Getting Married doesn't have to be Expensive!

Thinking about how I used my wedding dress to make baby blankets for my children made me think about my wedding. As you may have guessed, I didn't pay a whole lot for my wedding (as far as weddings go.) Like college and everything else, I paid for my wedding myself. I don't say that to be a snob, I've just been independent from my parents for a very long time.

So back to weddings. Our wedding had about 100 guests. Okay we had 100 RSVPs and paid for 100 meals, but I'm not sure how many actually attended. I paid for every part of our wedding except for the bridal shower and groom's dinner. We negotiated an amazing rate for our groomsmen's tuxedos and my bridesmaids and flower girl only had to buy shoes.

I kept a spreadsheet to keep an accurate account of all of our wedding expenditures and was outraged when the total came to $3000. The dresses & accessories, the flowers, the decorations, pictures, invitations, church rental, a catered dinner for 100, cake, gifts, the wedding license, required premarital counseling, 7 days in Cabo San Lucas, and flights for our pastor and his wife to make it to the wedding are all included in the total.

I spent $40 on my dress (and the flower girl's dress was made from the leftover fabric.) Would you like to see what $40 buys in terms of a wedding dress:

Yep, that's me (7 years ago, lol... I got dressed in the church office so the scenery is a little bleh.)

Here's the view from the back.

This was my favorite part. When you have your dress made, you get to decide all the details and I wanted the train to pin up so I could walk around easily. I loved this part.

Here were my bridesmaids in their $6.33 dresses. I smiley'd their faces since they've never agreed to be put online for the world to see.I have no idea why I put the bouquets on my dress - lol, but this is what our homemade flowers looked like.

Our biggest cost was the meal portion of our ceremony. Our church required us to use their catering service and while it wasn't the most expensive dinner possible, it was more than I wanted to pay.

The biggest money savers were the following:

• Printing and sending our own wedding invitations
• Making my own floral arrangements and wedding decorations. I chose red and white roses for my flowers and was able to buy them at an extreme discount after Valentine's day.
• My mother made our wedding cake. She read books and practiced for months to make my sister's wedding cake and was well practiced for our wedding.
• My mother made my wedding dress (total cost $40 for mine and the flower girl), my flower girls dress, and all but one of my bridesmaids' dresses. The other was made by my mother-in-law. The bridesmaid dresses cost just $19 for all three of them. I saved so much on the fabric by buying the fabric at an outlet store when it was on sale & by using the stores coupons.
• We didn't have a dance or serve alcohol. We had our wedding and reception at the church so it wasn't even an option (woo!)
• I did my own makeup because I wanted to look how I normally do and my sister did my hair.
• Using airline miles to pay for all of our flights. My husband wanted his childhood pastor to officiate at our wedding and he had moved across country so we flew him and his wife out for the wedding. Plus we went to Cabo for our honeymoon.
• My sister-in-law is a photographer. :)
• I reused my sister's wedding shoes and her veil (which my mother made for her)
• My husband's sister put together the music for our ceremony and our church provided an engineer to run the music and video.

A lot of people look forward to the gifts you receive at your wedding, but don't fall into that trap. We received a few small gifts and $100 in cash (Thanks Steph!) It's not a money making venture, so don't count on it. :)Try to keep it in perspective. I consider our wedding to have been expensive, but I know most people spend so much more. My own sister spent over $600 just on her dress. My parents spent a lot of money on an open bar at her wedding and I think the DJ cost her quite a bit as well.

You can have a beautiful wedding for a lot less than the "average." Our wedding ceremony wasn't perfect, but it was everything I could have wanted.

I even reused so many items from our wedding. My flower girl threw faux rose petals that I still have in a crystal bowl in my bedroom. They match our decor and have sentimental value.

The long white roll that I walked in on was reused to make patterns for baby clothes. I made a huge set of reusable diapers, sleepers, blankets, and clothes for our kids. I sold the flowers and decorations on ebay for more than I spent on them. My youngest sister reused the veil, crinoline, and wedding shoes. And we all know what happened to the dress.....

We also had a fun time and created a lot of good memories. And all without going into any debt.

Moisture Sensor Singing Flowerpot Giveaway

{This giveaway has ended: Congratulations to Laureen #47} Do you forget to water your plants? I do. Recently, I've had great success with plant watering because the chore got added to my children's allowance chart, but I still forget the poor plants that are too high for them to reach.

Rock Concepts recently sent me their Singing Flower Pot to review. It was so much fun and came at just the right time to transfer my baby spider plants.

