Aging and Acne...and Paula's Choice!

I never thought I would be facing the problem of simultaneously fighting wrinkles and acne...but here I am. Seriously, wasn't the acne supposed to go AWAY by the time I became an adult?? I feel so betrayed! To make it even worse, black heads have increased with age. Those nasty things are ridiculous to get rid of and make pores look even bigger. (and skin even older) All joking aside, I feel caught in a perpetual loop because wrinkle treatments often cause oily skin and break outs. To combat the break outs I use astringents and other acne products that dry out my skin. (amplifying the fine lines and wrinkles!!!) It's as if there's no middle ground, and believe me I have searched everywhere for it!

So, my expectations weren't extremely high when BzzAgent invited me to join the Paula's Choice campaign.

I've been using Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting Liquid for almost 3 weeks now. Here is my take on the product:

• Ease of Application: After washing my face I simply apply Paula's Choice with a cotton ball...voila, done. The texture is a thin liquid and carries a slight antiseptic and Tea Tree Oil scent.
• Wait Time: The product is dry and I can apply my favorite moisturizer and make up almost instantly.
• Acne and Blackhead Control: I noticed when I first started using it, the cotton ball always looked dirty. (Even though I had just washed my face!) After the first week, my cotton ball no longer looked dirty afterwards. My acne started clearing up and the blackheads have diminished. My pores are noticeably smaller due to the removal of the blackheads.
• Wrinkles: I haven't noticed any real decrease in wrinkles/lines. However, my skin does NOT feel dry or tight after using it. It actually feels quite soft. 
• Other: This product seems to be fairly decent for sensitive skin. I use a tanning bed and my biggest fear was that this would cause skin sensitivity to the UV light. It hasn't caused any burns or irritation.

Now, to share the BzzAgent Love I will give away a fun skin care swag package that includes Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting Liquid! Simply comment on this blog post. I will choose a random winner on Friday, April 11, 2014!

Making the Holidays Stress Free

This time of year is absolutely ridiculous for most of us. For me there is baking, candy making, shopping, caroling, parties to host and parties to attend, pictures to take, cards to send, children's events, gift wrapping, decorating, sight seeing and that's just the tip of it. That doesn't even touch on the snow shoveling, ice melting, floor mopping and other household chores that just accompany life. With only one of me I have to find little ways to fit it all in without becoming a stressed out bundle of raw nerves. SO, here is how I cope.

First, I pace myself. Before Thanksgiving's leftover turkey has been eaten it's tempting to drag out all the decorations and kick off the festivities full swing...don't...just...don't. Pick one day to do the outside stuff, another day to do the tree and another day to decorate the house. Take little bites of it and you won't feel pressured or overwhelmed. I remember Mom baking hundreds of cookies on the same day we put up the tree. That's ridiculous! I make no less than 10 various cookies & candies for our family and neighbors each year.. I don't try to do it all on one day. I space it out over 2-3 days. I've done it all in one day before...I started around 10am and didn't finish until 3am. NO thank you. Besides, when you pace yourself you actually get to ENJOY it. Don't let something fun become a hassle.

This is less than 1/4 of what we made last year.

Second, don't worry about what your friends are buying their kids. Don't over-spend just because someone else is. The truth is, your kid will remember the things you did with them (decorating, baking/candy making, caroling, etc) much more than they will remember the gifts they received. When we ask my son what he looks forward to the most, the gifts are usually the last item on the list. (If mentioned at all)

Little man helping decorate the Gingerbread Men!

Third, REST. (See #1) Don't wear yourself down. Don't be afraid to take naps. Curl up with the family and watch a Christmas special. You'll be happier and less likely to get sick.

Sadie is very diligent about getting plenty of rest.

Fourth, try to keep the house clean and decluttered. It's easy to let it go, and that only makes us more stressed when we don't have a decent work space or when we walk into a room full of clutter. So, while the cookies are in the oven run the vacuum, wash a few dishes or do a quick pick-up. Taking small bites at the household chores will keep the clutter at bay.

Finally, take help where you can get it. Pass off some of your chores or errands to other family members. Cash in free babysitting opportunities. Focus on easy meals: Crockpot dinners, casseroles or Kroger Skillet Meals. As a member of BzzAgent I received an entire meal FREE from Kroger and I was floored at how easy and tasty it was. We enjoyed a delicious Tuscan Penne Pasta, garden salad and garlic bread. BOOM dinner was ready in under 15 minutes and I was back to wrapping presents.

