Progresso Light and 100 Calorie Soups!* (WIN)

Celebrate the New Year and a new you with Progresso Light and 100 Calorie Soups because from January 4 through March 15th, you can visit www.Progresso.com/SouperYou to enter the Progresso “Souper You Debut” contest for the chance to win a full makeover in New York City. Three grand prize winners will be awarded a trip for two to New York City from May 21st-23rd. The prize includes roundtrip airfare, a two-night stay in a NYC hotel, a full makeover, a $1,000 wardrobe shopping spree and personal consultation at a New York department store. To enter, you´ll need to do the following:

• Go to www.Progresso.com/SouperYou to learn more and enter the contest
• Submit your essay (200 characters or less) telling Progresso why you love Progresso Light or 100 Calorie Soups and why you would like a makeover
• In addition, please submit a photo of yourself that visually reinforces the theme of your essay

Once you enter, you´ll have the chance for your photo and/or an excerpt from your essay to appear on www.Progresso.com/SouperYou, so be sure to check back frequently! Once the 10 finalists are announced, you can visitwww.Progresso.com/SouperYou from March 29 through April 12 to vote for your favorite. In addition, throughout the duration of the contest you can visit www.Progresso.com/SouperYou to download a coupon for $1 off any three varieties of Progresso Soup! With surprisingly hearty ingredients like pasta, beans, corn and rice, and flavor-packed vegetables like tomatoes, carrots, and peppers, Progresso Light and 100 Calorie Soups offer varieties with a good source of fiber and a full serving of vegetables. Satisfying your taste buds, Progresso Light and 100 Calories Soups can help curb your hunger, making it easier for you to stick to your weight management plan. FROM ME : During my recent weight loss challenge I have been eating a lot of soups for lunch. The Progresso soup I was sent for doing this post has definitely been a help. It is about 100 calories per can (each can has 2 servings) but even if I eat the whole can, I am still on track for my 500 cal. per meal diet  (1500 cal./day). The soups are very good. I was sent  several cans, so I haven’t been able to try every flavor yet. I have tried the chicken noodle and the vegetable and I liked them a lot. My children have been eating these too after school, the soup keeps them filled until dinner and it definitely beats junk food. On the recent cold days we have been having there is nothing like a nice hot cup or bowl of soup to satisfy! NOW YOU CAN WIN and try for yourself!!! : This is a GREAT prize pack to win, you will love this It consists of a Progresso Soup Mug, it is like a ceramic material, a Progresso jump rope that counts the # of jumps and other info.!! (kids and I love this),  and  2 cans  of soup from Progresso. This giveaway starts NOW and ends on 2/11/2010 at 7PM EST. Winner will not be notified, but WILL be posted to this site by 2/12/2010. Winner will be chosen via random.org. Winner MUST be a subscriber to this blog. Here is the ways to get an entry :

1. Tweet the following = ” Win a Progressive Soup Prize pack from @plussizemommy  ’s blog here :          ”        you may tweet up to 3 times per day = 1 entry per tweet, separate comments please.
2. Follow me on twitter = 1 entry  (I am @plussizemommy)
3. Use stumbleupon, technorati, digg for this site/post.  - comment letting me know which you have done = 1 entry per way.
4. Fave my site on momfaves – comment and let me know you have = 1 entry
5. What flavor of Progresso soup is your favorite? – comment and tell me = 1 entry

Good Luck to everyone !

The Plus Size Mommy

*The Progresso Soup, gift pack, information, and giveaway were all provided by Progresso through MyBlogSpark.)

30 Days of Change Day 1

I must be a glutton for challenges. Yesterday I joined a challenge called the “30 Days of Change”. It is a challenge that Resourceful Mommy has set up on her blog. Since I am already in the Your Shape challenge, I must be crazy to be joining another one right ? Wrong.. you see, the  Your Shape Challenge is a goal towards my physical health, well being , and weight loss. The 30 Days of “Going out on a Limb” challenge is toward more specific and cognitive challenges. Looking more inward and being a better me (or challenging me to be) on the inside.

