Silikids Glass Safe for kids! Review + Coupon code!

Ingenious. That was the first word I used when I received my Silikids glass for my daughter. The cup is made of glass, "Like a big girl has, mommy", and the exterior sleeve is silicone with nubbies and holes which makes gripping the glass so much easier for tiny fingers.

My daughter has been using this glass and has become one of her favorites since we received it. Very rarely do I ever say that I am so thrilled with a product that everyone should own one- but this item is one of them! At only $7.95, this cup is definitely worth it.

Silikids offers bottles, cups, knee pads, bibs, and "skins" for your own items. If you use the promo code SILIBABY you'll save 10% off of your order now!

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This is me, and where I want to go.. and where I've come from.

In High School, a mere 10 years ago, I thought I was fat. I couldn't stand the way my arms jiggled, and when I sat, my stomach had a "roll". Now, I often joke that I have more rolls than our local bakery- but that's besides the point.

As a teen, I was very over-critical, and promised myself I would never allow myself to get over a certain amount of weight.. after marriage, two kids, (and a ton of bedrest because of the aforementioned children), I watched the numbers on the scale tick forward, and not stop. The lack of motivation, lack of will, sheer laziness and procrastination- not to mention total denial that I had actually gained as much as I did- kept me from putting the right foot in front of the other.

I know that I will never look as I did in High School- nor do I want to, because at almost 6 feet tall I honestly think I was a little too skinny, looking back. My goals now are different than they were a year ago, five years ago, even a decade ago. I want to be able to run again- as I used to recreationally- I want to feel good about myself when I look into my mirror, I want my husband and my kids to be proud of me. I want my words to be taken with the matured authority and respect that I deserve, and I want to be able to have the confidence to put my ideas into motion, to create, and influence those around me for the better.

My actual weight loss goal is a hefty one- in total, I'd like to lose over 100lbs; for now- I'm giving myself a more attainable goal of 50lbs, and to look stunning in the bridesmaid dress I will be wearing in August.I have a great support group "IRL" (in real life) and online, and cannot wait to share this journey with you all.

A lot of you asked whether or not I would be posting my actual weight, and how it would affect my site as a representative of "who I am" to my clients, and for my business. Frankly, I would hope that my sponsors, partners, clients, and peers know me well enough to know that this public journey is keeping me accountable, will improve my individual moral, and the health benefits of turning my life around will allow me to continue my business for many more years to come.

There was a point in time where I would have been too embarrassed by the giant number that I would have never posted it.. but as I will never EVER see this number again, I will admit to you all that I officially weighed in at the gym at a whopping 314.8 pounds.

 This is a current full body shot of me, just after I got back from the gym. This is the first full body shot that I've allowed online in a very, very long time.

I am so excited about turning my life around, and getting "myself" back.. The drive, the energy, the confidence. Anyone that knew me in high school would have told you that I carried myself with great confidence, and that is what I miss the most.

So join me in saying good-bye to the old, overweight me, and feel free to email, tweet, or comment on any (non-giveaway) post asking me what I did at the gym, if I went today, if I stayed within my points for the day, etc. I need your online support and encouragement as much as I need my real life support system.

Feel free to visit *MY* other teammates, as well as the MckLinky post to get to know all of the BLOG YOUR WEIGHT AWAY competitors.

With much thanks for your support,

Show your support to the rest of The Blue Team:

Brandy from HappilyBlended.com

Hilary from GladFamily.blogspot.com

Our Goal weight loss as a team: 170

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Mix My Granola Review and Giveaway!

Getting healthier has been a goal of mine for this year, and I've been making subtle steps to achieve that goal since January. I started walking more, I started buying healthier snacks, and trying out new healthier recipes. I'm a snacker. I get hungry mid day, and almonds.. well, just aren't cutting it. My kids aren't exposed to a lot of sugary snacks, but they sure know what they are. Any time we go past a brightly colored box, they cry out that they want it, and now that my 6 year old knows how to read he even tells me what it is.

Granola needs to be "done" good, for granola to taste good, I don't care what anyone says. Granola that is too sweet and laced with sugar that doesn't need to be there, isn't any good and the funky, bland, stale granola that most supermarkets sell seem just as appetizing as the shipping container it arrived in. During my quest for healthier snacks, I happened to find MIX MY GRANOLA, a website that lets you create your own fresh and delicious granola and all of its components. If you have a sweet tooth, you can add anything from dried fruit to tiramisu caramel. If you're more of the crunchy, salty snacker, you'll find exactly what you like in their large selection of nuts and seeds.

