Giveaways for 1-31-10

Can you believe that January 2010 is already in the books??!?! That is just Crazy! I didn't win anything last week. However I've noticed that a lot of the giveaways are going on for extended periods, so that could just be the case, or this week wasn't my week...

•  Mommy Mandy is giving away a 1-800-Flowers.com gift card (Ends 2.10)
• J. leigh designz is giving away a winners choice of scarves from Affordable Scarves (Ends 2.22)
• Parent Trend has a beautiful Black Akoya Pearl Necklace that she's giving away from Pearl Paradise (Ends 2.14) -Just in time?
• 5 Minutes for Mom is really excited about their giveaway... I would be too! An Xbox 360 Elite Bundle! Holy Cow! (Ends 2.19)

Whole Foods

Sorry I've been a little MIA this week... I wanted to post about a news story, regarding Whole Foods new employee incentive. From what I've been reading basically employees currently get a 20% discount. If the employee chooses they can opt for a higher discount if they participate in Whole Foods Get Healthy Program.

Basically the program asses the employees for certain risk factors, smoking, blood pressure, cholesterol, BMI. The program is tiered so that an employee can get partial credit. Take for instance someone like me who I don't smoke, my blood pressure is perfect and my cholesterol is only slightly elevated. However, I am obese and my BMI isn't healthy by any stretch. I would imagine I would qualify for an additional discount but not the full 30%.
This program is voluntary and it’s an incentive. Whole Foods is in the business of catering to healthy lifestyles and individuals and their employees are an extension of their business. In most cases, they are the face of the company.
Whole Foods is coming under some harsh criticism for this plan, saying that its vanity. And that it's rewarding those with a perfect image. I do not agree with this idea. The program doesn't judge you on your looks; you can be healthy and still look homely (sorry). Again, in my case, I am clinically obese, yet I have great blood pressure and I don't smoke. The program is looking for people to obtain/attain healthy BMI's there is nothing wrong with that! Why are critics trying to protect the fat! It makes no sense to me at all. The employees are still getting a discount (20%) and the program is voluntary and could possibly increase the employees discount up to 30%.
I say good for you Whole Foods. I think more companies should offer incentives like this.

More Giveaways!

I had some time to kill....

• Pink and Posh are working with Affordable Scarves for a giveway (ends 1.29)
• Lizzy's Dear Life has a pair of Ryn walking shoes that I would LOVE to try! (ends 2.5)
• Frugal RI Mama is hosting a giveaway of a $200 Body Shop gife card from ShopAtHome.com (ends 1.26)
• Frugal RI Mama is having a giveaway of a Wisk HE prize pack from laundryHE.com (ends 1.28)

New type of Cardio

Now this is a form of exercise I could get used to...

The amount of calories burned really dwarfs what I could do in the gym....now it's just a matter of $$.

ewww...gross!

Ok this seriously disturbs me...

I mean really.... how is that sanitary? I just don't get it. I have a hard enough time in hotels knowing that some random person has slept in a bed that I am going to sleep in, but to actually have a person lay down in the sheets to warm them up?

To read that article, and only a few days ago, Ben and I were watching Dirty Jobs, the job was a mattress recycler and they talked about how a mattress gains weight through the years, yah... dead skin cells. And it can be a significant amount, OMG... so in a hotel room I would be sleeping in someone else's dead skin cells... GROSS! How will I ever sleep in a hotel room again?

Not to mention all the little things to be on the look for from my short stint working in HR for a Sheraton hotel.

Let's just say I will NOT be asking for this service. Thankfully, right now it’s only available in the UK, hopefully, it stays there... lol

Giveaways week of 01/22/10

• CraftyMama of 4 is giving away a Your Shape game for the Wii. I've read so many blogs/tweets about this game, that I'd really like the opportunity to try it out for myself! (Ends 1/23)
• J. leigh designz teamed up with Fantasy Jewelry Box for a giveaway of Betsy's 1.5 Inch Silver Diamond CZ Hoop Earrings! - SOOO Cute! (Ends 2/15)
• Craving Savings is giving away General Mills Cereal (Ends 1/27)
• Pink & Posh is giving away a custom I Love NY Flip (Ends 2/14)
• Money Saving Tips for a Keeper at Home is giving away a SeaGate FreeAgent Go Portable Hard Drive (Ends 2/11)
• Money Saving Tips for a Keeper at Home is also giving away a Moen Rainshower Head (ends 2/3)
• All Because Two People Fell In Love is giving away NutraSalt (Ends 2/3)

