Things have been a little quiet here at Shibley Smiles this weekend you may have noticed. That is because we have all been on vacation. Yep we took a family vacation up north. My hubby and I took the kids to Kissimmee, FL to ride some roller coasters, eat more then enough food for a family of 10, and enjoy some “non-Xbox” time with the kids. We left home Friday evening for the weekend and headed to our first stay at a Global Resort Home.

This was our first stay at any resort home. Usually we find the cheapest hotel or best deal. However many times when you go that route you get what you pay for a small hotel room with little space, overpriced food, and everyone trying to squeeze into two double beds. At the end of the trip the desire to get home to your own house and bed is overwhelming.

For this weekebd vacation we stayed in a beautiful five-bedroom, five-bath home right in the heart of Kissimmee just miles away from Disney. Due to the spacious home we invited my sister and her family and my mother to join us. We ended up with eight people in the home and even then we were all very comfortable with room to spare.

Our home had three master bedrooms all with king beds and bathrooms which was a perfect setup for the four adults with my husband and I taking one of the rooms, my mother another, and my sister and her young son took the third. I was very happy to find the rooms had king size beds, after sleeping on one for so many years it is hard to go back to a smaller bed. The two additional rooms each had two sets of twin beds which was great, each child had their own bed (though Monday morning we found Honey snuggled up to Buddy in his bed, just like at home). If that wasn’t enough beds there was also a fold out sofa that could fit two more people.

Each of the bedrooms was equipped with their own television as well as a nice large flat screen in the living room. If you have multiple kids you know that a TV for each is a good thing. This means each of them could watch what they wanted to watch. Definitely a plus over a hotel room which has only one television to be monopolized by one viewer (usually my husband).

The kitchen and dining area was spacious and would easily fit the up to 12 guest you can have at one time in this home. The dining room table fits 8 people (which was perfect for us) and a small breakfast table in the dining area could fit 4 more. There was also a small eat in kitchen table located in the kitchen for a quick breakfast or snack.

One of the kids favorite features of the home was the private heated in-ground pool and jacuzzi. The cold weather this weekend that didn’t stop the kids from testing them both out Saturday night after a long day at Disney. I would have loved to use the jacuzzi myself but I couldn’t bare the cold weather to get in or out, I’m a Floridian at heart and hate the cold. I was perfectly comfortable with a hot bath and staying indoors.

Of course second too the pool was the game room. I was hoping to utilize the room a little more on a family level (but us adults were just too darn tired), but instead it was great for the kids. It was equipped with a pool table, hockey table, Wii gaming systems with quite a lot of games, and some board games. I found the game room to be a savior when we returned from the parks with hyper kids and exhausted adults. They took to the game room to work out the rest of their energy while we were able to relax around the television or crash in our beds.

One of the great advantages to staying at a resort home versus a hotel is the home is stocked with dishes for staying in to eat and a washer and dryer. I can see where the washer and dryer would come in handy for a family staying for a week or longer. Instead of packing a weeks worth of clothes for all family members you can cut down on your packing when you have the ability to wash your clothes, or wash your towels.

As I’ve said I’ve never stayed at a resort home before but if they are all managed like Global Resort manages the homes then without a doubt resort homes are the way to go. If you are in the Orlando area I strongly urge you to check out Global Resort Homes. When we entered our home two things I loved was 1. There was a guest book from prior members and we even found that a previous visitor was proposed too in the very house and 2. Global Resort leaves a book with not only instructions on how to do a few things but it also included some local restaurants and numbers, golf course and other attractions. I thought this was very thoughtful and a great touch to start your vacation off right. Especially if you end up driving it at 9-10pm at night and are starving!

Overall the experience at our Global Resort Homes was much more enjoyable then our previous stays when on vacation. After a long and tired day of walking around the parks it was nice to come back to something as close to home as you are going to get while on vacation away from home. No more were we five people cramped together in one little room (have you stayed with three kids in one room, if not trust me you shouldn’t), we had a spacious home where the kids could enjoy their time away from the parks and the adults could relax without feeling the needed to continue to entertain the kids. It was a win-win for all involved.

Also the price of a Global Resort Home when split by two or three families is the same if not cheaper then a hotel room. So for the same price you get a much more private place to lay your head and enjoy your day when you aren’t out enjoying the local attractions.

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Thank you and Good Luck!

Disclaimer: I am participating with Travel Media Group as a sponsor of the sweepstakes, but have not been paid for their participation. All opinions are my own. You may read more of my disclosure here.

