Mom On Wheels

So, I was recently given the opportunity to test out some Heelys.  If you didn't know, Heelys are shoes with wheels.  When I decided to order the shoes I thought, I bet my three year-old would love these!  Contrary to my preliminary thoughts, I did not find Heelys in a toddler size.  Okay, so maybe three is a bit young to be coordinated enough for shoes with wheels.  Hmm.  I've already committed myself to testing some shoes, so...guess who's testing some shoes?  Yes.  Me.  Mom.  On wheels.  This could be interesting (and laughable).

Needless to say, I ordered the shoes in my own adult size.  I was surprised at the selection available.  There are colors and styles to fit about any personality.  And a nice thing about these shoes - they're versatile.  The wheel comes out and you can simply wear them as an everyday street shoe.  The wheels are very easy to install and remove.  So, I got my shoes, and they are pretty cute!  I do have a chubby foot, though and would prefer a wider width.  They also aren't very deep, meaning that I feel like my heel should go in farther.  But overall, they were pretty comfortable.  Let's wheel!


Okay, so that didn't last very long!  I have to admit, as an adult in my thirties, I just don't have the coordination that I used to!  I honestly couldn't do it.  Now, I will say that I didn't try overly hard because I recently found out that I'm pregnant with my third child...so, I really didn't want to risk falling on my face!  Unfortunately, I will have to stick to using these as an everyday street shoe.  I think these are great for a kid, not so practical for your typical adult.  I should have gotten them for my 10 year old nephew.  He probably would have loved them!  If you want to try out some cool wheeled shoes, but fear that you lack the coordination, Heelys does offer a tutorial, Skate 101.  I will be enjoying my Heelys sans wheels!

Disclosure:  I received no monetary compensation for this review. I received a product sample for the purpose of my review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Sweet Moments® - Review and Giveaway

Sometimes we all just need a moment, right?  A moment to sit back, relax and enjoy a little something that sweetens the day.  Hmmm...chocolaty sweetness.  I definitely have a sweet tooth, so I was more than content to pick up two free bags of Pillsbury^® Sweet Moments^® .  I was disappointed to find that they were sold out of most of the available flavors at the store where I did my shopping!  These sweet little pieces of brownie goodness must be good!  I ended up getting Cocoa Carmel Obsession (which I would have chosen anyway) and settled on Cocoa Fudge Chip for my second bag.  The other available varieties are Cocoa Fudge Escape, Sweet Moments® Caramel Cheesecake, and Sweet Moments® Raspberry Cheesecake.  I would love to try the Caramel Cheesecake ones next.  I'm a sucker for a chocolate and carmel combination!

Sweet Moments® are marketed as bite-sized brownies. I would describe them as a truffle, of sorts.  Call them what you will, but I call them delicious!  If you plan on sharing, you better get more than one bag!  The Cocoa Carmel Obsession were awesome.  Those were gone in two days.  The Cocoa Fudge Chip were just okay for me.  They seemed a bit more dry, whereas the caramel one was very moist.  I have to be honest, I probably won't buy these very often.  The only reason being that these are one of those treats that I would indulge in rather than "eat in moderation".  By indulge, I mean eat the whole bag and regret it in the morning! 

You can visit Pillsbury^® Sweet Moments^® for a sweet $1off coupon if you are ready to indulge!  Or, you can indulge for free by entering this giveaway!  Enter here for a chance to win your own Pillsbury^® Sweet Moments^® prize pack including:

• 2 VIP coupons for the free purchase of any Pillsbury^® Sweet Moments^® variety
• Leather journal
• Fleece blanket
• Coffee Mug

How To Enter:

1. Mandatory - Follow Jessica, The Mom via GFC and comment on this post, and tell me what your everyday "sweet moment" is.  (One entry.)

Additional entries:

1. "Like" Jessica, The Mom on Facebook.  Be sure to comment here with your facebook name for your entry to count. 
2. "Like" Pillsbury^®'s Facebook Page and thank them for the giveaway, tagging Jessica, The Mom.  Be sure to comment here with your facebook name for your entry to count.
3. Tweet this post.  Be sure to comment here that you did for your entry to count. (Can be done once daily.) 

Good luck and have a SWEET day!

This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 years and older. All entries must be submitted no later than August 30, 2011, 11:59 CST.  Winner will be chosen via True Number Generator at Random.org and notified via blog post and email.  Winner must respond to notice within 48 hours or another winner will be chosen.  Jessica, The Mom is not responsible if your notice goes into your spam box. 

Disclosure:  Pillsbury^® Sweet Moments^® , information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

Great Deal on Propel Zero

Check out Menards through July 31st and score up to six 6-packs of Propel Zero for only $1.75 each!!  That is an awesome price at only 29 cents per bottle!  Price is after 75 cent mail-in rebate (limit 6) and rebate is in form of a merchandise credit check.  Even without the rebate, you're getting a great deal at $2.50 per 6-pack.  That is still only 42 cents per bottle.  I personally LOVE Grape Propel Zero and will be taking advantage of the great sale price at Menards! 

