Yeah, yeah- I’m now almost two full weeks behind. Well, better late than never, right?

January 23rd:

{Ignore the blur; my camera had the flu too apparently}
In honor of Chinese New Year, we hung red paper lantern in Shane’s doorway. He loved them even though he kept calling them balls & when they fell down he threw them down the stairs.

January 24th: 
Yep, totally forgot.

January 25: 

I’m aware of how boring this picture must be to you, but I realized that day that even after having sat at this desk for a combined 3 & a half years, I had NO pictures of it. Then, I forgot to take any other pictures that day so this became my picture of the day.

January 26:

I told Shane it was time for bed, so he hid in a box. Let’s just say he doesn’t have a future as a ninja.

January 27th:

When I got to my in-law’s house to pick up Shane, he was out riding his motorcycle {which he calls a mous-cous as it’s one of the last words he can’t say} and looking like a total badass.

Since I skipped a day this week, I’m cheating & posting a second pic of him on the motorcycle because he’s so cute it hurts.

January 28th:

Insert heart attack here. We started renovating our garage & when Justin moved a box, he found this beast. This photo does it’s size NO justice.

January 29th:

Since we had missed my Dad’s birthday the week before {January 22nd} thanks to the flu, we stopped by for awhile & Shane got to play video games with Uncle Joey {my brother}.

Are you doing Project 366? Leave your link in the comments so I can check it out!

• Wipe out winter blues with a hydrating body wash.  Although men can tolerate stronger facial products than women (they have thicker skin and typically more oil glands), they are still prone to dry skin in the winter. Dove Men+Care Clean Comfort Body and Face Wash is clinically proven to fight skin dryness without irritation and will help men avoid winter dryness.

• Don’t sweat it – embarrassing sweat stains are the pits. For years only women had a large choice of antiperspirants since sweat may be “macho” for men but not attractive for women.  The truth is many men suffer from hyperhidrosis, or excessive sweating, which is why stronger antiperspirants like Dove Men+Care Clinical Protection are available for men today. This antiperspirant provides prescription strength protection against wetness while also guarding against odor.

• Simplify skincare. Many men aren’t interested or don’t have the time for a daily grooming routine, but it’s easy to keep your skin healthy looking. Wash your face twice a day, and put moisturizer with sunscreen on in the morning. It is that simple!

• Cleanse daily for clear skin.  Refresh your skin and wash away stubborn impurities by cleansing your face at least once a day. For normal to dry skin use a moisturizing cleanser and for break-out prone skin avoid oil-based products. If that doesn’t do the trick, visit your dermatologist and get a topical medication that will help to prevent breakouts.

• Moisture is the key to care. Dove research shows that most men blame their socks for the dry, itchy skin on their legs. It may be your socks, but I’d say switching to products that contain built in moisturizers, like Dove Men+Care Body and Face Wash, and taking short showers that are lukewarm will solve this problem. The Dove Men+Care Body and Face Wash contains ultra-light micromoisture technology that boosts the skin’s natural moisture barrier to combat dryness and fight against irritation. Applying moisturizer immediately after showering is also helpful, as it will trap the water and hydrate your skin.

• Understand your skin. Individuals with darker skin tones tend to have oily skin and should wash their face twice a day. Additionally, products that contain both moisturizing and cleansing ingredients like the Dove Men+Care Deep Clean micromoisture Body and Face Wash that cleanses and moisturizes with purifying grains are great because they prevent visible dry spots, which are a common problem for those with darker pigments.

• Travel with your moisturizing essentials. While travelling can help you wind-down, it is not so kind on your skin. Airplanes are extremely dry and can affect your skin severely, which is why it’s always important to hydrate and moisturize before and after you take off! I’d recommend packing TSA friendly Dove Men+Care Body and Face bar, which fights dryness with Dove signature ¼ moisturizing cream. Also, when visiting a dry climate, pack a heavier facial lotion or cream with sunscreen and for more humid environments, be sure to bring a lighter facial lotion with sunscreen. 

• Fight underarm discomfort with Dove Men+Care Antiperspirants. Dove Men+Care global research found that over 50% of men experience some form of underarm discomfort.  Dove Men+Care antiperspirants combine powerful 48 hour odor and wetness protection with a non-irritating formula that’s tough on sweat, not on skin. 

• Know your grooming aisle. The simple but technologically advanced Dove Men+Care product line makes it the #1 dermatologist choice, making it easier for guys to navigate the men’s grooming aisle, packed with products that have exploded onto drug store shelves.  Arm yourself with knowledge they next time you visit a “guy aisle” and know what products are right for you.

