Mother Knows Best

Holy Cow! I blinked and April is already half over! And you know how the old adage, April showers bring May flowers, just in time for mother's day! Okay, okay, so it really doesn't quite go like that, but moms do like to get flowers for mother's day. 

 But sadly flowers die, and memories last a lifetime. I know that I would much prefer a keepsake or memento that I can keep for ever, to some flowers that will wilt and die, and stink up my house, because I enevitably won't change thier water until it's green. Whoops.

The reason I am so fond of mementos and keepsakes is because I don't have as many memories of my mother as most, she passed away when I was eight. But I always look at pictures of us together, and things she bought for me, and I know that she's still here, watching over me.

Though I was too young when my mother passed to ever have any parenting advice passed on from her, I've received copious amounts of advice from her. The kind of advice that can only been seen from an adult, and mother's perspective. For example, the biggest lesson on parenting that my mother instilled in me is to love your kids, but to always remind them that mother knows best.

To be honest, I never really took that piece of advice to heart, or even cared about it until I became a mother myself. In fact, I often found myself testing that sage piece of advice, and I assure you, I'm getting "paid back" for when my son tests me and my patience.

I often find myself telling him that if he would just listen to me, life would be much simpler. Less hard, and less horrible, especially when he's in the middle of a temper tantrum. That I love him, and that I wouldn't say the things I say, or do the things I do, if I didn't.

And as simple as that sounds, hearing those types of things from my mom when I was younger, let me know that she cared about me, and instilled in me a confidence and appreciation for her that I can only now see as an adult.

It's also fun to reflect back on, and to have those, "Ugh, I sound like my mother" moments. But, I always know that when I have those moments and reflections, they are filled with love.

So why not share a little love on mother's day with your mom, grandma, mother-in-law, godmother, or any other mother in your life. Tiny Prints offers a fabulous selection of mother's day cards, that aren't just cards, because they are customized with your photos, making them a keepsake as well! And what mom doesn't love a keepsake of her kids?!

While you're searching for the perfect Mother's Day card, browse the rest of Tiny Prints website. Tiny Prints provides simple, modern and unique stationery from Fathers Day Cards to personalized greeting cards to thank you cards, business cards, and even custom wedding invitations or photo birth announcements. Offering exclusive designs from the nation’s top designers, easy card personalization, a powerful preview engine and top-notch customer service and paper quality, their designs have been lauded by numerous television networks, publications and celebrities. With Tiny Prints by your side commemorating every holiday and momentous occasion is a cinch! They offer perfect party invitations for every occasion and memorable personalized photo-gifts like notebooks, photo books and calendars to commemorate the event.

 

This article was written for the Tiny Prints Mother's Day Campaign. I will be receiving compensation for this post. 

Cleaning My Way Skinny

Whew! I'm dripping sweat! And you know what that means! Burning calories!

When maintaining a household we all have to clean. Love it or hate it, we've just got to do it. And with my weekends being jam packed, cleaning is how I get my workout in.

You may not realize it, but cleaning burns a TON of calories! If you're like me, you have a "cleaning day". One designated day of the week where all most of the cleaning gets gets done. For me, this can take anywhere from a 30 mins to 3 hours.

But the longer I'm at it, the more calories I burn! Which means I can eat more food! Whoo hooo!

Some of the most common household chores also have the biggest burn. For example:

Scrubbing the bathroom, 30 mins = 200 calories burned
Cleaning glass, windows, mirrors 30 mins = 125 calories burned
Vacuuming 30 mins = 90 calories burned
Dusting 30 mins = 50 calories burned

If you're curious, all those chores over the course of 2 hours, burns about 465 calories! That's equivalent to a Taco Bell Burrito Supreme with Steak!

You can also ramp up your chore's burn. Try incorporating exercises into your chores, like doing lunges while vacuuming. Or squats while doing laundry. You'll tone up, burn calories, and improve your balance!

With all of this talk about cleaning, I'm curious. What is your favorite chore? What is your least favorite chore?

Workin' it Out--Michigan Motherhood

I'm a Michigan Mom. What's a Michigan Mom, and why should I care you ask? A Michigan Mom is from the Great Ol' Mitten State, where it's freezing from October to April, rains from May to July, and is mild for August and September. Which leaves approximately 100 days out of 365 for me to get outside. Which is approximately 27.39726% of the year. That's just not conducive to weight loss. Life is hectic, with work, kids, husbands, and maintaining a household, you can always find something else to do instead of workout. Which sadly leaves me looking like this:

As you can see, it's not pretty.

I wish there was a way for me to lose weight in Michigan, because let's face it, moving costs a lot of money. Money that I don't have.