Visit Menards for complete details.

Even If It Makes Me Cry

Once upon a time, I was a 135 pound, size eight, 27 year-old bride to be.  That's a picture of me, then, at my baccalaureate party.  Five years and two kids later, I'm tipping the scales at a much higher number than I wish to share.  I got married in 2006, had my daughter in 2008 and my son in 2010.  I had both of my children via C-section.  But now it's been over a year since my son was born and it's time to lay the "I've had two kids" excuse to rest.

The fact is, I've struggled with my weight since high school.  I've been up.  I've been down.  For most of my late teens and early twenties I bounced around between 120 and up to 150 before I got in decent shape for my wedding.  Keep in mind that I'm only 5'1", so 150 was heavier for me than it would be for a taller woman.  I actually started putting weight back on before I got pregnant with Kaiya.  I was careless.  We had started trying for her right after the wedding and I kind of had it in my mind that I was going to get pregnant and gain weight anyway, so why bother working too hard on my weight right now?  Not the wisest choice on my part.  I was back up to around 150 when I finally got pregnant with Kaiya and gained 50lbs during my first pregnancy.  Yes, I broke the 200lb mark (while pregnant).  I did lose a lot of the weight after she was born, but never got back below 150.  Then came Carson.  At least I didn't break 200 with him, but I did put on about 35lbs.  I lost some of it, but now, 14 months after the birth of my second child, the body of my past seems like such a distant memory. 

Being overweight sucks!  I hate it.  I hate looking in the mirror most days and I hate trying to find clothes that I feel good in.  Some days I am really hard on myself, and it really gets me down.  I do not like the way my body looks.  It affects me on a day-to-day basis.  I know I'm the only one who can fix it.  One good thing is that I still don't have to shop plus sizes.  I promised myself I never would.  If I'm going to keep that promise to myself, I have to fix it now.  I feel like I'm at a point right now where I have to draw the line.  I cannot let it go any longer.  I cannot make any more excuses for myself.  I need to just do it.

Four days ago, I started Insanity®.  This is the first time that I can remember (since my days in the National Guard, anyway) that I've worked out for more than two consecutive days (let alone 4!).  I will do the Day 5 workout tonight and I will do the Day 6 workout tomorrow.  And I will do the entire 60-day challenge, resting only one day per week.   I cried (just a tiny bit) on day 3.  It is a hard workout.  I'll probably cry again.  But I'm sticking with it and I'm going to like my body again.

Follow me on my journey, if you like.  I'll be posting updates and, eventually, pictures of my progress.  I'm not yet comfortable posting a "before" pic, but I think I will be once I can say, "That used to be me."

A Coupon For Just About Everything

I was recently invited to visit a coupon website that I had actually never heard of.  I'm always looking for a good deal, so of course I was curious to check it out.  I went to couponchief.com to see what I'd been missing.  I was expecting another site for clipping traditional grocery-type coupons for food, health & beauty, etc.  Don't get me wrong, I love these sites, but most of them provide the same coupons as the next and I can only deal with so many email alerts in my inbox.  I was pleased to find that couponchief.com is different.

I haven't had the opportunity to do much online shopping lately, although it is one of my favorite ways to make purchases.  But I will definitely be visiting this site the next time I want to make an online purchase from a major (and even not so major) retailer.  Coupon Chief has a coupon code for just about any popular store you can think of.  Planning on doing a little bra shopping?  Click here for a free shipping code at Victoria's Secret.  Looking for a discount on your next electronics purchase at Best Buy?  There's a code for that.  In fact, I did a search on several major retailers (there is a search bar right on the site) and found Target, Verizon, Carter's, Amazon and Hobby Lobby, just to name a few.  There is no guarantee that every code will work and the codes are not provided directly by the retailers, but it appears as though many of them are legitimate.

The codes at couponchief.com are submitted by its fans.  They have a program called pays-2-share that allows you to be rewarded for submitting coupon codes that can be shared on the site.  There is also a blog highlighting current major retailers with codes.  You can create an account to receive newsletters and email alerts.  The site is visually appealing, as well.  It is neat and organized without a lot of clutter.  I'm inclined to not make many return visits to sites full of clutter that are hard to navigate.  The colors are clean and fresh and it had a bit of a retro feel to it.  Overall, I was pleased to add this site to my favorites.  I look forward to utilizing some great discount codes on my next online purchase, and I feel confident that there will probably be one available for what ever my needs might be.

I would love to know if you've visited this site before and, if so, what was your success rate?  Would you recommend it to others?  Stop by for a visit and post your feedback here.  You can also visit them on facebook!  As always, happy couponing!


Disclosure