Copyright
© Copyright 2006-2010 blackbeltmama dot com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
UnderWAY and Smart for Life
We went to a friend’s house tonight for dinner. It had been awhile since we had seen them and I was surprised at how great she looked. With three kids, 6 and under, I was amazed that she could lose weight and get fit! I myself haven’t been feeling the greatest about my appearance. Standing at a nice, willowy 5’9”, people always refer to me a thin. But I realized today that in the past 10 years, I put on 40+ lbs. I have gone up far too many sizes and despise the fat stomach, flabby arms, and large butt. No matter my excuses (years of fertility meds, three pregnancies in a year and a half (with no baby to show for it), eating poorly, not exercising…), changes needed to be made and soon.
Around this time, I received a package to review from UnderWAY and Smart for Life. The brochure said, “Lose up to 15 lbs in 4 weeks eating healthy, all natural Smart Foods.” I was intrigued. By following the program, eating and drinking the hunger busting foods and a smart dinner, you could lose weight without the normal hunger pains. I was skeptical…my husband was not. He’s a meal supplement kind of guy. So, we both gave it a try for a day (using the samples provided). I have to say I was surprised…the food was good. You must eat their cookies (yes, you read that correctly) 6 times a day. This keeps you from getting either ravenous or too full. Their drinks, underWAY, taste great! They come in three flavors and contain HeroFiber, whose name makes me giggle and imagine a drink bottle in superhero clothing. J And since I am a no caffeine girl, I love that it’s a decaf choice. The hubby is in love with the food and has claimed the rest of the box for himself. (It’s my review,so we’ll see about that!)
My only issue with the whole program is the no fruit requirement. They address this in the brochure and I understand the necessity of it (all that natural sugar!!), but I love fruits and just about the only time we get fresh, ripe fruits in Western PA is right now, in the summer. So, if I’m going to follow this program to the letter, it won’t be until fall when the fruit pickings are slim.
The cookies and drinks certainly did keep me from being hungry. It reminded me to make better choices at the dinner meal, too. So, those 40 lbs I’m looking to lose? I think between this and getting my butt off the couch, I’ve found a way to get my body back. And I get to eat cookies-how cool is that?! RIght now you can get a speical 10% discount code for underWAY and Smart for Life products. PLease use MCUS10OFFUW for underWAY products at www.underWAY.com and MCUS10OFFSFL at www.smartforlife.com.
TKDDaughter and her hubby give underWAY and Smart for Life a:
I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of underWAY and Smart for Life and received samples of the products to review.
e.p.t. “the moment you knew”
![EPT_Keepsake_Case_1[1]](/.a/6a00d8341c0f9b53ef0133f2457780970b-pi.jpg)
For most women, seeing the positive pregnancy test is a moment they will never forget. It is a moment filled with joy, and hope, and dreams fulfilled. For me, it was different. You see, I suffer from infertility…and while I have one child, I never had the "pee on a stick/positive test" experience. When you suffer from infertility, your cycles are closely monitored and a blood test reveals your pregnancy far earlier than a home pregnancy test. I found out I was pregnant from a nurse, not a pee stick.
Even after this successful pregnancy, I continued to suffer from infertility and could not get pregnant. I resented those who had that "pee on a stick" moment…I imagined peeing on said stick, running down the stairs to my husband, crying and laughing and hugging. I played the moment out in vivid detail in my head, over and over and over again. None of our treatments worked and so our infertility journey ended and a life as a family of three began.
And yet, three years later, being ridiculously in tune with my body from the years of closely monitored cycles, I realized I was one day late. Just one…for most women, they wouldn't even realize, but I did and I tested. And there it was, my moment. My very own pee on a stick moment. I was mesmerized by the test stick announcing a positive. I waited until my husband came home from work and carefully showed it to him. We were filled with hope, but terrified-it had been a long time in coming and now that we had arrived, it was scary. Unfortunately, three days later, I lost the baby. In anger, I threw the stick away and after I recovered a bit, I felt sad that the one physical reminder I had of my baby was gone.
e.p.t. acknowledges what a big moment this is for a family and has launched a campaign to provide mothers with a keepsake case so that you can always look back at the day you found out you were pregnant. You can check out the info here.
And while my story isn't the joyous experience of others, I appreciate having the keepsake case to remind me of the babies I have lost. I am grateful for the "pee on a stick" moment of my own. (And if you wondering, yes, I did keep the test stick from my most recent pregnancy and loss…and while it hurts, I am so glad the have the sticks to remind me and comfort me.)
