Tips

My Weight Loss Journey

2011

My friends have been asking for an update on my weight loss experience via the Live the Life program these past few months. (And yes, I am actually posting pictures of myself!) I finished the program the second week of December. After 12 weeks I lost 15 lbs! I know I could have done better, but the last 3 weeks were a bit stressful for one and we went out of town for the other two (I tried my best to stick to the plan as much as possible). The good news is that although those weeks were rough, I was able to handle it a lot better than I used to and I still lost a little weight (That’s where I am kicking myself…I know I could have lost more!). So it has been 1.5 months since I finished. I went through Christmas and New Years AND I was able to maintain my weight loss and things continued to tighten up (i.e. my arms and stomach). This was not a short term fix! I learned a lot and I plan on continuing the weeks until I am where I want to be, which is not too far away!

For your viewing pleasure (cringe), here are my before pics and 12 weeks after pics! (forgive my crazy morning hair =D )

Overall, I love, love, love it! I love the energy I have now, I love that there is support through the 12 weeks and I love that I can see results and they are here to stay!

Don’t know what I am talking about? Click here to see my original post about the Live the Life program and here to learn more about it.

Filed Under: Review Tagged With: Tips

The Santa Dilemma – Guest Blogger

2010

3 Comments

I hope your the Season is finding you enjoying time with your loved ones! There is so much that I would still like to post, but I am finding myself away from the computer, so the rest will have to wait! I would like to leave you with a few thoughts before “the big day” of Christmas festivities begins. I have been contemplating what I want Christmas to be for my family for a few years now and now that my kids are getting older and know what is going on, it is time to make some decisions. In my contemplation I came across a post from my friend and old neighbor, Jessica (she’s the one who taught us how to do our Activity Advent Calendar). She gave me permission to share with you her post. It is rather long, but I love how she put all my thoughts and feelings into words. Note: I am not judging anyone and their Christmas celebrating ways. If you are finding yourself feeling stressed from traditions and demands and feel pressured to give more than you would like this holiday season, just remember that it is okay to go simple. What do you want from Christmas? Anyways, enough of my ramble. Read the article and then feel free to share your thoughts!

Merry Christmas!

And thank you Jess for posting this!

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The topic of Santa has been a hot one lately, and each person I speak to and each experience I have had in my life has seemed to shape my opinion into what it is today. With commercials telling us to save huge by buying a new car, and that only by giving diamonds can we show our true affection for loved ones, and that truly nothing else is good enough unless we get that person ____, and that not only should we be giving, but you can spend your $20 on something bigger at Kohl’s because obviously bigger is better, and that kids who were extra good this year this, that and the other.

I stand outside of the consumer arena each year at Christmas time, sipping cocoa, playing some game with Jared, tromping through leaves (it’s CA- we have no snow) with Lukas looking at slugs, instead of madly stressing about getting this/that/the other bought and packaged to show my undying devotion to x,y, and z. I’m not saying that presents are bad, or that they always have to be made. I just think that when we really take a step back and look at the world’s view of Christmas, that it presses a lot of social demands upon parents, kids and individuals everywhere that they wouldn’t normally have. I see couples, newlyweds all the way to oldies stressing about what to get for him/her, or all bent out of shape because they “didn’t get what they wanted” And then the words come out of children’s mouths and we think they’re just selfish and ungrateful. Um, oops. When kids make demands from parents for presents, appearing to have a sense of entitlement to x,y, and z it is not my ideal picture of “Peace on Earth.”

And it’s hard for kids. At school, kids hear what other kids are wishing for, and talking about. It’s hard not to want the same things as friends. And even though kids are sometimes told that good kids are visited by Santa, the fact is that some years parents make more money than others, and the yearly finance report is so often reflected in the amount of “stuff” under the tree. (Although free-piling, craigslist and hand-painted blocks go a long way!)

