a traveling Wife

Calling For Help...

2013-06-19T05:00:00.000-07:00

I came up with such a great linkup. Yes, I am tooting my own horn here. But I think it would be more fun if I had a co-host or two.

So if you want to know the deets and want to join me on the fun, reach out to me through Twitter, Instagram, email, come to my house, or just leave a comment below. And if you are not interested in co-hosting at all then stay tuned next week to find out what this linkup is about! I will call you lame though if you don't want to cohost.

Seeing and Making Changes

2013-06-18T05:00:00.000-07:00

*Ad - Revolt Fitness is allowing me to participate in the program at no charge so long as I share weekly posts.

All thoughts, opinions, and results are my own.*

I cannot believe that just eight short weeks ago I introduced Revolt Fitness into my life. I have seen so many changes in my body, weight, eating habits, cravings, and overall health during that time.

Last week I was not into the workouts one bit. The three days of cardio were Tabata workouts and I despise those. So I decided to swap out the Tabata workouts and just kind of do my own thing. This week they are also Tabata style workouts so I will probably just alter them again. I don't know what it is about Tabata workouts but I just get super bored and tend to not finish them.

This week's meal plan I am pretty excited about. I made homemade hummus for snacks at work and cannot wait to eat it all up. Here is what our meals for the week will look like.

We will alternate breakfasts as desired. Monday and Tuesday for lunch we will eat the chicken salad chicken and Wednesday - Friday we will eat the soup. Dinners on Monday - Wednesday will be the chicken satay and Thursday and Friday will be the pork tenderloin. Repeating meals throughout the week makes things super easy but to eat the same thing every single day is not going to happen in this household. If you wish to see photos of these delicious meals, you should probably follow me on Instagram like yesterday. I mean, what are you doing?

Now lets get to the numbers. You all know since I got a job, I have been trying to work out a daily and weekly routine. Eventually things will fall in their place but I have been struggling getting you my numbers and pictures. This failure cannot fail one more week so below are my numbers.

I cannot believe how noticeable the changes really are. Some days my body feels so bloated then I look at the pictures and remember what I used to be.

Can you notice the differences?

Old Lady Habits Exposed

2013-06-17T05:00:00.000-07:00

Monday, we meet again. How was your weekend? I wish I could have a super exciting post for you today recapping my weekend but lets be honest, my life is not all that exciting. I can still share with you my super old lady habits that seem to get worse over the weekend.

Friday was a super fun day. At work we had a carnival and played wii skee ball, basketball, and rode a tricycle around an obstacle course. We also had a drawing at the end of the carnival and I won two tickets to go to an Indy Indians baseball game next weekend. Whoop whoop - date night! Friday night A and I went out to dinner with some friends that are in town from California. After helping them polish off a bottle of wine, 11:30p was a good time to head to bed. Old lady habits #1.

Saturday started off with working out, biking 9.97 miles, doing laundry, eating lunch, and drinking some beers all before we decided it would be a good idea to take a shower. Old lady habits #2.

On our bike ride we came across this little gem. The little kid in me came out and I was super excited.

Yes, water shoots out everywhere and it couldn't be more fun - trust me.

After we finally cleaned up at like 2:30p we headed to the mall so I could buy A's Father's Day present. Remember, we have this little puppy and we treat her like she is our child so we are totally allowed to celebrate Mother's and Father's day. Then we went to an early dinner. Old lady habits #3.

I love trying new restaurants especially when they use local products in their meals. So we decided to try this new place and I was not disappointed at all. We even sat outside because the weather was just absolutely beautiful.

Bread sticks and fire-roasted goat cheese with BBQ chicken flatbread.

Here's a tip while eating out; if the waitress tells you that dessert is buy one get one free, you order two desserts even though you were not planning on eating even one.

Apple strudel flatbread and Strawberry cake.

After our bellies were too full for our pants to remain buttoned, we went home, changed into pj's and sat on our balcony. Old lady habits #4.

The night sky was beautiful but instead of taking advantage of the lovely weather, we went to bed around 10p. Old lady habits #5.

Sunday was our day to play catch up. I did some blog work, we did some laundry, grocery shopping, meal prep, and the little pup got her hairs cut. Of course we also celebrated Father's day with the best pup-daddy I know.

Do you have any old lady habits?

Battle of the Boxes Part 2

2013-06-14T05:00:00.000-07:00

This is part two of the battle of the subscription boxes. If you have no idea what this means then you should probably read about it here. Or just pretend like you know what is going on - up to you.

*Bulu Box sent me a free box to review. No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

This should definitely not be news to you but I have really been into fitness over the last 6ish weeks. I love experimenting with new products and nutritional supplements. When Bulu Box agreed to send me one of their boxes to review I was pretty excited.

Bulu Box really offers two different types of boxes - bulu box and bulu box weight loss. I received the regular Bulu Box which includes a well-rounded sampling of health and nutritional products.

I think the packaging is fantastic. There is a lot of inspirational text scattered all over the box and the contents really are 'A feel good discovery'.

My box contained a lot of products that increased energy or aided with sleep which I thought was pretty unique. I mean, if you are going to get all hopped up on caffeine and energy drinks, good luck going to sleep. I have never taken any sleep aides in the past but if they are natural then I am all about it.

Here is what I received along with the price per item.
Dream Water in pineapple (2.5 oz) = $3.75
Quick Fire (6.5 g) = $1.10
AtEase PM (1 cap) = $0.52
iTrain $50 GC
Aero Shot Energy (0.01 oz) = $2.99
QSpeed CoQ10 100mg (2 tabs) = $1.25

I think Bulu Box is a great subscription box especially if you are looking to just get a one time sample of particular products. The box gives you just a taste of products so you don't have to waste your money on the full size version. Of course the value of the box isn't all that bad either!

