What Do You Do When Exercise Stops Being Fun??

Exercise is good. I've been a longtime fan. Well, up until last December when I went on an exercise detox and did no exercise for 9 months. Nothing, Zilch, Nada. In some ways, I felt it was necessary, but honestly, it was a stupid mistake.

I stayed the same 110 pounds, but I obviously lost a lot of muscle over that 9 month hiatus. It was stupid, and once my kids went back to school, I decided I was going back to exercising. I had a rational 3 time per week plan. I would run, run, and run. It was an awesome plan and I was excited.

But running sucked! I couldn't believe how much strength and endurance I had lost. I made it a whopping 2 miles before I rolled off the back of the treadmill and collapsed on the floor. Loser! That's all I could think. I was pissed.

And I needed ice cream. OMG! I steadily worked on increasing my mileage and worked my way up to 3 miles. I still felt like crap because I used to be able to go so much farther and faster. And it wasn't easy or fun. Why was it sucking so bad!?  I stuck to my 3 time a week commitment but started worrying about dropping too much weight.

So I overcompensated and went on an all out trail mix (and candy bar!!) fest. I gained 4 pounds that first month. Running and gaining weight - something wasn't quite working out. It was about this time that the Total Gym arrived at my doorstep.

I spent some time figuring it out and incorporated it into my routine. I ran 3 times a week and did a total body workout on the Total Gym, twice a week. Whoa - what happened to my 3 days a week limit. Somehow I rationalized that limit away.

After about 2 weeks on this new schedule, exercise seemed fun again. But I still worried about "you know what." One day while I was using the Total Gym, my husband came into the gym and told me I was doing it "all wrong."  I don't respond well to criticism and was super annoyed.

He said I wasn't lifting enough weight and I replied that I was doing a total body workout and all my muscles needed to be able to make it through the WHOLE thing! And that's when I realized - I was doing it again! I was training for endurance at the expense of strength, overall health, whatever.

He said I should be using the Total Gym three times a week and running only twice, or not at all. BLASPHEMY!! It actually took me the whole weekend to mull it over and I reluctantly changed my exercise schedule.

I cut back the treadmill to twice a week. Just thinking about it made me feel fat. I know, I'm stupid. That's okay. It's really how I felt. And then I embarked on my most ambitious strength quest yet. I started reading every body builder website, checked out (and read) power lifting books from the library, created a library of strength moves and set a routine. A beat your ass routine!

Every day I step into my home gym, I beat the crap out of my muscles. I don't leave until I've fatigued the appropriate muscles to the point that I can not walk or even hold a phone (depending on the muscles being worked.) Every morning, I wake up feeling like a truck ran me over and dragged me down the stairs.

And every recovery day (which just so happens to be running day) I feel like I just might die. My legs, abs, arms, eyes, everything hurts too much to run. When did exercise become so painful and UN-fun? The day I took strength training seriously!

I have been on my new strength plan for 1 month - and my muscles still hurt. WTF, right? No. I am working on progressive overload. So I could squat 80 lbs last week - then it will be 100 lbs this week. It's the same for every muscle, every workout. Got it?

I've made huge progress! I've almost maxed out the limits on the Total Gym. Right now, I'm adding weights to the gym and doing things with only one arm or leg to make it more challenging. I'm making real progress! But it hurts so much! 

I'm embarrassed to say how much strength I had lost during my "vacay," but the first time I attempted a push up set - I maxed out at 4. FOUR! I refused to do "girl pushups" so I built my strength back with partial lifts and chest presses. Now I'm back to an easy 45 pushups (in just one month of work- gotta love muscle memory.)

So what gives? Sometimes, I really don't want to workout anymore. It sucks now. And it hurts. But I'm committed and I'm not giving up. And FYI - it has nothing to do with looks. At some point you just have to accept you'll never look the same as you did in your teens and twenties. Or you'll go crazy!

It would be nice if people would see my muscles and be afraid that I might start karate kicking them in the neck, but I'd be happy just to know I could do it. lol

I'm pushing myself because I want to be strong. I want to have a solid bone and muscle mass to take me into old age. And I have goals to attain, like being able to do 15 full pull-ups. Like being able to run for 5 miles straight without stopping. I realize these aren't huge goals for most people, but for a skinny little asthmatic, their huge.

Once I reach those goals, I'm going to switch into maintenance mode and maintain my new found muscles. And I am soooo looking forward to those days. No more pain, just pure exercising fun. The way exercise was always meant to be! And when that happens, I'll be back to 3 day a week training schedules - maybe less!

P.S.  - I took BEFORE photos on September 27th. Maybe I'll look the same once I'm strong enough to reach all of the above mentioned goals. Maybe not. Either way, I took a picture (and body fat measurements, etc.)

Pink Together - Support Breasts Cancer Research - Prize Pack Giveaway

Surely, you've seen little pink ribbons and pink packaging to support breast cancer research. Well, the fight isn't over yet, and PinkTogether.com is still a place where survivors and supporters can come together to share, encourage, and post comments.


To encourage personal connections in the online community (with over 680,000 members!) General Mills will donate $1 (up to $20,000) to Komen for each inspirational story submitted, encouraging comment that's posted, or virtual flower of support sent on PinkTogether.com. In October, they also gave up to $5,000 for comments left on the Pink Together Facebook page. This $25,000 is in addition to the $2 million donation General Mills has committed to Komen to advance breast cancer research and support education and community outreach.  Wow! That's a lot of support!


To help spread the word about Pink Together, General Mills sent a "Connecting for the Cure" gift pack and is giving one to a Suburban Jungle reader.


What's included? 

• Pink Ribbon car magnet and key chain
• Travel mug
• Drawstring backpack
• Coupons for free packages of one Big G cereal, Green Giant^® Frozen Veggies, Macaroni Grill^® Dinner Kits, Fiber One^® Bars and Progresso^® Soup. 

