Winner of the Stride Everyday Panties is....

The winner of the Stride Everyday Panty giveaway is....

(taken with my webcam, sorry! easiest method is the way to go)

lucky #3 was 'Heather' who said she is now following me on GFC

CONGRATS Heather!! 

Thank you for participating & becoming a loyal Everyday reader!

I'm on my way to notify you now, you have 48 hrs to respond or I will re-draw a winner.

{{EDIT!! I cannot notify you because I am not able to view your profile so you must contact me within 48 hrs to attain your prize. If not, I will re-draw. Thank you.}}

Thanks! Much loves to all who entered!

Weight loss, pre-school, & job updates. Yikes!

Hello Everyday Followers!

Just wanna post a little something to keep you up to date on us over here in O-Hi-O.

Mannn oh man I'm sore tonight. Did my taebo 2 days in a row, usually I take a break in between....but after the 600 calorie Dunkin Donut pumpkin muffin today, I just had to. Who knew they were 600 calories??

Seriously. I should have just gotten the donut I wanted. Sheesh.

(There's only 340 cal in the donut, fyi.)

Sooo...I've lost 8 whole pounds!! And I'm suuuuper excited to share that with my bloggy followers!

You can keep up with my weight loss by checkin out my little widget on my sidebar, it updates automatically when I weigh-in. 

And if you haven't checked out my Fitness Pal, you should. And make sure you add Luvr4ula as a friend when you do!

Lots of little changes lately that kind of get under my skin, I'm not a fan of life changes. Little changes are cool like what I eat for dinner every night or what I watch on TV. But when it comes down to every day life like jobs & houses & cars....no thanks. I'd rather just leaves things as they lie & deal with it. I'm not sure why....just always afraid for what will happen if it's the wrong decision. 

Leonel changed jobs & now works 12 1/2 hr midnights...no fun. It seriously has complicated my brain with confusing nonsense like who will watch the kids what days, when they get dropped off at the sitters, who picks them up, when he works, when he must sleep, when he has school, when I work, when Chris goes to preschool....oh my. I feel like I'll never make sense of it!! I feel much better gettin that off my chest :D

I got my Walmart "myshare" bonus which we get every 4 months, it's very nice. Probably the only positive of Walmart. hehe. So now I can just spend more money on bills! 

Oh but I did score a George Foreman grill, oh yeahhh.

Isn't it a beauty? This was my bonus money splurge. I've been wanting one since forever & they were on sale at wally-world so why not??

Chris loves preschool! I'm a bad mommy & messed up the school ending time on his 3rd day so he was waiting 30 minutes past the end of school. Hey, cut me a break, I never take him or pick him up so it's a little hard to remember! :-/ I also forgot that show & tell was last Friday. :-X Yeah....

Here's hoping to a better week! 2 more days of work & then my 8 straight days are over (for a week) & I get to have a couple days off. Score.

Even though I'm writing this on Sat. night, I'm gonna hook it up with the Sunday hop. 

Hello visitors, browse around my blog as long as ya like & I hope you'll follow :)

{While you're here, check out my current giveaway for the Stride Everyday Panties!}

CSN stores review coming soon....

If you haven't ever visited CSN stores, you must!

200+ stores within a store is more like it! There is a store for anything you may desire! Discounted prices, some have free shipping, I'm hooked! 

I keep dreaming of this amazing modern bedding when I fall into my own bed at night. Beautiful, luxurious prints for any budget & any taste.

This one is just warm & chocolately....looks so cozy...

Yum.

Or this one.....

Wowwwww. I love green/brown so this is just amazing.

Visit CSN stores to find pretty much anything you desire for an awesome price!!

Review & Giveaway coming soon....

Stride Everyday Panty Review & Giveaway!

I was contacted by Stride Everyday to review their amazing new panties! Panties with technology, I say. Genius! When I first got them in the mail, I couldn't wait to give them a try. I don't have urinary incontinence but I still wanted to review them, they are high quality undies! The outer feel of the sport bikini reminds me of a swimsuit bottom, but not as thick. Now I won't go into the nitty gritty details about what it does for you, not sure you wanna hear it from me so...Check out the facts...

Here is the story behind the panties, created by Wendy Spencer!

