Woman Tribune

Photo a Day May: Love

Holly — Wed, 16 May 2012 00:54:05 +0000

Last month, on April 12th to be exact, my partner of six and a half years proposed to me. I will write out the whole proposal story soon, but for now, I can tell you that it was intimate, simple, and perfect. It was a milestone in our relationship and in our lives that was done in a way that truly exemplifies who both of us are at our core as people. My grandmother has, on several occasions, noted that it is fortunate that we have both found each other because she can’t think of anyone else who would have either of us. I think she’s right.

If you want to join in, check out the May Photo a Day Challenge List.

Tuesday Giveaway Linkup: May 15th – May 22nd

Holly — Tue, 15 May 2012 09:27:39 +0000

Happy Tuesday, everyone! It’s time for another week of great giveaways, so use this space to help spread the word about the giveaways going on at your blog using the linky below. While you’re here, don’t forget to visit the many other giveaways going on around the blogosphere. Who knows, maybe you’ll win some really cool stuff!

Here’s the deal: Use the linky below to link up your giveaways, but remember, you’re linking only to actual giveaways. This means no affiliate links, Twitter, Facebook, or Google+ profiles, or to main blogs or websites. Lastly, if you’re a giveaway linky-hopper you know this already, but as a refresher, here’s how to submit your link below:

Blog Name – Giveaway Prize – End Date

Now link away!

Our Current Giveaway

Greased Lightning Household Cleaner Product Coupon — ends May 25th

Add Your Giveaways

Photo a Day May: Grass

Holly — Tue, 15 May 2012 03:45:24 +0000

Every spring it seems as if everyone I communicate with retreats to their gardens and post plenty of pictures of the amazing things they have grown. Throughout the past few years, I have been remarkably jealous of these people growing their own vegetables and herbs because I had been living in an apartment with absolutely no outside space to call my own, and indoor container gardening was out because I have two cats who have completely destroyed whatever plants we had the audacity to bring inside. This year I stopped being jealous because I was finally able to start my own garden in the yard of our new house. (If you’re an apartment dweller right now reading this with a grimace on your face because you’ve been wanting to start a garden of our own and don’t have the space, I apologize.)

Anyway, while getting some seeds and starter plants for our garden a few weeks ago, I saw cat grass and catnip seeds and immediately got excited about the prospect of growing these treats for my cats and being able to have an inside plant without worrying about it being eaten by the time I woke up the next day because these plants are there specifically to be feasted on by cats. So here is the cat grass that I grew over the past few weeks. I can’t believe how tall it has gotten in such a small time frame. My older cat Devin, who is about six years old, absolutely loves it and munches on it several times a day; Vincent, however, doesn’t care for it much. I have feeling he will be more excited about the catnip, if it ever comes up.

Here’s a bonus picture of Devin and her cat grass.

If you want to join in, check out the May Photo a Day Challenge List.

A Woman’s Journey Back to the Light — Love Thy Self!

Joss — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:00:10 +0000

Having turned 45 years old this fall and having lost all my children from the nest, I am in a reflective phase of my life. I felt very lonely and lost at first, but am now embracing the opportunity for reflection and a restart of sorts.

Growing up, I was a young girl looking for love any which way I could get it. I was manufacturing love all around me; I loved my gorgeous salesman husband, I loved my curious little children, I slaved to be the best wife and mother I could be. Periodically I felt resentment, loneliness, depression, and a feeling that my life lacked meaning. I had arrived at this place in my life in a daze. I felt like I had never consciously made any decisions for my life.

I pushed these feelings away and concentrated on loving and caring for those around me. It is not until now, with reflection, that I can understand my life and have compassion. Moving forward I have a great opportunity for growth through the final phase of my life. I have formulated five key areas to keep my life fulfilling to the end. Loving thyself doesn’t have to be as heinous as we have been brainwashed to believe!

Creativity

Creativity is in our blood. Children are born creating all day every day, and it is one of the first things we lose access to if not nurtured. Creativity for the elderly is alive and booming; we can create through drawing, painting, photography, acting, singing, redecorating, pottery, sculpture, and many more. Have a go! You will feel joy and youth, happiness and love, as you are taken back towards your real self that has become a total stranger to you.
Expression

Also lost very quickly as we become awkward in our bodies and socially conform. Loving the quirkiness of ourselves is very powerful. Allowing yourself expression permits all of those around you a little leeway. Do some therapy, everyone benefits from a professional boost to your reflections. It helps us appreciate how rich life is and builds compassion. Express your long repressed anger and fury, express your boundless love for your close ones, Rejoice in the new found freedom!
Action

It’s not all over! Get those foxy 40-year-old bodies moving. Start with walking or yoga. Drink in nature’s beauty as you walk along a scenic route with a friend. Go to the beach or the local river; water is soothing and nurturing. Try cycling or rock climbing, study a martial art form! Amaze your children and inspire them to be more loving of themselves. You are role modelling for them…still.
Learning and Growth

Go back to school. Learn a new language with a group of friends. Join a book club. Play games requiring intellectual exercise. Men, time to cook! Do some culinary courses with your mates and a beer.
Disclosure and Making Amends

There may be an uncomfortable corner in your consciousness requiring attention. If in all of this reflecting and learning you come across area of your life which have caused you or others pain, consider addressing it. This may be to your children, or your husband, your relatives or close friends. You may reflect that you would lose your temper easily with your children and yell at them frequently, by acknowledging this and apologizing to your children you can move forward to a more emotionally mature relationship with them. It is liberating and you may find barriers come down between you and your children.