How To Enter: Leave me a comment telling me what you find most inspiring about PinkTogether.com


Extra Entries: 
5 Extra Entries for blogging about this contest
3 Extra Entries for tweeting about this contest (include @suburbanjung in your tweet, 1 extra for daily tweets) 2 Extra Entries for following @suburbanjung on twitter
2 Extra Entries for being a google friend connect follower


 *This contest will end on November 12, 2010. The winner will be selected by random.org and notified by email. MyBlogSpark and General Mills provided the products, prize pack, information and giveaway prize. All opinions expressed are my own.

Date Night Prize Pack Giveaway!

Think of all the reasons why you love your favorite restaurants - yummy food, no dishes to wash, yummy food....I think you know why I like my to eat out. I try to recreate restaurant quality recipes at home, but one of the most difficult to recreate is good asian food.

Lucky for me, MyBlogSpark sent us a "Date Night" prize pack to create restaurant quality food at home. Like most of our dates, our children were right there with us. Thank goodness for dates at home!

We had the opportunity to try the Wanchai Ferry Orange Chicken box kit and the Macaroni Grill Creamy Basil box it. Both were yummy, but I have to tell you that the Wanchai Ferry Orange Chicken was amazing!

I even went out an bought a second box this week! You can get a $1.50 off coupon here.  I try to shy away from box meals because I like to think I can do it myself, but this was one really great product!

Want to try them for yourself? MyBlogSpark is giving one Suburban Jungle reader a "Date Night" Prize pack to try these tasty meals for yourself.

What's included in your "date night" prize pack:

$25 Visa Gift card to buy chicken and additional ingredients

1 Box of Wanchai Ferry Dinner Kit

1 Box of Macaroni Grill Dinner Kit

How To Enter: Leave a comment telling me what you do to keep date night special. 

Extra Entries:

5 Extra Entries for blogging about this contest

3 Extra Entries for tweeting about this contest (include @suburbanjung in your tweet, 1 extra for daily tweets)

2 Extra Entries for following @suburbanjung on twitter

2 Extra Entries for being a google friend connect follower

*This contest will end on November 12, 2010.  The winner will be selected by random.org and notified by email. MyBlogSpark, Wanchie Ferry, and Macaroni Grill provided the products, prize pack, information and giveaway prize. All opinions expressed are my own.

Fresh Produce Clothing Giveaway

As a women, I'm always on the hunt for cute clothes. I can't help it, it's just genetic. If you're anything like me, let me introduce you to a fun site that believes "life is just too fun for beige." I like that idea. 

The store is Fresh Produce Clothing and it's a brand sold in over 400 specialty retailers as well as 38 Fresh Produce stores nationwide.  Their clothes are fun, and full of sun-drenched color.  Even better - they want to offer one Suburban Jungle reader a new outfit!!

What are they offering? They are offering this outfit:

Baby Rib Ruffle V Neck T: Retail price: $34.00 

Tiered Jersey Skirt: Retail price: $39.00 

What a cute outfit! Even though Fresh Produce aims to create fun, colorful women's clothing, they don't scrimp on comfort. Both of these items are made with 100% cotton and the just above-the-knee skirt features a spandex waistband.
To Enter: Visit Fresh Produce Clothing and leave a comment here telling me about something cute you found!


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

3 Extra Entries for tweeting about this contest (include @suburbanjung in your tweet)

2 Extra Entries for following @suburbanjung on twitter

1 Extra Entry for publicly following this blog on google friend connect

*This contest will end on November 8, 2010 and the winner will be selected by random.org. The winner will be notified by email and the prizes will be shipped by Fresh Produce Clothing. No compensation was given for hosting this giveaway.

Food Should Taste Good Review & Giveaway

Tortilla chips are the only chips my family eats, so I was thrilled to be asked to review Food Should Taste Good's brand of all natural, preservative and trans fat free, non-GMO tortilla chips.  Check out all the awesome varieties:

Food Should Taste Good brand chips come  in Multigrain, Sweet Potato, Olive, Jalapeño, The Works!, Chocolate, Lime, Yellow Corn, Blue Corn and Cheddar.

All of the chips were fantastic! I loved the variety and the ingredients - sesame seeds, flax seeds, non-GMO corn!, jalapeño, sea salt. All good stuff.  My all time faves were the Multigrain flavor.

Not only were they yummy (as were all the varieties) but they also came in a pink bag - meaning that 5c from that bag went to support breast cancer research. Tasting good and doing good. Gotta love it! You can read more about how they support cancer research on their facebook page.

Speaking of Facebook - the first 100,000 people that like Food Should Taste Good on Facebook will get a free bag of chips!

But the luck continues! One Suburban Jungle reader will also win a 5 bag sample box of Food Should Taste Good chips.

To Enter: Head to Foodshouldtastegood.com and pick out which 5 flavors you'd like included in your sampel box.

Extra Entries:
5 Extra Entries for blogging about this contest (leave 5 comments and your link)
3 Extra Entries for tweeting about this contest (include @suburbanjung in your tweet)
2 Extra Entries for following @suburbanjung on twitter
2 Extra Entries for sending a $1 off coupon to your friends (or yourself!) at Food Should Taste Good.
1 Extra Entry for publicly following this blog on google friend connect

*Food Should Taste Good sent me complimentary chips for review purposes. All opinions expressed are my own. This contest will end on November 8, 2010 at 9:00 PM EST. The winner will be selected by random.org and notified by email. All prizes will be shipped directly from Food Should Taste Good.

Political Sabotage!!

As we get closer and closer to election day, my neighborhood is heating up! It's no secret that I live in an upper class neighborhood filled with feisty Type-A 30-somethings that openly speak their mind. That's one of the things I love about it. But while our neighborhood may be a homogeneous blend of high achievers (and a few trust fund babies - just saying!) it's not a place that's 100% liberal or 100% conservative.

Don't get me wrong - the conservatives are 100% conservative and the liberals are 100% liberal - it's just that we have a fairly evenly split community. But a loudly opinionated split community.