How it works:

The flower pot contains a moisture sensor that alerts you when the soil moisture falls below 20%. It sings the song, "Raindrops keep fallin' on my head." It's super cute. I know what you're thinking, it's going to sing in the middle of the night. I worried about that too, but it actually has an automatic light sensor that prevents that from happening. It will sing once per hour until the moisture level is brought back above 20%. It also has a soil retainer that helps prevent root rot. The flowerpot includes 3 AA batteries and the battery indicator will blink red when the batteries get low.

My kids loved this. Of course, they would run by and press the button just to hear the music, but it was a pleasant song and that's okay. We have yet to let it dry out, but we've heard the song plenty of times. Just the fun of it has made us remember to water more often. This would make a wonderful gift for teachers and friends; with or without a plant inside.

Want to try one for yourself? Rock Concepts is offering one Suburban Jungle reader a chance to win a Singing Flowerpot!

To Enter: Leave me a comment with your gardening goals this year. :)

Extra Entries:

5 Extra Entries for blogging about this giveaway (leave 5 comments plus your link)

3 Extra Entries for tweeting this contest

1 Extra Entry for following @suburbanjung on Twitter

1 Extra Entry for leaving a comment on one of my non-giveaway posts

1 Extra Entry for following on Feedburner

1 Extra Entry for following with Google Friend Connect

2 Extra Entries for entering one of my other current contests

This giveaway will end on February 14, 2010 at 9:00 PM and is open to US Residents only. The winner will be selected by random.org, posted here, and notified via email. No compensation was received for this review, but I did receive a singing flowerpot to test. All opinions are my own.

Homemade Quality - LOL

I make a lot of my own things and sometimes it intimidates my friends. But I don't do it to be a "super mom." I make stuff because it's fun for me and because it usually saves us quite a bit of money.

But to show you that "homemade" doesn't always mean "awesome," I thought I'd show you my children's blankies.

I made them with the super soft minky fabric (love it) and scraps of my wedding dress. I know that sounds sacriligous but seriously, was I ever going to wear it again? I'm hoping not to anyway!

But with everything, hindsight is 20/20 and wedding dress satin isn't really machine washable. Their poor blankies have been through the wash a zillion times and the satin has long since worn away. They still love them and carry them everywhere. But the blankies are beyond embarrassing. My children love to tell people "my mom made me this" and I try to hide when people see the ratty construction of their overly loved blankies.

I can only imagine how my "homemade" mice will hold up to the impending cat attacks. ;)

A new way to think of stem cells

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of CryoCell International. All opinions are 100% mine.

Stem cell research is a hot topic. Nobody wants to think about embryos and babies when they consider medical research, but most people also recognize the potential those precious stem cells hold. I tried (in vain) to get my hospital to donate the cord blood from both of my children's births. I wish they could have been used for their stem cells.

Beyond the umbilical cord, I thought stem cells could only come from embryonic tissue or bone marrow. Fortunately, I was wrong. I read something pretty amazing on the C'elle Blog . Did you know that menstrual blood contains stem cells? Yes, the same stuff we try so hard to get rid of each month has life saving potential.

According to C'elle :

These menstrual stem cells are unique because they have many properties and characteristics similar to both bone marrow and embryonic stem cells; they multiply rapidly and can differentiate into many other types of stem cells such as neural, cardiac, bone, fat, cartilage and possibly others; demonstrating great promise for future use in clinical regenerative medical therapies

Preliminary studies show that these cells could benefit the donor as well as genetically related family members. Wow! This is incredible information! I didn't save my children's cord blood and I'm excited about the possibility of having a life saving option with something as simple (and readily available) as menstrual blood.

I love that people were researching this and have found this information! C'elle's provides an easy to use kit and cryogenic preservation so families can bank these potentially life saving cells. Check out their website. They highlight a lot of the newest studies with stem cells and the information is truly astounding.

If this freaks you out, consider all the amazing things that have been created by "icky" materials. Synthetic estrogen is made from the urine of pregnant mares, insulin is made by splicing human DNA into bacteria, and oh so much more. We can accomplish amazing things if we keep our minds open and always keep searching. I was very happy to hear this news and to learn of the progress in stem cell research. It changes my perspective on stem cell research.

Saving on Organic Produce

Every once in a while, I hit the stores at exactly the right time. What do I mean? Sometimes, I happen to be at the store when they mark down meats or produce that they need to sell quickly. A lot of times I feel like I'm the only person that walks through our grocery store's organic department.