Do you want to become a BzzAgent and try free products? Sign up at www.BzzAgent.com

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Staying Healthy and Beautiful With Support From Old Navy

Staying fit is a big part of my life. NOW that being said, I'm not a Training Nazi, I'm not out to prove anything. I just want to be healthy. I want to live to be a wrinkled old woman surrounded by grandkids. The time I have now is better spent playing with my kid than building muscles that are bigger than yours! My weekends are spent playing tag and building models...not traveling to competitions. But I digress, being fit is a big part of my life! (Back to that whole being healthy thing.)

I stay fit by:

• Eating healthy. (but absolutely no strict fad diets) Just eat real food, if I want a piece of cake, I will eat a piece of cake...the trick is not eating the entire cake! (moderation folks!)
• Drinking a lot of water. Soda is OK sometimes, but it wrecks the enamel on your teeth, tears up your stomach lining and fills you up with empty calories. Even if you opt for diet, you're still loading yourself up on weird chemicals.
• Avoid chemicals. We all know smoking & drinking are bad for you...so don't do it! As an ex-smoker I know how hard it is to quit, but it can be done. The benefits are totally worth it.
• Exercising. Yes, it's inevitable...to have a healthy heart you must not only keep it clean, you must make it work! I jog & work out, changing up my routine every few weeks to keep my muscles confused. Am I a body builder? Nope. Am I a competition-worthy race opponent? Absolutely not. Am I healthy? Yep!

Thanks to Old Navy and Crowdtap I feel like I am supported in my quest for health. For the 3rd time in a row I was chosen for a really cool opportunity. They offered me a complete outfit for FREE from their Activewear collection. Not only that, but I get to choose a friend as well! NO ONE loves to workout. Bottom line, it sucks. However, when I have cute gear to wear while working out, it feels less painful and I'm more motivated!

So, I met my little sister at our local Old Navy to cash in our coupons.

 

Flip Flops anyone??

Our Terre Haute, IN store was in the process of putting a lot of Summer stuff out, so we were momentarily distracted...especially by the big wall of flip flops! As we were checking out the flip flops near the Activewear section, a store employee noticed my "Style Council" paper and asked what our freebie was today. We told her it was Activewear & she told us to have fun shopping & if we needed anything to let her know.

Which color makes my muscles look more fierce?!?

Once we finally made it into the Activewear section, we both found what we were looking for. She was wanting compression capri's and I was looking for an athletic short. My biggest issue was deciding between black or pink! I went with pink because well...I'm just a pink kind of girl!










We spent way too much time & money in the store, but we had a blast. Along with our free outfits, we also stocked up on sports bras. (And that charcoal colored top wound up going home with me as well!) I also wound up buying another swim suit (Seriously cute collection this year!) and a handful of other Summer items. But, thanks to $5 off using my Snap Appy app on my phone, it wasn't too bad! We had a blast in the store, joking around with the fun employees, flexing for anyone & everyone who walked by and just enjoying ourselves. I'm sure all of my Instagram Followers were happy when I finally quit posting from the store! ;)

Thanks again Old Navy and Crowdtap for another epic shopping trip! But more importantly, thanks for the encouragement and motivation to stay healthy by keeping my Activewear collection fresh & upbeat!

Summer Upgrade Thanks to Old Navy and Crowdtap

It's finally starting to feel like summer, and what better way to kick off summer than with new gear?!! As a member of the Old Navy Style Council, I receive a lot of opportunities for new gear. Usually there are two coupons: 1 for me and 1 for a friend. (Which is SUPER awesome!) The only thing better than shopping for free clothes, is shopping for free clothes with a friend! So, you can only imagine my excitement when I received the "Old Navy Upgrade" hosted party through Crowdtap. (That's right, NOT a "sample share" but a "hosted party"!)

Check it out...I'm going shopping with THREE friends!!

Not only did I get to go shopping with ONE friend, I was able to invite THREE!! But, it doesn't stop there! Old Navy usually gives a coupon for one outfit. This time it was for a full outfit plus accessories: Swim Suit, Flip Flops, Beach Bag and Beach Towel. We are talking, total beach upgrade for Summer 2013!!

