Books: He Loves Lucy

I have been busting out the reading lately!

So, I thought I would tell you about one of my favorites. It is an easy easy read. Perfect for a vacation...lying by the beach or pool. Or since it is winter cuddled next to fire with something warm to drink...mmmm

He Loves Lucy - Susan Donovan

So let me tell you. This is one of my faves for like sure I have read it twice now. It isn't some miraculous book where you learn the secret of life. It is what I would call one of the "girly" books. It is about Lucy who is overweight and through her work she signs up for a contest. For publicity for the Health Club if the trainer can get Lucy to lose 100 pounds or whatever amount the trainer and Lucy will get $1000 per pound lost! Lucy has a past and the gorgeous trainer has his own things going on.  It just kinda follows them on that journey.

I would recommend this book to anyone! I would say from a chubby girls perspective... I loved it. It really hit home with me and I could relate to a lot of what she was going through!

I am going to try to write reviews on the books I have been reading.... just in case someone wants to know.

If you have a book you love, let me know what it is!!!


xoxo,
B

Influenster #tlcvoxbox

 

So I was one of the lucky recipients of the #TLCvoxbox! It had some really great things in it and some ehh... I wanted to give you my honest thoughts on these products! So here goes nothing!

1. Ivory bar soap - This is my number one favorite thing! I was raised on Ivory bar soap! I love the clean smell and it floats in the water!!! I am not a huge fan of bar soap in general just because they leave soap scum pretty bad.This is a classic and I really love it!

2. Neosporin -Neo to GO - I will be honest I probably would have never bought this if I hadn't received this. It just seems so small for the price. BUT I will gladly buy it now! It is so convenient to throw in your purse or diaper bag. I have a 2 year old little wild thing. He has no fear and scrapes, bumps and bruises are apart of that game. So this has came in very handy!!

3. Puffs -I am a Puffs girl. They are the best the tissues you can get. The travel size is super handy to have with you. Also, just a thought for people with kiddos and especially potty training kiddos keep some in your purse in case a bathroom does not have any toilet paper! I will be honest and say I was very thankful for this little package of tissue. I was about to pee my pants just plopped on the nearest toilet because I thought I was going to explode.Of course no TP....So thank you puffs! 

4. Breyers Gelato Indulgences- Alright, I love ice cream. It may or may not love me back. So this is gelato. It is a bit pricey in my neck of the woods.With that being said. This stuff is good I got the chocolate chocolatey kind. It was rich and delicious. You don't need to eat a giant bowl full to get your fix. As I was eating this the only way for me to describe this was that it was "Disney world ice cream". Clearly, I don't mean the mickey ice cream on a stick. If you go to Disney and eat at one of the fancy restaurants with desserts or on the Disney cruises all the food is fancy. This gelato brought me right back to those fancy meals with a really great and amazing dessert. As an honorable mention the container is nice. I washed it and used it for leftovers. Very sturdy. I like that. lol

5. Shell Rewards Card- .03 cents when you fill up .25 cents the second time you fill up. You also have the chance to get more rewards to get more off of your gas. I like the idea of this but it is not my favorite. I shop at Winn-Dixie and I already get Fuel Rewards there that are better than .03 cents so I generally stick with those. This is good for the in between times when I haven't bought groceries and need gas. Another problem i have which Shell can't do anything about is that we don't have a lot of Shell's in our area. I think we have 3 or 4 total. Also, we get cheaper gas with our Sam's Club membership. SO this wasn't my favorite. It is a good idea. If we lived back in KY with shells all around and I drove more I would probably use this all the time but here its not really needed.

6. Avon Anew Reversalist Express Wrinkle Smoother - Whew! Say that 4x fast. I didn't really like this. I didn't see any improvement. I don't really have wrinkles anyway. It was greasy and left a greasy feeling on my skin. The mirror was nice though. Very big. Its expensive. I would never buy it.

Okay so that is what I got! I think it was an awesome box! I love doing these "reviews" because I want to be honest and just put it out there. I also have some influenster invites if anybody wants one!

