Prepping for a healthy 2013 with Crowdtap and Old Navy

2012 was an awesome year. Last year, I decided to get healthier and toned. I'm very lucky because my good friend, Dustin, gave me some great tips on getting toned and just being healthy. He's not only a Certified Personal Trainer, he's also the owner of Bratton Fitness. http://www.brattonfitness.com/ He's always offering the best advice, and sticking to it has really paid off!

It wasn't always easy, but it was worth it. I found my "belly groove" (that V line on either side of the abs), I also tightened up my arms and legs. I love how shirt sleeves are a little snug due to the size of my biceps! I really didn't lose weight, but I did "shrink"! That's what makes me feel good, I did it the right way and I feel healthier. I have more energy and I've had a lot of compliments this year that I look prettier than ever. At the age of 35, that's a huge compliment.

I really haven't "killed" myself working out. I'm just not that hard-core! I jog 1-3 miles 2 or 3 days a week and I try to do at least 15 - 30 mins of yoga every morning. SO many of my old "aches & pains" have really dissipated. I also do some resistance on the days I don't jog. I plank, do push-ups and use resistance bands. Most of all, I just try to avoid over-processed foods, "heat & eat" frozen foods (even if they claim to be healthy!), and foods high in fat & sugar. I do get tired of hearing, "You're so lucky to be thin!" NO...I'm not lucky! I'm disciplined!! I will eat junk when I want...but 95% of my diet is vegetables and lean proteins. With the right spices and a little common sense you don't have to sacrifice flavor for health!

SO, with my new 2012 lifestyle I was super excited to get invited from Old Navy & Crowdtap to get a new, free set of ActiveWear from Old Navy! There were 2 coupons, one for me and one for a friend. A lot of my work out clothes have seen better days, so this was a welcome treat!

I started the day with my friend Nicole & her 2 yr old son. We dropped our kids off at school and headed for Old Navy. Upon arrival, we found a huge selection of awesome Active Wear. There was compression gear, sweats, fleece jackets, tanks, tees, etc. There was also a nice variety of colors to choose from. Nic finally opted for the Heather Gray capri-style compression pants and the matching gray jacket. (That is complete with awesome little thumb-holes for keeping your hands toasty!)


I went with the same pair of Heather Gray pants, however I paired mine up with a black zip-up hoodless jacket. I actually already own the matching Heather Gray hoodie, so it only made sense to choose something different! I absolutely love how cozy the black jacket is. It's excellent at shielding me from the wind, but it's neither too hot nor bulky. Even our little shopping buddy had to get in on the action of trying on clothes. He went with the red Lightning McQueen Long Sleeve Tee. I'm sure he will stay quite active in it!

After choosing our new Compression Pants & Jackets we realized there was an epic sale going on. Both of us probably bought way too much, but with all the craziness of the holidays, it was fun to just cut loose and do a little splurging on ourselves. I found an adorable dress in the perfect size, some PJs, a gorgeous ivory colored pea-coat and several other items for my family. I think Nic was as lucky as I was! We both walked away with several bags of new clothes! The best part of all was the awesome savings!

I personally saved $118.82 AND earned $60 in SUPERCASH!! 

I've already sported my new compression capri's for my morning yoga sessions. They don't bunch or ride up, nor do they slide down. Everything stays comfortably in place! I also like how they look, in general. I recommend everyone have at least one awesome outfit for their work-outs. If you look fat & frumpy while working out, you will feel fat & frumpy and then your work-out won't feel as positive. It's important to keep your attitude and outlook positive, if you want to see results. Good luck and have a healthy, beautiful 2013!!

Thanks Crowdtap and Old Navy for the awesome new gear...and thanks Bratton Fitness for inspiring me to wear it!

If you want to join Crowdtap and reap all the benefits I enjoy, it's easy. Click the "Join Crowdtap!" link and sign up! All you need is a Facebook account to get started. Join Crowdtap!

Giving and Thanking - Old Navy Style

As a member of the Old Navy Style Council via Crowdtap I get the opportunity to try a lot of awesome clothes for free. In return, I give my honest opinions about style, selection, fit, durability, sales team, etc. However, it's not like they just ship me a package with something in it. I get to actually enjoy the shopping experience. The best part? I don't have to do it alone!

Recently Old Navy sent a coupon for me and a friend to each enjoy a brand new dress. I was super pumped, as it was so close to Thanksgiving. My sister/best friend is my typical partner when it comes to shopping, therefore she always receives my extra coupons from the Old Navy Style Council.