I never bring up politics "for fun," but anyone who's ever asked me knows exactly where I stand. This year, my husband decided it was time to join the Sign Wars. He ordered a political sign and put it up in our front yard.

I told him it was going to cause me trouble at the bus stop. So.... he moved it directly in front of the bus stop. It got noticed. In fact, our next-door neighbors brought out their sign the next day. And more signs started popping up. And then.....our sign went missing. And so did any other sign that was on our "side" of the debate.

Really!!??!  Is this first grade? I guess so. I found one sign mangled and thrown into the community park. Another was wrapped around our fence. While I was removing the sign from the fence, a few boys from "the other side" rode by laughing. Hmmmm.....

I guess it's not first grade but fifth grade, lol.  Maybe they were laughing for some other reason, but too late, I'm blaming them. I wonder if someone will mention my absentee sign at the bus stop tomorrow....

With less than a week to go, things are bound to get wild!

Shopathome.com Shopping Spree and $50 Target Gift Card Giveaway

ShopAtHome.com recently contacted me about going on a Shopping Spree to Target. Um.... you had me at shopping spree. In case you're new to the world of ShopAtHome.com, it's an online shopping site that pays you back for shopping. For example, everything I bought at Target through the site gave a 5% cash back rebate.

Plus, they have all the store coupon codes right on the site, so you don't have to dig around the internet to get the best deal. They also have grocery and restaurant coupons you can print right from the site.

So, I headed to ShopAtHome.com and typed "Target" in the search box. It was so easy. I scanned the coupons available and noticed Target was once again offering free shipping for orders over $50. I clicked through to Target.com and ShopAtHome.com automatically created a shopping ticket to make sure I got credited 5% from my order. 

It was so easy. So.....what did I get??? One thing I can't resist at Target is workout gear - really! I bought 2 cute pairs of fitted carpri yoga pants, a new sports bra, AND a 10lb kettle ball - all with free shipping and all for just over $50. Gotta love Target's clearance section. Plus, since I shopped through ShopAtHome.com, I got a 5% cashback rebate of almost $3. 

ShopAtHome.com paid for my shopping spree, and they'd like to do the same for you! One lucky Suburban Jungle reader will get a $50 Gift Card to go wild at Target! 

Here's how to Enter: Visit ShopAtHome.com and sign up for a new account. It's easy and free. Come back and leave a comment with the email address you used to sign up.

Extra Entries:
5 Extra Entries for buying something through ShopAtHome.com and sharing the deals you got in the comment section (leave 5 comments - 1st with the details, 2nd-5th as comment #2, #3, etc)

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

3 Extra Entries for tweeting about this contest (include @suburbanjung in your tweet - 1 Extra for daily tweets)

2 Extra Entries for following @suburbanjung on twitter

2 Extra Entries for following @shopathome on twitter

1 Extra Entry for being a public google friend connect follower on this blog

*This contest will end on October 26, 2010 at 9:00 PM EST. The winner will be selected by random.org and contacted via email. ShopAtHome.com provided the gift card for my shopping spree and for this giveaway. The prize will come directly from ShopAtHome.com. All views and opinions expressed are my own. This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents.

The baby I never wanted....

After my son was born, I decided I never wanted any other children. Ever. I know that sounds horribly selfish, but I had a horrible pregnancy and delivery.

I was tired and nauseous throughout the entire pregnancy and gained 54 pounds. And I pushed (yes - pushed!) for 4 hours. Okay, so it was 3 hours and 57 minutes, but I reserve the right to round up.

Just six weeks after I delivered him, my period returned. And I threw the biggest hormone-loaded tantrum. My husband didn't understand. Yes, periods are annoying, but I was more upset about the possibility of getting pregnant again.

But time went on and I became more open to the idea of another child....years down the road. I had hoped to have another child when they were 2 or 3 years apart.

But life has a way of working out differently than planned. When my son was 7 or 8 months old, I started to feel really sick. I was tired, achy and nauseous. I couldn't figure out why. I told my husband I thought I might be pregnant, and he didn't believe me.

There was just no way that was possible (well...obviously not no way.) My period was a little late, but it wasn't enough to suspect pregnancy. But still! I was so sick. I was like death on wheels!

So on a trip to the store, I threw a pregnancy test into my cart. I waited anxiously for the results. The results were negative!

My husband gave me a "told ya so," and I went back to my achy, tired life. But it never got better. A few weeks went by and I let him know that I'd be going to the doctor. He finally took me serious when he realized I was willing to go to the doctor because #1: I hate spending money and doctor appointments cost $$ and #2: I dislike being looked at and talked to about health problems. I'm private that way (that's why I blog about it to the world, lol.)

By this time I was pretty stressed and my period was really late. I decided I was either pregnant or had cancer. I was vomiting. I was so exhausted. I hurt all over and I was quite hormonal. I was losing it. But the pregnancy test said no. It said NO!

Before paying for a doctor visit, I decided to invest in one more pregnancy test. My husband was annoyed but I had to figure out what was wrong with me. This time, the test turned positive immediately.

I called my husband to tell him, and he didn't believe me. But it was true. I was pregnant. Crap! This was not what I had planned. But I set up the prenatal appointments I needed and went on with the blood tests and vitamins, etc. Everything was the same as the first time, and then it wasn't.

The clinic drew my blood for the Quad screen and called to tell me that things were not okay. According to my Quad screen, my baby had a very high likelihood of having Down's Syndrome.

I asked a zillion questions and the doctor was convinced that the probability was extremely high. She recommended I have an amniocentesis and consider termination.

I didn't take the news well. Not only was I pregnant when I didn't want to be, but now I was going to have a baby with special needs. It was all more than I could bear.

I spent a few days totally depressed. And then I got mad. I demanded the clinic to give me my actual Quad screen results. I scoured the internet and University medical library for anything I could about reading/interpreting the test.

After reading a few med school courses (and technician manuals) on the subject, I felt confident in reading my own test. And my interpretation of the results was completely different from the doctors. Yes, the test showed an increase in probability, but not so high that the risk of an amniocentesis was warranted.