A great site for good information: EADFL

Engineer A Debt Free Life (EADFL for short) is a great resource for saving money. I originally came across this blog/site because of a giveaway and became an avid reader due to the amount of information. There is so much that I wasn't doing to help rid my life of debt. VERY simple things, like signing up for SwagBucks, a website that randomly gives out "SwagBucks" which then can be used to purchase gift card to popular stores/businesses. And SwagBucks, uses Google to conduct their searches, so you are still getting the same results!
 

 
Please visit EADFL - even if you just take a look around. Anyone who is looking for information about giveaways, coupons, anything to due with saving money, should and I bet would find some useful information on this site.  

On a winning streak?

If I were its the only type of streaking I would do! LOL. Anyway... This week I was informed that I won:

• SoftLips (my personal fav) from Let's Just Give it Away

• I was also the winner of the WERZ 107.1 FM workday challenge yesterday, and won a gift certificate to the Salon at 903 in Dover, NH (which is new & doesn't have a website yet). But I've already been there (its where my stylist moved to, and its amazing!) Go see Rachelle!

Wordless Wednesday

I can't say I won't do this every week, but I wanted to share....

I made dinner for the boys at work (Shepard's Pie) and I made the house smell so nice, I couldn't leave poor Ben with nothing, so I made him his own little side dish...

LoserMoms Weigh-In

Okay so I know I weighed in at Weight Watchers last night, and I had lost .6 pounds, but when I stepped on the scale this morning for the Loser Moms weigh in I was actually down another .2 pounds overnight. Bringing my current weight to 294.6! A great 'first' week with the Loser Mom FAYE Contest.

It must have been some sleep! To be able to loose another .2 pounds, especially after eating a delicious dinner that Benny made for me.

And here's your proof....

I swear, for one of these pictures I'll get a pedicure... 

A day late...

Good Olde New England, the snow yesterday prevented me from weighing in at my normal time/location. So I weighed in tonight in Plaistow at the local WW Center. Turns out it was my usual leader from the Exeter location! She was happy to see me. Also happy to hear that I am down 0.6 pounds!!! I wasn't entirely sure of this week since I wasn't tracking my food all that well (I was more focused on exercise).

That brings my current total to 19 pounds lost over 15 weeks. I am 1 pound away from my reward an iPhone.... so close I can taste it. I think I will make myself at least maintain the 20 pound loss or lose more for 2 weeks consistently (since my weight does tend to fluctuate)

Very excited about this! Great News!

Giveaways Week of 1/16/10

Since I've been doing well with giveaways, here are some more:

• Thrifty and Chic Mom (http://www.fabuloussavings.com/) is giving away a Flip Mino Camcorder (ends 1/24)
• The Not-So-Blog is giving away SOFT LIPS!!!! (I'm obviously addicted) (ends 1/28)
• MommyGoggles is giving away Weight Watchers... now obviously, I need that! (ends 1/23)
• From Dates to Diapers is giving away a Sealy Posturepedic Signature Series Mattress set, which I need! badly... (ends 2/14 **awwhhh!**)
• An Island Life is giving away Popsicles! YUM! (ends 1/21)

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner...

Giveaways pay off... this week I won a

• $25 Gift Card to BJ's courtesy of Life as a CEO
• $50 American Express Gift Card courtesy of Look What Mom (& Dad) Found

With that, I think its time to find some more giveaways! Stay tuned!

I have nightmares about this....

Floor caves under Weight Watchers weigh-in 

This is just crazy, I had to share with all of you out there in blogger world.... 

And it starts....

Week #1 of Loser Moms... its the toughest week to start, because its the worst of the worst... but here it is... my starting weight. From now till April 10th I'll be posting my weight pictures as I send them into the Loser Moms contest. I need to be honest with myself and the whole world. This time there is NO going back.

296.... Two Hundred and Ninety Six pounds, holy moly. One small saving grace is that I am actually down 18 pounds from when I started Weight Watchers back in late October. But I still have a long way to go.