We met at IHOP for brunch where we harassed the staff. (But everyone was laughing so I don't think our food was tampered with.) Just being near her makes my stomach hurt, we laugh so hard!

After brunch we ran across the street to Old Navy. As soon as we walked in, the dress display was right there. Thankfully there was quite a large selection of dresses. Seester was able to find quite a few in her size. Unfortunately, I was only able to find 3 in my size.

I kept having to pull her back in, because she kept getting distracted by boots (and everything else). The funniest twist, is that she found this black dress and really didn't care for it. It didn't have much hanger appeal. However, once she tried it on we knew she had to take it home. It was beautiful...the cut was perfect on her. She tried on my black boots with it and it was an awesome combination. I wound up with this little black & white striped number. I really loved the white & blue dress, but had no clue what shoes I could possibly wear with it. (and let's face it, the white ankle socks just don't work!)

In the end, we both wound up having a really fun day with new FREE dresses...and a ton of other stuff we "needed". She kept going back to the Old Navy boots like a moth to a flame, and dang they looked cute on her! She had tried on the ivory tunic sweater but thought it was too short to wear with leggings. We kept telling her to try the Rockstar Skinny cords but she swore she hated skinny jeans and would never own them. Once we finally convinced her to try them on, well...you can see the result for yourself. She's stunningly adorable! But most importantly, she knew that I was right. Needless to say, she's a skinny jean convert now!

If you want to check out Crowdtap and be a part of helping brands like Old Navy connect with their consumers check out this link http://bit.ly/jfj6nJ

Fair Trade Coffee...Good Vibes for Everyone

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am rarely seen without a cup of coffee in my hand. I drink a minimum of a pot a day. So, that being said I KNOW my coffee! 

I received Green Mountain Coffee for free from BzzAgent.com. What sets Green Mountain apart is that it's "Fair Trade" which basically means that it wasn't grown, or harvested using unfair labor practices. We work our 8 –12 hr day shifts, take breaks and bring home a fair paycheck each month As an American it’s difficult to imagine people working for basically slave labor in horrible working conditions… But this is why so many jobs are outsourced. Lower production costs mean cheaper prices for us…but what is the true cost? How many children are forced to work under these conditions while our kids sit in comfortable classrooms receiving an education? THIS is why Fair Trade is important. Green Mountain Coffee beans were grown, harvested and processed by workers who received a fair wage to support their families. So, with each cup I know that I'm helping to support the employees and their families…hopefully helping to keep small children at home or in school where they belong. http://fairtradeusa.org/

OK…so we know Green Mountain Coffee supports Fair Trade practices. But how does it taste? Because let’s face it, if it tastes like dirty dish water brewed through a filter full of cigarette butts we’re not going to drink it no matter how great the cause. Rest assured friends, it’s a good cup of brew.  It had a nice, strong, robust flavor. The coffee I received was already ground and it didn’t have that “oily” taste to it that I often associate with pre-ground coffee. It was a little bitter, but not bad. When I make lattes I actually prefer my coffee to be slightly bitter. It compliments the mocha and caramel quite well!

SO in honor of Green Mountain coffee and my love of caramel mocha lattes I’m going to give you a very simple latte recipe that requires no special equipment or talent...if you can make a glass of chocolate milk you can make this latte!

“Fake” Caramel Mocha Latte

• Pour the contents of two instant, powdered hot cocoa packets into your favorite coffee cup

• Fill your cup 2/3 full with Green Mountain Coffee
• Give a healthy squeeze of caramel syrup into the coffee and stir well. (Found next to the Hershey’s syrup in every grocery store!)
• Put a huge dollop of whipped cream on top
• Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar

 ENJOY!

Love Thy Denim

Thanks to Crowdtap and Woolite I was invited to a special event to sample and share Woolite that is specially formulated to protect denim. I love my dark denim and I'm willing to spend good money on just the right fit & cut. Luckily for me, I don't have to spend a fortune when I shop at Vanity. (Their sizes are measured waist x inseam) Check them out at evanity.com! However, even if I'm not spending a small fortune I love the jeans I do own and I want to make them last. Maybe that is why I was chosen for this cool opportunity.




The day I received my sample share kit in the mail, my dearest seester was at the house so she received the first sample! She was fairly excited, because she has a lot of dark clothes and swim suits that she wants to protect.

