The 2017 Swagbucks Holiday Sale!

Swagbucks is offering double cash back at dozens of different stores (like Macy's and Target) during their 2017 Holiday Sale. Just go to this page to see all of the deals available and get the jump on your holiday shopping. There are 

In order to take advantage of the cash back, just create your Swagbucks account when prompted (it takes less than 30 seconds) and then you're all set! Your cash back comes in the form of SB points, which you can redeem for gift cards to places like Amazon, Target, Walmart, Starbucks, or get PayPal cash!

As a special bonus, if you sign up through me you get a 300 SB ($3) bonus when you earn your first 300 SB before December 1st! This site's a great way to extend your shopping budget, especially around the holidays!

3 Simple Ways To Maintain Your Weight Loss Mojo

Embarking on yet another diet can be soul destroying, especially after the dozens you have tried before. Not being blessed with a fast metabolism means that watching what you eat is becoming a chore and you ache to be able to eat more of what you want without considering the number on the scales. Alas! No such luck. Like many women across the world, maintaining your weight is one of the hardest things you have to contend with. You may have completed diets in the past only to find the weight slowly creeping back onto your frame after a few months, leaving you back at square one. Mentally you’re tired. However, all is not lost. Take a look at these three tips to help you maintain your weight loss mojo.

Image Credit

Shift Your Mentality

You need to stop thinking about your weight loss in terms of faddy diets and focus more on a healthy eating plan for life. This doesn’t mean you’ll be eating nothing but lentils, cabbage and soy milk for the rest of your days. It means eating in moderation, controlling your portion sizes and not gorging on sweet, sugary snacks. Three fulfilling meals should leave you satisfied, and any snacks should be healthy. Swap your candy bar for antioxidant-rich dark chocolate. The bitterness is a taste that you’ll become accustomed to as you wean yourself off the more refined junk. Thinking less about enduring a diet and more about welcoming a new way of eating will lead to enhanced motivation and a commitment to seeing the pounds drop off.

Image Credit

Break Your Goals Into Manageable Chunks

If you want to lose fifty pounds, more power to you. However, to keep your mojo in place, you’ll need to break this goal into smaller chunks. This way you’ll be able to see progress and remain motivated. Consider attempting to lose three pounds in a week. Or conquer your fear of fruit and eat an apple a day. You could even reward yourself every time you achieve a mini-goal. You may want to try out some CoolSculpting and have a go at freezing the fat from your more stubborn double chin. Or you might want to book a weekend away after succeeding in not allowing a packet of chips pass your lips for a fortnight.

Image Credit

Realize You Are Not Alone

Online forums are excellent sources of support from like-minded people who are going through the same issues. By reaching out to them, you will find a community more than willing to give you advice on how to maintain your mojo as well as being comforting voices of encouragement when things are looking a little bleak or giving you virtual high fives when you celebrate your successes. As you become more confident with your new healthy eating plan and weight loss regime, you can be the one on the forum to help others and give a little back.

Trying to lose weight is tough, especially if you aren’t a natural gym bunny or you have a particularly sweet tooth. Stick with your plan, set out the mini-goals you want to achieve and start to reclaim your weight loss mojo. As the pounds begin to drop, you’ll be even more motivated to succeed and keep your mojo firmly in place.

JCCC Carlsen Center "My Father's Dragon" Play and My Love for JCCC

I am a Johnson County Community College alumni :-) Look, it took me TEN YEARS to get that 2-year Associate of Arts degree, dangit, and I am proud of myself. I can't say I enjoyed the FOUR Math classes I had to take to get that degree but I did enjoy all of the English classes and History as well. Drama and Public Speaking were decent too. I have to say graduating with ZERO student loan debt was pretty nice.

It was hard working and going to school, sometimes one full-time job plus a part-time job plus classes. Thank goodness for night classes. And these days you can even do online, which is INSANELY COOL. Kids these days don't know how good they have it, dagnabbit. I vaguely remember walking uphill both ways in the snow to get there as well.

My poor children have had to endure stories about me attending JCCC and how some semesters I would work all day, grab some Taco Bell, then park in the underground parking garage and eat while listening to talk radio while waiting to go to my class.

We have moved to Missouri now, which means we can't take advantage of CTE (formerly called Senate Bill 155) that lets you take FREE classes at JCCC (check out dual credit options if you are homeschooling or even if you are not). Looks like I need to get to some government meetings and start fighting Missouri for that! Anyway, check out that option at their website. It's a great benefit of living in Kansas and you should take advantage of it!

I tear up a little thinking of how I used to dream of being a mother and now I have these five precious beings in my care. You have to love how they always know I'm going to make them get together and pose. Poor things.

