook, and my household loves to enjoy food. Lately, however, we've been in a food rut. Cooking seems the same, and we aren't thrilled with our meals anymore. So, we decided to give another Dave Ramsey program a shot- eMealz.

Today, I purchased a 3 month membership for $12.50, using the code Dave to get $2.50 off. (I'm all about being gazelle intent, ya know.) I selected the standard meal plan for 4-6 people. I figured that would suit our evening meal for the four of us, and give a lunch or two for the next day since 2 of those eaters have very small stomachs. I downloaded the meal plan and got ready to show DH when he got home.

DH and I discussed the meals, making appropriate changes. For example, he is allergic to fish, so we changed the Grilled Fish Tacos to beef tacos, attempting to keep all the other details and ingredients the same.

Then, I made our shopping lists. I made one list for Costco, and one for the grocery store, removing items we wouldn't need (the fish from the tacos we changed, decided on crescent rolls instead of dinner rolls since we have a bunch in the fridge already, etc). And since the shopping list provided by eMealz is for the meals they plan only, I added our breakfast and lunch items, such as adding blueberry muffin mix for breakfast and increasing the tomatoes and lettuce amounts for BLTs.

So far . . .
Pros

1. Getting the plan couldn't be easier. Log in, download, and there it is. It takes me longer to get to my email.
   
2. Simple simple simple layout for the recipes, a breakdown of the food for that meal, and the directions for creating.
3. Variety of the meals. It's not all one nationality or meat type. There is American, Italian, Breakfast for dinner, Salads, etc. This will most definitely add variety back into our meals.
   

Cons

1. I feel the writing on the shopping list is too small and cramped. I like the option of editing lists, and this doesn't give an editable (is that a word?) feel. But someone that plans to make the meals as-is won't have this problem.
   
2. I would have liked the option of altering a plan based on allergies. Each week includes one fish meal. But we will probably take that night off for sandwiches or one of our current favorite recipes.
   

I'm looking forward to my shopping trip tomorrow. I haven't decided yet if I want to start the plan tomorrow or next week, but either way I'm looking forward to it.

Homemade Baby Food - Easy as 1, 2, 3

Since my little man is getting ready to start solids, I thought I'd start making some homemade baby food. I feel better making it then buying it. It's cheaper, I know exactly what is in it and how old it is, and it's super simple. I've made all of his food so far (Mama's Milk!!!), why not keep the trend going? I decided on carrots. My DH doesn't like carrots at all, but I do, so I wanted to get Little Man to like them right off.

I started with a lb of carrots. I peeled them, cut the ends off, and rinsed them. Then I sliced them up
and put them all into the steamer
and onto the stove

I steamed them for about 25 minutes. I have heard they only need 15 when cut up this small, but I wanted to make sure they were nice and soft.

I then put them in the blender

Added about 4 oz of breast milk (I have over 200 oz in the freezer, I have plenty to spare for baby food lol) and pureed it until it was smooth.

I put a heaping TBS in each section of an ice cube tray
I covered the whole tray with a single layer of saran wrap
and stuck them in the freezer.

Once frozen (I left them overnight), I moved them from the ice tray into a gallon size freezer bag, with the type and date written on the bag for easy identification

This amount made enough for two dozen cubes, along with a little bit left over to use right away

Pictures of our new home

The house
The kitchenThe dining room and other half of kitchen (all those boxes are gone now, so it is much cleaner- yay)The patio (out the sliding glass door in the dining room). The backyard is HUGE. The hallway. Going down the hallway: first left- main bathroom, first right- soon to be nursery, next left- laundry area, second right- office, straight- master suite.The main bathroomThe soon to be nursery. I'm still deciding exactly what I want for the nursery theme. The master bedroomThe master bathroomNo pictures of the office or front room yet, because we haven't gotten that far. The yard has tons of rose bushes. I can't wait for spring. We love our new home. It is perfect for our growing little family. And, like I mentioned before, the rent is the same price we were paying for our one bedroom apt. So we gained a dining room, two bedrooms, a bathroom, a washer/dryer, and reserved parking LOL We are very blessed. We plan to stay here until we buy a house. (No, we were looking but decided against it. With a baby on the way, and Selo's work moving sometime this year, we decided it would be better to wait. But, we are happy with our home, and won't outgrow it before we buy a house of our own.)

Got my Google Voice cards today

And they are SO cool. My own personal card. It has my name, my new phone number, my email address, and my website. I love them! They are cute, and friendly, and look great.

Selo and I have been enjoying our g-voice numbers. They make texting so much easier to keep up with, because it sends the message to my phone AND shows up online. And when I respond, it shows up in both places, too. I can keep up with a conversation even when I am back and forth to my desk.

Just another reason that Google rocks =)

Be the match - So easy to save a life

I recently found out about this amazing organization. I didn't believe it was true when I first read about it, it seemed too simple and too good to be true. But I signed up, and it's amazing.