So there are a few pointers; I have much more energy and my relationships are renewed and revamped with my children and my husband. I have met a lot of new people which has helped expand my horizons and I am feeling more love for myself and others than I can remember. Real, excited, energized love, not obedient and conscientious wife and mother love. Woo hoo here I come life! Come with me!

Photo a Day May: Mum

Holly — Mon, 14 May 2012 02:37:38 +0000

This whole Photo a Day challenge was created by Fat Mum Slim, who is Australian, so when we see ‘mum,’ we’re talking about moms here, which is naturally expected today since it is Mother’s Day after all. This is actually the one day in the entire month that had me second-guessing whether I should participate in Photo a Day May or wait until next month’s challenge to hop on board. Mother’s Day has always been an especially difficult day for me. I call it my “dark day.” I wasn’t raised by a fit and capable mother. While she has always been very much alive, she was (and maybe still is, I don’t know) an alcoholic and a drug addict; she has not been a welcomed presence in my life or more than 13 years, and she will never have a place in my life again. I have written about the childhood I endured at, quite literally, the hands of my mother at length on my other website, Menstrual Poetry, which I have high hopes of writing for again in the coming weeks, but the Readers Digest version is basically, I was brutally abused while in the care of my mother as a young child. She eventually lost custody of myself and my younger sister, and we were then raised by our father as well as our grandmother and aunt who lived next door.

While Mother’s Day has been a dreaded day in my life for many, many years, I am relieved to be able to say that this year I have progressed past this need to mourn the idea of a mother that I never had, because the truth is, I have had my grandmother and my aunt who are two of the most exceptional, strong, and good human beings I have ever had the privilege of knowing, never mind being related to. Neither of them gave birth to me, but they did every other thing that a good mother is supposed to do, and they played an active and influential role in my upbringing and in guiding me to become the woman I am today.

This picture is from a collage that my grandmother recently put together for me full of pictures of my family as well as myself when I was younger. It is hanging in my living room and is such a wonderful presence in the room, able to be looked at and reminisced upon whenever I like.

This is the first Mother’s Day I have had in my life where I never once felt sorry for myself or the least bit bad about my circumstances in life because I know that I have so much and so many people who love me and who are as proud to be in my life as I am to have them in mine. That is what days like these are all about.

If you want to join in, check out the May Photo a Day Challenge List.

Set the Mood in Your Bathroom with the Right Lighting

Holly — Sun, 13 May 2012 13:35:43 +0000

Since deciding that cable television would be a worthwhile investment about two months ago after being without it for many years, I have become a total HGTV junkie. Maybe it’s because we just bought our house this past February and it is still very new and in the process of being transformed and decorated into the dream home we have envisioned since we first started thinking about the house we would have someday, but I am all about fresh and new design and decor ideas, and the shows on that network deliver inspiration for every imaginable room and budget in spades.

The number one lesson I have learned from my intensive television-watching research is that creating an appealing, eye-catching, and beautiful space in your home is all in the little things. Decor matters a whole lot more than the design of a particular space, and you can take virtually any space and turn it into a room you never want to leave just by focusing on the small details that ultimately will make all the difference. This lesson most definitely also applies to the bathroom.

The bathroom is one room that can often get neglected. Furnishing and decorating other rooms in the house can easily take priority over the bathroom, and you probably don’t spend all that much time in there anyway, so for many people it often comes down to not seeing the point in spending time and resources decorating a room you are in for maybe 30 minutes a day. But imagine this: you have had an exhausting day and are physically and emotionally drained by the end of it. Finally, the house is quiet, life has settled down for the night, and you practically sprint to your warm and inviting bathroom that has an atmosphere that completely relaxes you, and you run yourself a hot bubble bath to soak in. You can have that, and it can be created with surprisingly little effort, starting with choosing the perfect bathroom ceiling lighting.