I think I need to follow Liz (Goddess in Progress) and her example by taking (and posting) before and after pictures. Like she said, its hard when you have SO much weight to loose to see changes, and that is where pictures come into play. They help you to see the progress you are making even if you can't see it yourself.


Last night I was at the gym with some girlfriends and we were working it on the elliptical machines, one friend noticed that even though I did about 1/2 mile less than them that I still managed to burn 80 more calories. I'm thinking, hello.... I easily have 70 pounds on you! Yeah, I have more to burn and more to loose.


My doctor has told me that my goal weight for now is 250, but ultimately she'd like to see my at my high school weight (I know you are thinking, oh yeah, right). I've been heavy my whole life, my high school graduating weight, 220....


Right now my BMI is 41.3 (way obese) even at 220 I am looking at 30.7 (still obese). At 200 I would be 27.9 and in the overweight category. I think that it would be really ideal to go for the 220 but then to keep on going and at the very least, achieve a BMI in the overweight category. I don't really want to forever be labeled as obese.

Crab this BMI widget here

Why I parked out front...

I usually don't post about my work, but this was too funny...


With last week's astronomical high tide combined with the winter storm, produced Coastal Flood Warnings for the Hampton, NH area. Here is a picture of the back parking lot behind the fire station. This is why I parked out front. See that fenced in area just above the telephone lines in the picture. That is where they want to build our new fire station... obviously, they would have to fix some drainage issues.

Original Story from the Hampton Union

I'm doing The 2nd Biggest Loser Moms Fuck All Y'all Edition

**sorry for the language - but that's what it's called, folks!**

One of the blogs I follow Mariana from Riding with No Hands had tweeted about this contest. And so I, trying to be more health conscious and loose weight, decided to click on through and investigate further. Well it brought me to Loser Moms and outlined their 2nd Biggest Loser Moms Fuck All Y'all Edition (or FAYE for PC peeps). Me not being a mom, well that doesn't matter, its for people who want to loose weight. And money is a great motivator.

So for $10 (entry fee) I signed up. The contest starts January 10th and ends April 10th. The two highest weight loss percentages will be awarded cash money. The more people that sign up the more money that can be won.

I am always motivated by money (sad fact, but true) and for me, its two fold. I want to lose weight so this will encourage me since I don't want to lose my money. Its an investment, that I am hoping will have big returns.

Contest weigh-ins are looking to be on Wednesdays which is different from my Monday night WW weigh-ins - So I'll be weighing in for the contest on my home scale, which does differ from the WW scale. So it may be confusing, but I am going to go with it. We don't have to post our weights publicly. But I think I will post them here so that a) its proof and b) humiliates me into being better...

I am excited for this opportunity. I've got my game face on!

Giveaways Week of 1/4/10

• The Thrifty, Frugal Mom is giving away a $25 GC to BJ's - Ends 1/11
  
• An Island Life is giving away SOFT LIPS!!!! (Only type I use!) - Ends 1/10
  
• Our Ordinary Life has partnered up with Pizza Hut - Ends 1/12
  
• Let's Just Give it Away is also giving away Soft Lips! (Can you tell I love the product!)- Ends 1/19
  
• Life as a CEO is giving away a $25 GC to BJ's as well. - Ends 1/11
  
• Mom Start and Pizza Hut are giving away GC's - Ends 1/25
  
• The Single Mama Review Corner is giving away... yup you guessed it... Soft Lips! Ends 1/10
  
• Craving Savings is giving away one of the sought after prizes... a Keurig Platinum Single Serve Brewing System!! - Ends 1/13
  
• J. Leigh Designz is also giving away a Keurig Brewing System - Ends 2/15
• The Karianna Spectrum has paired up with Tom's of Maine (local product!) - Ends 1/15

Weigh-In

So I've been doing Weight Watchers for 12 weeks now. I am down a total of 18.8 pounds. Its taken me 3 months to lose almost 19 pounds. While its great that I am losing weight, its just frustrating that its taking so long.... I guess I am impatient. but I have to keep telling myself that Rome wasn't built in a day.

I am kicking it up a notch by joining Planet Fitness. I went again today. Riding a gym high after I left. I ran into one of my college friends and caught up with him, which was nice. Perhaps I'll see him around the gym more.

