Bootcamp!

Each new year is time for reflection of things past and a look toward the future. When I turned to look forward, I saw a more "fit" me. So I joined a fitness bootcamp. This sounds EXTREME doesn't it? Well, it IS!! However, if you know me at all, this really isn't. I'm the type of person who is generally at one end of the spectrum or another when it comes to most everything. Not to mention my absolute bestie bloggy Mama friend, Megan at Newlywed, Newlybred inspired me by her attempt over at Death by Bootcamp along with her friend Jess over at Finding Joy in the Journey.

I had no idea what to expect other than the fact that I may die on my first or second day. It really did sound like it was tough. That's EXACTLY what need to get my flabby self into gear! It's do or die time!

Here's how the bootcamp I joined was laid out. It was a six-week, four times a week program. Not just fitness but also nutrition guidance. Monday through Thursday with Mondays & Wednesdays outdoors "running" and Tuesdays & Thursdays strength training indoors. First of all, I don't run. I DESPISE running. Plus it's no fun to have all of your flab slosh around.

At least it wasn't a REQUIREMENT to run, but we had to at least get our heart rate up so most of the time, I did some speed-walking with intermittent "running" and a lot of limping. The first day of strength training - I thought I was going to PUKE. I have never EVER thought I would PUKE from exercising. Luckily, I saved face by high-tailing it to the bathroom and was able to get a "break" from torturing my flabby-self.

Fortunately, it did get easier and by the end of the six weeks I felt strong and had lost some inches overall but not much weight. Not a big deal because I felt stronger and I felt a little better about myself. I only wish I could've kept up the schedule but it was hard.

The days I had bootcamp, I saw Cubby for a maximum total of 2 hours per day. By the end of the six weeks, I was missing him SO much that I decided to try and keep up some sort of schedule on my own of exercising. Unfortunately, that hasn't worked so well but at least I know I CAN do it and when I do have the time, I try to squeeze in at least a mile or two walk. Cubby loves his new stroller I won (that's another blog post coming soon) so it's always fun to take him with me when the weather permits.

So... any of you ever try the bootcamp thing or something else extreme to jump start your weight loss goal? Inquiring minds want to know!

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Got Soap? Review & Giveaway (6/20) **CLOSED**

WINNER CONFIRMED






I have eczema. When I was pregnant with Cub, it was one of the things I worried about most for him. Having "sensitive" skin and dealing with it for his entire life. Unfortunately, worry or not - because I have it, he had a greater chance of getting it and of course, he did. I really tried my best to register for bath and body products for "sensitive skin" and of course it is one of the main reasons I decided to try cloth diapering for Cub in the first place, but that's another post for another day.

So, one of the things we've had trouble with is the whole bathing/soap/lotion thing. Of course, if you have eczema you know that one of the recommendations is bathing more infrequently. We bathe Cub every night. Soap ALWAYS on his "manly" parts but maybe just a rinse on the rest of his body depending on our activities for the day to try to minimize drying out his skin. But no matter how you slice it, we HAVE to lotion him EVERY NIGHT because of this.

This year, my own eczema has taken a turn for the worse and I'm trying everything under the sun to keep it under control. Upon the recommendation of a friend, I decided to try some Goat Milk Soap. I had never heard of the stuff and I googled and browsed for a while before I decided to buy. When I placed my order for the first time, I got a very good vibe from PJ - as I, of course, e-mailed her first asking a ton of questions! Amazing what kind of vibe you can get just from e-mail! I felt confident in my soap selections and thought even if the soap didn't work out, I wasn't wasting my money. I purchased a Fiji Luffa and a bar of Purity for me and Cubby to try.

When I received my order, I was surprised with three little samples of other flavors scents to try! I sniffed the Fiji Luffa and the Purity bar and promptly replaced my Lever2000 bar of soap with the Purity. Initially, I thought the smell of Purity, which is unscented, smelled a little weird but what the heck - I was going to give it a try! Now, I LOVE the smell! It's such a great natural scent!