Have you ever heard of Bulu Box or tried anything like it?

Sampling VoxBox [vlog]

2013-06-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

*I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

We all love receiving free products, don't we? Especially if they are products that are actually useful to our lives. I really don't know what I would do if a company were to send me a box full of diapers to review. Maybe wear them to see if they are really leakproof? Am I taking things too far?

Influenster is one of those great companies that screens each individual and only sends relatable items to them to review for free. You should probably go sign up if you haven't already. You have nothing to lose because it doesn't even cost you a penny. Do it. Do it now!

I received the Spring Fling Vox Box a few weeks ago and I thought I would do an unboxing for one of my Chit Chat Thursday Vlogs - and that is today. Watch to see what I received.

Are you an Influenster?

Did you receive the Spring Fling VoxBox?

Excited News!!!!

2013-06-12T05:00:00.000-07:00

That lady up there. Yeah she is celebrating getting a job. Yes, you read that right - a J.O.B. The journey has been long and hard but I am excited to see where things go.

One year and six months of searching...

So many applications...

Multiple phone interviews...

Several one on one interviews...

Many and many declines...

Dozens of companies that I never heard back from...

A handful of resume revisions...

Then finally, the job.

I know you are so nosey and would love to know all of the details of the job but I just do not feel comfortable yet sharing everything. I will share with you some details that I think are very important though.

My job description includes reception and data entry and I actually started working on Tues. June 4th. Gosh, I know. I hid this news from all of you. Don't hate me! The company is fairly large and is based out of Indianapolis, IN. There are several different office buildings for me to work out of and so far I have been traveling to two different locations for training.

Most importantly we have tricycles to ride around our office building, 3 fitness centers as well as a personal trainer, pinball machine, arcade basketball, wii games, a keg-o-rater, and so much more. We like to have fun and that is what we are good at.

Everyone I have met so far has been over the top nice and outgoing. The company works hard to enjoy all of the benefits we are offered. I cannot wait to see what this job turns into because if you were not aware, reception and data work is not glamorous one bit.

Lets go celebrate together!!

Revolt Fitness Recap + Recipe

2013-06-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

*Ad - Revolt Fitness is allowing me to participate in the program at no charge so long as I share weekly posts.

All thoughts, opinions, and results are my own.*

Last week was the start of a new Uprising for Revolt Fitness but I completed my 6th week in the program. A new Uprising means that everyone starts over with the detox diet as a way to rid your body of sugar. Most of the foods that are part of the detox diet I have a sensitivity to so I just improvised. I tried to stick with the plan as far as fitness and diet are concerned. But if you remember, yesterday I said I got a new job and I am trying to adjust to working full time and maintaining my fitness routine. It will take time.

I had a few failures but for the most part my diet was pretty clean. I may not have worked out daily and I may have had that donut on National Donut Day but I am learning. I do not consider Revolt Fitness to be a fad diet. I consider it to be a lifestyle change and that means that I will have my up's and I will have my down's but in the end it is a learning process.

Here is a part of what I ate instead of the detox diet last week.

Recipe below

In 'n' Out Burger secret sauce recipe found here.

Even for not working out or following the fitness routine, my numbers are pretty good. I am going to say that is because I have been really good with my eating habits even with all of the changes that have been happening in this household. Next week I am going to try and get my numbers posted for you all and some before and current photos. I am working on it.

How do you stay healthy while maintaining a full time job?

Cajun Shredded Chicken and Rice Recipe

serves 4

Ingredients

- 2 chicken breasts

- cajun seasoning to taste

- 1 cup wild rice or brown rice

- 1 & 3/4 cup water

- handful of frozen corn

- handful of frozen peas

- cajun seasoning to taste

Directions

- In a crockpot, place chicken and cajun seasoning. Cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4-6 hours.

- Once chicken is cooked, shred with forks and place back in crockpot on low.

- Boil water in small or medium pot then add rice and reduce heat to low.

- Cook rice as directed on package.

- Season rice with cajun seasoning and add corn and peas.

- Once corn and peas are heated through then rice is finished.

- Enjoy.

Celebratory Weekend

2013-06-10T05:00:00.000-07:00

It's Monday, Monday. Everybody hates Monday...

I hope you had a fantastic weekend like we did at my household. If you do not already follow me on Twitter or Instagram then you probably should because you missed out on some very exciting news! I will get to that news later though. But lets get on with the weekend recap first.

Friday ended with a delicious dinner of thai chicken flatbread, pretzel crusted pork medalians, and dessert. Of course none of that was made by yours truly. We splurged and went out instead. Also, lets not forget the celebratory bottle of wine.

What was the celebration about? Looks like you will just have to wait til the end of this post to find out. Don't go scroll down to the bottom because it might not be at the very bottom. I am soo sneaky.

Once we finished the bottle of wine, both of us became very sleepy so bedtime came at 10pm. Old people alert!

Saturday started with an 11 mile bike ride and a pit stop at the farmers market to buy some jerky. Along the bike ride we came across two groups of little duckies. And I love me some cute little baby animals.

After getting our workout done, A and I came back to the house and gave the little Jeep a bath. While in the process of washing my car we also accomplished our large pile of laundry four loads to be exact.

And why would we let our busy accomplished day end there? Of course we would not so we went grocery shopping and I typed all of this week's posts out and scheduled them to go live. I am totally ahead of the game here.

Sunday was a completely different story. We were busy but didn't really accomplish too much. I will spare you the boring details.

We ended the weekend getting ready for our work week ahead. Oh yeah, I said our work week. That means this little lady got a job - more to come this week. So that is the big news!!

How was your weekend?