Here was the Day 1 Challenge :

(from Resourceful Mommy’s Blog)

Parenting. If you are not a parent or your children have left the nest, don’t worry! You can still participate in this challenge. The purpose is to create a happier, less stressful relationship with our children, so to participate simply choose a person in your life with whom you would like an easier repoire.

How the Challenge Works
Each day for 30 days (not necessarily consecutive) I will suggest a challenge for the following day. Try it and stick with it for the entire day. Did you see a change? How about after all 30 Days of Change? My hope is that we can change one very simple thing each day and the overall affect is general improvement in our lives, especially in the focus area of each challenge.

Here is How I did :

I found this one to be tough off the bat! I am at home with a 4 yr. old and a 19mo. old everyday, and believe me, there is a lot of saying no. Not only from me to them, but lately my 19 mo. old daughter learned that is her new wonderful word. So everything is, “No”.  For the past week my daughter who is 4 has been asking me to let her paint.  An activity that is messy and takes time to set up and clean up. I don’t have a problem with kids painting, in fact, I love  watching them create their artwork. Well, this week not only have I been sick, but they have too.

So, yesterday when I was busy trying to get posts done and other work done, When I was asked, “Mommy, can we paint today?” , Usually I would’ve immediately said , “no”. But as soon as she asked it was like the little devil on one shoulder and an Angel on the other. I thought, man, I REALLY don’t want to do this, but then the Angel said, but remember we are trying to not say no as much. And well, needless to say, They painted. We painted. I took a break from working, “went out on a limb”, and it was actually really fun. I was also able to prevent too much of a mess since I painted with them. So clean up was much easier.

Thank You Resourceful Mommy for inviting people in on your challenge, and I am looking forward to Day 2 !

Would you like to join us on the Challenge? Visit here … 30 Day Challenge … and let us know

The Plus Size Mommy

Winner of Nu Skin ageLOC™ Future Serum

Congrats to the winner of the Nu Skin ageLOC -

Tania (Misscrabbypants) !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please email me at plussizemommy@gmail.com to claim within 48 hours!

Thank you to all who entered.

The Plus Size Mommy

Unofficial Experiment on Skin Color

So, a few weeks ago I was watching the news and they had a, disturbing to me, segment on race and skin color and how children can perceive others by just their skin color.

I was so upset by this I wanted to see if my children reacted the same way. My children are bi-racial (I am white, my husband is black). We never speak down upon ANY race in my immediate family (cannot speak for Cousins, Aunts, Uncles, and so on). I have ALWAYS taught my children to like everyone and be nice to everyone. And not just for race, for people who are physically challenged, mentally challenged, and so on. for NONE of us are perfect and everyone deserves equal treatment in my book.

I try VERY hard not to judge people, in my house, we serve the Lord, and being a Christian means that God is the ultimate judge and ONLY judge that matters.

I try to instill all of these morals into my children in every way I can. I know how it is to be judged, I know how it feels to be judged, even before people know anything about me. And lemme tell you, it isn’t a nice feeling AT ALL.

To me, if you have  green hair, polka dotted skin, and your 2 ft. tall, with 1 leg and no arms, I will love you just the same as anyone else.

What I look for in friends is character. Honesty, Caring, Integrity, and Loving people. I try really hard to surround myself with people like this.

I also know that people DO and WILL make mistakes. I am a forgiving and patient person. I may be upset, but I will come around.

I never hold grudges, and again Life is just TOO short to worry myself with this mess, and to be upset over things I cannot control, and things that I don’t agree with.  But we are ALL Human and we all say and do things that others may not agree with, but we may not walk in those shoes. We may never walk in those shoes.

Example- I would never steal. But If I was in Haiti right now fending for my family and my life, and I had no water, no food, your damn right I would steal so I could live. So, we can really never say never. A lot of people in Haiti I am sure never thought they would go to these extremes either. But things and situations change in the blink of an eye, and those who once said the same, I would never steal, are now theives.  And some may say it isn’t really stealing, to justify the actions, but taking anything that isn’t yours, is stealing. Even if it is a $1 off of the ground in the supermarket parking lot with no one around. You didn’t earn that dollar, and finding it doesn’t magically make it yours.