Being this idealist with a realistic perspective on many issues, I want to discuss the Santa predicament in light of wanting a Christ-centered Christmas.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Guest Blogger, Tips Tagged With: Tips

Kristi Approved Discount

2010

4 Comments

Wait! The giveaway may be over, but you can still join in on the fun and get fit before the end of the year. Kristi Approved is offering a $25 discount for their Live The Life program good until October 13th.When making your purchase use the promocode: funonadime

Fun Fact: Kristi Approved has before/after picture contests where the winner can win $1000. How’s that for a little motiviation?!? Check out the their facebook page to see their most recent contestants and winner.

And remember Kristi Approved is for both Men and Women! Have fun and I want to hear about your results!

ENJOY!!!

p.s. If you do not know what I am talking about, you can check out my review.

Filed Under: Giveaway, Review Tagged With: Tips

Kristi Approved Review and Giveaway Closed

2010

76 Comments

***Update (as of 2/5/11): The fun is not over… Take advantage of this 50% off code good until February 21, 2011. Go here for more information.***

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Sorry, the giveaway is closed and the winner has been emailed.

Because all parents need their health to help them have fun, I have a treat for you….read on!

A few years ago I became aware of the fact that if I did not take care of myself as a mom, I was not able to properly take care of others. I learned I needed to make sure I got sleep, I ate, and got some exercise. I could see the toll my bad habits were taking on my health, not just physically but mentally, as well. So I made an effort to take charge and do better. It has been three years and last January I made a goal to buckle down and loose my last 25 lbs of weight. I thought that if I really focused and went to the gym 4-6 times a week and watched what I ate that I would lose it in no time. As of a month ago, I had only lost 5 lbs after all my hard work and figured I would not make my end of the year goal. It was frustrating!

And then I saw this picture and her story on a fellow blogger’s site…

When I came across KristiApproved.com, to be honest, I was there just to see what this lady claimed was her secret and move on. I saw the phrase, “LIVE THE LIFE is not a quick-fix, it’s not even a diet, it is an easy to follow, step-by-step system that establishes habits and practices that lead to a lean, healthy, maintainable body” and I was intrigued, because that is what I wanted. I did not want a quick-fix, I wanted something long-term. Their entire business is built upon the concept of building healthy habits for a lifetime.

So, I decided to give their 7 Day Challenge a try. After the second day, I loved how I felt and I knew that I wanted more. Before I always was super tired around 10 am and 3 pm. That would be when I would have a little chocolate or whatever else was on hand. With the Challenge, those tired times were gone and I did not miss my sugar/chocolate as much as I thought I would.

You have probably thought this or something similar, “I just want someone to tell me what to do so I can get in shape.” I know I have!

What you get with the LIVE THE LIFE program:

A 12 week program
Custom meal plans
Grocery lists for each meal plan
Food that is easily found at any grocery store
Custom workouts
Day to day accountability
Help when you need it via email or phone
Teach you how to master the 7 keys to shed the fat away forever

I love everything about this program! They have taken all the guess work out of my weight loss journey. There is no more wondering if I am eating enough or working out too much/too little. There is no more constantly thinking about my weight! Instead, I am eating great meals, learning more about nutritious meal options, loving my workouts, sharing my new habits with my family and losing weight all at the same time. Now, my only problem is making sure I have enough food on hand because my kids are eating all my food!!

After 3 weeks on the program (1 week of it the 7-Day Challenge) I have lost 7 lbs and over 3 inches between my hips and waist! I could not be happier about my results. And if you are like me, when you find something you love you tell everyone….

I am excited to announce that one lucky reader will win a

Full 12 week LIVE THE LIFE program from Kristi Approved. (a retail value of $149).

Want to win?

(Mandatory Entry) Sign up for the 7 Day Challenge. You do not have to complete it this week, but go check it out and sign up to see what I am talking about. It’s free. All they need is your email address…no credit card info required. (Leave a comment on this post when you have signed up.)