Battle of the Boxes Part 1

2013-06-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

How many monthly subscription boxes are you aware of? Did you know that there are well over 100 different subscription box services available? I did not know that fact until I started researching into them. There are boxes for beauty, jewelry, socks, food, beverage, craft, pets, kids, time of the month, and many many more categories.

So guess what I did? I reached out to 75ish of those subscription box companies to see if they would send me a box for free to review. Can you guess what happened next? Well a few of those companies said yes and I have already received a few of those boxes. This means you will get to see one box a week reviewed here and I will give you my final verdict at the end of this series!!

*Juniper sent me a box for free to review. No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

When I was doing my research for all the different types of subscription boxes I was surprised to see how many companies were sending out monthly boxes for a ladies special time of the month. You know, when mother nature comes to visit? Or when Aunt Flo is in town? Or the time of the month when you sit in front of the refrigerator until it is empty? You understand where I am going with this.

Juniper is just that. And when they offered to send me a box to review I was kind of excited. Who gets excited for the dreaded period?! And I am not going to lie but I will get personal the box came in perfect timing - as it would if you subscribed to their monthly box service.

One thing I love about the box is that it is plain and simple. There is no advertising all over the box saying to your delivery man, "Whoa, this chick is about to get crazy so knock and run fast!"

Then I opened the box and it was like a party. Each month you receive little treats like pretzels, dried fruit, chocolate, tea, and of course the party poppers and pads. Yes, they are considered party poppers in my house because the atmosphere is the exact opposite of a party!! You also get to choose your favorite party popper from Tampax, Tampax Pearl, U Kotex, o.b., Playtex Gentle Glide, or Natracare so you don't get stuck with a brand of tampon you don't like.

Everything comes packaged so discretely and nicely. Can you even tell that this box is full of tampons and pads?

Here is what I received along with the price per item.
GloryBee Honey Stix (qty3) - about $0.75
Clean Getaway Lip Balm (0.25 oz) - $2.50
Snack Factory Pretzel Crisps (0.5 oz) - about $0.25
Cherry Bay Orchards Montmorency Dried Cherries (1oz) - about $0.50
Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter - about $0.99
Davidson's Tulsi Tea - about $0.75
o.b. Regular and Super tampons (10 each) - about $3.00
Always Infinity Overnight Pads (qty 2) - about $0.85
Always Infinity Regular Pads (qty 3) - about $0.90
Always Infinity Liners (qty 5) - about $0.60
Midol Painkillers (qty 4) - about $1.20

You can also tailor the box to fit your needs. Let's say you didn't need all those super tampons but needed more regular, you just let them know so they can adjust your quantity for next month.

Overall, I think Juniper is a great subscription box because it saves you the headache of rummaging through the house or under the sofa like you would for spare change when you forgot to pick up your monthly necessities. Best of all, Lynn, the founder of Juniper, says in her monthly letter that is included in the box, "...be your effing self." She's a smart, smart lady!

Have you ever heard of a monthly subscription box like this?

What do you think of it?

Clothing Dilemma

2013-06-05T05:00:00.000-07:00

This should not be news to you but I have been without a paying job for some time. I can tell you that I have not been sitting around watching TV in my pj's eating donuts without showering all day. Although that may have happened a day or two within the last 1.5 years. I have been all over the internet searching for jobs and my resume has definitely gotten around.

All the while I think to myself, "I really need to update my wardrobe because fitness pants and free t-shirts will not cut it in the workplace." So then I started pondering what type of job I might accept and what the dress code might be. We all know that most jobs fall under the category of casual, business casual, or business attire. Cue my search on pinterest and google.

If anyone relied on the sources of pinterest or google for work clothing options, they would either stick out like a big fat zit or get fired completely. Here is what I found. Some are good and some are NOT so good.

Casual - I could totally see myself wearing something like this - cute, comfy, and stylish. Although I would probably change the shoes. Also, that dog is just adorable.

Business Casual - Things start to go down hill here real quick.
So this first one I would rock every single day, over and over again.

But this. This is what you consider business casual? Oh boy!

Business - Call me old fashion but when I think business I think about all different types of suits like this.

But then again these girls are really old fashioned here.

How do you solve the work place dress code dilemma?

Bicycle. Bicycle. Bicycle.

2013-06-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

I want to ride my bicycle. I want to ride my bike.

Okay, that's enough Queen for the day. Really though, how can the day not be great without some good ol' Queen?!
Now let's get on with the post.

A and I have been enjoying riding our bikes around town just for some leisurely activity. It was my great or not so great idea to challenge our bike riding ability. Our challenge started on Saturday and that challenge is to bike 100 miles in June.
That's 30 days people!!

It's still not to late to join but you are 14.03 miles behind us. If you own a bicycle and enjoy biking then I challenge you to the #100milesinJune challenge.

Oh and today is Tuesday so that means I have a Revolt Fitness recap for you sort of.
Yesterday started the first day of the next Uprising group. New Uprisings start the first Monday of each month and that means new people join, we get new exercises to whip our booties into shape and we also get new meals to enjoy.

Usually the first week of a new Uprising is dedicated to the detox diet. It is a way to rid your body of sugars and jump start your fitness routine. The detox diet is a lot of eggs and a lot of spinach. I am opting out of the detox diet due to food sensitivities but will swap out all meals for healthy alternatives.

Be sure to check in next week because I will show you my delicious meal alternatives. I am about to go eat right now!!

Are you going to join me for #100milesinJune?

*Revolt Fitness is allowing me to participate in the

program at no charge so long as I share weekly posts.

All thoughts, opinions, and results are my own.

Monthly Recap {May}

2013-06-03T05:00:00.000-07:00

Well happy Monday to you! Ready for a quick weekend recap? We had a guest on Friday night and drank a lot of beer. Saturday was filled with riding bikes 6 miles for one bike to brake then walk the remaining 2 miles home. A took the bike in, got it fixed, then we went back out for another ride. Sunday was spent grocery shopping and preparing for this week.