To prepare for my actual sample share party I chose a day when the majority of the females I'm closest to (aka family) are in one place at one time. We typically get together at Mom's house every Sunday for lunch so it seemed like the perfect opportunity! The sample share kit contained enough Woolite for one load of laundry per sample. (10 total) I wanted to really stress that it was to help preserve denim so I cut out the pockets of a bunch of destroyed jeans and used them as "gift bags". I also included a sealed bag of Purex scent boosting crystals and 2 Bounce dryer sheets. (Everything needed for one perfect load of laundry!) Then I made cute Woolite tags and attached them to the pockets with a clothes pin.

The day of the party we all met at Mom's house as usual. My sisters, sister-in-law, nieces, Mom, Aunt and brother were all present. YES I did make my brother get in on the action. As you can see, he wasn't exactly thrilled to be involved but I didn't exactly give him a choice.

After engorging ourselves on tacos we sat around Mom's living room & I explained to everyone how I had received the samples from Crowdtap. I then went on about how the Woolite was designed to not only clean darker colors but to protect them from fading and early-wear as much as possible. We joked about how we love this commercial and how the clothing torture is depicted in this awesome video made for Woolite and directed by Rob Zombie! Rob Zombie Woolite Commercial Much like me, my sisters wear primarily dark jeans and darker clothes. So this is a huge benefit. My niece asked if it had to be for jeans and I told her no, it's for anything you want to keep from fading so it continues to look like new. She glanced down and motioned at the new, gorgeous bright blue dress she was wearing and said "like this, right?!?" EXACTLY!! Why spend a ton of money on clothes just to ruin them in the wash? I find that it's cheaper in the long run to protect the clothes I DO have. I brought up the fact that I have jeans that are a year old that look as new as the jeans I bought within the past month. I only wash them every other time I wear them. I flip them inside out, use cold water and Woolite. I finish by line-drying them. The results speak for themselves.

We talked about Woolite for awhile and the conversation transcended into the clothes we most want to protect, eventually fading into general conversation. All in all, I had a great day with my family and I felt good knowing I was able to share a cool product that I love with everyone.



Do you want to experience cool opportunities like this? Join me on Crowdtap by following this link. http://bit.ly/jfj6nJ

Giving Dad What He Really Wants

It's Father's Day Weekend! The ever-present question on everyone's mind is WHAT do we get Dad? My husband is extremely difficult to buy for, mostly because he isn't a very needful person and what he does want or need he just buys. So this year, I really tried to think outside of the box. I thought about my husband's current position in life: He's very busy with a high-stress job. He's wound tight and doesn't typically allow himself to cut loose. When he is at home, he's bombarded with the need for attention from our son. So, with that in mind what does he need? How about a "Guys Only Night"? I know how much I enjoy the nights I disappear with a few hours with my girlfriends, and he always does something special with our little boy on the nights I'm away. So, I thought he may enjoy this as well.

To make things even easier, I was accepted into the "McCormick's Grill Mates, Grill Ambassador Hosted Party" campaign through Crowdtap. They sent me an awesome kit full of everything I would need for a perfect cookout: Montreal Steak Seasoning, Molasses Bacon Seasoning, Brown Sugar & Bourbon BBQ Sauce, Spiced Brandy Marinade and Memphis BBQ Pit Dry Rub.

I got a hold of my husband's closest friends and told them I was hosting a "Guys Only" cookout at my house the weekend of June 9th. No wives, no kids, no need to bring anything...just the guys & their appetites.

To get prepared I spent all week cleaning up the garage and carport so the guys would have a place to hang out. I made sure the dart board had fresh batteries, that there was plenty of relaxed seating, ash trays available (even though we're non-smokers) and I stocked the garage fridge with beer, rum and Southern Comfort. I also bought stuff for mixers and put my blender next to the fridge. I also bought my son a TON of sparklers, snap-pops, snakes and other "kid friendly" fireworks to keep him busy while my husband was enjoying his friends.

The day before the party I started prepping the food. I premade all the hamburger patties. Half of them were seasoned with McCormick's Montreal Steak and the other half were seasoned with the Molasses Bacon seasoning. I added cooked, crumbled bacon to the Molasses Bacon burgers!

Aiden helped out by prepping the Spiced Brandy marinade and pouring it over the chicken breasts. We reserved some of the marinade to brush onto the chicken breasts to help caramelize the goodness!

We covered the pork chops with the Molasses Bacon seasoning. These were the bomb, the flavor really saturated the entire chop. I believe these chops have become a new family favorite!

I liberally coated pork ribs with the Memphis BBQ Pit dry rub. These were the first thing to fix the day of the party. We let them smoke for approximately 6 hrs over charcoal and Hickory Chips. They were the first thing to come off the grill so we could start grilling the rest of the food. While the rest of the food cooked, the ribs disappeared! Along with the Beer Cheese Dip* they made a wonderful appetizer!