As you click through the options at MIX MY GRANOLA, on the sidebar it keeps a running tally of how much your personalized selection is costing you, but more importantly, the nutrition calculator keeps track of the info on the label of your product. This tool is great for anyone who is a label reader, has fat, salt or sugar restrictions on their diets, or is just curious about what they are putting into their body.

Everything about this company is unique, including the container it arrives in. The recycleable white cylinder holds 16 ounces of your personalized mixture, the labels are printed with soy based ink, & your customized title and nutrition facts are on the side along with the mix ID number. After your friends try it, (or you start running low), all you need is the Mix ID number to reorder the product. Shipping on this item is extremely quick, and by the time you get it the flavors and freshness feels like it was hand delivered from their kitchen to yours!

We ordered a granola mix with fruits I knew my kids would eat, organic granola, and sunflower seeds. I wasn't sure how the kids would like it but, oh-my-goodness! They inhaled the granola mix like it was their last meal! It took Alex a little while for him to warm up to the loose granola, but in the end he was a very big fan of the entire mix! Abbie loved it too, but mostly picked out the granola and berries. (Apparently, she's not a fan of sunflower seeds.) Brian hesitated eating any of my "health food" but after his first hand full, I had to pry the can out of his hands!

I even tried it with milk in the morning, and it was such a different breakfast. After that morning, I had to send the kids to time out at least three times for trying to sneak the can out of the pantry, and even yelled at Bri to back away from *my* granola a couple of times. I seriously loved this unique, healthy, fresh granola mix, and I cannot rave enough about it!

Want It?
Run, don't walk over to MIX MY GRANOLA and pick out your custom granola mix. Save $3 during their easy check out process by entering the special promotion coupon code: 4BABY

WIN IT!
Our friends at MIX MY GRANOLA have offered one very lucky winner the chance to win a $20 gift certificate to create their very own personalized granola mix!

Here's How!
Head over to MIX MY GRANOLA and get to know the company. Come back here and tell me what ingredients you would use to create your perfect granola mix!

Extra Entries:

• Follow MixMyGranola and 4BabyAndMom on Twitter and tweet about this contest.
• Please post @4BabyAndMom and @MixMyGranola on your tweet!
• Help the fight against Cancer and support my friend on her walk: Donate Here! (5 entries!)
  
• Follow 4BabyAndMom and add our button to your site!
• Blog about this contest and include a link to 4BabyAndMom. Post your blog link in your comment, please.
  
• Email at least three of your friends and CC: 4BabyAndMom {at} gmail {dot} com
• Fave this post on Technorati, Stumble this post, or DIGG this post, include link if possible.

This contest ends on May 8th, 2009 at midnight, EST. Winner will be chosen at Random, using Random.org. Winner will be announced on May 11th. Special thanks to Raoul at MixMyGranola for your incredible product, and for sponsoring this giveaway!

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Make Your Miles Matter!

In my quest to get healthy, walking has proved to be a very essential component of my daily routine. I definitely notice the difference in my mood and energy level on days that I do not walk, or walk very little outside of my normal motherhood activities. Walking is not only beneficial for your heart, but many studies show that walking can alleviate depression symptoms, boost cognitive function in your brain, and reduce your risk for type 2 diabetes, colon and breast cancer.

From now through October 31st, Bumble Bee Foods will donate $0.15/mile for every mile logged at BeeWell Miles (up to $200,000) to help Breast Cancer Network of Strength to provide emotional support to those who can't wait for tomorrow's cure. I recently signed up to participate and have already logged in 20 miles-which is the equivalent of $3.00- that will be donated for cancer research. If that isn't motivation to stay on my path to becoming healthy again, I don't know what is!

There's no more excuses to stay on your couch, because Bumble Bee Foods gives you the resources you need and the inspiration to stay motivated. Get a couple of neighbors or friends to join you and calculate how much of a difference you'll be making on your waistlines for a great cause! Bumble Bee Foods makes it easy to log in your miles every day, read inspiring articles and interact with healthy living experts & other guests to share ideas and tips on getting healthy and staying there. You can Map Your Route, (which provides true satellite images of your neighborhood!), and all you need to do is click to set the markers on the route you walked and it automatically calculates the miles then click to log those miles. Plus, each day you log miles or game codes from pink Bumble Bee cans you could instantly win one of 15,000 prizes!!

What are you waiting for?! Go check out BeeWell Miles and sign up now to lose those inches and make a difference for breast cancer!

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