Not sure about all of you, but when we go on vacation we not only enjoy our favorite beach and the wonderful ocean, but we also enjoy all our favorite treats.  And by treats I mean we had two weeks of all our favorite foods and then some.  We ate pizza, ice cream, frozen yogurt, beer, french fries, chocolate, chips … and the list could go on and on and on…

I also realized this year that when you walk with small children that aren’t in a stroller you don’t burn off as many calories as you do when you can walk as fast as you want.  Apparently our years of walking the boards fast and burning off all our treats are gone for now.

When we returned home, I was not happy with myself at all.  I hate to admit it, but I was feeling a little chubby and after working so hard all Spring to decrease the chub I was pretty mad. The good news is that I had been chosen to participate in the Mom Central Under-Way blog tour.  Mom Central seems to know what I need when I need it and a week after coming home from the beach a box arrived at the door.

In it were samples of the underWAY supplement drink.  I was quite excited to try these out as they are infused with HeroFiber and heart-healthy vitamins, works naturally to suppress your appetite and quench your thirst. And boy did I need help suppressing my appetite.  In two short weeks I became very accustom to extra snacks, well extra, ha,  I snacked pretty much all day long. underWay is great!  I received four bottles of grape and four of acai-pomegranate and you wouldn’t know by taste that they were healthy supplement drinks. At just 20 calories per bottle I didn’t mind having a bottle in between my glasses of water.  And since they are great for rehydration I made sure to have one after my run.

Here are a few extra benefits of underWay drinks:

• there are no preservatives, sodium or caffeine
• one serving delivers almost a third of your daily recommended intake of fibre
• only has 10 calories and 2 grams of carbs per 8oz serving (each bottle is two servings)

In addition to the eight bottles of underWay, I also received a case of samples of Smart for Life products.  There were cookies, cupcakes, crunch, cereal, soup, bagels and shakes.  And WOW!  I was only asked to try the product and let you know what I thought.   But, I went one step further.  In my case I had enough product for five days of the Smart for Life Cookie Diet so I decided to give it a try and see what the results would be. In five days I lost 7lbs.

Now, I know that a couple (ok three) of those pounds were from the beach but the other four were ones that I wanted gone before I left for the beach. But, that was enough for me to tell that it is certainly worth a try.  In addition to losing 7lbs, I felt fantastic.  I chose to not be too strict on myself for my dinners, so I ate the Smart for Life products (with lots of water) all day long as directed then I ate dinner with the family.  I tried not to eat many carbs but didn’t make it super strict. Fabulous.  The cookies and cupcakes were great, they are moist and tasty and I was totally surprised.  So surprised that I went to Costco on Saturday and bought a case of cookies and a case of drinks so I could keep it up for the next week and see what happened.  Either way they are a great meal replacement or low-calorie dessert at only 90 calories for a cookie or muffin.

And as an added bonus, I get to give TEN of my readers a case, courtesy of Mom Central,  just like the one I received (which apparently I forgot to take a picture of) so you too could try out underWAY and Smart for Life.  All you have to do is leave a comment and tell me why you would like to try underWAY or Smart for Life products and you will be entered to win. Contest open to Canadian residents only (sorry to my friends from the South).Readers may enter the contest on multiple blogs but are only eligible to win once as part of the underWAY blog tour contest. Contest closes August 4th.

Disclosure - I am participating in the underWAY program by Mom Central on behalf of Better Health Beverage, LLC. I received a gift card as a thank you for my participation.  The opinions on this blog are my own.

Well, apparently the end of June is the busiest time of the year next to Christmas.  The good news is that nobody was hurt during the Earthquake we had yesterday. Despite J’s school being evacuated, Hubby having to work double overtime and Apple and I having to pick up a few things that fell down we really didn’t suffer much more than some shaken nerves and a reminder that we are not immune to the ground shaking.

Before I announce the winner of the Swanky Paper Giveaway I have to say that Heather, from Swanky Paper, emailed me today after reading about my Blogiversary and offered to donate the cards for my giveaway.  How sweet is Heather?  Be sure to think of her if you are looking for some notecards or invitation, I do love her designs as much as I love paper.  Thank you Heather.

Now to announce the winner.  I used the Random.org generator and it picked comment number 1.

Shannon!

Go figure that A Crafty Mom who may be the only person I know who loves paper more than I do would win this giveaway.  Congratulations Shannon and be sure to enter today’s Giveaway.

Now onto today’s giveaway.  I am sticking with the wood/paper theme here and giving away one of Sharilyn’s Pocket Books from Lovely Design.  I ordered one a few months ago and just love it.  The pocket book is handmade, using  scraps of paper such as old maps, accounting papers, lined papers and many more.  The books are bound and covered in a gorgeous linen, I chose the Robin’s Egg Blue and use it for notes and reminders.  In between the pages there are little pockets with surprises and it just adds so nicely to the books. Sharilyn also has other great products.  I am eyeing the Address file, so that may just be my next purchase.