There. That's it. We lead very exciting lives!

Now onto a bigger and better recap - May blogging recap.

--
We had a house guest at the beginning of May and, being the good hostess that I am, I made over two pounds of steak for three people. Did we finish it? Nope, but it was delicious.

In case you are blind, unobservant, or just stopping by for the first time, my little home here in the dot com world got a new facelift. All new colors, new header, and I changed up the layout.

I participated in a linkup where I talked about how I had the best job. Ever!

Chit Chat Thursday vlogs included the equipment I use for home workouts and a taste test review of some nutritional supplements. Also, if you missed this one you should go watch because I had a very special guest!

I shared a little piece of my life here.

And another little piece here.

Every Tuesdayish I am bringing you along with me on the Revolt Fitness journey. You can read all about week two, week three, and week four.

I asked you to share your dirty little secrets with me. If you didn't share already, spill the dirt!

You were able to see the sad little face I get when I exceed my weekly budget.

I shared my input on the differences between the Midwest and West Coast.

I rambled and rambled then shared a secret with you - bloggers are liars.

Favorite Recipes:

Strawberries with Protein Almond Milk Ice Cream

Slivered Garlic Salmon

Slivered Almond Salmon

Favorite Weekend Pictures:

one / two / three

one / two / three / four

Do you have a favorite post from May?

How was your weekend?

Favorite Products from Etsy {Linkup}

2013-05-31T05:00:00.000-07:00

Wow-wee, I cannot believe it is already the last Friday of the month. And because of that, today is the Window Shopping linkup. That means you get to go browse Etsy for items that you might want to buy or items that are absolutely ridiculous, write up your post, then come back here to linkup.

Rules for Linkup:

1. Browse Etsy for new, fun, bizarre, or crazy things.
2. Linkup and share what you found.

That's it!! And here is what I found.

Shop these, left to right: SkyeArt pears / PIEBOX pie box

clamlab bowls / LukaDecoDesign swing

LennyMud mug / BlowawishBags bag

Shop these, left to right: PerfectHomeAntiques chair / michelledwight pillow

NelliUzun dress / upscalehare ring

yaci ring / ToodlesNoodles bag

What is your favorite item?

Be sure to linkup below!

Vlog + Nutritional Supplement Review

2013-05-30T05:00:00.000-07:00

*Ad - Vitacost.com sent me 6 nutritional supplements to test and review. All opinions are 100% my own and I was not compensated in any other way.

You probably know by now with my Tuesday recap posts that I have been really into fitness and my health or more so getting buff. When I was given the opportunity to review some sports nutritional supplements from Vitacost I was all about it. In the past whenever I got all crazy into fitness, the only addition I really added to my normal routine was protein powder after exercising. I had no idea that you could take a slew of products to help optimize your workout and results. And ladies, this stuff isn't going to make you all beefy or manly, just saying.

When I received a huge box of 6 sports nutritional containers I was a little freaked out. What does this do? When am I supposed to take this? Will it taste good? But after a little research I was excited to start trying the products.

Now the fun part. Let me just answer the taste portion honestly with this little vlog here - considering it is Chit Chat Thursday and all.

Now that you really know how I feel about the taste, which I was completely surprised with, lets move on to the products. First thing that stood out to me about the entire ARO Black Series is that the products are all gluten free, they have no artificial dyes and there are no hidden ingredients. That's pretty cool, right? Another fun fact, ARO stands for attack, recover, and optimize. Here are the products that I tried...

ARO Black Series Glutamine in Natural Fruit Punch ($14.99 for 6.3 oz)
Glutamine is used for post workout recovery and helps against muscle fatigue. It also promotes a positive nitrogen balance and prevents muscle loss.

Taste - The fruit punch flavor is a light refreshing flavor. It is definitely an easy supplement to drink.
Mixability Is that a word? Just go with it. - The fine powder mixed up really well with my milk frother. There were no clumps but per usual for supplemental powders, it settles and must be remixed while drinking.
Effectiveness - I didn't notice a huge difference in my post workout recovery. I am going to continue to use the product to see if I can get a different effect from taking it over a longer period of time.

Overall, I give the glutamine an 8 out of 10 and I might repurchase it when mine is gone.

ARO Black Series Pre-Workout Concentrate in Pink Lemonade ($19.99 for 7.4 oz)
Essentially the pre-workout concentrate is an herbal and caffeinated energy drink to help you from slowing down.

Taste - This one was one of my favorites. I really enjoy the flavor and I would pretty much buy any product in that flavor if it was available.
Mixability again, pretend this is a word! - The powder mixed up without any issues but it does tend to settle while drinking.
Effectiveness - With a boost in energy and some pep in my step I was able to really get into the workouts even on the days I wanted nothing more than to sit on the couch watching awful reality tv.

Overall, I give the pre-workout concentrate a 10 out of 10 and would definitely repurchase.

ARO Black Series Creatine in Natural Blue Razz ($12.99 for 6.3 oz)
Creatine can be used to increase lean body mass, increase muscle strength, as well as help you push through high intensity exercises.

Taste - The flavor was pretty good, not too overpowering and not to watery. I definitely did not find it offensive.
Mixability - Surprise, surprise! I had no issues mixing this powder but it did tend to settle.
Effectiveness - Let me tell you, I could push through those last few reps of a long, hard workout like it was nobodies business. I did truly feel more energized during workouts that I was really not into. Whether that be from the glutamine alone or along with some of the other products, I was pleased.

Overall, I give the creatine a 10 out of 10 and I will be repurchasing this once mine is gone.

ARO Black Series Casein in Natural Chocolate ($23.99 for 2lb)
Casein is a slow digesting product that allows for delayed amino acid release. This results in a more consistent amount of nutrition over a longer period of time.