Amazingly, the doctors pushed hard for an amnio and also focused a lot on termination. I refused and instead asked for a level 2 ultrasound. And as before, I read everything I could ever read on interpreting ultrasound and went in to the appointment ready to find out for myself.

And I did. According to my own eyes and everything I could get the technician to "legally" say, I felt that my baby was just fine. And she was. After the level 2 ultrasound, I put any Down's concerns in the back of my mind and only checked briefly when she was born.

I am so glad that she didn't have special needs, but I still wasn't excited about my new role as a mother of two. My husband traveled 6 days a week, my marriage wasn't so hot, my parents began a bitter divorce, my son had severe asthma, and my dad attempted suicide within weeks of her birth. I was an absolute wreck and I wouldn't relive those days for anything.

But...then things got better and I can tell you, with all honesty, that my daughter is one of my favorite people in the whole world. She's exactly the type of person I need in my life, and yet I probably wouldn't have chose her for myself.

She's always joyful. She's always caring, thoughtful, and loving. She learns quickly and she's fun. And I'm not just saying that. Because I love him, I can tell you that my son is not joyful. He's not always caring or outwardly loving. And neither is my husband. My daughter is exactly what I needed in a house filled with emotionally distant males. And I'm so grateful that I have her.

Most of the time, things happen for a reason. And often, things work out better than you could have planned for yourself. I wouldn't have wanted my kids so close in age. I may not have wanted a second child at all, but she's been the greatest gift. And a joy to have in my life.

Look Mom - All four paws have claws!

Reya looks so abused in this photo- picture taking is the ultimate suffering...

We recently had our cat spayed and went round and round about declawing. In the end, we kept her claws. Has our cat destroyed things? Yes. Is she obedient? No. But for the most part, she does 99% of her scratching on her scratching posts and she destroys just as much with her back claws as her front.

The only way to eliminate her destruction completely would be to remove all 4 sets of claws and her teeth. And her butt. Since that seems so unreasonable, we decided to trust that everything would turn out okay and leave her claws intact.

Plus, I'd like to think she'd return the favor by using them, should any mice ever make it into our house.

Total Gym XLS review

So you say you want to get in shape? And you want to do it at home. I consider myself somewhat of an exercise-at-home expert. I love trying new workouts and equipment, and I haven't set foot in a "gym" in over 11 years.

Like most women, I've focused most of my workouts on cardio and endurance. I know strength training is important, but for some reason I just never fully embraced it. If you're in that camp, let me assure you of a few things: #1 strength training is important, #2 you have very little chance of looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger, and #3 building muscle will improve your health and appearance.

That being said, I felt so fortunate to review the Total Gym XLS. Take a look below to see my video review of the Total Gym XLS.

Keep in mind that my exercise room is extremely small (you can see it here,) and I had a super tough time finding an angle where the camera would catch both me and the Total Gym.

The options were: Total Gym + my legs, Just my upper body, or most of me (minus a little of my scalp) and a bit of the Total Gym. Hey, nothing's perfect. So keep that in mind when you watch my review.

**I had to majorly spice my video so blogger would accept the upload. I took a few videos and they were all "too big."  Really, the blogger drama is too much sometimes. With that and my chopped head, the video is a real winner, lol**

Okay, so hopefully you could tell by my review that I love the Total Gym XLS. It's an awesome machine that works every single muscle group. I am so happy with how easy it is to use and I'm very happy with my results so far.

I don't weigh myself on a regular basis and didn't take before/after photos, but I can tell you that my physical strength has improved. I am able to lift with greater resistance and I feel stronger when I run. Even though I don't keep track of my weight, I do keep track of body fat %. And I am happy to say that since I've started using the total gym, my body fat percentage is heading in the right direction (down!)

As a recap to what I said in the video, here are my pros and cons to the Total Gym:

Pros

• You can work all of your muscle groups on the Total Gym
• It's amazing for Pilates (it functions just like a pilates reformer!)
• It uses your own body weight for resistance so there are no dangerous and heavy weights
• No need for a spotter
• Men, women, and children can safely use this machine (my opinion, Total Gym does not recommend the machine for children)
• It's slender and doesn't take up a lot of space. It can even fold up.
• It's fun - I can not keep my kids off of it and my husband is actually willing to use it!
• It works! I have greatly increased my strength and am already seeing muscle definition.
• It's well made and built to last - there are really no major parts to break
• You can do assisted pullups and hamstring curls! This usually requires additional equipment!
• It can function as an incline (or flat) weight bench if you wanted to use free weights
• You can modify most of the exercises to hit your main muscles and engage your core.
• It's easy to adjust the resistance levels between exercises
• It comes with easy to install attachments

Cons

• You are limited in weight by your own body weight. You may need to add additional weight (you can find the weight bar for $19.95 here) for some of your major muscles (back, legs).
• I'd personally rather do most leg work on the floor than on the Total Gym (squats, lunges, etc.)
• You should wear a ponytail while using the machine because your hair can get stuck in the track.

I feel so good about what the Total Gym can provide, that I gave away our bench and free weights. If you'd like to try the Total Gym, now is the time! It's currently on sale and if you click on this link or the banner below, you'll automatically save an additional 15%!



You can also buy the Total Gym on Amazon.

When you get your new Total Gym, I highly recommend checking out Pilates.com, Youtube, and the Total Gym Blog. They are a wealth of information for performing the exercises correctly and adding to your routine.

*This is a MamaBuzz review. Total Gym provided the product for review purposes. No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

Novica Review and $75 Giveaway

It's taken me a long time to realize that everything I buy has consequences, but I finally get it. From food, to clothing, to medicine. It all has a chain reaction that effects the earth, animals, and other people. That's why words like "Fair Trade" are so important.

Novica is a fair trade company that connects artists from all over the world with people that want to buy their goods. They have an amazing array of products: from home decor, to jewelry, corporate gifts, clothing, and paintings.