I will also add that Sharilyn is extremely busy and can’t even keep the pocket book and journal books in stock.  The next order should be ready in the next few weeks, so I am on the waitlist ready to order one for the winner the moment they are released. So your prize will not be delivered immediately but in a few weeks time.

For today’s giveaway all you have to do is leave a comment and tell me how do you keep all of your addresses organized?  I have two ways, my old daytimer and it’s address pages and my address book on my computer, but neither is truly complete so I need to make a decision and update on and get rid of the other. Contest closes at 6pm on Friday, June 25th where a winner will be randomly chosen from all entries.

My official Blogaversary is Friday, June 25th which makes it five years that I have been writing this blog.  Five years that I have been sharing with you at my little place in the blogisphere.  I know that some weeks I have a lot to share and some, not so much.  But, I also know that it has been great to get to ‘meet’ you all and share in your stories and lives as well.

I love that I have met so many wonderful people in real life through my blog.  If I had never dared myself to do this I would never have met A Crafty Mom, Andrea, Borderline Bonkers, Kami’s Khlopchyk, Secret Agent Josephine or Bethany Actually.  All of whom are just as wonderful in real life as they are on their blogs.

When I first started sharing, I did it as a lark.  I felt like I couldn’t just lurk and read others blogs without contributing a little something back.  Then, I kind of got hooked.  It became like an addiction.  I will be doing something and writing posts in my head.  Not all of them make it to the blog due to time constraints but, I see the posts or hear them while I am out and about.  And that was when I knew I was in it for good.  I can honestly say in five years that I have never thought of stopping and this blog has seen me through some pretty tough times and I am grateful for those of you who commented and helped me through them.  There are also times when things in life don’t go so well and sometimes that it when things go a little quiet here, because believe it or not there are things in my life that I don’t share with the whole world.

As a little thank you I will be giving away a few of my favorite things this week.  The Fifth Anniversary is the Wood anniversary (modern) or the silverware (traditional) since I am sponsoring my giveaways, I will stick with the more modern approach and go with wood.

So the first giveaway will be from Swanky Paper. I love Heather’s personalized notecards.  They are so fun and funky, I wish I had a set of each. The winner of this giveaway will get to choose either a flat notecard set or a folded notecard set from the personlized notecards. All you have to do is leave a comment and tell me what is your favorite way to celebrate an Anniversary (and it could be any Anniversary, not necessarily a wedding one).  Contest closes at 6pm Wednesday, June 23rd a winner will be randomly chosen from all the entries.

Happy Mother’s Day!!  And if you would like a chance to win a spot in my Spring Mini-Sessions on May 15th, head on over to Kids in the Capital and enter the draw.  They are hosting their first Giveaway for Mother’s Day. Don’t miss out!

Photo of Graduation Pops I made for J’s class, seemed like a fun way to say Congratulations!!

Sorry this one didn’t get up first thing this morning, but as usual just before leaving for a trip we discover something not working in the truck and I have spent the morning running, and I mean running around.

Congratulations go out to Lynn!!  You won my Blogiversary Giveaway! I will be contacting you shortly for your snail mail info.

I was trying to think of something personal to give away for this year’s blogiversary (am I even spelling that right? not sure) like a family photo shoot, but when I realized that many of my readers are far away from our Nation’s Capital that just wouldn’t be fair.  I mean it would be if I could afford to fly to where ever you live, but I am a SAHM so I cannot afford the airfare at this point. Instead, I opted for four of my favourite things.

This little package contains four of my favourite things, five if you include the pen.

You Deserve This by Cake Beauty.  I received this as a gift from my eldest Sister last year for my birthday and my hands and feet have thanked her ever since.

An Ecojot notebook.  The same one I carry around with me all the time.  Who am I kidding?  I have about five of these throughout the house, all for different things.  One in my purse (small one) for notes, one in the diaper bag, one on my nightstand to write the library books I get in it, one in the gym to keep track of my workouts, one for photography to write notes about a shoot, and one for writing when I am in the mood for working on my novel.

Sephora by OPI nail polish in Casting Call.  I love OPI nail polish and this one is a nice shade of mauve, perfect for summer toes.

A set of four note cards that I made myself and carry in my Etsy Shop.

And an added bonus of a pen.  I had to include it because it matched both the notebook and the cards and I love the fine tip when I write.

And I just realized that three of the four items are made in Canada, so I am thankful to be giving away some wonderful Canadian goodies to one of my wonderful readers.  Because truly, you are all fabulous.  I know I started this blog to give something back for all the blogs I was reading, but I never really thought that four years later I would still be blogging and actually loving it.  I know that once in a while my posts are a little less frequent, but that is only because I am just simply hanging around the house and there is only so much to say when you don’t leave your backyard.  I have met some truly wonderful women (and a couple of men) in my blogging adventures and hope that it will continue for many years to come.

So without further ado, I will ask you to leave a comment and tell me why you blog or don’t blog?

A winner will be randomly chosen on Tuesday morning, the last day of June.