I sit here writing this post from a resort after spending two days walking until my feet became sore. It is nice to have them up in bed with my laptop a top my lap. What is great about the past two days is my walking more then 8 hours a day I plan on logging as a workout in the MapMyFitness Quaker Challenge.

I only have a few more days to complete my pledged 15 workouts but I have faith I will have them all done by the end of the Challenge. The MapMyFitness Challenge was a fun way to push myself to workout when I would rather sit in front of the television and rest.

I may not be losing weight at lightening speed but with a steady workout schedule and watching what I eat I’m hoping to take off and keep off my weight by the end of 2012. Having small challenges like this just makes things more interesting.

What I loved best about the challenge was the ability to sync my Fitbit account with my MapMyFitness Quaker Challenge account so I didn’t have to spend time logging in my workouts in another system. This also helped me make sure I logged my activities on my Fitbit as well.

The challenge was easy enough to complete in a month, easy to track your progress, and fun to compete against friends. I highly recommend taking a look around the MapMyFitness Quaker Challenge to help motivate yourself to get up and be active.

February is National Heart Health month. Even if it’s only 5 more minutes a day, what extra step will you take to stay fit?

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Quaker Oats Company. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Sweepstakes Rules.

2012 Hustle

Note: Always begin with this exercise as a warm-up.
Part 1:  Alternate lifting your knees to your chest 4 times (right, left, right, left).
Part 2: Alternate kicking your butt 4 times (like a hamstring curl).  Make sure to use your arms like you are really running. Repeat entire sequence 20 times.
2012 Benefit:  By lifting your legs high, your hips and hamstrings will mobilize and your core will activate.  As you kick your butt, your quads dynamically stretch as you reach your heel towards your butt.  As you pick up your pace, you’ll get your heart rate up and your body ready to work.

Total Body Make-Over

Part 1: Begin by squatting with hands on the floor in front of you.
Part 2: Jump your feet back to a push up position and simultaneously lower your chest to the floor.
Part 3: Using your arms to push up, return to squat position.
Part 4: Jump up and clap your hands together.  Repeat 20 times. 
Modification(s):  a) Walk feet out and in, instead of jumping back and forth. b) Hold the top of a push up, instead of letting your chest hit the floor.  c) Reach up instead of jumping. 
Challenge:  As you jump up, simultaneously kiss your feet together and clap your hands.
2012 Benefit:  Full body workout that will get your heart rate up quickly.

Chop Away

Part 1: Holding one weight with your feet shoulder width apart, pick up your right toes and your left heel to rotate all the way to the right.  As you rotate, bring your free weight up to form a diagonal line from your shoulders.
Part 2: In one motion swing it down over your left leg as you rotate into a lunge.  Repeat ten times and then repeat ten times to the other side. 
Modification(s):  Take away the free weight and instead clasp your hands together with straight arms. 
Challenge(s):  After you rotate up, squeeze your butt to lift your back leg up off the floor. 
2012 Benefit:  Full body workout that targets the obliques – one of the best belly blasters around!

Froggie

 
Part 1: Rotate your hips out with your knees tracking over your toes, and squat as far to the floor as you can, putting your hands on the floor in front of you.
Part 2:  Push up from the floor, jumping up in the air. Land with bent knees to protect the joints and go back into your squat to prepare for the next jump. Repeat 20 times with little to no stop in between.
 Modification(s): a) Until you gain flexibility, put your hands on your thighs instead of the floor.  b) Reach up instead of jumping.  
Challenge(s):  On each jump perform a 180 degree turn. After 10 times rotate the opposite direction. 
2012 Benefit: Excellent cardio exercise that targets the legs and butt, and opens up the hips.

Plank, Jack & Row:

Part 1: Hold a 12 pound weight in each hand and begin in a plank (top of a push up) with the feet wide. 
Part 2: Soften the knees and squeeze the legs together (like a jumping jack). 
Part 3: Jump back out to your wide plank. 
Part 4: Row one weight to your rib cage, keeping your hips square to the floor.  Repeat jack and then row on the other side.  Repeat 20 times (10 on each side).
Modification(s):  Execute entire combination on all fours with no Jack. 
Challenge(s):  Repeat 12 jacks in a row, followed by 12 rows on the right, 12 jacks, and 12 rows on the left.  
2012 Benefit:  Better than any crunches you could ever do, plank will help define your abs and keep your entire core strong.  The jack tests the stability of your plank, especially your hips and back so work to keep your hips facing the floor and your shoulder blades squeezing together.  The row will also challenge your stability as it strengthens and sculpts your back and shoulders.