Taste - Just watch the video above!! I prefer to no drink this product with water alone. I find it much more tolerable made into a shake or frosty by adding ice to the mixture and blending. The flavor is actually quite tasty but the texture is not for me - it has a pudding consistency.
Mixability - Due to it's thickness, I had a difficult time mixing the powder in just water alone with my milk frother. I bet there wouldn't be any problems if you used a proper mixing ball.
Effectiveness - Because I have been experimenting with different ways for me to tolerate the drink, I have not noticed any differences yet. But I will continue using this product to see if I can get any other effects by using it over a longer period of time.

Overall, I have to give this guy a 6 out of 10 simply because of the texture. But if I were to make it as a frosty, then I give it an 8 out of 10. Make the frosty! You won't regret it.

ARO Black Series Amino + in Natural Lemon Lime ($21.75 for 14.6 oz)
The Amino+ helps maintain lean muscle mass, helps you achieve optimal results during exercise, and aids muscle tissue from breakdown.

Taste - Again, just watch the video above. This one is one that I just cannot stomach. We all have our own preferences, right? Now on the other hand, A doesn't mind the taste - to each their own.
Mixability - No issues here in the mixing department. Once mixed, the drink is quite frothy but nothing to note besides that.
Effectiveness - I cannot say whether or not this one is effective or not. Like I said, I just cannot put my big girl panties on a chug it down. Sorry!

Overall, I prefer not to give this one a rating. That would not be fair at all!!

ARO Black Series Whey Protein Complex+ in Chocolate Peanut Butter ($19.75 for 2lb)
Whey protein seems to be the one product that most everyone working out knows about. It promotes exercise performance, helps to maintain lean muscle mass and helps with muscle recovery.

Taste - With the powder and water alone, the taste is not bad. I prefer to make an after workout shake with ice, water, natural peanut butter, and the whey powder. It is amazing!
Mixability - No huge issues here. It is a thicker consistency and requires a little more blending if you are like me using a milk frother.
Effectiveness - I didn't really notice a huge difference from this product alone. But in conjunction conjunction junction, what's your function?!! I noticed my lean body mass has been changing.

Overall, I have to give this one an 8 out of 10. I liked the flavor but prefer vanilla flavor whey powder because I can mix in more items for a shake. You can find vanilla flavor in the ARO Black Series here.

If you are interesting in learning more about the ARO Black Series, click here to watch their video.

Bloggers are Liars

2013-05-29T05:00:00.001-07:00

How many bloggers do you know? Probably a lot - dare I say hundreds? But do you really know why those bloggers blog? I think at least half of those bloggers are lying about why they blog and who they blog for.
Don't leave and unfollow me just yet. Hear me out first then you are welcome to leave hate mail and never return to this site!!

"I blog for me." How many times have you heard this? I know a lot of bloggers that blog for themselves as an outlet to express their internal feelings or maybe to just be creative. There is no hidden agenda behind these bloggers. They sit each and every day, or whenever inspired, to write and write about whatever they feel speaks to them. These bloggers aren't looking to increase their readers overnight nor looking to make a buck. Sure, they would be super happy if someone left a comment saying that they can relate to their post or that they found it helpful but that doesn't deter them from coming back the next day. Overall, they manage and maintain their blog just because it's fun to them.

Now we have the rest of the liars. Yup, those that offer massive giveaways, accept paid advertisers (from other bloggers that are just trying to survive), allow guest posts, accept products for reviews, and so on but yet still insist they blog solely for themselves.This is not everyone out there but I am going to say there are far too many of them!

The blogging world is a wonderful thing because it gives each author the freedom to really do whatever they want. I mean, if you really wanted to create a brand new identity over the internet rather than showcasing your real life then there is nothing 'wrong' with that. I think I would change my name to Tempest or Stryker if I did that. Ooh, future baby names... maybe? Kidding!

So this has kind of turned into a rant post but it irks me to see bloggers running around the dot com world saying that they blog for themselves because it's a way to keep in touch with family and friends. Riddle me this then, why are they accepting $5-$80 for a 30 day sponsor spot on their blog? Also, does their family and friends really care if there is a guest post on their blog? Does the family and friends even know what a guest post is? Or the reason behind bloggers sponsoring one another? Chances are no!

When bloggers start charging money for sponsorships, they can no longer say they blog for themselves. I am not saying it is wrong to accept money, products, services, gifts, or anything else from blogging. But it is wrong to be deceitful about it. In the end, we are all just bloggers no matter why or for whom.

Let me just say that I would not and cannot consider myself one of these liars because I have never stated on my blog that I do it for myself. If I have published those words please prove me wrong. I have never accepted money from any blogger that advertises on my sidebar (even though I would love someone to pay me to host their beautiful face on my blog). I do accept products and services to review as well as accept money in return to write a post. I also have allowed other bloggers to guest post on my blog while I have been away on vacation. So go ahead and hate me for calling other bloggers liars... The reason why I blog is because one day I was bored - true story.

Now I am curious, why do you blog?

Life Changing Experiences

2013-05-28T05:00:00.000-07:00

*Ad - Revolt Fitness is allowing me to participate in the program at no charge so long as I share weekly posts.

All thoughts, opinions, and results are my own.*

I am in absolute shock with the way I have been feeling about the way I look lately. Four weeks ago I started my first day with Revolt Fitness and I am so happy I didn't chicken out.

The program is real and it forces you to be accountable with yourself. There are definite perks to not having to go to the gym to get the daily workout finished. Like I could workout naked if I wanted to because I am in the privacy of my own home. But I don't think my ta-tas would be very happy to not have the support of a bra. Am I right?! But, because I don't go to the gym means I have to force myself to workout even though I could be sitting on the couch drinking my glass of wine.

