"Second Time's the Charm" Book Review...

...I was thrilled when Melissa Keir asked me to read another one of her books! "Second Time's the Charm" is the first book in a series so I sped through this short story so I could find out what happens next.

Summary
A middle aged divorcee with two children must find her way back to love after a devastating divorce leaves her with no self confidence in herself or even in love. Lissa's ex-husband has shredded her self esteem, so she has thrown herself into her children and job. An emergency life threatening illness of her best friend's son puts her on the path to romance. Lissa finds her new love in an unexpected way...introduced by his ex-wife. 

Who knew that first time loves could lead to second chances?

Review
This was a very quick read. It proves that you can find love when you're least looking for it. The real conflict seemed to be Lissa's ex and the grief he gave her for dating again. As a grown "child of divorce," it's important for a parent to move on and be happy which is what Lissa did. A happy mom, makes a happy family, right?  Knowing that this is a series, I think Melissa did a great job laying the ground work for drama to occur in future books in this series. I can't write too much because I'm anxious to get on to the next book "Three's a Crowd!"

Kong Dog Toy Review...

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

...Entirely Pets is the leader in online pet supplies and non-prescription pet medications. Our vet operated site provides you with a wide selection of pet products at unbeatable prices, with excellent customer service.

As your one-stop pet shop, EntirelyPets.com provides affordable solutions to give your pet the healthiest and happiest life possible while saving you money. Basically, we aim to keep tails wagging! Our "pet friendly" site features the most popular brands on the market and various in-house product lines. We have been consistently delivering value and convenience to pet owners around the world since 1999.

My favorite items on the Entirely Pets website are all the Kong toys! I got to pick a Kong for my furbabies so I chose the extra-large Kong Stuff-A-Ball.

I stuffed it full of a few dog treats...

Then I gave Shad first dibs. He didn't quite grasp the concept as he kept batting it around the basement with his nose.

Emma took the first opportunity she could to steal it away from him then she retreated to the safety of her kennel. She had to sniff it out first.

But it took her no time to figure out how to get to the treats!

Entirely Pets was super easy to work with. The furbabies toy came right away in the mail. They Kong was super strong and durable so the dogs won't be tearing it up any time soon. It was a pleasant surprise for them on the coldest day of the year and kept them busy since they couldn't play outside. We'll definitely be using this for a long time at our house and probably investing in a second one so they don't fight over it.



I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Weigh-In Wednesday...

...I've had a few people ask so here's a link to the Tank Top Arms workout I've been doing. I plan on doing a post about it in eleven weeks. :-)

Wednesday, January 22-Bright and early arm day at boot camp! Plus I did Tank Top Arms when I got home. Whew, my arms are Jello!

Thursday, January 23-I did 15 minutes on Jacob's Ladder plus Tank Top Arms. Whew-Jacob's Ladder is tough!

Friday, January 24-Leg day at boot camp and then Tank Top Arms in the afternoon at home. It is so hard to get out of bed early when it's so cold!!!

Saturday, January 25-Arm day at boot camp before I had to go to work.

Sunday, January 26-Tank Top Arms with a 25 pound toddler on my back for half the push-ups. It was a gorgeous day out so I'm bummed we didn't get any walking in but we were busy, busy girls!

Monday, January 27-I woke up VERY early and swam! I hadn't swam in forever and it felt so good and relaxing in the water. I can't wait until I can swim again.

Tuesday, January 28-Tank Top Arms and chasing AR around gymnastics.

Life in the Fast Lane...

...When I had AR, I put my life on hold. I didn't want to miss a single second with her so I basically did nothing besides work and be a mom. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining at all, I wouldn't do it any differently, but now that she's a bit older, I've started doing more...exercising, reading, socializing, etc...And in true Alyssa fashion, do you think that I gradually eased into things? Maybe for a couple months, but now my plate is full. As in, big girl, pour on more potatoes, my plate is overflowing! Here's my life in the fast lane these days...

Exercising/Weight Loss-As you've all seen my posts, I'm trying to lose weight. It's a never-ending battle. As this time, I'm really maintaining but hey, I'm almost forty pounds lighter than I was six months ago so I'll take maintaining and lose what I can. I'm trying to do boot camp 2 mornings/week, swim one morning/week, and run twice/week.

