Brrrr!
I know it is winter and all…but come on!! It is cold outside! When I get cold, I stay cold. When I arrived home from my trip this week I was so thrilled to have a YumYum neck warmer waiting for me. Have you heard of the YumYum yet? It is an extremely soft cashmere neck wrap. It is make out of extremely high quality cashmere…super duper soft! You simply snap it around your neck and you immediately feel like you are wearing a cashmere sweater. People are really surprised when I take it off – they thought I was wearing a sweater! They have a 13 colors to choose from…mine is chocolate brown. If your neck is warm, you will be sooo toasty. I have to admit I have worn mine for three days straight!! Sometimes you don’t want a bulky scarf on…YumYums are perfect! And if soft cashmere scarf is more your style….they have those too! Each piece is handmade by women in Nepal.
Priceless
I decided to break down my half marathon experience KatyShops style…
Plane ride to Florida – Free (thanks to my husband who travels all of the time!)
Stay in Disney – $$$ (it’s Disney)
Racing Skirt – $54 (It is the best running skirt EVER)
Running shirt – $37.97 (I love my GymSkinz…It has “Don’t ever question my Commitment” on the front of it)
Running Socks – $9.95 ( my favorite socks are Save Our Soles)
Running Shoes – $80ish (Spira’s are my favorite)
Seeing them put the medal around my Mom’s neck – PRICELESS
Free Wednesday
Ahhh…life is somewhat back to normal! Which of course means you get some freebies today…
Enter Clorox’s contest and get a coupon for a free 32 ounce jug!
Free glass. Free reusable shopping bag and a $1 coupon for rice! Free “Life’s a Dog” sticker.
Free Camo Hat. Free Model Rocket! Free issue of WAG magazine…it is like GQ ~ only it is for dogs!
Get a Maybelline Super Stay sample. Free mini-fan…just answer the questions in this order – YES, NO, NO.
Free Wine Tags. Free Kotex sample. Free Chicken of the Sea sample (that’s tuna you know…).
Free goat milk.
That is all I have this week!!
We Did It!
The Disney Half Marathon was awesome! All 5 of us (my mom & my three sisters) finished the race and earned our medals. My mom really earned hers – I was in awe of her determination. I hope to be as strong as her when I turn 65! What an accomplishment. It was a super fun weekend! I will be back to my shopping blogs really soon…you should see all of the packages that arrived while I was gone…I have lots to share with you!
Off I go!
It’s finally time for me to head to Disney to run The Disney Half Marathon for my Mom’s birthday. I can’t even begin to wrap my brain around the fact that I will be running 13.1 miles. Here I am pictured with my sisters in 1978 with Cinderella’s castle in the background. Thirty years later….and now I will be running through Cinderella’s castle with my sisters & my mom. Look out Mickey….here we come!!
“Run in such a way that you may win the prize.” 1 Corinthians:9:24
Radio Thursday – In the Kitchen & going away!
I know that all of the KICKS morning show fans are following Kristen’s weight loss. I certainly wish her well on her 15 lb weight loss quest – I know you can do it! One of the biggest ways to shed pounds is by eating at home. Cooking can be a chore…but with the right tools it can also be a breeze. This is for you Kristen!
- The Edge Brownie Pan – I’m sure you are thinking “a brownie pan to lose weight?”. Yes, the Edge Brownie Pan makes the best brownies in the world (the chewy edge pieces only) but it can also be used for many other things. I like to make lasagna in my pan. When you cut into the lasagna to serve it the insides don’t ooze all over the place. The recipe is on their website along with other delicious recipes. These pans are the hottest thing right now…in fact, you have to actually reserve a pan now to ensure that you will get one later! $34
- Prepara Herb Saver – Cooking with fresh herbs really makes a difference. The packages of herbs from the grocery store don’t seem last very long in the little plastic bags that they come in and they can be quite expensive. The Prepara Herb Saver will actually keep them for up to 3 weeks! That will save you a lot of money. You simply put your herbs in the container, fill the reservoir in the bottom with water, and stick it in your fridge. It is sized to fit perfectly on the inside of your refrigerator door. $29.95
- Prepara Chef’s Center – The Chef Center is an amazing little gadget that will make cooking a recipe so much easier. First of all it holds your cookbook upright so you can easily see your recipe, secondly it protects your cookbook pages from splatters and spills, and lastly it provides you with a complete list of handy weights and measures. I love it because your book stays put due to the rubber pad and it actually swivels 360 degrees so you can view it from anywhere in your kitchen. When I am not using mine for cooking I keep my date book on it – this way I can always see it (and it won’t get kitchen spills on it). $39.95
- Playful Chef – It can be hard to get a meal on the table with kids underfoot. Why have them underfoot…get them involved! Playful Chef has amazing cooking kits for kids that will help them learn healthy eating habits for life! They even include healthy recipes along with kid sized tools and of course an apron!
