you won't succeed if you don't try...

isn't that a saying?  Well if it's not, it's my new saying for today.  I decided to enter Jack in the Paper Mama Valentine's Day contest.  Getting Jack to cooperate, was another story.  He did everything but smile.  He cried, rolled around, ran around...you name it. 

Finally I got one.  One shot.

Let's hope it's a winner:

Happy Sunday and contest reminder!

I hope you all are having a great weekend! Just a reminder to enter my Shutterfly Valentine's Day card contest.  It ends tonight so that you will for sure have enough time to get those out to friends and family!

25 ways to say i love you....

When I was little, I can remember going to the store and picking out Valentine's Day cards to give to all my fellow classmates.  I remember getting so excited for the school party and wondering about the cards I'd recieve.   I'd then go through my box of Valentine's and "reserve" out cards -- certain ones for favorite friends, others for the crush..even ones for my not so favorite classmates. As time went on, things seemed to get so much more complicated. 

Thankfully, as an adult, wife and mother, Valentine's Day is something far less tangible to me now. Now it's not about the gifts or how much is spent, it's about showing the people in my life how much they mean to me.  It's about having the right people in your life and around you. And as the years go on, I can't wait to get homemade Valentine's cards from Jack!

This year, I'm excited to send Valentine's to our friends and family (and it's a good chance to show off Jack!). I'm even more excited to beusing Shutterfly for my Valentine's Day cards!

Shutterfly has a great selection of Valentine's Day Cards that I can personalize and upload one or several pictures to. I loved using them for my Christmas cards, and I am equally impressed with their Valentines designs.  These are just two of my favorite designs:

 

Tickled Pink Peppermint Card







Cupid's Arrow Card





Not only does Shutterfly have a great selection of Valentine's Day Cards and Stationary, you can also find adorable personalized photo gifts!

**************

The Giveaway

Just in time for Valentine's Day, Shutterfly is offering one lucky reader 25 FREE Valentine's Day Cards!

To win (mandatory entry):

Tell me your favorite way to say(or show) I love you.

Bonus Entries: 

• 'Like' Shutterfly on Facebook
• Follow my blog (if you do, let me know)

Please leave your email with each comment.  Cotest ends Sunday January 30th, at 11:59pm. Winner will be drawn via Random.org, and will be contacted via email.

GOODLUCK! 

Disclosure: I am receiving 25 Free Valentine's Day Cards as part of this promotion. This has in no way affected my thoughts, opinions and viewpoints expressed.

Wordish Wednesday....

Our dog Lenny is obsessed with squirrels.  He sits and stares out the window looking for them. 

Lately Jack has been doing the same thing......
 
Have a great Wednesday......

Be sure to check out other Wordless Wednesday posts at The Paper Mama.

success....

I am a big lunch eater.  At work I eat enough for 3 people sometimes....BUT since I have been on my "diet"  I have really become more aware of what I eat during my work day.  I have learned that I can still eat a lot of food but not consume 2000 calories. 

Since I started myfitnesspal.com 5 weeks ago, I have lost 5 pounds.  That's right 5.  I came home from the gym yesterday morning, and swore to my husband that the scale must be broken, but it's not.  This has been so much easier than I anticpated, and I am not counting calories on the weekend! 

So I after I celebrated my success with about 100 Hershey Kisses, I realized that this can be done.  Who knows how long it will last, but in keeping up with Heir to Blair, I thought I would list some of the changes I have made:

1.  Becoming aware of what I am eating, and not just stuffing my face.
2. No more Starbucks, or any other high calorie fancy drink. (this one was hard)
3. No snacks after dinner, also difficult, but I instead have tea and keeps me full.
4.  Getting into a workout routine and sticking to it.
5.  Stopping when I am full, I don't need to be "stuffed"

So I'm half way there.  I feel pretty happy....if anything, it's a great way to start a week.  I hope you all had a good Monday, only 4 more days til the weekend.

 

my little talker

Happy Friday! I am soooo glad the weekend is here, especially since it is -2 outside right now.  I hope you all have fun things planned.  My husband will be at the Bears game (watching them beat the Packers!) and we will be keeping warm inside.