Everything looks the same and products sit there a little longer than they should. When that happens, the grocery store drastically slashes the price. I've scored organic pears and apples for half the price of my usual best prices for conventional produce. But they usually need to be eaten immediately! So how do you eat 3lbs of pears in one day? For meat it's easy because you can throw it in the freezer without losing much taste or quality.

Here's what I do for produce:

1. We eat as many as we can!
2. Bake tasty desserts.
3. Use them in smoothies, yogurt, cereal, sundaes, and more.
4. Dehydrate them. The picture above is from a time I dehydrated apples and pineapples at the same time. As an added bonus, you can sprinkle apples with cinnamon and your house will smell amazing (and the apples taste great too). Almost every fruit is yummy dehydrated. Pineapple are the best - it's seriously like candy!
5. Puree them into sauces, jams, and butters. You can can or freeze any extras.
6. Freeze the extras (for most fruits, slice them up freeze them individually. Then store them in a freezer bag and take them out as needed.)
   
7. Share with friends and neighbors.

What would I do with an LG Chocolate Touch?

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of LG Chocolate Touch. All opinions are 100% mine.

It's no mystery that I am a complete Granny when it comes to technology. I currently use a pay-as-you-go phone that costs me $53 a year and have yet to send my first text message. I could only imagine how cool it would be to go "online" with my phone. I did say "Granny," right?

So what would I do if I had a phone that could make calls, send texts, use the internet, use social media, take pictures or video, and has a music player with Dolby Mobile technology? Well, I'd have to wrestle it away from my husband and put sparkles on it to keep him from taking it again. After that, I think it would most likely be the coolest phone ever. Can you even call it a phone when it does so many things?

The LG Chocolate Touch does all of the above (calls, texts, internet, social media, pictures/video, music.) One of the reasons I don't have such a groovy phone is because I like to keep things simple, but if I had an LG Chocolate Touch, I could consolidate a lot of my activities with this one device and get rid of my camera and video recorder. I could also keep our Ipod permanently docked at home.

Here are a few of the key benefits of the LG Chocolate Touch:

• Dolby Mobile technology for crystal-clear sound quality
• Sweet Visual Effects and features, including Rhythmical Beat that vibrates the handset to the beat of the music
• One-touch Social Network Message Key for easy use of Mobile Blogging (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc.) - I've seen people do this - Amazing!
• Mobile Media – top-notch text, picture, video, and voice messaging, including Visual Voicemail
• 3.2MP Camera/Recorder–quality pictures and videos, with image editor

It's really amazing how much this phone can do! This device would make Twitter and blogging a whole lot easier and more convenient. Right now I limit all my twitter and blog activities to when my children are sleeping, but I do have a friend that recently got one and she uses it to manage all of her online activity while she waits for her children during their extracurricular activities. As my children get older and busier, I could definitely see the benefit. And then just maybe, I'd send my first ever text message.

Walking on Water

Today was a good day. I dropped my son at a birthday party and headed to Trader Joe's for some detailed price checking. Meanwhile, my husband took my daughter out to ride fourwheeler on the lake. The verdict for Trader Joes....I still like the store, but ever since Target started carrying grass fed beef, cage free omega-3 eggs, and grass fed milk, I love them even more. I bought some unrefined sea salt at TJ, but I won't feel an urge to go back until my salt runs out.

So, I joined my husband and daughter on the lake. I'm not a huge risk taker and I haven't set foot on a frozen river or lake in years. As a child, my brother and I went through the ice on the Mississippi. We were out on his fourwheeler just as it started to warm up in early spring. Our backend went through the ice and we waged a long, wet, and exhausting battle against the river to get the machine free and get back to safety. As a teen, I used to sneak out with boys that had a little too much to drink and spin like crazy on frozen lakes in cars that were barely holding on to their bumpers. But as an adult, I am Mrs. safety. The mere fact that I left my son at the birthday party instead of hovering like a vulture is progress.

And so I walked out on the lake. I tried to ignore the gigantic cracks in the ice, but it was useless. I eventually bent down and stuck my hand in them. As I walked on the ice, I felt wild and free. Not wild and stupid like I was as a teenager, but wild and fun. I could see my husband and daughter in the distance spinning around and having a great time. Thank goodness one of us still knows how to have fun. :)

They drove up to me and I took a turn driving her around. But soon I was frozen and it was time to pick up my son, so I left them. We're all heading out soon to a healthy living event with a few local bloggers. Today was fun.