So, anyways, lol, I am sorry, I got onto a tangent here.

SO, this segment on the news really got me so upset, I decided to try it unofficially at home with my daughter who is 4 as my test subject.

What they did on the news was ask children about her age which baby doll was the good one and then what baby doll was the bad one.

Here is how our unofficial test turned out :

I was so proud as a mother of how she reacted and at her responses. Although she said the black baby was the “good” baby is not why I am happy with the results, it was because her REASON why the black baby was the “good” baby, she said it is because it is her sisters favorite doll. Disturbingly on the news some of the black children said the black baby doll was “the bad one” and the white baby doll was “the good one”. I do not understand other than the people who we surround ourselves with how this can be a child’s answer to this? Based all on skin color alone?
It terrifies me that these are their answers. It terrifies me to think people are STILL judged to be good or bad based on color or race.
It saddens me to no end.

I think I will pray on it. Pray for people to get to know others and see how much alike we are. How our hopes and dreams are so much alike. How much more love could be in the world if we weren’t wasting our time judging others who we don’t even know, instead of taking the time to get to know them.

So while I pray, I ask 1 question of you…. what would YOUR child’s answers be?

I love you,

The Plus Size Mommy

Fast Food Panic for Wii & WIN*

SouthPeak’s food-serving-simulation video game Fast Food Panic on Wii and Nintendo DS . In honor of the game’s release, I wanted to extend a special giveaway to you. A very special custom made, burger-shaped plush CD-holder!

Overview:Create the best restaurant in the world by cooking up yummy dishes, making yourcustomers happy, greeting them when they stop by, and keeping your restaurant squeakyclean in this vibrant and fast-paced restaurant simulation game. A top-quality restauranttakes a lot of work, and your waitress will need help—keep the place clean, makedeliveries, ring up customers, and more.Features• Work against the clock to turn your restaurant into the best in the world• Beyond cooking minigames – Juggle making delicious food, keeping everythingspotless, greeting customers, and helping your waitress to improve yourrestaurant’s popularity• Prepare yummy dishes including steaks, pasta, burgers, pizza and more!• Take care of VIP customers who will push your service and cooking skills to thelimit• Replay each level from Story Mode in Free Mode and challenge your high score• Unlock more than 10 fun cooking mini-games to further hone your skills• Three levels of difficulty for beginners and master chefs alike.

This game is made for Wii and DS platforms.

Now for the giveaway: TO be clear.. This giveaway is for an exclusive Hamburger CD case ONLY, no game is included! (pictured above). TWO winners will be selected.

1. Tweet the following = ” Win an EXCLUSIVE Hamburger CD case from @plussizemommy  ’s blog here :  http://is.gd/7wKpR   ”            you may tweet up to 3 times per day = 1 entry per tweet, separate comments please.
2. follow me on twitter = 1 entry  (I am @plussizemommy)
3. Use stumbleupon, technorati, digg for this site/post.  - comment letting me know which you have done = 1 entry per way.
4. Fave my site on momfaves – comment and let me know you have = 1 entry

This giveaway begins NOW and will end on Feb. 9th, 2010 at 7PM EST.  TWO winners will be chosen via random.org.

Winners MUST be subscribers to this blog. Winners will NOT be contacted so if you enter to win, please check back for the winners post around 2/10.

Thank You for entering and Good Luck!

The Plus Size Mommy

*The prizes were sent to me FREE from South Peak games.  I will be paying for shipping to the winners on my own. I was not otherwise compensated for this post.

Winners!

The winner of the Q-tips nursery boxes and the silver elephant bank is :

JENNIFER C.

Congrats ! Please email me at plussizemommy@gmail.com within 48 hours to claim. ENJOY

I had to do a re-draw of one of the Weight Watchers snack cake winners due to an unclaimed win. The new winner via random.org is :

anna_haddley

please email me within 48 hours to claim at plussizemommy@gmail.com

Thank you to all who entered and Congrats to the winners !!!!