Shuffle It Off

Part 1 & 2: Staying on the balls of the feet, quickly step and touch your feet together all the way to the right (Ideally give yourself fifteen feet).  Shuffle back to the left.  This is one rep.  Repeat 20 times. 
Modification(s): Shorten the distance or slow down. 
Challenge(s): a) Bend your knees and get closer to the floor.  b) Touch the floor once you shuffle all the way to the right and again once you go back all the way to the left. c) Hold one free weight at chest level.
2012 Benefit:  Targets the inner and outer thighs, gets your heart rate up, and burns your 2011 calories away.

Dip ‘N Walk:

Part 1: Sit with your hands behind your butt and feet right under your knees, with your toes lifted off the floor.  Hold on to your free weights (to help keep wrists comfortable and stable) and lift your butt up off the floor. 
Part 2: Lower your body down by bending at the elbow working the triceps. 
Part 3 & 4: After you push back up, keep your arms straight and walk your feet out and in (right, left, right, left).  Lower back down into your dip.  Repeat ten times leading with the right leg and then ten times leading with the left. 
Modification(s):  Perform tricep dip without the walk. Challenge(s):  Elevate your body on a chair or table and walk out and in when you lower down AND when you push up. 
2012 Benefit: Get rid of flabby arms once and for all as you challenge your core, glutes and hamstrings all at the same time.

Speed Skaters

Part 1:  Begin with one leg crossed behind the other.  Reach your opposite arm across towards the supporting leg.
Part 2: Just like a professional speed-skater, hop laterally (side to side) and cross back with the opposite leg.   One rep equals one hop to the right and one hop to the left.  Repeat 20 times quickly. 
Modification(s):  a) Rather than hopping side to side, slide so the feet stay close to the floor.  b) Tap the leg down rather than balancing on one leg. 
Challenge(s):  a) Land on one leg with the opposite foot crossing back but not touching the floor.  b) Stay low and try to touch the floor with the reaching arm. 
2012 Benefit:  As you work for speed, it becomes a great cardio exercise.  Targets the “saddlebag” area that is so hard to get rid of – works outer thighs, hips, glutes and abs all at the same time.

Tri Push ‘N Plank

Part 1:  Begin in the top of a pushup position with your hands directly underneath your shoulders. 
Part 2: Lower yourself down keeping your elbows close to your sides to work the triceps and chest.
Part 3: As you return rotate your body completely to one side and stack your feet into a side plank.  Hold for a count of two before returning center.  Push up again and rotate to the opposite side.  Repeat 20 times (10 on each side). 
Modification(s):  a) Perform pushup with knees on floor.  b) When you rotate to side plank cross your top leg behind the front leg. Challenge(s): a) As you push up slowly count to four.  b) In Side Plank lift the top leg up. 
2012 Benefit: To perform a successful pushup and side Plank (let alone twenty), your entire body has to stay tight so you actually end up working every muscle in your body.  Additionally, by keeping the elbows in tight you work the triceps more than a regular pushup, while finally getting rid of those turkey arms.

Core Control

Part 1:  Begin on all fours with your left leg extended back and your right hand behind your head. 
Part 2: Round your back to the ceiling and slowly bring your opposing knee and elbow to meet into the center of your body. Repeat 10 times and then 10 times on the other side. 
Modification(s): Keep both hands on the floor and just extend the leg. 
Challenge(s):  As you extend back out, lift the leg and rotate your torso to your right. 
2012 Benefit: Strengthen and lengthen your spine and you work your entire core, especially the neglected lower back.

Booty Burn (Squat ‘N Curtsey)

Part 1: Holding one weight at chest level, start with your legs shoulder width apart.  Squat down with your chest lifted and weight in your heels.  Come up quickly so your legs straighten to get full hip extension. 
Part 2: Cross your right leg behind your left (enough so you see your right foot on the other side) and lunge down, lowering your weight to the floor.  Bicep curl the weight to your chest as you stand back up. Repeat 10 times and then repeat on the other side.
Modification(s):  Get rid of the weight and place your hands on your hips.  
Challenge(s): Add a balance challenge by lifting moving knee up to attach at inner thigh in between each squat and lunge, and/or add a shoulder press as the knee lifts up. 
2012 Benefit:  By combining these two leg exercises together you’ll tone your entire lower body.  You’ll hit up your glutes, quads and hamstrings with the squat and target your outer and inner thighs with the curtsey (remember to squeeze those inner thighs tight as you curtsey lunge).