Juno Baby Review & Giveaway

{This giveaway has ended: Congratulations to #119 lilyk} Kids love music! I've tried to expose my children to music ever since they were born (and before.) I listened to classical music and played the cello while they were in utero, and before they were born I had purchased every single Baby Einstein DVD.

Soon after they were born, I gave away every one of the Baby Einstein movies (sorry.) I'm all about good music, but they just didn't seem worth watching. What about Juno baby?

We recently had the chance to review the new Juno baby DVD, "Way to Go, Juno!" Here is the musical philosophy from the Juno Baby company:

BEAUTIFUL MUSIC IS INSTRUMENTAL

Juno Baby is the world’s most innovative children’s music and media company. The Emmy Award winning product line is born from the original orchestral compositions of Belinda Takahashi Ph.D., company founder and renowned composer. The result is critically acclaimed children’s entertainment built around beautiful music written for developing minds. Juno Baby believes that music is a universal language. It unifies people across cultures, classes and lands. It enriches lives, and brings joy to people of all ages. At Juno Baby, we strive to instill in the youngest of children the delights of music performed by live orchestral musicians. We firmly believe that by surrounding young children with beautiful music, we can engage their minds, inspire them artistically, and nurture them emotionally.

The DVD we reviewed is rated for ages 18months - 5 years. My children are 4 and 5 1/2. What did we think of Juno Baby? From the moment the DVD arrived at our door, my kids wanted to watch it. The colorful characters were very enticing. And to be honest, the characters were cute and friendly throughout the entire movie. My children both sat silently and watched the whole video.

The music was fantastic and fit in seamlessly with the storyline. The story was cute, but once the dvd was over, my kids both informed me that it was "a baby movie." My son (5 1/2) was no longer interested, but my daughter (4) told me how much she liked the kitty and the music and wanted to watch it again.

I think my kids may be at the edge of being a little too old for the video, but it was fun, cute, and full of great music. I wish I would have had it when they were younger instead of the Baby Einstein videos.

Would you like to try it for yourself? Juno Baby is graciously giving away the Juno Baby DVD to one Suburban Jungle Reader.

To Enter: Leave a comment telling me your favorite musical intrument. Mine is the bagpipes. :)

Extra Entries:

5 Extra Entries - Blog about this giveaway (leave 5 extra comments and a link to your post)

2 Extra Entries - Tweet about this giveaway

1 Extra Entry for Following on Google Friend Connect

1 Extra Entry for Following @suburbanjung on twitter

1 Extra Entry for Following on Feedburner

2 Extra Entries for entering any of my other current giveaways

This giveaway will end on February 11, 2010 at 9:00 PM EST. The winner will be selected by random.org, posted here, and contacted via email. This was an uncompensated post but I did receive the dvd for review. All opinions are my own.

Winning Swagbucks Multiple Times Each Day!

Many of you have tried Swagbucks and are probably winning at least once a day. I read somewhere that you could win twice per day, once in the morning and once in the evening. Since that coincided well with when I'm actually online, that's what I did for the last few months.
I consistently won at least 2 swagbucks every day. And every month I cashed them in for Amazon and Target gift cards. Yay! But I wondered if it could be better. Could I win more than twice a day?
Thankfully, the answer is yes. Over the last 2 weeks I have been winning at least 3 or 4 times a day. Most of the time I only win 1 swagbuck each time, but I come across a few 2s and 3s. And honestly, I'm not doing anything I wouldn't normally do. I search the internet. I'm always looking for answers and information so I search a lot. And now that I've allowed myself to search at random times during the day, I am consistently winning each time I'm at the computer.
My tips for winning? Search genuinely. I tend to think very randomly. I may search for "grass-fed beef benefits" for awhile and then think, "oh that's right I wanted to find out more about JFK's father" and when I switch topics, I tend to win more often. Maybe it's a coincidence?
Another way I win with swagbucks is to skip through the offers every Thursday. They reset on Thursday, so I can get a brand new swagcode every week. But don't enter your codes until you've finished searching for the day. I've noticed that I'm less likely to win if I've just entered a swagcode.
If you want to give swagbucks a try, sign up here. Just for signing up you will get 3 FREE swagbucks, and be on your way toward earning gift cards or other prizes.
I personally think the Amazon $5 giftcard for 45 swagbucks is the best deal, the Target $20 giftcard for 235 swagbucks is a close second, and the paypal $5 deposit for 70 sb is my 3rd choice.
I've been very happy winning with Swagbucks. We even had an almost FREE Christmas thanks to all the free giftcards I won. :)

Using Vitamins and Supplements to Round out a Healthy Diet

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of VitaDigest. All opinions are 100% mine.