I thought today I could kind of go over how the last month has gone rather than just the last week.

Here are my states from weeks one through four.

I must say that the statistical results don't look all that glamorous. In reality, I feel so much better, I sleep better at night when I stick with the program, I am not starving, and I must say my body is looking better than it has in the last couple of years. I like to call this disorder love chub. Of course this disorder occurred after my wedding!

I have a love-hate relationship with upper body strength days. I am the typical female and my upper body is pathetically weak. Finishing out the first four weeks has given me the strength to do a normal pushup even if it is just ONE without falling flat on my face. Just beware because you might get tickets to see this gun show...

As for food, there are very few meal items that I tried and just did not like as well as items I cannot eat due to allergies. I made my accommodations and thoroughly enjoy grocery shopping each week. I like to be nosey and see what other people put into their cart. Then I smile to myself at how expensive their bill is going to be with all that processed, prepared foods. People, buying fresh food is not expensive. Stop buying the precut, prewashed produce and take the extra 20 minutes to do it yourself then bag it up!!

Okay, enough lame talk and I am sorry for the lack of photos. Life happens sometimes.

Don't forget to get your free kickstart week of the Revolt Fitness program.

Also, if you are interested in having Revolt change your life, the next Uprising begins Monday June 3rd.

One month is only $10, three months is $27 and one year is only $50 (that's less than $1 a week!!)

Monday thru Sunday Undies?

2013-05-24T05:00:00.000-07:00

Do you remember that underwear that you used to wear as a kid with the days of the week on it? Oh, you didn't wear those? I was thinking that I needed to go back to those undies because I keep getting my days all confused.

Beware! This photo is as random as the rest of this post.

Enough reminiscing because I have no idea where that came from. I guess I am going to do a 'one take' for my blog post today. That means, I am going to write and write everything I need to say then hit post. Of course I should probably go through and proofread so I don't look like an idiot.

I lied to you already. Today is actually Thursday but I promise when I am done typing and proofreading, I will hit the publish button to be set to Friday at 8am. So I am still going to consider it a 'one take'.

Next Friday is the Window Shopping linkup. If you are interested in co-hosting with me, let me know. You can see what the linkup is all about here, here, and here.

I have also been brainstorming a lot lately about a new series. That means you should probably keep a look out on Twitter for when I need your help because it is going to be something along the lines of What Type of Blogger am I. Shoot, now I totally spilled the beans...

What else is new? What else is new? Oh, I have been working hard on getting a Media Kit published on my blog. Have no fear, it is under my sponsor section - or you can just click here. If you find yourself over on my sponsor page, you should probably take a look at my options. I currently have one Lover ad available - it is the best seat in the house.

I also have this great idea to film next week's Chit Chat Thursday vlog this weekend. I thought it might be fun to do a first impression on some fitness supplements I received to review. All of them require mixing with water then drinking so that would probably give you the most real reaction if I really like the taste of the product. Or would that just be gross to watch?

As I continue to ramble I can sense you are getting bored. I will leave you with a cheers to the holiday weekend and I hope you don't get into too much trouble. Please pretend you are having a couple of cocktails with me.

Midwest vs. West Coast Living

2013-05-23T05:00:00.000-07:00

You probably know, if you have been reading for some time, that I used to live in Michigan then moved to California and I now live in Indiana. If this is all news to you then you must be living under a rock! I want to share my experiences with the difference of living in the Midwest compared to the West coast because I am clearly the expert.

I grew up in the Midwest and have lived in the Midwest on and off for 24ish years. But my 1.5ish years in California helped me put the two regions in perspective. The differences I am about to list are not exclusive because I could go on and on. Also, a majority of my time on the West coast was spent in Northern California and Reno, NV keepin' it classy.

Hills, Mountains & Flat land
Between Michigan and Indiana, the highest elevation is 1979 ft. About all you will see when driving through these two states is farmland, more farmland, and maybe a hill here or there.
Between California and Nevada, the highest elevation is 14,505 ft and this is where things get fun. You can drive through mountains, over mountains, ski down mountains, hike up mountains, or whatever your heart desires.

Lakes & Oceans
In case you are not good with your geography, the closest body of water you can get to from Michigan and Indiana is the Great Lakes otherwise known as HOMES - Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior.
However, on the West coast you have the big Pacific Ocean.

Wine vs. Beer
Now I cannot be biased to either wine or beer because I love them both equally. I will say that the Midwest has a serious case of craft beer fever. If you are visiting Michigan or Indiana and you are not throwing back a few cold ones from a tap room then you are doing something wrong.
Now, lets talk about the West Coast. Californians love their California wine, especially the north. I don't think you can drive very far without noticing vineyards all along the expressway, again particularly in the north.

Seasons
This is a tough one! The Midwest for sure experiences all seasons. From extreme humidity in the summer, the changing of the leaves colors in fall, blistering cold and snowing winters, to bee invested and wet springs. The West Coast can also be all of the above but with practically no humidity in the summer, less leave colors in the fall, a lot more snow or pure rainfall for winter, and an early spring.

Sports
This might be a completely controversial assumption but I am going to go there anyway. The Midwest's favorite sport to watch is Nascar. Yup, there is something they love about watching cars turn left around an oval track.
Now on the other hand, the West Coast's favorite sport to watch is the rodeo. Remember I said that I lived in Northern California and that was right by the Cowboy Capital of the World. Whether it be bull riding, barrel racing, and so on.

Do you live in the Midwest or the West Coast?

Did I mention anything that was completely off?

Pretty Close to Perfect

2013-05-22T05:00:00.000-07:00

We all have items that we just cannot leave the house without. Unless you are the type of person that cannot even remember their first name, then you feel like your life is falling apart because you forgot that one item that you just need to have with you right this second. I am not that person.