We recently received samples of Dove Men + Care to help Justin start out right with making skin care a priority. His reaction? “I like it. It’s good.” When I pushed for more details, he did say that he likes the way it smells, and that the Extra Fresh Body and Face Wash lives up to it’s claim that it is easy to rinse. He also really likes the Active Clean Dual Sided Shower Tool because it wasn’t as girly as a regular pouf but still helped get a good lather. &He’s already seen some improvement in the dryness of his skin in just a couple short weeks!

My thoughts? I didn’t use the Body Wash because it’s scented & I am allergic to scented wash, but I am glad it has a scent because it smells SO good. Seriously- the whole bathroom smells so good when he gets out of the shower & even though it rinses off, it leaves a faint smell of the wash on him & it is delish {plus he wears the Extra Fresh deodorant, too, so that keeps him smelling like it all day}. I did, however, try out the Shower Tool using my own body wash & I loved it! The puff side builds up a good lather & the scrub side left my skin feeling smoother. I honestly am thinking about replacing my usual pouf with this!

Dove Men + Care has quickly become Justin’s new favorite line- so maybe soon he’ll be able to give me that shoulder massage again!

You can find out more about the Dove Men + Care line on their website, Twitter or on Facebook.

Susie’s Note: We received samples of the Dove Men + Care items mentioned above in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own. &Justin’s, if you can really call “It’s good” an opinion.

I was chubby growing up. Not fat, but definitely chubby. Then college hit- I worked full time at a computer desk {actually, the same one I work at again now}, sat in a classroom for 15 hours a week, and practically lived on fast food between classes. It was a pretty bad combo that brought me to my highest weight. January 3, 2009, I decided it was time to get serious & started looking into diet options, having tried & failed to “just eat healthy & exercise more”. January 4, 2009, I found out I was pregnant.

Losing weight took a back burner but I did start eating better. I took care of myself & my baby and gained only the “suggested” weight during my pregnancy. It took awhile, but I am currently five pounds less than I was when I got pregnant.

But that’s still not a great weight. &I’m fed up again. This time, though, I’m lucky enough to have Nutrisystem supporting me.

When I got the news that I was going to be a Nutrisystem Blogger, I was ecstatic. Finally, I could lose the weight & be healthier! But almost immediately afterwards, I freaked out. I want to lose fifty pounds. That’s a LOT. &It seems impossible.

But I just keep reminding myself of the old quote: “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” It really is exactly what I need to do. I am currently focusing on shifting my focus from the fifty pound goal to the every day goals- sticking to the meal plan, getting my exercise in, drinking enough water. If I hit my daily goals enough times, that ultimate goal will be within my reach in no time.

&If it starts to seem overwhelming again? There’s a whole community of support at Nutrisystem- from the large online community full of other people on the Nutrisystem diet to the free, 7-days-a-week counseling from Nutrisystem, I always have someone to turn to.

I got my big box of food today, so tomorrow I take my first bite- both literally & metaphorically. &Hopefully, before I know it, I’ll be the “After” instead of the “Before” and that poor elephant will have never seen it coming.

If you want to follow along on my weight loss journey, I’ll be posting my progress weekly so be sure to check back next week! Want to take this journey with me? Join today by calling 1-888-853-4689 or by visiting http://www.nutrisystem.com/nsblog!

Susie’s Note: Nutrisystem is providing me with their food in exchange for me blogging about my experience. All experiences are authentic & all opinions are my own.

I have some really cute business cards that I ordered from Tiny Prints before heading to Bloggy Boot Camp- St. George in November 2010. I still have some left, and I still love them- but I need to order some more. Between the trip I have coming up and the {at least} two conferences I plan on attending in the fall, I am going to be passing out a LOT of business cards!

I was looking at business cards from Tiny Prints the other night & couldn’t decide if I should get the same design I got last time or if I should try something new. I like my old cards because they match the color scheme of my blog, and they’re really pretty- but they don’t really “pop”. At least not like these:

I like that this one has photos- definitely makes you look!

I like these ones because they’re folded- they’re definitely unique!

& This one is simple, yet so cute it makes you want to check it out.

What do you think? Should I stick with the old ones or try something more “fresh”?

I’ve got another question for you. When I went to Bloggy Boot Camp, I brought along this:

It’s just a cute little coin purse that I got at Target for like $10 the week before the conference. I liked it because I stored my big stack of cards in the large compartment & then stuck the cards that I received in the small pouch on the front {where you see the pink zipper}. It was perfect, but the problem is that it barely fit all of the cards I got- and it was a group of less than 100 people. When I {hopefully} go to BlogHer, I’m going to need a LOT more room to store cards! So what do YOU use to organize your cards at conferences?