I had the opportunity to review Novica and was amazed at the variety of products available. It was a lot like shopping while on vacation - weaving in and out of little shops to see unique handmade items and crafts. I spent a lot of time in the household decor, since we've recently remodeled, but ultimately found myself in jewelry and clothing.

I ordered an alpaca sweater from an artisan in the Andes and a beautiful scarf from a woman in Bali. Along the way, I was very impressed with the communication and customer service. I received email updates on my packages and when they would arrive.

And when they did arrive:

Each box was adorned with a handmade "ornament"

Each package came beautifully boxed, with a note, and information.

I was so impressed with the packaging. Getting the packages from Novica was like getting a hand selected gift, packaged with care and attention to detail. Each box contained a letter from the artisan describing their work and details about the products. It was a lot of fun, and I've found the products I selected to be of very high quality.

I was very happy with my Novica experience and I think you will be too. Novica would like to give one Suburban Jungle reader the chance to try out their "nation" of undiscovered arts and crafts by offering a $75 Gift Certificate to use on their site.

To Enter: Visit Novica.com and leave a comment telling me either what you'd most like to buy or something you learned at the site.

Extra Entries:

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

3 Extra Entries for tweeting about this contest (include @suburbanjung in your tweets, 1 extra for daily tweets)

2 Extra Entries for following @suburbanjung on twitter

2 Extra Entries for publicly following this blog on google friend connect

*Novica provided me with a gift certificate for review purposes. No other compensation was received and all opinions expressed are my own. This contest will end on 10/26/2010 at 9:00 PM EST and the winner will be contacted by email. Please be sure your email address is visible in your google account or that you leave it in your entry.

green gifts unique gifts microfinance

Old El Paso "Family Taco Night" Prize Pack Giveaway

{This giveaway is now closed: congrats to #264 - Vicki} Does your family have a monthly "taco night?" We have taco night (or some version of it) at least once-a-week. MyBlogSpark sent us an Old El Paso "Family Taco Night" prize pack to make family taco night extra fun. 

The reason we have a version of taco night every week is because it's so easy, so yummy, and so inexpensive. And it can be pretty healthy. The more veggies you add, the better.

For this particular "taco night," I made taco soup. It's basically a mexican style tomato and veggie soup. I puree it all up into creamy veggie goodness, add taco seasoning, a little chicken, and tortillas. It's yummy. 

I often make my own taco seasonings, but it was nice to have the Old El Paso seasoning available and ready to go. I often have Old El Paso refried beans, sauces, and taco shells on hand to make easy taco meals.  Lucky for you, MyBlogSpark and Old El Paso want to offer one Suburban Jungle reader a chance to have their own taco night prize pack:

Here's what's included:

 $10 visa gift card to by the rest of your taco fixings

Packet of Old El Paso Taco seasoning

Cactus chip & dip serving tra

3 Fiesta Chili Pepper serving dishes

To Enter to win: Leave a comment telling me how you make "taco night" fun, healthy or special.

Extra Entries:

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

3 Extra Entries for tweeting about this contest (include @suburbanjung in your tweets, 1 extra for daily tweets)

2 Extra Entries for following @suburbanjung on twitter

2 Extra Entries for publicly following this blog on google friend connect

*Old El Paso provided me with the products, information, and giveaway through MyBlogSpark. All opinions expressed are my own. This contest will end on 10/26/2010 at 9:00 PM EST and the winner will be contacted by email. Please be sure your email address is visible in your google account or that you leave it in your entry.

Moon Dough Review

If your house is anything like mine, then you have buckets of dried out playdough in all sorts of mixed up colors stashed in your cupboards, just waiting to be pulled out and thrown around. My kids love to play with playdough, modeling clay, you name it.

But they're not great at putting it away or keeping it where it belongs. Even still, I was excited when Team Mom offered us the chance to review MoonDough.

We tried out the Moon Dough Magic Barnyard. It's alot like play doh, but also very, very different! For one, it's wheat-free and hypo-allergenic. And it never dries out!  Really.... or at least for the month we've been using it.

My kids have left their "creations" out on the counter for days and we can just mush it up and add it back to the rest of the "dough."  It feels different than your usual dough or modeling clay too. It's softer and more sand-like. But it does join together and model just fine.

My kids loved it, and so did I. The one drawback.... It's messy. My kids can't help but make "bits" all over the floor. The good news - it vacuums up awesomely! And it didn't clog our vacuum. I just sucked it up and dumped it out.

We started out with three separate bags of moon dough - yellow, blue, and white. Now we have 2 bags of rainbow moon dough, but it's still a blast to play with. And they loved the barn set for making hay bales and animals. I don't usually like the playdough sets because dough dries inside and makes a huge mess, but since this dough doesn't dry, they have been able to have fun with the set again and again. I highly recommend it.

*A special thank you to TeamMom for sending us the Moon Dough for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Is that a Challenge??

So....I happen to have a naturally defiant streak. I'm not embarrassed about it and I wouldn't want to change it for the world. And it turns out, I'm not alone.

My next-door neighbor was told by her mother-in-law that she'd be "fat by forty" and she is hell bent on proving her wrong. Awesome. She's really one of the most fit people I know. I worked out with her for a while last year but had to quit because she was too extreme for me. Woo!

Anyway, back to my point. She just turned 36, and she amped up her workout routine, running 10 miles at each workout and lifting weights that would put most men to shame. I like her, but...she's told me about her MIL's comment on numerous occasions.

It's always in the back of her mind. And she said she'd become anorexic before she let her MIL be right. Holy smokes! Well, now I have a "comment" of my own.

Recently, my husband's relatives were visiting and an uncle mentioned how nice it was that we had so much storage space. I commented that there's more than it seems since most of our cabinets, closets, etc are empty. And he said, "oh that won't last long, they'll be full before you know it. Things have a way of accumulating."