I used to go to classes in this building and had the PERFECT puzzle-piece schedule one semester. I only went two days a week from 8-12:30 and knocked out THREE classes back to back to back all within feet of each other. Quite the coup, friends! Then I was able to work the rest of the time.

This NEVER happens, but we were an hour EARLY because I messed up on the time so we trekked over to the Student Center for some grub.

On the way in, I grabbed a copy of Kansas City Parent magazine to see if I had any articles in there this month, and I did! I guess those JCCC writing and English classes paid off! It's a piece about carving out one-on-one time in a big family.

Hey, what are all those cute kids doing at COLLEGE? This is just such a classy college with such a cozy feel and it's easy to navigate indoors and outdoors.

The food court is INSANE! Look at all those fast food options, as well as a salad bar and a hot bar.

"My Father's Dragon" is based on a book and was a fantastic play. Yardley Hall is amazing!

Hey there, boys.

Hey there, girls.

The play was like nothing I'd ever seen before. The actors never actually spoke until the Q&A section at the end. The play was narrated through a speaker system and had some fun music as well. The actors mostly just had to use their bodies to convey the words that were being spoken. There was one main character, Elmer Elevator, then four people in green suits played all the other characters using stuffed animals controlled with sticks and string, and lots of props and masks. The play ran about an hour and was very engaging. The cost was normally $6 per person but we got a school/homeschool discount and paid $5 per person.

Bottom line: We would do this again! I would love to attend the Nutcracker there but it's more pricey for us so that'll go into next year's budget. I'll be hunting down more of the $5 plays for sure next year for our homeschool! The Carlsen Center is beautiful and rivals anything else in town for entertainment and arts. Check out their events here. "Guess How Much I Love You" looks pretty cool for March 1. Yes, I drag the older kids to these little kid plays :-)

Bonus: My van is too tall for JCCC underground parking (what college student drives a 12-passenger van normally?!) so the parking attendant moved some cones and let us park right out front, just steps from the front door. If you need to do this, though, beware: leave the play IMMEDIATELY before busses start to block you in. We almost got blocked in for a very long time.

Awesome Christmas Gifts: Sam's Stainless Steel Pots and Pans Set

Samuel got this cool Melissa and Doug stainless steel pots and pans set from my Aunt Ginny and he is in love. He likes to cook like his dad and big brother Joel ... and his sisters. I think Michael does not have the cooking bug just yet ... kinda like me! Anyway, we actually cooked with it last night and Sam made red rice in the little pot and we had it for dinner!

Originally published just after Christmas 2014

The Top Babywearing Benefits for Parents

As you get ready to welcome the arrival of your new bundle of joy, there’s no doubt that you are making a list of all the baby gear and items you’ll need. As you piece together that list, you may want to consider adding a wrap that would allow for “babywearing.”

Babywearing has become quite the trend as of late, and not just because it gives parents a way to walk around with their baby and have both their hands free. Here’s a look at the top babywearing benefits that parents are enjoying.

Let's Talk About the Convenience

The first benefit we need to discuss is, of course, the convenience. It can be pretty hard to get much accomplished with a newborn. They often need a lot of holding, which doesn't leave you with a free hand. By using a baby wrap, your little one will be safe, snug, and secure and you'll have both hands free. This means you can move about the house, do simple chores and errands in and out of the house, and even relax a bit. New parents often complain of sore and tired arms and shoulder muscles; the wrap will eliminate this completely.

Studies Show Baby Will Cry Less

Wouldn't it be great to find a magic way to get your baby to stop crying? A wrap could be the solution. Studies have shown that a baby who is wrapped snuggly against your chest will cry less. They can feel that physical and emotional connection to their parent that they crave.

Anyone Can Use the Wrap

Another great benefit is that anyone can use the wrap, not just mom and dad. Grandparents, aunts, and uncles can all take part in the experience and start to build their own bond with your baby, which can be hard to do otherwise. It also gives mom a break, which is usually very much needed.

This is me at our local farmstead. I am wearing our third child, Callie. Two more came after her and I even mowed the grass with them in the sling while their dad was out of town :-)

Consider it a Workout

For the new mom who is anxious to get back to her pre-pregnancy shape, it can be pretty hard to find time to exercise. Wearing your baby acts like exercise and you won't have to put aside a specific block of time to get it done. The entire time you are wearing your baby in a wrap or sling, you will be giving your entire body a fabulous workout.

Get as Much Information as Possible

If you happen to be a first-time parent, or even if it’s been a few years since the birth of your last child, it’s always a good idea to do your research and get as much information as possible about today’s trends and baby gear. The momcrib.com website is the perfect place to catch up on all the latest baby-related news and help you navigate the waters of parenthood.

Embrace the Trend

Now that you’re aware of the many amazing benefits of babywearing, the only thing left to do is embrace the trend and pick up a wrap for your baby!

Now please check out this post I wrote!