I try hard to eat a balanced diet of "real" food. In a lot of ways I don't feel like I need to take a vitamin supplement. But I'm not perfect and neither are my children. I'm sure we end up with nutrtitional holes in our diet. I'm most concerned about Vitamin D, Omega-3's and the B vitamins.

Let me explain why. I live in the northern US, where the sun is pretty much absent for about 5 months. On the days when the sun does shine, it's still so cold that we are bundled from head-to-toe. We are most likely missing out on Vitamin D.

I try to limit the animal products we eat, so that makes me think a lot about B-vitamins. Processed foods, grain-fed animal products, and vegetable oils contain a lot of omega-6 fatty acids, so I'm always looking to balance out my consumption of omega-3 to omega-6.

All of that being said, if I use supplements I want to use high quality supplements from a supplier I can trust. I recently came across VitaDigest. In 2009, VitaDigest.com was awarded INC5000 as a top 5000 Fastest growing company.

I had the opportunity to look around VitaDigest.com. Wow! It was vitamin-palooza! There were so many options: vitamins, herbs, children's vitamins, and pet vitamins. I was most interested in their children's vitamins. My children would freak out if they knew how long I spent reading about the Children's cod liver oil formulas. In total, there are over 13,000 vitamins, supplements, and other health products on VitaDigest.

If you'd like to try purchase supplements from VitaDigest.com, feel free to use coupon code: izb10jan to take 10% off your order through the end of February.

All orders over $100 qualify for FREE shipping.

Good Butter, Bad Butter, Expensive Butter!!

In my quest to eat more real, natural foods; butter has been a stumbling block. I like the taste of butter, but I hate the saturated fat of butter. Blah! I just can't get over it. All of the books I've been reading lately suggest that grass fed butter is much healthier than corn-fed butter products. Okay, I can believe it. I can believe that grass-fed butter in moderation might be okay. But everywhere I find grass-fed butter, it costs about $8-9/lb. That's not a typo!

So I've been ruminating on these little numbers for quite some time. I considered organic butter, but that's still from mainly grain-fed cows. And organic butter is about $4/lb. Friends, I only buy butter when it's 48-98c/lb during the holiday season. It freezes well and we don't use it all that often.

But that's a lie. I have been buying the little butter tubs. I loved the land o lakes butter and olive oil spread because the only ingredients were cream, olive oil, and salt. It seemed natural and less saturated. But after thinking about it for awhile, I realized that "olive oil" doesn't mean the highest quality olive oil AND for a mere 7oz I was paying between $1.40-$2.15 depending on sales and coupons. That's between $3.20-$4.91 per pound!

Check the cost of the little butter tubs that are in your refrigerator! I was shocked. I thought I was getting a good deal! Suddenly, organic butter seems affordable and grass-fed butter costs don't seem so dramatic. Plus, with more spendy butter, I may be inclined to use less. Bonus!

In the meantime, I still have a lot of "regular" butter in my freezer. So I've been making my own butter/olive oil spread. It was easier than I thought. I mix the butter I bought for 48c/lb this Thanksgiving with first pressed extra virgin olive oil in a 3:1 ratio. I'm even reusing the Land O Lakes butter tub.

This picture was taken mid-mix. Give it a try! You just may come up with a tasty combination for so much less than the commercial butter tubs.

Aloe Cadabra from Live Well Brands

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Aloe Cadabra. All opinions are 100% mine.

We are trying to make every product we use in our home more natural and more organic. So when Live Well Brands asked me to sample their organic and natural personal lubricants, I said why not. Then I realized I'd have to write about it and suddenly I was super shy. But seriously, going green is important to me. And so is choosing natural products! What we put on our body is just as important as what we put in them. So putting all teenage akwardness aside, let me tell you about Aloe Cadabra's products.

Aloe Cadabra personal lubricants come in three great scents: French Lavender, Tahitian Vanilla, and Natural. They all smelled wonderful, but the Natural scent was my favorite. I prefer most things scent-free, but I have to say that both the lavender and vanilla scents were pleasant and not overbearing. The best part about these products: the ingredients! There wasn't a super long list of ingredients. Just a short list of natural ingredients, with certified organic aloe vera listed first. In fact, the products are 95% organic aloe vera.