Jack recently started talking up a storm. And when I say talking up a storm, I mean that he talks ALL DAY LONG.  Most of it I can't understand.  But I love listening to him talk.  For now he says these words
mama
dada
enny (lenny our dog)
all done
book
car
hot
more
milk
moo
bird
choo choo
nana
apple
open
elmo

It seems like he is learning new words every day!  I know everyone says "just wait, soon you will wish they would stop talking", but for now I love it.

I just can't wait for him to say "i love you!"

Have a great

Wordless Wednesday: Chicago Bears Edition

I Heart Faces: Winter Wonderland

joining the bandwagon

I always say I want to get in shape and lose a few pounds.  This year I'm serious.  I want to lose 10 pounds and get rid of the flab that I call my belly.  I have been pretty good so far, working out 3 times a week and getting back into kickboxing classess at my gym.  I love those classes.

I also have started tracking what I eat at MyFitnessPal.  IT's great.  It designs a food and workout plan based on what your goals are.  After I log in my food and exercise for the day it even tells me how much I would weigh in 5 weeks if I ate like this everyday! 

I've also learned it's okay to have bad days.  We all do.  Days where we eat nothing but carbs and snack and snack and snack.  It just can't happen everyday.

That's where you come in....what do you do to stay motivated?  Do you keep a picture on your fridge of what your ideal weight is?  Do you imagine yourself in a bathing suit?

I want to know...because I sure could use some help!

p.s. I'm linking up at Heir to Blair for some other great McFatty Monday Posts.  I'm hoping to keep track every monday of my successes (and failures!).

I hope your week is off to a great start. 

Don't have time to cook? Me either.

So I meant to post about this site sooner, and I forgot until my sister reminded me about it.  I used to always find myself needing 1 or 2 ingredient for the night's dinner.  I would have to stop at the store on my way home from work which was just a pain, and took up time.

Along came Supercook.  It's amazing.  Supercook finds recipes you can make with only the ingredients you have at home. You just type the ingredients you have in on their site and recipes pop up!. The more ingredients you add, the better the results will be.

For all of you busy, and working moms I think it's great, and I thought you should know about it!

I hope you are having a great week, and have an even better weekend.  Go Bears!
 

pay it forward...

I was lucky enough to be one of the first 3 commentors at Six Cherries on Top.  In turn I would like to pay it forward:

I promise to send something handmade

to the first 3 people who leave a comment here.

To be eligible, you must also post this in your blog,

offering the same thing to 3 other people.

The rules are that it must be handmade by you and it

must be sent to your 3 people *sometime* in 2011.

I've signed up! And, now I'm ready to PAY IT FORWARD!
So, I will attempt to get my stuff out by the end of March. I don't think that's TOO far away is it?

I can't wait to see who the lucky 3 are!

Now go out and do something nice!

Wordless Wednesday....faces edition

An Easy Monday Meal...

I'm tired.  Actually I'm exhausted.  I really dislike Mondays.  What makes it a little better is a super easy dinner.  This one is one I found on Kraft.com, and I love it.  It's so easy, Jack could probably whip it up himself, and it's delish.  Perfect for those cold wintery nights.

Enjoy!

Photo courtesy of Kraft.com( p.s. sorry I don't have my own pics, I will post them next time I make this!)

Ingredients:

1 pkt. (1/2 of 11.75-oz. pkg.) VELVEETA Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

1 lb.  lean ground beef

1 cup frozen mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, corn)

1 cup  beef gravy

Directions:

Heat oven to 375°F.
PREPARE Potatoes as directed on package. Meanwhile, brown meat in large skillet; drain.
ADD vegetables and gravy to meat; mix well. Spoon into 8-inch square baking dish; cover with prepared Potatoes.
BAKE 20 to 25 min. or until heated through and lightly browned.

I love you.....no really, I do

It was around this time last year that I post my first post on this blog.

I can't belive it's been 1 year already!  Time has flown by!

I have had a blast getting to know and meet all you great bloggers out there. Blogging has become a really big part of my life and I love it. I want to thank everyone who has supported this blog and who have come by to leave kind comments. 

 I can't wait to spend another fun year with you all.