I am now able to save lives, simply by being part of Be The Match. You can register here.

If you want more info, Sweet Catastrophe has written an excellent review of the site. Read it here. And thank you, my dear friend, for spreading the word. You are making a difference.

Our New Baby

Days spent: 5

Hours per day: 6
Dealerships visited: 30
Dealerships stopped at: 12
Salesmen worked with: 8
Vehicles looked at: 60+
Vehicles test driven: 20
Vehicles taken home for overnight test: 3

A beautiful 2008 Suzuki Forenza. She had 6800 miles when we signed the papers. She has everything I wanted- 4 doors, back seat big enough to fit two car seats, 2005 or newer, less than 30k miles, high safety rating, good insurance, excellent on fuel, and an extended bumper to bumper warranty. Payments are completely within our budget at $250 per month. We decided she would be mine, and Selo would continue to drive the Jetta. So, I got some accessories for her, too. Thanks to KSL.com, I got this entire set- two seat covers, two seat belt covers, a steering wheel cover, and a cd visor- all for $5.

Determination, patience, dedication, and hard work have paid off in this situation. We are counting our blessings. We couldn't be happier.

Help out No More Homeless Pets

I just found out that you can support No More Homeless Pets anytime you use your Albertson’s preferred card. How cool is that? It won’t take away anything that you earn, and it will help out the animals with out costing you any time or money.

Since I volunteer with NMHP, I am all for this awesome way to help. It’s easy and saves lives.

All you have to do is link your Albertson’s preferred card to NMHP. Here’s how you do it:

1. Find the number on your Albertson’s card. It’s the number just under the barcode. (Most cards are carried on your keychain, some are in the wallet.)
2. Go to http://www.albertsonscp.com/
3. Click on Enter and Register Your Preferred Card
4. Enter all the numbers on your card, including the little one before the barcode
5. Enter the organization code for NMHP, which is 49000122794
6. Click Add

It took me about one minute to do mine. If you would like help, I will be glad to help you.

Thanks for everyone who does this!

Saving just one pet won’t change the world, but the world will change for that one pet.

• ETA: If you are looking to help out while shopping at other grocery stores, please see this post.

Say ByeBye To Your Inhaler- It Is No Longer Legal!

Did you know that CFC (chloroflurocarbon) inhalers are now prohibited from being made in the USA? This is a fast acting inhalers, such as ProAir, Ventolin, and Proventi. Pretty scary thought, isn't it? When I first heard it, I didn't believe it. How can they take the 7 most prescribed medicine in the country off the market? What are they thinking?

"They" are the Pulmonary-Allergy Drugs Advisory Committee, and they are wanting to make things greener. A CFC inhaler is said to have the same effect on the ozone layer as aerosols such as hair spray and air freshener. Many, many years ago, medical inhalers were given a time period to switch over to greener methods when CFC bans were put into place. As of December 31, 2008, pharmaceutical company will no longer be making CFC inhalers. Pharmacies will still be allowed to sell the ones they have, however no more will be made.

What does this mean for asthmatics like my husband that use a fast acting inhaler all the time? A new type of inhaler, called an HFA (hydrofluoralkane) inhaler. A new prescription must be written by your doctor, since it is a brand new prescription, and not a generic or a substitute. Expect to pay more at the pharmacy for it- sometimes up to three times as much, particularly if you are used to purchasing a generic inhaler. The new HFA inhalers have a different feel and taste to them. Since the medication works differently (on the lungs instead of the throat), they also have a "sofer and warmer puff" to them. The new inhalers will need to be cleaned more frequently, since they have a tendency to clog.

Looks like we will be making a doctors appointment for Selo. Since I have an appt on Monday, I scheduled his at the same time. We'll be making the change now, so that we have enough time to find a new inhaler that works for him, before the old ones are completely gone.

~*~ Sources ~*~
CleanTechnica
American Lung Association
Planet Green
Achoo the Blog

I've Been Twittered

I've seen Twitter around on a few of my friends blog. Thought it was kind of interesting. But today, when Bobbie used it to tell about her kids surgery (here's yesterday's post, if you need more info) and how everyone was doing, I saw the extent of what it can be used for. So I signed up and added it to my blog. (What I'm Doing, in the side bar.) I added my mobile, so I can keep updated even when I'm not at the computer. It seems fun so far. I look forward to seeing what I can do with it. Do you have Twitter? Do you enjoy using it?

This is What I Love About Being a Hairdresser

Friday night, at eleven o'clock, I cut my brother-in-laws hair. Since I had everything out, I also cut my husband's hair, and our roommates' hair. And a new (old!) trend was started.

Now, five people all around me look like this:Andy, my BIL. My sexXy husband, SeloSelo making kissy-face at me because I am ogling him in his new haircut

Tim, one of our fantastic roommates.

Wyatt, Tim's five year old son.

Wyatt showing off his great new 'do.

(Mohawks not pictured: David- a good friend that came over to get in on the trend.)

