Eating Healthy is Expensive!

So, yeah.  I'm trying really hard to eat healthy.  Some days are better than others.  I've found when I purchase healthy food, my food budget goes up about 40%. And when your food budget is already $700/month, adding 40% is PAINFUL.

I was given the opportunity to try an App called Price Comparer a few weeks ago.  I really had high hopes for this program because it's description said that it could help you save an average of 15% on your food budget by helping you figure out which items were cheaper at your favorite stores.

It's a FANTASTIC concept. No doubt about it.

So, I went to the grocery store, and bought my foods for the next couple of weeks, then set out to use this App.  I expected to be able to scan the bar codes and all the info would be available, like it is in the MyFitnessPal Ap I use.  This was not the case.  I had to scan the bar code, type in a description, then take a picture of the product (which only worked about 10% of the time).  Plus, the background was orange and the font was white, which made it difficult to read, not to mention there was no bar at the top of the screen where the navigation was, so words would overlap one another and I couldn't read them at all.

I was so disappointed with this program because it was extremely user friendly.

With that said, this has a TON of potential.  I don't think it's worth paying money for a program that you can essentially do for free through a spreadsheet.  But, should they ever fix the issues with the font, and make this program so that all you have to do is scan and enter your price, they'll make a killing on this Ap.  I would easily pay money for something like this...if it worked and were user-friendly.

Here's to hoping the designers read my post and make some tweaks to the program.  It'll be fantastic when all the kinks are smoothed out.



*DISCLAIMER:  I received this product for free in exchange for an honest and unbiased opininion.

Feeling Beautylicious! Finding Pamper Products That Work for Me

In my quest to indulge and pamper myself, I have been testing a plethora of different beauty products in search for items that will help me to become the best me I can be.

One of my biggest fears is that, as I lose weight, my skin will begin to show extreme amounts of wear and tear from years of abuse.  There is no way that a body will go from 300 lbs to 150 lbs without being left with some sort of residual damage from being obese.  I'm most concerned with:

 a) The overhang of my belly.  Having four kids and gaining 50 lbs from each one has caused a TON of stretch marks and overhang. I'm not sure if I'll have to get a tummy tuck in order to entirely rid myself of that 'flap', but I'll be darned if I'm not going to give it a valiant effort! ( more on this in a different blog post)

b) Wrinkles in my face when I thin out.


So far, I've been really lucky in the genetics department when it comes to my face.  I have no gray hair.  What you've see in the pics is my true hair color.  I don't really dye it.  And, I don't have hardly any wrinkles.  My theory, though, on the wrinkles is if I wait until they are in abundance, I've waited too long.  I am very proactive about my face, so I've been pretty regular about using different moisturizers and keeping the makeup to a minimum.  I've also tried several products to see if they help with the few small wrinkles I do have and help to prevent any more.

My most recent face products are: 

Forlan Skincare Night Cream

This night cream was AWESOME.  I have naturally dry skin, which doesn't bode well when I'm facing significant weight loss.  The changes in my skin were significant within 24 hours and I haven't had issues with dryness since.  I have noticed a few (like 2 or 3) pimples popping up, but that may be due to me not cleaning my face as well as I should (ahem).


Anaiti Luminous Cream & Dark Spot Corrector

This is hardcore stuff.  I originally requested this with the understanding that it was for dark spot correction - of which I'm beginning to notice a few on my face (yay! - NOT).  I used to have a Clinique foundation that was spot correcting, but I ran out a few months ago, and it's beginning to show.  Not good since I'm spending more time in the sun walking.  The old spot correctors I used left dry spots wherever I used them, but this is the consistency of body butter, but doesn't leave you oil OR dry.  It's just right.  Plus, it's gentle enough to use all over the face.  It's a keeper!



Anaiti Instant Wrinkle Filling Serum

Anaiti is 2 for 2. It's a line I'm certainly going to investigate further.  I was just as impressed with their wrinkle filling serum as I was their spot corrector.

I LOVE this stuff.  It is light weight, and after a week, I'm beginning to see the squint line between my eyebrows beginning to soften.  Wahoo.



Adeline Antioxidant Serum

Another winner from Adeline.  This has the consistency of watered down syrup (but in a good way, I swear!).  It's a light amber color, and soaks into the skin almost immediately, enabling my skin to tighten slightly and I noticed my foundation lasted longer when I used this serum first.




My Konjac Charcoal Bamboo Facial Sponge

This product was the most surprising product I tried.  It was touted as something that could be used to help get rid of blackheads, which is always good, plus it's cruelty free.  I expected it to be hard and scratchy at the very least.  It arrived in its package and was larger than I expected.  My daughter used it in the shower and told me how soft it was and how she didn't need any soaps to clean her face.  I tried it when I showered and had the same experience.  The sponge felt like a luxurious washcloth.  It was really nice.  It cleaned all the makeup off my face without the need for any soaps and my face was squeaky clean when done.  Plus, it didn't feel tight or dry like normal when I have to use my usual cleaners.