I like to think that I am damn near close to perfect because I never forget a thing. That might be overstated, just a tad. I can already hear your little voice in your head saying, "Hmmm... what are the items that Jenn cannot leave the house without?" Let me show you.

Sunglasses - I have to have some stellar shades to protect my eyes or hide my face. Similar item found here.
Car keys - Unless I am walking my butt to my destination then keys are mandatory. My keys go to this car found here.
Purse - Because I need to lug all this junk around, a purse does just that job. From here.
Water bottle - We all need to stay hydrated and I like to bring some water whenever I leave the house. Similar found here.
Wallet - I rarely ever have cash on me so I don't know why I really must have a wallet. That plastic money would fit in any compartment of my purse or right in my pocket. But I still like to think that I have money so I carry the wallet. Similar found here.
Lip products - No one wants to be known as the lady that has massively chapped lips. So I am always sure to have some kind of lip products in tow before I head out the door. Here you can find Burt's Bees and Baby Lips.
Cell phone - We all know how important the cell phone is and how the world just about stops turning when it is misplaced for 0.2 seconds. That means, my little friend is in my hand for most of the day. I could never, ever leave the home without this thing. Found here.

What can't you leave the house without?

Revolt Fitness Recap + Recipes + Free Kickstart Week

2013-05-21T05:00:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that I just finished out the third week of Revolt Fitness. I have seen a huge change in my eating decisions as well as grocery shopping habits. I have also noticed plenty of changes going on with my body and my strength has increased.

Now that I am into my fourth week, I want to try and alter how I am doing the program a little to potentially speed up my results. I will not be working my butt to the ground but will probably include a little more cardio and play around with different meal options.

This recap I am not going to focus on statistics nor measurements because I think I did enough of that last week.
And to anyone that actually stuck around and read the post in its entirety, I commend you!!

I did, however, receive a lot of requests for me to share my recipes. And that is exactly what I have for you. But first, let me share my workout breakdown from last week. Of course I forgot to log each workout because I suck at things like that. I did manage to log 3 of the 5 workouts that's better than half.

Tuesday's workout was lower body sculpt. I will just say that there were a lot of squats involved.

Wednesday was rest day and I took full advantage of that day. Thursday was a different story.

Thursday's exercise was a full body cardio circuit. I completed it in a good amount of time but I should have added a few more rounds to really kick myself into shape or just a sweaty mess.

Friday was upper body sculpt and of course I forgot to record that workout. This then brings me to Saturday. Saturday is the same workout as Thursday, full body workout. I, again, finished the workout in a decent amount of time.

Okay, the recipes you have been dying for - strawberries with protein almond milk ice cream, slivered garlic salmon, and slivered almond salmon. Note - salmon was part of the meal plan but not the toppings and the ice cream was not part of the program either.

Strawberries with Protein Almond Milk Ice Cream
2 servings
Note - you will need some sort of an ice cream machine.

Ingredients:
- Strawberries
- 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

Directions:
- Cut up strawberries as desired and set aside
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together protein powder and almond milk until frothy
- Add milk mixture to ice cream machine (use as instructed by your machine)
- Serve ice cream alongside strawberries

I have a soft serve ice cream machine that was gifted to me. The ice cream took less than 10 minutes to harden.

Slivered Garlic Salmon
2 servings

Ingredients:
- 12 ounces salmon (skinned)
- about 1 Tbs olive oil
- sea salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves (slivered)

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees
- Cut salmon in half (giving 6 ounces per serving) and place on lined tray
- Drizzle a little olive oil (about 1 Tablespoon) and season with salt and pepper
- Place slivered garlic on top of salmon
- Bake for 12-15 minutes until salmon is tender

Slivered Almond Salmon
2 servings

Ingredients:
- 12 ounces salmon (skinned)
- about 1/2 Tbs soy sauce
- sea salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
- about 1/4 cup slivered or chopped raw almonds

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees
- Cut salmon in half (giving 6 ounces per serving) and place on lined tray
- Drizzle salmon with soy sauce and season with salt and pepper
- Place slivered almonds on top of salmon
- Bake for 12-15 minutes until salmon is tender.

I also have some great news. Nichole, founder of Revolt Fitness, is giving away one week free to the program - kickstart week. All you have to do is go to the website, here, and scroll to the bottom of the page, enter in your information, and enjoy your results. You only need to put in your first and last name plus email address - pretty simple!! In the kickstart, you will find workout plans as well as recipes of the meals you should be eating to see maximum results.

What are you waiting for?

*Revolt Fitness is allowing me to participate in the

program at no charge so long as I share weekly posts.

All thoughts, opinions, and results are my own.

Hitchhikers

2013-05-20T05:00:00.000-07:00

I bet you don't care to hear about my 4 mile walk or my 14 mile bike ride that happened this weekend.
I also doubt that you care to read me ~~blabbing~~ typing on about my intake of Sam Adam's or my mourning breakfast of power protein waffles. But if you do care about any of the above, you can probably catch what happened on my Twitter or Instagram.

I do have a story that would probably interest you. Or it might even make you think I am a crazy person. Which I am!!
This story involves some teeny-boppers in cheerleading uniforms.
Do I have your attention yet?

So A and I were in the car on our way home from some where. We were driving down a main road and there were a group of girls teeny-boppers in cheerleading uniforms walking on the sidewalk. One of those said teeny-boppers decided it might be funny, or maybe she was serious, to stick her thumb out to hitchhike.

I looked over at A and said, "You should probably pull over and pick up those girls. I will teach them a lesson to not ever hitchhike again." This is where you can think I am crazy.

No we did not pick up the girls! But it makes me sad to see that young girls, in cheerleading uniforms or not, are joking about hitchhiking. Who knows if someone would have taken them seriously. There are too many scary people out there in the world not matter how nice of the city is you live in.