So in all honesty, I did try these products out. But in all modesty, my only detail will be that they worked well, without any icky smells or sticky, chemical residues. And I felt good making a more natural and eco-friendly choice in yet another area of our lives. Really, this is an area where we should be very aware of what products we are putting on our bodies.

If you'd like a chance to try Aloe Cadabra's natural products for yourself; feel free to use the coupon code: SAVE20 to take 20% off at aloecadabra.com.

Keep your Little Ballerina Warm

Do you have a little ballerina (or gymnast) that's been freezing in little tights or bare legs this winter? I recommend you make her a pair of leggings. I made these for my daughter 3 years ago (when baby legs were all the rage) and they still fit! She wore them as a baby, during gymnastics, and now during dance. She even puts them on her arms when she dresses up. It's so 80's, it's funny.

I bought a few 2 packs of bigger girls (tween age) knee highs at Walmart for $1 per 2 pack. Then I cut the feet off and used a serging sewing machine to make a cuff at the bottom. If you don't have a sewing machine, I think you could use fabric glue to "hem" the bottom. Or just cut the feet off and let them last for one season. If they are used for dance or gymnastics, you probably won't need to worry about washing them very often.

I personally thought the adult size knee-highs were too big and didn't come in as many great colors. I'm guessing that these leg warmers (she has 4 pair) will last until she's 6 or 7. They fit her entire leg as a baby, and have worked wonderfully as leg warmers ever since she started walking. I haven't looked for knee highs lately, but I'm sure they are still under $2-3 at Walmart. If not, Target clearances out their girls section often and they're bound to go on sale.

Blast Off! by Allison Maslan

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Allison Maslan, author of "Blast Off!". All opinions are 100% mine.

I love to read books, especially books that can help improve my life. I recently came across a new book by Allison Maslan titled, Blast Off!. It just came out on January 19, 2010. Allison is a motivating life, career, and business coach. Her book is all about making your life successful. Your whole life: your business goals, your personal dreams, your attitude. It's something I could definitely use.

Here are a few questions posted on Allison's website:

• Are you ready to take your career to the next level?
• Want to start a business but don't know what or how?
• Do you want to find your soulmate for the relationship of your dreams?
• Are you ready for financial wealth and freedom?
• Isn't it time to feel inspired and excited about each and every day?

My answers would be: maybe (if I can figure out what career path I'd like to take), yes, think I'm there, yes, and absolutely yes. How would you answer them? I'm going to read this book and when I'm finished with it, I'll come back and give it a full review.

Until then you can find it at all major bookstores (Borders, Barnes and Noble, etc) and it's available on Amazon. This book is only $24.00 but even less on Amazon. The last time I checked it was listed for $16 on Amazon.

Growing Garlic in the Window - Part 2

The Garlic in my window has really taken off! My husband saw garlic for sale at the store and showed me the price. He thought it was ridiculous that I would plant something that cost us so little to purchase. I guess he just doesn't understand the "joys" of gardening. The real test will come in a few months when I try to harvest cloves. I'll also be planting garlic in the garden; just because I love it so much and it's an inexpensive (& healthy?) hobby.

Speaking of hobbies.....

Check out my newest Cat toy creation. It's a snake. :)

$25 Amazon Gift Card & Thyroid Awareness Giveaway

{This giveaway has ended: Congratulations to #60 Mike}

January is National Thyroid Awareness Month

The thyroid is a small gland located in the middle of the lower neck, which produces hormones that regulate many functions including temperature, weight gain, and weight loss. Many Americans experience various problems with the functioning of their thyroid. Some red flags to watch for are:

• sudden weight gain or increase in body fat
• inability to lose weight despite proper diet and exercise
• fatigue, insomnia or restless sleep, anxiety or panic attacks
• gas, bloating, diarrhea, or constipation
• chronic sinusitis or lingering infections

It is important that people experiencing these warning signs see their physician to learn more.

There are also many online resources for those seeking more information and support. One online resource is the Fibro 360 Community – Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Center. This online community not only offers a network of support, but also resources to those seeking more information about fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and related disorders including those concerning the thyroid.

If you’d like to learn more or would like to join the Fibro 360 Community, please visit Fibro 360 on Facebook (link= http://facebook.com/Fibro360). You can also follow Fibro 360 on Twitter by visiting http://twitter.com/Fibro360.

Could you use a little pampering? One Suburban Jungle reader will win a $25 gift card to Amazon.com to be used on whatever you need! Let us treat you!