Whether you go traditional or modern, choose a large statement overhead piece, balanced sconces, or even opt for an eye-catching chandelier, the lighting you choose for your bathroom can set the entire feel of the room. I am a big fan of an overhead light in the center of the room with additional vanity lighting around the bathroom mirror. Having a flush-mount or semi-flush mounted ceiling light is a great source of lighting in the bathroom all on its own, and it will evenly distribute throughout the room without leaving dark spots. This is great for the bulk of your bathroom lighting needs, but you’ll be happy you chose vanity lighting when it comes time to do your hair and makeup, and if there’s a guy in your family, they’ll love that added lighting when they need to shave in the morning. Depending on the size of your bathroom, you can choose between two-light, three-light, or four-light vanity fixtures for above your bathroom mirror. If you’re choosing lighting for a guest bathroom, you can even use vanity lighting on its own without an overhead light fixture to give the small space a classy and relaxing feel.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bathroom Lighting Outlet. Incentive was provided to me, and opinions are my own.

Photo via klove427

Photo a Day May: Something That Makes You Happy

Holly — Sun, 13 May 2012 03:50:38 +0000

My cats, even under the influence of catnip, playing with scratching posts and shoes, with their radioactive eyes and all, can always make me happy. They’re pretty amazing like that; able to bring a smile to my face even while they are merely going about their day full of chilling out, eating, and taking naps. They even manage to make waking up a positive experience, opening my eyes only to find I can’t move my legs because there’s a 10-pound cat between them and another cat trying to scratch their way under the blankets so that they can cuddle up. It is all very cute and endearing, and I am well aware that I have hopelessly fallen into “crazy cat lady” territory.

Also, please don’t mind the random chairs hanging out in the room, which is the dining room. They are chairs to a dining room table that we don’t have in the room yet, so the chairs are just kind of hanging out until we get the room put together.

If you want to join in, check out the May Photo a Day Challenge List.

Photo a Day May: Kitchen

Holly — Sat, 12 May 2012 02:58:51 +0000

The first time we walked through this house, the second of only four houses we looked at before buying this one, I fell in love with this kitchen. I love everything about it–the dark wood floors against the light wood cabinets, the counter tops and back splash and how clean it looks below the burst of color in the minty green walls, the huge set of three windows along the back wall that let plenty of natural light in everyday, and the updated stainless steel appliances didn’t hurt, either.

This set of photos gives you a complete tour of the kitchen, which has remained my favorite room in the entire house, so it’s no surprise that I also work in here, which I also wrote about the other day for Photo a Day May: Something You Do Everyday.

If you want to join in, check out the May Photo a Day Challenge List.

Photo a Day May: A Favorite Word

Holly — Fri, 11 May 2012 03:45:34 +0000

This was a pretty difficult prompt for me today, which is why I’m just now writing this post. I needed time to think! Sure, “a favorite word” sounds simple enough, until I realized I don’t necessarily have a favorite word. I’m a fan of words in general, but I don’t tend to latch onto words or develop some sort of connection or emotional attachment to a particular word or group of words. So I basically spent the day periodically thinking of words that inspire me in one way or another.

Revolution is an extremely inspiring word to me. Deeply rooted in my mind as a state of political being, it reminds me of the greatest recent case of widespread activism, that being the Occupy Wall Street protests, which I have been a major supporter of. As a whole, this word reminds me of the greatness that can happen when people come together to demand the rights that they are entitled to on a fundamental human level.

If you want to join in, check out the May Photo a Day Challenge List.

Photo a Day May: Something You Do Everyday

Holly — Thu, 10 May 2012 03:28:43 +0000

Computer, coffee, and headphones at the kitchen table, also known as my workspace, and of course my blog dashboard is up on the computer screen. This is pretty much what my daily workday looks like. Sometimes I move to the couch if I’m having more of a relaxing day and can watch some television between blog posts and emails, but most of the time this is it. It’s a rather nice thing to call “work.” Sometimes I forget how fortunate I am to have taken this hope of mine of writing for a living and running a website and to have successfully turned it into my reality. Fortunate indeed.

If you want to join in, check out the May Photo a Day Challenge List.

Spring Clean to the Fullest with Greased Lightning Super Strength — Review and Giveaway

Holly — Wed, 09 May 2012 22:33:54 +0000

Spring cleaning involves some of the toughest, messiest jobs around the home, outdoor spaces, garage, and even the car, that many of us will do all year long. Synonymous with dust, grime, and all the extra elbow grease we can muster, spring cleaning calls for a serious household cleaner.

Since 1985, Greased Lightning has been a trusted cleaner in households across America. Designed to provide superior cleaning and de-greasing power, Greased Lightning is a versatile household cleaner that can be used throughout your home to tackle tough jobs and everyday messes alike, eliminating the need to buy several cleaners for different areas of the home.

The Greased Lightning flagship Super Strength product is recognized for its superior grease-fighting power around the garage and grill, but it is also ideally suited for everyday cleaning jobs throughout the whole house. Its versatility makes Greased Lightning Super Strength practically a dream spring cleaning product, which I was recently able to try out against some of the biggest messes in my house.