- Tatutina Recipe Box – Brighten up your kitchen, let your children collect recipes that they like. I have never seen a recipe box as fun as the ones from Tatutina! Brightly painted, fabulously adorned, and very sturdy. Ours looks like an oven!
- Plane Comfort – This is an all in one travel comfort kit. The handy tote bag holds a micro fleece blanket, an inflatable pillow, and a handy luggage finder. This super cute bag comes in wild colors (like pink and zebra) and basic colors (red, blue, etc). I think this tote will find a permanent spot in my car when I am not traveling. How many times do you wish you had brought a blanket somewhere? Everyone should own one of these!
- Pam Bee- Coming home from the race I am lucky enough to be flying first class! The PamBee is a luxurious travel blanket, pillow, and eye mask. Made out of a silky outside with a suede-like interior the blanket is first class! A zippered pouch holds everything together and doubles as the pillow case and is small enough to fit in your carry on bag. Genius!!
- Invisibelt – I don’t have a lot of room in my suitcase to bring a belt for every outfit. I really do need belts due to all of my running (one of my favorite benefits of running is the weight loss). I will be packing my Invisibelt. It is a flat undetectable, adjustable belt. It is like a clear bra strap and is as easy to adjust as a bra strap. You don’t have to worry about a big bulky belt, or if your belt matches your outfit! It is perfect for when you are between sizes.
They also offer more traditional chips, pretzels, popcorn, chocolates and more. Their gift towers are amazing! Get yourself some in time for the Superbowl!
Hump Day Freebies..
Wednesday. It’s supposed to be a great day…you know the middle of the week and all. Not this Wednesday. Today I start back to school teaching, make sure I am all packed, try to spend a nice relaxing afternoon with the girls, and get a good nights sleep. With my trip to the race tomorrow I sorta feel like today is just the beginning of a loooong week. Enough about all of that…I know you want some freebies…
This one comes from one of my readers! Thank you for helping me out Samantha!! Free South Beach Living Sample.
Free samples of weird fragrances. As long as they are just weird and not gross.
Free Quaker Simple Harvest Sample.
First 10,000 get a 2008 gift pack from Ziploc.
If you bring in the cover of the February Issue of Seventeen Magazine to JC Penny you will receive a free pair of Flirtitude Panties. I have also heard that you can print out the home page and bring it to Penny’s to get your undies. Caution: I’m not certain on the home page for undies part of the offer.
In case you don’t have a GPS unit for your car yet…Free US Highway Maps!
Free Arthritis Cream.
Thats it folks!!
Still obsessing.
What can I say? I’m still obsessing. Birthday dinner tonight for Maddie. Packing to do. Runs to complete. Oh, and in my complete neurotic state….the entire house to clean before I leave. Yeah, I like to have it clean & shiny before a trip. I don’t know why I am doing this…Mike & the girls will be home….silly to clean so they can mess it up! I know you have heard about the automatic shower cleaner from Scrubbing Bubbles – I have one! It really does work. My shower stays nice & clean with just the push of a button everyday! My bathroom always smells really fresh – they even have spa scents. The only downside is that it seems to really go through the cleaning solution fast. But hey, I don’t spend money on a cleaning service so whats a little cash for my automatic shower cleaner? No big deal!
Also on my list of cleaning arsenal are my Twist sponges. Paper towels are wasteful and expensive. Twist dishtowels and sponges are a great alternative to your old standbys. These are eco-friendly and biodegradable products that you can stick right in your dishwasher to clean. The Loofah Sponge can get the toughest dried on spill gone by using only elbow grease. The colors are great, the packaging is hip- each wrapper contains directions and templates to create something beautiful out of it. Imagine turning the wrapper to your sponge into a bird feeder. Good products that are good for the environment. Yay!
And how can I forget my favorite of all favorites? Mrs. Meyers Cleaning Products – I use these all of the time! People walk into my house and ask what smells so good. My favorite products are the countertop spray, the window cleaner, and the room freshener! Try these out…they are wonderful! You can buy them online or at any Cost Plus World Market. Do you think my house will still smell like Mrs. Meyers when I return from my trip?