I cannot thank Old Navy and Crowdtap enough for this awesome day. I was joined by my little sister (as always!), my "old friend" Jodie and my "new friend" Billie. The 4 of us had a great time goofing off all over the store. Of course, we did a LOT more shopping than just our free items! We all found suits that we loved and more importantly, that fit our unique sizes and shapes. I can't wait to wear my new, cute little blue striped bikini on our family vacation in a few weeks!

Of course, there was some good-natured drama over the flip flops and who was getting what. For some reason, no one wanted to have the same thing as everyone else. lol I put my foot down (no pun intended) and opted for the pink/purple hombre flip flops because the colors were too cute to pass up! Old Navy's "basic flip flop" has really come a long way! There are so many fun color combinations available...literally something for everyone!

Yea...check out those purple/pink hombre flip flops...too cute not to own!

I'm still amazed and in shock by how much free swag we all received from the Old Navy Style Council. Here is a copy of my receipt for my free items only. Multiply this times 4 and that's $265.52 worth of stuff for my friends and I in one shopping trip. Again, thank you Old Navy. This was an awesome treat to kick off the summer! We were all so excited, we were Tweeting & posting to Instagram while taking silly pics & having fun. It was definitely a shopping trip I won't soon forget!

Good Food, Good Friends and......DOTS....

I get together with a few of my closest friends once a month. We all work together raising money for charity (Relay For Life) and these "get-togethers" are basically our monthly committee meetings. So, when I was sent an epic box full of loot from Crowdtap and Marc Jacobs DOT perfume, I knew exactly which ladies I would need to share it with! 

For starters, the DOT party kit wasn't the typical "Here's a sample, pass it out" kind of party. Not only did they provide samples of the DOT perfume, but the kit also included 1 full size bottle of perfume, a mini-sized bottle, nail shields, a DOT headband, DOT scarf and party supplies such as a table-cloth, dotted balloons, and other dotted decorations! From a local party store I bought dotted cups, gift bags, and straws and put everything together. As this was a "cocktail" party, but our meetings are held in a public (non-alcoholic) restaurant, I bought Budweiser Strawberry Margaritas and put them in the gift bags as well!

Contents of my gift-bags!

I did have one special friend who isn't local, so I mailed her a box of goodies. She sent me photos of her enjoying the party goods!

Carol's "Goody" table!

 

Miss Carol enjoying the DOT party from a remote location!!

As for the rest of us, we met at a local restaurant, Palucci's Pizza Express. I made a plate of "Lady Bug" cookies, gathered up my party supplies and went to our committee meeting. I was pleasantly surprised by all the polka dots in the restaurant! My friends were as polka dotted as they could possible be! Even our two mini-members wore dotted dresses & had dotted toe nails just for the occassion. FYI, they received DOT goody bags too, but instead of alcohol they received Hershey Bars, Ring Pops and Skittles!

Two of our Mini-Members

Awesome Pedi by Desi!

Lovely Miss Brandi, stunning as always!

My mini-helpers getting ready for the party!

Mama Dot & Baby Dot

All of that beautiful hair in a cute dotted headband!

Lady Bug Cookies: Oreo Fudge Cookies with piped red icing.

On a serious note: After enjoying our DOT themed party/meeting, we did get a lot accomplished and we have several fundraising activities in the works for the next couple of months. What we do is raise money year-round for Relay For Life. RFL donations stay local to help local cancer patients. This money does so much and I know so many people who have been helped by these funds.

Relay For Life Donations:

• Transport local cancer patients to and from treatments.
• Help cover costs for in-home care.
• Pay for lodging so sick children can have their parents close by.
• Pay for gas.
• Classes to help patients undergoing treatment, to look and feel better about themselves.
• Counseling services for both patients and caregivers. This disease affects everyone mentally as well as physically.

So, if you're interested in helping a good charity that helps local people click here. Even a small donation can make a huge impact. My seven year old son has personally raised over $180, for our team! All of his donations were from friends & family giving him a few dollars here and there...so little bits do add up to large quantities! If you want to make a tax-deductible donation to the American Cancer Society (RFL) click this link! It's quick and easy and you'll be making a huge impact on someones life. DONATE HERE!!

A wardrobe refresh, thanks to Old Navy and Crowdtap!