*This giveaway has been furnished completely by me.  I have tried and tested all of the products and they are truly things that I love. 

Comment number 4: TwinMomPlusOne!

Congratulations TwinMomPlusOne, here’s hoping this puts a little extra zing in your step when you are running in the mornings.

If I am going to continue to be honest here on my blog, then I will admit it right now.  Last week I did nothing.

Ok, I walked J to school, dragging my feet the whole way, feeling like I had been hit by a truck.   I told you I was in a funk last week and I truly had no motivation to do anything.  I managed to read a couple of books, drink a lot of hot chocolate and sulk.  Yes, I sulked.

Then, Tuesday night the skies opened up, and the clouds dispersed, as the sun was setting, I could almost feel the warmth moving in on me.  I went to bed with a plan to run the next morning.

Wednesday, the day I should have posted this but got sidetracked, I awoke to sunshine and happiness.  I strapped on my running shoes, walked J to school and turned on my MP3 player in my phone.  Within two minutes I was running and feeling better.  Not a word of a lie, with every step I felt better and better.  I ran for 3km only stopping to clean up after the dog.  It was one of those runs that I could have just kept on going.

Whether it was the sun, warmth, happy people everywhere or the music on my phone something just connected.  And hooray it has carried through to today.  And to celebrate this, I wanted to have another little giveaway.  I want to share with you all the music that makes me run.  And not just a jog, but a run.

This is what I listened to last Fall when I ran the CIBC Run for the Cure, this is what I pipe through the basement speakers when I am running on the treadmill and this is what pumps through my phone when I am out running with Apple and Mickey (the dog).

Cardio Grooves.  This three CD set is full of blood pumping, feet moving music that dates (me) back to the mid to late 1980’s.  I simply cannot walk when I have this music pumping, I just can’t.

I will be giving away one set to one lucky reader.  Simply leave me a comment and tell me what you like listening to when you are working out and if you don’t work out tell me what you listen to in  your car, guaranteed if you played this you would start working out after.

I will randomly draw a number on Saturday morning (June 6th) and post the winner.

p.s. I am sitting in my backyard enjoying the sunshine as I type.  Sunshine truly is an awesome thing.

I know this is not the usual way of writing a Thank You note, but be assured that there will be another one coming your way the old fashioned way.

I am not sure how to Thank You properly really, so bear with me while I stumble through.  I was first introduced to your website by Bakerella and her glorious cake pops.  I don’t make them right now because they go straight to my hips and if you see my Workout Wednesday posts, I am trying desperately to get rid of my extra baggage. When I first clicked over to your site from Bakerella I was immediately drawn in.  Your love of cooking, photography, decorating and renos is everything I love and more.  Oh yes, and you are a Mom and live on Ranch.  If Hubby had had his way years ago we would be living on a Farm and I would be sneezing my way through life.

I found it very interesting that you gave away prizes all the time.  At first I was very shy to enter, because I had just started stopping by and was getting to know you.  I didn’t feel that was fair to others who had been visiting your site for two and a half years.  But, when I realized that you had some 15,000 - 20, 000 people entering your contests, I started popping my name in here and there, but never in a millions years did I ever expect to see my name in the list of Winners.  Or Wieners as you like to call them sometimes.

Well, a few weeks ago, I entered your Kitchen-Aid Mixer contest because I wanted you to make Croques Monsieur for your guests who were meeting Smitten Kitchen.  Well you didn’t chose to make the Croques but, I did win a Mixer!  I know, how crazy is that? It took a little while to get here, but it arrived on Saturday morning by way of a very good looking delivery man.

You were expecting a photo of him weren’t you?  Didn’t think of that.

I chose Blue Willow, because my kitchen is blue and blue in my decor makes me happy.  I feel closer to the beach when I live in a blue world.

Fresh out of the box, look at that baby shine!

This is the Artisan Model, it is beautiful.  A large bowl (5 quart) with handle and spill guard with a pouring spout.  Just think of all I can make.

I planned and had the ingredients for Chocolate Chip Cookies.  A favourite in my house, I figured Saturday morning was a good day for cookies.

And in action…

And the end result after all that mixing, more because it was new.

A boat load of cookies.

That were gone by Sunday morning.

I did give some away, but the rest were consumed by the four of us here chez BeachMama.  And today, I went for a run.  A long hard run.

Thank you so much for inspiring so many people, sharing your stories and recipes and photo tips. And for constantly being so generous towards your readers.  I never thought in a million years that I would ever win something, but I am truly grateful and I love it!

Thank you with all my heart,

BeachMama

Taken from Random.org the winner is comment #5, Chantal!

Chantal Says:
April 23rd, 2009 at 8:53 am edit

Pretty much the only exercise I do is running. I wonder if those bands might help me incorporate some strength. Thanks Anna!

Congratulations Chantal, you have won this set, I will be contacting you shortly on how to claim your prize.

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Timestamp: 2009-04-24 14:11:54 UTC