 Now, rationally, I know that he was just making small talk. But I take clutter seriously. And in the back of my mind, I took it as a challenge. Like - "wanna bet?" Yes, I'm crazy. But by the next weekend I had already found 5 more boxes worth of things to donate.

 And since goodwill stopped by, I've got another bag at the ready. I've thinned out my closet so much, I don't even need to store my clothes as the seasons change. I felt a million times lighter.

 I'm not trying to live in a tent with just a pair of underwear, but I never want to have so many things that it overruns my closets or floors. And now that I have my own irrational challenge, I'll be sure to keep on my toes with regard to clutter. ;)

Parent's Choice Infant Formula - now online!

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

Have you heard about the Similac Formula recall? Beetles and Larva in the formula, egads! Sounds like a good time to look for an alternative. You may even want to switch to generic formula.

Not long ago, there was a big court case that settled the argument on whether Brand Name and store brand formula were equivalent. Read up on it, but they basically decided that Brand Names could not claim superiority over store brands.

This most likely holds true for most "store brand" products. If you're looking for a Store Brand Formula, Parent's Choice is now available in stores AND online. You can find it in Walmart stores and at walmart.com.

I've never purchased infant formula but it appears to come in some handy varieties: both powder and ready-to-feed. Online, it comes in 4 and 6 unit case sizes with no additional shipping charges to ship to your home! If you've not shopped walmart.com, it's awesome for free shipping to their stores, but to have it ship with no extra charges to your home is great!

A little bit about Parent's Choice formula:

• It meets all FDA nutritional standards - just like the national brands.
• It offers complete nutrition for babies 0-12 months.
• It's available in a range of formulas to address common feeding issues.

It's worth a look into, and if you are an online shopper (like me) then be sure to check it out online and maybe save a little money and a  trip to the store.
   

How Asthma changes your life

I recently wrote a little bit about my son's experience with Asthma and it made me think of my own battle with it from the age of 9-16. It really is a life altering disease and it's forever changed my outlook, my body, and my thinking.
Between the ages of 9 and 16, I had "bronchitis" or "pneumonia" at least 6 or 7 times a year. And those were just the times I actually went to the doctor. It lasted for months and I was on endless amounts of antibiotics and oral steroids. Oh yeah, and the endless inhalers.

My parents always thought I was just a whiner and that I should toughen up and deal with it. So they didn't take me to the clinic as often as I should have gone. And every time we were there, my mom reminded me of how much it cost. Yes, it was expensive, but what can you do when you are sick?

With that in mind, things got really bad around the age of 13. I was having a tough time breathing and my parents told me to suck it up. We visited my grandparents over the weekend (translation: smokers pit) and I went downhill very quickly after that. My mom said she would take me to the doctor if I wasn't better in a few days. That Monday, our school was conducting the Presidential fitness test. We were running the mile. It was a damp and cold day. I told the teacher that I was'nt feeling well and couldn't run. He looked at me like I was an idiot and asked for my note. I didn't have a note. So I ran the mile. I finished in 10 1/2 minutes. Not the fastest, but I could barely breathe. And things got progressively worse.

I coughed through all my classes. I was weak and my chest hurt. I complained to my mom when I got home and she was annoyed. It wasn't until I stopped breathing that night that she drove me to the ER. The nearest ER was over a half an hour away. I don't remember a lot of the ER because I wasn't really coherent. I do remember a mask on my face, the doctor's admonishing my mom, and my mom apologizing. I was admitted to a nearby hospital (another 1/2 hour drive) and I stayed there for 2 weeks.

The first few days, I hardly improved at all. I had 4 IVs in my arms. My body couldn't eat. They tried to give me juice but I'd just vomit it out. I was taking steroids, antibiotics, bronchodilators, and who knows what else. I was 13 years old. By the end of my hospital stay, I was 49 pounds. I was 5'1" at the time.

When I left the hospital, I was still coughing, a lot. I took medicine around the clock for the next few months. I coughed during all my classes and had to spend a lot of time in the hallway. My social studies teacher told me I needed to "get that coughing under control" or I wouldn't be able to be in her class. I was already taking so much medicine!

I was also so behind on homework. While I was in the hospital, my homework piled up. I wasn't able to do it in the hospital because I wasn't allowed to move my arms. Both arms had 2 IV lines and my arms were attached to foam boards to keep them straight. If I moved my arms, the IVs would beep and the nurses would come readjust them. It was a constant annoyance. I'm surprised I didn't get bed sores.

I was never hospitalized again, but I made many trips to the clinic and was continually put on antibiotics and steroids. I would cough and cough and cough. It was horrible.

Aside from being embarrassing, having asthma really limited my life. I didn't feel like I could be in sports or be very active because I'd start coughing and my chest would get so tight. I also hated taking so much medicine.

I blame my asthma medication for my low bone mass (osteopenia at 30, wahoo!) and my short height. I only made it to 5'4" and am the shortest in my family. I took the most steroids when I was in the peak growing years.

I have a couple of theories as to why I had asthma. We lived in an old home with a wood stove and had wet moldy ceilings and closets. The worst ceilings were in the closet of my and my sister's room (my sisters all had asthma as well). My brothers (who shared a different room) did not get asthma.

My parents got better at taking all of us to the clinic. One of my sisters was hospitalized for about a week and my youngest sister had many late night attacks that required emergency medicine.

I moved out of my parent's house a few days before I turned 17. I left to go to college. I didn't have any lung issues that year. And I never really did again. I always felt like I couldn't run or do anything physical because asthma was always in the back of my mind, but I kicked asthma's butt when I became a marathon rollerblader and more recently a runner.

My sisters also "outgrew" their asthma. My youngest sister still has issues and has attacks if she is near cats. One of my sisters has children with asthma and my older brother's daughters also have asthma.

My son ended up having asthma in response to our dog. Even when she was gone, so many allergens remained. He had to be on steroids around the clock. I wanted him off of those steroids so bad and did everything I could to resist the oral ones. I blame the steroids for my low bone mass, but I also credit them for saving mine and my son's lives.