Thanks, e.p.t. for providing women a way to remember that special moment for families. TKDDaughter gives this a:
"I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Centralon behalf of e.p.t and received an e.p.t. keepsake case and a $20 gift card to JustGive.org to facilitate my review.”
Sonicare for Kids
This is a compensated review from Sonicare for Kids and BlogHer.
I'll be honest. I always thought that the people who spent mucho dinero on toothbrushes that came in a box were insane. I mean, the dentist gives you a free one every six months. What did I need with one of those crazy Sonicare toothbrushes. More so, why would my kids ever need one?
People, Sonicare has made me a believer.
At first I was worried about whether or not my kids would go for it. Sonicare for Kids does not come shaped like a princess or a mermaid. It does have interchangeable panels for the front of it, but they're definitely more generic than your grocery store toothbrush. I wasn't sure I could get my girls to switch.
However, when it came, it was red and my girls liked that right away. It also came with two different toothbrush heads which was perfect considering one was for 4 year olds and the other was for bigger kids, 8+. My girls are easily able to tell their toothbrush head apart since one is red and the other is blue. They quickly learned how to pop their toothbrush head onto the Sonicare and get busy.
Right away, I fell in love with the Sonicare for Kids and it's special feature to make kids brush longer. Every minute, for four minutes, the toothbrush plays a little part of a song. When you complete the entire time, it plays the entire little tune. We went from brushing for only seconds to brushing for the full time overnight and I know that will make a big difference in their oral health.
The toothbrush comes with two settings and the girls can easily turn the toothbrush on with their recommended intensity by themselves. I thought it would take some time to get used to the Sonicare for Kids, but it has become a wonderful addition to our family and the girls' brushing routine.
I can speak for myself on this issue, as I also received a Sonicare FlexCare to try. It is like visiting the dentist every single day, twice a day and it's amazing. The clean that you get from it is completely unlike any other toothbrush I have ever tried. My teeth feel silky, the way they do when you leave the dentist. In fact, when I visited the dentist last week and told them we're using Sonicare's now, they were thrilled! They said they notice a big difference in their patients who use Sonicare's.
My only criticisms of the toothbrush are that one needs to be really careful with little ones. The toothbrush head for my 4-year old doesn't stay on the way it did when we got it. She says she didn't drop it or anything, but whatever held the head on tightly doesn't work anymore. Now we have to hold it on until we get a new toothbrush head. My only other criticism is that the Sonicare is pretty intense and one needs to make sure that when you turn it on, the toothbrush is in your mouth! If not, the spray from the toothpaste is going to make cleaning your vanity a daily thing. I happened to spray myself in the eye the first day I used it; but people, let me just tell you that you only make that mistake once. This shouldn't be a reason to prevent you from getting one yourself.
A Sonicare for Kids starter package starts at around $69.99. The package comes with two brush heads, three interchangeable plates for when your kids get bored with the looks of the toothbrush, a plug-in charger and complete instructions. You can find brush head replacements for around $21.99 for a package of two. A Sonicare for Kids toothbrush would make a great Christmas gift for kids.
I never understood why people would spend so much money on a toothbrush, but I now know that the family and I will be life-long converts. Thank you Sonicare and BlogHer for the opportunity to review these wonderful products!
You don't have to be a BlogHer reviewer though, to try the Sonicare. You can enter for one of eight chances to win a $100 Visa card or a Sonicare prize package below. You can also check out the other reviews simply by going here.
If you'd like more information, directly from Sonicare, please click here.
Contest Rules:
To enter to win a $100 Visa card, leave me a comment below and tell me "How do you handle your kids' dental hygiene?" – or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below. The contest will begin at 9:00 a.m. (PST) 10/15/2009 and will end 5:00 p.m. (PST) 11/15/2009. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.
Rules:
- No duplicate comments.
- You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
- You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
- This giveaway is open to US-residents, 18 years of age or older
- Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
- You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
- Please see the official rules here.
Winners will be chosen with this random generator. There are eight reviewers which means you have eight chances to win a $100 Visa card so you can buy your own Sonicare for Kids. And, there's also the Sonicare prize pack. Visit the link above for the complete round-up! Good luck!
BBM gives the Sonicare for Kids. . .
Getting Rave Reviews
BlogHer Review
Go Shopping
Macho Warrior Sparring Gear Set
$69.99And see the rest of our Sparring Gear
at MartialArtsSupplies.com
Martial Arts Pagoda