Maybe if I owned this ride-on vacuum cleaner I would be certain to come home to a clean house…well, a freshly vacuumed house at least. I know Riley’s room was super neat for a long time after santa gave her a working Bissel Barbie Vacuum.
13 on her 13th.
I’m sitting here with writers block. Maybe I should call it shoppers block. You see, I have my big race on Saturday…it is consuming all of my thought processes lately. What to pack, what to wear, what will the race be like…yadda, yadda, yadda. I also have to get everything ready for Maddie’s birthday celebration. Her birthday is on Saturday…but I will be away pounding the Disney pavement on that day…so Tomorrow will be her “at home” birthday celebration dinner. I can’t believe that I will not be with her on her 13th birthday!! I also can’t believe that I will be running 13 miles on her 13th birthday. With that said…Tuesday’s dinner better be pretty darn special! My family has this plate that is called the red plate. It is a big red dinner plate that has “you are special today” printed on it. It makes you feel special to get to eat off of it. Birthday’s are definitely an occasion to pull out the red plate…other occasions might be a great report card, going above & beyond,a preschool graduation, or anything else deemed “special”. Its a really fun tradition to start with your family.
Look how cute this Birthday plate is…
I love the Birthday Wishes Jar. You use it to record your thoughts and wishes for the year to come.
You remember when you turned 21 right? I love this Finally Legal martini glass…Not for Maddie though
Candles on a cake can really put an average cake over the edge. I haven’t met a kid yet that didn’t “call a candle” as soon as they were lit! I love these tall tapered candles.
So I must go now and plan the perfect early birthday dinner, pack my bags for my trip….oh yeah, and run a few miles!!
What have you decided on?
Yesterday at the radio station everyone was talking about their New Year’s resolutions. What are yours? Some people want to lose weight, others want to eat better, and many want to get more organized. No, I don’t have one yet…but I will help you with yours!
Modern Menus is a great online (and free) tool for anyone who wants to lose weight, eat better, and have their dinner plans more organized. It will give you a weekly dinner plan for a fast and nutritious meal. You can even print out a grocery list! I love the fact that each main dish includes the sides and/or salad too. Now if only they would cook it for me. Their are a ton of tips and advice on the site too.
I am still loving my organized files thanks to My Vital Files - One of my big projects (and I mean BIG) this Fall was re-doing my filing cabinet. My Vital Files have literally saved me in this job! This is a one of a kind filing system. First of all the files are already pre-labeled! You simply drop them into a file drawer or box containing hanging folders and start your filing! You don’t need to use those annoying plastic tabs and inserts. There’s a place for everything…and soon…everything is in its place! It comes with great instructions and tips too. You literally take these out of the box and start filing. Easy.
Some want to save money and start using coupons more. Enter The Couponizer . I have been hearing everyone talk about how expensive groceries are right now. One great way to cut down your grocery bill and save money is by using coupons. But what a pain they can be! The Couponizer is the best organizing system for coupons that I have ever seen. It is a wire bound book with pockets, tips, scissors, a shopping list and a carrying bag. It makes cutting, sorting and using coupons so easy. My daughter manages all of our coupons using this system. She actually thinks it is fun! It even came with coupons. and you can download coupons from the site. If you have ever wanted to start clipping coupons the Couponizer will have you saving in no time.
Last year I made a concerted effort to keep a neater purse. I couldn’t have done it without The Butler Bag – “Every girl needs a butler. ” This handbag is amazing! It is the world’s first compartmentalized purse. We carry a lot in our bags…why don’t our bags have a place for everything. Why should you franticly dig through your purse for your phone as you hear it ringing? Personally, I have been embarrassed by the disorder inside my bag…not anymore! Not only is the bag an organizers dream, it is a high quality piece of fashion too. Made out of top grain leather and super stylish!
I guess now that I think about it I do kinda have a goal instead of a resolution for 2008. In 8 days I will run my first ever Half Marathon – yeah…13.1 miles. I’m a little scared and a lot excited for it. I will be running at Disney World with my Mom & my 3 sisters. The cool thing is that it will be a first for all of us! Then in March, my mom and I will conquer our second half marathon – this time right at home (the ING Atlanta Half). So…by April 1st I will have run a marathon…right? Just not all at once. Pretty cool. How about you? Any goals for the new year?