To Enter: Please visit the Fibro 360 Community on Facebook and become a fan, then let me by leaving me a comment.

Bonus Entries:

5 Extra Entries for blogging about this contest (leave a link and 5 comments)

2 Extra Entries for Tweeting about this contest

2 Extra Entries for Following @Fibro360 on Twitter!

1 Extra Entry for entering any of my other current contests

1 Extra Entry for Following this blog on Twitter, Feedburner or Google Friend connect (1 each)

Contest ends January 31^st at 11:59 p.m. EST. The winner will be selected by random.org, posted here, and notified by email. This was a compensated post.

Progresso Souper You Gift Pack Giveaway

{This giveaway has ended, Congratulations to Sue #228} Everyone wants to make fun and healthy changes for the New Year, right? Well from January 4th though March 15th, 2010; you can visit www.Progresso.com/SouperYou to enter the Progresso "Souper You Debut" contest for a chance to win a full makeover in New York City. Have you been to New York City? It's definitely a city worth visiting, and who doesn't love a makeover? The makeover includes full airfare and accommodations, plus a $1000 shopping spree. Check out the site for all the details.

While you are at the Souper You site, you can also print off a $1 Progresso soup coupon. Progresso has an extensive line of "light" and 100 calorie soups. I've tried them and they taste really good. I've personally been trying to make all of our food, including soups, but it's nice to have a few cans on hand for quick and easy meals.

MyBlogSpark is offering one Suburban Jungle reader a chance to win some of their low-calorie soups with their "Souper You Debut" Gift pack.

The Gift pack contains a Progresso mug, a digital jump rope that keeps tracks of jumps and calories burned, and 2 cans of Progresso Soup.

To Enter: Leave a comment sharing your favorite variety of Progresso Soup.

Extra Entries:

5 Extra Entries for blogging about this contest (leave your link and 5 comments)

2 Extra Entries for tweeting about this contest (be sure to include @suburbanjung in tweet)

1 Extra Entry for following @suburbanjung on twitter

1 Extra Entry for being a google connect friend

1 Extra Entry for following with Feedburner (reader or email)

1 Extra Entry for entering any of my other current giveaways

This Giveaway will end on February 8, 2010 at 9:00 PM EST. The winner will be selected by random.org, posted here, and notified by email. This giveaway is open to all US residents age 18 and over.

*No compensation was given for this review and all opinions of my own. I did receive a Progresso "Souper You Debut" gift pack.

Link & Win Mondays: Stop in to List and Win Tons of Giveaways!

Link up your giveaways in the Mr. Linky below. Be sure to check out all of the great giveaways for your chance to win!

My giveaways this week:

5lbs of Organic Whole Grain Wheat

Good Health Natural Foods

Bunny Prints

HairCoverings.com

Flirty Aprons

Juno Baby (coming later in the week)

Your Shape for the Nintendo Wii

Earlier this month, HouseParty gave me the chance to try out Your Shape for the Nintendo Wii. I love fitness games, I love video games, and I love exercising, so I was so excited to get this game.

What I liked about this game:

• It was really fun to see myself exercising on the screen. It was awesome in the way that working out in front of a mirror is awesome. I could see myself do the moves, I could see if I was doing it correctly, and I could see if anyone was watching me from behind.
• The moves were good and there weren't extensive breaks, so you could get a legitimate workout from this game.
• You could select your workout time: 15, 30, or 45 minutes.
• The webcam can be used with your computer, so it's serves a dual purpose.

What I didn't like about the game:

• The camera sensor just didn't seem to like my arms. I was clearly doing the moves correctly and even when I was "in sync" with Jenny, I got constant reminders to "watch" my arms. Even though this didn't stop the game (thank goodness or I would have chucked it in my goodwill bag) it was still annoying.
• There are a few sections (like the Yoga workout) where there is very little instruction but you're in poses that do not allow you to look at the screen. After time if you memorize the moves, you'll be set, but in the beginning it's frustrating.
• I play our Wii in the family room, so I found it a little distracting to see other people and rooms of my house on the screen. I would notice things that needed to be picked up or little faces randomly popping into the screen. It's an easy fix to play the game somewhere that you won't experience distractions, but I'm just saying.

What was funny about the game:

• In the beginning, the game "scans" your body and gives you recommendations on which areas to work. I was prepared to hate the game if it told me to work on my legs, but surprisingly it told me to work on my chest. Hmmmm..... Yes, I'm small in the chest area, but the game obviously doesn't know I can throw out some mean military-style push ups (with preschoolers on my back!) So I guess, either way I was going to be offended by the games choice for me. lol
• The game overall was fun! I like to mix up my exercise routines and I'll definitely keep this in the mix. I may have Exercise ADD, but in the end it always keeps my body guessing.