I am in love. I never thought I would like such a bizzaar and crazy haircut. But I just can't get enough of it- or my husband now that he has it. It's hawt.

TOTAL BLOG MAKEOVER

Check this out! Is it not so cute?

Lizz from Callia's Pixels made the layout for me. She worked with me helping me with and proofing my codes, taught me how to make tables in FrontPage, giving me feedback on which widgets to keep and which to get rid of, where to put them, and spent literally ALL DAY working with me on it.

For you Lizz, I give you the Fabulous Award, because you Totally Fabulous for doing all of this for me. It's even pink! lol
So what you do you all think? I couldn't love rubber duckies more than I do right now. I am so excited! I have been wanting a blog make-over for a while, and this did the trick. The layout is adorable, the widgets are more organized, and all the codes work just the way I want them to. I'm in love!

My First Movie!!!

I just made this movie. And I don't care how cheesy you think it is. I made it. I shot it, put it on my computer, cropped it, edited it, and put it all together. All by myself. And I am so excited. *happy dance*

PS Thanks Veloxe for helping me find the software.

The Cutest Clip

About determination and possibilities. Thanks Morgan for sharing it.

Look Here.

(((Warm fuzzies)))

Bad Blogger!

I'll make it up to you. I promise. In fact, I am getting some goodies together to hold some give aways on my blog. Yay!

I'm sorry I haven't written. My world doesn't revolve around my blog anymore. lol I'm glad to say that, but I miss you guys. Even my new friend (you know who you are)! For those of you that have requested to be part of my protected blog, I have a few more posts in that one letting you know what is going on with us. All of our BIG news! For those of you that aren't, you can either request to be part of the protected one, or you can wait for the news to be announced here.

In the meantime, keep a lookout for the give aways. You guys have been great friends to me, and I appreciate all that you have taught me. I look forward to giving back to you. And some of this stuff is pretty cool!

An International Blogging Company

I'm trying out something new. Well, new to my blog. I'm trying out bloggerwave. I was referred to them by a friend who likes them. I am already interested in the ability to make money with my blog, and who isn't? So here we go. I signed up, submitted my blog, waited to approval, and ta-da!
One thing I like about Bloggerwave is that it is an international company. They are Europe's biggest paid blogging company, and they allow you to post in many languages. At first the site was a little hard for me to navigate, but I am getting the hang of it now.
I think I will like Bloggerwave. Wish me luck!

Promote Your Blog- FREE

How many of you out there like knowing your blog is being promoted? How many of you spend time networking? And how many of you actually have business cards in order to promote your blog? Well, why not?! Check this out. Ooprint is offering 100 Free blogger cards to help you do just that. Look how professional these business cards are! I look forward to reaping the benefits of this great idea.

This is for Not Giving Up

I am proof that perseverance pays off. And thanks to my blogging buddies, my crazy life, and my determination to not take no for an answer, I have been approved. Well, my blog has, anyway.

Are you lost yet? Let me start at the beginning. . .

I have had several of my friends tell me to blog for PayPerPost. I enjoy writing, and I like doing reviews and getting info out there in the world. (Another reason I love writing for the school newspaper!) I signed up for the PPP website, and browsed. Hmmm, easy enough to use. I browsed some blogs that make money with PPP. Some are terrible, but most look pretty good. I love the ones that have tons of entries on them. The more someone blogs, the more I love to read it. Back to my story. I applied to blog for PPP. After waiting two weeks, I was told my blog was rejected. Insulted? Yes. Why was I rejected? Because I had the obituary of Tyler on there. I had applied right before his accident happened, and they reviewed my blog that week. Great timing, huh? I removed the copied info, reviewed my blog to see if there was anything else questionable on there, and submitted it again. Today, I still hadn't heard anything. I sent an email asking for an update. I didn't want to wait another three weeks just to be rejected again. When Susan (my wonderful MIL) and I got back from an errand, I checked my email again. Guess what? I was approved! *does the happy dance*

It just goes to show that perseverance really does pay off. If you want something, don't give up! Thanks to all my friends that have been so encouraging to me. You guys are the greatest :)

Mmmm M&Ms

Hubby is doing better. Well, if you consider not needing morphine to deal with his pain or ending up in the ER, then he is doing better. Last night, he ate and held down a bowl of soup. This morning, he is sitting up on the couch, and has water in one hand and juice in the other- and has also held those down.
Sitting on the couch together and watching TV, we saw a commercial for Customizable M&Ms. What a great idea!!! We have had so much fun (well, not enough to send him back to the hospital, but you know what I mean) playing around with the M&Ms and their cute gift boxes and bags. You can put a message on your M&M, then select a gift box or gift bag to send them in. Plus, I am impressed with the prices. They are quite a bit more than I would pay for regular M&Ms, but not bad for customizing! I must say, I am having a hard time deciding who on my list won't be getting customized M&Ms for Christmas this year ;)