The day of the party, I explained to my son that he could be a part of the gathering until after we ate, and then he & I would be going inside for the duration of the evening because the party really was just for "Dads Only". He did a fantastic job of keeping himself occupied with the little fireworks and we really didn't hear much of a peep from him.

I explained to the guys as they showed up that I was hosting a McCormick's sponsored party, and if they wanted to eat they had to be willing to have their photos taken. With the smell of all the food cooking, no one refused my request!!

Right after eating, the guys broke out their guitars and held a mini jam-session there in our carport. It was nice to listen to the music and see everyone relaxed and having a good time. The little guy & I quietly slipped into the background and went inside for a bath & a movie. I'm not sure what all else went on in my garage that night. I don't even know what time the party wound down. I do know there was no more beer of food left the next morning!

The best part of all though, was my husband giving me genuine thanks for all the hard work I put in to providing him with a fun night. He told me that he feels lucky to have a wife who truly understands him and that no other wife he knows would have thrown this type of party "just for the guys". What he doesn't realize, is how thankful *I* am for all the hard work he does to provide for us every day. He's an amazing husband and father who truly deserved to cut loose for once!

Happy Fathers Day to all you other amazing Dads out there! May there be beer & grilled food in your future!


*Beer Cheese Dip Recipe, originally shared from www.tipjunkie.com
2 - 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 pkg dry ranch mix
1/3 C Beer
2 C Shredded Cheddar Cheese

With an electric mixer, combine first 3 ingredients. Stir in shredded cheddar cheese and let set up in the fridge for at least an hour. Serve with pretzels, crackers or bread!

New Swim Suits from Old Navy & Crowdtap

Once again, I received a great opportunity to get out with Seester and gear up for the summer thanks to Old Navy and Crowdtap! I was so excited when I was accepted into the Old Navy Bathing Suit Sample Share through Crowdtap. If you're not a member of Crowdtap, you're missing out on a lot of cool opportunities! As a stay-at-home Mom I have to keep close tabs on my budget and the opportunities to try out free gear and earn points to cash in on awesome gift cards are always present on Crowdtap!

As soon as I received my gift card for TWO free swim suits I posted a photo on to Seester's Facebook page and asked her if she needed a new suit!

With my 6 year old son in tow, we met at our favorite little restaurant, The Sunshine Cafe, for a nice breakfast and then headed to Old Navy.

We headed to the swimsuit section to make our picks. We were momentarily mesmerized by the walls of flip-flops. (Amanda more so than me! lol)

 Unfortunately, I think we waited too long to make our trip. The suits had been picked through so our options were limited. I wear a size XS - S and there were VERY limited options. I had originally had my heart set on this adorable red polka dotted one-piece. Unfortunately it was out of stock. The only one-piece in my size was a cute little yellow polka-dotted suit with a little keyhole on the chest. The keyhole is what ruined it for me. I have a very tiny surgery scar, but the keyhole framed the scar drawing attention to it. So, it was a no-go. My second choice was the pink sweetheart bottoms paired with the pink halter top. However, the bottoms were completely sold out and the top was only available in larger sizes. My 3rd choice was a very hot orange 2-pc with cute little O-Ring details, however once again it was only available in the larger sizes. I found a lot of cute tops & bottoms in my size, but not matching sets! (I would find a top in my size, but no bottoms that matched and vice versa) I did eventually settle for a very cute black halter top and black string bikini bottom. It was very flattering and very cute!

Amanda is a size M, and therefore had a lot more options! She tried on a cute turquoise 1-pc bandeau suit, the 2-pc pink suit and the white & black crocheted 2-pc. Of course, she looked amazing in all 3 suits! She wound up choosing the white & black crocheted 2-pc.

As we were trying them on, my 6 year old son was a real trooper, playing photographer with my new Sony Cybershot. THEN disaster struck, he laid the camera down while we were trying on suits. It hadn't been out of his hand for more than 2 minutes, unfortunately a dishonest person saw the opportunity and picked up the camera. A sales associate for Old Navy who was near us, realized what happened. There was only one other person anywhere near us and the sales associate asked the woman if she had seen the camera. The woman said "No" and quickly fled the store. So, my camera was gone along with all of our photos. Talk about disheartening and putting a major damper on the entire trip. However, I talked it over with my sister and we agreed to try on the suits all over again to try & "recreate" the experience, taking photos with our phones. We were able to get some shots, but they're obviously not of the same quality as with my real camera.