"I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes." 

XOXO

B

Healthy Livin'

I haven't really wrote anything about this because usually when I write about it... Nothing ever happens.

:/

But anyways I've been on the road to getting healthy for the past few months. I've lost 22 pounds!!! Which I am really excited about! Still a long journey to go but I'm freaking stoked (do ppl still say stoked?? That's how out of touch with reality I am. Lol)

So I wanted to tell you about what things I'm totally loving on my healthy journey. 

1. Plexus!!

     I know I've mentioned it once before but seriously. Plexus has changed my life! I love all the products but the Plexus Slim, Accelerator and X-Factor are my favorites!!

    Here is a little bit of what the Slim and Accelerator is. Plexus Slim is a natural health and wellness drink. It was originally made for diabetics to regulate blood sugars as well as getting your levels regulated such as lipids, cholesterol etc. Then they realized that one of the main benefits was weight loss along with being much healthier. So they targeted it to everyone. You just take 1 plexus slim drink in the morning. It's a little powder stick you mix up with a bottle of water similar to crystal light. Tastes good not gross at all, tastes like a cherry tootsie pop. One of my favorite benefits is my willpower over food and sweets. I no longer want junk or sweets. Which is pretty awesome. The accelerator which most people take with the plexus slim is just a pill you'll want to take with your breakfast. It just boosts your weight loss and it does have caffeine in it. 

   
     The X-Factor is a multi vitamin that I just love. It is made with aloe which is great because it is proven that your body will absorb the vitamins when taken with aloe. So the vitamins are made with it  and I can tell you i feel awesome! My hair and nails are growing like crazy. My skin is feeling so much better! Bomb.com

You want more info?? You can check it out here or contact me...info above!!!

2. FitBit

 

  So I am totally in love with my FitBit! It is a fitness tracker that you wear as a bracelet. It tracks your steps and calculates it for you. What I really love but you can't see in the picture is that it tracks your sleep!! Woah?! Right? It also has an option for silent alarms. It just vibrates on your wrist. But they are kinda touchy so don't put your life on this alarm if you know what I mean. I love that it just updates via bluetooth if you have a newer phone. The app is super easy to use. I dig it! Check it out!


3. C25K - Zen Labs

 

 I actually really really like this running app! I hate running/jogging i hate all of it. This makes it completely do able. For a complete inexperienced and out of shape person as I am... it is a little tough but the way it works up to it is really nice and easy going. I love how it gives you the prompts while you have your music playing. For some reason, this may sound dumb but having the app tell me to run versus me telling myself to run. I will run longer and actually do it when the app tells me to do it. But I like the whole set up and once I get finished with the 5K one I plan on getting the 13.1 and doing that! 

Yup!!! You read that right!!! I plan on doing a half-marathon! I want to get it done and my goal is to run in the Disney Princess Half Marathon!!!! BIG GOALS!!

GO BIG OR GO HOME!!!

4. DietBet

 

Have you heard of a dietbet? It essentially is when you put down some amount of money and say you will lose weight. Everybody that loses the required amount of weight in the time period gets to split the pot. For what I have seen the bet you put down is usually in the 20-30 range.They have a 1 month and you lose 4% and a 6 month and you lose 10% of your body weight. This is my very first dietbet and I learned about it through SkinnyMeg. I do think this is a great incentive to lose weight. It has helped me break a plateau. so if you are interested... Check it Out!!!

Well, those are the things that I are helping me on my journey right now!! Next month it could be a totally different thing! We will see... I'll keep you updated either way though!! 

until next time

xoxo

B

What I'm digging right now

The other day I went to Target all by myself!!!!

Eeeeekkkkk!!!! I know! Every moms dream come true. Just to get some alone time at target. 

I blared some music on my old school iPod on the way there. It was epic. This song came on and I'll be honest... I am pretty sure that this song was meant for moms that get to get out of the house with no kids or husbands. Lol.

 Don't get me wrong I love spending time with my family but I think a little "you" time is necessary. Sometimes when I pull out of the driveway to go to target this is how I feel!!