Greased Lightning Super Strength is an incredibly powerful formula and it does contain chemicals including glycol ether, surfactants, and alkaline builders. The label contains safety and precautionary statements that warn against mixing Super Strength with chlorine bleach, ammonia, or other chemicals, as hazardous gases may result, as well as proper directions for how to use this cleaner in your home, recommended with the use of rubber gloves. To be honest, the obvious harshness of the chemicals in Super Strength and the safety language taking up nearly the entire small print portion of the label put me off. I have two extremely beloved cats who have their run of the house and two young stepdaughters who are here often, so when a household cleaner label recommends that I wear rubber gloves when using their product, I think about all of the surfaces in my house that have paws and little fingers all over them (read: all of them.) So when I did clean with Greased Lightning Super Strength, I poured a small amount of the cleaner into a basin and diluted it, making the solution between 50 to 75% water, adjusting it to be more or less concentrated depending on the amount of grime or dirt I was competing with, and using a designated cloth only to be used with this product.

Greased Lightning Super Strength has been awesome in cleaning the bathrooms and kitchen in my home. In the bathroom, I used it to clean the toilet, using my Super Strength and water solution and a bristled brush to wipe away lines, and it cleared soap scum in the shower away completely with surprisingly little effort. It has also been used on our sinks to clear away toothpaste residue, as well as on our tile floors. In the kitchen, Greased Lightning Super Strength’s de-greasing ability easily fought through grease splatters that had built up on the back splash of our oven and on the stove top and microwave. It was also used on our kitchen sink, counter tops, and on the surface of the refrigerator and dishwasher that can easily get marked up with fingerprints and other residue in no time at all. While I predominantly used Super Strength in these two rooms, it can also be used to clean baseboards throughout the entire house, plastic blinds and accessories, all room fixtures including doorknobs and light switches, all floors including carpets, and it’s even a stain-fighter. Greased Lightning has got versatility and multi-purpose down.

Greased Lightning family of products–Super Strength, Orange Blast, Auto & Shop, and Multi-Purpose–are available at retailers nationwide, including grocery and mass retailers, dollar, DIY, and hardware stores.

Giveaway

Spring cleaning is tough enough as it is and I want to help make it easier for one lucky Woman Tribune reader who will win a coupon for a free 32 oz. or 42 oz. bottle of the Greased Lightning product of their choice. To enter, use the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received samples of Greased Lightning Super Strength for review and the opportunity to host this giveaway. No other compensation was received, and opinions are my own.

Photo a Day May: A Smell You Adore

Holly — Wed, 09 May 2012 10:33:18 +0000

I promise I took this photo yesterday, but I didn’t get the chance to upload it and write out this post until this morning. Sorry about that! Moving on…

Coffee is one of my absolute favorite things in life. I drink it daily, and it has long been a staple in how I start my day. The smell of coffee is an experience for me. When I’m at the grocery store, I always make it a point to take a stroll through the coffee aisle, regardless of if I actually need anything there or not, just so I can take in the scent of the variety of coffee beans. When I wake up, I start brewing my first pot of coffee as soon as I make it down to the kitchen, most of the time it’s Folgers Black Silk which is their darkest roast and absolutely delicious, and the smell of it filling the room and the downstairs of my house is such a great way to start the day.

If you want to join in, check out the May Photo a Day Challenge List.

Tuesday Giveaway Linkup: May 8th – May 15th

Holly — Tue, 08 May 2012 08:48:02 +0000

Blog Name – Giveaway Prize – End Date

Now link away!

Our Current Giveaway

Trojan Vibrations Pleasure Package — ends May 10th

Add Your Giveaways

Photo a Day May: Someone That Inspires You

Holly — Mon, 07 May 2012 20:28:12 +0000

My love and passion for writing, and the reason why I ever became interested in flexing my own writing muscles, is rooted in poetry. This style of writing has always appealed to me, since as far back in my life as I can remember. In poetry, there are no rules; you break lines when you want to and you use punctuation when and if it feels right. No one can tell you that you wrote a poem the wrong way because there’s no such thing as the “right way.” When poetry became most important in my life, to the point where it was very much my lifeboat as I was kind of mentally spinning out of control, I wasn’t one for following rules. You can easily see how this partnership, poetry and I, came to be. Poetry is the rebel of the literature world. It is an emotional style of writing for people who are often overflowing with raw emotion.

That is what Anne Sexton exemplifies to me. Her writing is raw and exposed emotion woven in and out of all of the complexities, stubbornness, and adamant declarations and confessions that she made about and because of herself in the work she produced throughout her life. The honesty that she had with herself through the sorrow and mental desperation she experienced nearly overwhelming to me, and extremely compelling. Even as I took this picture, I couldn’t help myself from skimming through the pages and finding some of my favorite Anne Sexton poems to re-read (“Love Letter Written in a Burning Building,” “Admonitions to a Special Person,” and “45 Mercy Street” if you’re looking for recommendations.) But it is that frankness that Anne Sexton had with herself and her writing, and the unapologetic way she saw the world and the people around her that inspires me to create more, and to not be so afraid of my own obstacles with happiness and general mental instability, because maybe the ugly way that I sometimes view the world will be beautiful to someone reading about it through my words.

