Hoping 2 Win the....TodaysMama and GameStop Giveaway!!

TodaysMama and GameStop are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you!

1. What is your holiday wish for your family?
That we have a happy, peaceful and RESTFUL holiday this year.

2. What is your Christmas morning tradition?
We get up VERY early and make a huge yummy breakfast with all the fixin's (scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuits & gravy, coffee, juice, hot choc - everyone's favorites!) and then we sit around and open presents while we eat and drink ourselves silly. Afterward, the adults nap on the sofa while the kids play with their newest treasures. Ahh, bliss!

3. If you could ask Santa for one, completely decadent wish for yourself, what would it be?
Not sure decadent is the right term, but i would surely love to have a new HDTV!! One like this, maybe??



4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money?
By spending extra time with my family and friends. The whole year seems to go by in a blur, so it's nice once the holiday gift buying rush is over to be able to relax and enjoy the company of the people I love the most.

5. What games did you play with your family growing up?
We played Yatzee!, Uno and Monopoly a lot and every card game you can imagine. We were a big game night kind of family.

6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood?
We get new PJ's each year, which we typically open on Christmas eve - so everyone looks really nice in their Christmas Day photos!

7. Where would you go for a Christmas-away-from-home trip?
Anywhere in the Caribbean. I plan to visit every island at some point! No snow necessary, as far as I'm concerned. Sand is close enough.

8. Check out GameStop and tell us, what are the three top items on your GameStop Wish List this year?

1)Kinect Fun Bundle - Cause it looks so darn cool, even if we really don't need another game system right now


2) Red Nintendo Wii - Cause ours broke and we have tons of games we can't play and accessories not being used


3) Super Mario All-Stars - cause you can never have too much Mario!



Be sure to visit TodaysMama before December 10 so you can enter to win, too! Best of luck and happy holidays to all!

Winner at....Healthy Weight Loss

Years of bad eating habits and little exercise, coupled with having two children only a few years apart, left me overweight and depressed, but at the age of 30 I decided I was fed up with not feeling good about myself and committed once and for all to do something about it. I started walking and then running, cut out refined sugars and processed foods, adopted a can-do, much more positive attitude, and viola - lost 35 lbs in a six to eight month period. To everyone's amazement, myself included, I sustained those good habits and even lost another 15 lbs, albeit more gradually, over the next four or five years. Unfortunately, for the last two or three years my home and work life have gotten busier and busier, I've had 2 sports injuries (fractured tibia & ruptured achilles) and a several minor illnesses (two bouts of bronchitis, swine flu and a gallbladder problem) that sidelined me for weeks to months at a time, and I've also managed to get away from (or at least become slack about) those former healthy habits. As a result, I've easily gained back that last 15 I'd lost. Finally well, healed and seeing light at the end of the tunnel on all fronts, I've decided it's high time to recommit myself to those old habits and routines that served me so well. I've been a winner at Healthy Weight Loss and had a very healthy body before, so I know I can be a winner in those areas again. Fabulous and Fit at Forty sounds pretty terrific, does it not??!!?? Wish me luck!

I won FREE coffee!

I am an avid drinker and fan of Starbucks (no, this is not a paid promotion!). I linked a giftcard up to their website some time ago and set it to reload. Partly just so I could keep track of what I was spending. Yesterday I got a card in the mail letting me know I am now a gold level member and listing all of the awesome benefits (hello - freebies and discounts galore!) that come with it. Woo hoo!! This morning I walked to my usual weekday location and redeemed a coupon for a completely free venti breve one-pump-mocha latte with whip - YUMMMMMMMM. If you haven't tried it, you must go do that now. Go. Now!! You won't regret it...except for the whole addiction part, of course. This drink is rich & creamy thanks to the half & half ("breve" in starbucks-speak) with just enough mocha to feed my chocolate craving, only far fewer calories and carbs (because I only get one pump as opposed to the usual 4-5). For anyone diet conscious, reducing the number of syrup pumps is a cool trick I learned from the nutrition section of the Starbucks website. It's a quick, easy and painless way to 'lighten' your beverage of choice so you can indulge without the diet guilt.

Hope this is as helpful to others as it was to me! Make it a glorious day!

Lady Luck

So many of my friends think I am unusually 'lucky' and tell me so often. I have to admit I do win a lot! I definitely think I hit the relationship jackpot. My friends envy what an all-around terrific partner I have. He couldn't be more perfect (for me, at least) if I conjured him with witchcraft. And I am blessed with an amazing job where new and fun opportunities seem to drop in my lap quite often. On a more traditional vein, I also have a lot of fun with lottery tickets and sweepstakes and have done really well with both (winning trips, electronics, gift cards, etc), but i don't consider any of these things to be about luck. I win, in all these wonderful ways, because I WILL it to happen. My expectation is that my life is terrific and only getting better and ever since I began thinking that way, the world around me has conformed to make it happen. This is the essence of something called the Law of Attraction. If you haven't heard of it, buckle your seatbelt before you google the term....then prepare to have your mind blown away. And if you want more info from me, leave me a comment with your e-mail or contact me via e-mail through my my blogger profile and I'll be happy to share more.

Best wishes for a wonderful WINNING day!

Today I won....a relaxing day by the pool

I don't get many days like that, so I especially appreciated it. I also got to sleep in, have a nice, big breakfast with my kids, did some research on the computer and also got to read part of Louise Hay's newest publication called, "Experience Your Good Now!". It includes an accompanying audio program and is filled with tools, tips and suggested affirmations to help anyone overcome any fears, self-doubt or worries that are keeping them from living their full potential. It covers areas such as Relationships, Career, Body Image, Addictions, Common Fears, Health and Creativity. Louise Hay's publishing house offers a wealth of self-help and motivational literature overall. Check them out online if you haven't done so before. You won't regret it!