New You 2011! Weight Loss Support Linky!

Welcome to New You 2011! If your new, no worries, just jump right in!! This is a link-up for weight loss support and encouragement! Just make a blog post or comment below with the following:

- Weight Goal:

- Last week's weight:

- This week's weight:

- And tell us about what you are doing to reach your goals/how your week has been/ any setbacks, etc?!

Be sure to grab the button to the right to place on your post.

*Make sure your the link you enter links directly to your blog post or it will be deleted. This is a blog hop only for New You 2011. We have another blog hop for just blogs on Mondays, Mom Blog Monday Blog Hop. Thanks!*

This week's question of the week  is:

What is your favorite junk food and how hard is it to stay away when you're dieting?? 

So I am down 7lbs!! I am so excited! I'm at 133! Only 3 more lbs to go till I'm at my goal weight! Its super great and I'm going to have to buy new pants soon because all of mine are getting too big! I honestly never thought I'd reach my goal, but working out and NOT snacking all day really does a lot of good! And what's funny is I don't even work out all that often..only 2-3 days a week because I'm usually so busy with school and life! 

My favorite junk food is anything chocolate but I LOVE brownies! Yum! Want some now!! Its pretty hard to stay away but I do think if its not in the house it does help! Its one thing to have to go to the kitchen to get it, but its another to have to go to the store just to get that one thing! 

Come link up and tell us how you're doing! 

Wordless Wednesday- Baby Shower!

Guest Post- 6 Healthy Junk Food Alternatives for Kids

This guest post was written by Jane Smith who also writes on the topic of becoming a Radiology Technician and earning a psychology degree online for onlineclasses.net



Sure, we all want our kids to eat healthier. But where do you even start, when their main dietary staples are hot dogs and chips? It’s hard enough to get adventurous eaters to try anything labeled “healthy,” much less a kid who lives off two main food groups that weren’t even invented a hundred years ago. The key to keeping your kid feeling well, however, is to make sure they get a variety of foods. Try out this list of sneakily healthy alternatives on your kid---you may just end up with a few more foods that they’ll actually ask to eat.

Junk food kids love: Chips

A healthy alternative: Bagel Chips

• Why kids will love them: While pita chips might be a good “adult” alternative to potato chips, the taste is a little bland in comparison. Bagel chips have the same satisfying crunch and crispiness of potato chips, to pass a kid’s taste test. Stacy’s brand comes in yummy varieties like garlic and everything bagel. They’re not fried, and they have less fat and sodium than regular chips.

Junk food kids love: Hot Dogs

A healthy alternative: Turkey Dogs

• Why kids will love them: While it’s probably impossible to sneak a tofu dog passed your kid’s taste buds, turkey dogs mimic the flavor and texture of traditional dogs quite well. The upside? They have a lot less fat than regular hot dogs, and you can easily find brands that promise organic meat and no nitrates or fillers.

Junk food kids love: Oreos

A healthy alternative: Bananas and Raw Chocolate Spread

• Why kids will love it: You’re not skimping on taste, when you choose a chocolate spread made with real cacao and sweetened with a low glycemic index sweetener like agave nectar. Instead of eating Oreos that are full of fat, processed sugar, and an array of artificial flavors, you’ll be feeding them something that’s actually real food. Love street is one brand to check out.

Junk food kids love: French Fries

A healthy alternative: Cheese Straws

• Why kids will love them: Kids can’t get enough French fries, not only because they quell a hunger for something salty, fatty, and fried, but also because they’re fun and easy to eat. Baked cheddar cheese straws are a kid friendly shape, and they’re great for on the go. Pack some in a Ziploc instead of stopping at a fast food joint. While they’re not exactly as healthy as carrot sticks, they’ll keep you out of that drive through window.

Junk food kids love: Sugar Cereal

A healthy alternative: Organic Cereal

• Why kids will love it: While you can’t really find the day-glo colors of Lucky Charms anywhere else, you can find cereals that have real wholesome ingredients, less sugar, and even better taste. Most kids cereals are fortified with vitamins, but that’s no good reason to get your kid hooked on a bowl of sugar for breakfast. Nature’s Path Envirokidz line includes some great kid friendly cereals, like the peanut butter Panda Puffs, which are high on taste but low on sugar and other processed ingredients.

Junk food kids love: Ketchup and Ranch Dip

A healthy alternative: Hummus

• Why kids will love it: You may have trouble getting your kids to try hummus for the first time, but after they have taken the initial plunge, I bet they’ll love this snack. It’s delicious, and the protein will have them hooked—the hummus will satisfy in a way that those other low-nutrient spreads won’t. It’s fun to eat, and if you pair it with bagel chips, you’ve replaced a former high-calorie junk food pair with a delicious alternative. It’s great for kids’ lunches or on-the-go after sports practice, and it comes in tasty flavors like garlic and red pepper.

Talk About Me Tuesday- The Journeys of a Toddler with Mild Hemiplegic Cp

What's your name? Jenny Pecor

Tell me a bit about yourself and your family. I am a 27 year old stay at home mom to 2 loving little girls Audrianna who is 5 and has cerebral palsy and Charlee who is soon to be 5 months old on Jan 10th

What's the name and link to your blog? The journeys of a toddler with Mild hemiplegic Cp

http://momtoablessing.blogspot.com/

What is your blog about/What do you like to write about in your blog?

This is about my life with my 5 yr old daughter who has mild to moderate spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, Schizencephaly ,Partial Seizures, Allergies, Asthma. And the challenges we are faced with on a daily basis along with the new challenges that we will be faced with as our family expands to include another baby girl.