If you want to join in, check out the May Photo a Day Challenge List.

Stick With It! Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals to Lose Weight

Melissa — Mon, 07 May 2012 13:00:27 +0000

Too often, people will set a weight loss goal, work towards it for a few days or a few weeks, and then give up when they don’t see the results they’d like. It’s no wonder: goal-setting in general is just plain tricky. Fortunately, there are a few characteristics of achievable goals that you can take advantage of when setting your own.

I like the S.M.A.R.T. goal-setting method. It’s not exclusive to fitness, but works really well in this area. S.M.A.R.T. goals are those that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. Here’s how each aspect applies to fitness-related goals:

Be Specific

Pinpoint exactly what you want–be specific! Determine what you want and how you’re going to get there.

To give an example of how this looks in action, a goal like, “lose 15 pounds and be able to do 100 pushups by the time I leave for vacation in June,” is much more specific than a goal like, “get skinny and fit.” The goal answers three questions: what, why, and (at least partially) how.

Be Measurable

This is where fitness-related goal-setting is pretty simple, thanks to all the numbers we have to work with. The prior example fits in here as well. How do you measure, “get skinny and fit?” You can’t! There’s no way of clearly defining whether you’ve met your goal or not.

“Lose 15 pounds and be able to do 100 pushups by the time I leave for vacation in June” is extremely measurable. In June, as long as you are 15 pounds lighter and able to do 100 pushups, there is no question that you have met your goal. There is no gray area.

Another reason measurable goals are helpful is that you’re able to check in with your progress and make sure that you’re on track. If you’re two months in with one month to go and you’ve lost 10 of the 15 pounds so far, you know you are well on your way to achieving your goal.

Be Attainable

Your goals must be attainable if you want to reach them. For example, losing 50 pounds in a week just isn’t attainable–at least not by using healthy weight loss methods. Read every last one of the Schwinn elliptical reviews online and you’ll see that no amount of exercise can get you those results. Set a goal that’s attainable, like losing 2 pounds a week until you’ve lost all 50.

Be Realistic

Similarly, set goals that are realistic. Instead of saying, “I will never eat sugar again,” aim to eat a piece of fruit when you crave sweets. At face value, you might think “attainable” and “realistic” are basically the same thing. They are definitely similar, but keeping your goals realistic focuses on how you achieve them, while attainability is more about the end result.

Be Timely

Include a time limit when setting a fitness goal. Without a time frame to work with, your goal is too vague and procrastination is just too easy. My favorite way to set timely goals is to define a long-term goal and break it up into milestones. For instance, if I wanted to achieve that first goal of being able to do 100 pushups by June, I would add 10 pushups to my routine at regular intervals until I was there.

Pretty much everyone sets goals, but keeping these things in mind as you set your own will help you stand ahead of the crowd by actually achieving what you set out to do. These goal-setting guidelines are helpful for all different kinds of goals as well as the ones you set for health and fitness. Try implementing these S.M.A.R.T. tips and see how quickly you can reach your goals!

This is a guest post by Tracy Martin, a natural health and fitness enthusiast. As a writer and total health geek, she loves reading anything fitness-related she can get her hands on, whether it’s Yowza elliptical reviews or the latest news in nutrition. She loves yoga and dance and also stays fit by eating healthy, hiking with her husband, and chasing her two little boys around.

Photo by Oregon State University

The Benefits of Green Carpet Cleaning for Your Home and Family

Holly — Mon, 07 May 2012 09:44:19 +0000

Spring arrived late this year, so if you’re like me, you’re probably still very much in spring cleaning mode. Now is the perfect time to really scrub beneath the obvious surfaces of your home and clear out the dust, grime, and other remnants of the cold winter months we’re now finally free from. This of course also includes giving your carpets a proper deep cleaning.

Everyone in the family gets up close and personal with the carpets in your home, especially small children and family pets. We all want our carpets to be clean and look great, but most traditional carpet cleaners on the market today contain a laundry list of harsh chemicals. In fact, in the past decade alone, recalls have been issued by the EPA of well-known and widely-used carpet cleaning products, such as Teflon Carpet Protectant, which has contained PFOA, a chemical that is linked to being a cause of cancer, liver damage, and even birth defects. After being used in homes and businesses for more than 50 years, Scotch guard was reformulated in 2003 after a recall, but even the new chemical make-up is labelled as a Persistent Organic Pollutant, which has the capacity to cause various health problems and disorders.

Those are some scary facts, and it’s really no wonder why many people are moving away from abrasive and harmful chemicals and embracing green, natural carpet cleaning for their homes.