But why not join a gym?
I'm a excercisethatmakesmybuttjiggleonatreadmillinfrontofmajorhottiephobic. Well, not really, but I never have liked the gym. I bought a membership in the past, and went 3 times. And of course I got fatter. I think every woman can agree that you have to find a type of exercise that you can enjoy, or you won't stick to it.

My favorite exercise is actually free. I love to walk and run outside. Love it. But Michigan weather just isn't predictable enough to get a good workout in regularly, well, at least to get in a workout that I actually enjoy. Not to mention I live in an apartment. There aren't any stairs for me to do, and it's too small to really walk around to get exercise in. It's about 5 steps wall to wall. Talk about claustrophobic!

Enter my knight in beautiful brushed metal frame, pulse monitor hand grips, and AeroSoft cushioning system:

The Horizon Fitness T100 Treadmill from Hayneedle.com!

I could do so many things with this bad boy! There's six workout modes, so that takes up six out of seven days a week! I already have my apartment mapped out as to where I would put it. Right in front of the doorwall, the baby's playpen is going to have to take a back seat to this stellar piece of machinery. I'll feel like I'm running outside, with the climate control of the indoors. The only rain would be my sweat raining down! Not to mention, I won't worry about anyone staring at me and won't need to hire a baby sitter just to get a work out in, that means being able to workout at a moments notice! Who knew a treadmill could do so many things!

This treadmill, would change my life. Here's an interpretation of what I could look like after using the The Horizon Fitness T100 Treadmill from Hayneedle.com.

What an extreme transformation! But that's the transformation I intend to have. I firmly believe that with the right tools, and hard work, anything is possible. I've got the drive, I just need the right tool! And I know that the right tool for me is a treadmill from Hayneedle!

I wrote this blog post while participating in the Bookieboo and Hayneedle Treadmill blogging program, making me eligible to win a treadmill. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Mamavation Monday-- Where's My Motivation?

Well folks, my motivation is gone. I can't find it. I think I ate it with the paczkies last night. If you can help me find it, that would be wonderful, because I gained 0.2 lbs this week. And after a week of being stagnant on the scale, this is not a good sign.

Because I have to want to help myself, before I can actually receive help. I thought I'd share how I'm going to get back on track. It's something that I've fallen short of doing lately, about the time my motivation went missing, and is an excellent time management too as well. I haven't been getting much done without it either. Because it's no secret, being a mom is tough!

That excellent tool is my To-Do List. And I'm putting it back into effect today!

I learned how to make To-Do lists from Chalene Johnson when I took part in her 30 day challenge . And my life changed dramatically. I was able to see exactly what I needed to do! And knowing exactly what I needed to accomplish that day, gave me the push I needed to get things done.

Every time I was giving myself Twitter Butt, I referred back to my list, and found something that I could be doing instead. My to-do list is my little reminder to make sure I'm using my time effectivly. And of course reminds me of things when I'm suffering from the dreaded mommmy brain.

As a matter of fact, by writing this, I just checked off Mamavation Monday Post on my to-do list! Yahoo!

This post is sponsored by Earth Footwear and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway.

Groupon--Saving Money on New and Old Favorites

I've fallen in love. But I'm not cheating on my husband. I LOVE GROUPON!

Groupon is a fabulous site that is saving people like you and me buku bucks every day! And who doesn't love a good deal?! Groupon serves a bunch of states and territories across the US and Canada.

Groupon is a name derived from the words "Group" and "Coupon", and that's exactly how the site opperates. A given amount of people, a group, if you will, purchase a coupon, and once that amount is reached, the deal is active. And everyone who purchases the groupon recives the Groupon. I have never seen it happen, as the daily groupons are very popular, but if a groupon fails to sell the set amount, those that purchased it before it was active are not charged. Groupon even offers the convience of sending "The Daily Deal" to your inbox, so you wake up to a new bargain every day! You can even buy the bargain for someone else as a gift if it's something you think they might enjoy.

I cannot even begin to tell you how much money Groupon has saved me. These are just some of the deals I have bought:

$15 for $30 worth of Groceries at Plum Market
$24 for $285 worth of yoga classes at Yoga Shelter
$5 for $10 worth of frozen yogurt at Swirlberry (I got one for a gift as well)
$16 for $33 worth of organic produce from Door to Door Organics
$15 for $30 worth of spices from Milford Spice Company
$39 for $179 worth of excercise classes at Jazzercise
$10 for $20 worth of merchandise at Barnes & Noble
$20 for $40 worth of merchandise at The Body Shop

As you can see, there are groupons for just about anything! And these are just the ones I have bought myself!

If you'd like to sign up and what you can save, click here! It's a great way to afford something that you may not have otherwise been able, try something new, or treat your family to some fun family time together. So check it out! You can thank me later! ;)