Indulgence

Indulgence....chocolate and ice cream. Coldstone Creamery -- dark chocolate peppermint ice cream with peanut butter chips mixed in.

We just got our emails from the previous Birthday Club (btw, did you get yours?!?), which gave us a free small scoop, but with us going on the Daniel Fast, where we basically go to a strict vegan diet, for 3 weeks, today's the last day to truly indulge! And I find it so difficult to pass up on a good deal -- a freebie, nonetheless -- we so printed our coupons and had our rich ice cream!

It'll be interesting to see what happens to me in the next 3 weeks, as I relinquish my comfort foods. I know I'll survive, but I sure will miss my chocolate and ice cream.

The News

For the most part, I like watching the local news. My husband and I have our favorite news anchors and meterologists -- the hubs has full confidence in one news station's meterologists versus the other station's, and I think he's accurate in his conclusion! The station with the more accurate and less dramatic meterologists also happens to have a more balance appproach in how they present their "news" pieces, but you can still tell when there's a rather slow news day! I still prefer to watch the news to stay connected with local news than to read it online. Now the national news . . . that's another story!

Friday Follow

Happy Friday!

If you feel extra friendly, help me get to 200 Facebook friends before the end of January (and there'll an awesome giveaway from Sweeter than Sweets )

If you enjoy giveaways, take a look at my low-entry giveaway list, and feel free to add yours!

Low Entry Lowdown

Previously Stephanie from The Ten Talents' shared her Low Entry Lowdown with me, but she's no longer doing that. So I'd like to list a few low entry giveaways (less than 100 entries) which end in the next 2 weeks. Feel free to add and share!

**If you're new, you can learn more about The Low Entry Lowdown. Remember, don't email Stephanie with your requests because she's not posting any more!**

Organic Palm Shortening 1/16
Mission Montana Crazy Dog T-shirt 1/13
Beauty Brite Soy Candle 1/16
Frugal Free Gal Little Heart Garland 1/18

Add your low-entry giveaways, ending in the next two weeks here!

Wordless Wednesday

Thoughtful Living Tuesday - Discovering the Me in Mommy

Each Tuesday, I like to look at something which makes my life healthier, whether it addresses the physical, emotional, or spiritual. There have been several changes our family has made to our diet because of these new things I'm learning, and I hope to share more insight throughout the year.

As we start out the new year, it's important to look inside before we look around -- I've realized the importance of investing in Myself! This is part of the reason for my blog, to help meet my needs of a more immediate sense of accomplishment and opportunity to socialize with other people. Before I stayed home full time with my daughter, I was engaged in the fast-paced, social world of high school -- as I approached my due date, my students' parents would ask how excited I was, and I would tell them of my apprehension about having a baby because I would have preferred to have a teenager! It actually took a few months for me to enjoy having a baby and not a teenager, but I was so shocked by how quickly my roles changed that I lost myself for a few months -- not sure if it was post-postpartum depression playing a part in it either.

Nonetheless, out of my search grew this blog and the opportunities to meet fun and amazing people as well as supporting businesses. And I'm so surprised by the outcome! I don't think I'll ever really get control of my life, but I'm remembering the ME in Mommy! =)

A winner!

We have a winner --
R has won the OCEAN Saline Sinus Relief Care Pack!

Wildtree Review

I met Amanda from a Facebook hop and had no idea what or whom "Wildtree with Amanda" was, but after given the opportunity to try a healthy biscuit mix and learn more about Wildtree, I'm honestly thrilled about the healthy options Wildtree presents. Wildtree is a direct sale company which offers herb & spice blends as well as mixes, free of preservatives, additives, MSGs and food colorants and dyes. For those of you, like myself, who like to use mixes instead of making from scratch, Wildtree is an excellent option to still have that help, but with much healthier ingredients. Amanda sent me the Buttermilk Biscuit mix to try -- I tried a Paula Dean Southern Biscuit recipe I found on the foodnetwork.com, and it was a complete FAILURE -- and I was so excited to see all the ingredients were natural! It was still easy to prepare, and the taste was FABULOUS! This is such a good option for us. There are many varieties of mixes, and you can view the selection here. Feel free to check out Amanda's site or her facebook page to learn more.

****This is not a paid post. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to Amanda who supplied the product for the review!****

Welcome 2011!

It was somewhat exciting to watch all the revelers in NYC celebrate (and dream that maybe one day my husband and I could stay at the Marriot overlooking Times Square on New Year's Eve -- this one is way too lofty for my list of resolutions though) and to think about the new year (after I wanted to dust off my BSB cd). Still feels the same today, but if left on life's cruise control, each day can always be the same, either going forward simply by chance or, more often than not, drifting backwards.

As a college student many years ago, I decided to make 3 resolutions -- one was academic, one was spiritual, and one was social (I was actually quite shy then.). Amazingly, each year, those 3 goals would be met, often in miraculous ways. I'm anticipating most if not all of these would also become a reality, and I've tried to reformulate the categories to better fit my life now, but I'm still discovering what all my life entails!

I know yesterday, I alluded to some rather broad resolutions for Discovering the Me in Mommy. But I need to delve into it, just a little more, so that I do make the best of these resolutions and goals, making 2011 not just a great year but an exceptional one.

Discovering the Me in Mommy's Goals
1. Get to 200 Facebook friends before the end of January (and there'll an awesome giveaway from Sweeter than Sweets when Discovering the Me in Mommy's resolution is resolved)!

2. Post more of my thoughts (with the help of the Blog Dare) and build up my readership

3. Be content with the rate my readership grows!

Personal Spiritual Goals
1. Read my Bible and pray each day, willingly and whole-heartedly.

Personal Social Goals
1. Learn to more happily serve my family, even especially in the mundane activities.

2. Find ways to invest in other women's lives.

3. Make sure to care for the ME in this mommy by drinking more water and exercising regularly.


What are your resolutions?!?