The Plus Size Mommy

Week 3 update-#Yourshape Challenge*

This week was bitter sweet for me. I was able to drink my water (looking into my food journal, I actually took in about 96 oz. of water per day), I did my workouts everyday, and I upped them to 30 min. from 15.  I have been doing very well staying on my 1500 calorie diet too. The only thing is, I think I overdid it a bit. I hurt my left knee doing exercises at the gym and also my back. I had a whole day where I was laid up in bed with a moist heat pad on my knee and the pain was unbearable, only comparing to that of childbirth!

I think I strained some muscles. And lemme tell you, this hurts BAD. I am doing MUCH better now, but this week, although I am still going to keep everything going as usual, I am not going to push myself so hard.

One of my teammates in the challenge has told me  not to go too fast at this, cause if I am hurting, I am going to want to quit soon. And that is the truth. I have to remember getting to be obese didn’t happen overnight, and even though I want to be healthy and skinny overnight….unless a miracle happens, it too will take time to get my weight off

Amongst the pain, however, I have had a TON of joy this week. I lost 4 pants sizes! And now today when I weighed in I lost another 4.2 pounds !!!! YIPPEEE

I do not understand though, how I lost only 8.2 pounds so far (total) and I lost the 4 pants sizes ? This is confusing to me. But I am thinking maybe my weight redistributed. Also my leader Stacie says I will get muscle by working out, and that can actually cause gain.

Although I haven’t gained weight, I am still kinda sad I didn’t lose more, but again, slow and steady,,,right?!

I have gotten so SO many supportive comments from everyone and even stirred up some people by motivating them to try the #yourshape  program, and also get back into the getting fit groove.

I THANK YOU to everyone who has been cheering me on, I need this, it motivates me so much.  I think part of getting fit and being on this journey IS the support. Without it, I may have already given up. So, please feel free to keep your virtual pom pom’s going for me  and for everyone in the group.

• Toni from A Daily Dose of Toni. @totally_toni
• Kim from Crafty Mama of 4. @craftymamaof4
• Amy From Selfish Mom. @SelfishMom
• Lori from A Cowboy’s Wife. @ACowboysWife
• Claire from The Mom Claire. @TheMomClaire
• Elizabeth from Busy Mom. @BusyMom
• Kelli from The Centsible Life. @CentsibleLife
• Stephanie from Mommy Musings. @MommyMusings
• Jodi from Multitasking Mommy. @JodiGrundig

Sometimes your motivation, and me knowing in my mind that I have to report to everyone online is the difference between buying and eating that candy bar….or NOT.  I have been VERY good on my diet this week, no straying, and I am proud of this.

Here was this past week’s Challenge :

Add 10 Challenge: This week add ten minutes to your exercise routine. Challenge yourself to complete those extra ten minutes each day that you exercise.

Not only did I add 10, I actually added 15, going from 15 min. workouts with Jenny to 30 minutes. And some days I did over an hour. So I met this challenge

In the beginning I thought for sure Jenny was going to “kill me” with upping the time, but I survived, and actually it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. I think my stamina and strength has been building up.

You can follow the #Yourshape challenge here : YourShapeChallenge.com

Have you met your weight loss goals this week ? What were your goals ? What shape are YOU in today ? #yourshape

The Plus Size Mommy

* I am participating in the Your Shape Challenge through Collective Bias , I received the game for free
and I am also receicing fun prizes and perks. Your Shape is from Ubisoft.The weight loss and any idea’s are my own.

Do you Do the 5-Second Rule?* (WIN)

Ahh the mighty 5-second rule. Yep, we use it at our home (MOST of the time). Although lately I am thinking renewed stipulations are needed to be told to my children

This came about when my 10 yr. old son was eating spaghetti with meatball’s one night a couple weeks ago, and well, we all know the song…and then my poor meatball fell down to the floor, rolled out the door, and became a spaghetti tree?

NOT HERE…. Nope, after my son’s meatball fell onto the floor he picked it up, and popped it back into his mouth, before anyone could even say a word and ate it ! YUCK, yea, I know…I was so grossed out, he didn’t even look at it to see if any dirt was on it! ICK, I still gag thinking about it. But to a boy of age 10, this was most cool and funny. NOTTT!

