Sunday, January 23, 2011

It was just Christmas... where did the month go?

It's hard to believe that next week it'll be February - it seems like it was just Christmas! I go to see the nutritionist again next month - I'm curious to see how much weight I've lost. I think I've done OK, but this weekend was rough. I've been munching all weekend, and yesterday I hit some Ghiradelli chocolates, and hit them hard! Part of the problem is I didn't have much in the way of fiber for the last several days, so I think I'm responding to that.

With the end of another month approaching, lots of giveaways are ending this week. Here's a few of the ones I've entered:

Anyone who knows me knows I love my Keurig, and I hate not being able to drink coffee at work. Baby Loving Mama is hosting a giveaway sponsored by CoffeeCow.com for a Keurig B40 Elite. I love that this model allows you to brew 8 or 10 ounces so I can vary the strength if I decide to bring different coffees to work. The large 48 oz. reservior means I can brew several cups of coffee before having to refill this (which is great since the kitchen area is at the other end of the office). If I'm lucky enough to win this, it's going in my office, along with a case of Donut Shop K-Cups and maybe some Spicy Eggnog K-Cups! Note that CoffeeCow.com not only offers great prices on their products, they also offer a loyalty program called cow bucks and free shipping on orders over $65, which makes them highly competitive with other online coffee suppliers. This great giveaway ends on Tuesday.

Head over to Eighty MPH Mom where you can win Dremel Cordless Multi-Max Oscillating Kit {ARV $149.23 ARV}! I have so many items on my "honey-do" list.... but no honey, so I need to do them myself! This would be great to have when I tackle that list like relocating a closet door (for cutting drywall), replacing a broken tile in the bathroom, and installing outdoor speakers on my back deck. This giveaway ends on the 25th.

Baby Loving Mama is hosting a giveaway sponsored by Tyson Any’tizers. One lucky reader will win 5 free product coupons (up to $8.99 value each)! I warn you, visiting her post will make you hungry! She hosted a party around New Year's and served a variety of Any'tizers to her guests, and they were a big hit! My son loves their Buffalo Style Hot Wings as well as their Pork Mini Ribs and Stuffed Chicken Pepperoni Minis, so if I won this giveaway he'd be over the moon! These aren't just great for a party, they also make a good after-school snack, easy dinner entree, or easy dorm food! This giveaway ends on Monday.

Also ending on Monday is a giveaway from A Little of This and a Little of That for an EatSmart Precision Digital Bathroom Scale. I'd love to have my own scale so I can track my weight loss in-between doctor and nutritionist visits. I love the look of it, plus since it goes up to 400 pounds I know I'll get an accurate weight - most only go up to 300 and they sometimes don't give me accurate readings.

Dee at Two of a Kind, Working on a Full House has two giveaways ending today. The first is for a gift basket from Birds Eye that contains the following:
  • a non-branded Apron
  • copy of No Whine With Dinner: 150 healthy, kid-tested recipes from the Meal Makeover Moms
  • $100 American Express gift card
  • Birds Eye Vegetable Recipe Cards
I always chuckle when I read about other parent's struggles with getting their kids to eat their veggies - luckily, I never had that problem with my son. Even though I always add veggies wherever I could (in meatloaf, spaghetti sauce, steamed rice, etc.) I still served veggies with our meals. My son's only quirk is that while he loves raw carrots, he won't touch a cooked carrot to save his life! Well, not knowingly, anyway :) Speaking of cooked carrots, this weekend I mashed some up super-fine and added them to my red peppers, onions, and feta when I made my eggs, and MAN they were good! You couldn't even tell there carrots in there.

The second giveaway from Two of a Kind, Working at a Full House ending today is for a Morton Salt Prize pack that contains a wide variety of their salt products, like grinders, seasoned salt and natural sea salt. While I have been watching my sodium content by eliminating most processed foods and hidden salt sources (like ketchups, pickles, Ramen, jarred spaghetti sauce, Raisin Bran, etc.) I still use a fair amount of salt in my cooking. The difference is, I know how much salt I'm putting in my food, and I'm not using it to mask flavor, but to enhance it. I also use salt for other things, like soaking my greens (salted water will kill the bugs), making an awesome foot scrub, and even an awesome sore throat gargle. This would be another great giveaway to win :)

Our Kids Mom is hosting a giveaway for a Pulse Yoga 4 DVD Set & Instruction Book. Pulse Yoga differs from regular yoga in that it adds weights for added strength training. I've been thinking about trying yoga for awhile now, so winning this would allow me to try it out in the privacy of my own home :) I especially like the "Pulse" DVD - sometimes I only have 30 minutes so I like that they offer a quick, easy workout option. Of course, the Instruction Book will be invaluable to me so it's nice that it's included in the set.

Our Kids Mom is also hosting a giveaway for Wholly Guacamole. Five lucky winners will each receive 2 free product coupons. They offer not only guacamole (4 types , including organic), but queso (regular and blanco), and several types of salsa inlcuding a guac-salsa blend. I like the snack-pack salsas - they're easy to throw in with your lunch to take to work and they're only 50 calories a pack! I don't like guacamole but my son swears Wholly Guacamole makes a delicious product.

Our Kids Mom is really on a roll! Also ending on Tuesday is a Sargento cheese giveaway. One lucky reader will win 5 free product coupons! I love Sargento cheese - in fact, I have several different varieties in my fridge right now, including some Artisan blends (my fav is the Mexican which goes GREAT with the Wholly Guacamole!) and their Reduced Fat slices and shreds. Their Ricotta cheese has been a staple in my kitchen for years and my son loves their string cheese. Yes, we really do love Sargento cheese (which is a great source of calcium BTW).

OK, so you overindulge on guacamole and cheese... no worries, ShaToBu to the rescue! Our Kids Mom must have thought about this, because she's offering another giveaway ending Tuesday for the winner's choice of ShaToBu shapewear. Billed as The Workout You Wear - ShaToBu is the revolutionary shaper that helps women shape, tone and burn more calories during everyday activities.

From the sponsor's website: The benefits go beyond ordinary shapewear - ShaToBu instantly gives a sleeker silhouette, but women can also see and feel a difference in their bodies with regular use over time. By incorporating resistance bands right into the garment, muscles work a little harder and more calories are burned during daily activities.

Musing Maniac is hosting a giveaway for a copy of Tron Evolution for Xbox 360 that ends on Wednesday. This looks like a fun game - great visuals, and action-packed enough to hold my son's interest, but without all the blood and gore like COD that turn me off. It is rated T for Teens so it's not suitable for younger players.

Rockin' Mama is hosting a New Year, Healthier Home giveaway. One lucky reader will win four bags of SAFETOUCH R-13 insulation (ARV $256) which is free from formaldehyde and fiberglass fibers and does not support the growth of mold and a Therapure 201MB air purifier (ARV $129.95)! This would be an awesome prize package to win! I would use the insulation in the wall that's between the laundry room and the kitchen - it used to be an outdoor space that was changed to an indoor room, and they didn't do it very well. It's poorly insulated and cold air pours into the kitchen. The air purifier I would use in my bedroom :) This giveaway ends Wednesday evening.