So while at Target I picked up some new girl stuff. So I wanted to tell you about them! I've had a couple of things for awhile but I just need to tell you about them.

1 & 2: E.L.F - Lip Stains. Crimson Crush #31206 & Pink Petal #31021

 I don't wear lip stick. Ever. I think I look ridiculous. My lips are super wrinkley like 70 year old lady smoking pall malls wrinkley. I don't smoke so I'm not sure how I got these wrinkle lips. So, wearing lipstick makes my wrinkles look so much worse. Plus it wipes off in like 3.2 seconds. Also, the smell and taste of lipstick. Yuck. Obviously I am not a lover of the lipstick.  Yet, I've always wanted to have that bright red Marilyn lip. I look better with some sort of color on my lips. Enter Lip Stain. I am completely new to the lip stain world. I received a sample in my Birchbox once kinda liked that so here we are. I totally dig lip stain. Stays on forever. Bright color. Didn't bring too much attention to my old lady lips. Best part of it all this brand was 2 freaking dollars. Just get in my cart! *These were the only 2 colors Target had. :( on the website they have more colors I like the crimson a lot. Mo doesn't like it really and thinks it is too dark. He liked the pink which i hated on me. I felt like an ugly barbie.*

3. PlusWhite - 5 Minute Premier Whitening System
 Okay, so about a month ago i saw thing on pinterest about teeth whitening. I then tried to find it again and couldn't find it for the life of me. Now, that I have gave up pinterest for Lent I can't look but right after Easter I will be on the search again. Anyways the clip was about how you get the cheap mouth guards at Wal-Mart for under a buck, then put them in hot water for 15-30 seconds and let it form to your teeth. Then you put this whitening gel on your teeth and then the mouth guard and let it set for like 30 minutes. This stuff works!!! Like good! It is super cheap! DIY whitening trays. It rocks. Try it out!!!

4. Pure Romance - Basic Instinct
  Okay, this is my second bottle of this stuff. I am absolutely in love with it. I know it says sex attractant and before you think I am a creep. Just hold on a sec. This perfume does or it did have pheramones in it which I guess could be a "sex attractant". The reason I am in love with this is because the smell changes for every single person. It generally just smells sweet but when it mixes with your body chemistry the smell changes. It smells great on me. I love it. I've tried it on everyone and the smell changes. On my husband it goes from sweet to smelling like wood and ceder like. I am not sure how it does it but Oh MY Lanta do I love this stuff!! PS. Pure Romance is a sex toy party thing. So do what you want with that but this stuff is legit.

5. BB Cream - Garnier
  I like the idea of BB cream. It has a bunch of stuff in it to make your skin better. It is not super full coverage which is exactly what I like. It's perfect for me as a mom it takes like 14 seconds to put on. Awesomesauce. The problem I have found with most BB creams is that since it has a moisturizer in it, it can make my combination skin gross. Add in some South Georgia humidity and its nasty. Also, SPF is good for me. SO far I am digging this. It stays on pretty well, it has a little bit more full coverage than normal for me but its okay. Doesn't make my face a huge grease ball. It was about 12 bucks which is a ton better than the 50 dollar one I liked from birchbox. I'll update you once it gets warmer here and how its holding up in the heat.

6.L'Oreal - Double Extend Beauty Tubes Mascara
  I heard about this mascara from Mama Lauglin. This is what she uses and her eyelashes are ridiculous. Forrealz. So what the hey lets give it a whirl. For a "Drugstore" makeup it is not bad at all. I will use it till its gone most likely. It is my favorite mascara ever. No. It made them a little longer but nothing dramatic for me. I guess because I am used to putting a primer on my lashes then mascara. So for someone that doesn't do that then this may be a good one for them. It was like 8 or 9 dollars. I think it is worth a try. It came off easily in warm water. I am just kinda blah about it. I really want to try the Younique mascara. problem is its 30 dollars for it!!! Yikes thats like a gas or a meal out. I will probably try it out just because I am super curious about it.