Picture Perfect Bicycles

Part 1: Lying on your back, with your hands behind your head, pull your knees into your chest and lift your shoulders up off the floor. 
Part 2: As you slowly extend one leg out, rotate your torso to the opposite leg. After you rotate, think of lifting up even higher and holding for a few seconds. Repeat on the other side.  Repeat 20 times (10 on each side).  
Modification(s): Keep the extended leg on more of an angle. 
Challenge(s):  Lift your shoulders even higher off the floor, and lower the extended leg closer to the floor. 
2012 Benefit:  Strengthen your abs and sculpt your love handles away!

About Sara Haley

Sara Haley is a certified trainer and instructor through the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA), as well as a member of the American Pregnancy Association (APA). Specializing in prenatal fitness, functional training and dance methodology, Sara has over twenty years of dance and fitness training, and has been a Reebok Global Master Trainer since 2008.

When the books arrived, I was impressed with the quality of the print, and the vibrancy of the colors.  The pages are color saturated, and would make great wall hangings, if not bound in the book.  Sister immediately asked me to read her book to her, and  when I read the dedication page, “This book was created especially for Selah” she squealed and said, “That’s ME!” smiled as I continued… “We Love You! Mommy and Daddy” at which point she squealed again and said, “That ooooo!”

To say she was excited about her book would be putting it mildly!  She was ecstatic!  Sister is an animal lover, so she was thrilled to point out all the different animals in the book, and though it was cool that the book said God loves her AND the animals.

While Sister is an animal lover, Mister is a lover of all books. At first, he didn’t think he had received a book, and pouted, “I want a book that says God loves Zane, too!”  So, I got his book out and let him thumb through it as I read Sister’s book to her. 

Since he is learning to read and write his own name, he immediately recognized his name.  “See, Mommy, God does love me, too!” I couldn’t help but smile and say, “Yes, He does.”

I adore both of their books, and the kids adore them, too.  It didn’t, however, take Mister long to realize that aside from the names, the text in the books is the same.  He doesn’t mind, as long as I read HIS book when it’s his turn for a story and HER book when it’s her turn for a story.

Each month, I See Me releases a new I See Me book.  The God Loves You book is the March selection, and is just in time for Easter orders.  Right now, you can get $5 off your order at I See Me Books.

I See Me would like to give one lucky Shibley Smiles reader their own copy of the God Loves You book for that special little someone!


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See Official Rules. Giveaway will end on March 9, 2012 at 11:59 pm EST. Open to US Only.

Thank you and Good Luck!

Disclaimer: This post is guest post. You may read more of my disclosure here.

If you are looking for more giveaway linkys, check out my “Giveaway Linky List” with over 100 more places to list your giveaways!

In addition to my Current Giveaways don’t forget to check out Coutdown to Black Friday, where you will find a giveaway a day!

I’m so excited that after reading my review Brookstone asked me to host a giveaway for the small but powerful Big Blue Live Bluetooth Wireless Speaker. If you missed my review please check it out : Big Blue Live Bluetooth Wireless Speaker Review . Or you can check out this video showing how easy it is to use and how great the sound is.

If you enjoy music and keep all your tunes on your iPhone or other bluetooth enabled device this is perfect for you.

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When I was a teenager I would spend hours on the phone like any typical teenager. Basically talking a lot about nothing even watching the television with my friends. Today one thing I enjoy at my job is that I do not get a lot of phone calls. The majority of the calls I do get are from co-workers or family. I’m not a people person, or I guess I don’t think of myself as one, accounting is a great field for a non-people person.

If I had a large thriving business I would possibly consider an inbound call center to handle the many calls I would be receiving. In my thoughts this business is booming and calls are coming in, minute after minute. Global Response is just what I’ve described here a call center to service those customers in a professional and friendly manner.

Global Response Headquarters is located right in my neck of the woods just a little South of me in Margate Florida. Global Response has some pretty well known clients such as Lord & Taylor, Crate & Barrel, David’s Bridal, Blue Cross Blue Shield (just talked to them the other day), and a favorite here at Shibley Smiles Think Geek, and more. With a client list like that they must be doing something right.

We deliver a full range of contact center services. Specializing in “high-touch” customer care, inbound sales, order processing, chat support, email response and social media support.

With your brand and our passion, we’ll drive sales and loyalty by “speaking your brand” with every customer interaction. We call it Brand Care. You’ll call it “only Global Response.”

Don’t take their word for it check out some client testimonials

Lord & Taylor

They really know how to represent our brand. I bet if you asked one of the Brand Care Specialists at Global Response who they work for, they’d say Lord & Taylor. That’s really important.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Store

Customers of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Store know what they want. They are used to exceptional service and they expect it in all their dealings with the store. Our long relationship with Global Response has completely fulfilled those high expectations and created ongoing customer experiences that support the cultural values of the Met and keep our valued clientele coming back again and again.