First thing I noticed about the bar was that it didn't lather as much or as quickly as what I was normally used to. But I did LOVE the way it felt on my skin and it didn't irritate! Not even one little itch or burn! And using it over an entire week proved that it helped keep my eczema under control! I was hooked!! I discovered that if you want your soap to last longer, don't leave it sitting in water. I also found that the soaps don't "meld" together if you're trying to save the small sliver and add it to the next bar (but they have a solution for that!). So far, I have loved EVERY bar of soap we've used and I can't wait to order more!

(A full size bar, travel size and sample)

PJ and her entire family have been making soap for a few years and everyone has a specific job. Here is a small excerpt from their website about the Jonas family:

"Now, what we have to say next may not be “PC.” But, we’re not about PC, we’re about JC. We seek to honor Jesus in all that we do and that plays a big role in our family and our business. Our children are taught "everything is a God issue" — including making and selling soap. We believe these values come through in the goodness of our products and we hope you will agree.

We live in rural Indiana on a 3 acre homestead where we homeschool our eight children. Our small herd of Alpine dairy goats roams the pasture in the back. At various times in the past we've also had a dairy cow, sheep, turkeys, chickens, bees, rabbits, and pigs. But, we’ve found these animals, while beautiful in God’s eyes, don’t necessarily make great soap so we’ve chosen to simplify and go with the goats.

Colter, our oldest son is our company’s CFM (Chief Family Milker). He usually gets up before anyone (even Jim) and goes out to milk. He does a great job and all the goats love him – we haven’t heard a single complaint yet!

PJ's adventures into soapmaking originated five years ago out of her desire to not use chemicals on the children’s skin. Since she enjoyed making soap and was so impressed with its quality, she turned it into a family business. In 2008, Goat Milk Stuff was born, and PJ has since drafted the entire family into her adventures. From the initial milking of the goats to the final bagging of the soap, all our goat milk soaps are handmade by the members of our family.

The smell of sweet success is probably the best part of our business. The hard work of our family lingers in the wonderful scents that grace our home (and when you have so many boys, a little help in the scent department is a huge benefit!) I tell people, drop by anytime. I can’t guarantee the house will be clean but I promise it will smell good!"

I love buying handmade items, especially from WAHMs because I know my money is going towards the support of them and their family and not for any shady or despicable product innovation.

So have you given natural/homemade soap a try? Want to?

 

Buy It!

You can get these bars of awesomeness over at Goat Milk Stuff!

Win It!

PJ is generously offering one of my lucky readers THREE bars of soap in scents of their choosing!

Mandatory Entry 

(if this is not done, none of the additional entries will count!): 

You must follow my blog and head over to Goat Milk Stuff - tell me what other product you'd like to try AND what scents you would choose if you won!

Additional Entries 

(must complete mandatory entry first before you can gain additional entries - 

must leave separate comments for each qualifying entry):

Follow these blogs publicly via Google Friend Connect (1 entry per blog)

A New Leas on Life

It's a Cub's World 

Yes, I'm shamelessly plugging Cubby's blog - 

don't you want to know what my adorable Cub is up to?

Goat Milk Soapers

Subscribe to any or all of the blogs via e-mail if available (must be verified) (1 entry per blog)

Grab a button from each blog and come back and post the link to where I can find it (2 entries per button)

"Like" Goat Milk Stuff on Facebook (1 entry) and comment that you do - leave your name for verification.

Follow Goat Milk Soapers on Networked Blogs through Facebook (1 entry) and comment that you do - leave your name for verification. 

Blog about this giveaway and include a link here, Goat Milk Stuff and Goat Milk Soapers. (2 entries).

Follow these peeps on Twitter (1 entry per Tweep follow) and come back here to comment and leave your TwitterID:

nikinic29

CubsMamma

Goat Milk Stuff

 

Tweet about this giveaway 2x a day, at least 4 hours apart - must include @goatmilkstuff @nikinic29 #green #giveaway and a link back to this post or use this: Looking for a more natural soap? Try @goatmilkstuff! Review & #giveaway from @nikinic29 http://bit.ly/c7uukX
Leave your permalink!