I’d love your help on both of the questions- what cards to get & how to organize them. Leave your thoughts in the comments, & don’t forget to check out Tiny Prints to get YOUR cards for the upcoming conferences!

Susie’s Note: I will be receiving business cards as a thank you for this post; but I need your help choosing a design first!

A few weeks ago, I told you about how Walgreens is my go-to place to get prescriptions. Why? The pharmacists are very knowledgeable, they have an easy drive-up window {which is especially great when I am sick & don’t want to get everyone in the store sick}, and best of all, there’s always one close by. But did you know that they’re also especially affordable? Thanks to the Walgreens Prescription Savings Club, they not only save you time but money as well.

Photo Source

I only work part-time, so I don’t qualify for insurance through my work. And despite owning a home & having a child together, I can’t benefit from Justin’s insurance because we aren’t legally married. So when I have to fill a prescription- it can cost a LOT. I spent $720 last year just on the monthly prescription I get- the year before, when I was still taking anti-anxiety meds, I spent over $1200. That’s why I’m signing up for the Prescription Savings Plan!

What is the Prescription Savings Plan? Think of it as a membership- for one annual fee {$20 for individuals; $35 for families} you can save on more than 8,000 brand-name and all generic medications, get discounts on flu shots, pet prescriptions, nebulizers and diabetic supplies, and even get bonuses when you purchase Walgreens brand products and photofinishing services! Can you imagine how much money you can save just for spending $20 or $35?

For more information, be sure to check out Walgreens on Twitter & Walgreens on Facebook!

Have you signed up for the Prescription Savings Club yet?

Some of them were so good I’ve literally watched them over & over since Sunday night- so I wanted to share my Top 5 {in no particular order} with you! These literally made me laugh out loud. Enjoy!

What was your favorite Super Bowl commercial?

Shane knows the basic premise of counting, but no matter how much we try, he doesn’t get the sequence. &A couple of months ago, he couldn’t visually identify a single number. But while we’re still working on it, Teach My has been helping a lot!

Teach My Toddler is a kit that combines all the best teaching tools: flash cards, a book, visual aids & puzzles. These are some of the best ways for kids Shane’s age to learn anything, and the kit comes with one of each of those items for letters, numbers, shapes and colors! Since Shane already knows his colors, shapes & capital letters, he does those sections just for fun. But since he struggles with numbers & lower case letters, we’ve been doing the lower case letter puzzle & the number section almost every day to help him get better at it & learn it.

Now, I’m not trying to make Shane learn. But he loves playing with this kit, and learning just kind of happens, which I think is a fantastic way to learn. I believe in learning through play & the Teach My kits really help him do just that.

The Teach My kits come in three ages: Teach My Baby, Teach My Toddler, and Teach My Preschooler. You can also buy individual sections for each one- either to add on to your All-In-One kit or to start your collection slowly or focus only on what your child needs help with. As far as the All-In-One kits, the kits contain items that help that age group learn: for example, the Teach My Baby kit holds finger puppets & nesting blocks, the Teach My Toddler kit features books & puzzles, and the Teach My Preschooler kit features a Magic Drawing Board & Reward Tin. Each is geared toward helping your child learn & succeed, no matter what stage of childhood they’re in.

One of my New Year’s Resolutions was to use this kit with Shane for 20 minutes a day- having been sick for over 3/4 of January, I didn’t do very well with that, but since I have started feeling better we’ve been doing it at least every day I have off of work. I am hoping to be doing it every day soon- and am excited to order him the Teach My Preschooler version once he’s mastered the numbers & lowercase letters!

Do you want to try a Teach My kit with the little one in your life? You can buy one from their website or at one of their retail partners- the All-In-One kit is $49.99 & section prices vary. BUT, one lucky {Not Quite} Susie Homemaker reader is about to win their own kit of choice! Just enter using the super simple Rafflecopter form below- Good luck!

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Susie’s Note: I received a Teach My Toddler kit to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

I’m aware that I’m currently in Week 5 & so this should have gone up two weeks ago, but as you’ll see in the pics- I was SICK. This week I’ve been feeling better but still have this yucky cough- it doesn’t seem to notice it has overstayed it’s welcome.

Anyway, even though I was sick I still managed to capture photos on like, half of the days of Week Three:

January 16:

Good news: the toddler bed is being put to good use.