Green carpet cleaning has many benefits. Obviously, first and foremost, you will not be subjecting yourself or your family members to chemicals that have been known to cause headaches, allergies, nausea, fatigue, coughing, or other unpleasant, and in some cases, hazardous side effects. Instead, green cleaning solutions are created by using the highest quality natural ingredients, many of which are actually found in the foods we eat; ingredients like citric acid, common table salt, antimicrobial salts, and natural live enzyme cultures.

Green cleaning solutions aren’t just healthier options for families and businesses, they are also better for the environment. It sometimes slips our minds, but everything that we use in our homes eventually makes its way into our water supply. That is where we definitely don’t want all of those harsh chemicals found in traditional carpet cleaners.

I know that cleaning your own carpets at home is never easy, and sometimes it isn’t even possible given the amount of equipment and products needed to safely and effectively get the job done. So, if you’re looking for carpet cleaning nyc solutions, it’s about time you’ve checked out GreenChoice Carpet, a full-service carpet cleaning service. Now that we know the positive impact of green carpet cleaning on our homes, families, work spaces, and the environment, if you’re in the New York City area, you now have every reason to call them during your spring cleaning time. While you’re at it, the cleaning technology used by GreenChoice Carpet also works on rugs, upholstery like couches, loveseats, and chairs, mattresses which can accumulate odor from bacteria and (eww!) bedbugs, and even leather. Everything comes out clean, chemical-free, and safe for the whole family.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of GreenChoice Carpet. Incentive was provided to me, and opinions are my own.

Photo by holidai3000

Photo a Day May: You

Holly — Mon, 07 May 2012 03:36:10 +0000

Me, 6:30 this morning, very awesome Pink Floyd t-shirt that I cut the neckline out of, a t-shirt trend that I wrote about at length a few days ago.

I have been on a reverse sleeping schedule for the past few days. I used to keep this schedule most of the time–up all night and asleep most of the afternoon–but have been able to keep a “normal” schedule for the most part since we moved into this house. I thought that getting dressed (in something other than super comfy pajamas and thus keeping with the stereotype that bloggers really do wear pajamas all day) and doing my makeup would help me to stay up all day and get back to that normal schedule. No such luck, but that means I should be getting of work done tonight. Silver lining!

If you want to join in, check out the May Photo a Day Challenge List.

Photo a Day May: Bird

Holly — Sun, 06 May 2012 03:45:39 +0000

Since moving into our house in February, my grandmother has little by little been giving me small decor items to help transition our house into a cozy and comfortable home.

I have never really decorated a living space beyond the necessities. I have never been concerned with hanging pictures or incorporating art into a room because throughout my entire adult life, I have always lived in apartments and I have always regarded those apartments as temporary. Basically, my mindset was ‘What’s the point if we’re just going to pick up and move again?’ Now we know that we won’t be moving again, so getting our house decorating and exemplifying everything a home should be is really important to me.

These two wooden birds are really cool on their own, but they have a story that makes them mean a lot more to me than just being neat pieces of art. They were both handmade and painted by my father when he was young. My grandmother has kept them for many years, and when she recently found them in her attic, she gave them to me. The green bird has held up a lot better through the years than the red, which is weathered and chipped, but its integrity is still very much intact. The chains hanging from their mouths hold a decorative cup that holds a small plant. They aren’t put up yet, and when they are I will definitely take more photos and post them, but I plan to put them on either side of the threshold between my living and dining rooms.

Handmade and handed-down has become the overall theme of our home, which I love. I have a deep appreciation for items with a history, and the way things are looking, I will definitely have an abundance of stories from the items that come together in my home.

If you want to join in, check out the May Photo a Day Challenge List.

Photo a Day May: Fun

Holly — Sat, 05 May 2012 03:53:06 +0000

I admit that this is a bit of a cop out. Taking a picture depicting some fun activity and taking a picture of my computer screen with the band Fun. playing on Spotify are vastly different. However, nothing very fun occurred today, unless you count being so busy that I only had the chance to check comments here while at Best Buy playing with the Mac Books. I was originally there because my fiance’s computer decided to break a few days ago, which he needs for his work, requiring him to build an entirely new system. That has definitely not been fun, but since I was at Best Buy and all, I like to load Woman Tribune on the computers and iPads with the hope that someone will walk by the display and see the website. It doesn’t take much for me to get my kicks. But talking about bands is fun, and hell, this band’s name is Fun. I think I have fun covered.

I first heard Fun. on the radio a few weeks ago. The mainstream music channels on Sirius Radio really like the song “We Are Young,” but I have become quite partial to the songs “Why Am I The One” and “All Alone,” as well as the intro to the album and the song “Some Nights,” which is also the name of the album. I’m actually pretty surprised I hadn’t heard of Fun. earlier since Some Nights is their second album and the singer of the band, Nate Ruess, was also the singer of The Format, who I still love (a lot a lot a lot!) and listen to frequently. If you’re interested, I highly recommend The Format’s album Dog Problems, specifically the song “Oceans.” So good!