To show my love for you all, Pear Tree Greetings is sponsoring a "lovely" giveaway:

Valentine’s Day, although commercialized is a holiday I love.  Why not celebrate love?!? Well, Pear Tree Greetings have some fantastic new Kids Valentine’s Day cards, stickers and variety packs. The good news for you is that one of my readers is going to win a pack of 24 cards!

I remember when I was a young girl and Valentine’s Day came around. It was so fun to make our mailboxes.  It was so exciting to get cards from everyone, especially the boys! 

If I was back in school, this is what I would be handing out....

 

All of their cards are excellent quality they have so many designs to choose from!

_____________________________________________________________________

You can also shop the Pear Tree Promo Code page for the latest discounts and promotions on everything from Valentine’s Day Cards, Baby Announcements and even a code valid on ANY purchase!

To Enter (mandatory) :
Comment on my blog!

Extra Entries:
1. Leave a comment telling me your favorite Valentine's Day design!
2 Follow my blog!

Wordless Wednesday ...Flashback Edition

Lose 5 pounds in 2 weeks and a Giveaway!

So it's day 4 of the New Year, and I have not given up on my resolution yet!  ; ) I am hoping to lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks, which for the first time, seems doable.  

Along came My Blog Spark asking if I wanted a two week tune-up...why not?  When I opened my package from My Blog Spark, I couldn't believe they sent me 28 coupons for yogurt. Yes, a whole 4 week supply!

According to Yoplait:
Yoplait Light’s Two Week Tune Up could help you lose five pounds in two weeks by:

• Replacing your breakfast and lunch with a Yoplait Light yogurt, a whole grain,
  and a fruit
• Eating a diet rich in lean protein and non-fat dairy, including a sensible dinner, beverages, and snacks
• Walking 30-40 minutes daily

Please visit Yoplait.com for study and full diet details. By visiting www.Yoplait.com, you can find the full plan details as well as robust online tools to help them lose weight and boost your confidence over two weeks.  With 33 delicious flavors of Yoplait Light to choose from, you can switch up your diet menu as often as you like.

The Giveaway:
Please note that your prize pack will include only one VIP coupon for a free cup of Yoplait Light yogurt. (Sorry, you don’t get 28 like me!) Also included in the prize pack is a gym bag, a reflective wrist wallet and a pedometer to keep you moving and motivated.
*This coupon offer for Yoplait Light yogurt is not valid in some states, including California, Idaho, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, Nevada, North Dakota and Tennessee.

To Enter (mandatory)
1. Leave me a comment telling me your favorite Yoplait flavor.

Extra Entires:
Like my facebook page

This giveaway will end Tuesday, January 11 at 11:59 pm.  Winner will be choosen via random.org and contacted via email.  Good Luck!

p.s.The coupon, prize pack, information and giveaway were all provided by Yoplait through MyBlogSpark. They also provided me with 28 yogurt coupons and a price pack.

back....

Going back to work is hard.  Sometimes I think it's way easier to just keep on working instead of having all this time off.  Every extra day I get with Jack makes it that much more difficult to leave him. He is also sick, which makes things that much worse.

I'm exhausted.  I hope your Monday is better than mine.

new year, new me

Well the New Year came and went and I have to say it was pretty uneventful, which is just how I like it. In the past my husband and I did a bar party or a house party but I really can't remember the last time I had a REALLY good time on New Years.  Must be the high expectations.

This year we planned to go out to dinner with Jack and friends.  Jack came down with some virus, had a fever and was just miserable.  So we stayed in, ordered Chinese and watched all the New Year shows from the couch.  It was great!  And at exactly 12:06 am, I was in bed. 

I hope your New Years Eve and day was fun.
Do you have any resolutions for 2011?
I have a few, and I feel if I post them, then maybe I will stick to them more.  My resolutions for 2011 (in no particular order):
1.  Lose 10 pounds/workout more
2.  Move into a bigger house by 2012
3.  Become more organized
4.  Get out more.
We will see how they go!

Back to work tomorrow...boo hoo!

New Winner...

Since the first winner never replied, I have choosen a new winner for the Moody Mamas Giveaway!
#14 Brittany H, you are the winner! Please email me at justanothermomdayblog@gmail.com