WENDY’S STORY
One thing to know about me – I love a good challenge! When a friend dared me to run a marathon, I thought, “Sure – why not?” So I ran that marathon, and then did another, and then another. I continued running through my pregnancy, enjoying the opportunity to stay active. But after the birth of my son, like many other women out there, I was shocked to realize I had stress incontinence. The “embarrassing” problem of always worrying about what might happen if you laugh too hard, or sneeze unexpectedly. So I looked for a solution to the issue, but was disappointed that there were really no good options out there. Sure, you could use pantiliners, but they’re pretty uncomfortable and are definitely not an environmentally friendly option. There was no way I was going to use pantiliners every day! I wanted something functional, that would still allow me to feel sexy. And so the STRIDE solution was born. We’ve created sexy, practical, and panties that help women deal with the issue of light leaks – without anything being disposable. So let’s take light leaks out of the closet and toss the embarrassment to the curb. After all, this happens to 1 in 3 women from various ages and ethnicities!!
I always questioned why feminine products were disposable...how is that a good thing? The more women I talk to about coughing, jumping, laughing, sneezing, everyone has a story and everyone has a “leak”, so why are we keeping this issue a secret? Women have been told to hide this forever, but I think it’s time to talk about it and embrace that part of being a woman. Let’s shake up this category, let’s laugh about being a woman and all the little issues we deal with on a daily basis. Let’s embrace being part of a woman and celebrate our stories
So, the search began. Wendy and her team worked with a strong R&D partner to design the patented fabric technology and permanently built it into the panty’s gusset. The patented technology is revolutionary in its super-absorbent ability to wick moisture from the top layer, absorb and deodorize…so you and your clothes stay dry.

There are 4 different styles to choose from, I chose the Sport bikini to review & I LOVE it.

My Thoughts....

These are definitely true to their size, fits me like a glove.

They are comfortable & breathable.

Worth the price.

A very unique idea!

(You should) BUY it:

Head on over to StrideEveryday & grab yourself a pair of these panties- ranging from $14.99 to $24.99 a pair. 

Special promo code for my readers- Use "MAMA23" to get 30% off orders that are $35 or more.

WIN it! 

 Stride is so generous, they are willing to give away a pair of these fabulous undies to one of my Everyday Mama followers!

 To enter:

You must be a public GFC follower to participate in this & any giveaway (private doesn't count)

Please remember, if it says that an entry is worth +2, you must leave a separate comment for each.

Winner will be chosen with random.org randomizer on Sept 30th at 10pm. 

US readers only, 18+. Please make sure I can easily locate your email or leave in comment. 

Mandatory Entry: (must be completed for others to count): Head over to Stride & return, telling me in a comment which panty you would choose if you won!

• Be a GFC follower of Everyday Mama (+1 entry)
• "Like" Everyday Mama on Facebook (+2 entries)
• Follow Everyday Mama on Twitter (+1 entry)
• Blog about this giveaway & link me to it (+3 entries)
• Vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs, located on sidebar (+1 entry daily)
•  Send a friend over to follow me via GFC, make sure they mention that you sent them! (+3 entries per friend)
• Tweet about this giveaway (+1 entry daily) 

Use this tweet: #Win a pair of Stride Everyday panties @Luvr4ula, ends 9/30! http://tiny.cc/hf5ft

Good luck!!

Truth #6- Something I hope I never have to do....

Something I Hope I Never Have to Do

 (30 days of truth, hosted by the Young Retiree)

Doesn't even take me 10 seconds to think of what I would say I hope I never have to do. I hope that never in my life, I have to bury one of my beautiful children. I just cannot imagine how difficult & absolutely heartbreaking that must be to endure.

 

I watch the news, read stories, surf the web & hear horrendous stories of parents losing their children to some of the most terrible things. It kills me. I cry every time as I'm sure millions of other mothers do. No one wants to ever even imagine that they themselves could lose their own child. It's unfathomable to me, impossible. Although I know it's not....in my own mind, I pray to God that it is.

I do still believe that every little thing happens for a reason....but finding that reason when an innocent child is killed....is so very hard. I don't think that my mortal mind can do so. Only Jesus can answer why.

 

I hurt for every mother who has had to lose their baby...I don't know what I would do if I had to go through it. Numbness & pain is all I can think.

This I hope to NEVER do.

Truth #5- Something I hope to do in my lifetime.

Something I hope to do in my lifetime.

(30 days of truth, hosted by The Young Retiree)

This one is pretty tough because I feel like I haven't accomplished very much in my life compared to what I WANT to accomplish. I started out married life & children pretty early & didn't get to experience alot of things that most do.