If you want to join in, check out the May Photo a Day Challenge List.

Attention Bloggers! Signups Now Open for Xbox Kinect Bundle Giveaway Event [Free Event Signup]

Holly — Fri, 04 May 2012 10:28:23 +0000

Techy Tribe and Mom to Bed by 8 are proud to present the Techy Summer Xbox Kinect Bundle Event from July 8 to July 22. This is a free blogger event and accepting signups now.

Join the Techy Summer Xbox Kinect Bundle Giveaway event today, grow your readership and offer a gamer’s must have giveaway!

Here’s the deal on how to take part in this giveaway event:

Post an announcement about the Techy Summer Xbox Kinect Bundle Giveaway event on your blog.
If you do not wish to post the announcement, send $5 via PayPal to goodnightmommyboutique@gmail.com with your email address and Techy Summer Xbox Event in the subject line or notes portion of the form.
Once you have posted your announcement or sent the PayPal payment, fill out this form.
You will receive an email within 7 days confirming your participation. If you do not, please email teri@momtobedby8.com and your status will be checked into.
Then around July 5th you will receive another email with the HTML code for publishing the giveaway. Note: It is required that you publish the giveaway HTML in full to be included in this event. Links will be verified on July 5 at around 8am central and if you have not published the giveaway, your link on the Rafflecopter form will be removed. This keeps this event fair for all who join.

If you sign up for this free blogger event, please say that Woman Tribune referred you by putting ‘Woman Tribune’ in the referral box on the signup form.

Photo a Day May: Something You Wore Today

Holly — Fri, 04 May 2012 01:56:50 +0000

Lately, I have been most comfortable in shirts that hang off the shoulder. In fact, there are days when this style is the only appealing type of shirt in my closet. Shirts that hang off the shoulder are a little more roomy in the chest, plus they hang around the rest of my upper body in all the right places and just look cute. So, I have taken to gathering up all of my old, worn out t-shirts that I hardly ever wear anymore and cutting the necklines out of them. Some may think that this constitutes “ruining” my clothes, but I like to think of it as if I am breathing new life into them. These are shirts that I haven’t worn, besides probably to bed, in years. If something as simple as cutting a neckline means that I wear it more than I did before, then that can only be a good thing.

If you want to join in, check out the May Photo a Day Challenge List.

Photo a Day May: Skyline

Holly — Thu, 03 May 2012 01:41:29 +0000

This is the view from my back porch. The weather today was disappointing, to say the least. It was cold, rainy, and there were so many dark clouds that it looked like it was dusk all day long. You can usually see windmills lining the top of the mountains, but because of all the fog we had, you can’t see them here.

Worst day for a skyline picture, for sure.

If you want to join in, check out the May Photo a Day Challenge List.

Adore Me Lingerie Review — ‘Zoey’

Holly — Thu, 03 May 2012 00:47:44 +0000

I first wrote about Adore Me, the trendy monthly subscription service just for lingerie, a few months ago. At that time, I had only seen two showrooms that were put together for me by an Adore Me stylist (based on the results of a short style quiz), but that was enough to really get me excited about the service and the myriad of different lingerie styles, colors, and patterns they have up for grabs every month. Seriously, the variety of the pieces they stock perfectly fit seemingly endless moods and personal preferences, and I’m confident in saying that they have something (a handful of somethings, even) for everyone.

Since my first post, I have had the pleasure of partnering with Adore Me for a review of my choice of lingerie from one of my recent showrooms.

I chose the Zoey camisole and panty set, which is really fun and flirty. As soon as I saw it in my showroom, I got all wide-eyed and excited about it. I am often apprehensive when it comes to picking out lingerie. I may like how something looks in a picture on a website, but I sometimes have to remind myself that the person wearing that piece of lingerie is a model and probably about ten sizes smaller than me. Because of this, even when I really like something, I’ll wait a little while and then go back and look at it again, try to envision how it would look on me, and if I could pull something like that off as well as the model in the picture so obviously can. None of these thoughts posed any negative influence on how I saw the Zoey set; as soon as I saw it, I was sold.

The camisole and panties are made of a blend of black polyester and spandex that is predominantly see-through, and features black velvet polka dot detailing throughout. There are purple bows at the center front of the camisole and panties, as well as bows at the front of each adjustable strap. There is also a purple ruffle around the bottom hem of the camisole, which sends this set just slightly over the top in terms of how cute and girly it is; qualities I very often completely revel in.

I wish this set had more accommodating sizes. It is available in either Small/Medium or Medium/Large, and since I would have opted for a plain old size Large, being a size 12 woman, I got the size Medium/Large and held my breath in trepidation the first time I put the camisole on.