It's that time of year again...laundering and storing the sweaters, cords, hoodies and other winter apparel. I absolutely adore the feeling of dragging out "The Tote" (you know, that one designated plastic box that holds ALL off-season stuff as well as the possibility of a new wardrobe twice a year?!?) Unfortunately, my clothes never look quite as nice when I drag them out as I remember them looking when I put them away. As it turns out, last summer's tees and tanks are faded, stretched and have simply out-lived their general usefulness. HOWEVER, this Spring Old Navy and Crowdtap gave me the opportunity to help refresh my wardrobe with two new tees. AND I got to choose one lucky friend to share the experience!

As always when these epic opportunities pop up, I took my little sister. (It's the only way I can get a free breakfast out of her!) I picked her up & we went to IHOP, there's nothing quite like filling up on sweet, starchy food just before trying on new clothes! ;) Then, we bounced over to Old Navy and started shopping. We each had a coupon for TWO tee-shirts. However, due to someone's obsession, we wound up spending a great deal of time in the flip-flop section. She only walked away with 3 pair, I was very proud! THEN we started checking out their tees.

The Vintage collection at Old Navy is particularly awesome this spring. With an array of vibrant colors and fun, quirky graphics, these ultra-soft tees are a must-have for this Spring. Worn alone or layered with a simple "Best Tee", they were by far my favorite style. So much so, that I wound up with two tees from the "Vintage" collection, the mint-green "Free Spirit" shirt and the tangerine and fuchsia "Live, Laugh, Learn, Love". 

As you can see, my dress addiction kicked in and I did have to try on the sweet poplin dress!

 

The "Best Tee" collection was also a good way to go. There was a variety of styles to choose from. There were both solid & striped henley's as well as solid & striped basic tees. (Both in V-neck & regular) The color selection in the "Best Tee" category was a little more diverse. They still carried the really fun, vibrant colors but they also had a few earth-tone options for the less-bold as well.This cute & comfy V-Neck in lime was my particular favorite. (I know the coupon was only good for TWO tees, but there's no rule against buying extra!)

Notice there are now two of those poplin dresses on the hanger...the first one didn't fit. : ) 

By the end of the trip, neither of us walked away with "just two tees". The color, fit & styles were too fun not to indulge. The styles were (as always) right on-trend, however the prices were (as always) very affordable. This is the majority of what we went home with, however a few extra items were picked up on the way out of the store. (dang those cute ballet flats!!)

If you want to check out all the fun and adorable styles Old Navy is sporting this Spring, check out the store or visit them online here: Old Navy Tees!

Fight Cancer With New Clothes!!

Recently I was invited by Crowdtap and Woolite to participate in a "Clothing Swap". This is where you & your friends gather up a few gently used items, meet up at someone's house & trade clothes. It all seems very simple, but I've never been very simple... SO with the help of a few awesome friends we're kicking this idea into high-gear. Rather than just swap out some clothes with each other we're doing a major over-haul of our closets to raise money for our Relay For Life team, "The Swatters".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My fellow Swatters and  I...we even have a Mini-Swatter!

We are gathering up our gently used clothing & accessories and hosting a "Sale"...Think "Consignment Shop" but in my garage! ;) Every last penny will be donated to Relay For Life. We will also have a donation jar set up. So, when we donate to RFL, WHERE does that money actually go? You may be surprised to hear that it doesn't just fund some lab where cancer research is being conducted. It helps real people in OUR community!

Relay For Life Donations:

• Transport local cancer patients to and from treatments.
• Help cover costs for in-home care.
• Pay for lodging so sick children can have their parents close by.
• Pay for gas.
• Classes to help patients undergoing treatment, to look and feel better about themselves.
• Counseling services for both patients and caregivers. This disease affects everyone mentally as well as physically.
• Check out this link for more info: Where Our Funds Go!

 With the party pack, Woolite not only sent samples of detergent, but they also sent a $10 gift card to help cover party costs. I used the $10 to donate to my RFL team in honor of Crowdtap & Woolite. If you want to donate and help us in our fight for the patients battling cancer, you can follow this link: RFL Donations. If you want to update your wardrobe...stay tuned and once we get all the clothes, shoes & accessories sorted we'll post the date that our "Shop" will be open!! HINT: We're leaning towards mid-May!!