BONUS: Find the solution to the "problem" I mentioned above - the first person who e-mails me the correct answer will get 5 extra entries! - Edited 6/3: BONUS HAS BEEN CLAIMED!


Fine print: I was not provided any product for this review. I bought this product at a recommendation of a friend, opinions are my own. PJ generously offered to accompany my review with a giveaway. Giveaway runs until 6/20/10 10pm PST. Winner selected by random.org and winning entries will be verified. Winner will have 48 hours to claim prize, or a new winner may be selected.  Please be sure your email is on your blogger profile, or leave me a way to contact you. 

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If a Brooke Van Gory and a Coach diaper bag met in a dark alley....

 I just BIG RED PUFFY HEART Coach bags (thanks Megan for that saying *wink*). They are EXTREMELY well made and they have YET to do me wrong. I've never had a THING go wrong with one of my Coach items - they are DURABLE (and I'm ROUGH on bags) and still look new after two years of use! Who couldn't just LOVE a Coach bag? I love Coach SOOO much that when I went on Spring Break with my BFF, JG in March of 2008 - I splurged and bought a Coach diaper bag (I was only a few weeks preggo at best). It just seemed so PERFECT and screaming my name as it was the perfect shade of green that I so love...

Do de do dee do dee doo whoosh - FAST FORWARD: Cubby is now 18 months, we're cloth diapering (something I never considered until late pregnancy) and we are a go-go-go kind of family. Which means, we need to pack diapers, wet bag, snacks, extra clothing, blankets, sippy cups, etc. on a regular basis for all day or overnight/weekend adventures in and out of town.

I had to finally admit it to myself that my beloved Coach was NOT cutting it. To put all the things I needed in it, plus sometimes my wallet, cell phone, keys and "mama stuff" on occasion so I wasn't carrying a purse PLUS a diaper bag, I was constantly picking up things that were falling out and it just LOOKED messy no matter how neat I put everything in it because there is no closure for the top. Not to mention that I can only carry items on my left shoulder, which is ALSO the side in which I carry Cubby on my hip, and since the double carry straps are short and non-adjustable, I constantly looked like the hunchback of Notre Dame from the side. And it FELT like it too.

ENTER STAGE RIGHT: Brooke Van Gory Designs. I "met" Brooke on Twitter. I vaguely remember through who/what/why the connection was made, but it was and I'm sooo glad it was! After seeing her wares, I was absolutely IMPRESSED. But I was so in LOVE with my Coach bag! Over the next few weeks, I kept going back to her shop - admiring, drooling, daydreaming about how perfect the bag would be... but I was torn... how could I ditch my beloved Coach???

One of the things that bites about buying things online, is that you can't really get to "see" the item and judge for yourself how BIG or small something really is. Once I decided I would get one, I went to see a friend's diaper bag to judge the size. She had an Expedient Weekender upsized because she was going to be diapering TWO kids. Me? I just love a big bag. After trying out hers, I decided to go UPSIZED!!! Plus a few other options because I'm needy like that.

One great thing about ordering something CUSTOM is that you get what you want! Which in this case, also meant I got to pick the fabric!! Being a "boymom", I wanted something that said "BOY" and also something that Pappa wouldn't mind carrying. Brooke was also so helpful and sent me links to samples of fabric based on conversations we had about what I wanted (even though I was completely vague). Truth be told, sometimes ordering a custom anything is intimidating. You want to make sure you get what you want, but how do you know that's REALLY what you want?

Brooke was super fabulous and patient and even after I picked a fabric, she found another oh so fabulous fabric that I knew I had to switch to! I'm telling you, this is one FANTASTIC AWESOME gal AND she has two kids to boot! She MUST be SuperWoman!

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It's Been a While...

Some of you who are following me aren't real avid blog readers and I haven't really blogged in a while. I have more posts about Vietnam to finish - and some other life things that I've had to deal with/struggle with. Truthfully, I'm online every day (I'm an addict!) and in-between, I try to spend as much time as I can with Cubby. I'm going to try to get back to doing weekly memes and blogging regularly so you'll know what's going on with me.

Wishing you a "Hoppy" Easter!!

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Wordless Wednesday : Happy Family

 

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