So, I ask…Do you incorporate the 5 second rule in your home ?

I mean, if it is like a piece of something that the chance of something sticking to it is slim, I don’t mind, but a sauce covered meatball, this is where I draw the line, lol

A few days ago, I was asked to work with Clorox again on a campaign with Samantha Bee (From the  ”Daily Show”). She discussed the 5 sec. rule , you can read more about it here :  http://simpleandsurprising.com/

WIN!!!!

I am able to offer you a Clorox Gift pack values at $20 with a variety of Clorox Products!

You can enter Just by sharing with us your favorite funny 5-sec. rule story. The guidelines are below to enter to win

• Do you or someone in your family follow the 5-second rule? – comment and tell us who uses it and with what ? = 1 entry
• Who’s more likely to follow the 5-second rule in your house? – comment and tell us who and if anyone is against it, tell that too! = 1 entry
• What are the most popular items to 5-second rule? – comment and tell what are the top 5 items where the 5 sec. rule is used on most frequently = 1 entry
• Do you have a funny 5-second rule story? – comment with your funny story = 1 entry
• Thinking about Sam Bee’s style, what’s your parenting style? – comment and tell us how you parent = 1 entry
• Share a picture or funny video with us (send a link) of someone using the 5 sec. rule – comment with a link to the photo or video = 5 entries !!!!

This contest starts NOW and will end on Feb.  9th, 2010 at 8PM EST. Winners will be posted to this site. As with all giveaways winner MUST be a subscriber to this site, either via subscription or through Facebook feed. Winner will be posted to this site by Feb. 10th, 2010. Winner will have 48 hours to email me to claim their prize.

Have fun with this, I am sure this can generate a lot of funny stories and photo’s, I would love to hear them and share them.

There is MORE… Here are some other bloggers who are also holding the giveaway of the Clorox Prize pack, so you can visit their blogs and have even MORE chances to win!

• CONSUMER QUEEN
• BanteringBlonde

Thank you to all who enter and Good Luck !!!

The Plus Size Mommy

*Please note, stories, video’s, and photo’s may be posted to the Clorox  Facebook page*

*I am being compensated via giftcard for this post*

Be Safe on Superbowl Sunday

The teams are set, the hype is well underway and Super Bowl party planning is in full swing.

While you may not be thinking about the dangers of buzzed driving this time of year, you or someone you know will likely be attending a party where alcohol is served.  So whether you’re rooting for the Colts or the Saints, there are some things you need to know to keep yourself and your loved ones safe before, during and after Super Bowl XLIV.

When you’re heading out to a party or hosting guests, remember to always plan ahead:

• Designate a sober driver or be prepared to find a safe ride home for your guests

• Be ready to take alternate transportation such as a bus or taxi.  Have the phone number of a taxi service stored in your phone before you leave for the party.

In 2008, 11,773 people were killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes.

I’m working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Ad Council as they continue their efforts with the “Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving” PSA campaign.  Buzzed drivers are those who drink and drive, but do not consider themselves a hazard on the roadway because “only a few” drinks are consumed. The campaign hopes to educate people that consuming even one drink too many can impair driving and that “Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving.”  So even if you are planning on staying home Super Bowl weekend, please remind your loved ones that buzzed driving IS drunk driving.

To learn more about the impact buzzed driving can have on a life, please watch this important video about the financial and personal repercussions of getting a DUI: http://buzzeddriving.adcouncil.org/sign.php#video

Remember: Buzzed Driving IS Drunk Driving.  Plan ahead and ask your loved ones to do the same.

For more information, visit Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving on Facebook and Twitter(@Buzzeddriving).

*This post is on behalf of my relationship with Global Influence*

The Plus Size Mommy

Winner of Yoplait Smoothie gift pack

The winner of the Yoplait Smoothie gift pack with personal blender is:

ROSE !!! Congrats!

Thank you to all who entered and Rose, Enjoy

Please email me at plussizemommy@gmail.com  within 48 hours to claim your prize.

The Plus Size Mommy

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