I'm going to cheat & name a few things I'd really love to do....not sure if I'll be able to but I'm gonna try at least.

1. Be the best Christian I can be & prepare myself for heaven! This is something my immature mind didn't really understand even a couple years ago, even after I was baptized at 18. I'm glad that I'm maturing more now & wanna be the best I can be. I am working on it more now than ever, dropping bad habits one at a time.

2. I want to go to school for SOMEthing....like I've mentioned before, I'm very very indecisive. I change my mind monthly as to what I'd like to go to school for. I just never seem to be able to find my perfect fit. The one thing I'd love to do is almost unreachable, especially at this point in my life. Maybe one day.

3. I want to speak Spanish fluently. This has always been a random dream of mine, to be able to speak a foreign language as if it were my native language. I just think it's a great skill to have.

Of course I could name mannnnnyy other things I'd love to be able to do, these are just a few that I think about the most. And these are purely ME, not in relation to my husband or kids. After all, this challenge is about ME and my truths, not what I want to see them accomplish. Selfish? Naw, this is my blog after all. Haha!

 I will be participating in a Walk For Life for a local organization on Oct 9th. I'm looking for all the sponsors I can get to put towards this organization. It provides women with education about abortion, post-abortion counseling, free pregnancy tests & more. You don't have to live near me to contribute. Please contact me if you'd like to donate to this wonderful pro-life cause.

(Day 3) Something I must forgive myself for....

*Something I have to forgive myself for*

(30 days of truth- hosted by The Young Retiree)

I just found this 30 Days Of Truth meme from The Young Retiree last night while browsing blogs & wanted to jump on. It's day 3 today but if you wanna participate, jump in whenever you like. She has amazing prompts to start with daily.

My mama raised me to think clearly & thoroughly before making important decisions that could change my life. I think I have taken it to the extreme by being overly cautious & therefore becoming pretty much the most indecisive person you'll probably ever meet. I eat the same things at restaurants because I don't wanna have to make a decision & have it be the wrong one. I compare prices so much on makeup & face cream that it takes me 20 minutes to decide & then end up changing my mind again & putting it back on the shelf before walking out. 

Maybe this stems from never being "rich" or with lots of excess money. Ever since I've been married, we've struggled with money. It's a struggle I've grown to accept because I fear it may never change. Better to accept it & live with it than to be surprised day after day, year after year that it hasn't changed. I can only hope.

Back to my point...even after all the things my mom taught me, I was still so very stupid as a teenager. I hurt my mom. Alot. It's the worst years I can remember & I try to just forget. I have asked God for forgiveness so I know that I'm forgiven but it still hurts me to know just how much I disappointed her.

She raised me from age 10 on as a single mom & I put so much stress on her. At 14, I was getting into so much trouble (with boys especially) that I was sent away to live with a friend 2 hours away. It was only going to be a month but turned into a year, mainly because I just wanted to stay & had a best friend to hang out with. Of course, I missed my mom like crazy but was too stupid to admit it. It was for the best that I was sent there.

I went through a "goth" phase, if you could call it that. Dressed in black, painted my  nails black, cutting myself, writing depressing poetry, anorexia...you name it. I don't know why I tortured myself so much. I'll never figure that out. My mom never understood but always loved me & was there to hear me when I cried to her.

We ended up moving to the area where my friend lived who I was staying with & right across the street is where I met my husband...we were 15 & still so stupid. Got into trouble & did things I know I shouldn't have but I didn't care. I didn't care what my mom had to say, she didn't know anything, right?? Wrong.

The day that I will never forget is 2 months after my 18th birthday, I told her I was pregnant. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to tell my mom. I knew it would break her heart. I know that getting pregnant is nothing compared to some of the things that could have happened to me but everyone knows that your life changes so drastically when a baby comes. I wasn't ready, we weren't ready....but we had been so stupid.

Sometimes I wonder what would have been different had we waited & had children later. I love them both so dearly & would never ever have considered abortion or adoption. What would our lives be like? Would my husband & I have gotten married? Would we still be together? Would I have gone to college? Would I be working at Walmart? Answers I will never know.

I must forgive myself for hurting her. I know I am forgiven but forgetting it is hard. <3 you Mom & I hope that you know I'm sorry that I hurt you. I'm not so stupid anymore.

Almay One-Coat Nourishing Mascara Review

Finally a mascara that actually does what it promises!

This stuff is fantastic. No lie.