January 17:

{Ignore the broken cabinet- I totally tore the door off somehow.}

Shane was all grins & giggles on the 17th…..

January 18:

…But on the 18th, he came down with the flu. Yuck!

January 19:

The next day, we were BOTH too sick for me to even change his clothes. Not pictured: his other foot, which is missing a slipper. Pictured: SOMANYTOYS. We were too sick to care about the mess.

January 20- 21: 

I kind of went into a flu induced coma that consisted of watching 10 episodes of Parenthood on Netflix, lots of tea, and lots of whining. Shane at least started feeling better- and Justin was completely awesome about helping out with him.

January 22:

This picture is crazy blurry & the colors are distorted or something, but I couldn’t pass up sharing the look my dog is giving Shane. It’s a mixture of “WTF” and “Augh, fine” that I’ve never seen a non-human express. I HAVE seen Justin make this face a lot though so I know where she gets it.

Week Four is coming soon so I can actually be caught up- but at least I’m still going!

Are you doing Project 366? What’s your favorite pic you’ve gotten so far?

Ambiance is Smart & Final’s coffee line, and it includes creamers & coffee treats, too- like mini marshmallows {yum}. &Because it’s exclusively at Smart & Final, you know it’s super affordable.

I decided to make one of my favorite treats to have along with my coffee and I want to share it with you! The best part is, it’s super simple. &It only takes three ingredients!

Ingredients:

-Biscotti

-Chocolate Chips

-Sprinkles

Directions:

1. Pour the chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl.

2. Heat at 50% power for 25 seconds, remove from microwave, and stir. Continue heating for 15 second increments {still at 50% power} until all chocolate chips are melted.

3. Using a spoon, pour melted chocolate over biscotti. Use back of spoon to spread & make an even layer.

4. Put biscotti on a wax paper covered plate.

5. Repeat for as many as you’re making.

6. Pour sprinkles over plate of biscotti.

7. Place in freezer until chocolate is set- about 30 minutes.

8. Enjoy with your favorite Ambiance Coffee!

I love having this treat with Ambiance coffee since the chocolate on the biscotti is the perfect pairing with the vanilla coffee that I drink.

Have you tried Ambiance Coffee? If not, now’s a great time to switch: if you switch to Ambiance coffee from Smart & Final, you can go to www.smartandfinal.com/Ambiance2012 & enter the code on the receipt from your purchase of Ambiance to be entered to win some amazing prizes, including a DeLonghi BCO264B Cafe Nero Combo Coffee/Espresso Maker or one of six $50 SmartCash cards!

You can also click here to view more great coffee recipes & vote for your favorite- everyone who votes will be entered for a chance to win $50 worth of Ambiance products!

Have you tried Ambiance yet? What do you think?

Susie’s Note: This project has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for #collectivebias #CBias. All experiences are authentic & all opinions are my own.

I used to drink tea a lot- mint tea was my favorite. But when I had a newborn, I didn’t really have time for tea- boiling water, letting it cool off, taking a second to actually enjoy it. So I ditched the tea & picked up the diet soda habit that has gotten a little out of hand. But when I was sick, I had no desire to drink soda as it became really tasteless- all I wanted was to relax and have some yummy tea!

Lucky for me, Lipton had just sent me three boxes of their new Superfruit Green Teas- exactly what I needed to help me feel better! The new Superfruit teas come in Red Goji and Raspberry Green Tea, Purple Acai & Blueberry Green Tea, and White Mangosteen & Peach Green Tea and they are ALL delicious! I never was a fan of Green Tea, but since these are flavored, I absolutely love them. The White Mangosteen & Peach one is my favorite, and I’ve been enjoying at least one cup every night, even now that I’m feeling better!

Since it was the hot liquid aspect of the tea that made me feel the best, it inspired me to make a new soup to enjoy while sick. It’s super easy, because the last thing you want to do when you have the flu is spend a long time on your feet in the kitchen. But this amped-up chicken noodle soup will get you feeling at least a little bit better!

Now that I have shared what I would pair with these refreshing Lipton Green Tea Superfruits, I want to know, how do you enjoy your tea?

Share your tea time must haves for a chance to win a year’s supply of Lipton Tea, a tea kettle, a tea box, a mug/saucer set, a travel tumbler and a $50 gift card to Amazon.com! 

Want to try these teas for yourself? The first THREE commenters on this post who tell me how you enjoy your tea will each receive a box of Lipton Superfruits Green Tea! Good luck!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Lipton Green Tea Superfruit. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Sweepstakes Rules.