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Showing posts from November, 2015

Studio Fun International's ASPCA Rescue Readers Review

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I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms Meet program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agree to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturer of this product. The winter weather has been good to us (so far)! My boys and I have been able to get outside for quite a few walks lately. Taking the dog for a walk - or run - around the neighborhood is one of our favorite activities any time of the year. We love our pup. He is a part of our family! When we are trying to keep busy indoors, E insists that we read the ASPCA kids: Rescue Readers book series over and over again. He's not just a dog lover; E loves animals in general. As a Moms Meet blogger, I received this book series to review and share with you. Studio Fun International has partnered with the American Society for the Prevention of Cru

Lovely is Your Dwelling Place | Five-Minute Friday

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Halfway through November and we finally got our snow! Now it officially feels like the holiday season is near. For today's Five-Minute Friday , our free-write word is "Dwell". What's a "free write"? No editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation. Just write! 00:00 START the timer! ______________________ How lovely is Your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. PSALM 84:1-2 I love these verses. How lovely is Your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! For much of my life I wasn't "dwelling" with the Lord. Until I surrendered my life to the Lord almost 5 years ago, I was just a dweller in the tents of the wicked (v. 10). I can confidently say that even a "bad day" walking with the Lord is better than the best day of living without Him.  Without the Lord, the weight of the w

MealEnders #FitHolidays Review and GIVEAWAY!

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Disclosure: I received this product for free through my affiliation with Fit Approach as a Sweat Pink Ambassador in exchange for a blog review. I received no other compensation and opinions are 100% my own. Ah, the holidays are almost here!  Thanksgiving and Christmas are my two favorite holidays. Time with family, extra time thanking the Lord for all of His goodness, beautiful snowy weather, and, oh, the food. SO much delicious food! About that delicious food... It is extra hard to keep from over-indulging when you are surrounded by tasty meals, desserts and snacks for days on end (#firstworldproblems). I'm all about sweets but it's the "in moderation" that can be a challenge during the family get-togethers. As a Sweat Pink Ambassador, I was introduced to MealEnders last week and these tiny treats are the perfect tool to end excessive post-meal snacking. MealEnders are a 15-calorie "signaling lozenge" made up of a sweet outer reward layer an

Runner Spotlight: Auralee

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Hello, Monday! For this week's Runner Spotlight interview, we are hearing from a runner from my part of the country. You know, the cold part?! The Runner Spotlight  came to be because I love to meet new people and, of course, talk running. Twice a month, a new runner will be featured on the Runner Spotlight. Through these interviews, we will meet and learn from runners of all distances, paces and food preferences. Meet Auralee. She is a wife, mom of two little boys and a passionate long distance runner. Her ability to balance family life and long distance training (plus running super fast) has been a great encouragement to me! Marathon training isn't for the faint of heart and, well, neither is motherhood. Being a mom of little ones and training for a marathon at the same time may sound like madness to some - but it's doable. And there is a rare breed that actually ENJOYS it! Let's hear from Auralee and how she gets it all done. All About Running: Wh

Rest for the Weary | Five-Minute Friday

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Good morning! It's  Five-Minute Friday  and our free-write topic is "Weary". What's a "free write"? No editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation. Just write! 00:00 START the timer! ______________________ Every day the world is yelling, "DO more! BE more! You're NOT enough!". Satan has orchestrated this culture to find its value in busyness. The Enemy wants our schedules packed, our minds swimming and our household in a constant state of hurry. There are (too many) times when I say "yes" to a few too many commitments or when I fall for the lie that I need to do more than "just" raise my boys and take care of my family. My most common mistake is to jump in to a design project or other commitment before I ask the Lord about it. He has given me clear guidance that I am "mom" full-time and designer (or whatever else) after that. (My habit of jumping ahead of the Lor

My #HolidaySweat Goals

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Happy Monday and Day 2 of the #HolidaySweat Challenge ! What's that sweaty challenge all about? The #HolidaySweat Challenge involves tracking your minutes of exercise and your fruit and veggie intake each day by logging them at fitapproach.com/holidaysweat . Set goals, stay motivated and encourage others throughout the holiday season! TODAY'S PROMPT: What's your minutes goal this week? How will you get there?! My #HolidaySweat GOAL(s) Each week, I am shooting for at least 250 minutes of exercise plus 5-7 servings of fruits and veggies. Fitting in the fruits and veggie servings is more difficult for me than the exercise. Yes, I'm a "freggies" slacker. This challenge will be good for me AND my family! The HOW Fitting in exercise with my two little ones at home sometimes feels like a juggling act but making the time to exercise is worth it! I do my best to stay flexible with my schedule, get creative with the strength training and manage my

Our First Dance | Five-Minute Friday

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Welcome to  Five-Minute Friday 's free-write! Today's topic is "Dance". What's a "free write"? No editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation. Just write! 00:00 START the timer! ______________________ Flash back 3.5 years ago... We spent the day surrounded by friends and family. Dressed in our finest clothes. Slightly damp and chilled from a cool and rainy day in May. After the exchange of our wedding vows and a bunch of wedding pictures, we excitedly made our way to the reception. We visited with family and friends who traveled from near and far to be with us on our special day. We ate meatballs, drank coffee and inhaled that amazingly delicious raspberry-filled white cake. It was time for our first dance . The song was "Crazy Like You" by Josh Grider (not particularly romantic, but true for us!) "I say everybody's crazy so what you gonna to do You need to find somebody craz

Runner Spotlight: Tina Muir

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I hope your November is off to a marvelous start! For today's Runner Spotlight interview, we are talking with elite runner Tina Muir! The Runner Spotlight  came to be because I love to meet new people and, of course, talk running. Twice a month, a new runner will be featured on the Runner Spotlight. Through these interviews, we will meet and learn from runners of all distances, paces and food preferences. Without further ado, meet Tina Muir. She is an elite runner sponsored by Saucony. Tina shares her insight into life as an elite runner on her blog,  Fuel Your Future with Tina Muir , and is community manager at Runners Connect . Interviewing Tina was so much fun because, despite being ridiculously fast, she is very down-to-earth. Being a middle-of-the-pack runner myself, the elite runners seem to be off in their own (much faster) world yet Tina is a great spokeswoman for elites being "real" people, too. They deal with the ups and downs of running and the battle of