All in all, the day had it's ups and downs. There's nothing I can do to retrieve the camera, however we both did get new suits out of it! Best of all, we had a good day together. SO, now I am saving up my Crowdtap points until I get enough to cash in for Amazon gift cards to replace the stolen Cybershot camera.

Celebrating a milestone with Madagascar 3!

Like a smack up side the head I realize that my sweet little “baby” has just finished his first year of school. In seemingly no time at all he has went from a shy, nervous toddler who was clinging to my leg & crying…. to this outgoing man of the world who doesn’t even allow me to walk him into the building! Look out first grade, because Aiden’s coming and he means business! But seriously, from start to finish Kindergarten has meant big changes for both of us. I was left floundering, trying to find something to do with all my spare time. (Thus Retro Mama was born!) We were both very sad to be separated but it was growth that we both needed.

Obviously I’m very proud of how well he’s done and so we decided to have an “End of School Party” with his best friend, Quinton. Luckily for me, Q’s Mom is one of my dearest friends. Around the same time as I was starting to plan his party I received an opportunity from Crowdtap* to host a Madagascar 3 party! What perfect timing!!

Last week I received my “Digital Party Kit”. Included was a movie poster, a recipe to make Marty’s Zebra Cake, printable masks, face paint instructions, a printable “Pin the Tail on Gloria”, print & cut decorations and a lot of fun Madagascar 3 activity pages. I used the kit & my imagination to make a great party!

To get the party started I called up Q’s Mom and said, “HEY! I’m going to throw a party…at your house…AND you’re invited!” She started laughing and said, “Sure whatever!” She has a very large yard with an awesome play set so the kids have more room outside to play. She & I decided on Sunday, May 21, 2012 at 1:00pm for our party.

SETTING THE STAGE:
We went with more of a Circus theme so most of our decorations were in bright red & yellow.
~For a snack I filled a large red & white bowl with popcorn. I also made a zebra stripe cake** (which turned out SO awesome) and decorated it with an icing “Circus Afro” that Marty the Zebra wears in the movie.

~I created “Madagascar Swag Bags” full of Madagascar & Circus themed items:

~I cut out small pictures of the circus animals from the movie, attached them to bright orange cardstock and made themed labels for the water bottles.

~Using the animal patterns from the digital party decoration kit, I made a garland from bright yellow card stock and cut out the word “Party” and attached it between the animal silhouettes. I then attached them to a bright red tablecloth.
~We used the “Pin the tail on Gloria” as a decoration and then later used it to play the game.
~We have the original Madagascar on DVD, so we had it playing as we started our party.



THE PARTY:
I’m not sure who liked the cake better, the kids or “Ahmi” (Q’s grandmother). Regardless, we were all excited! Despite our best efforts to maintain control, the boys sort of went their own direction. We got in a short game of “Pin the tail on Gloria” but it took a great deal of coaxing to get them to do it. (Apparently they had other plans…. for the party I planned?!?)
*Retro Mama Fact: There is one thing certain about little boys: they are kinetic…. always in motion and not always with direction or purpose. This fact is greatly accentuated after they’ve eaten cake and ginormous pixie sticks!

So, as I was saying despite our best efforts the boys just took the party over and did their own thing, running blindly on their sugar-high. Q has an awesome inflatable ball that is large enough to play in. (Think child-sized hamster ball.) They rolled around the yard in this ball for most of the afternoon. At one point they were both in the ball and had it jetting across the back yard. It’s amazing what a couple little boys can do when they cooperate with each other!

WRAP UP
Four hours later we finally convinced the boys that we had as much fun as we could possibly handle. Despite their resistance and with promises to take them to see Madagascar 3 in the theater, we shut down the party. My son prattled on about the party to his Dad all evening, detailing out every fun thing he did. That night after a long bath, my “Big 1^st Grader” was sound asleep within moments of being tucked in.

In my opinion? I would call this an epic success!

*Do you want to join Crowdtap, where brands collaborate with consumers? You get to influence top brands while receiving great opportunities such as hosting parties and sample shares. You can follow this link to get started! Happy Tapping! http://bit.ly/jfj6nJ

** Do you want to know how to make a zebra striped cake? It’s super easy! Grab your favorite white cake mix. Split the batter equally in two bowls. Add 3 TBS of cocoa powder to one of the bowls and mix well. Using a greased & floured round cake pan, add 3 heaping TBS of white batter to the center of the pan. Add 3 TBS of chocolate batter to the very center of the white batter. Keep repeating this pattern until you’ve used all your batter. The result will look like concentric circles. Carefully move your pan to the oven & bake! When you cut your cake the zebra layers will appear!