                                              

 *Here is my face with the pretty much everything on. Yeah I know it is a terrible selfie but I was just sending this pic to my friend to see what she thought of the crimson lip stain.*

So there ya go... My fav's for right now. This all could change tomorrow! If I find some more stuff I love I will let y'all know!

Have a great weekend!!!!

until next time

xoxo

B

how coconut oil saved my life

Okay.

that may be a bit of an exaggeration. 

seriously, this stuff is the bomb.com

unless, you've been living under a rock somewhere... I am quite sure you've heard of the benefits of coconut oil. If you have been living under a rock, you can read about some of its amazing qualities here. 

So now I will be to my reason on why coconut oil saved my life. 

This past winter lil' man caught the stomach bug at the same time as he was getting teeth then the following weeks we both were sick with bronchitis among other things. Needless to say December wasn't very fun.  With all of these things going on in his little body, he got a diaper rash. A bad diaper rash!!! I can count on one hand the times he's had some sort of rash down there. We've been very blessed. With this rash nothing was working. Aquaphor, desitin and a variety of other things I've read on the Internet. After looking all over the Internet for something to relieve my poor lil' mans pain. I stumbled upon someone saying they used coconut oil. 

I'm here to tell you folks that it works!!

We gave him a bath with baking soda in the water. Which is what we usually do when he has any type of skin irritation. Then after his bath we lightly patted his bottom to get the water off. Then put coconut oil all over. We used it instead of lotion and covered him head to toe. On his bottom we put on ALOT!!! By the next morning it was a complete 180. He was no longer red only a little pink. No more bleeding and he was one happy camper!! I also noticed the places around his mouth where the drool made him breakout were all healed!!! Can you believe that???

With all that being said you can NOT use the cheap stuff and get the same results! (Ahem LouAna I'm talking to you...DO NOT USE THE CHEAP STUFF!!) You need to get organic virgin cold pressed coconut oil. We get ours from Sam's club for super cheap. 16.00 for this big jug!!! Super great deal!!

Other things we use coconut oil for: cooking, body lotion, great for psoriasis, hair masks, lip scrubs, add to hot tea for sore throat. Honestly there are so many more. These are just what comes to mind at the moment. Oh.. I got one. Lil' man fell on the concrete the other day and used his face to catch himself. (poor kid didn't stand a chance with two clumsy parents lol) It looked bad! like i thought it would be really ugly for a long time. it has been one week since that accident and with putting coconut oil on it every night . its practically gone. just a little spot. where as a week ago it took up half his forehead.

Do you use coconut oil? If so, what do you use it for?? Let me know!!

book review: love the one you're with

I recently read the book : love the one you're with by emily giffin. First off lets give you the amazon description of this book:

A novel for anyone who has ever wondered: how can I truly love the one I'm with, when I can't forget the one who got away?

Ellen and Andy Graham have the perfect marriage. There is no question how deep their devotion is, and how naturally they bring out the best in each other. But one fateful afternoon, Ellen runs into Leo. The one who brought out the worst in her. The one who left her heartbroken nearly a decade ago. The one she could never quite forget. When his reappearance ignites long-dormant emotions, Ellen begins to question whether the life she's living is the one she's meant to live.

So here are my thoughts...
Thank god I did not buy this book. It was given to me after a friend read it. I've heard great things about emily giffin books. I know something borrowed is a book and a movie, i haven't seen or read either of them. I am pretty sure I just didn't like the whole concept of the book. Shes married to a great guy that has a great family. Of course, they are rich and everything else that seems perfect. i don't know. i just did not like it at all.

I am well aware that I have hit the mother load with my husband. he seriously is the best. so maybe i just can't understand the concept of it all. like i have guys that dumped me in the past but if they came crawling back i would be repulsed. especially to pursue a married woman. what kind of person does that make them? ya know??

My friend loved this book though, so who knows it may be me. she is a good writer unlike some other books i've read. try it out. it was an easy read. i got the book done in a total of a few hours. any reading is better than no reading. use your brain. its a muscle too!!