The fit was fine. It was a little tighter in the stomach than I would have liked, but it wasn’t unbearable and throughout the past few weeks, I have worn it comfortably on many occasions. After a little adjusting of the straps, I was able to cover my 36D chest with the triangle cups; barely, but they made in. However, while I was covered when standing, sitting, and generally just not moving very much, I did have several “pop out” issues when attempting any broader movements. Really anything involving much upper body movement quickly became out of the question. This leads me to believe that this camisole would be absolutely perfect for women with a B or even a small C cup chest. Perfect! But alas, it was not totally flattering for my chest, personally.

The matching panties are mid-rise bikini style with subtle scrunching down the center of the back. They have unique styling all their own, because while the front is the same matching see-through black with velvet polka dot detailing as the camisole, the back are bright purple, also see-through; the same color purple featured in the ruffle along the bottom hem of the camisole.

Frankly, I am absolutely in love with these panties. They are so comfortable that I could very easily wear them whenever and wherever, and because of the scrunching in the back, my ass looks downright spectacular. It’s always great to have a piece (or pieces) of lingerie that make you feel as gorgeous and confident as these panties make me feel. In fact, if I found panties that were guaranteed to look and feel just like these, only in a variety of different colors and patterns, I would buy 10 pairs, no question. They are that great.

I still think the Zoey camisole and panty set is really fun and super cute and girly, and it would be an amazing addition to someone’s lingerie wardrobe if that person happened to have a smaller bust than I do. Size is a curse sometimes, it’s true.

Sign up for an Adore Me account and start getting personalized lingerie showrooms of your own! Zoey, along with all of their other lingerie, are $39.95 per set.

I received the Zoey camisole and panty set for review. No other compensation was received, and opinions are my own.

How to Keep Your Dog Happy and Healthy

Jane — Wed, 02 May 2012 13:00:01 +0000

One of the difficult realities of dog ownership is that you will likely outlive your dog. But a dog’s environment and diet can heavily affect her life expectancy, so if you want to keep your best friend alive for many years to come, there are several steps you can take.

5 Steps to Keep Your Dog Healthy

Spay or Neuter Your Dog
Spaying or neutering your dog protects him against a number of cancers and infections, can improve behavior, and eliminates the chances of your dog having complications in childbirth. It also ensures that you will not contribute to the pet overpopulation problem and that your dog’s puppies will not end up living, and maybe even dying, in shelters. Altering your dog also makes it less likely that he or she will run away, which means you don’t have to worry about your best friend being lost or getting hit by a car.
Get Regular Veterinary Care
Dogs who regularly see their vets are less likely to suffer from chronic health problems because vets may notice problems before owners do. Make sure your dog is up to date on shots, and talk to your vet about any behavior problems you encounter with your loyal pal. Make sure that you stay current with periodic treatments for your dog, such as dog Frontline flea and tick applications, and keep your dog brushed and groomed (unless you own a hairless dog!)
Protect Joints and Muscles
Joint and muscle pain are among the biggest problems in older dogs, and can even lead to serious injury. Give your dog a canine glucosamine and chondroitin supplement daily to protect her from the effects of aging, and avoid overexerting her or encouraging rough and tumble play when she starts to slow down. If your dog regularly jumps onto your bed or into your car, consider getting folding pet steps to make the transition easier and to prevent serious injuries.
Train Your Dog
Well-trained dogs are less likely to engage in destructive behaviors that could injure them, and are also less likely to harm people. Similarly, a well-socialized dog will make lots of doggie friends, which can provide you with many more opportunities to keep your dog active and healthy than you might otherwise have.
Microchip Your Dog
A microchip is a tiny device that can be scanned if your dog is lost. Equally important, it also serves as your proof of ownership of your dog if he is ever stolen or ends up at the pound. A microchip requires a quick injection and is usually fairly inexpensive. Make sure you register your dog’s microchip so that it gives information about where to find you, and consider adding a tag to your dog’s collar indicating that he has a microchip.

All of these items listed are beneficial for your dog. It’s our responsibility as pet owners to ensure that our dogs are properly cared for and protected.

Photo by jjgwarren

Photo a Day May: Peace

Holly — Wed, 02 May 2012 01:28:34 +0000

I have heard so much about the Photo a Day challenge created by Fat Mum Slim over the past few months. The idea of it–taking a photo every day throughout the month–has been intriguing to me for a while, but after my go at the 365 Day Challenge, which I failed horribly, I wasn’t really super excited to set myself up for failure again. However, a few days ago my friends Jenny and Amanda were talking about Photo a Day May on Facebook and their plans of participating, and because I am a great, big follower, I finally decided to hop on board.

So here is my first photo for Photo a Day May.

This is the print on the left side of a pair of purple sweatpants I picked up at rue21 on a whim sometime last year. I would link to them, but I can’t find them on their website for the life of me. They’re really cute, comfortable, and not too hot because they have elastic at the bottom of the legs so they can be scrunched up right under my knee. Perfect for this fickle spring weather when it’s warm during the day and abnormally chilly at night.

If you want to join in, check out the May Photo a Day Challenge List.

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