Since moving from our "dog house", my son's asthma has went away. Let's hope it stays that way!

Bing "Our School Needs" Contest

School Budget cuts are a way of life for most of us. I'm always hearing about budget shortfalls and what the school desperately needs but can't afford. In our school, it's extra teachers and special assistants. We have a small elementary school with 1400 children. And class size is a huge issue.

In order to make the budget stretch, our school relies heavily on volunteers. Last year I worked in the classroom, preparing craft projects to free up teacher time for "teaching." This year, I'll do the same, but will also be working in the library and on a school rewards program. By using "free" helpers, our school is able to stretch much needed help without costing a thing. 

But they still have things that require extra money, and for that, unfortunately, our schools runs a new fundraiser every week. I really wish that wasn't part of the curriculum. To me, it's such a waste of class time. What if we could win a big chunk of money for our school so they wouldn't have to raise extra funds? 


Bing is currently running the "Our School Needs" contest to help schools and students financially. Bing will potentially give away $1 million dollars to schools in need. And the contest is easy to enter. You can either submit an essay, a video, some photos, your choice! Tell Bing what your school needs to win $100,000 for your school! 

You can submit your entry until October 22, 2010. 

Click here to see the Bing Video on contest submissions and good luck to all who enter!

"I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Bing and received a DonorsChoose.org giving code and gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate."

What I REALLY need for Christmas!

Christmas stresses me out every year. When people ask what I want or need, I get really stressed. I don't really need anything, and I'm fine with that. But other people just don't seem to get it. This year, I'm excited because I've finally figured out something I need AND want.

Wait for it.....

If you know me in real life, you know I never answer the phone. Okay, I reluctantly answer the phone after you stalk call me for a while, and I never check messages. I'm bad like that. 

But it's not just because I hate talking. It's because I hate losing my hands. I'm constantly doing things that require moving (thank you cordless phones) and using my hands. The phone ruins everything. 

But maybe it doesn't have to? This year, I'd love to get a Hands Free Head Set .

You know what I mean? A Brittney Spears type headset that's wireless and allows me to talk on our home phone without using any hands. But works well enough that people can hear me. I get constant complaints from my husband and sisters that they can't hear me or they think I'm not listening because I use speaker phone all the time.

So if anyone wants to get me a gift - hunt me down a headset that works with uniden cordless phones. :)

Franklin Baseball Batting Gloves Giveaway!!

HURRY - This is a ONE day contest!

Are you a big baseball fan? To be honest, it's something our family is trying to enjoy. I'd love to see my little boy find a passion for playing sports, and we're trying to get him excited about it.

If you'd like to bring some baseball excitement into your home, Franklin is offering one Suburban Jungle reader the chance to take home a pair of Franklin Baseball batting gloves.

Why are they offering this giveaway? To draw attention to the Franklin Baseball 10K Fan challenge! Franklin is currently running a promotion to reach 10,000 Facebook fans by October 6, 2010.

If they reach 10,000 fans, the fans will be entered for a chance to win a pair of playoff tickets. All fans also get 25% off in their online store.

To Enter for your chance to win Franklin Baseball Batting gloves: Visit the Franklin Baseball Facebook page and become a Fan. Then come back here and leave me a comment telling me that you did.

Want Extra Entries?
5 Extra Entries for blogging about this contest
5 Extra Entries for tweeting about this contest (leave 5 comments and your link in the comments below)

*This contest ends on October 6, 2010 ad 11:59PM EST. The winner will be selected by random.org and notified via email. In exchange for hosting this giveaway, my family will receive a pair of batting gloves. No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

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:

Life DVD 4-disc set

Flat Iron
$20 Kroger's Gift Card
$75 Novica Gift Card
Just Jen Jeweled Top
Free Glasses

School Security - lacking?

I've had a few discussions with our Elementary school about security in th past, and it looks like it's time for another sit down. It's not that I expect our school to be Fort Knox, but I do have a strong opinion on my child's safety at school.

Over the last 2 years, I've dropped into school unannounced and uninvited on many occasions. I've never "checked-in". I've never displayed the proper identification or school visitor badge.

I've roamed the halls, went into classrooms, went into empty rooms, the library, bathrooms, playground. I'm not just a school stalker - I had legitimate reasons to be there. It's just that nobody has ever stopped me.

There are "people" in the halls, but not one has ever stopped to ask for my badge or to see what I was doing. I'm not well known at school. I'm just a regular mom-looking thirty something, that has never been stopped at any point. I even loitered near the office a few times just to see if they'd notice. Nope.

Well, today I had to head to school again, so I thought I'd test the school out again. My son woke up last night with horrible ear pain and I took him to the doctor first thing in the morning. I dropped him off right on time for school, but hadn't went to pick up his prescription yet.

Later in the day, I picked up his meds and made my way to school to give him his first dose. And here's where the test began. I knew where he was at the time I stopped in, so I thought about just walking in, finding him, and giving him his meds. But I decided to see what would happen if I stopped in to the office.

I went up to the receptionist, asked for my son by name, gave his teacher's name and the rest is basically history. She walkie-talkied to someone and within 2 minutes my son was in the school office being force-fed medicine by an unnamed stranger.

In fact, I had to give him 3 huge pills to swallow. That was it. I never gave my name. I never showed ID. I just asked for a student, gave the teacher's name, and he was there in minutes. The receptionist does not know me and with over 1200 students in the school, she couldn't hope to.

What if I had been a stranger and gone there to do harm? I stayed in the office, but I could have easily have met him in the hallway and intersected him out of adult view. He walked down to the office alone, and was expected by the school to end up back with his class all alone.

Since he was in the middle of an activity change, I walked him to where he belonged. No sign in. No badge. No worries. All of it - against the rules. Technically, the fact that I brought non-emergency medicine, and did not go through the school nurse was a school policy violation. But whatever. I think we have bigger issues here...