What inspired you to start a blog? My 5 year old

Do you have any big goals for your blog? Just to keep educating people about cerebral palsy and also cloth diapers

Jenny is also running a raffle on her blog to get her daughter a communication device! The tickets are $1.00 The prizes include a Sentsy warmer with 3 bars of winner's choice, $5.00 online gift card to Bumkins, and a $5.00 gift card to Gourmet Gift Baskets! Please visit her blog to find out more details on how you can help!!

Thank you for sharing Jenny!!

 

Guest Post- 5 Fun Educational Websites for Children

Each new generation of children are heading online earlier and earlier.  The Internet has become another mode where children can learn and play.  There are a number of fun educational Websites for children that incorporate cartoon characters children may admire, interactive games and much more.

We outline below 5 fun educational Websites you can check out with your child.

Fun Educational Website for Kids

1. FunSchool.com
   
   This site offers fun, educational games and coloring for children. Learn about the alphabets, animals, art, colors and more. Many activities may be played online or printed out for kids.  Fun craft videos are also available with creative ideas for both parents and children to do together.  Find games and activities specific to your child's age.  The site has categorized games by grade level -- from preschool to 6th grade.
   
2. HighlightsKids.com
   
   This   site is part of Highlights Magazine. The magazine has a long history  of  offering fun and education to children ages 2 to 6. On its Website   children can find highlights to the current issue, fun games such as   searching for hidden objects in puzzle pictures, read about jokes,   riddles and tongue twisters and there are also science experiments to   learn about and try out at no cost. Highlights Magazine is offered   through a paid subscription with 12 issues per year.
   
3. Preschool Disney
   
   Find characters from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Handy Manny, Cars, Toy   Story and more all part of Disney Preschool's online games, activities,   music and crafts. Children learn about numbers, counting, colors,   searching and can even learn creative craft ideas such as   creating character cupcakes with adult supervision.
   
4. PBS Kids
   
   PBS  Kids is part of the Public Broadcasting Service where you can find  traditional children's shows such as Barney & Friends, Curious  George, Sesame Street, Sid the Science Kid and many more. Their Website  offers educational games, activities and videos that help children  prepare for school while incorporating characters from children's  shows.  There is also PBS Kids Play!,  a premium subscription service where you can personalize learning  activities and games. There are more than 50 educational games where  children can learn more about math, science, foreign languages and other subjects.
   
5. Scholastic's THE STACK
   
   Scholastic's  kids' site THE STACK is offered in a beta version at the moment, but  it's fully up and running with a variety of games, activities and  materials to read. Find information specific to popular  book series, games, blogs, videos and message boards.

This post was written by Wendy Lau who also writes on earning a bachelor degree online and on the topic of online court reporting schools for educational websites.

Mom Blog Monday Blog Hop!

Are you a Mommy blogger? Do you blog about your kids? Do you blog about great things for Mommies?

 Do you wanna meet other Mom Bloggers?

his blog hop is hosted by Sippy Cups and Cloth Bums, The Not-So-Secret Confessions of a First Time Mom , and Luxury Living Frugal Style!

Rules?

All we ask is that you follow Sippy Cups and Cloth Bums, The Not- So- Secret Confessions of a First Time Mom, and Luxury Living Frugal Style.We are the first three on the linky!Then follow spot #4 which is the featured blog! Be sure to leave us a comment so we can follow you back!

We would LOVE it if you'd grab our button and put it somewhere on your blog or in a blog post! This would help us spread the word. However, you aren't required to.

Each week we choose a random blog via random.org to be the featured blog! This week's featured blog is.....

One Creative Housewife

One Creative Housewife is an eclectic look at the adventures of a spunky, spontaneous gal.  Here, you will find a myriad of musings, tales, recipes, random thoughts, and quotes of the day, all taken from snapshots of the adventures of one creative housewife.  Lindsey is a twenty-something mom who is quickly nearing thirty.  She fills her days caring for her two children, two doggies, four fish, and one husband.  In her spare time, she stalks the local arts and crafts scene and attends middle and high school productions of her favorite plays and musicals (they're cheaper, you know.)  In her blog, Lindsey writes about her daily adventures, favorite recipes, recent craft projects, commentary on recent events, and tales of the hilarious happenings of one creative, yet accident-prone, housewife.  

Where I Get My Coupons

"Where do you get all those coupons?!"

That's a question I get a lot from people..especially when they see my in the store with my big coupon binder. So I've decided to write a post about it so everyone will have a good reference to where to get the best coupons and start saving some money!!

• Sunday Paper- Yep, there are still coupons in the Sunday paper and this is where I get the majority of my coupons! The bigger papers are the best for getting the most coupons. For example, I live in Georgia so I get the Atlanta Journal Constitution. It is the biggest one around here and usually have quite a bit more coupons than my local paper. I usually send hubby for 2 papers each Sunday so I can get double the coupons.
• Free Printable Coupons-Besides the paper, I also get free coupons online. These are easily accessible and are free other than the paper and ink you use to print them out! Some of my favorite websites to go for free coupons are:

http://www.coupons.com/

http://www.smartsource.com/

http://www.redplum.com/

http://www.target.com/

Another great place to find coupons is the product's website. For example, my husband wanted me to pick up some medicine for him, so I went to the website for that medicine and there was a $2 off  coupon for exactly what I was looking for.

• Coupon Services- If you are super busy and don't have a lot of time to cut coupons and divide them up and organize them, a coupon service might be exactly what you need! Coupon services sell you coupons that are already cut up or even whole inserts for a low price! This way you're just getting the coupons without having to go out and buy the paper! If you get some that are already cut up that gives you even less work to do!  I personally have never used a coupon service but I have heard great things about them!  A few I have found are:

http://www.thecouponclippers.com/coupons/home.php

http://wholecouponinserts.com/index.php



So there you have it! That is where I get all those coupons! ;) Once you start gathering enough up and checking out the sales that match up with the coupons you have, you will really start saving some cash!!