Additional Entries

any of these are optional

Become a Facebook fan of Kristi Approved. Leave a comment once completed
Sign up for my Fun On A Dime newsletter (upper right column). Leave a comment once completed

That is 3 entries on the road to achieving your new body!

Make sure you leave a separate comment for each entry! Do one or all of the bonus entries! HAVE FUN!!!

You must complete the mandatory entry first before any additional entries will be counted. This giveaway will close on October 5, 2010 at 11:59 pm. Winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Thanks Kristi and Tricia for such an amazing program and a great giveaway!

Filed Under: Giveaway, Review Tagged With: Tips

Community Resources – Part 2 – Swap, Eat, Save

2010

6 Comments

Here are 3 things you can do in your community to have a little less, meet new friends, save some money and, of course, have some fun while doing it all!

Have a Swap Meet: Have everyone bring things that they do not need or want any more to a central location and “swap.” Old things to you will become new things to someone else! We just had our 2nd Swap Meet here in our little community. It was held in the gym of a local church. Everyone was told to bring their items to donate during a set time the night before. Volunteers sorted all the donations into categories. The next morning they opened the doors for a few hours and let the community in to take what they needed. Anything leftover was donated to a local thrift store. The first time they had the Swap Meet they tried to limit the number of items taken by each individual to allow everyone to benefit, but they discovered that there was going to be a lot of leftovers and changed their policy. It went much better with the 2nd Swap Meet! They also used Freecycle.org to advertise it and let others know that they could donate.

Neighborhood Barbeques are a great way to get to know neighbors. We lived in a neighborhood once where the yards were taken care of by the HOA and so consequently no one really saw other neighbors much. During the summer months we started having BBQs in the front yard of a house and all the neighbors were invited. Everyone was asked to bring their own meat and something to share with everyone else. A neighbor or two would bring their grill out to let everyone cook their meat on. It was a lot of fun and we were able to meet some great friends.

Bountiful Baskets…Have you heard of it? Bountiful Baskets is a food co-op who has pickup locations in various cities within Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Idaho and Washington. You have to reserve your order online early in the week and then pickup is on Saturday. If you are looking for a great deal on fresh produce and a lot of it, you should check them out and see if there is a pick-up location near you. If they do not have a site near you, volunteer to be a Site Coordinator and bring the great deal near you and your friends!

Filed Under: Community Resources, Tips Tagged With: Tips

Teaching Young Children To Use The Mouse

2010

3 Comments

I do not know about anyone else, but my kids like to do everything I do, including using the computer on their own! I used to work for a company where I taught computer classes for children as young as 3. Since I did a post a couple of weeks ago on some fun computer programs, I thought I would add a few quick tips that I learned to help teach a child to use the mouse a little easier.

The first and easiest tip I can give is to find a small sticker and put it on the mouse for the main mouse button (usually the far left). I use a happy face sticker. Something easy so when my son is using the mouse he knows that his “clicker finger” goes on the happy face and when he is trying to select something on the screen all I have to say is, “push the happy face.” It’s a simple tip, but it seems to make using the computer less stressful.

The only other problem I have now is that my 2 year old daughter sees her brother using the computer and she wants to do it, too. Her problem was that she had a general idea that her finger (or more like fingers in her case) needed to be on the happy face, but her other fingers kept pushing the right button causing other screens to pop up. The solution? I put a sticker on the other key to help her know that her middle finger needs to go on the right mouse button. That did not help her as much as I hoped until I put a sticker on the side of the mouse where her thumb is supposed to go. That was the key! She now knows where her thumb and first 2 fingers go and it makes things a lot easier for her. Also another bonus is my son likes it, too. I’ll see him match up his fingers before he uses the mouse.

As much as I do not like to encourage computer use in children so young, I can not avoid it. Plus, there are a lot of educational programs out that he can explorer when I need him to be occupied for a few minutes during the day, like making dinner.

Additional Tips: If you are going to use more than one sticker and try to make each one different. I use a spiral sticker, happy face sticker and a heart sticker.