In all, these were all unqualified successes. So much so that my sister snagged a couple to take home for herself after I finished discussing them with her (she's a bit of a make-up snob). Luckily, I was able to hide a few of them before they completely disappeared and I had to start all over! I swear, I'm going to have to put a lock on my doors. But it's also nice to feel pampered.  It makes me want to work harder to take care of myself and continue to lose weight so I can test more!

*Disclaimer:  I received each of these items for free in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.  I do not receive any money should you decide to purchase these items through the links provided.

My Weight Loss Rewards List

I am a VERY oriented individual.  Every morning I wake up and create a to-do list: my goals for things to achieve by the end of the day.  I have goals for business, personal life, education, spiritual improvement, personal improvement, parenting, and, well, you get the idea.

With that in mind, it's no surprise that I also have goals for weight loss.  You know the ultimate goal: Reach the weight of 145 lbs.  But looking at that goal, and knowing I still need to lose 100+ more pounds can be daunting, to say the least.   So, I've broken it down into increments, then attached a non-food reward to go with each milestone.  Those that are starred have a personal significance to me, therefore they have a higher dollar value.


280 lbs:  New Running Shoes
275 lbs: Pedicure
270 lbs: Get my hair done - highlighted & cut
265 lbs: Go target shooting
260 lbs: Manicure
255 lbs: Write-In (leave for a weekend and work on my book!)
*250 lbs: Make-Over (Buy New Make up to go with my new face!)
240 lbs: Get my suburban detailed
230 lbs: Hire a Personal Trainer
220 lbs: Another Write-In
210 lbs: Take up Kickboxing or Karate
*200 lbs: Buy a road bike for doing triathlons
190 lbs: Go Zip Lining
*180 lbs: Vegas Baby!
170 lbs: Parachuting or Para sailing
160 lbs: Get a sprinkler system for my lawn
150 lbs: New Wardrobe :)
*145 lbs: Atlantis or Hawaii!!!

So, why are the starred weights so important? Well, 145 lbs for obvious reasons. I haven't been that weight for 21 years.

250 lbs is the weight I was when I got pregnant with my 4th child, 200 lbs is the weight I got pregnant with my 3rd child AND a major milestone anyway.  180 lbs is the weight I got pregnant with my second child (15 years ago).  So in essence, the starred numbers are the point in which I lose a child!!!! ;)  Yes, my goal is to 'lose my children'!  Bahahahaha!

Finding Peace Amidst the Chaos of the Internet: Familoop

I have four children ranging in ages from 19 to 4 1/2, and everything in between.  I have 1 child in college, 1 in high school, 1 in elementary school, and 1 in pre-school.  Add to the chaos of each child going in opposite directions every day to my own schedule of owning 6 blogs, 2 non-profits, 15 websites, doing transcription work, and writing my third book, you could say I'm pretty busy.

Luckily, I have really good kids.  For the most part, they stay out of trouble and do the right thing.  However, our family is very much entrenched in the digital age.  I spend a LOT of time on the computer for my various jobs.  Jacob, my youngest, has special needs and uses a variety of programs and apps for therapies, communication and such.  My 6-year old LOVES the Sesame Street web page, and my 15-year-old is obsessed with World of Tanks.

Although I trust that my children are good and they're doing good things while on their various electronic devices, I cannot say as much for the different advertising agencies that market to children on the websites that they visit.  It's infuriating to see what occasionally pops up as in-app marketing on my 4-year-old's game designed for 3+ years of age.

So, when I was approached to check out a program called Familoop, I immediately checked it out.  The premise of this program is to allow you to go in an monitor what is happening on your computers, Ipads, phones, etc. You see which websites are visited, for how long, when it occurred, e-mails that are being sent (if you're worried there is sexting going on, or conversations with individuals you don't trust, etc).

At first, I was unsure about the privacy issues.  Was I invading my family's privacy by spying on their digital footprint and seeing what they are doing?  Then, I realized that in order for this program to work, I needed to download a program to each device.  That means if I wanted to download Familoop to my son's Iphone, I needed to get the phone from him (which would automatically illicit a response of 'why?'). This gave me the opportunity to discuss Internet predators, porn being targeted at kids, etc. as well as giving him a heads-up that he was being watched.  It's like having 'mom' in the room at all times.  You'll be on your best behavior.

I did, however, add the program to my own personal computer that the family has access to.  However, I didn't tell anyone that it was there.  Call it morbid curiosity.  After a couple of weeks, I went into the Familoop hub and checked out the activity on my computer.  I am happy to report that nothing unusual or questionable was reported.

What peace of mind to know that I didn't have to block any sites, or have any talks with my family over the sites they were visiting, etc.

So, if you're looking for a program that will enable you make sure your kids aren't going to any sites they shouldn't, or are sending/receiving texts they shouldn't this is the program for you.  It was easy to set up, easy to understand, and easy to implement.