~~When~~ if I have children, I hope I can teach them better than that. Either way, I wish I could have taught those teeny-boppers a lesson.

How do you feel about the situation?

How was your weekend?

Show Me Your Money

2013-05-17T05:00:00.000-07:00

Budgeting. It's what we all should be doing but rarely do. Or we try and do it but fail miserably.

Sometimes we get carried away and think that we really need to enjoy a dozen or so beers at the bar and pay that hefty tab. Or maybe we really needed five sushi rolls and Starbucks to finish it off. Or maybe, just maybe, we needed to pick up 20 pairs of undies and 5 new bras from Victoria's Secret because we wear them everyday. Those we's might just be me but maybe you can relate.

Anyhoo, A and I decided that we needed to take budgeting seriously. Because when only one person is working for an income and the other just goes out and spends it all, savings become minimal.
Okay, I don't spend ALL the money but I could definitely cut back.

I found this app called EEBA which we like to call her Eeeee-baaa, like Eve from the Disney movie WALL-E. I use my little friend religiously for groceries, gas, dining out, and of course we have an envelope for alcohol. You can also access your account via a computer and set up multiple devices to one account.

There are probably a bajillion other apps and websites that allow you to set budgets just like Eeeee-baaa, but I just love the little envelope face with money spewing out the top.

She's cute, right?

Besides the cute happy face, you can also get a sad, disgruntled face if you spend too much money for the week.

Yes, we set our weekly grocery budget at $100 and do pretty damn well at keeping it around $100!

Oh, that face!!

If you are interested in hearing more about how we budget our money, let me know and I can write up another post about it. Here's a little sneak peek - we set aside $30 for alcohol alone. *gasp*

Do you budget by using an app?

Did you get a chance to see A on my vlog yesterday?

*This is NOT a sponsored post!

This or That [vlog]

2013-05-16T05:00:00.000-07:00

It is the moment you have been waiting for and the video I have been dying to film.
Today I bring to you a this or that vlog featuring a very special guest.

Note - the guest was really into the hockey game that was playing on the tv.
Also, this was filmed on a Sunday which is lazy day. That means you get the real me - you will see.
Lastly, be sure to leave tons of lovely comments for my guest if you want to see that face on here again.

We hope you enjoyed the vlog. If you have any ideas for future chit chat Thursday vlogs, let me know.

Or if you no longer want to hear me chat away, also let me know so I don't keep filming them.

But I know you secretly love hearing my voice!!

You should probably go follow this guy on Twitter.

Dirty Little Secret

2013-05-15T05:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Hump Day to you. I want to do a little something different today.

I have seen so many new faces and names pop up in my comments section.

This makes me so very happy and I love seeing each and every one of you.

But here is the thing. A lot of these new faces I don't know who you are. I don't know if you are a blogger, finding me through pinterest, or coming over from a blog I sponsor. No matter the reason you are here, I want to get to know you.

So today I welcome a reader meet and greet.

Come share anything you want to share because I want to get to know each of you.

Are you married? Do you have kids? Or fur-children? Do you like to cook or bake? Are you into fitness? Tell me you dirty little secrets!!

I will respond to you via email or hunt you down some way. Please feel free to share your blog link so I can go stalk you because I am creepy like that.

Also, make sure to tune in tomorrow to see a very, very, very special guest on my Chit Chat Thursday vlog.

Showing The Scale Who Is Boss

2013-05-14T09:46:00.001-07:00

Real quick, let me just take you back three weeks from today when I posted this about starting the Revolt Fitness program.

I am walking away from my before life.

Learning the basics and adding to them.

I will become the expert.

You will see me be vulnerable, courageous, and I will become stronger.

Along this journey I will most likely make mistakes.

But in the end, I will suck less.

Well, last week I certainly made mistakes I can recognize. Things will change and I am making myself accountable once again. Some of the mistakes I made was not following the meal plans as they are designed in the program. I enjoyed a few sneaky bites of Nutella or a little snack here and there. Also, my cheat day rolled into the entire weekend because we had a guest over. That meant lots of alcohol and chips and other goodies.

When I stepped on the scale on Friday morning of last week I was slightly disappointed. But I knew that I might still see some progress when it came to taking my body fat percentage or my measurements.

So lets discuss the stats first.

My stats show that I am making progress from week one but they have gone up from week two. But in the end, I have lost a total of 3 inches and that makes a huge difference compared to just looking at what the scale tells me. While I was discouraged about gaining back 0.5lbs from week 2, I know that improvements are being made by shedding some inches.

I am going to spew off a few more statistics prepare yourself.

My total body weight is 126 lbs and I have 29.5% body fat. That means my lean body mass is 88.8 lbs and that leaves me with 37.2 lbs body fat. When I started Revolt my total body weight was 127.5 lbs with 30.1% body fat. That left me with 88.4 lbs lean body mass and 39.1 lbs body fat.

We have all heard the saying that muscle weighs more than fat and that is absolutely true. That means, the scale might be saying one thing but you can clearly see from the number that I am losing fat and replacing it with muscle.

Okay, so now that my head hurts from doing all that math and now that you are bored to death - lets get to the fun stuff. Below are my comparison photos from the start date of the program to the beginning of week three.

Notice a difference?

I'm going to finish up this week's recap with what I have been eating during week two of the Revolt program.
This is just a portion and only 90% of it comes directly from the program. The other 10% are items I chose.

That's all I have for now. Next week I will focus a little more on the workouts because those are a ton of fun. Seriously!!

How are you doing with your healthy lifestyle choices?

*Revolt Fitness is allowing me to participate in the

program at no charge so long as I share weekly posts.

All thoughts, opinions, and results are my own.