*This was an uncompensated review. I received the game as part of my HouseParty package and chose to share my opinions on my own.

Flirty Aprons Review & Giveaway!

{This giveaway has ended: Congratulations to #259} I love to cook! I'm always in the kitchen trying to make yummy treats or find a way to make our favorites a little bit healthier. But anyone that's stumbled upon me when I've been in the kitchen knows that I'm a messy cook. I get ingredients everywhere!

I know what you're thinking: I could either slow down and make an effort to be neat OR I could wear an apron. Much like a purse, I've never really been an apron person. But then again, I've never had a cute apron. Flirty Aprons to the rescue!

FlirtyAprons.com sent me this super cute cupcake apron to review. I had fun wearing it, although I'm thinking I should have selected something that didn't make me think of treats. Not that I needed much encouragement in that area, but just seeing cupcakes made me want to whip up something sugary. lol

But in all seriousness, this was a fun, high quality apron. It fit, it kept me mostly clean (hairnet anyone?) and it was super cute.

And best of all, Flirty Aprons is offering one Suburban Jungle reader the chance to own their own Flirty Apron!

To Enter: Head over to FlirtyAprons.com and tell me which apron is your favorite. This will be the apron you'll win if you're selected. **hint** Be careful with the cupcakes if you have a sweet tooth like mine.

Want Extra Entries? (and we all do!)

5 Extra Entries for blogging about this contest (leave your link and 5 comments)

2 Extra Entries for tweeting about this contest (be sure to include @suburbanjung in tweet)

1 Extra Entry for following @suburbanjung on twitter

1 Extra Entry for being a google connect friend

1 Extra Entry for following with Feedburner (reader or email)

1 Extra Entry for entering any of my other current giveaways

*No compensation was given for this review. I did receive an apron to review (see above). All opinions are my own. This giveaway will end on February 6, 2010 at 9:00 PM EST. The winner will be selected by random.org, posted here, and notified via email. This contest is open to US residents aged 18 and over.

A Childhood Statistics Lesson

When I read medical studies, I always dig into the statistical significance of the findings. Alot of times, it seems you can find a correlation to almost anything (lol) but here's something I've found to have an almost 100% correlation:

My children got a gum ball machine for Christmas and ever since it was filled with candy, their piggy banks shrink at about the same rate as the candy in the jar. I think there's a correlation. LOL

Growing Garlic in the Window

This winter, I started some garlic in a small flower pot and set it in a south facing window. And it sprouted! Our winters are pretty low on light, so I'm hoping it will continue to grow and grow. I'm kicking myself for only planting one. lol If we successfully grow indoor garlic, I'll let you know. Our indoor lilly went dormant (as expected) and I'll report if it re-sprouts this spring or not.

Either way, this years garden is going to be an herb extravaganza. Last year I was so impressed with our fresh basil and thyme that I'll be expanding our herb section. This year I'll be adding garlic, cilantro, scallions, and catnip (lol) to the mix. Oregano, parsley chives, thyme, and basil are already in my yearly rotation.

Last Day to Win Free Yogurt

Today is the last day to win Free Fiber One Yogurt at The Suburban Jungle.

About Yoplait Fiber One 50-calorie yogurt

Yoplait Fiber One 50-calorie yogurt is the only leading nonfat yogurt with 50 calories and 5 grams of fiber.

Available in four flavors – Strawberry, Vanilla, Peach and Key Lime Pie – Fiber One 50-calorie yogurt is a delicious snack that is good for you, contributes 20% of the recommended daily value of fiber and is a good source of calcium as well as vitamins A and D.

Instead of munching on boring lower-calorie foods, you can now snack with zero guilt on Fiber One yogurt, a tasty way to help watch waistlines and keep calorie counts in check.

Fiber One 50-calorie yogurt features a ‘Hungry Girl Seal of Approval’, the first nationally distributed yogurt to receive this endorsement.

Yoplait Fiber One 50-calorie yogurt is available in the yogurt section of grocery stores nation-wide

Enter your information in the microsite below. If you are one of the first 50, you will be mailed a coupon for a free 4-pack of Fiber one Yogurt. Everyone else will receive a $1 off coupon.

This opportunity, the free coupons, and information were provided by Yoplait.