The Bright Idea Box is BRILLIANT

So here's a little background about me and why I'm writing a blog about a leadership book on a weight loss blog.  When I was 14, I jointed the local Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp (JROTC) at the local high school.  I joined because their class description included rappelling off a 30-foot tower and that sounded interesting to me.  I stayed because I discovered I was good at being a leader.

By the time I was 17, I had my own staff of 7 cadets under me, was Battalion Commander over more than 100 kids for a full school year, and went to Spring camp at Ft. Lewis, WA where I was Brigade Commander over cadets from 3 different schools.

I was also Seminary President, Rifle Team Captain, Manager at the local Dairy Queen, and President of my Young Women's group at church.  As an adult, I started my own business with zero budget, and was making six figures by the time I was 35. I gave it up to care for my son full-time when he was born due to his heart condition and developmental disabilities. And I would do it again in a heart beat.

OK.  So I know a bit about being a boss and a leader. Though I am out of the business world, I still find that I use my skills on a consistent basis in other capacities.

When I began reading the Bright Idea Box by Jag Randhawa I was first impressed with the sheer number of good reviews he had at the beginning of the book. And they weren't reviews by random people. They were CEO's, published authors, leadership professionals and the like.

Then, as I began reading the book, I was gobsmacked by the amount of quality information and examples that were used to convey his message and to teach the reader how to be a better leader and to foster the imagination and creative juices that are necessary to create a thriving business.

After reading the book, I discussed what I'd learned with my sister, who is currently a regional manager over a major mental health-related corporation.  She was delighted to hear of the information and we discussed how important Jag's concepts were to engaging employees, creating loyalty, and helping others to achieve their potential.

I could go on and on about this book.  Several pages were filled with highlighted paragraphs and notes in the spine.  This is a book worth keeping, littering with notes, and then reading again.

Shoe Laces Are So Old School! Get With The Times and Use Elastolaces!

 I am right in the middle of teaching my kindergartner how to tie a shoelace. This is a necessary right of passage for any child. It's an opportunity to give them independence and to stroke their ego, showing the child that they are capable of learning new and important tasks. Tasks that were once relegated to the adults.

 As I have been teaching my daughter how to tie her shoes, I have wondered how I am going to teach this very same task to my son with Down syndrome. He has difficulty doing sign language because his fingers don't work independently yet. How will I teach him the intricacies of the dog running around the tree and under his leash?

 A few weeks ago I was given the opportunity to try a new product called Elastolaces (found on Amazon) for free in exchange for an unbiased opinion. They gave me two pairs; one white set and a black set, along with several plastic pieces that are used to keep the laces from flopping all over. At fist, I was skeptical of them. I was afraid my shoes would be too loose, or the elastic would fray easily, leaving me with shoddy looking shoes. But once I had them on my shoes, I was impressed. The elastic was strong and resilient - not something that would easily lose it's stretch. And, though the plastic pieces used to keep the elastic in place are something I could expect my children to have enough finger strength to do on their own, once the laces are in place, they're solid.

 I worried that since there was another plastic piece at the end of the shoelaces to keep them from fraying, I'd constantly hear the tap tap tap of plastic hitting the top of my foot, but that wasn't the case. I ran several bleacher laps and didn't once feel or hear the slap of plastic on leather.

 I was impressed with the laces, and so was my 6-year-old daughter. I had to forcibly remove the extra set of laces from her hands. Though I have a feeling she will sweet talk me into using my second set of laces on her own tennis shoes...just as soon as she masters the age-old skill of tying her shoes with regular laces!


 P.S. I WILL be buying more of these when it's time to buy tennis shoes for my son who has Down syndrome. Right now he's young enough that he can still use velcro, but for those who have limited mobility, or are unable to reach their shoes very easily (elderly, obese, disabled, etc), these shoelaces are a God send. I highly recommend them!

Week 3 Weigh In: Me and My Man Legs

It is week three and I'm proud to announce that I'm down to 288.8 lbs!  I'm in the 80's, baby!!!!  That means I'm -15 lbs already. 

I measured myself to see how the changes have been thus far, measuring my neck, arm, bust, upper abs, waist, hips, thigh and calf.  on Week two, I'd gained 2 lbs and gained 2 1/4 inches overall.  This week, I'm down 7.8 lbs from last week and down 4 1/4" overall, most notably -2 1/4" in my upper abs (yeah, baby!!).  Not too shabby, if I do say so myself.  

The only body part that increased was my calves.  And this was the second week in a row they've grown in size.  Yeah, I'm definitely getting my man-calves back - which is why you will NEVER see me doing any calf exercises.  Actually, when I'm in shape, I have man legs period.  

In high school, my legs used to rival my older brother's who had played soccer for 13 years. I had to buy my pants to fit my legs which meant my waist always had a gigantic gap. My legs & hips are why I identify myself as 'pear shaped'.  They're also why I rarely eat red meat, instead preferring fish or chicken because red meat has a tendency to bulk my legs (Not my arms.  My arms are scrawny!).

Regardless, it all needs work right now.  So, I'm not too worried.  It won't be long before I'll be buying pants to be fitting my legs instead of my gut again.  This time I'll revel in the experience!