I'm an ambassador for Hospital Hill Run again this year. I love that race! I've been visiting local running stores to pass out info about the race. My goal is to run the half again, first half since having AR. I won't start my official training until March but I've got to build up my endurance between now and then.

They're getting new mileage club shirts at work which is the motivation I needed to get back into the pool! Oh, plus there's talk of the Tri Girls reuniting for the triathlon in August. I don't know what' s more frightening-competing post-baby in a tri or wearing a swimsuit in front of co-workers?

Teaching-Today is my first day of teaching...a college class! I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I basically have everything ready through the end of February, still prepping the first test, but I feel prepared for this first week. I've already been asked to teach again this fall. I haven't committed yet as I wanted to make sure I enjoyed teaching and I'm good at it. I did the math and if I do this for four years then I'll have enough money to buy AR's first car before she even turns five!

Product/Book Reviews-I have quite about five products to review right now and a few books to finish reading. My goal is to try to schedule and review two/week so I don't fall behind.

Valentine's Day-After I go to Costco this upcoming weekend, I'll have all the supplies I need to make AR's Valentine's. I'm pretty excited about them and I hope they turn out! I have to make twenty for a playdate and the kids at the sitter's.

AR's Second Birthday-Although it's four months away, I'm already full swing in party planning mode! I even made a trial cake to see if I could do it. FYI-it turned out pretty awesome!

Writing-I've started writing and I don't mean blogging. Through all the book reviews I've been doing, I've been introduced to the world of indie publishing. I decided to try my hand at writing a love story and I, well, loved it! I've had a few people read it and I'm on a critique website. I've gotten good feedback and best of all, no one's straight up told me it sucks to that's exciting! It's a long, tedious process and I just wish I had more time to devote to it, but alas, I don't. I'm going to keep pushing on and hopefully, you'll see a post about it one day!

Photography-I did a "photoshoot" for a couple this month and it's made me want to do more. Not that I want to actually be a photographer but I want to be able to take photographer quality photos of AR and our family. I've talked to Katie Beach, our wedding photog, and she's going to do a natural lighting class on March 9. If you're interested, email or leave me a comment. I'm looking for three other people to do the class with me. I'm also already working on some pictures for the February Photo Challenge I'll be posting on here.

AR-Dude, she needs a social coordinator! Tuesday nights we have gymnastics. Mondays we've started swim lessons. I want to do a Mini Kickers program (soccer) but it's only offered on Tuesday mornings so I'll have to keep looking. She's got a playdate and birthday party coming up on the 9th plus we're going to be celebrating H's tenth birthday soon! Seriously, how did H get to be ten already!?!

I'm also trying to sell her baby stuff. I think I've come to terms with being okay with her being an only child. That should be a post in itself and it will be when I'm 100% okay with it. In the meantime, I've been posting pics and meeting people to get rid of some of her bigger baby toys to make room for all the new ones we got at Christmas. I also need to do a post on her since I haven't done one devoted fully towards her and her developments since, oh, you know her 12 month post which was eight months ago! FYI-We're still not 100% over her cold/sinuses/whatever you want to call it. The doctor said her lungs sounded clear both times we went so I guess that's good but I wish this cough would go away!

So that's what's going on in my world these days. You know, aside from working, being a mom/wife, and trying to keep my head above water in the household department. These next few months are going to get crazy! But hey, that's life in the fast lane, right?

NEW Purex Crystals Fresh Mountain Breeze!!!

...Last Friday afternoon, a bottle of the NEW! Purex Crystals Fresh Mountain Breeze arrived on my doorstep. The Purex Crystals are a laundry enhancer that you use like a fabric softener. They eliminate odor and freshen laundry.

As soon as I opened the box, the scent from inside the bottle was hitting my nose and I was in love! I couldn't wait to do laundry and that's something I've NEVER said in my entire life. I scurried around the house claiming any piece of clothing that I thought needed a wash. Then I headed downstairs, started a load of laundry and I was not disappointed.

The aroma of the Fresh Mountain Breeze crystals took over the stinky, dirty laundry that filled my washer. Purex Crystals are 87% natural crystals that go in at the start of the wash, so they spend more time with your laundry infusing them with long-lasting freshness. It was so easy to use, all I had to do was pour in the crystals, load my laundry, add soap, and close the lid!

Fill the cap and dump in-easy peasy!

I "patiently" waited for the load to finish so I could once again smell how good it was. Again, it didn't disappoint. Now, a few days later, and the scent is STILL with the clothes! The clothes smell fabulous and I absolutely love it.