I have the hardest time finding GOOD mascara & by that I mean the kind that doesn't clump, isn't dry as soon as you open it, goes on easily & is a little bit nourishing too! This product packs it all in one little tube.

The last mascara I bought was a joke. Let's just say I won't be purchasing from Rimmel ever again. Nevertheless, I used it for at least 5 months & finally it got so terrible (if that was even possible), I had to buy a new tube & happily toss this old one.

I searched the makeup aisle at Walmart looking for something affordable (I'm sorry but I don't pay $10 for mascara!) & hoping for something decent.

What I found was my new fav mascara, I don't think I will be buying anything else!

The brush is thick but small: Perfect!

There is a perfect amount of mascara on the brush & it glides on like butter. 

Not a single clump. NONE.

It is the best mascara I've found to coat the lower lashes, they look great!

You really do only need one coat but I still apply two to my top lashes because it's habit.

I'm in love.

BUY IT:

Sells for around $6 at Walmart.

Horizon Organic Milk Boxes Review

I was given a chance to review Horizon Organic Milk Boxes (like the on-the-go ones) by BzzAgent & I have to say...

I give it a BIG thumbs up!!

I've always been in favor of organic milk & eggs because of the hormones that are in regular products. Come on, there's proof in the puddin' people. However, I have a hard time affording these items.

Horizon isn't terribly priced but obviously higher than a plain ol' gallon of milk.

The coolest thing I liked about the milk boxes is that they are shelf stable so they don't even have to be refrigerated! I put them in there anyway but hey, road trips?? Perfect!

They come in 3 different flavors- vanilla, chocolate & strawberry! We sampled chocolate & strawberry & the boys LOVED them!! In face, since there are only 3 boxes in a pack, they fought over the last one!

Horizon was founded in 1991 & was the very first company to supply ORGANIC milk nationally! Now that's cool.

BUY IT:

They retail for apx $3.89 (at my local Walmart) for a 3 pack

DISCOUNT!!

The first person to comment on this post that they LOVE organic milk & would love some awesome coupons,  I will send my stockpile of coupons to you! Pretty sure I have 4 of them, each $1.50 off! 

Or if a couple people reply, I guess I will split them up to be fair :)

My Opinion

They are slightly expensive for me to buy regularly & I find it a better deal just to buy a carton of their milk instead.

They have a great tasting milk that children LOVE. (mine sure did!)

Organic is always better!

BzzAgent provided me with the coupons to try out this review. I was not paid to write this review or influenced in any way, it is completely honest. 

On a side note, my oldest lil guy is starting preschool tomorrow :) I'm so nervous but excited for him. I'm not sure why I'm even nervous, he's used to being away from me because of work & he's used to other kids at daycare....so I know he'll be fine. I just hope he behaves & makes some new friends.

I'm also super sad because I won't even be able to drop him off. I have to work instead...stupid job. I <3 you baby boy big boy, I know you'll do fine but it doesn't keep a mama from worryin her little heart out! What will I do when it's Kindergarten time??

Wow, it's September!

Guess I've been taking a little blog vacation. I'm a little bummed lately, just nothing exciting to talk about...blahh kind of thing. But I'll get over it!

I'm excited for the fall weather coming, I just hope that we actually have a "autumn" this year, we usually seem to have about a week of nice pretty fall weather & then BAM, freezing cold weather. So unfair! I have several things on my to-do list for fall this year that I haven't done previous years...

1. Visit Whitehouse Fruit Farm for their fall festitivites! Everyone around here goes & I've never been, lots of cute things for the kids to do. They also have the best donuts, like ever.

2. Our new-ish local corn maze that's about 5 minutes from my house. I don't know when they started this but I just noticed it last year & never went. So I'm really really hoping to head there this year! They have 2 different mazes, one is for younger kids & the other apparently takes up to an hour to get through?? I mean, check this thing out!

Do you see how it says 'Safari' in the middle? Awesome!

3. I wanna buy some FALL decorations! My house is so poorly decorated, it's kinda pathetic. Like seriously, the only rooms in the house that have ANYthing on the walls is basically the kids rooms....I just never have the extra moolah to fork over for decor, more worried about food on the table, know what I mean?? Walmart JUST put out their fall decor today as I stood in my pharmacy cubicle right across the aisle watching them, looks so cute & festive!

Yay for fall!! Who else is excited???

I have another giveaway coming up soon so STAY TUNED!