I am focused on the small goals, I can't look at the big picture right now, its too far away. But first was my 5% goal, which I hit last week, now I am looking forward to 20 pounds lost (I will be rewarding myself with an iPhone) and then my 10% goal. Then once I hit my 10% goal, I'll set some new small goals.

Rome wasn't built in a day....

Trying to start the new year off right

So after working 24 hours what does one want to do?

If you answered "Go to the gym" then you'd be me....

I signed up last week for Planet Fitness their brand new location in Stratham, NH. This location is open 24 hours during the week. I signed up for their "black card" which is a little more money then their standard option, but enables me to travel to different locations. I have 2 friends that belong to the Plaistow location and Ben belongs to the Tewksbury, MA location... so at least with the travel option, if I wanted to work out with others, I could.

Come to find out, while talking with "the boys" at work over the breakfast table, many of them have either switched gyms or joined as well. So perhaps I'll be able to see some friendly faces there.

So this morning, in the snow and all, I went to work out at a real gym for the first time in 3 years. It's just like I remembered. I started on the elliptical machine for cardio and then went on their circuit (their version of Curves) and finished up with some ab work and stretching to cool down. I was there for about an hour. I was more or less trying to get oriented to the place. I like how its laid out. Plenty of room to move about.

I felt really good leaving the gym dare I say a "gym high".... I can only hope that it continues. I brought clothes to go tomorrow after work as well. I guess we'll see. The only bad thing is that my iPod is dead.. :-(

In other personal news, welcome to the world Baby Kaylee... my friend Tricia gave birth today. Mom and baby are doing well. Perhaps I'll get to see them tomorrow!

Hi my name is Cassie...

And I am a giveaway addict.

It all started with the Here Comes Santa Claus blog party... and I was looking for a release from the stress of Toy Bank. I needed something mindless... enter the giveaways. Its so easy! Just click here, comment here, tweet there and BAM! You are entered. Its the prospect of winning that drew me in. Since then (late November) I've been introduced to some really wonderful people and I'm happy. (Despite my tweeps who are sick of me tweeting about giveaways...)

In the four years of being in charge of a non-profit (Toy Bank) this Christmas season I was far less stressed than in years past. It could be any number of things or a combination of things. However regardless, I enjoy tweeting about giveaways and the prospect of winning!

Since I've started entering giveaways I've won several things.

• My "It's a belt" prize pack from WeTV
• A Chelsea and Main Bag from Jolly Mom
• The Hangover on DVD from the 404 Podcast at cnet
• Glade Holiday Gift Set from TechSavvyMama
• Suave Gift Set from TechSavvyMama
• $30 Gift Card to WalMart from Frugal Plus

And there are still many giveaways that are ongoing or have ended and winners not posted yet... so I'll continue to keep my fingers crossed!

Besides there are WORSE things I could be involved with/addicted to... right?

More Giveaways!!!

MomStart partnered up with Dr. Perricone for a Cold Plasma giveaway! Read more about it here - Ends 1/18/10

Mommy Mandy is giving away a $10 gift card from Pizza Hut. - Ends 1/15/10

MomFuse is giving away a $25 gift card to Subway! And we all know how much I love my Eat Fresh! - Ends 1/8/10

Rockin Mama is trying to help us stay fit with a giveaway! - Ends 1/10/10

The Cove

So sometimes at night I surf Netflix and add random stuff to my queue - and then weeks later when the movie arrives I look at it and go "What was I thinking!?!"

Well this movie started out that way. But its a independent film, documentary. It's breathtaking... I cannot believe that in today's day and age that this still goes on in modern society today.

I would recommend this movie to anyone. Definitely NOT kid appropriate. Last year, I started watching Whale Wars on Animal Planet (Speaking of which - what happened to Meerkat Manor?? --- just sayin')

Whales and dolphins are beautiful creatures of which we only know a small amount about. I can't believe that Japan would still engage in killing these creatures.... And the political moves are nuts. I can't believe that they get away with that kind of deception. Its almost as bad as North Korea and its WMD's

Give your face a new years treat with Perricone MD’s Cold Plasma #giveaway

Give your face a new years treat with Perricone MD’s Cold Plasma #giveaway