They got a giveaway going on to win $500 so be sure to check it out AND because Purex is so awesome, they've given me three coupons to giveaway to my reader so that you can try the natural softener yourself...FOR FREE!!! The giveaway will be open from January 27 at midnight to February 2 at midnight with winners picked on February 3. To enter, leave me a comment telling me why you want to try Purex Crystals. This is mandatory and then there's other entry options to better your chances.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ozeri CardioTech Pro Series BP5K Digital Blood Pressure Monitor...

...Our house is getting high-tech! We received an Ozeri CardioTech Pro Series BP5K Digital Blood Pressure Monitor. I wish I had this while I was pregnant since I had to check my blood pressure every day. It sure would've beat going up and down the stairs at nine months pregnant but now we have it which is great! Matt always has high blood pressure and mine has been on the higher side since having AR so this is a great way to to check our pressure regularly in the comfort of our own home.

New intelligent voice-guided feature alerts you to the proper positioning of your wrist for accurate blood pressure measurements.

Automatically provides an audible hypertension assessment via a new talking function (as well as a display on the LCD screen).

Portable, accurate, and simple-to-use with clinically proven technology, stores 180 blood pressure readings (90 x 2 users) with date and time recordings.

Automatic Irregular heartbeat (Arrhythmia) detection and Hypertension Indicator.

Push-button access to average blood pressure readings based on all readings in memory, AM versus PM readings, or the 3 most recent readings.

Of course, someone had to help Daddy set it up.

It's so simple to use. All you do is place it on your wrist, the British lady will tell you if your hand position is too high, too low or ideal. It doesn't cut off your circulation like the machines at the grocery stores do and it only takes a few seconds to register. The buttons and numbers are big and easy to read. My husband and I were both pretty thrilled when we each took ours and our British friend told us that our blood pressure was "optimal!"

If you have any need/reason to regularly check your blood pressure, I'd suggest investing in this to make your life easier! Head over to Amazon to check out their product page.

Our Return Flight...

...We flew back on Monday, like I said before, it was a whirlwind trip. Somehow the flight back and the wait at the airport is much quicker than the flight to. Maybe because I know what to expect or possibly because Nana waits with us until the last possible minute before we have to go through security. It could also be that Tampa takes your luggage for you making check-in much quicker and I get to skip to the front of the line since I have a stroller when we go through security. Anyways, it always goes quick.

We only had about 20 minutes to pass before the plane started boarding so in that time, AR took a few selfies on my Note. I feel like selfies should always be captioned, "Hey, girl, HEY!"

Our boarding pass was B9 but we got in line right after the A group. We snagged a window seat and waited to see who would be stuck lucky enough to sit by us. As it turns out, no one wanted to. The seat beside us was the very last one filled. It ended up being a younger guy in his early 20s which I was very happy with, I don't think the Mizzou football player would've liked sharing his leg room with AR.

She was a good girl again on this flight. I asked for two water with lids when we ordered our drinks. The flight attendant brought them to us without lids. It was all okay at first, but as AR tried to pull her water away from me because "she's a big girl and can do it herself," I quickly had to ask our middle row friend to take my drink before we all ended up wet. Of course, she fell asleep the last twenty minutes of the flight, but hey, I don't normally get to hold her while she sleeps so I'll take all the cuddles I can get.

The guy really was a good sport. As soon as he sat down, AR started giving him stickers. They started off on his hands then she started up his arm. Before too long, he had a whole garden of flower stickers! He was super sweet and left them on the entire flight, even as he walked off the plane he still was wearing them. I also offered him a Blow-Pop along with the other array of snacks I had packed.

As we got off the plane, AR wanted to walk and not sit in her stroller. Do you blame her? She'd been cooped up for 2+ hours. I let her walk a bit since the walkway was wide enough for us to pass. When we got about halfway, I stopped to pick her up and told the two guys behind us to go around. One guy muttered something I didn't quite catch but I knew it wasn't polite. There's always one person in a tiz when you travel and I'm just glad he didn't sit by us!

 

I doubt we'll be going anywhere between now and May so it's crazy to think that the next time we fly, she'll have her own seat. I don't know if this is a good or bad thing because I'm not so sure she'll want to sit in her carseat that long. Oh well, we'll cross that bridge at that time!