I'm tempted to "take him" off of school property and see what happens. It seems like a good idea for an undercover news story, but I'd hate to be the own to point out security lapses to local psychopaths. Instead, the principal and I will be having a chat. And my son and I will be reviewing personal safety procedures to make sure he knows what to do.

BH Cosmetics

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

I probably like makeup more than your average mom, but not as much as a true fashionista. Don't get me wrong, I like makeup, especially trying new shades and colors. I just don't have the skills to have a flawless face or good hair. You win some, you lose some, right?

Plus, it can be spendy to constantly try new cosmetics. I recently came across BH cosmetics, which sells its products at below wholesale pricing. My first thought, was holy eyeshadow!

Their palettes contain up to 120 eyeshadow colors! I like eyeshadow, and its something I wear on most days, so I'd be apt to try one of these kits - just not 120 shades. I'm not quite that adventurous. I'd most likely try the 28 color neutral eyeshadow palette or the professional camouflage concealer. And the lip colors. Those are my safe "explorations."

Still, I like the idea of trying something new. And their eyeshadow is highly pigmented, bendable, and long lasting. Any moms in their 30's (or older) know why that's important.  Make up is supposed to be fun and let you experiment with your looks. Maybe if I tried the 120 shade kit, I'd find 20 colors I like instead of my usual "1". That would be a big improvement.

 

Paying for your Kids' College

My husband and I had differing views on kids and money when we first met. He felt that parents should buy their children a car and help pay for school. I disagreed.

I bought my own car, paid for my own school, insurance, food, entertainment, and all other living expenses. And I don't think there was anything wrong with it.

I appreciated everything I had, and I worked hard to get ahead. Not that other kids didn't. Just saying.

A few weeks ago, we were driving through a very shady part of the metro area - an area where I just so happened to live during my college years. I lived in a lot of dives in college, and it's honestly the only negative I remember about my collegiate years. All else was bliss - even working 4 jobs at a time, eating an apple a day (and nothing else!), being at the head of nearly every class, but especially staying out all night. Woo! Okay, way off track.

My kids were in awe that I actually lived there! They asked, "Why did you live there mom? It doesn't seem safe?" And it wasn't safe. Rapes and murders were unfortunately frequent. You know those "streets" that you repeatedly hear about on the news. Yep, that's where I lived.

The kids were horrified. And they said they never wanted to live like that. Hmmmm..... So you say you don't want to be in that situation, huh? We explained how people end up in places like that. Money, drugs, bad choices. In my case, I was just poor. For the record, my parents would have happily tried to pay for my expenses. But not only were they not financially fit enough to do so, I would have never allowed it. I earned my financial independence from them when I took my first "real" job at 14 (laws were different back in the day.)

So we came up with a plan. We told our kids that as long as they worked hard, got good grades, and stayed "good" kids, we would pay for them to live somewhere nice during college. We described exactly what we meant by "good" kids. I'm sure you know what I mean. If they goofed off and didn't stay on track, then they'd have to live wherever they could afford to live. They were motivated.

Sure, they're only 4 and 6, but it's nice to have a plan. How in the world will we afford to pay for it all? As someone that hasn't saved a dime for their college educations (and there's a good financial reason for that) it sounds a bit scary. But in 2 years, I'll most likely be back in the workforce. Anything I bring in will be extra to our family. So I'll have 8-10 years of "extra" money before they even start college. Hopefully, my husband's income will continue to increase, and someday we'll have an itty bitty mortgage instead of a gigantic one.

In any event, if they work hard and stay well behaved, it will all be worth it. And I'll find a way to make it work. If not, then I'll have other things to worry about.

I liked the idea. It was a good compromise between my husband's and my values. And it gave my kids something to think about. If they end up going to school locally and want to live with us, I'd get them a car instead.

40% Discounts at Liz Claiborne New York Outlet Stores!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Liz Claiborne New York Outlets. All opinions are 100% mine.

Fall is my favorite season! It's beautiful, just warm enough, and everything is new. I love the idea of going back to school, cleaning up the garden for the season, and heading out for new sweaters. And boots. And coats. And.....

I'm a shopaholic at heart. And Fall used to mean tons of shopping. Now, I still have my eyes open for great new sweaters, but I'm also budget conscious. This fall, Liz Claiborne New York Outlets are selling all of their products at a 40-70% discount. Even new arrivals are marked at 40% off.

You can visit http://www.lcnyoutlet.com/storelocator.php to find the nearest Liz Claiborne New York Outlet near you. I checked out my nearest store online and was excited to see the new arrival blouses and interestingly enough, the camis and tees. I'm big into layering this fall.

I'm also big into fall boots, sweaters, and light jackets. We have all sorts of cold here, so it's fun to have a different coat for each "season" of winter. As a mom, I do a lot of planning and shopping for my children. But a 40-70% off sale, is enough to get me thinking about things for myself. Gotta love saving money! And looking good!

So check out your local Liz Claiborne New York Outlet Store. They just might have what you're looking for.

"All You Need is Almond Butter"

I've been in a major food rut lately. You know the kind where nothing tastes good and you just don't want to eat? This is the time when a unanimous "NO!" should spring up from the crowd.

I hear ya, I've never  wanted to NOT eat in my life. And for the past few weeks I've just felt gross and not hungry. Of course, I've forced myself to eat, but still. After about 2 weeks, I started eating junk. I almost never eat junk, so this was weird. I just wanted to "want" to eat.

I ate junky for a few days and then...... I made almond butter.

I hadn't made almond butter in almost 2 months because my last batch turned out gross. Note to all: do not try to make more than 3 cups at a time in the Vitamix. It just turns crumbly and gross. Since I can't throw away food, I ate it and decided from there on out that I hated almonds and everything that had to do with them.

I turned to all things walnut and let it go. But today I made almond butter again. Good creamy, nothing but nuts, almond butter. It was awesome. And I was back! I confidently turned down old parade candy, ice cream, and chocolate. I had a new desire for all things healthy. I just needed an almond booster. Huh - I didn't see that coming.